The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Here are seven big things The Ear liked about the latest concert by the Madison Choral Project and two small things he did not like. Go this afternoon and see if you agree.
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By Jacob Stockinger
On Friday night, The Ear attended the latest concert by the estimable Madison Choral Project. He was very glad he did. It was terrific. You should go hear it.
The concert was called “Music of Our Time” and was programmed and conducted by the legendary Grammy-nominated conductor Dale Warland (below top). Edgewood College professor Albert Pinsonneault (below bottom), who just got a new job at Northwestern University near Chicago and who founded and directs the Madison Choral Project, studied under Warland.
It was and will remain a memorable event, and I encourage music fans to attend a repeat performance this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Ave. (Free parking is available two blocks west at the UW Foundation.)
Tickets are $20 general admission; $10 student admission; and $50 for preferred seating to support the outstanding organization.
For more information, visit http://themcp.org
Here is The Ear’s review in the form of points he liked and didn’t like:
SEVEN THINGS THE EAR LIKED ABOUT THE CONCERT:
- The program was not too long, yet it featured a wide variety of repertoire, texts and composers.
- The chorus sang with seemingly exemplary diction in English, Latin and Russian.
- The many a cappella portions were broken up by adding other instruments. UW-Madison professor John Aley (below top) played the trumpet, especially in a haunting finale where he played from a distance. Eric Miller (below bottom) played the cello with energy, sensitivity and lyricism.
- UW-Madison piano professor Martha Fischer (below) played with mastery, never too loudly or too softly. She demonstrated the art of blending. Little wonder that she heads the collaborative piano faculty – that is what used to be called the art of “accompanying” – at the UW-Madison School of Music.
- The chorus showed absolute precision with crisp attacks and unbroken releases. There was no sloppiness to discern. Warland’s hands were expressive “batons” to observe.
- The chorus displayed an exemplary mastery of balance. Too many choral performances sound monolithic, with all parts being emphasized pretty much equally when it comes to volume and dynamics. Instead, conductor Dale Warland brought out lines and gave each piece a foreground, mid-ground and background. That added a richness you often don’t get to hear.
- The acoustics and atmosphere of the church seem ideally suited as a concert venue for choral or vocal music. You have to love all the dark wood, the color scheme and especially the rows of organ pipes as a metaphor for the human voices and human “pipes.”
TWO THINGS THE EAR DIDN’T LIKE:
- Too many of the songs had the same slow tempo. The Ear loves ballads, elegies and laments as much as — and maybe more than — the next person. But only one piece really jumped out as an upbeat contrast, and that was with very mixed success – as you can see below.
- The Ear doesn’t like choruses or conductors that think they have to entertain the audience and do something active besides stand there and sing well. I don’t like it, for example, when singers clap their hands and stomp their feet during spirituals in mock-folk, mock-slave style that comes awfully close to being something out of a minstrel show. Luckily, the singers did not spoil the fabulously beautiful and stirringly poignant version of “Deep River” with such shenanigans.
For that reason, I did not like the chorus waving their hands and turning their heads as if being buzzed by stinging bees in one third-rate song “Of Crows and Clusters” by Norman Dello Joio (below), who used a third-rate poem by Vachel Lindsay. (You can hear it in a YouTube video at bottom, where the University of Southern California singers forego the cliche theatrics.) Yet most of the audience seemed to like the novelty piece a lot, right along with the rest of the program that deserved the enthusiastic reception it got.
But The Ear found it too cute, completely unconvincing and totally unnecessary. The Ear doesn’t do cute -– at least not in music.
Tags: Arts, California, Cello, Chamber music, Chicago, choral music, Classical music, Dale Warland, diction, Edgewood College, English, Evanston, Grammy, ILLINOIS, Jacob Stockinger, Latin, lyrics, Madison, Music, Norman Dello Joio, Northwestern University, novelty, Piano, poem, professor, Russian, theater, theatre, theatrics, University of Southern California, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, USC, Vachel Lindsay, YouTube
Classical music: The Minnesota Orchestra made history with its recent visit to Cuba. If you missed it, here are stories to catch up. Plus, fans of great singing should hear the Madison Choral Project under the legendary Dale Warland on Sunday afternoon.
