A list where classical music enthusiasts can discuss music, musicians, composers, composition, instruments, performance, music history, recordings and all topics even remotely related to classical music from all periods.
* Richard Zeller (Gimpel) * D'Anna Fortunato (Elka) * Kevin Walsh (Badkhen) * Thomas Glenn (Rabbi) * Alissa Mercurio Rowe (Fegele, Goat, Evil One)
Third Angle Ensemble/Kenneth Kiesler Naxos 8.669010-11 Total Time: 96:11 (2 CDs)
Summary for the Busy Executive: Singer sung.
If I have a religion, it's either music or Anglophilia. I don't know enough Yiddish to read it. Nevertheless, the Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer, according to me, has written some of the most compelling postwar literary work, especially his stories and short novellas. His output generally divides between
Joaquin Rodrigo Complete Orchestral Music - 10 Songs and Madrigals for Soprano & Orchestra
* Cuatro madrigales amatorios (1948) * Cantos de amor y de guerra (1968) * Triptic de Mossen Cinto (1936) * Romance del Comendador de Ocana (1947) * Cuatre cancons en llengua catalana (1935) * Rosaliana (1965) * Cantico de la esposa (1934)
Summary for the Busy Executive: Two def jams in phat performances, as the kids used to say.
Like many others, I first made the acquaintance of Miklos Rozsa's violin concerto through the Heifetz LP on RCA. Tailored for Heifetz's playing, the concerto both brooded and threw off virtuoso sparks. For many years, you could get only that recording, even into the
This is to introduce you to a new concept, one which has as its sole aim the promotion of British Music via an internet radio site. We'll have more to say about details as we move towards the official launch date later this year. Suffice it to say, the site is now online at: www.britishmusicradio.net and there is a Test Transmission playing, around an hour of music recorded by us at our Festival of British Music a couple of years back, including Emma Kirkby and Anthony Rooley performing Dowland, plus music by Elgar, Walton, Byrd, Holst etc ... and a
Dave Lampson has recently made many useful improvements and additions to his <classical.net> website. I am especially pleased that he has included my latest CD. I invite you to have a look. Go to classical.net, look for Quick Links in the upper left of the screen. Click on Composer List. This is an alphabetical listing. Click on "L' and there you will find me, right between Lalo and Landini. Good company! And there you can find all my CDs with pictures of the nifty covers and the possibility of listening to mp3 excerpts. You can even download a whole CD
For distinguished musical composition by an American that has had its first performance or recording in the United States during the year, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
Awarded to "Violin Concerto" by *Jennifer Higdon* (Lawdon Press), premiered on February 6, 2009, in Indianapolis, IN, a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity .
Piano Music of Judith Lang Zaimont on April 11 in Westminster, Maryland
The first three movements of Judith Lang Zaimont's Snazzy Sonata, An Entertainment for Two for piano four-hands will be performed by the duo of Peggy Brengle and Don Horneff on Sunday, April 11 - 3 PM at Westminster United Methodist Church, 162 E. Main Street in Westminster, Maryland, as part of a concert of piano/organ and four hand piano duets.
Chamber Music of Dan Locklair Performed at Weymouth Center in Southern Pines, North Carolina on April 11
Composer Dan Locklair's Dream Steps, A Dance Suite for flute, harp and viola will be performed on Sunday, April 11 - 3:00 PM in the Great Room of Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities, 555 East Connecticut Avenue in Southern Pines, North Carolina.
U.S. Premiere by Emerson Quartet of Lawrence Dillon's String Quartet No. 5 on April 10 in Winston-Salem, NC and April 14 in Seattle, WA
Lawrence Dillon's String Quartet No. 5: Through the Night, will be given its U.S. Premiere performances by the internationally renowned Emerson Quartet on Saturday, April 10 - 7:30 PM at Watson Chamber Music Hall of University of North Carolina School of the Arts, 1533 S. Main Street in Winston-Salem and on Wednesday, April 14 at Meany Hall of the University of Washington, 15th Ave, NE and NE 40th St. in Seattle. The programs will also include
Roland John Wiley Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. 2009. 546 pages. ISBN-10: 0195368924 ISBN-13: 978-0195368925
Summary for the Busy Executive: For once, Tchaikovsky the composer as well as the man.
For several reasons, most books on Tchaikovsky tend to concentrate on the life, rather than on the music, or at least see the music solely in terms of the life. Tchaikovsky's neuroses, the rise of so-called "queer studies," and the mysteries surrounding his death all contribute to this phenomenon, as if we could understand his music by understanding his life or his sexual orientation or the "clues"
Steve Schwartz says in regard to Tchaikovsky's 2nd Piano Concerto:
>This sort of mucking about from People Who Knew Better also plagued the >second piano concerto, heard for over a hundred years in a bowdlerized >version, and undoubtedly hindered its acceptance.
Speaking of Siloti, I have been amazed recently reading a lot of liner notes about Rachmaninoff how many writers do not mention that they were cousins when all they had to do was insert 2 words, "his cousin". Often he is referred to as Rachmaninoff's "teacher", " friend" etc. Do you suppose that some of these people don't know
Wieslaw Ochman, tenor Alexander Pinderak, tenor Ewa Marciniec mezzo Ewa Marczyk violin Kazimierz Koslacz cello Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir/Antoni Wit Naxos 8.570723 Total time: 73:17
Summary for the Busy Executive: Polish polish.
Always a good composer, Karol Szymanowski became a great one in the Twenties, once he had thrown off the traces of post-Wagnerianism and Impressionism and forged Polish folklore into a Modern music. In many ways, his music suffered because he lived in Poland, at the time a
The "cacophony" in question? Elgars String Quartet in E-minor, Op. 83
Subject: Classical Music Broadcast.com: squeaking violins
I don't mind high-pitched violins now and then, since I recognize they must be included in a comprehensive selection of classical music in order for it to be comprehensive.
Kelly Rinne posted an anonymous denouncement of that radical modernist Elgar:
> ... Virtuosity to me isn't an athletic > achievement; rapid, machine-gun notes emitted by any > instrument except a banjo is crass and childish, and > such noise pollution from a violin is criminal.
??? CRASS AND CHILDISH? Checky your equipment!!!
> Please remember this when generating a playlist.
Kelly Rinne posted an anonymous denouncement of that radical modernist Elgar:
> ... Virtuosity to me isn't an athletic > achievement; rapid, machine-gun notes emitted by any > instrument except a banjo is crass and childish, and > such noise pollution from a violin is criminal.
The best part is "except a banjo". Was this anonymous denouncement originally posted on April first?
TWIN SPIRITS Portraying the Love of Robert & Clara Schumann in Words & Music
Sting (Robert Schumann "in words") Simon Keenlyside (Robert Schumann "in song") Trudie Styler (Clara Wieck "in words") Rebecca Evans (Clara Wieck "in song") Derek Jacobi (narrator) Sergei Krylov (violin) Natalie Clein (cello) Iain Burnside (piano) Natasha Paremski (piano) Martin Ward (musical arrangements) "devised and directed for the stage" by John Caird Opus Arte OA 0984 D DVD Total time: 246:04 (2 DVDs)
* Hamlet (1937-38) * Boris Godunov (1936) * Eugen Onegin, op. 71 * Egyptian Nights
Marina Domaschenko, mezzo Victor Sawaley, tenor Yuri Swatenko, tenor Boris Statsenko, baritone Chulpan Chamatova, speaker Jakob Kuef, speaker RIAS Chamber Choir Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra/Michail Jurowski Capriccio 7001 Total time: 188:39 (3 CDs)
Summary for the Busy Executive: At least one real discovery.
Prokofiev's incidental music has languished as an orphan child to his ballets and operas. One can understand this in light of the fact that only two of the four productions listed here made it to performance -- Hamlet
I recently noticed two period performance recordings of Beethoven's 4th piano concerto where the soloist opens with an arpeggio instead of the familiar chord. (Ronald Brautigam and Robert Levin.) Does anyone know what the scholarship is on this? I've googled but haven't found anything that explains it.
I don't know who started it but I've also heard Maria Joao Pires arpeggiate it, very beautifully.
Paul Silverthorne Principal viola - London Symphony Orchestra Principal viola - London Sinfonietta Professor of viola - Royal Academy of Music, London www.paulsilverthorne.com
* Copland: Preamble for a Solemn Occasion * Ives: - Variations on 'America' - Adeste Fidelis - 2 Fugues * Cowell: Hymn and Fuguing Tune No. 14 * Still: Reverie * Barber: - Prelude and Fugue - Wondrous Love * Paulus: Triptych
Iain Quinn (organ) Chandos CHAN 10489 Total time: 71:16
Summary for the Busy Executive: Declarations of independence.
Compared to the traditions of Germany, Holland, and France and despite the presence of single masterpieces, most other countries' music for organ falls into the category of afterthoughts. Only one item on this program, Ives's Variations on 'America,'
Clarinetist Michael Norsworthy in Concert on April 8 in Minnesota, April 9 in Wisconsin and April 11 in Iowa
Clarinetist Michael Norsworthy will be featured in three upcoming performances - Thursday, April 8 - 7:30 PM at Ted Mann Concert Hall on the campus of University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Friday, April 9 - 8 PM at Mills Concert Hall of University of Wisconsin in Madison and on April 11 - 7:30 PM at Riverside Recital Hall of University of Iowa in Iowa City. All three performances are presented by the University of Iowa Center for New Music, David Gompper,
Music and Art Video Suite by Judith Lang Zaimont on March 17, 18 and 19 at Indiana University of Pennsylvania Festival of Women Composers
Judith Lang Zaimont's music and art video suite will be featured on March 17, 18 and 19 at the Ninth Festival of Women Composers, presented by the Music Department of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The suite will be presented at 2 PM each day by the composer and her husband, artist Gary Zaimont, in the school's Cogswell Hall, 422 South Eleventh Street in Indiana, Pennsylvania.
Irina Ronishevskaya, soprano Alexander Zagorinsky, cello Moscow Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/William Stromberg Naxos 8.570110-11 Total Time: 144:50 (2 CDs)
Summary for the Busy Executive: A landmark film score and a fascinating what-if.
My interest in collecting film music (other than "classical" works like those of Prokofiev and Copland) began in the 1970s with RCA's series of LPs by Charles Gerhardt and the National Philharmonic Orchestra, magnificent in repertoire, interpretation, and sound engineering. I bought almost every one of those LPs (except for those
>[Read online: http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/n/nxs70110a.php ] > >Erich Wolfgang Korngold >Complete Film Scores > >* The Sea Hawk >* Deception > >Irina Ronishevskaya, soprano >Alexander Zagorinsky, cello >Moscow Symphony Orchestra & Chorus/William Stromberg >Naxos 8.570110-11 Total Time: 144:50 (2 CDs)
As a great Korngold fan, I'll make a few comments on a review that doesn't really need them.
Try to find the complete recording of King's Row. The movie comes off a pot-boiler, torrid novel, and is somewhat over the top with small town emotions. Bob CUmmings is a bit out of place, but you do find out where Reagan's
National Orchestra of Belgium/Mikko Franck (No. 1) Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra/Max Pommer (Nos. 2-6) Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra/Leif Segerstam (Nos. 7, 8) Ondine ODE 1145-2Q Total time: 239:06 (4 CDs)
Summary for the Busy Executive: If you knew Juhani Rautavaara like I know Juhani Rautavaara . . . .
