The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: The Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble excels again in a varied program of rarely heard Baroque vocal and instrumental music
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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 once a month on Sunday morning on WORT-FM 89.9. For years, he served on the Board of Advisors for the Madison Early Music Festival and frequently gives pre-concert lectures in Madison.
By John W. Barker
The Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble offered its latest specimen of intimate Baroque chamber music at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church on Regent Street last Sunday afternoon.
As always, each of the performers—six in this case—had one or two opportunities as soloist.
Mezzo-soprano Consuelo Sañudo (below), for instance, was featured in two solo cantatas.
One, by Giovanni Bononcini was on conventional emotional themes.
But the other was a real curiosity. By the French composer Louis-Nicolas Clérambault, it was written for the Nativity season, and has been given a French title as “Hymn of the Angels.” But its text was no more or less than the Latin words of the Gloria section of the Mass Ordinary.
A new member in the group, recorder player Sigrun Paust (below), delivered the Sonata No. 1 from a 1716 collection of works written by Francesco Veracini alternatively for violin or flute.
For flutist Monica Steger (below) the vehicle was a Sonata Op. 91, No. 2, for Flute and Harpsichord duo, by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier.
The spotlight was on viola da gambist Eric Miller (below) in another duo with harpsichord, no less than the Sonata in D Major, BWV 1028, by Johann Sebastian Bach, but Miller also participated in continuo functions elsewhere. (You can hear the Bach sonata in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Likewise active in continuo work was viola da gambist Anton TenWolde (below), but he had one solo, a Capriccio for cello, by Joseph Ferdinand Dall’Abaco.
And the harpsichordist Max Yount (below), also involved in continuo roles, presented two contrasting keyboard pieces, a Toccata by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck and a Fantasie by Johann Jakob Froberger.
For a colorful finale, Paust and Miller joined TenWolde and Steger (on harpsichord) in a Trio Sonata in F by Georg Philipp Telemann.
The artistry of these performers (below) was fully up to their own high standards, and their delight in trading off assignments to play together is palpable.
St. Andrew’s Church (below) on Regent Street may have been a bit bigger than a Baroque salon or parlor, but still served well as a setting for this kind of amiable gentility in musical substance.
The group’s next Madison concert is at St. Andrew’s on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017. No program has been announced.
Tags: American Record Guide, angels, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Boismortier, Bonocini, BWV, Cantata, Capriccio, Cello, Chamber music, church, Classical music, Clerambault, Concert, continuo, Dall'Abaco, Dutch, Early music, emeritus, Episcopal, Fantasie, fantasy, flute, French, Froberger, German, Gloria, harpsichord, hymn, Isthmus, Italian, Jacob Stockinger, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Johann Sebastian Bach, John W. Barker, Latin, lecture, Madison, Madison Early Music Festival, mass, Medieval, MEMF, Mezzo-soprano, Music, nativity, parlor, professor, recorder, salon, Sonata, St. Andrew, Telemann, text, title, toccata, trio, trio sonata, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Veracini, Viol, Viola, viola da gamba, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, words, WORT-FM 89.9, YouTube
Classical music: Can arias from Baroque operas address current chaos and concerns? Singer Joyce DiDonato thinks so. Plus, a FREE concert of music by Dvorak, Debussy, Frank Bridge and Amy Beach is at noon on Friday
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ALERT: This week’s FREE Friday Noon Musicale at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, features Shannon Farley, viola, with Chris Allen, guitar; Leah King and Jason Kutz, piano; Elspeth Stalter Clouse and Ela Mowinski, violin; Leslie Damaso, mezzo-soprano; and Morgan Walsh, cello. They will perform the Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81, by Antonin Dvorak; Three Songs for Mezzo-soprano, viola and piano by Frank Bridge; “Beau Soir” (Beautiful Evening) for guitar and viola by Claude Debussy; and a Romance for violin by Amy Beach as arranged for viola and piano. The concert runs from 12:15 to 1 p.m.
By Jacob Stockinger
Can the past help us understand and weather the present time with its conflicts and chaos?
Mezzo-soprano and Grammy Award winner Joyce DiDonato (below) thinks so.
In fact her latest album, for the Erato-Warner label, of arias from Baroque operas from the 17th and 18th centuries is dedicated to that proposition. The album’s title is “In War and Peace: Harmony Through Music” (below).
It includes arias from opera by George Frideric Handel (one of which you can hear in the YouTube video at the bottom), Henry Purcell, Niccolo Jommelli, Leonardo Leo and Claudio Monteverdi, and it features two world premiere recordings as well as familiar works.