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ALERT: The Ear attended an outstanding choral concert Friday night. It was put on by the Madison Choral Project with singers (below) plus UW-Madison trumpeter John Aley (far right), cellist Eric Miller and UW-Madison pianist Martha Fischer, all under the direction of the legendary conductor Dale Warland. The concert “Music of Our Time” will be repeated at 2:30 p.m. on this Sunday at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Ave. You can park in the lot two blocks away at the UW Foundation. If you love choral music, don’t miss it.
By Jacob Stockinger
Yesterday, President Obama made it official. He removed Cuba from the State Department‘s list of outlaw countries that sponsor terrorism.
The economic and cultural thaw is gathering momentum. And just as happened with the Soviet Union, cultural exchanges are going to play a major role.
The Minnesota Orchestra made history with its recent visit to Cuba, where it gave two concerts, played a side-by-side concert with a youth orchestra, played in a cafe informally with Cuban musicians and tutored music students.
If you missed it, here are stories — and a YouTube video interview with the orchestra’s Finnish-born music director and conductor Osmo Vanska and orchestra players at the bottom — to catch up.
Here is a photo essay put together by Minnesota Public Radio:
http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/05/18/photos-a-look-back-at-the-orchestras-trip-to-cuba
Here is the story from the Deceptive Cadence blog on NPR (National Public Radio):
Here is The New York Times account of the two well received concerts that include the “Eroica” Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven and the two countries’ national anthems:
And here is The New York Times account of a more informal café get-together:
Finally, here is an account from the orchestra’s hometown Minneapolis Star-Tribune:
Tags: Arts, Barack Obama, Beethoven, cafe, Cello, Classical music, Cuba, cultural exchange, culture, economics, economy, Eroica, Eroica Symphony, essay, Fidel Castro, Jacob Stockinger, Ludwig van Beethoven, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Public Radio, Music, Music director, Music education, New York Times, NPR, Orchestra, photo, Piano, Plaza de la Revolución, President Obama, Soviet Union, Star Tribune, State Department, terrorism, The New York Times, Trumpet, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, US Department of State, USSR, YouTube
Classical music: The Middleton Community Orchestra closes out its fifth season next Wednesday night with music by Marquez, Bruch, Brahms and the never-fail Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1.
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Middleton Community Orchestra (below) will present its final concert of the season on Wednesday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m.
The concert will take place at the Middleton Performing Arts Center (below, exterior and interior), attached to Middleton High School.
This concert concludes MCO’s fifth year.
On the program is Danzon No. 2 by Mexican composer Arturo Marquez; the “Haydn” Variations by German composer Johannes Brahms; the slow Adagio movement from the Violin Concerto by Max Bruch with MCO concertmaster Valerie Sanders (below top) soloing; and the never-fail Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky –- the same exciting concerto that launched the career of Van Cliburn — by performed by the talented Middleton native, Thomas Kasdorf.
Tickets are $10 for general admission. Students are admitted free of charge. Tickets are available at Willy St. Coop West and at the door. The box office opens at 7 p.m.
There will also be a meet-and-greet reception (below) after the concert.
Here is information about pianist Thomas Kasdorf (below):
He is a recent graduate of UW-Madison School of Music with his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, where he studied with Christopher Taylor.
He was an inaugural member of the Perlman Piano Trio, which awards scholarships and performance opportunities to talented undergraduate students to give performances of chamber music.
His work with the Perlman Trio (below, with cellist Maureen Kelly and violinist Eleanor Bartsch) has been featured in performances on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Live at the Midday” series and as part of Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society’s House Concerts series, as well as in Middleton Community Orchestra’s inaugural season performance of Beethoven’s Triple Concerto.
He was named co-winner of the Irving Shain Woodwind and Piano Duo Competition, with collaborative partner, flutist Morgann Davis. He was awarded the Bolz Prize of the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Concerto Competition and performed Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor at their Spring Youth Concerts.