I never think of Einojuhani Rautavaara as a "specialist" composer, so I certainly don't think of him as a symphonist. Nevertheless, he's written eight of them -- the first four from the mid-Fifties to early Sixties, about a twenty-five year break, and then the last
Here's an interesting article by Jan Swafford, complete with substantial audio clips, on the differences in playing the Moonlight and Appassionata sonatas on modern and vintage pianos. Money quote on vintage instruments: "The sound is startlingly different from a modern piano and takes a while to get used to. These instruments were mostly played in small to medium-size rooms. The sound is intimate; you hear wood and felt and leather. The voicing is varied through the registers rather than the homogenous sound of modern pianos. On the Katholnig, the effect of holding the pedal down in the "Moonlight" has
Charles Wetherbee, violin Baltimore Chamber Orchestra/Markand Thaker Carpe Diem String Quartet Naxos 8.559398 Total time: 56:34
Summary for the Busy Executive: A fascinating struggle between influence and ventriloquism.
I tend to cling to an habitual pessimism, so I'm seldom disappointed and occasionally pleasantly surprised. At any rate, I found myself in a funk recently about the state of contemporary music, particularly compared to the heroic age of Modernism. The next Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Bartok, Hindemith, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Ives, Copland, Piston, Poulenc,
February 28, 2010 Op-Ed Contributor And the Orchestra Played On By JOANNE LIPMAN
The other day, I found myself rummaging through a closet, searching for my old viola. This wasn't how I'd planned to spend the afternoon. I hadn't given a thought to the instrument in years. I barely remembered where it was, much less how to play it. But I had just gotten word that my childhood music teacher, Jerry Kupchynsky - 'Mr. K.' to his students - had died.
Al--this brought me to tears. Mr. K reminded me of our high school band/orchestra director, Wilbur McCullar, and how we felt about him. What he gave us was a standard of excellence. Thanks SO MUCH for sending.
Loft Recordings Releases CD of Organ Music of Dan Locklair Performed by Marilyn Keiser
Loft Recordings has issued The Music of Dan Locklair (LRCD-1110), a collection of some of the composer's finest organ music, performed by the internationally renowned Marilyn Keiser.
Selections on the disk are Rubrics (A Liturgical Suite for Organ) [1988], Salem Sonata for organ [2003], PHOENIX Processional (Solo Organ Version) [1996 - from PHOENIX Fanfare and Processional) [1979/85], Celebration (Variations for Organ) [2003], The AEolian Sonata for organ [2002] and In Mystery and Wonder (The Casavant Diptych) [2004].
* Jenufa -- Suite * The Excursions of Mr. Broucek -- Suite
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra/Peter Breiner Naxos 8.570555 Total time: 70:20
* Kat'a Kabanova -- Suite * The Makropulos Affair -- Suite.
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra/Peter Breiner Naxos 8.570556 Total time: 70:31
Summary: Nice.
First, Janacek did not make suites from his operas. Peter Breiner arranged these suites. Some of the items he lifted pretty much whole. Others he hunted and snipped and pasted. I've got nothing against such procedures per se. After all, it's done with movie soundtrack albums all the time. However, I really have
I've been listening to a lot of Janacek recently, and I have really come to enjoy his music and, especially, his operas. I was interested to learn from Steve's review that the composer never created these suites; unlike, say, Prokofiev's opera suites. It makes sense though, since Janacek really mastered the ability to have his vocal lines mimic Czech speech patterns.
'Eight CDs of fifty individual British compositions written by fifty individual British composers are "celebrating 50 years devoted to British music".
The years are nineteen-sixty to two thousand and nine and the celebrating is for Lyrita, the recording enterprise founded by Richard Itter "at a time when the big companies were ignoring the traditional British music in favour of the avant-garde". These days have gone, avant-garde and all.
Songs America Loves to Sing Old and New Music for Winds, Strings, and Piano
* MOZART: Trio in E-flat, K. 498 'Kegelstatt' * DELLO JOIO: Trio for flute, cello, and piano (1944) * BUNCH: Slow Dance (1996) * HARBISON: Songs America Loves to Sing (2004)
Atlanta Chamber Players MSR MS1190 Total time: 72:47
Lauren Flanigan (Lady Marigold Sandys) Walter MacNeil (Sir Gower Lackland) Richard Zeller (Wrestling Bradford) Charles Robert Austin (Praise-God Tewke) Seattle Symphony Chorale Northwest Boyschoir Seattle Girls' Choir Seattle Symphony/Gerard Schwarz Naxos 8.669012-13 Total Time: 124:02 (2 CDs)
Summary for the Busy Executive: No tunes?
One of the better American operas finally receives its first modern recording. I've been reading the reviews, usually titled something like "Why are There No Good American Operas?" When I encounter this sentiment -- on opera or symphonies or dodecaphony or whatever -- I always wonder how
Johann Sebastian Bach. Sonatas and Partitias for Solo Violin. Hlif Sigurjonsdottir, violin. 2 CDs. 65:31 and 73:11 Recorded by Sveinn Kjartannson, StudioSyrland, Reykjavik. Produced in Iceland, seemingly by the performer. Available from www.HlifSigurjons.is
Bach wrote all these solo violin pieces relatively early in his career, when he was court composer at Anhalt-Coethen. During this period of 1717-1723, prior to his move to Leipzig for the rest of his life, his duties involved only secular music.
[ Read a review of two Harbach CDs at: http://www.classical.net/music/recs/reviews/m/msr01252a.php ]
Barbara Harbach Wins Women in Music-Columbus Composition Competition
Barbara Harbach's American Solstice for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, bass and piano is the winner of the Ohio-based Women in Music-Columbus Composition Competition. Visit them at http://www.womeninmusiccolumbus.com/. Musicians from the organization will perform the composition on April 18 as part of the Sundays at the Huntington (Recital Hall) series at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio.
* In memoriam: Bertolt Brecht (1957) * Symphony No. 2 (1934; 1962) * Danse et Chanson (1937) * Examen et poeme de Verlaine (1938) * Le Voix (1939) * Symphony in One Movement (Symphony No. 1) (1926)
Ksenija Lukic, soprano Manuela Bress, mezzo Holger Groschopp, piano Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Roger Epple Capriccio 5019 Total time: 69:32
Summary for the Busy Executive: Witness to horrors.
* Piano Quintet in A, op. 81 (arr. Jolly) * Romance for Violin & Orchestra, op. 11 (arr. Kay) * String Quartet in E-flat, op. 51 (arr. Jolly)
Windscape Jeremy Denk, piano Daniel Phillips, violin MSR MS1175 Total Time: 52:29
Summary for the Busy Executive: Czech-ered.
Windscape performs in-house arrangements of three well-known chamber pieces by Dvorak. It's the rare major composer who has more than one wind quintet in his catalogue. Dvorak and Brahms have exactly none, but they did write a ton for string ensembles. Unless wind quintets
When I saw Steve Schwartz's review of "Dvorak Transcribed", I thought, "Blimey, he was quick off the mark", since I've just released, on Toccata Classics, a CD of transcriptions of Dvorak songs by Josef Suk - his great-grandson, of course - and Vladimir Ashkenazy, the two patrons of my label. And since the main delivery has not long come in from the factory, I couldn't see how Steve could have got hold of one on his side of the pond already. Turns out, of course, that he was writing about a different CD. You can sample my one online at
* Quintet for oboe and string quartet * Raleigh Divertimento for nonet * Bath County Rhapsody for piano and string quartet * Arioso and Tarantelle for viola and piano * First Symphony
Joseph Robinson, oboe Ciompi Quartet Czech Nonet Jane Hawkins, piano Jonathan Bagg, viola Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra/Alan Balter Albany TROY1063 Total time: 67:36
Summary for the Busy Executive: On again, off again.
The Elgar Enigmas: A Musical Mystery By Simon Boswell Booklocker.com, Inc. 2009, 488 pages
Music lovers know that Edward Elgar's famous orchestral work, Enigma Variations, is named for a hidden theme that runs through the work along with the main one. They also know that Elgar died without revealing what the theme was, leaving behind a cottage industry of solution manufacturing that persists to this day. Elgar loved puzzles, and this isn't the only one he left behind. All the variations of Enigma but one contain initials of their subjects, e.g., 'CAE' is Caroline Alice
* Piano Concerto (orch. Dunn) (1923) * Cello Concerto (1945) * Homage to Boston (Suite for Piano Solo)
Scott Dunn, piano Sam Magill, cello Russian Philharmonic Orchestra/Dmitry Yablonsky Naxos 8.559286 Total Time: 57:30
Summary for the Busy Executive: Pleasant.
If Vernon Duke had written nothing more than "I Like the Likes of You," "Autumn in New York," and the score for Cabin in the Sky, he'd still sit permanently in my pantheon. However, he had, in essence, two careers - one on Broadway and in Hollywood, and the other in
I everyone, I am new here and thought I would check it out. I am a professional, classical flutist and I do a lot online so I am known around the world as the "internet flutist." To introduce myself I am offering you free MP3s of me playing pieces by Telemann and Muczynski. Go to www.instantencore.com/ninaperlove and in the white box in the top right that says "search or redeem" type in the code: flutemp3 If you haven't seen instantencore.com before, you will really like it.
>I everyone, I am new here and thought I would check it out. I am a >professional, classical flutist and I do a lot online so I am known >around the world as the "internet flutist." To introduce myself I am >offering you free MP3s of me playing pieces by Telemann and Muczynski. >Go to www.instantencore.com/ninaperlove and in the white box in the top >right that says "search or redeem" type in the code: flutemp3 If you >haven't seen instantencore.com before, you will really like it. > >I promise that I am really a flutist and I am
* Suite on Russian Folksongs, op. 79b * Serenade on Swedish Melodies, op. posth. * Swedish Dances -- Orchestra Suites Nos. 1 and 2, op. 63
SWR Radio Orchestra of Kaiserslautern/Werner Andreas Albert CPO 777385-2 Total time: 58:22
Summary for the Busy Executive: Light music and no apologies.
Max Bruch, enormously influential in his own day, has for us become the composer of three pieces: Kol Nidre, Scottish Fantasy, and the first violin concerto. The last probably counts as his best work. Bruch in general seemed to lack that extra spark that distinguishes a
Noam Buchman, flute Yuri Gandelsman, viola Soloists of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra Slovak Radio Symphony Atlas Camerata Orchestra/Dalia Atlas Naxos 8.570258 Total Time: 52:29
Summary for the Busy Executive: Mighty minis.
I used to complain that Ernest Bloch's music hadn't gotten the attention it deserved. In the concert hall and the academic journal, it remains true. Thank the gods for CDs. Not only can you get umpty-tumpty versions of Schelomo, with just about any star cellist you care to name, but you can choose from
* Brahms: - Unbewegte laue Luft - Ruhe, Suessliebchen, im Schatten - Von ewiger Liebe * Handel: - La Lucrezia - Arias - Giulio Cesare -- Son nata a lagrimar* * Debussy: Trois chansons de Bilitis * Mozart: - Dans au bois solitaire - Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte - Abendempfindung an Laura - Eine kleine deutsche Kantate (excerpt) * Burleigh: Deep River * Telson: Calling You
Sunday, January 31, 2010 3:00 PM George Mason University Center for the Arts, Fairfax, Virginia (http://www2.gmu.edu/resources/visitors/)
American Youth Philharmonic Daniel Spalding, Guest Conductor Guest Artist: Awadagin Pratt, piano
Program:
Nelson: Savannah River Holiday Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
COMPS FOR KIDS As part of AYP's "Comps for Kids" campaign, this performance is being offered FREE to all youth ages 18 & under. No reservations necessary; tickets will be given at the door.
William Walton Music from the Olivier Films Arranged by Christopher Palmer
* Richard III: A Shakespeare Scenario * * Fanfare and March from Macbeth * Major Barbara: A Shavian Sequence
* Sir John Gielgud, speaker Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields/Sir Neville Marriner Chandos CHAN10435X 60:45
Summary for the Busy Executive: "Sound drums and trumpets."