The singer talks about her concept album in an interview with Ari Shapiro of “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio (NPR).
She boils much of her viewpoint down to one question: In the widest of chaos, how can you find peace?
Sure seems timely, given foreign wars and domestic political strife.
Here is a link with the interview and some fetching music:
Listen to it.
See what you think.
Then let the rest of us know what you think, and whether you agree or disagree, and whether you have other works that come to mind.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: Amy Beach, aria, Arts, Baroque, CD, Cello, chaos, choral music, Classical music, Claudio Monteverdi, conflict, Debussy, Dvorak, Erato, First Unitarian Society of Madison, Frank Bridge, George Frideric Handel, Grammy, Grammy Award, guitar, harmony, Jacob Stockinger, Jommelli, Joyce DiDonato, Leonardo Leo, Madison, Mezzo-soprano, Music, NPR, opera, Orchestra, peace, Piano, Purcell, quintet, Romance, sing, singer, symphony, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, war, Warner, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra performs its usually sold-out Christmas concerts this weekend
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) and music director John DeMain will kick off the holiday season with the much-loved tradition — A Madison Symphony Christmas — with three concerts this coming weekend in Overture Hall.
The holidays will be celebrated with a variety of music from the Hallelujah Chorus by George Frideric Handel (at the bottom in a YouTube video) to exciting Gospel selections. Highlights will also include Panis Angelicus by Cesar Franck, selections from Magnificat by John Rutter and holiday classics including Baby, It’s Cold Outside and The First Noel.
Performing with the MSO will be soprano Sylvia McNair (below), star of Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera, along with the Madison Symphony Chorus, directed by Beverly Taylor.
In addition, Madison Youth Choirs (below top), directed by Michael Ross and the Mt. Zion Gospel Choir (below bottom, in a photo by Bob Rashid), directed by Tamera and Leotha Stanley, will be featured during the program.
No Christmas concert would be complete without a sing-along. To conclude the concert, audience members will be invited to join with the MSO and guest artists to sing beloved holiday carols.
The concerts are in Overture Hall of the Overture Center, 201 State Street, on Friday night, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday night, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday afternoon, Dec. 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Concertgoers are encouraged to arrive 45 minutes before the concert begins to join the Madison Symphony Chorus (below) as they lead a selection of Christmas carols in the festively lit lobby at Overture Hall.
NOTE: These concerts typically sell out, so early ticket purchases are encouraged.
Single Tickets are $16 to $87 each, available at madisonsymphony.org/christmas, through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or call the Box Office at (608) 258-4141.
Groups of 15 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information visit, madisonsymphony.org/groups.
Club 201, MSO’s organization for young professionals, has continued to fulfill its mission for the past 11 years as the premiere organization promoting classical music and networking opportunities to the young professionals’ community in Madison. Tickets are $35 each and include world-class seating in Overture Hall, an exclusive after-party to be held at Fresco, one drink ticket, and a cash bar. Conductor John DeMain, as well as musicians from the symphony, may also be in attendance to mingle with Madison’s young professionals during the after-party.
The deadline to purchase tickets is Thurs., Dec. 1, pending availability. Tickets can be purchased for this event, as well as the other events throughout the 2016-17 season by visiting the Club 201 page on the MSO’s website at http://www.madisonsymphony.org/club201.
Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $12 or $15 tickets. More information is at: madisonsymphony.org/studentrush. Students can receive 20% savings on seats in select areas of the hall on advance ticket purchases.
Seniors age 62 and up receive 20% savings on advance and day-of-concert ticket purchases in select areas of the hall.
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
Find more information at madisonsymphony.org
Major funding for the December concerts is provided by: American Printing, Nedrebo’s Formalwear, BMO Wealth Management, Hooper Foundation/General Heating & Air Conditioning, Maurice and Arlene Reese Family Foundation, National Guardian Life Insurance Company, and An Anonymous Friend. Additional funding is provided by: Colony Brands, Inc., J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c., Hans and Mary Lang Sollinger, and Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tags: Arts, Baby It's Cold Outside, Baroque, Beverly Taylor, BMO, Broadway, Carol, Cesar Franck, choral music, Christmas, Christmas Carol, Classical music, conductor, fresco, gospel, gospel music, Hallelujah Chorus, Handel, Holiday, holiday season, hymn, Jacob Stockinger, John DeMain, John Rutter, Madison, Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Youth Choirs, Magnificat, Met, Metropolitan Opera, Mt. Zion Gospel Choir, Music, Music director, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, opera, Orchestra, Overture Center, Paris Angelicus, professional, sing-along, soprano, State of Wisconsin, Sylvia McNair, symphony, The First Noel, tradition, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, youth choir, YouTube
Classical music: Here is The New York Times holiday gift guide of classical music for 2016
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By Jacob Stockinger
The holiday shopping has started with a Black Friday that set records for on-line sales — more than $3 billion or an increase of 11 percent over last year, according to news reports.
