Then at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall, the UW Wind Ensemble (below top), conducted by Scott Teeple (below bottom), will perform a FREE concert of works by Jim Territo, William Schuman, Charles Ives, Percy Grainger and Paul Hindemith.
The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: This weekend, the Madison Symphony Orchestra and other individuals and groups join forces to celebrate John DeMain’s 25th season with Mahler’s monumental “Symphony of a Thousand”
April 29, 2019
Leave a Comment
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
By any standard, it is epic music.
The stage in Overture Hall will have more than 500 participants on it this coming weekend when the Madison Symphony Orchestra (below, in a photo by Peter Rodgers) partners with the Madison Symphony Chorus, the Madison Youth Choirs, the UW–Madison Choral Union and eight critically acclaimed vocal soloists to bring a performance of Gustav Mahler’s massive Symphony No. 8 — or “Symphony of a Thousand.”
For the first time since 2005, MSO music director and conductor John DeMain will conduct one of the largest undertakings in the classical music repertoire as the final concert marking his Silver Anniversary Season.
Performances will be held in Overture Hall of the Overture Center, 201 State St., on Friday night, May 3, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday night, May 4, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday afternoon, May 5, at 2:30 p.m.
Information about tickets ($18-$93) is below.
Says DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson): “I have spent 25 years with this orchestra and chorus. In that time, our collaboration on Gustav Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 8 in 2005 stands out as perhaps the most memorable. I feel a magnetic affinity with Mahler, and began my career 25 years ago with his first symphony. I am honored and moved to conduct this work and feel it is the perfect conclusion to my 25th season.”
Composed in December 1906, Symphony No. 8 is the last work by Mahler (below) to be premiered in his lifetime. It is one of the largest-scale choral works in the classical concert repertoire, and because it requires huge instrumental and vocal forces, it is frequently called the “Symphony of a Thousand.” (Below is a photo of the final rehearsal for the world premiere performance in Munich in 1910.)
The structure of the work is unconventional; instead of the normal framework of several movements, the piece is in two parts.
Part I is based on the Latin text of a 9th-century Christian hymn for Pentecost, and Part II is a setting of the words from the closing scene of Goethe’s Faust.
The two parts are unified by a common idea: redemption through the power of love, a unity conveyed through shared musical themes.
Symphony No. 8 is revered as one of the greatest achievements of classical concert repertoire and expresses the composer’s confidence in the eternal human spirit. (You can hear Sir Simon Rattle conduct the Berlin Philharmonic in the famous finale of the Symphony No. 8 in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
ABOUT THE PERFORMERS
The distinguished solo singers are: soprano Alexandra LoBianco; soprano Emily Birsan (below), who just last weekend sang the title role in the Madison Opera’s production of Antonin Dvorak’s “Rusalka”; soprano Emily Pogorelc; mezzo-soprano Milena Kitic; mezzo-soprano Julie Miller; tenor Clay Hilley; baritone Michael Redding; and bass-baritone Morris Robinson.
For photos and impressive biographical information about the soloists, go to:
https://madisonsymphony.org/event/symphony-of-a-thousand/
The Madison Symphony Chorus (below top, in a photo by Greg Anderson) gave its first public performance on Feb. 23, 1928 and has performed regularly with the Madison Symphony Orchestra ever since.
The chorus is comprised of more than 150 volunteer musicians who come from all walks of life and enjoy combining their artistic talent under the direction of Beverly Taylor (below bottom), who is the director of Choral Activities at the UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music.
Inclusive of members of all skill levels, the Madison Youth Choirs (below), Michael Ross director, incorporate singers from ages 7-18 into their orchestration.
The choirs aim to introduce youths interested in musical performance to collaborative forms of self-confidence and responsibility in the atmosphere of musical training. Randal Swiggum is conducting rehearsals preparing members of the choir for the MSO’s May Symphony of a Thousand concerts.
With 150 members, the UW-Madison Choral Union (below) fuses university and non-university members. Under the direction of Beverly Taylor, former associate conductor of the MSO who also teaches at the UW-Madison, the Choral Union is another testament to the musical outreach in the Madison arts.
CONCERT, TICKET and EVENT DETAILS
The lobby opens 90 minutes prior to each concert. One hour before each performance, Wisconsin Public Radio host Anders Yocom (below, in a photo by James Gill) will lead a 30-minute Prelude Discussion in Overture Hall to enhance concertgoers’ understanding and listening experience. It is free to ticket-holders.