He has performed in master classes given by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenburg, Pinchas Zukerman, Sam Rhodes, Steven Isserlis, Ronald Leonard, Ralph Kirshbaum, Jonathan Miller, Timothy Eddy, Robert MacDonald, Jeffrey Siegel and Adam Neiman.
Thomas has worked in a variety of roles (both on and offstage) with a multitude of local theatre groups in over 100 different shows. With a specialty in the oeuvre of Stephen Sondheim, he has been called upon to arrange and perform reduced or solo orchestrations of Sondheim scores, including “A Little Night Music,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Putting It Together,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Side by Side by Sondheim,” “Into the Woods” and, most recently, “Company.” He proudly serves on the board of directors for Middleton Players Theatre, and was the director of the company’s recent production of “Les Mis.”
Last year’s performance of the Grieg Piano Concerto (below) was Thomas Kasdorf’s third performance with the Middleton Community Orchestra. He had performed the Triple Concerto by Ludwig van Beethoven as part of the Perlman Trio, and the Piano Concerto in A major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
He has just concluded a wildly successful collaboration with MCO to produce a staged production of “Carousel,” and he says he is looking forward to his performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the MCO. (You can hear Van Cliburn play the opening movement of the concerto in a YouTube video at the bottom. It has some great shots of hands and fingers.)
Tags: A Little Night Music, Arts, Arturo Marquez, Beethoven, Broadway theatre, Carousel, Cello, Chamber music, Classical music, concerto, Grieg, Haydn Variations, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Max Bruch, Mozart, Music, Orchestra, Peter Tchaikovsky, Piano, Piano concerto, Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky), Stephen Sondheim, Sunday in the Park with George, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Van Cliburn, Violin, Violin concerto, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
Classical music: To play or not to play Hanon? Should piano students do five-finger exercises as well as scales and arpeggios? Sergei Rachmaninoff thought so and Stephen Hough thinks so. What do today’s piano students and teachers think?
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By Jacob Stockinger
Should piano students play exercises?
Should they play repetitive five-finger etudes by Hanon (below and in a YouTube video at the bottom), Czerny and other pedagogues?
Should they learn and play scales and arpeggios?
Should they learn them separately? Or within the context of a musical composition?
These remain controversial questions.
But the British classical pianist Stephen Hough (below top) recently blogged about how he and Sergei Rachmaninoff (below bottom) – often considered the greatest pianist of the 20th century as well as a major post-Romantic composer –- defend the practice.
Here is a link to the recent blog post by Stephen Hough for The Guardian newspaper in the UK:
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/stephenhough/100076542/remembering-what-nourished-our-roots/
The Ear wants to know what you think, especially if you are a pianist, a piano student or a piano teacher.
Tags: arpeggios, Arts, Études, Charles-Louis Hanon, Classical music, Czerny, Jacob Stockinger, Madison, Musical composition, Newspaper, Piano, Rachmaninov, scales, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Stephen Hough, studies, The Guardian, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: The sixth National Summer Cello Institute and “Feldenkrais for Performers” will take place over the next two weeks at the UW-Madison School of Music. The event culminates in a FREE cello choir concert on June 12.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Our friends at the National Summer Cello Institute have informed The Ear about the upcoming programs at the UW-Madison School of Music:
For complete information about “Your Body is Your Strad” Summer Program Events, under artistic director and UW cello professor Uri Vardi, visit www.yourbodyisyourstrad.com
Following the success of five previous seasons, the Your Body is Your Strad summer programs are open for auditors and concert-goers in 2015.
This includes events during the Feldenkrais for All Performers program (May 30-June 3) and the National Summer Cello Institute (May 30-June 12). The programs focus on the connection between body awareness and technical proficiency, artistic expression, effective teaching and injury prevention.
The workshops feature husband-and-wife musicians and Feldenkrais practitioners Uri Vardi and Hagit Vardi (below with a student), with other faculty including Paul Katz of the New England Conservatory and Tim Eddy of the Juilliard School and Mannes Conservatory.
There will also be featured presentations by specialists in Integrative Health, Authentic Performance, Mind-Eye Connection, Stage Anxiety and Improvisation.
