The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: It’s Mother’s Day. What piece of music would you perform or play for your Mom today? I choose a Chopin waltz for mine.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Today is Mother’s Day in the U.S.
So it is a fitting time to consider what music you would make and what music you would play to give your Mom as a gift.
It comes to mind because a couple of months ago, The Ear lost his Mom (below). She was 91, and had, as a red-headed and ever-resourceful War Bride for World War II, lived a long, good and quietly adventurous life with much spirit, good humor and boundless energy, despite various setbacks.
She also set me on the path to classical music – to making it and appreciating it – even though she herself was not especially musical except to sing hymns in church and ballades, show tunes and ditties in piano bars.
Way back when, my sister said she wanted to go take piano lessons and I asked if I could too. Mom said yes. My sister stopped; I kept going.
With a few intervals, some big and some small. those lessons that started at age 8 continued with right up until the present and will do so well into the future.
When I would visit Mom in her later years, we would go to a club house near the retirement community where she lived in Phoenix and I would play some of her favorite pieces. It was always a treat for her. She would just relax and lean back and smile in enjoyment. The pleasure she had given me was returned, and for her, everything had gone round and come home.
Chopin (below) was always her favorite. Probably because he was also mine.
So when I wanted to attend the legendary all-Chopin recital in Carnegie Hall by Arthur Rubinstein (below top) in 1961, she got the tickets –- which ended up being ON-STAGE tickets so I could see The Master play Chopin from maybe 20 feet away. (Below bottom is the view of Carnegie Hall FROM the main stage after its great renovation.)
Anyway, I miss Mom, more than I let on. But I keep her and my memories of her in my heart –- and I often think of her when I am at the keyboard, especially whenever I am playing Chopin. Which is often, sometimes daily.
I know she had a favorite Chopin piece. Probably because it was a favorite of mine, and I could play it for her pretty well. And without fail, she was proud and pleased.
That’s how Moms are.
And so in memory of all the pleasure she gave me through music, and all the caring she lavished on me in so many ways, I am posting a performance that set the standard for both me and her.
It is one of the greatest pieces by a great composer and played by a great pianist and great musician.
Here in a YouTube video is Chopin’s soulful Waltz in C-sharp Minor, Op. 64, No. 2, played by Arthur Rubinstein, first in an older recording and then in one, with music to follow, that is closer to the version we heard together.
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.
I loved you then. I love you still. I will always love you and never forget you.
Classical music: On Friday, June 21, the Summer Solstice, Madison will be filled with outdoors music by the first Make Music Madison citywide festival. But so far, no acoustic piano is available for pianists and more classical musicians of all kinds are needed to sign up by the deadline of May 15.
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By Jacob Stockinger
I can’t help it. The image of Jack Nicholson playing Chopin’s Fantasy in F Minor on the back of a truck during a massive freeway traffic jam in the film classic “Five Easy Pieces” keeps coming to mind. (The image is below.)
That is because the first Make Music Madison citywide festival be wide held on Friday, June 21, the summer solstice. It will mainly take place between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., although events are scheduled all day long. The city has chipped in $25,000 to make it happen. Public and private donations are also being sought.
Here is a link to the event’s main website with a list of venues and participants
So far, according to organizers, the public response has been very good. And as one might expect, the offerings are heavy on rock, pop, hip-hop, folk, blues, roots and other kinds of music. All told so far some 125 musicians have signed up to create a continuous outdoor Wall of Sound as you wander around the city.
Here is a link to the festival’s main website with a list of the venues and music-makers signed up so far:
http://www.makemusicmadison.org
But curiously, what bothers The Ear is that no acoustic piano has yet been secured, and neither has a venue for acoustic piano playing, including classical music.
One of the problems is that technically, everyone is suppose do play outdoors -– with the apparent exceptions of hospitals and airports. And that is a problem for heavy pianos, which also need tuning and regulating from a technicians. Can any piano technician volunteer to help out? (Below is a photo of live music at the Saturday morning west side Farmers Market.)
What about churches as piano venues? The Ear asks, like the Pres House (below) right off Library Mall where Wisconsin Public Radio used to hold the annual Bach Around the clock to celebrate J.S. Bach’s birthday?
Or maybe they could use a UW concert hall, like Morphy Recital Hall (below) or the Mosse Humanities Building? Or the auditoriums at Capitol Lakes Retirement Center downtown or Oakwood Village West on the city’s far west side? Or even Old Music Hall at the foot of Bascom Hill?