And this coming Cyber Monday is supposed to be even bigger, setting more records.
Over the next several weeks, The Ear will feature several holiday gifts guides, including the upcoming Grammy Award nominations and lists of the year’s top recordings from Gramophone magazine, National Public Radio (NPR) and other media outlets.
The Ear will also offer some of his own ideas, although he thinks it is pointless to single out the “best,” given so many choices, and will feature instead things that gave him – and might give you or the recipient – special pleasure.
Anyway, here is the 2016 holiday gift guide for classical music from critics for The New York Times.
Once again, the emphasis is on boxed sets, which have become more widespread and even more of a bargain as streaming becomes increasingly popular. One expensive set features Mozart’s complete works and runs almost $500 – or about only $2 a disc.
The list features tried-and-true classics and also more contemporary music and new music. It seems big on opera and orchestral works especially, but offers precious little chamber music or early music.
The list features CDs, DVDs, books and – The Ear’s favorite – a plea for giving tickets to live concerts or else gift certificates for them.
Read it and decide for yourself how useful it is.
Here is a link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/24/arts/music/gift-ideas-for-classical-music-fans.html?_r=0
If you have gift ideas of your own, or reactions to these suggestions, leave your thoughts in the COMMENT section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: Arts, Baroque, boxed set, Chamber music, choral music, Christmas, Classical music, Compact Disc, concerto, contemporary, Early music, gift, gift guide, Grammy Award, Gramophone (magazine), guide, Hanukkah, Holiday, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Mozart, Music, National Public Radio, New Music, New Year, New York City, New York Times, NPR, opera, Orchestra, Piano, The New York Times, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Classical music: For this coming Giving Tuesday, The Ear takes note that symphony orchestras are not alone in now being more like charities than businesses
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By Jacob Stockinger
This coming Tuesday, Nov. 29, is Giving Tuesday.
It follows such hyped-up promotional and for-profit business days as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.
But this year Giving Tuesday seems more important than ever.
It’s no secret that the conservative political forces now in ascendancy do not favor government subsidies of the arts. And one has no idea about what the taste in the arts is for the incoming administration.
Plus, economic competition among proliferating music groups has only tightened the screws even further on many organizations.
Of course, lots of music organizations – small, medium and big – need your help.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Madison Opera, the Wisconsin Union Theater and increasingly the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music all seek out and solicit donations with more and more frequency.
And it is no secret that The Ear especially favors supporting music education organizations for young people such as the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (below, at the group’s 50th anniversary concert last winter). They not only train future musicians but also build future audiences for classical music.
But in whatever direction your philanthropy and generosity extend, here is some relevant news.
It is a story from The New York Times about how symphony orchestras are now less like businesses and more like charities.
Symphony orchestras aren’t alone, so the account seems especially timely with Giving Tuesday looming.
Here is a link:
If you have some thoughts, please leave them in the COMMENT section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: Arts, Black Friday, Cello, Chamber music, charity, Classical music, conservative, Cyber-Monday, donation, Jacob Stockinger, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music, Music education, New York Times, opera, Orchestra, philanthropy, Small Business Saturday, symphony, taste, The New York Times, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, WYSO
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra will hold its FREE Community Christmas Hymn and Carol Sing-Along this coming Tuesday night
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement to post:
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) invites the entire community to celebrate the holiday season and sing together with the Overture Concert Organ at a free Christmas Carol Sing-Along in Overture Hall, 201 State Street, Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m.
All ages are welcome to the FREE event and no registration or tickets are required.
The Christmas Carol Sing’Along will feature holiday favorites including George Frideric Handel‘s Joy to the World, Angels We Have Heard on High, Away in a Manger and The First Noel, along with some lesser known works such as the arrangement of In the Bleak Midwinter by Gustav Holst (below). NOTE: You can hear Holst’s arrangement in the YouTube video at the bottom.
MSO Principal Organist and Curator Samuel Hutchison (below) will lead the carol singing, which will last approximately one hour.