The Symphony recommends concert attendees arrive early for each performance to make sure they have time to pass through Overture Center’s security stations so they can experience the Prelude Discussion.
Program notes for the concerts are available online: http://bit.ly/msomay19programnotes
- Single Tickets are $18-$93 each and are on sale now at: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/symphony-of-a-thousandthrough the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141. Fees apply to online/phone sales.
- Groups of 10 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information, visit, https://www.madisonsymphony.org/groups.
- Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $15 or $20 tickets. More information is at: https://www.madisonsymphony.org/studentrush
- Seniors age 62 and up receive 20% savings on advance and day-of-concert ticket purchases in select areas of the hall.
- Flex-ticket booklets of 10 vouchers for 19-20 symphony subscription concerts are available. Learn more at: https://madisonsymphony.org/flex
- Subscriptions for the 2019-2020 season are available now. Learn more at: https://madisonsymphony.org/19-20
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
Major funding provided by NBC15, Larry and Jan Phelps, Diane Ballweg, Carla and Fernando Alvarado, Johnson Financial Group, and University Research Park. Additional funding provided by DeWitt LLP, Kennedy Gilchrist and Heidi Wilde, Thomas E. Terry, Fred A. Wileman, Helen L. Wineke, and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AlexandraLoBianco, #AndersYocom, #AntoninDvorak, #BerlinGermany, #BerlinPhilharmonic, #BeverlyTaylor, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianHymn, #ClayHilley, #CommunityChorus, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #DianeBallweg, #EmilyBirsan, #EmilyPogorelc, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GustavMahler, #HumanSpiirt, #InstrumentalMusic, #JohnDeMain, #JulieMiller, #LawFirm, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSymphonyChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MadisonYouthChoirs, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #Mezzo-sopranoSinger, #MichaelRedding, #MichaelRoss, #MilenaKitic, #MorrisRobinson, #MunichGermany, #MusicDirector, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #OperaMusic, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #ProgramNotes, #RadioHost, #RadioShow, #RandalSwiggum, #SeasonSubscriber, #SeniorCitizen, #SilverAnniversary, #SimonRattle, #SopranoSinger, #StateOfWisconsin, #SymphonyofaThousand, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityResearchPark, #UWChoralUnion, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WisconsinPublic Radio, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, achievement, affinity, Alexandra LoBianco, Anders Yocom, Antonín Dvořák, Arts, audience, baritone, bass, bass-baritone, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, Beverly Taylor, biographical, blog, Campus, career, choral music, chorus, Christian hymn, Classical music, classicalmusic, Clay Hilley, closing, collaboration, community, composer, Concert, conclusion, conduct, conductor, confidence, Diane Ballweg, director, discount, discussion, donor, Dvorak, Emily Birsan, Emily Pogorelc, epic, Facebook, famous, Faust, finale, first, forward, framework, free, funding, Germany, Goethe, great, group, Gustav Mahler, honored, huge, human, human spirit, impressive, information, instrumental, instrumental music, Jacob Stockinger, John DeMain, Julie Miller, last work, Latin, law firm, like, link, Love, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Youth Choirs, magnetic, massive, Mead Witter School of Music, memorable, Mezzo-soprano, Michael Redding, Michael Ross, Milena Kitic, Morris Robinson, moved, MSO, Munich, Music, Music director, National Endowment for the Arts, NBC15, NEA, normal, online, opera, Orchestra, outreach, Overture Center, Overture Hall, Part 1, Part 2, participant, Pentecost, performance, performer, photo, power, Prelude, program notes, public, Radio, Randal Swiggum, redemption, rehearsal, repertoire, repetory, Research Park, Rusalka, scale, scene, Season, security, seniors, share, silver anniversary, Simon Rattle, solo, soloist, soprano, spirit, State of Wisconsin, structure, Student, subscriber, symphony, Symphony of a Thousand, tag, testament, text, theme, ticket, unconventional, United States, unity, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Research Park, UW Choral Union, vocal soloists, weekend, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, wisconsin public radio, world premiere, YouTube