All events will take place at the Humanities Building at 455 N. Park St. in Madison, Wisconsin unless noted otherwise.
The following presentations are open for auditors and audience members for a fee of $25:
Saturday, May 30, at 3:15 PM in Morphy Hall: “Master class: focused use of the body” presented by Artistic Director Uri Vardi (below), a performance-based class that focuses on enhancing body awareness through the Feldenkrais method
Sunday, May 31, at 4:30 PM in Morphy Hall: “Seminar with Dr. Deborah Zelinsky: ‘The mind-eye connection'” — presented by Dr. Zelinsky, a specialist of neuro-optometric rehabilitation and visual processing
Monday, June 1, at 2 PM in Morphy Hall: “Master class: focused use of the body” — the second presentation by Artistic Director Uri Vardi, a performance-based class that focuses on enhancing body awareness through the Feldenkrais method
Monday, June 1, at 4:30 PM in Mills Hall: “Seminar with Susan Sweeney: The Imaginative Voice” — presented by Susan Sweeney, Head Voice and Text Coach for the American Players Theatre with extensive coaching experience on an international scale
Tuesday, June 2, at 3:30 PM in Morphy Hall: “Presentation by Dr. Adam Rindfleisch, MD: The Art of Self Care” — presented by Dr. Adam Rindfleisch, MD in the Integrative Medicine Division of the UW Health system
Wednesday, June 3, at 3:30 PM in room 1321: “Seminar with Matt Turner on Improvisation” — presented by Matt Turner, one of the world’s leading improv cellists, who will lead participants in an improv session
Thursday, June 4, at 4 PM in Morphy Hall: “Master class with Paul Katz” — a performance-based master class for participants that will be led by Paul Katz, Professor of Cello at Boston’s New England Conservatory
Friday, June 5, at 2 PM at Capitol Lakes Retirement Center (FREE): “Outreach Concert” — a performance by the participants of the Your Body is Your Strad programs, selected on a national scale through audition
Friday, June 5, at 4:30 PM in Morphy Hall: “Master class: focused use of the body” — the third presentation by Artistic Director Uri Vardi, a performance-based class that focuses on enhancing body awareness through the Feldenkrais method (below is student Micah Cheng, on left, with Uri Vardi)
Friday, June 5, at 8 PM in Mills Hall: “Seminar with Paul Katz” — led by Paul Katz, Professor of Cello at New England Conservatory, who will cover topics of musicianship and wellness
Saturday, June 6, at 9 AM in Morphy Hall: “Master class with Paul Katz” — the second performance-based master class for participants that will be led by Paul Katz, Professor of Cello at Boston’s New England Conservatory
Sunday, June 7, at 2 PM in Morphy Hall: “Master class: focused use of the body” — the fourth presentation by Artistic Director Uri Vardi, a performance-based class that focuses on enhancing body awareness through the Feldenkrais method
Monday, June 8, at 10:15 AM in Morphy Hall: “Master class: focused use of the body” — the fifth and final presentation by Artistic Director Uri Vardi, a performance-based class that focuses on enhancing body awareness through the Feldenkrais method
Tuesday, June 9, at 4:30 PM in Morphy Hall: “Master Class with Tim Eddy” — a performance-based master class for participants that will be led by Tim Eddy (below), Professor of Cello at the Juilliard School and Mannes Conservatory
Wednesday, June 10, at 8 PM in Morphy Hall: “Master Class with Tim Eddy” — the second performance-based master class for participants that will be led by Tim Eddy, Professor of Cello at the Juilliard School and Mannes Conservatory
Thursday, June 11 at 2 PM at Fair Trade Coffee (FREE): “Outreach Concert” — a performance of cello ensembles at the Fair Trade Coffee Shop on State Street
Thursday, June 11 at 8 PM in Mills Hall: “Seminar with Tim Eddy” — led by Tim Eddy, Professor of Cello at the Juilliard School and Mannes Conservatory, who will cover topics related to musicianship and wellness
Friday, June 12 at 8 PM in Mills Hall (FREE): “Final Concert” — the culminating concert of the National Summer Cello Institute, featuring solo performances of the Institute’s talented participants and the NSCI Cello Choir led by Kyle Knox (below).