For more holiday singing, come 45 minutes early to A Madison Symphony Christmas concerts to hear the Madison Symphony Chorus sing Christmas carols in the festively lit lobby of the Overture Center.
Concerts will be presented in Overture Hall on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets for those concerts can be purchased at madisonsymphony.org/christmas, through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141.
Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund. With a gift from Pleasant T. Rowland, the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) commissioned the Overture Concert Organ, which is the stunning backdrop of all MSO concerts.
For more Overture Concert Organ information, visit madisonsymphony.org/organ
Tags: Angels We Have Heard on High, Arts, Away in a Manger, Baroque, Carol, choral music, chorus, Christmas, Classical music, George Frideric Handel, Gustav Holst, Handel, Holiday, holiday season, Holst, hymn, In the Bleak Midwinter, Jacob Stockinger, Joy to the World, lobby, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music, Orchestra, organ, Overture Center, Samuel Hutchison, Season, sing-along, symphony, The First Noel, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, vocal music, winter, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: Today is Thanksgiving Day 2016. Classical music fans should give thanks for Wisconsin Public Radio, which has lots of holiday fare to listen to throughout the day. Plus, famed New York City radio station WQXR offers its Top 5 musical expressions of giving thanks.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Today is Thanksgiving Day, 2016.
Music is such a integral part of Thanksgiving Day, from hymns and songs, solo music and chamber music, symphonies and oratorios.
Today, Wisconsin Public Radio — on both the Ideas Network and the News and Classical Music Network — will feature a lot of music and informative shows, all with the theme of Thanksgiving and giving thanks.
Here is the announcement from WPR, which keeps many of us in classical music year-round:
“Wisconsin Public Radio has prepared a variety of food, music and entertainment programs to keep you and your guests engaged this Thanksgiving.
“Turkey is the star of the show on America’s Test Kitchen Radio Thanksgiving Special, 10 a.m. on WPR’s Ideas Network stations. Host Bridget Lancaster is promising a tender, juicy, perfect turkey with all the trimmings, dessert and a dash of fun that will make you a Thanksgiving rock star.
At 11 a.m., Lancaster changes her apron and joins Lynne Rossetto Kasper for more tips on the Ideas Network with the Splendid Table’s Turkey Confidential. This live two-hour Thanksgiving Day tradition returns to take listener calls for culinary help.
In the kitchen this year you’ll also find Mario Batali, Francis Lam, Melissa Clark and Chris Thile, the new host of “A Prairie Home Companion,” sharing fun and helpful advice for the novice, and the experienced, Thanksgiving home cook.
After the feast, you may be in the mood for a good story. How about ten of them? Starting at 1 p.m. the Ideas Network presents Best of the Best: Third Coast Audio Festival Winners. With more than 500 entries from around the world, you’ll hear the ten best that will intrigue, inform and inspire you.
While the Ideas Network serves up helpful advice and engaging stories, WPR’s NPR News & Classical Music Network delivers a generous helping of music for you to enjoy throughout the day.
At 10 a.m., tune in for this year’s Wisconsin School Music Association Honors Concerts (below). The two-hour music special highlights top performances of students from across the state. Middle school and high school choirs and orchestra will be featured.
“It’s one of the highlights of the year with some of our state’s most talented young performers,” said WPR’s News & Classical Music Network Director Peter Bryant.
Then, at 1 p.m. join host John Birge and his special guest, legendary Chef Jacques Pepin as they share conversation and music on Giving Thanks: A Celebration of Fall, Food and Gratitude.
Here is a link to the WPR website with program guides and playlists:
http://www.wpr.org/hear-special-programs-thanksgiving-day
But you might also be interested to stream some other music. WQXR, the famed classical music radio station in New York City, has put together the Top 5 musical expressions — including the famous Sacred Song of Thanksgiving from a late string quartet by Ludwig van Beethoven — of giving thanks. The website has audio and visual performances of the works that you can stream.
Here is a link:
http://www.wqxr.org/#!/story/top-five-expressions-thanks-classical-music/
And if you have other ideas about music that is appropriate for Thanksgiving this year – perhaps a composer or work you give special thanks for — please leave them in the COMMENT section, preferably with a YouTube link if possible.