The British composer William Walton began writing film scores in the early Thirties with music for Escape Me Never (1934). The music often outshone the movie and certainly ran steps beyond most of the British and Hollywood work of the time. However, Walton, while certainly capable, didn't
* Spring Dreams for violin and orchestra of Chinese instruments (1999) * 3 Fantasies (2006) * Tibetan Dance (2001)
Cho-Liang Lin (violin) Andre-Michel Schub (piano) Erin Svaboda (clarinet) Bright Sheng (piano) Singapore Chinese Orchestra/Tsung Yeh Naxos 8.570601 Total time: 48:00
Summary for the Busy Executive: Talent. Bright Sheng is still somebody to watch.
Bright Sheng, born in Shanghai, lived through the Cultural Revolution, during which time he was assigned to collect folk tunes and to arrange for folk ensembles. Rather than crush his creativity, it seems to have molded his artistic personality. Somehow he got to the United
Barbara Harbach Opera O Pioneers Webcast on HECTV.org from St. Louis, Missouri Throughout January
Barbara Harbach's opera O Pioneers! will be webcast on St. Louis, Missouri's HECTV.org on the following dates:
January 9 - 9:00AM & 5:00PM and January 10 - 7:00AM January 16 - 9:00AM & 5:00PM and January 17 - 7:00AM January 23 - 9:00AM & 5:00PM and January 24 - 7:00AM January 30 - 9:00AM & 5:00PM and January 31 - 7:00AM
There is a CD set called "100 Rachmaninoff Piano Essentials" with 100 tracks including the 2nd and 3rd concertos. The artist is listed as Albert Coates on both of these works. I have combed the internet trying to find out who the pianist(s) is/are to no avail.
The label is "Classical Masters" which I can't find either. The set shows up in Rhapsody, Amazon, and itunes as well as a couple of other sites, with no info other than the reference to Coates. The cover is a sunset/sunrise with the CD title in red and the label near the lower
>There is a CD set called "100 Rachmaninoff Piano Essentials" with 100 >tracks including the 2nd and 3rd concertos. The artist is listed as >Albert Coates on both of these works. I have combed the internet trying >to find out who the pianist(s) is/are to no avail.
I can't help you with the set, but I do know that Coates recorded the Rachmaninoff Third with Vladimir Horowitz.
Albert Coates was an arranger of various pieces in most genres as teaching items. He simplifies the technique while retaining the dynamics and basic harmonics of pieces. That's the only Coates I know about who might fill the bill here.
>Albert Coates was an arranger of various pieces in most genres as teaching >items. He simplifies the technique while retaining the dynamics and >basic harmonics of pieces. That's the only Coates I know about who might >fill the bill here.
From Grove:
Albert Coates
(b St Petersburg, 11/23 April 1882; d Milnerton, nr Cape Town, 11 Dec 1953). English conductor and composer. The son of English parents, he was educated as a scientist at Liverpool University and returned to Russia to enter his father's business. Music had a stronger pull than commerce, however, and in 1902 he entered
>>There is a CD set called "100 Rachmaninoff Piano Essentials" with 100 >>tracks including the 2nd and 3rd concertos. The artist is listed as >>Albert Coates on both of these works. I have combed the internet trying >>to find out who the pianist(s) is/are to no avail. > >I can't help you with the set, but I do know that Coates recorded the >Rachmaninoff Third with Vladimir Horowitz.
>> Albert Coates was an arranger of various pieces in most genres as teaching >> items. He simplifies the technique while retaining the dynamics and >> basic harmonics of pieces. That's the only Coates I know about who might >> fill the bill here. > >>From Grove: > >Albert Coates > >(b St Petersburg, 11/23 April 1882; d Milnerton, nr Cape Town, 11 Dec >1953).
Icelandic Violinist Hlif Sigurjonsdottir in Concert at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center on January 11
Internationally-renowned Icelandic violin virtuoso Hlif Sigurjonsdottir will be in concert on Monday, January 11, 2010 - 8:00 PM at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, Goodman House, 129 West 67th Street in Manhattan.
The evening's repertoire will include: J.S. Bach's solo violin Sonata No. 1 in g minor, BWV 1001 and Partitas No. 2 in d minor, BWV 1004 and No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006.
Piano Quartet No. 3 by American Composer David Winkler Premiered by New York Philharmonic Ensemble on January 10 in New York City
American composer David Winkler's Piano Quartet No. 3 will be given its World Premiere by members of the New York Philharmonic Ensembles on Sunday, January 10 - 3 PM at Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, 129 West 67th Street in Manhattan.
I would like to share with you a true story that I heard today from my daughter.
She was told the story by a friend called Corlie who sang in the choir for a production of Aida which took place in Bloemfontein, South Africa, some years ago.
It was decided to use an elephant (I assume it was not a full-grown elephant) in the Grand March.
* Circus Maximus -- Symphony No. 3 for large wind ensemble (2004) * Gazebo Dances for band (1972)
The University of Texas Wind Ensemble/Jerry Junkin Naxos 8.559601 TT: 52:54
Summary for the Busy Executive: Full of sound and fury, signifying . . . what?
John Corigliano has succeeded in his composing career like a Powerball winner. Unfortunately, like a Powerball winner, there seems little connection between deserts and reward. His pieces, especially those written since about 1975, have made a huge splash (Symphony No. 1, Ghosts of Versailles, etc.) and then sunk. If not the
'Carey Blyton, who died in 2002 at the age of seventy, was at his best as the composer of songs and could justifiably be placed alongside the rich English school of mid-twentieth century vocal masters - composers like Roger Quilter, Michael Head, Armstrong Gibbs, Ivor Gurney. Though his song output does not equal them in quantity, there is a quality in the simple directness and clarity with which he nursed the poetry through his musical contours and gave it an appeal that is a delight for both performer and listener. Upbeat has already issued three CDs of Blyton songs, and
I hesitate to do this, as in a sense, it seems the height of ego. But what the hell? I'm an egotist, although I try to keep my inflated sense of self-worth under control.
I especially enjoyed these CDs and books during 2009. URLs following each entry lead to my reviews.
Books Stephen Banfield. Gerald Finzi: An English Composer. Faber & Faber. http://www.classical.net/music/books/reviews/0571195989a.php
* Newly Drawn Sky* * Too Hot Toccata* * Symphony in Waves
Grant Park Orchestra/Carlos Kalmar *Premiere recordings Cedille CDR 90000 105 TT: 64:00
Summary for the Busy Executive: How to be Me.
The composer with a personal voice -- whose music you can recognize almost immediately -- has always run rare on the ground. To be sure, fine composers have achieved much without this attribute. For every Beethoven, there are several Rieses. For every Shostakovich, there's a slew of Soviet and now Russian composers ready to riff on older discoveries. Even the Minimalists -- whom you
* Sir Arthur Bliss: Checkmate * Constant Lambert: The Prospect Before Us * Gavin Gordon: The Rake's Progress * Geoffrey Toye: The Haunted Ballroom
Royal Ballet Sinfonia/Barry Wordsworth AS&V CDWLS225 151:34 2CDs
Summary for the Busy Executive: Looks better in the jewel case than it sounds on a player.
Unlike Russia and France, England took a while to establish a viable ballet company. Things began to look up when dancer and choreographer Ninette de Valois (born a very Irish Edris Stannus and known as "Madam") and her house composer and conductor, Constant Lambert, began the
I strayed from my main interest in 'classical' about three or four years ago now, and veered toward post-bop jazz from the 1950s onward. That began with needing to hear a CD of rediscovered live recordings by Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, and from there I went on to Art Blakey and his considerable progeny, and a few detours to Steve Lacy, Dexter Gordon, Andrew Hill (who studied under Hindemith, btw), Ari Brown, Woody Shaw, Joe Henderson, Archie Shepp, Billy Harper and a few other notables. I'd sometimes revisit a few classical favourites (Martinu, Holmboe, Bach, Walton, Rozsa) but have
The second part of the riddle will follow after three answers are posted to part (1). (Of course, three *different* answers can probably not all be correct.)
>> Name the composer of the piece from which this snippet is snipped... > >With only three or four bars there is not much to go on if you don't >know the piece, and I don't think I do, but I'll guess Grieg.
>For your holiday enjoyment (or mine), a two-part quiz. > >(1) Name the composer of the piece from which this snippet is snipped: > > http://sun.cs.lsus.edu/~rmabry/mysterycomposer/mystery1.mp3 > >The second part of the riddle will follow after three answers are posted >to part (1). (Of course, three *different* answers can probably not all >be correct.)
Only one (Jim) has publically nibbled the bait, but I required 3 before proceeding. I'm forced to go back on my word but need to save face.
* Overture "Midsummer Ale", Op. 73 * Piano Concerto #1 in B Flat Major, Op. 34 * Symphony #1 in D minor, Op. 2
Peter Donohoe, piano Royal Scottish National Orchestra/David Lloyd-Jones Naxos 8.570406 71:54
Summary for the Busy Executive: Unexpected depths. More Gardner!
Of all the members of the British so-called "lost musical generation" - that is, those who faded into obscurity after World War II (those composers not Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Britten, Walton, and Tippett) - John Linton Gardner may count as one of the most lost, certainly more so than John Foulds
* Phantasy Quartet (1928) * Duo for Viola and Piano (1968) * String Trio No. 1 (1944) * The Fall of the Leaf (1962) * Sonata for Violin and Cello (1930) * String Quintet (1982)
Court Lane Music Court Lane CLM37601 TT: 74:51
Summary for the Busy Executive: The family firm.
Like many of his admirers, I first got more deeply into the music of Gustav Holst through the pioneering study by his daughter Imogen. Although her own recordings of her father's music contradicted her writings, the distortions she perpetrated one can put down to the
Carlos de Seixas: Harpsichord Sonatas 1 Debora Halasz, harpsichord Naxos 8.557459 TT: 70:36
Until recently, a search for keyboard music by Portugal's Carlos de Seixas (1704-42) would turn up next to nothing: a couple of deleted items and maybe a few sonatas in anthologies featuring others by Scarlatti or perhaps Antonio Soler. A sense of his music would be hard to gather up, and it would require some expense.
The Cellist of Sarajevo. By Steven Galloway. New York: Riverhead Books, 2008. 235 pages.
Music is something as close to absolute value as one might get amid the horror of the prolonged siege of Sarajevo. The cellist who chose the exact site of murderous explosions to commemorate twenty-two deaths, by playing Albinoni's Adagio for twenty-two days, valued music more than his own life. His enormously courageous action represented an affirmation of the value of civilized activity in the face of an enormous assault on civilization itself.
Can't believe I missed this news before now, but the great scholar, known best for his commentaries on Haydn's music and life, passed away last month, in the 200th anniversary year of the composer's death. He was also an authority on Mozart and Handel.
Francis Guinan (narrator) Post-Classical Ensemble/Angel Gil-Ordonez Naxos 2.110231 DVD TT: 131:44
Summary for the Busy Executive: Far from the madding crowd.
In 1939, Aaron Copland landed a gig to score a documentary to be shown at the New York World's Fair. He had long been interested in film music for its own aesthetic sake and for the opportunity it afforded the modern composer to connect with a large audience. Also, George Antheil had regularly sent him reports from California of all the money to be made in the Hollywood studios. Copland decided to create a musical
>Most important, I heard all of Copland's contribution to this project >for the first time. Someone should make this wonderful score into a >concert suite.
In the meantime, there's a 22' suite on a Telarc CD (CD-80583) called Celluloid Copland, released in 2001. It's still available.