The program for the final concert is partially set: the first half will be solo performances by participants of the National Summer Cello Institute, and the after intermission will be pieces for the NSCI Cello Choir. The solos will be decided through audition next week, but the rep for the Cello Choir is decided.
The pieces to be included in the public concert (which The Ear heard and loved last year) are:
Johann Sebastian Bach/arr. Akira: Adagio from the C major Sonata for Violin
Astor Piazzolla/arr. Villarejo: “Oblivion” (see the YouTube video at the bottom)
David Popper: Requiem
Kyle Price*: Requiem (movements 4 and 5)
Klengel: Hymnus for 12 cellos
*Kyle Price is the student composer and a Collins Fellow at the UW-Madison School of Music, studying cello as a Masters student with Uri Vardi. He is also an avid composer, and runs a music festival in upstate New York called Caroga Lake. The Requiem to be performed was written in memory of his aunt, a cellist who had attended NSCI in previous summers.
Tags: American Players Theatre, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Cello, cello choir, Chamber music, Classical music, David Popper, Feldenkrais, Hagit Vardi, improvisation, integrative medicine, Jacob Stockinger, Juilliard School, Madison, Mannes Conservatory, mind-eye, Music, National Summer Cello Institute, New England Conservatory, New York City, Paul Katz, Piano, Piazzolla, Requiem, Sonata, stage anxiety, Tim Eddy, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Uri Vardi, Violin, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: This Thursday night, Con Vivo performs the chamber music program it will take on tour in June to Dane County’s Sister County of Kassel, Germany.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Our friends at the Madison-based chamber music group Con Vivo! (Music With Life) write:
SAVE THE DATE!
The latest concert by Con Vivo’s (below) is this Thursday night, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Avenue, near the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Camp Randall Stadium.
con vivo!…music with life invites you to join us for our chamber music concert, “Bon Voyage: Dane to Kassel!”
Come help send us off as we represent you on our cultural exchange tour June 5-12 to Kassel, Germany, Dane County’s Sister County. Don’t miss the Madison presentation of some favorite pieces from our concerts that we will perform in Germany this June.
Our program includes diverse chamber music by Lukas Foss, Louis Spohr, Reinhold Gliere, Alan Hovhaness and others. So come join us for truly exciting chamber music!
Convenient FREE parking is only 2 blocks west at the University Foundation at 1848 University Ave.
Tickets at the door are $20 for adults; $15 for seniors and students.
Listen to con vivo! live on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Midday” show with Norman Gilliland on Wednesday, May 27, at noon, 88.7 FM or at www.wpr.org.
Like con vivo! on Facebook to follow us on our tour to Dane County’s Sister County of Kassel, Germany, June 5-12.
For information, call (6708) 277-8087 or visit our website:
convivo_mwl@convivomusicwithlife.org
Con Vivo is a professional chamber music ensemble comprised of Madison area musicians assembled from the ranks of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and various other performing groups familiar to Madison audiences.
This concert is sponsored in part by First Congregational Church and is supported by Dane Arts.
Tags: Alan Hovhaness, Arts, Baroque, Cello, Chamber music, Classical music, Con Vivo, Dane Arts, Germany, Jacob Stockinger, Kassel, Louis Spohr, Lukas Foss, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music, Piano, Reinhold Gliere, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Violin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio
Classical music: Which music best commemorates Memorial Day?
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By Jacob Stockinger
Today is Memorial Day 2015.
Try as I might, The Ear cannot think of better music to remember and memorialize the wounded and fallen than the “Nimrod” Variation from “Enigma” Variations by Sir Edward Elgar (below).
The holiday is much more complex and psychological than the usual funeral march permits.
It was, after all, the same music that the American documentary filmmaker Ken Burns used in “The War” — about World War II — played in a hauntingly wonderful solo piano arrangement that I simply cannot find on YouTube.
But the music’s meaning, and the way it affects you, can change in the instruments performing it.
So today I offer three ways or versions, arrangements or transcriptions.