Maybe one of the local piano stores could team up with a trucking store and provide the Jack Nicholson solution for Madison.
This much seems certain: It is odd for a music festival to leave out perhaps the most popular and populist instrument –- after voice — that so many young people and adults study, one that has such a huge repertoire and so many amateur and professional players devoted to it. (See the YouTube video at the bottom of two men playing the piano outdoors in New York City.)
And if you have an idea about solving what I am calling The Piano Dilemma, including the possibility of you yourself singing up to play the piano, please contact the festival at the link above by the deadline of Wednesday, May 15.
Adds Michael Rothschild, a retired business school professor who is heading up the venture: “At this moment we don’t have any acoustic pianos, although we have been in discussions with someone re: the possibility of getting some. It’s pretty iffy right now, but on our list. Classical music certainly is welcome. We seek all genres of music and all skill levels.”
Of course, you can also leave word or suggestions in the COMMENTS section of this blog for the organizers and other participants or venue owners of Make Music Madison to see.
Classical music: The outstanding “Grace Presents” FREE concert series is seeking to hire a new coordinator. Here is all the information about the job and the application process.
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By Jacob Stockinger
It is no secret that Madison is filled with great classical music, much of it free for the attending and listening.
But individual smaller programs like the First Unitarian Society’s Friday Noon Musicales and the non-traditional, eclectic concerts by Classical Revolution Madison can still fly under the radar.
One of the most noteworthy is the monthly “Grace Presents” series on Saturdays at noon at the Grace Episcopal Church downtown on Capitol Square.
It sends out a newsletter via the Grace Episcopal Church, which does have a website, but “Grace Presents” has no website of its own that I can find, or even a complete, easy-to-find schedule on the regular Grace Episcopal website. And yet the attendance can be quite good and the performances quite impressive.
I can’t speak to other kinds of music, like Celtic or folk, though some of the performers’ names are familiar. But this past winter I heard two outstanding concerts.
One featured violinist Laura Burns and pianist Jess Salek (below) in sonatas by Brahms.
The other (below is an YouTube video excerpt) featured four singers and two pianists in songs by Schubert, Schumann, Faure, Hahn, Verdi and Brahms.
And on May 18, I want to hear the season closer this spring with pianist Yana Groves (below), who was born in Ukraine and trained at the UW by Christopher Taylor. She will perform the lyrical Prelude Op. 23, No. 4, by Sergei Rachmaninoff; three “Estampes” or “Prints” by Claude Debussy; and the big, soulful Sonata in A Minor, D. 845, by Franz Schubert.
Anyway, Grace Presents is looking for a new coordinator, and The Ear wants to help the series get the best one it can find. The organizers deserve no less, and so do the attentive and appreciative Madison public and Madison group of musicians.
Much of its success can no doubt be attributed to Bruce Croushore, a tireless, capable and affable man who recruits fine musicians, spreads the word and is a gracious host.
Here is the job posting that he forwarded to me to post:
Music Series Seeks Program Coordinator
“Grace Presents” is a series of concerts that began in the Spring of 2011. To date, two dozen diverse musical performances -– classical, folk, Celtic — have been enjoyed by audiences that range in size from 30 to as many as 300.
“Most concerts take place at Noon on Saturdays, so as to attract Dane County Farmers’ Market shoppers.
“Grace Presents’ mission is to open the doors of Madison’s historic landmark, Grace Episcopal Church (below is its acoustically resonant interior)), on the downtown Capitol Square, continuing the ancient tradition of music in the marketplace.
“To provide musicians and music-lovers from Dane County and beyond an outstanding acoustical performance venue that is attractive, peaceful, and in the heart of Madison.
“To offer free concerts of exceptional quality by local performers representing a wide variety of musical styles including classical, jazz, world, and folk.
“To attract and enrich a broad audience, including downtown neighborhood residents, secondary school and university students, farmers’ market shoppers, local business people, State workers, local visitors, tourists, and people who are homeless.
“Grace Church’s close proximity to the Overture Center (below), Monona Terrace and downtown shops, restaurants, museums, and offices encourages attendees to walk, ride bikes, or to use public transportation and reduces the carbon footprint of an excellent cultural event.