The Ear wants to hear.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Tags: A Prairie Home Companion, America's Test Kitchen, Arts, Baroque, Beethoven, Bridget Lancaster, celebration, Chamber music, choral music, Chris Thile, Classical music, dessert, Early music, Entertainment, fall, food, Francis Lam, George Frideric Handel, high school, hymn, Jacob Stockinger, Jacques Pepin, kitchen, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mario Batali, Middle school, Music, Music education, New York City, oratorio, Orchestra, Piano, rock star, song, String quartet, symphony, Thanksgiving, trimmings, Turkey, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, WQXR-FM
Classical music: The Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble performs a varied program of French, German, Italian and Dutch music on Sunday afternoon
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ALERT: There will NOT be a Noon Musicale this Friday at the First Unitarian Society of Madison. The weekly series resumes next week.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble will perform a very varied concert of baroque chamber music on this coming Sunday, Nov. 27, at 3 p.m. at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church (below), 1833 Regent Street, on the near west side of Madison.
Members of the ensemble include Eric Miller, viola da gamba; Sigrun Paust, recorder; Consuelo Sañudo, mezzo-soprano; Monica Steger, traverso flute, harpsichord; Anton TenWolde, baroque cello; and Max Yount, harpsichord.
Tickets at the door only are $20 for the public, $10 for students.
For more information, visit www.wisconsinbaroque.org
A reception will be held at 2422 Kendall Ave, second floor after the concert.
The program includes:
Johann Sebastian Bach – Sonata for viola da gamba and harpsichord in D major, BWV 1028
Francesco Maria Veracini (below) – Sonata No. 1 for recorder and basso continuo in F major
Jan Peterszoon Sweelinck, Toccata in C
Johann Jakob Froberger, Fantasie
Giovanni Bononcini, “Vorrei pure pianger”
Intermission
Joseph de Bodin de Boismortier – Sonata for flute and harpsichord, Opus 91, No. 2
Francois Couperin – “Le Dodo ou l’Amour au Berceau”
Evaristo Felice Dall’Abaco – Capriccio for solo violoncello No.
Louis-Nicholas Clerembault – Hymne des Anges
Georg Philipp Telemann – Trio sonata for recorder, viola da gamba, and basso continuo, TWV 42:F3 (heard in the YouTube video below)
Tags: Arts, Bach, Baroque, Boismortier, Bononcini, Cello, Chamber music, Classical music, Clerembault, Couperin, Dall'Abaco, Dutch, flute, François Couperin, France, French, Froberger, German, Germany, harpsichord, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Johann Sebastian Bach, Madison, Mezzo-soprano, Music, Netherlands, recorder, Sonata, Telemann, traverso, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Veracini, Viola, viola da gamba, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, YouTube
Classical music: The Oakwood Chamber Players perform an unusual holiday program with a Wisconsin premiere twice this coming Sunday afternoon
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Oakwood Chamber Players (below) will perform a concert titled Looking Back and Forward on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2016 at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The performances will both be held at the Oakwood Village University Woods Center for Arts and Education, 6209 Mineral Point Road, on the far west side of Madison near West Towne Mall.
An innovative recipe for A Christmas Carol is a perfect addition to the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Outstanding musical theater actor/singer baritone Bobby Goderich (below, seen on the right in Madison Opera‘s production of Stephen Sondheim‘s “Sweeney Todd”) will give a tour-de-force characterization of the entire cast of personalities for a rendition of Dickens’s tale in The Passion of Scrooge. A dozen musicians will give Goderich’s flair an abundant platform to show off his singing, humor, and dramatic effects.
The Passion of Scrooge by New York composer Jon Deak (below) is performed annually for holiday concerts at the Smithsonian, and the Oakwood Chamber Players are delighted to present the Wisconsin premiere of this memorable work.
Deak is known for weaving a variety of tales into “concert dramas,” turning words into music and giving instrumentalists the power to evoke speech through their sounds.
The Passion of Scrooge is laid out in two acts as the character struggles to come to grips with the past, present and future, to transform a life of avarice to one of human warmth.
Additionally, the Oakwood Chamber Players will perform music mentioned in the text of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.
When the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge a celebration hosted by his employer, Mr. Fezziwig, the fiddler plays the tune Sir Roger de Coverley. (You can hear a chamber orchestra version of the work, played by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under Sir Neville Marriner, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
This traditional English country dance, set for string quartet by British composer Frank Bridge (below) in 1922, will provide an energetic introduction to The Passion of Scrooge. The musical pairing illustrates how creative expression can transform historic works to give fresh perspectives.
The Oakwood Chamber Players welcome guests Wes Luke, violin; Katrin Talbot, viola; Brad Townsend, bass; Mike Koszewski, percussion; Mary Ann Harr, harp; Bobby Goderich, baritone; and Kyle Knox, conductor (below).