First is the very popular YouTube video of the original orchestral version featuring Daniel Barenboim conducting in Carnegie Hall the Chicago Symphony Orchestra – with its great strings and brass — in memory of his predecessor, music director and conductor Georg Solti.
Second is a stirring rendition by a military brass band in England playing on Remembrance Day 2011 before Queen Elizabeth II:
And the third version is an a cappella choral version using the Latin lyric “Lux Aeterna” (Eternal Light) from the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead that was put together in England.
All versions are moving and attest to the emotional power of Elgar’s music.
But which version do you like best and why?
And is there other music you would play to commemorate Memorial Day?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: a cappella, arrangement, Arts, brass, brass band, Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, choral music, Classical music, Daniel Barenboim, Elizabeth II, England, Georg Solti, Jacob Stockinger, Latin, lux aeterna, Madison, military, Music, Music director, Orchestra, Piano, Requiem, Roman Catholic, Second World War, strings, transcription, UK, United Kingdom, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, World War II, YouTube
Classical music: Early music group Eliza’s Toyes offers a fascinating exploration of the role of music in medicine from Medieval though Baroque times.
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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, who also took the performance photos. 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 for 12 years hosted an early music show every other Sunday morning on WORT FM 89.9 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
Eliza’s Toyes (below top), the consort of voices and instruments devoted to early music, is led by the formidably talented Jerry Hui. The group gave another of its imaginative programs, this time on Friday night at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery (below bottom).
The theme and title of this program was “Music: The Miracle Medicine.” Offered were 15 selections, conveying various ideas or beliefs about health (both physical and spiritual), illness, medicine, miracle cures and good living.
Each selection was preceded by the reading of passages from moral and medical texts of various periods. (I wonder if today’s medical and health-advice writings will sound as comical generations from now as do those of the past to us!)
Fifteen composers were represented in the course of the program, from Medieval through Baroque: Hildegard von Bingen (below top, 1098-1179), Alfonso El Sabio (1221-1284), Thomas Tallis (1505-1585), Cipriano da Rore (1516-1565),Hubert Waelrant (1515-1595), Orlando di Lassus (1532-1594), William Byrd (1540-1623), Lelio Bertani (1553-1612), John Wilbye (1574-1638), Gabriel Bataille (1575-1630), Melchior Franck (1579-1639), John Maynard (15??-16??), Anonymous 17th-Century (2 items), Marin Marais (1656-1728) and John Eccles (1668-1735).
The selections were mostly vocal, either solo or ensemble. One instrumental selection stood out as probably the one most likely to be familiar: Marin Marais’ excruciatingly detailed “Representation of the Operation for Gallstone” (below top is Marais, below bottom is the introduction to his work) — complete with narrative headings for each section. (You can hear the narration and the music to the unusual piece in a YouTube video at the bottom.)
The performances were earnest and often accomplished. But it must be said in honesty that, in motets and madrigals, the vocal ensemble was not balanced or smooth — the singers clearly need to live with this kind of musical writing somewhat longer. Still, the overall effect was certainly entertaining and thematically fascinating.
There were no printed programs, but the titles and text translations were projected on a background screen. These projections were fully visible and readable, so they worked well.
This is a program that will be offered again, I understand, at the Chazen Museum of Art on July 15, so that it can be caught and savored once more.
Above all, it is one more tribute to the thoughtful, deeply researched and intriguing program skills of Jerry Hui (below).
Tags: Arts, Baroque, Cello, Chamber music, Chazen Museum of Art, choral music, Classical music, cure, Early music, gallstones, good living, Health, Hildegard von Bingen, illness, instrumental music, Jacob Stockinger, Jerry Hui, John W. Barker, John Wilbye, living, Madison, madrigal, Marin Marais, medicine, Medieval, Melchior Franck, miracles, motet, Music, music therapy, Orlando de Lassus, Orlando di Lasso, projections, screen, text, Thomas Tallis, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, viola da gamba, vocal music, wellness, William Byrd, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery, WORT-FM 89.9, YouTube
Classical music: Choral director Albert Pinsonneault clarifies his “move” to Northwestern University. He will continue to live in Madison and still conduct the Madison Choral Project.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Yesterday, The Ear posted notice about the Madison-based choral director Albert Pinsonneault (below), the Edgewood College professor who wanted to clarify some things about his new job at Northwestern University, near Chicago, and what it means for Madison.