Tags: #AlexandraLoBianco, #AndersYocom, #AntoninDvorak, #BerlinGermany, #BerlinPhilharmonic, #BeverlyTaylor, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianHymn, #ClayHilley, #CommunityChorus, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #DianeBallweg, #EmilyBirsan, #EmilyPogorelc, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GustavMahler, #HumanSpiirt, #InstrumentalMusic, #JohnDeMain, #JulieMiller, #LawFirm, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSymphonyChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MadisonYouthChoirs, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #Mezzo-sopranoSinger, #MichaelRedding, #MichaelRoss, #MilenaKitic, #MorrisRobinson, #MunichGermany, #MusicDirector, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #OperaMusic, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #ProgramNotes, #RadioHost, #RadioShow, #RandalSwiggum, #SeasonSubscriber, #SeniorCitizen, #SilverAnniversary, #SimonRattle, #SopranoSinger, #StateOfWisconsin, #SymphonyofaThousand, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityResearchPark, #UWChoralUnion, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WisconsinPublic Radio, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, achievement, affinity, Alexandra LoBianco, Anders Yocom, Antonín Dvořák, Arts, audience, baritone, bass, bass-baritone, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, Beverly Taylor, biographical, blog, Campus, career, choral music, chorus, Christian hymn, Classical music, classicalmusic, Clay Hilley, closing, collaboration, community, composer, Concert, conclusion, conduct, conductor, confidence, Diane Ballweg, director, discount, discussion, donor, Dvorak, Emily Birsan, Emily Pogorelc, epic, Facebook, famous, Faust, finale, first, forward, framework, free, funding, Germany, Goethe, great, group, Gustav Mahler, honored, huge, human, human spirit, impressive, information, instrumental, instrumental music, Jacob Stockinger, John DeMain, Julie Miller, last work, Latin, law firm, like, link, Love, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Youth Choirs, magnetic, massive, Mead Witter School of Music, memorable, Mezzo-soprano, Michael Redding, Michael Ross, Milena Kitic, Morris Robinson, moved, MSO, Munich, Music, Music director, National Endowment for the Arts, NBC15, NEA, normal, online, opera, Orchestra, outreach, Overture Center, Overture Hall, Part 1, Part 2, participant, Pentecost, performance, performer, photo, power, Prelude, program notes, public, Radio, Randal Swiggum, redemption, rehearsal, repertoire, repetory, Research Park, Rusalka, scale, scene, Season, security, seniors, share, silver anniversary, Simon Rattle, solo, soloist, soprano, spirit, State of Wisconsin, structure, Student, subscriber, symphony, Symphony of a Thousand, tag, testament, text, theme, ticket, unconventional, United States, unity, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Research Park, UW Choral Union, vocal soloists, weekend, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, wisconsin public radio, world premiere, YouTube
Classical music: A busy Sunday at the UW is highlighted by a FREE band concert and a public reception to mark the retirement of legendary band master Mike Leckrone
April 26, 2019
1 Comment
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
ALERT: The Madison-based Avanti Piano Trio will give two FREE public concerts this weekend. The first one is TONIGHT at 7 p.m. at Capitol Lakes Retirement Community, 333 West Main Street, off the Capitol Square; the second one is on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 302 Wisconsin Avenue. Members of the trio are violinist Wes Luke, cellist Hannah Wolkstein and pianist Joseph Ross. The program includes works by Leon Kirchner, Ernest Bloch, Claude Debussy and Johannes Brahms.
By Jacob Stockinger
As the semester and academic year come to a close, concerts usually get packed into the schedule.
This coming Sunday, April 28, is no different – except that one event is clearly the headliner.
Mike Leckrone (below, in a photo by UW Communications) – the legendary and much honored director of bands and athletic bands at the University of Wisconsin-Madison – is retiring after 50 years.
Sunday marks a last appearance. He will conduct the UW Concert Band one last time and then be honored with a public reception.
The athletes and athletic fans love him. The students and band members love him. The alumni love him.
And, yes, the School of Music loves him. After all, not many band directors do what he did when he asked the late UW-Madison violin virtuoso Vartan Manoogian to perform the popular Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn with a band instead of an orchestra. But Manoogian agreed — and said he loved the experience.
Also, not many band directors could start an annual spring concert in Mills Hall with an audience of some 300 and then saw it grow decades later into a three-night extravaganza that packs the Kohl Center with some 50,000 people and gets seen statewide on Wisconsin Public Television.