I tend to save Steve Schwartz's reviews and read them at leisure, and I just got to this one. It has interested me in seeing this DVD. But my comment is about Steve's last sentence.
There is a suite from The City.
Telarc 80583 Eos Orchestra, with Jonathan Sheffer.
>I tend to save Steve Schwartz's reviews and read them at leisure, and I >just got to this one. It has interested me in seeing this DVD. But my >comment is about Steve's last sentence. > >There is a suite from The City. > >Telarc 80583 >Eos Orchestra, with Jonathan Sheffer. > >The City is one of four film suites on the disc.
Ian Bostridge (Captain Vere); Nathan Gunn (Billy Budd); Gidon Saks (Claggart); Neal Davies (Mr. Redburn); Matthew Best (Dansker); Gentlemen of the London symphony Chorus; London Symphony Orchestra/Daniel Harding. Virgin Classics 5 19039 2 TT: 165:48.
Summary for the Busy Executive: Ghost ship.
Today, most writers regard Benjamin Britten as a pre-eminent opera composer, and with good reason. In an era where a composer may never see a second performance (or even a first), his stage works, many of them expensive to put on, get regular productions and, in many cases, several recordings. In that
On Saturday, November 7, I attended the New York premiere of Angel Lam's 'Awakening from a Disappearing Garden' with Yo Yo Ma, Cello, and Angel Lam, narrator. The Atlanta Symphony was conducted by Robert Spano. This was part of Carnegie Hall's Ancient Paths Modern Voices, A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture, October 21- November 10, 2009. Lam's work was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for Yo Yo Ma, but first performed in Atlanta three weeks ago. Also on the program, Stravinsky's Le Rossignol (complete).
* Sergei Rachmaninoff: - Prelude in B-Flat Major, Op. 23/3 - Prelude in G Sharp minor, Op. 32/12 - Prelude in G Major, Op. 32/6 * Domenico Scarlatti: - Sonata in D Major, K. 96 - Sonata in F minor, K. 481 - Sonata in A Major, K. 39 * Johannes Brahms: Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 21/1 * Larry Barnes: Toccata: Act of War * Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata #23 in F minor "Appassionata", Op. 57
MIST, by Diane Wittry Slovak State Philharmonic, Kosice Conductor not indicated; presumably the composer Pizazz Music [no number.] CD availability: www.dianewittry.com $6.00 + s&h Spoken introduction by Wittry: 4:48; Mist 16:30 Music Rental: Theodore Presser Company
This exciting - and beautiful--new tone poem, written on the Island of Elba in the Mediterranean, where Napoleon was exiled, is meant to evoke a sense of early morning by the sea, which typically is misty there. The piece could be called impressionistic but it is not at all like Debussy's La Mer, or Sibelius' Oceanides. Harmonically, it is 'centered around diminished chords' and
Elizabeth Ann Owens, flute Nanette Kaplan Solomon, piano Joanne Polk, piano Doris Lang Kosloff, piano Judith Lang Zaimont, piano The American Ragtime Ensemble/David Reffkin MSR Classics MS1238 57:35 2007
Summary for the Busy Executive: Serious, but far from somber.
I am very intrigued these days by the music of Hans Werner Henze. He has an interesting biography: forced into the Nazi Youth as a teenager, reluctant soldier, then prisoner of war in WWII, ardent supporter of student protests in 1968, who dedicated a piece to Che Guavara and made visits to Cuba.
He wrote: ..."art without politics would be trivial...Art isn't involved in itself. If there are H bombs and concentration camps art either acknowledges this (and makes these things its subject, literally or analytically) or it deliberately turns its back on them and so falsifies reality. It can't
>I haven't been able to hear that much of Henze's music yet (and would >welcome recommendations). But, from what I have heard it seems to me >that there is a dialectic posed by these two statements--and an attempt >to find a synthesis? He seems like a man tormented by the reality, yet >always yearning for the dream.
> I am very intrigued these days by the music of Hans Werner Henze. ...
> He wrote: ..."art without politics would be trivial...Art > isn't involved in itself. If there are H bombs and concentration > camps art either acknowledges this (and makes these things its > subject, literally or analytically) or it deliberately turns > its back on them and so falsifies reality. It can't turn aside > and pursue its own path, it has no path. Art is realism or > it is trivial, and there's nothing much in between." > > On its surface,
> I haven't been able to hear that much of Henze's music yet > (and would welcome recommendations).=A0
His style has varied greatly over the years. Also, even within a single work, one can find a wide range of styles. A list of my favorities includes, from his early period, the ballet Ondine. As I recall, it is in the second act where there is an extended passage which sounds like a paraphrase of the opening of the Stravinsky Symphony in 3 movement. Other early works of interest include the Ballet Variations and Das vokaltuch der
The only thing by Henze I know is his orchestration of Wagner's Wessendonck Lieder. I'm not sure whether it's his orchestration that is the more lightly-scored one, or whether it is one of the more Wagnerian efforts...
On the occasion of the Simon Rattle/Berlin Philharmonic US tour (Nov. 20-21 in SF), the orchestra is putting up some _free programs_ on its Digital Concert Hall:
On Monday, Nov. 9, at 5 p.m. PST, Brahms' Third and Fourth Symphonies, at *http://tinyurl.com/yfg3aym - free. bit registration is required, at **http://tinyurl.com/yfg3aym.*
Berlin's next live (and for-fee) concert is this Saturday, at 11 a.m. PST, Rattle conducting Hans Krasa's "Symphony for Mezzo and Small Orchestra" (with Eva Vogel), Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 1, and Brahms' Second Symphony. *(http://tinyurl.com/yzthv8s)
The American Chamber Ensemble Presents Musaic I Concert on November 1 at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York
The American Chamber Ensemble will present Musaic I, the first concert of its 2009-2010 concert season on Sunday, November 1 at 3 PM at Monroe Lecture Center Theater of Hofstra University, on California Avenue in Hempstead, New York.
* Bloch: Schelomo -- Hebraic Rhapsody - From Jewish Life: Prayer * Diamond: Kaddish * Schwarz: In Memoriam * Bruch: Kol Nidrei
Jonathan Aasgaard (cello) Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Gerard Schwarz. Avie AV2149 TT: 58:10
Summary for the Busy Executive: High-class kvetching.
Three masterpieces (plus the Schwarz), all essentially laments based on Jewish chant. Bruch's Kol Nidrei is both the only one on the program to use traditional tunes and the only one to be written by a Protestant. Bruch's piece is attractive, but not particularly deep -- an example of the Nineteenth Century's taste for exotica (Bruch wrote the Scottish
* Third Sonata Sonata Stramba (1992) * Second Sonata (1978) * Fourth Sonata (1994) * Graceful Ghost Rag - Concert Variations for Violin & Piano
Renata Artman Knific, violin Lori Sims, piano MSR Classics MSR1197 57:20
Summary for the Busy Executive: Elegant subversion.
William Bolcom began studying composition barely into his teens with John Verrall at the University of Washington. As an undergrad, he learned from Darius Milhaud at Mills College. Like most composers of his generation, he first started writing dodecaphonically, but the eruptions of popular culture during the Sixties caused a radical transformation
Haflidi's Pictures. Mark Tanner, Piano Priory PRCD 1018. 78:15
Premiere recordings of all works, in order of presentation: Marvyn Burtch: Five Aphorisms (1989) Colin Decio: The Musical Box Suite (Commissioned 2007) Graham Firkin: Fyrbiture (1989) Philip Martin: Prism (Commissioned 2007/8) Philip Martin: Dubes: Hills of Wind-Blown Sand (Commissioned 2007) Frederick Stockton: Bagatelle (Commissioned 2008) John McLeod: Haflid's Picures: Twelve Aphorisms for Piano (Commissioned 2007/8) Conversation between John McLeod and mark Tanner, July 21, 2008
> Europe and Canada celebrated his birthday with lots of concerts, but not > his own country, which tells me all I need to know about the precarious > health of the American classical-music public.
I don't know about other parts of the US, but Carter's birthday was observed in Boston by the BSO with the premiere his Interventions for Piano & Orchestra, with Daniel Barenboim as soloist and James Levine conducting. The concert was repeated at Carnegie Hall with Carter in attendance -- I believe on his 100th birthday. I also recall that his 100th birthday
>I don't know about other parts of the US, but Carter's birthday was >oberserved in Boston by the BSO with the premiere his Interventions for >Piano & Orchestra, with Daniel Barenboim as soloist and James Levine >conducting. The concert was repeated at Carnegie Hall with Carter in >attendance -- I believe on his 100th birthday. I also recall that his >100th birthday made the front page of the New York Times.
>> I don't know about other parts of the US, but Carter's birthday was >> oberserved in Boston by the BSO with the premiere his Interventions for >> Piano & Orchestra, ... > > That's just it. It often takes a special occasion -- a commission, a > birthday -- to program any Carter in the US, and furthermore he is usually > played by new-music specialists. ... > > I understand why this happens, chiefly because these organizations are > expensive to maintain and you don't want to turn off a subscriber base.
I would like to invite listeners with an interest in vocal music to OperaMusicBroadcast.com - this 24/7, all vocal music station will launch in November of 2009.
We encourage you to sign up for our mailing list in advance, and spread the word to those who might be interested in this station.
Ursula Pfitzner (Juanita Sanchez); Dietmar Kerschbaum (Juan Santos); Michael Kraus (Mr. Jones); Carlo Hartmann (President Mendez); Wolfgang Gratschmaier (Ximenez); Rolf Haunstein (General Gardia Conchas), et al. Chorus and Orchestra of the Vienna Volksoper/Christoph Eberle. Phoenix Edition 803 DVD TT: 138:00
Summary for the Busy Executive: Weill a l'anglaise et francaise.
In the early Thirties, Kurt Weill, on the run from the Nazis, found himself in Paris. A fellow refugee, Robert Vambery, proposed a theater project -- a political fable about arms dealing and the political corruption that it engenders. The result was the opera Der
Canta Libre Chamber Ensemble in Concert on October 17 at Salmagundi Club in Manhattan
Northport, NY - The critically-acclaimed Canta Libre Chamber Ensemble will be in concert on Saturday, October 17 - 6:00 PM at the Salmagundi Club and Center for American Art, 47 Fifth Avenue at 11th Street in Manhattan.
Repertoire for this concert will include Joe Russo's Distant Light and Marjan Mozetich's Angels in Flight for flute, harp and strings. Both of these pieces are for seven players, and will include guest artists David Dunn on clarinet, and Amy Iwazumi on violin. Michael Colina's Mambosa and Vincent D'Indy's
Boston Conservatory of Music and Clarinet Faculty Director Michael Norsworthy Present October 18 Clarinet Day
The Boston Conservatory of Music and its clarinet faculty Director Michael Norsworthy present the third annual Clarinet Day on Sunday, October 18, 2009 at the Boston Conservatory, 8 The Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts.
The day's events, which begin at 9 AM and run until the 8 PM closing concert, will include masterclasses by some of the top professionals in the field, vendor exhibits from the leading manufacturers of instruments, reeds, mouthpieces and top quality repair people, presentations and demonstrations by vendors on their newest products
The Second Exile: France and America, 1934-1971 Stephen Walsh Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press. 2006. ISBN-10: 0520256158 ISBN-13: 9780520256156
Summary for the Busy Executive: Leaving home.
The second volume of a two-volume biography, Stravinsky - The Second Exile: France and America documents the composer's life and career from shortly before the move to the United States to his death in New York. When you think of it, Walsh's two volumes documents the two major changes in Stravinsky's artistic development: the first volume, from the Russian "barbarism" of Firebird, Petrushka, and The Rite of Spring to the neoclassicism
Los Caprichos by Michael Colina to be Performed on October 13 at Teatro Nacional in Brasilia, Brazil
American composer Michael Colina's Los Caprichos for orchestra will be performed by the Orchestra of the National Theater of Brazil and conductor Ira Levin on Tuesday, October 13 at the Teatro Nacional Claudio Santoro, Setor Cultural Norte, Via N2 in Brasilia, Brazil.