Here is the link to the original posting:
And here is his clarification:
Dear Jake and readers of The Ear,
Thank you for this gracious send-off, but it is too early!
I am committed to continuing my work in Madison, including the forthcoming seasons of the Madison Choral Project, and hopefully, the Madison Chamber Choir.
My family and I adore Madison, and I am very proud to support our arts landscape here.
The administration at Northwestern has graciously arranged my schedule to make living in both cities a possibility in the short-term.
They are also highly supportive of my continuing work with MCP, and see that connection as a positive for both myself and for Northwestern. My new colleague, Director of Choral Organizations Donald Nally, also is Artistic Director of a professional choir in Philadelphia (called “The Crossing,” which just won the Margaret Hillis award), so this isn’t too bizarre of a notion.
We love Madison and don’t want to say goodbye just yet …
Thanks,
Bert
Tags: Artistic director, Arts, Chamber music, Chicago, Choir, choral music, Classical music, conduct, Edgewood College, Evanston, ILLINOIS, Jacob Stockinger, Madison, Madison Chamber Choir, Madison Choral Project, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music, Northwestern University, Orchestra, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, vocal music
Classical music: Choral conductor Albert Pinsonneault is leaving Edgewood College and Madison for a new job at Northwestern University.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Last week, it was a critically acclaimed performance of music by Gian Carlo Menotti by the Madison Chamber Choir.
At the end of this month, it is two performances of a concert by the Madison Choral Project with guest conductor Dale Warland.
Now both appear to be farewell concerts to Albert Pinsonneault (below), a professor at Edgewood College who is the choral director of Madison Chamber Choir and the Madison Choral Project as well as assistant choral director for the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s chorus.
Pinsonneault (below) has been named Associate Director of Choral Organizations at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, near Chicago. He will take up his new post this fall.
Here is his how Pinsonneault posted the move on Facebook:
“I am so excited to announce that I will be joining the faculty of the Bienen School of Music as Associate Director of Choral Organizations at Northwestern University next fall!
I could not be more honored to work alongside Donald Nally NU, and the amazing student-musicians in the Northwestern University Choirs.”
And here is the official press release from the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University:
“The Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University announces the appointment of Dr. Albert Pinsonneault (PEN-son-oh) as Associate Director of Choral Organizations.
“Dr. Pinsonneault will join the faculty Fall 2015, conducting Northwestern’s University Singers and teaching choral literature at the graduate level, part-time. He will also assist in various musical activities of the expanding choral program at the Bienen School of Music, working closely with Director of Choral Organizations Dr. Donald Nally.
“Dr. Pinsonneault is founder and artistic director of the professional chamber choir Madison Choral Project, as well as assistant conductor of the Madison Symphony Chorus. From 2009 to 2015 he served as Associate Professor of Music at Edgewood College. A native of St. Paul, Minnesota, he attended St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota before completing his doctoral study at the College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) of the University of Cincinnati.
“Dr. Pinsonneault’s scholarship focuses on choral blend and intonation, the physical/kinesthetic act of conducting and the music of F. Melius Christiansen. His book, “Choral Intonation Exercises,” is published by Graphite Publishing.”
The Ear offers hearty Congratulations to Albert Pinsonneault, who has proven a tireless and gifted advocate for choral music. Madison’s loss is his gain and Northwestern University’s gain.
I am sure he will appreciate it if you leave word for Pinsonneault about his work in the COMMENTS column of this blog
Tags: Arts, Bienen School of Music, Chamber music, choral music, Classical music, Early music, Edgewood College, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Madison Chamber Choir, Madison Choral Project, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota, Music, Northwestern University, Saint Paul, St. Olaf College, St. Paul, United States, University of Cincinnati, University of Minnesota, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, vocal music, YouTube
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