“Grace Presents seeks a Program Coordinator whose duties include:
“1. Engaging musicians to perform 8-12 concerts throughout the calendar year. This includes scheduling dates that work for the musicians, Grace Church, and the community at large. Dates should be far enough in advance to allow for promotion of each concert. At times program content may be specific to a given audience (i.e., children or shelter meal participants).
“2. Preparing and disseminating publicity through various media, including online and print listings and similar promotional opportunities.
“3. Arranging payment for musicians. (i.e. paperwork and coordinating checks with the church’s Finance Administrator)
“4. Preparing and printing programs, posters and flyers for the concerts.
“5. Acting as a liaison between performers and venue (Grace Church).
“6. Attending the concerts to assist with day-of logistics and taking care of musicians’ needs, except in special circumstances.
7. Attending periodic meetings of Grace Presents’ task force.
8. Completing and submitting grant applications with the assistance of task force members.
“QUALIFICATIONS: This is an excellent opportunity for someone interested in gaining experience in concert promotion and arts administration. Strong organizational and communication skills are necessary. Having knowledge of the Madison music scene, both commercial and educational, is a plus.
“COMPENSATION: Quarterly honoraria of $500.
“APPLICATION DEADLINE: Apply by email with resume attached not later than June 1, 2013
“Although the Grace Presents’ concert series is booked through December 2013, the task force intends to fill the position by June 30, 2013 so that the incumbent will be able to train her successor over the summer months.
“CONTACT: Bruce Croushore at croushoreb@gmail.com
Tags: Celtic, Christopher Taylor, Classical music, Franz Schubert, Gabriel Fauré, Grace Church, Grace Episcopal Church, Grace Presents, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, Madison, Monona Terrace, Overture Center, Reynaldo Hahn, Robert Schumann, Saturday, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ukraine, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Bach Musicians venture beyond the Baroque into the Classicism of Haydn and Mozart with impressive results.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Here is a special posting, a review written by frequent guest critic and writer for this blog, John W. Barker. Barker (below) is an emeritus professor of Medieval history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also is a well-known classical music critic who writes for Isthmus and the American Record Guide, and who hosts an early music show every other Sunday morning on WORT 88.9 FM. He serves on the Board of Advisors for the Madison Early Music Festival and frequently gives pre-concert lectures in Madison
By John W. Barker
In its program on Saturday night (repeated Sunday afternoon), Trevor Stephenson’s Madison Bach Musicians took a bold step forward. Certainly so in chronology, going beyond their usual halting point at Bach’s demise (1750) to sample music of the later 18th century.
The composers represented were the two giants, Haydn and Mozart (below top and bottom respective): a concerto and a symphony for each.
This move is partly an expansion of Stephenson’s growing new collaboration with Marc Vallon, the world-class bassoon virtuoso on the UW Music School’s faculty, who has plunged into earlier literature for his instrument, but who has also ventured into conducting. (Below is Marc Vallon conducting Haydn.).
Examining the program by genres rather than composers, we find one concerto featuring each of the two leaders.
Stephenson opened the program with Haydn’s familiar Keyboard Concerto in D, notable for its Hungarian Rondo finale.
The work was probably written for harpsichord, but is today misrepresented on the modern piano. Stephenson took a middle road, using a fortepiano, a predecessor of the modern piano, and one with tone coloring and character of its own.
Further, Stephenson played discreet keyboard continuo in the Haydn Symphony and the Mozart Concerto that followed–certainly correct for Haydn, who would have led his ensemble from the keyboard to keep everybody together.
Vallon (below) gave a fruity and colorful rendition of the solo part in Mozart’s Bassoon Concerto in B-flat, leading the orchestra along the way. In the two Symphonies, he took over full conducting functions, using enthusiastic body language, but contributing phrasing and agogics that revealed fine musical insight.
The Haydn Symphony was No. 45 in F-sharp minor, known as the “Farewell.” Written in a willfully weird key, it is full of wild, even angry music, until its epilogue, in which the composer makes a plea to his employer, on behalf of his overworked musicians, for a long-deferred vacation.
This is done by the clever touch of having members of the orchestra drop out and leave one by one until only two violins remain. This game was played out with relish by our performers. (At bottom is a YouTube video of the finale of Haydn’s “Farewell” Symphony played by another group.)
The Mozart Symphony, his No. 29 in A major, is a work of youthful brio and charm, one of his earliest masterpieces in the form.