This is the second of five concerts in the Oakwood Chamber Players 2016-2017 season series entitled Perspective. Remaining concerts will take place on Jan. 21 and 22, March 18 and 19, and May 13 and 14.
The Oakwood Chamber Players are a group of Madison-area professional musicians who have rehearsed and performed at Oakwood Village for over 30 years.
The program lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Tickets can be purchased with cash or personal checks at the door: $20 for general admission, $15 for seniors and $5 for students.
Also, conductor Kyle Knox will discuss the music on Norman Gilliland’s show, The Midday, on Wisconsin Public Radio, 88.7 FM WERN, on this Friday, Nov. 25, from noon to 1 p.m.
Visit www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com for more information.
The Oakwood Chamber Players are a professional music ensemble proudly supported by Oakwood Lutheran Senior Ministries and the Oakwood Foundation.
Tags: A Christmas Carol, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Arts, baritone, bass, Broadway theatre, Cello, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, Charles Dickens, Christmas and holiday season, clarinet, Classical music, conductor, country dance, dance, Egnlish, fiddle, Frank Bridge, Ghost of Christmas Past, harp, Holiday, Horn, Jacob Stockinger, Jon Deak, Kyle Knox, Lutheran, Madison, Madison Opera, Music, Neville Marriner, New York, Norman Gilliland, Oakwood Chamber Players, Oakwood Village, Orchestra, Passion, percussion, premiere, recipe, Scrooge, singer, Smithsonian, Stephen Sondheim, String quartet, Sweeney Todd, Thanksgiving, The Midday, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, wisconsin public radio, YouTube
Classical music: Did anyone else hear Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony and think of Donald Trump’s America as well as Stalin’s Russia?
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has to agree with a knowledgeable friend.
If you heard the Madison Symphony Orchestra, under music director John DeMain, perform the famous Symphony No. 5 in D minor — the same key as Beethoven’s Ninth — by Dmitri Shostakovich almost two weeks ago, you heard a performance that rivals or surpasses any other one, live or recorded, you’ve probably heard.
The performance was nothing short of stunning. And it was especially moving, given its timing in coming right after the presidential election in which Republicans Donald Trump and Mike Pence won an upset surprise victory over Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine.
So here is what The Ear wants to know:
Was The Ear the only one who found himself thinking that the symphony proved an especially fitting, perhaps perfect, choice even though it was programmed a year ago? (You can hear the moving third movement, a lament with such pathos that people cried at its premiere, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Was The Ear the only one who identified with Shostakovich, who felt an even deeper empathy with the oppressed composer (below), who, fearing with good reason the dictator Joseph Stalin and his reign of Terror in the USSR, always kept a small suitcase packed with pajamas and a toothbrush by the front door in case the KGB secret police came knocking at 3 a.m., the usual arrest hour?
The symphony is dark music for dark times. And The Ear hopes he wrong when he fears that America is headed for some dark times of its own, times when various people and members of our society will live in constant fear and dread of what they might suffer?
This is not to suggest that President-elect Donald Trump can be equated to the murderous Joseph Stalin (below), or the United States in 2016 to the Soviet Union in the 1930s.
But it is to suggest that some comparisons — if not equations — might be in order.
It is to suggest there will be a constant and unsettling anxiety in the US created by a new ruling order that seems based on insults and intolerance, that excludes and condemns what it doesn’t approve of, that seeks to suppress or destroy opposition?
Like Latino and Syrian immigrants.
Like Muslims, Jews and other non-Christians.
Like African-Americans, Native Americans and other non-whites.
Like poor people.
Like liberals and progressives, dissenters and protesters .
Like LGBT people.
Like women and women’s health advocates and organizations that favor reproductive rights.
The list could go on and on.
But you get the idea.
If either as a musician or an audience member you agree – or disagree – leave a COMMENT.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: -elect, 2016, African American, Americans, Arts, Beethoven, Beethoven's Ninth, black, Christian, Classical music, Compact Disc, dissent, dissenters, Donald Trump, Election Day (United States), Elections in the United States, immigrants, Islam, Jacob Stockinger, Jew, Jewish, John DeMain, Judaism, KGB, Latino, LGBT, liberal, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Mike Pence, Music, Muslim, Native American, non-white, Orchestra, Overture Center, people of color, poor, poverty, President of the United States, progressive, protest, protester, protesters, reproductive rights, Shostakovich, Stalin, symphony, Symphony No. 5, Syria, Syrian, terror, United States, United States presidential election, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, white, Wisconsin, women, YouTube
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The Well-Tempered Ear 