One time years ago, The Ear — who was then working as a journalist for The Capital Times — interviewed Leckrone. It was a busy year when he and the Marching Band were going with the football and basketball teams to the Rose Bowl and the March Madness tournament.
Mike Leckrone was charming and humorous, open and candid. The interview was so good, so full of information and human interest, that it was picked up by the Associated Press and distributed statewide and nationally.
That’s how big Mike Leckrone’s fan base is. Other schools and bands envied him.
All honor, then, to this man of action and distinction who was also creative and innovative.
Here is more information – but, alas, no program — about the FREE band concert on Sunday at 2 p.m. in Mills Hall:
https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/uw-concert-band-spring-concert-2/
For really detailed biographical background about Mike Leckrone and his achievements, go to:
https://news.wisc.edu/mike-leckrone-a-legendary-career/
And here is a statement by Leckrone himself about his approach to teaching and performing as well as his plans for retirement. (You can hear an interview Leckrone did with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
http://ls.wisc.edu/news/hitting-the-high-notes
Now you may think Leckrone can’t be followed.
But just this past week, the UW-Madison announced that Corey Pompey (below) is Leckrone’s successor. Here is a link to the official announcement, with lots of background about Pompey:
https://news.wisc.edu/new-marching-band-director-to-take-the-baton/
What else is there to say except: Thank you, Mike!
On, Wisconsin!
As for other events at the UW on Sunday:
At 4 p.m., in Mills Hall, University Bands will perform a FREE concert. Darin Olsen, O’Shae Best and Cole Hairston will conduct. No program is listed.
At 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, the Madrigal Singers (below top) will perform a FREE concert. Bruce Gladstone (below bottom, in a photo by Katrin Talbot) will conduct. No word on that program either.
Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AcademicYear, #AssociatedPress, #AvantiPianoTrio, #BadgerBasketball, #BadgerFootball, #BadgerSports, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BruceGladstone, #BuckyBadger, #CapitolLakes, #CapitolSquare, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ChristianReligion, #ClaudeDebussy, #CollegeStudent, #ConcertBand, #CoreyPompey, #ErnestBloch, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FelixMendelssohn, #FirstUnitedMethodistChurch, #HannahWolkstein, #HumanInterest, #JohannesBrahms, #JosephRoss, #KohlCenter, #LeonKirchner, #MadrigalSingers, #MarchingBand, #MarchMadness, #MikeLeckrone, #MilwaukeeJournal-Sentinel, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #OnWisconsin, #OrchestralAccompaniment, #PianoTrio, #RoseBowl, #ThankYou, #TheCapitalTmes, #TheMusicMan, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UWMarchingBand, #VartanManoogian, #ViolinConcerto, #ViolinVirtuoso, #WesLuke, #WisconsinPublicTelevision, academic year, action, alert, announcement, Associated Press, athlete, athletic fans, audience, Avanti Piano Trio, Badgers, band, base, basketball, big, biography, blog, Bruce Gladstone, Bucky Badger, Capitol Lakes, Capitol Square, cellist, Cello, choral music, Christianity, church, Claude Debussy, Concert Band, concerto, conduct, Corey Pompey, creative, director, distinction, envy, Ernest Bloch, event, Facebook, fan, fans, Felix Mendelssohn, First United Methodist Church, football, forward, free, Hannah Wolkstein, human interest, innovation, innovative, interview, Johannes Brahms, Joseph Ross, Kohl Center, Leon Kirchner, like, link, Madison, Madrigal Singers, March Madness, marching band, member, Methodist, Mike Leckrone, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Milwaukee Wisconsin, nation, nationally, NCAA, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, official, On, On Wiscosnin, Orchestra, performer, performing, Pianist, Piano, Piano Trio, public, reception, Religion, retire, Retirement, retiring, Rose Bowl, semester, share, sing, singer, Sports, Spring, statement, statewide, Student, Sunday, tag, teaching, thank you, The Capital Times, The Music Man, time, Trombone, University of Wisconsin, UW Marching Band, Vartan Manoogian, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, virtuoso, Wes Luke, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Television, work, WPT