All these works are marked by elements of humor. The two concertos, especially that for bassoon, pokes gentle fun at the solo instrument in musical gamesmanship. Aside from the “departure” joke in Haydn’s Symphony, both of them featured the same use of surprise, in the Menuet movements for each, with comically abrupt endings.
Above all, however, this concert was an important landmark of sorts: the first time (if I am right) that anybody has assembled in Madison a working recreation of a late-18th century orchestra. One feature of this fact is numbers: 12 string players plus pairs of players on oboes and horns. Moreover, these were period-style instruments, the strings made of gut and played without vibrato.
The total result was a lean sound drastically different in tone, texture and balances from that we are accustomed to in the “modern symphony orchestra.” The players were all quite expert in their skills, many coming from widely scattered points around the country–such is Trevor Stephenson’s far-reaching network by now.
I could have wished for just a little tighter ensemble from the violins (as might come with more regular and consistent working together), but the playing was committed and artistic.
The texture allowed the sometimes ferocious discords in Haydn’s Symphony to sound with powerful effect, while the overall balances allowed the horns to ring out, even dominating at times, instead of being buried under lush string sound. In the Mozart Symphony, one could hear the clever harmonic and rhythmic material the composer gave to the violas (an instrument he himself loved to play).
This was, as I say, a landmark event in Madison’s musical history, and more. The program, played at the new Atrium Auditorium (below, in a photo by Zane Williams) of the First Unitarian Society, was preceded, as always, by a witty and informative talk by Stephenson. The quite large audience (I would guess at least 250 attendees on Saturday) was enthusiastic, and justly so at a concert both significant and wondrously enjoyable.
Classical music: Classical Revolution Madison announces three local performances for April starting this coming Sunday and Monday. Plus, the winners of Wisconsin Public Radio’s Neale-Silva Young Artists Competition perform this weekend on “Sunday Afternoon Live From the Chazen.”
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ALERT: This year’s winners of Wisconsin Public Radio‘s annual Neale-Silva Young Artists’ Competition are: cellist Alison Rowe playing Benjamin Britten’s Solo Suite No. 2; tuba player Trevor Litsey in Rolf Wilhelm’s Concertino for Tuba and Concert Band; pianist Garrick Olsen in Earl Wild’s Etude No. 4 based on George Gershwin’s song “Embraceable You” and the second and third movement of Bela Bartok’s Piano Sonata; flutist Samuel Golter in Thea Musgrave’s “Narcissus”; saxophonist Joseph Connor and marimba player Gregory Riss in the duos “Tesseract” by David Werfelmann and “Strange Dreams” by Nathan Daughtrey. The Winners’ Recital is FREE and open to the public, and will be broadcast live this Sunday, April 7, at 12:30-2 p.m. from Brittingham Gallery 3 of the Chazen Museum of Art in Madison on WPR’s News & Classical Network stations (WERN 88.7 FM in the Madison area).
By Jacob Stockinger
Some of the most vigorous and vital music-making in the Madison area is taking place through such grass-roots or populist organizations as Classical Revolution Madison and NEW MUSE (New Music Everywhere).
And there are others, some of them housed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Wisconsin Union Theater and the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) among others, including programs to bring classical music to retirement centers, nursing homes, hospitals, prisons and schools.
Most of the organizations specialize in taking classical music to non-traditional venues and non-traditional audiences, including bars and coffeehouses.
Two of the appearances by members of Classical Revolution Madison are coming up on this coming Sunday morning and this Monday night.
Mid-month brings another.
Here is a schedule with some appealing photos by cellist Tori Rogers. Unfortunately, I have no details yet about specific performers or specific pieces to be played. But if past programs are any clue, some wonderful listening awaits anyone who goes.
Sunday, April 7 — 11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.
418 State St, Madison 53703
Monday, April 8 — 7:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.
The Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery Town Center
330 N. Orchard St, Madison 53715
Join CRM for a program of both solo and collaborative piano works on The Wisconsin Union Theater’s piano at the Wisconsin Institutes of Discovery (below). If you’re interested in playing, please contact us. (For sense of the beautiful architecture and interiors as well as the performance space and its resonant acoustics, listens to the YouTube video at bottom.)
UPDATE: The program includes two movements from the Piano Trio, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”) by Ludwig van Beethoven withLydia Balge, violin; Emma Downing, cello; and Allison Jerza, piano. Also on the program is the Piano Sonata No. 2, Op; 14, by Sergei Prokofiev with pianist Evan Englestad .