* JANACEK: Violin Sonata (1914-22) * SZYMANOWSKI: Myths (1915) * ENESCU: Violin Sonata #3 in A, op. 25 "In the popular Romanian style" (1926) * BARTOK: First Rhapsody for Violin and Piano (1928)
David Grimal (violin); Georges Pludermacher (piano). Nayve Ambrosie AM 163 (DDD) TT: 72:49.
Summary for the Busy Executive: Music out of the Great War.
>* JANACEK: Violin Sonata (1914-22) >* SZYMANOWSKI: Myths (1915) >* ENESCU: Violin Sonata #3 in A, op. 25 "In the popular Romanian style" (1926) >* BARTOK: First Rhapsody for Violin and Piano (1928)
Lovely music, but modern? All of it nearly a hundred years old. Paul
Paul Silverthorne Principal viola - London Symphony Orchestra & London Sinfonietta Professor of viola - Royal Academy of Music, London
>>* SZYMANOWSKI: Myths (1915) >>* ENESCU: Violin Sonata #3 in A, op. 25 "In the popular Romanian style" (1926) >>* BARTOK: First Rhapsody for Violin and Piano (1928) > > Lovely music, but modern? All of it nearly a hundred years old. > Paul
In the sense that it's part of the Modernist movement from the late 19th to roughly the mid-20th, rather than "modern" in the sense of contemporary or recent.
>>* JANACEK: Violin Sonata (1914-22) >>* SZYMANOWSKI: Myths (1915) >>* ENESCU: Violin Sonata #3 in A, op. 25 "In the popular Romanian style" >> (1926) >>* BARTOK: First Rhapsody for Violin and Piano (1928) > > Lovely music, but modern? All of it nearly a hundred years old.
As a retired physics professor (Boston University) I often taught a course called "Modern Physics" to physics and engineering students. And just as in the case of music, the main subjects of interest are quantum physics and relativity - both nearly a hundred years old. I
> I just read in BBC Magazine that pianist Geoffrey Tozer died at age 54 > > There were no additional details
I posted a link to the obituary on MCML shortly after he died.
> Does anyone else on this list have more information?
A eulogy was delivered by Paul Keating, a former Australian prime minister, with a passion for classical music. In part, it laments the fact that Tozer was not given the recognition Keating thought he deserved:
MOZART. By Julian Rushton. (The Master Musicians series). Oxford, 2006; paperback September 2009. 306 pages.
Julian Rushton has had a distinguished career. He is Emeritus West Riding professor of Music at the University of Leeds; he served as President of the Royal Musical Association from 1994 to 1999; he is Chairman of the Editorial Committee of Musica Britannica and has been editor of Cambridge Music Handbooks, to which he contributed a volume on Don Giovanni. He is the author of a book on Mozart's Idomeneo (Cambridge), as well as The Musical Language of Berlioz (Cambridge) and The Music of Berlioz
I discovered Lalo some months ago when the Durban Philharmonic performed his symphony.
Then, through this wonderfully informative site:
http://www.piano-concertos.org
I discovered that he had also written a piano concerto.
Through Amazon I ordered a second-hand CD which arrived today. Guys, this piano concerto is beautiful! Exciting, strong on melody, rhythmic. I have got it on Digital Classic, CD 352, with the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker with pianist Marylene Dosse. The sound quality is OK but not tremendous.
> The CD also contains Lalo's Symphony Espagnole Op. 21. Be forwarned: > This is not a symphony. It is actually a violin concerto, and, like all > violin concertos, pretty boring stuff.
Don't you think this is a blatant over-generalisation? I can think of any number of violin concertos which are far from "pretty boring stuff".
> The CD also contains Lalo's Symphony Espagnole Op. 21. Be forwarned: > This is not a symphony. It is actually a violin concerto, and, like all > violin concertos, pretty boring stuff.
I would submit that the violin concerti written by Bach, Barber, Bartok, Sibelius, Berg, Shostakovich, Elgar, and Prokofiev cannot be put in the "pretty boring stuff category.
> The CD also contains Lalo's Symphony Espagnole Op. 21. Be forwarned: > This is not a symphony. It is actually a violin concerto, and, like all > violin concertos, pretty boring stuff.
Violin concertos are not necessarily boring stuff, he needs to broaden his knowledge of them.
> "...and, like all violin concertos, pretty boring stuff."
Yes Sir, they're all soooo boring. No substance at all. I guess that's why the Tchaikovsky, Bach, Sibelius, Barber, Bruch and Wieniawski concerti bore audiences into instant standing ovations. Duh! I can't believe I spent $216 for a pair of tickets to hear Joshua Bell play the Bruch G minor with the C.S.O. tonight (Oct.9) I must be an idiot. Thanks very much for the enlightenment.
Ah, my prodding (that violin concertos are boring) elicited some response! :-)
OK, in real life I really don't like violin concertos, but that's just my personal taste. I can understand that many people do like them.
I was also hoping that some comments would be made about Lalo's piano concerto to which I referred in the same message. Has anybody studied this work, or perhaps even played it?
>OK, in real life I really don't like violin concertos, but that's just >my personal taste. I can understand that many people do like them.
With the exception of Brahms, I had similar feelings until I listened to more contemporary violin concertos. Listen to George Rochberg's - it will impress.
Leon Kirchner (1917-2009) September 17, 2009 - Composer Leon Kirchner died today after a long illness. Among the most honored American composers, Kirchner has been the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize (for his third string quartet), the Naumburg Award (for his first piano concerto), the Friedheim Award (for Music for Cello and Orchestra), and two New York Music Critics' Circle Awards (for his first two string quartets...
> One of the great musicians... > > Leon Kirchner (1917-2009) > September 17, 2009 - Composer Leon Kirchner died today after > a long illness. ...
Sorry to learn this. I met him a couple of decades ago in Cambridge, Ma. where he conducted the Harvard Chamber Orchestra and Friends. Even in Bruckner's Symphony number zero he had me on the edge of my seat.
Chamber Music by Meira Warshauer Presented at London New Wind Festival on September 21 in London, England Meira Warshauer's Lament for Solo Oboe will be performed by oboist Catherine Pluygers on Monday, September 21 - 7:30pm at St Cyprian's Church on Glentworth Street in London, England as part of the London New Wind Festival 2009.
The ClassicalNet community may be interested in the early results of my summer experiment, posting a Suite of four videos (over four months), each of which pairs my music with my husband's art. The musical genre changes for each movmeent, and the third movement is for the largest forces: wind ensemble.
MVT 3: "BEASTS", 7:00 and confrontational!, ready to view at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DNr6XFT6z1Fo
Elodie Lauten Performances in Manhattan on September 9 and 11 as Part of Howl Festival
Composer and keyboardist Elodie Lauten will present the Premiere of her new setting of Allen Ginsberg's poem Velocity of Money on Wednesday, September 9 at 6 PM. This is in connection with the Howl Festival and the art exhibition Homage to Ginsberg, presented by Art Loisaida and Theater for the New City, in the Theater lobby at 155 First Avenue (between 10th and 11th Streets) in Manhattan.
The Australian pianist Geoffrey Tozer died on 20 August. Some listers will be familiar with his recordings, mostly for Chandos, of music by less familiar composers, especially Medtner and Busoni. This obituary appeared in The Australian newspaper:
Is anyone familiar with a piece called Adagio for Strings and Clarinet supposedly composed by Richard Wagner? Did he compose this? I know a lot of Wagner's musical compositions and I am not familiar with this work.
>Is anyone familiar with a piece called Adagio for Strings and Clarinet >supposedly composed by Richard Wagner? Did he compose this? I know a >lot of Wagner's musical compositions and I am not familiar with this >work.
It's actually the second movement of Karl Heinrich Baermann's (1784-1847) quintet [or septet, with two optional horns] for clarinet and strings, Op. 23.
Since no one has replied to your question, I'll take a shot.
The Adagio to which you refer is actually the third movement of the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, Op. 23, by Heinrich Baermann (1784-1847). See the Wikipedia article, which briefly mentions the Adagio:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Baermann
There are several performances on YouTube.com. Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D2C03WyNF8DE
Beethoven: The Music and the Life. By Lewis Lockwood. New York & London: W.W. Norton. c2003. 604 pages.
Note the word order in the subtitle. This excellent book is about Beethoven's music and Beethoven the composer. Chapters alternate between life and works in chronological order but over two thirds of the book concerns the music, its composition and its analysis.
Some of you may have read my reports from the two previous Cleveland Competitions. I volunteer for a chamber/recital presenter, Del Valle Fine Arts, as piano guru among other things. We have an arrangement with the competition to hire the winner, hence we can get free tickets, and so I journeyed 2000 miles back to my Old Home Town the week of August 3 to take in the Semi-Finals (solo recitals) and Finals (concertos with the Clev eland Orchestra, Jahja Ling conducting).
Having obtained Dave's blessing for a reminder (lest this post appear naked commercialism), I make so bold as to run the Toccata Discovery Club under your noses again, since the aim is to build up a community of like-minded enthusiasts, exploring unknown music together - very much the kind of people on this list. The Discovery Club is intended to link listener and label directly, enabling us to bring big savings to Club members, wherever in the world you live.
Vladimir Nielsen Piano Festival of Sag Harbor Presents Their Artistic Director Victoria Mushkatkol in Recital on August 15
The Vladimir Nielsen Piano Festival will present its Founder and Artistic Director Victoria Mushkatkol in recital on Saturday, August 15 - 5:00 PM at its 64 Laurel Trail venue in Sag Harbor, New York. This is presented by the Festival as part of its annual Summer music education programs.
Clue in a general knowledge crossword I attempted recently:
A German composer who was one of the first to introduce settings of other words into the passions, with his St John Passion (1643) including choruses from Isaiah and Psalm 22.
The man in question was Thomas Selle (1559-1663). I don't delve into the early C17 all that often, but I must confess I'd never heard of this composer; neither had several friends I consulted. I wondered if any lister has run across this name before. I hardly think it qualifies as general knowledge!
Composers increasingly see our music turn up in cyberspace without our endorsement - and often without being aware of the postings at all. And we continue to wrestle with what free delivery of data encompasses, seeking a balance between the potential for expanded reach of a composer's profile vs. the pitfalls of unrestricted access to copyrighted materials.
Tchaikovsky. Roland John Wiley. Oxford University Press (The Master Musicians Series), 2009. 546 pages.
Publication date: August 6, 2009
Wiley, who previously published a study of Tchaikovsky's Ballets, now offers a scholarly study of this composer's life and works. Fact-based, it is neither theory-driven nor psychologizing and is of considerable reference value. About equally divided between Tchaikovsky's biography and his music, and strictly chronological rather than organized by theme or kinds of musical work, it has the strengths and limitations of such an approach. Twenty chapters, alternating between life and works, focus on as short a period as a single
My appreciation of James' interesting discussion of the Tchaikovsky biography.
I must say that I find the suicide theory difficult to believe. I just can't figure out why one's university mates will come back years afterwards and force one to commit suicide because one is behaving in a socially unacceptable manner.
Pianist Joshua Pierce in Concert on August 1 at Summit Music Festival at Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York
Internationally renowned pianist Joshua Pierce will be in concert on Saturday, August 1 - 6 PM as part of the Summit Music Festival at the Creative Arts Center of Manhattanville College, 2900 Purchase Street in Purchase, New York.