Saturday, April 18 — 8 p.m.- 10 p.m. (NOT 7-9 p.m., as stated previously)
7 West Main St, Madison 53703
UPDATE: Program to be announced.
Here, also from Tori Rogers, are some videos:
YouTube video from Fair Trade:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WspVGUPV6d8
YouTube videos from Brocach:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6QCFbDKwAA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H92w4C1fwow
If you have heard Classical Revolution Madison in the past or in these performances let the rest of us know what you think.
Everyone’s a critic.
Plus The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: Chazen Museum of Art, Classical music, Classical Revolution Madison, Erno Dohnanyi, George Gershwin, Jacob Stockinger, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, Sergei Prokofiev, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, WYSO, YouTube
Classical music: Classical music makes driving more dangerous than hip-hop or heavy metal, researchers say.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Yesterday was the good news: Making music can be good for health.
It can lower blood pressure and enhance a feeling of well-being.
Today comes the bad news: Listening to classical music leads to traffic accidents, more so than other music, researchers say, including hip-hop and heavy metal.
Perhaps that is because the music is better and more engaging, or more difficult to ignore.
But that positive quality could be deadly.
Here is a link to the story on NPR’s “Deceptive Cadence” blog:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2013/01/23/170067480/back-off-the-bach-to-drive-safely
Ad here is a link to original British story:
What do you think?
Will this research discourage you from listening to your favorite classical radio station or classic music?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: Arts, Cadence (music), Classical music, Franz Schubert, Heavy metal music, Music, NPR, wisconsin public radio, YouTube
Classical music: Making music is healthy for you, researchers say. It can lower blood pressure and increase a sense of well-being. You can even start music lessons as an older adult.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Talk about art therapy!
A close friend has often told me how the German army in World War I gave double rations to the piano players because they used so much energy doing their job of entertaining the troops.
I have never been able to prove the story. But it makes a lot of sense to this amateur pianist. I know the physicality of playing, and it takes stamina as well as finesse. And it involves both body and mind. (Below in a photo of University of Wisconsin pianist Christopher Taylor, whose playing is particularly physical and energetic, as you know well if you saw his recent astonishing recital of Franz Liszt‘s extremely virtuoso transcriptions of Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony and Fifth Symphony.)
Contemporary researchers have taken an interest in studying how music affects one’s physical and mental health as well as social well-being, especially now that researchers can track changes through MRI and CAT scans.
Here is more good news: The suggestion, or even proof, by Dutch researchers that playing music lowers stress and lowers blood pressure. (Other studies show that listening to music also has benefits. But the one I am discussing dealt specific with actual music-making.)
Here is a link to the study:
http://www.psmag.com/blogs/news-blog/playing-music-may-lower-blood-pressure-51779/
And that story has a link to another study, done in Britain, that talks about the heightened sense of well-being one gets from making music – playing the piano or some other instrument or singing. And we know that conducting is particularly aerobic and healthy. Little wonder that conductors generally live along and healthy life.
http://rsh.sagepub.com/content/133/1/36.short
The Bottom Line? Music is good and good for you.
So I say to my fellow Baby Boomers and retirees who wanted to better their health: Music lessons, anyone?
Trust me, it’s never too late.
Just look at the YouTube video below that has had more than 9 MILLION hits:
Tags: art therapy, Arts, Beethoven, Christopher Taylor, Classical music, Franz Liszt, German, Health, Jacob Stockinger, Keyboard, Ludwig van Beethoven, Magnetic resonance imaging, Mental health, Music, Music lesson, Piano, Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven), University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin–Madison, YouTube
Classical music: Celebrate the 328th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach this Thursday morning from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. with radio host Rich Samuels and many local performers on WORT 89.9 FM radio.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Hurry up! It’s time to set your alarm clocks and tune in your radio.
This Thursday morning from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. on WORT-FM 89.9 FM, Madison’s community-sponsored radio station (below is a photo of WORT’s funky headquarters in Madison) will honor the 328th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
What makes it special is that radio host Rich Samuels (below), who is also a sound engineer, has recorded local performers — some prominent an professional, others more amateur – playing and singing works by Bach in their own homes and studios. He will premiere and feature those recordings during the special birthday broadcast.
Here is a link to the 1-minute promotional Samuels recently did for WORT.
http://www.wortfm.org/bachs-birthday-promo/
You may recall that Samuels wrote earlier to The Ear to announce the performance possibilities, which I see as a wonderful way to take up where Wisconsin Public Radio faltered by canceling Bach Around the Clock after the departure of former music director Cheryl Dring for an Austin, Texas-based radio station.
Here is a link to the original post by and about Samuels’ project:
And here is a link to the background about BATC 3 and the unfortunate decision abput BATC 4 by WPR:
And here is a link to live streaming from WORT, so you can use your smart phonek iPod, iPad or computer to listen to local Bach:
http://tunein.com/radio/WORT-Community-Radio-899-s21793/
And who might you expect to hear? Samuels recounted some of the local Bach fans whose recorded performances will be highlighted:
Writes Samuels (below): “You’ll hear some familiar voices on the promo (though not all of those whose performances will be heard.) I’m working up to the wire on this: the last music will not be recorded until Tuesday, March 19 on account of schedule conflicts (the last entry will be soprano Rachel Eve Holmes (below top) who, with oboist Kostas Tiliakos and pianist Thomas Kasdorf (below bottom), will be performing the aria “Sich ueben im Lieben” from the “Wedding” Cantata No. 202 (in a YouTube video at bottom).
The exact order of performers, Samuels adds, won’t be determined until the last minute.
But the remaining performers include organist Bruce Bengston (Luther Memorial), pianists Renee Farley, Karlos Moser (below top) and Tim Adrianson; harpsichordist Trevor Stephenson (below middle), mezzo-soprano Kathy Otterson (below bottom, with pianist Michael Keller and a violinist to be determined when I see who shows up at a recording session at Christ Presbyterian); alto Ena Foshay (speaking on behalf of the Isthmus Vocal Ensemble); saxophonists Dennis Simonson and Pete Ross.
I asked Rich Samuels, a transplanted Chicagoan, about how he came by the idea, the inspiration, if you will, for the local Bach celebration, which The Ear thinks is great and deserves a BIG SHOUT-OUT! as well as donation to WORTs recent pledge drive.
Here is his answer: “This week’s effort is a belated sequel to the video piece I did on March 21, 1985 on Chicago’s WMAQ-TV on the occasion of Bach’s 300th birthday.
“My introduction to Bach (below) came as a kid when I went to the Wilmette (Illinois) Public Library and checked out the 3-LP box set of the Brandenburg Concertos issued in 1952 on the Westminster label. The performance was by the London Baroque Ensemble conducted by Karl Haas.
“I became enough of a Bach fan to make a pilgrimage in the spring of 1990 (during the waning days of the German Democratic Republic) to the Thomaskirche in Leipzig, Germany, and the birthplace of Bach in Eisenach. I also stopped off at Sanssouci in Potsdam, where Bach, on a new-fangled fortepiano, improvised on the theme devised by Frederick the Great.”
And since the results were so good for the first attempt in Madison, what about the future?
“Hopefully, I can do another Bach tribute next year, perhaps on the eve of his birthday when I have a show scheduled.
“It would be nice to find a multi-generational ensemble willing to perform the six Brandenburg concerti. And perhaps someone could also write a fugue, making use of the idioms and instruments of the 21st century.”
And what about those who can’t or won’t listen to the early broadcast this Thursday? asked The Ear who hopes the local performers will be rebroadcast, perhaps on another show, in a more popular time slot?
Samuels says: “I’ll eventually upload all of the specially recorded segments with local performers to my personal website, although that will probably take some time, given the list of uncompleted tasks that presently faces me.”
I hope he lets me know, because then I will pass on word to you.
In any case, here is a link to his website with its extensive index:
So tune in and drop in and help celebrate the 328th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach – the Big Bang of Western classical music!
Classical music: Choosing a new Pope? There’s a play list for that! But is the Vatican listening? Plus, the UW Bands perform a FREE concert on Sunday afternoon.
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REMINDER: This Sunday, March 10, at 2 p.m. in Mills Hall on the UW-Madison campus, the University Bands will perform a FREE concert under conductors Justin Stolarik (below) and Matthew Mireles.
By Jacob Stockinger
An old friend and co-worker of The Ear saw the posting I did last week about Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI (see him in the photo below, at a performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony conducted by Daniel Barenboim at La Scala opera house in Milan). Benedict has a passion for playing the piano and listening to classical music, especially for the works of Mozart and Beethoven (composers right in keeping with his conservative theology, no?).