Pianist and Composer Haskell Small in Concert on August 1 at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia
New York, NY - Pianist and composer Haskell Small will be in concert on Saturday, August 1 - 7:30 PM in the Concert Hall of the Center for the Arts of George-Mason University, 4400 University Drive in Fairfax, Virginia. This performance will be part of the opening of the 2009 U.S. Go Congress.
Longtime members of the mailing list will be familiar with the outstanding contributions made by Steve Schwartz over the years. He has contributed hundreds of reviews and articles to CLassical Net over the years.
Steve has been quite ill lately and is currently in the hospital. He is improving, but slowly. I spoke with Steve's wife Kaye about flowers and cards. She said that his hospital room was quite cramped, but that music was always welcome. Steve and Kay lost nearly everything to Hurricane Katrina (they lived near one of the levees that broke in New Orleans), so Steve has
After Ed Zubrow's introduction to us of Hans Rott, I have now received my CD from one of the Amazon associate suppliers.
This CD is an Arte Nova label, Munchner Rundfunkorchester under Sebastian Weigle. It contains Rott's Symphony, and two works called Orchestra Prelude and Prelude to Julius Ceasar. I have only listened to it once (and listening again as I write) and therefore I am writing this with some trepidation to an educated audience - after all, fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Chamber Music of Meira Warshauer Broadcast on CJUM University of Manitoba Radio on July 29
Composer Meira Warshauer's Shevet Achim (Brothers Dwell) for two bass clarinets will be broadcast on CJUM University of Manitoba radio on Wednesday, July 29, during the latter part of the 10 AM to 11 AM (Central Time) hour of the Komodo Dragon Show, with host Paul von Wichert.
*Michael Steinberg*, among the pre-eminent music critics of our time, died on Sunday, 26 July 2009 at the age of 80. Despite the onset of cancer more than three years ago, he continued to live a full and vigorous life. He was revered by professional colleagues - the musicians, conductors, fellow writers, composers, educators, and orchestra executives with whom he collaborated over the course of a six-decade career - and loved by hundreds of thousands of audience members whose ideas and feelings about music were shaped by the unerringly lucid and insightful commentary he provided in program
I remember Steinberg from his days as reviewer for the Boston Globe. He was famous for his (to me) meretricious vitriol. Once, for example, when Carlo Maria Guilini guest conducted the Boston Symphony, he compared his conducting to to the way Groucho Marx might have lead the orchestra. The players tried to have him declared persona non grata, but things were smoothed over.
>I remember Steinberg from his days as reviewer for the Boston Globe. >He was famous for his (to me) meretricious vitriol. Once, for example, >when Carlo Maria Guilini guest conducted the Boston Symphony, he compared >his conducting to to the way Groucho Marx might have lead the orchestra. >The players tried to have him declared persona non grata, but things >were smoothed over.
To give yet more detail, the review (which I have not seen since 1969) was of the Brahms' 4th Symphony, performed on Friday November 7, 1969.
As I recall from four decades past, the review contained words to the effect that "it was a shame that Danny Kaye had not been the conductor, as the audience would then have known that they were supposed to laugh."
>... from my days in New England I remember that Steinberg's Globe > review compared Giulini's conducting to Danny Kaye--not Groucho. That >was during the time that Danny Kaye was guest-conducting a number of >benefit concerts for various symphony orchestras and exaggerating all >kinds of podium antics. But the negative reaction of the players--who >revered this guest conductor--is most accurate.
I hope to gain much pleasure from making fellow listers very envious, especially by the name-dropping that is to follow.
A week ago I have returned to South Africa from a visit to northern Italy with my daughter. The main idea was to attend an opera at La Scala and this I have now done.
> On 8 July we attended a performance of Aida at La Scala. The Director > was Franco Zeffirelli and the conductor Daniel Barenboim. I also had > the opportunity of hearing the audience boo a singer (Salvatore Licitra, > Radames, admittedly, only three or four people did this), and Barenboim > held up Licitra's hand like a boxer at the end to show support.
Happines is definitely not evenly distributed among human beings. Is there anything else an opera afficionado (like myself) can hope for? I am most envious of your trip=2C I wish I could do something like that some day and I also wish you can repeat that wonderful experience.
PS: I have seen Urmana's Aida with Roberto Alagna as Radames (on DVD) and have a similar impression of her performance - good technics but somewhat cold ....
Do not miss the Janacek, and Shostakovich. What the heck, just watch it all!
Semi-related: Last month, I felt awkward bringing up Argerich at all in a rave about Yuja, but I was nowhere as silly, obvious, and heavy-handed as the Financial Times' Richard Fairman in saying - d'oh!!! - that there is a difference...:)) -
Erno Dohnanyi (1877-1960) Sonata in B flat Minor for Cello & Piano, Op. 8 Zoltan Kodaly (1882-1967) Sonata for Cello & Piano, Op. 4 Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Sonata in F Major for Cello and piano, Op. 6
Nancy Green, Cello; Tannis Gibson, Piano JRI Recordings J123 TT:71:20
This presentation of very early works by three long-lived composers makes an appealing and coherent collection that could be a model for recital programs. The performances and recording quality leave nothing to be desired. The players are both strong and subtle; they play superbly together with appropriately varied tempi, clear articulation, vigorous attacks
Over the last few years, I have become more and more appreciative of Respighi's music.
Tonight I am listening to his Symphonic Variations on Naxos 8.557820. (The Slovak Radio Symphony is conducted by a single-named conductor Adriano). Unfortunately, this work is only 12 minutes long. Stunning! The organ is an ordinary orchestral instrument and comes in about halfway. The harp adds colour to the work.
> Re: PBS "Music Instinct: Science and Song" June 24 2009 > > Can someone parse it, please? > > There are so many theories about the origin of music -- anyone else > have an idea? > > A very short presentation in the show involved the premise that languag= e > influences music. > > Debussy's music reflects the French language. > > Elgar's music reflects the English language. > > Is this a subject to investigate?
> Re: PBS "Music Instinct: Science and Song" June 24 2009 > > A very short presentation in the show involved the premise that > language > influences music. > > Debussy's music reflects the French language. > > Elgar's music reflects the English language. > > Is this a subject to investigate?
Yes. The music of Berlioz also reflects the French language and the music of Janacek is said to reflect the Czech language. Not sure about Elgar. It is a matter of rhythmic cadence and a more free flow and is strikingly in contrast to
Solo Violin Work by Steven R. Gerber Presented on June 19 at Mannes College Institute & Festival for Contemporary Performance
Steven R. Gerber's Fantasy for solo violin will be presented by Rolf Schulte on Friday, June 19 -8:00 PM at New York University's Frederick Loewe Theater, 35 West 4th Street in Manhattan. The performance will be part of the 2009 Mannes College Institute & Festival for Contemporary Performance
Quintet of the Americas in Concert at Salvation Army Center of Jackson Heights on June 18
New York, NY - The Quintet of the Americas will give a special concert of music of the Americas on Thursday, June 18 at 7:30 PM at the Salvation Army Center of Jackson Heights, 86-07 35th Avenue, Jackson Heights, Queens. The concert is presented by Latin American Cultural Center of Queens and the Salvation Army Center of Jackson Heights.
While in Germany all of last month, on vacation with my wife in celebration of our fourtieth anniversary, I attended eight musical events, concerts and operas, half in Berlin and the others in Munich, Weimar and Goettingen. The concerts were more generally to my taste than the operas, some of which had edgy concept productions, and I am not about to write full reviews of any of them, but perhaps a few impressions might be of interest.
> 'Eurotrash.' The delight/loathing part was a second act set in a modern > exercise salon, with dozens of brightly clad young women on exercycles. > The production in the other acts was rugged/traditional.
What a wonderful experience, James!
I was privileged to visit East Germany in 2005 on an opera tour. There are many wonderful memories, like seeing and hearing the beautiful Kathrin Goring in Leipzig. One thing that was jarring was some opera directors throwing in minimalist or modern decor, etc., spoiling it for me. Examples: suitcases and trains in Tannhauser; in Don Carlos, nu
First Prize ($20k) - Nobuyuki Tsujii and Haochen Zhang Second Prize ($20k) - Yeol Eum Son Third Prize ($20k) - Not awarded Non-medal Finalists ($10k each) - Mariangela Vacatello, Evgeni Bozhanov, Di Wu
New Work Performance ($5) - Nobuyuki Tsujii Discretionary Awards ($4k) - Alessandro Deljavan, Lucas Eduard Kunz Chamber Music Prizes ($3k) - Evgeni Bozhanov, Yeol Eum Son
Janos's brief reporting of the Cliburn winners really doesn't convey what a compellingand pioneering event it was. The webcast of the competition sets a new technical and content standard for events of this sort. While the Cliburn, and Cleveland, and I suppose other competitions have been doing live radio broadcasting and audio webcasting of the events for some time, this year the Cliburn took it up a notch with high-quality live audio and video webcasting of all the recitals, chamber and concerto performances, and rehearsals with the Takacs Quartet & Forth Worth Symphony as well. I was glued to the
> Janos's brief reporting of the Cliburn winners really doesn't > convey what a compellingand pioneering event it was. The webcast > of the competition sets a new technical and content standard for events > of this sort. ...
Like Art, I was glued to the webcast and was impressed by how well the young artists withstood such scrutiny. Just when it seemed like one competitor had put together an unbeatable performance, the next one rose to the challenge. I initially disliked Evgeni Bozhanov and his tics but changed my mind as the event went on. He
Stewart Wallace's "Bonesetter's Daughter," if anything, is something to see (http://www.sfcv.org/content/bicultural-operas-grand-spectacle), more than hear, and yet it offers Zhang Cao's memorable performance - and a chance to hear a new opera, which may not pop up soon anywhere outside, possibly, China.
It's broadcast today, Sunday, at 8 p.m. PDT, on KDFC-FM, 102.1, http://www.kdfc.com/pages/743374.php.
(Today is also notable for the first on-line message from Mike Richter: another heartening sign of his slow but steady recovery since the onset of illness in February. Although he is not keeping up his great website, http://www.mrichter.com/opera/welcome.htm, it's possible that leaving messages there for him may
June 5, 2009 Ending a 60-Year Gig at the N.Y. Philharmonic By DANIEL J. WAKIN
A SCHEDULING mishap left the New York Philharmonic in a pickle last month. With the players onstage and audience members shifting in their seats, there was no one in the first clarinet chair for Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No. 1.
Mirian Conti in Concert at Tenri Cultural Institute in Manhattan
New York - Argentinean born, New York-based pianist Mirian Conti will be in concert on Saturday, June 6 at 7 PM at Tenri Cultural Institute, 43A West 13th Street, (between 5th and 6th Avenues) in Manhattan.
Works to be presented include the World Premiere of Samuel Zyman's Variations on an Original Theme (dedicated to Mirian Conti), Katherine Hoover's Dream Dances (recorded by Ms. Conti for an upcoming release on Toccata Classics), Chopin's Mazurkas, Op. 6, Nos. 1-4; Op. 7, Nos. 1-5, Habanera by Ernesto Halffter, Milonga Surena by Juan Jose
Booth, The Musical at New York University Skirball Center From June 2 Through 7, with Music by Barbara Harbach
Booth - The Musical, with music by Barbara Harbach, will be given its New York Premiere performances from Tuesday, June 2 through Saturday, June 6 at 8 PM each evening and on Sunday, June 7 - 2 PM at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, LaGuardia Place at Washington Square South on the campus of New York University in Manhattan. Booth is presented by the University of Missouri, Saint Louis in association with NYU's Africana Program.
Seldom have I heard a Verdi Requiem so completely dominated and made worthwhile by the soloists as at tonight's "Gala Concert in Celebration of Donald Runnicles' Tenure (1992-2009)" in the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House.