Here is a link:
Well, now as the papal conclave in the Vatican starts slowly toward getting underway (NEWS FLASH: The Vatican has announced the conclave will begin Tuesday) to elect a new pope, it appears that a playlist has been put together – by an American theologian at Notre Dame University at the request of the website Spotify — of classical music to help the cardinals (below, in an Associated Press photo) choose a new pope.
Most of it is, of course, choral music, usually with sacred themes — but not all of it.
Some of it is familiar to me; much of it is not.
Some of its is well known and popular; some of it is not.
But the list is catholic rather than Catholic and sure has a lot of excellent and memorable music.
Whether listening to this excellent music would lead to an excellent new pope is another question.
Here is a link:
http://www.religionnews.com/2013/02/28/choosing-a-new-pope-theres-a-spotify-playlist-for-that/
Can any one of you think of other pieces of classical music that might be added? I thought of three pieces by Franz Liszt (below), who was quite the handsome and rakish youth and young man but who became a Franciscan monk later in life. (Below, a photo of Liszt in 1870 by Pierre Petit.)
The works are “Benediction of God in Solitude” from his “Poetic and Religious Harmonies” series, and his two “legends” about Saint Francis of Assisi: “St. Francis Preaching to the Birds” and “Saint Francis Walking on the Waves” (below, in a great YouTube video by Lise de la Salle with some incredible shots of the keyboard and her fingers walking on the rolling WAVES of notes.)
The Ear wants to hear.
And just maybe the Vatican’s conclave of 142 cardinals, to say nothing of the new pope, also wants to hear.
Classical music: Pianist Van Cliburn, an icon of American classical music, died today at 78.
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By Jacob Stockinger
These days, “icon” is an overused word.
But it certainly applies in the case of American pianist Van Cliburn (below). For five decade, he was ever-present in the mind of classical music fans ever since he won, against all odds, the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in 1958, held in Moscow during the height of The Cold War.
I have written before about Cliburn, who died today at 78 after a long battle with bone cancer.
Here is one posting about the controversy that surrounded his playing:
http://welltempered.wordpress.com/2011/04/17/classical-music-how-good-was-pianist-van-cliburn/
Here is the most important blog posting, and be sure to reader the many intelligent and deeply felt comments by readers:
There are many reasons to like him and his playing. Not for nothing was he the first classical musician to ask and get a concert fee of $10,000 for one night;s performance.
But if you asked me to sum it up, I would say: Van Cliburn made every note come from some place and go to another place, and he always developed a logic – melodic, harmonic or rhythmic — to a particular phrase or passage.
His Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 (below, the first classical recording to sell 1 million copies) and his Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 remain for me the best, the absolute best, versions ever recorded.
I didn’t like his Brahms or Schumann so much, but I liked much of his Chopin — hear the Nocturne he plays at the bottom in a YouTube video — and I adored his playing of Edward MacDowell‘s Piano Concerto No. 2, which also remains definitive for me.
His personal and professional story proved fascinating and courageous as well as inspiring to many young musicians, including myself. (Below is the 23-year-old Van Cliburn in the ticker tape parade he received in New York City after his win in Moscow.)
Here are links to some important obituaries and stories. You’ll find many memorable quotes and many unforgettable facts as well as some wonderful photos from all stages of his life and career:
From The New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/arts/music/van-cliburn-pianist-dies-at-78.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
From the Associated Press:
http://entertainment.time.com/2013/02/27/van-cliburn-american-classical-pianist-dies/
From The Dallas Morning News:
From the Houston Star-Telegram, the first a story and the second, a life in photos:
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/02/27/4647640/van-cliburn-dies.html
http://www.star-telegram.com/2013/02/27/4647679/van-cliburn-dead-at-78.html
From National Public Radio:
From The Los Angeles Times:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-van-cliburn-obit-20130227,0,6919189.story
From The Washington Post:
From CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/27/showbiz/van-cliburn-obit/?hpt=en_c2
From USA TODAY:
What would you like to say on Van Cliburn’s passing? Leave a COMMENT.
What is your favorite recording of Cliburn’s?
Tags: Associated Press, Brahms, Chopin, Classical music, Cliburn, Edward MacDowell, Fort Worth Texas, International Tchaikovsky Competition, Jacob Stockinger, Moscow, New York City, New York Times, Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky International Competition, United States, Van Cliburn, YouTube