First and foremost, there was young Heidi Melton, an Adler Fellow, told that she would sing the torturous soprano role just a day and a half ago, when Patricia Racette realized that she wasn't well enough to perform.
Recently, I came across the name of a composer much admired by Mahler by the name of Hans Rott. He was a classmate, and for a time, roommate of Mahler's. He died, insane, of tuberculosis at age 25. Later, Mahler wrote of him:
"...a musician of genius ... who died unrecognized and in want on the very threshold of his career. ... It is completely impossible to estimate what music has lost in him. His First Symphony soars to such heights of genius that it makes him - without exaggeration - the founder of the New Symphony as I understand
>Recently, I came across the name of a composer much admired by Mahler >by the name of Hans Rott. He was a classmate, and for a time, roommate >of Mahler's. He died, insane, of tuberculosis at age 25. ...
I remember on one occasion, I was perusing the classical offerings of a Border's Books near Boston. At that time, they had a more than passable classical selection, and in one slot near the Mahler Symphony recordings was a card that read: "If you enjoyed these recordings, you may also enjoy recordings of pieces by Bruckner, Richard Strauss
> After Ed Zubrow's introduction to us of Hans Rott, I listened to some > brief excerpts on Amazon, and ordered a CD. Sounds promising.
Rott's first and only symphony is indeed interesting and frequently engrossing. Had he lived to write a second and third, they would probably have given Mahler a run for his money.
Richard responds to Gerhard Griesel <[log in to unmask]>:
>> After Ed Zubrow's introduction to us of Hans Rott, I listened to some >> brief excerpts on Amazon, and ordered a CD. Sounds promising. > > Rott's first and only symphony is indeed interesting and frequently > engrossing. Had he lived to write a second and third, they would > probably have given Mahler a run for his money.
There is something in Kenneithia Mitchell's voice that goes straight to the heart. Her singing is mellow, effortless, brilliantly phrased; she disappears in the role, serves the music and drama, no ego showing or heard in the voice. She is a true artist, not a star-wannabe.
http://tinyurl.com/p79hph
The soprano's debut at West Bay Opera this weekend, in the title role of "Madama Butterfly," was the precious jewel in the crown of a small company that keeps coming up with big hits on an annual budget that wouldn't cover half of a single production elsewhere.
Last night (21 May) I attended a concert by the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban. (This always means an 80km late night drive back to Pietermaritzburg). They played Peer Gynt 1, Grieg's piano concerto and then Sibelius' Symphony 4. I listened to my CD recording of the latter twice before going, and I wonder what listers think of this work. I find it pleasant to listen to, but very odd. It comes from a man who does not worry what his audience might think, for coming from a lesser soul an audience might boo. There is no strong theme,
Gerhard Griesel is having trouble with the Sibelius #4.
> ... It comes > from a man who does not worry what his audience might think, for coming > from a lesser soul an audience might boo. There is no strong theme, > snatches of unrelated passages, an abrupt end that one thinks Jean decided > 'Well I'm fed up with this, off to the publisher today', the use of > 'Glocken' (could apparently be glockenspiel or bells) for nice but > unmotivated four-note passages. Or am I missing something here?
>They played Peer Gynt 1, Grieg's piano concerto and then Sibelius' >Symphony 4. I listened to my CD recording of the latter twice before >going, and I wonder what listers think of this work.
Over the years I have heard most of the music of Sibelius. The only work of his that has much meaning for me is the 4th Symphony. I find it to be his masterpiece and one of the few truly great works of music. For me,the first movement speaks of the most profound notions of our experience of life and looks beyond, not
Summary: Terrific and has already changed my concertgoing planning.
Disclaimer: For the whoof to follow, let me state I am not affiliated with the Berlin Philharmonic in any way
===
I recently took the season pass to the nearly concluded 2008/2009 season of the Berlin Philharmonic through their Digital Concert Hall service. It cost 89 Euros and I will have access to archived performances as well as a couple more live streams left this season. The deal runs out on 27 August 2009 and the same deal for next season will cost 149 Euros.
From their newsletter: They are now putting HD clips on Youtube.
The most wonderful and impressive moments from recent concerts by the Berliner Philahrmoniker have been available at www.youtube.com/BerlinPhil since April 2009. Three minute clips of high quality recordings, including interviews with soloists and conductors.
The YouTube channel of the Berliner Philharmoniker allows you a short but concise glimpse into the world of the orchestra - and is there to make you hungry for more: the complete current concert recordings in the Digital Concert Hall where all the clips come from.
> Summary: Terrific and has already changed my concertgoing planning. ...
I am happy to hear that the Berlin Phil it is well worth the online broadcast model & subscription price - a concept that I personally submitted to almost EVERY major symphony, orchestra and opera company in the US over the last 2 years since web dev and streaming technology are what I do during my day job.
* Trio in c# * Suite for Violin, Violoncello, & Pianoforte
La Musica Gioiosa Trio New World Records NW365-2 Total Time: 69:42
Summary for the Busy Executive: Prodigy and master.
The historicism of music criticism, inherited from the Nineteenth Century, has mauled aesthetic judgment. It pushes criteria like influence, an old-fashioned notion of progress, and heroic resistance against the bourgeoisie. I happen to think Schoenberg a great composer, but not because he influenced a large chunk of other composers. It strikes me as perverse, like valuing Norton and Sackville (Gorboduc) over Shakespeare (The
One does not necessarily live by opera alone and so I also enjoy the pursuit of genealogy. Today, I received a query from someone on a genealogy list for whom I solicit your help.
She writes: "Does anyone ... know the titles of two books (evidently autobiographical) written by the late conductor/musician Guy Taylor who died in the Spokane, WA area in 2001? His obituary in the 'New York Times' refers only to two books, one about his conducting experiences and travels, the other about his family. I would like very much to purchase and read these books, but so
> She writes: "Does anyone ... know the titles of two books (evidently > autobiographical) written by the late conductor/musician Guy Taylor who > died in the Spokane, WA area in 2001? ...
I checked the Library of Congress catalog and no joy. These leads me to suspect a vanity publication.
New York Empire Trio is May 2009 Featured Artist at Obama Music Arts and Entertainment
The New York Empire Trio has been named May 2009 Featured Artist by Obama Music Arts and Entertainment. This is in honor of the Trio's recent World Premiere performance at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall of Fanfare for Obama - a new work created by Bulgarian composer Roumi Petrova in honor of the historic election of President Barack Obama.
Lullaby by Beth Anderson to Be Performed in South Portland, Maine on May 15
Beth Anderson's Lullaby will be performed by soprano Karen Pierce and pianist Shirley Curry as part of their Saints, Sinners & Fallen Women concert on Friday, May 15 - 7:00 PM at First Congregational Church, 301 Cottage Road in South Portland, Maine.
Electroacoustic Music of Judith Shatin Performed in Maine on May 14 by Cellist Madeleine Shapiro
Judith Shatin's For the Birds for amplified cello and electronic playback will be presented by cellist Madeleine Shapiro on Thursday, May 14 - 8 PM at the Olins Arts Center of Bates College, Andrews Road in Lewiston, Maine.
This performance is part of ModernWorks' The Nature Project, which includes a four-day residence at the College. Other composers on the program are Matthew Burtner, Paul Rudy, Guillermo Galindo, Orlando Jacinto Garcia and David Tcimpidis. More about The Nature Project at http://www.modernworks.com/repertoire/natureproject.html.
Last Saturday, in association with the Elgin Symphony Bernstein Festival, Leonard's daughter, Nina Bernstein, spoke at the Elgin Library. She played a DVD for us of a movie she made in tribute to her father, A Total Embrace. It was shown in Germany but, she said, there are no plans to show it in the US or to make it commerically available because it is not economically viable.
> Last Saturday, in association with the Elgin Symphony Bernstein Festival, >Leonard's daughter, Nina Bernstein, spoke at the Elgin Library. She >played a DVD for us of a movie she made in tribute to her father, A Total >Embrace. It was shown in Germany but, she said, there are no plans to >show it in the US or to make it commerically available because it is not >economically viable.
* Copland: Sonata for Piano * Ravel: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G * Stravinsky: L'Histoire du Soldat * Bernstein: 7 Anniversaries, nos. 1-5
Philharmonia Orchestra Members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Leonard Bernstein (conductor and pianist) Symposium 1372 DVD Total time: 78:23
Summary for the Busy Executive: Triple threat.
Volume 2 in Symposium's Leonard Bernstein releases. Volume 1 featured Bernstein conducting John Alden Carpenter's Sea Drift, Shostakovich's Fifth, and Gershwin's An American in Paris. All of these performances come from the mid-to-late Forties, just after Bernstein had made his famous last-minute substitution for Bruno Walter
World Premiere Performances of American Reflections by Brian Wilbur Grundstrom in New York Metro Area on May 10, 13 and 16
Brian Wilbur Grundstrom's American Reflections for string orchestra and harp will be given its World Premiere performances by Maestro Erik Ochsner and the SONOS Chamber Orchestra at three New York metro area locations:
Folks, if you have somehow made it through the soon-concluding New York Met season without seeing one of their Hi-Def broadcasts -- and you can't blame me for that, as I've been their biggest fanboy on this list -- then you probably also missed today's premiere of The Audition, a documentary on the Met's National Council Auditions. I'm sorry to report that the Met is advertising this as a one-day event, so there apparently will not be an encore performance, unlike the case with their regular H-D broadcasts.
Charles Villiers Stanford Music for Violin and Piano
* Violin Sonata #1 in D, op. 11 * Caoine (A Lament), op. 54/1 * 5 Characteristic Pieces, op. 93 * Violin Sonata #2 in A, op. 70
Paul Barritt, violin Catherine Edwards, piano Hyperion CDA67024 Total Time: 77:54
Summary for the Busy Executive: Who knew Stanford was this good?
If nothing else, Stanford has won eternal glory as one of the forgers of twentieth-century British music. The pupils who came under his tutelage include Vaughan Williams, Holst, Howells, Ireland, Bridge, Butterworth, Moeran, Bliss, and Grainger. A notoriously abrasive personality and a
The economic downturn, which has hit art organizations with the double whammy of declining contributions and ticket sales, is really wreaking havoc with opera companies - always troubled by production costs, inevitably the highest among performing organizations.
San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley has been extra careful with expenses, having already made such painful decisions as canceling highly anticipated (but "uneconomic") productions of Britten's "Peter Grimes" and family performances of Mozart's "The Abduction from the Seraglio."
Quintet of the Americas Presents AirPlay for Instruments Family Programs at New York Hall of Science in Queens on May 10
New York, NY - Quintet of the Americas will present special AirPlay for Instruments family programs on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 10 - 11:00 AM and 12 noon at the New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, NY.
* Sonata for Pianoforte * Suite for Piano * Passacaglia
Gail Quillman, piano New World Records NW376-2 Total Time: 50:15
Summary for the Busy Executive: Big-shoulder-pad music, mostly.
Many Midwestern classical-music aficionados of a certain age have at least heard of Leo Sowerby, a composer based most of his life in Chicago. American music critics tend to focus on the coasts, mainly on New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, but a lot happens in the vast spaces in between. Chicago has a particularly strong set of composers in its history: Sowerby, Ruth Crawford Seeger, John
Several discussions in recent years here have detailed the difficulties involved in bequeathing or donating recorded classical music collections to libraries that are pressed for space to hold them, or competence to care much about offering alternative solutions. Here's some more cheerful news along that front, though it comes as the result of the passing of a long time friend. So please indulge this little story.
Music and Multimedia Artwork of Elodie Lauten Featured at Brooklyn's Williamsburg Art & Historical Center
Music and multimedia artwork of Elodie Lauten will be featured at Williamsburg Art & Historical Center, 135 Broadway at the corner of Bedford, right next to the Williamsburg Bridge in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York.
Her ORANGE: Modular Music from the Deus Ex Machina Cycle will be performed by renowned flutist Andrew Bolotowsky as part of his Where are the Women? concert on Saturday, May 9 - 3:00 PM at the Center. The concert will also include solo flute compositions by Jennifer Post, Joyce Suskind, Sorrel
As anyone who has seen a score of a Mahler Symphony knows, the music is simply littered with German directives. In the interest of finally enlightening musicians as to what the composer really means, someone wrote the following glossary of all common phrases (this was anonymously posted on the Chicago Symphony musician's bulletin board recently):
[Xian Zhang will conduct the LA Phil with Yefim Bronfman as soloist on May 8, 9 and 10 - http://www.laphil.com/tickets/performance_detail.cfm?id=3730]
Italy appoints its first female principal conductor
Milan's Orchestra Sinfonica 'Giuseppe Verdi' has chosen the 35-year-old Chinese Xian Zhang as its musical director. The conductor, a mother with a two-month-old baby, is the first woman to hold such a post in Italy. She steps into the gap left by Riccardo Chailly following his resignation in the spring of 2005. ...
SAMUEL JONES Symphony No. 3 'Palo Duro Canyon' 23:39 Concerto for Tuba and Orchestra. 23:57 Christopher Olka, Tuba. Seattle Symphony cond. Gerard Schwarz Naxos 8.449378 (American Classics)
These are both neo-romantic works. Samuel Jones studied with Howard Hanson and it shows. In the concerto there are a couple of brief moments reminiscent of Mahler and Jones actually quotes Wagner. The symphony begins with the kind of rushing notes that Sibelius used so frequently. However, Jones certainly has his own voice, and both the concerto and the symphony show his inventiveness.
* Violin Concerto (1949, rev. 1960/1985) * Symphony #2, "Psalms" (1949, rev. 1964)* * Armenian Suite (1937, rev. 1954)
Alexandr Bulov, violin Nancy Maultsby, mezzo* Singapore Symphony Orchestra/Lan Shui BIS BIS-CD-1232 Total Time: 66:25
Summary for the Busy Executive: Psalmist from Philly.
Born, grown up, and dead in the environs of Philadelphia, Richard Yardumian buckled down to composition relatively late, in his twenties, encouraged by figures like Stokowski and Iturbi. He had very few contacts in the places it would have done him the most good, like New York or London. His music got disseminated mainly
Chamber Players International April 19 Concert at Kosciuszko Foundation in Manhattan Features Music of Mozart, Richard Strauss and Theodore Wiprud
Chamber Players International will present the second of a new series of concerts on Sunday, April 19, 2009 - 3 pm at The Kosciuszko Foundation, 15 East 65th Street (between Madison and Fifth Ave) in Manhattan.
Film Music of Judith Shatin Performed in Indiana on April 18 and Chamber Music Performed in Florida on April 19
Music of Judith Shatin will be presented in Indiana and Florida in the next few days:
Saturday, April 18 - 8 PM - Electronic music from the film Rotunda will be given its Premiere at the Performance Theater of Sweetwater Sound Inc., 5501 U.S. Highway 30 West in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as part of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) 2009 National Conference. More about this performance at http://seamus.sweetwater.com/schedule/.
Carl Nielsen (1865-1931) String Quartets, Volume 2
String Quartet No. 2 in F minor, Op. 5 (1890) [34:17] String Quartet No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 14 (1898) [29:42] The Young Danish String Quartet Recorded Danish Radio Concert Hall, Copenhagen, June/August 2007 Released May 2008 Dacapo (Hybrid Multi-Channel SACD) 6.220522 [63:59]
World Premiere of Suite Remembrance by Brian Wilbur Grundstrom at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia on April 16
Brian Wilbur Grundstrom's Suite Remembrance for clarinet, bassoon and piano will be given its World Premiere performance on Thursday, April 16 at 8 pm at the Grand Tier III of the George Mason University Center for the Performing Arts, 4400 University Drive in Fairfax, Virginia.
Various soloists Chorus and Orchestra of The Boston Cecilia/Donald Teeters. Naxos 8.669018 Total Time: 59:07
Summary for the Busy Executive: Opera non opera est.
Scott Wheeler's self-styled opera, The Construction of Boston, takes a text by Kenneth Koch, written for a high-class Sixties "happening" in New York, in which the artists Robert Rauschenberg, Jean Tinguely, and Niki de St. Phalle (she of the plaster, paint, and .22-calibre firearms) "constructed" their vision of Boston. The poem I find charming, a love letter to a great American city. About twenty years later, Wheeler decided to set
Chamber Music of Judith Shatin Performed on Tour by Borup/Ernst Duo in Utah and Colorado on April 12, 15 and 21
Two of Judith Shatin's chamber works, Tower of the Eight Winds and Icarus will be performed on tour by Hasse Borup, violin and Mary Kathleen Ernst, piano on the following dates:
Sunday, April 12 - 7:00 PM - Libby Gardner Hall on the campus of University of Utah (http://www.music.utah.edu/).
> By the way, this is a DG "triad": three CDs at some reduced price. I've > seen the set listed at about $24.00 (US), and a quick tour of the Internet > tells me I can get a new copy for $16.00, or a little more than $5.00 > per CD.
EMI Classics is releasing some choice collections this month, including multi-CD albums of performances by Corelli, Caballe, and Hotter, plus a Glyndebourne album - and surely numerous others, but these are the four that really caught my attention. To those who say "ho-hum, reissue," I say the more the better, and these are just the best.
I've never had so much fun listening to the Beethoven symphonies!
Scherchen's Beethoven is the most athletic, giddy, dramatic yet verdant I've yet heard. As for his "second rate" orchestras, I'm often more surprised at the superhuman unanimity of attack, given Sherchen's over I've been able to put together ultra-quiet Lp pressings of Symphonies 3-8 so far, no small feat considering the calamity-ridden Westminster pressing process not to mention that most of these Lp's turned 50 last year. I can be done though, and the silky tube-cut sound is worth the work. I'll just give two examples of Scherchen's uniqueness:
> Scherchen's Beethoven is the most athletic, giddy, dramatic yet verdant > I've yet heard. As for his "second rate" orchestras, I'm often more > surprised at the superhuman unanimity of attack, given Sherchen's over > I've been able to put together ultra-quiet Lp pressings of Symphonies > 3-8 so far, no small feat considering the calamity-ridden Westminster > pressing process not to mention that most of these Lp's turned 50 last > year.
> Scherchen's Beethoven is the most athletic, giddy, dramatic yet verdant > I've yet heard. As for his "second rate" orchestras, I'm often more > surprised at the superhuman unanimity of attack, given Sherchen's over > I've been able to put together ultra-quiet Lp pressings of Symphonies > 3-8 so far, no small feat considering the calamity-ridden Westminster > pressing process not to mention that most of these Lp's turned 50 last > year.
>> I've been able to put together ultra-quiet Lp pressings of Symphonies >> 3-8 so far, no small feat considering the calamity-ridden Westminster >> pressing process not to mention that most of these Lp's turned 50 last >> year. > > It strikes me that the recording you described will NOT be the choice > of the "Beat Beethoven" run in Fairbanks, Alaska:
> For me he is one of the top three Mahler conductors on record (Donald > aside, anyone care to guess the other two?) and among my handful of > favourite Beethoven interpreters.
I hope Horenstein's one of them and Karajan is not.
All this Scherchen and Westminster talk brings back many memories. I hope that somehow or other cds of the Beethoven symphonies will materialize. Long time music lovers probably do not need reminding that Scherchen is responsible for a wonderful small orchestra arrangement of the Art of the Fugue which- I hope- is still available on cd.
> Deryk Barker: > >> For me he is one of the top three Mahler conductors on record (Donald >> aside, anyone care to guess the other two?) and among my handful of >> favourite Beethoven interpreters. > > I hope Horenstein's one of them and Karajan is not.
Deryk Barker responded to Steve Schwartz responding to Deryk:
>>> For me he is one of the top three Mahler conductors on record (Donald >>> aside, anyone care to guess the other two?) and among my handful of >>> favourite Beethoven interpreters. >> >> I hope Horenstein's one of them and Karajan is not. > > Correct on both counts...:-)
Donald Clarke wrote: > Deryk Barker responded to Steve Schwartz responding to Deryk: > >>>>For me he is one of the top three Mahler conductors on record (Donald >>>>aside, anyone care to guess the other two?) and among my handful of >>>>favourite Beethoven interpreters. >>> >>> I hope Horenstein's one of them and Karajan is not. >>> >> Correct on both counts...:-) >> > So who is the third, I want to know from the foremost authorities?
* Stabat Mater, op. 53 * Veni Creator, op. 57 * Litany to the Virgin Mary, op. 59 * Demeter, op. 37b * Penthesilea, op. 18
Iwona Hossa (soprano) Ewa Marciniec (mezzo) Jaroslaw Brek (baritone) Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir/Antoni Wit Naxos 8.570724 Total time: 59:26
Summary for the Busy Executive: Beauty.
Szymanowski's music went through several changes, beginning in a Straussian chromatic fog and ending up in searing clarity. This program covers many of those phases.
Weekend Edition Saturday, April 4, 2009 - Opera can touch the heart, stir the soul and soothe the savage breast - yes, that is the correct quote. To do all of those things and more, there's a new collection of opera called The Record of Singing: a pair of box sets, 10 CDs each, covering the history of recorded opera from 1899 to the present.
A Special Argerich Concert Honoring Her Teacher, Friedrich Gulda
Any opportunity to hear Martha Argerich play, even on DVD, is a special occasion. There is something about her playing that ignites excitement in her listeners. Part of that, aside from her magnificent musical gifts, is her somewhat enigmatic persona, with her shyness, her frequent cancellations, her absences from the concert stage for years at a time, her reluctance to play primarily as a soloist and so on. Here, on this DVD, we have the pleasure of seeing her in a live performance on January 27, 2005 at Sumida Triphony
A year ago Classical Net launched a new feature called the Classical Explorer. Since launch we're posted entries for over 150 recordings of music by more than 200 different composers, many of whom are little known.
http://www.classical.net/explorer/
There's even a composer index to help locate older entries, as well as a categorical index (chamber, orchestral, etc.).
Chamber Players International April 5 Musical Cuisine Concert in Old Westbury Celebrates Music of Chopin and Richard Strauss
Chamber Players International's Musical Cuisine series will present the fourth brunch and concert of its 2008-2009 season, celebrating the music of Chopin and Richard Strauss on Sunday, April 5 at 12 noon at the DeSeversky Conference Center on the campus of New York Institute of Technology, Northern Boulevard in Old Westbury, New York.
I am listening to a recording of Widor's 5th and 10th Organ Symphonies which I have had for years, and is suddenly struck by the high technical quality, including a deep full bass which is not always achieved on other recordings. I can really recommend it if it is still to be found. Hearing the famous toccata in the context of the whole work adds to the pleasure. I would have liked a bit more speed, but in the toccata he is fine (5: 08). It is on Arte Nova 74321 79587 2, with Christian von Blohn on the organ
The American Chamber Ensemble Presents Woodwind Treasures Concert on April 4 at Hofstra University
The American Chamber Ensemble's Woodwind Treasures concert will be given on Saturday, April 4 - 8 p.m. at Hofstra University's Monroe Lecture Center Theater on California Avenue, South Campus in Hempstead, New York. The concert will be presented by the University Music Department.