Tags: #AcademicYear, #AssociatedPress, #AvantiPianoTrio, #BadgerBasketball, #BadgerFootball, #BadgerSports, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BruceGladstone, #BuckyBadger, #CapitolLakes, #CapitolSquare, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ChristianReligion, #ClaudeDebussy, #CollegeStudent, #ConcertBand, #CoreyPompey, #ErnestBloch, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FelixMendelssohn, #FirstUnitedMethodistChurch, #HannahWolkstein, #HumanInterest, #JohannesBrahms, #JosephRoss, #KohlCenter, #LeonKirchner, #MadrigalSingers, #MarchingBand, #MarchMadness, #MikeLeckrone, #MilwaukeeJournal-Sentinel, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #OnWisconsin, #OrchestralAccompaniment, #PianoTrio, #RoseBowl, #ThankYou, #TheCapitalTmes, #TheMusicMan, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UWMarchingBand, #VartanManoogian, #ViolinConcerto, #ViolinVirtuoso, #WesLuke, #WisconsinPublicTelevision, academic year, action, alert, announcement, Associated Press, athlete, athletic fans, audience, Avanti Piano Trio, Badgers, band, base, basketball, big, biography, blog, Bruce Gladstone, Bucky Badger, Capitol Lakes, Capitol Square, cellist, Cello, choral music, Christianity, church, Claude Debussy, Concert Band, concerto, conduct, Corey Pompey, creative, director, distinction, envy, Ernest Bloch, event, Facebook, fan, fans, Felix Mendelssohn, First United Methodist Church, football, forward, free, Hannah Wolkstein, human interest, innovation, innovative, interview, Johannes Brahms, Joseph Ross, Kohl Center, Leon Kirchner, like, link, Madison, Madrigal Singers, March Madness, marching band, member, Methodist, Mike Leckrone, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Milwaukee Wisconsin, nation, nationally, NCAA, NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, official, On, On Wiscosnin, Orchestra, performer, performing, Pianist, Piano, Piano Trio, public, reception, Religion, retire, Retirement, retiring, Rose Bowl, semester, share, sing, singer, Sports, Spring, statement, statewide, Student, Sunday, tag, teaching, thank you, The Capital Times, The Music Man, time, Trombone, University of Wisconsin, UW Marching Band, Vartan Manoogian, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, virtuoso, Wes Luke, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Television, work, WPT
Classical music: This Friday night, the UW Symphony Orchestra depicts visual art in sound. Plus, two all-student string orchestras perform Saturday afternoon and the UW Wind Ensemble performs Saturday night
April 25, 2019
1 Comment
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
CORRECTION: The concert by Sonata à Quattro TONIGHT at Oakwood Village West is at 7 p.m. — NOT 8 p.m. as mistakenly stated in Tuesday’s blog posting.
By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend, two student orchestras will give FREE concerts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music.
On Friday night, April 26, at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, the UW Symphony Orchestra (below top) under conductor Chad Hutchinson (below bottom), who has won prizes and acclaim for his programming, will give a FREE “gallery tour” concert exploring how visual art is depicted in sound.
The program opens with “Finding Rothko” (2006), by American composer Adam Schoenberg (below).
The musical work depicts four Abstract Expressionist paintings by the Russian-American master Mark Rothko (below top, above his 1956 painting in Orange. You can hear the “Orange” section of the musical work in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
To read the composer’s notes, go to: https://adamschoenberg.com/works/finding-rothko/
To find out more about the composer, go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Schoenberg
The concert concludes with the dramatic, dark and moody “Pictures at an Exhibition” — in the classic orchestration by Maurice Ravel – by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky (below).
The musical work is a set of vignettes evoking drawings and watercolors by Viktor Hartmann (below top), including the famous ending with “The Great Gate of Kiev” (below bottom).
SATURDAY
On Saturday afternoon, April 27, at 2 p.m. in Mills Hall, the All-University Strings (below, in a photo by Jeff Miller for University Communications) – made up of non-music majors – will perform a FREE concert.
All-University Strings is comprised of two non-major string orchestras — named Orchestra One and Orchestra Two – that are open to all interested string players who are not music majors. Director Pedro Oviedo will conduct.
No word on the program, which is unfortunate. The Ear suspects that if the public knew the program, the concert might draw a bigger audience.
Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AbstractExpressionism, #AbstractExpressionist, #AdamSchoenberg, #All-UniversityStrings, #AudienceMembers, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChadHutchinson, #CharlesIves, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FindingRothko, #Fridaynight, #GreatGateofKIev, #JimTerrito, #MarkRothko, #MauriceRavel, #MillsHall, #ModestMussorgsky, #OakwoodVillage, #PaulHindemith, #PedroOviedo, #PercyGrainger, #PicturesatanExhibition, #SaturdayAfternoon, #SonataaQuattro, #SymphonyOrchestra, #TheEar, #UWSymphonyOrchestra, #ViktorHartmann, #VisualArt, #Wikipediabiography, #WilliamSchuman, #WindEnsemble, #WindMusic, #YouTubevideo, Abstract Expressionism, abstract expressionist, acclaim, Adam Schoenberg, American, Art, art gallery, artist, Arts, audience, blog, Cello, Chad Hutchinson, Charles Ives, Classical music, composer, Concert, conductor, correction, dark, depict, director, drama, dramatic, drawing, Early music, ending, evoke, Facebook, famous, Finding Rothko, forward, Friday, gallery, Great Gate of Kiev, Jacob Stockinger, Jim Territo, like, link, Madison, major, Mark Rothko, Master, Maurice Ravel, Mills Hall, Modest Mussorgsky, mood, moody, Music, notes, Oakwood Village West, orange, Orchestra, painting, Paul Hindemith, Pedro Oviedo, Percy Grainger, performer, Pictures at an Exhibition, poetic, prize, program, Russian, Saturday, Schoenberg, share, Sonata, Sonata à Quattro, Sound, symphony, symphony orchestra, tag, The Ear, theme, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW Wind Ensemble, video, vignette, Viktor Hartmann, Viola, Violin, visual, visual art, watercolor, weekend, Wikipedia, William Schuman, wind ensemble, wind music, word, work, YouTube
Tags: #AbstractExpressionism, #AbstractExpressionist, #AdamSchoenberg, #All-UniversityStrings, #AudienceMembers, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChadHutchinson, #CharlesIves, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FindingRothko, #Fridaynight, #GreatGateofKIev, #JimTerrito, #MarkRothko, #MauriceRavel, #MillsHall, #ModestMussorgsky, #OakwoodVillage, #PaulHindemith, #PedroOviedo, #PercyGrainger, #PicturesatanExhibition, #SaturdayAfternoon, #SonataaQuattro, #SymphonyOrchestra, #TheEar, #UWSymphonyOrchestra, #ViktorHartmann, #VisualArt, #Wikipediabiography, #WilliamSchuman, #WindEnsemble, #WindMusic, #YouTubevideo, Abstract Expressionism, abstract expressionist, acclaim, Adam Schoenberg, American, Art, art gallery, artist, Arts, audience, blog, Cello, Chad Hutchinson, Charles Ives, Classical music, composer, Concert, conductor, correction, dark, depict, director, drama, dramatic, drawing, Early music, ending, evoke, Facebook, famous, Finding Rothko, forward, Friday, gallery, Great Gate of Kiev, Jacob Stockinger, Jim Territo, like, link, Madison, major, Mark Rothko, Master, Maurice Ravel, Mills Hall, Modest Mussorgsky, mood, moody, Music, notes, Oakwood Village West, orange, Orchestra, painting, Paul Hindemith, Pedro Oviedo, Percy Grainger, performer, Pictures at an Exhibition, poetic, prize, program, Russian, Saturday, Schoenberg, share, Sonata, Sonata à Quattro, Sound, symphony, symphony orchestra, tag, The Ear, theme, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW Wind Ensemble, video, vignette, Viktor Hartmann, Viola, Violin, visual, visual art, watercolor, weekend, Wikipedia, William Schuman, wind ensemble, wind music, word, work, YouTube
Classical music: This week brings three period-instrument concerts — two of them FREE — of early music from the Baroque and Classical eras including works by Bach, Telemann and Haydn
April 23, 2019
3 Comments
3 Comments
CORRECTION: The concert listed below by Sonata à Quattro on Thursday night at Oakwood Village West, near West Towne Mall, is at 7 p.m. — NOT at 8 as erroneously first listed here. The Ear regrets the error.
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
This week features three concerts of music from the Baroque and early Classical eras that should attract the attention of early music enthusiasts.
WEDNESDAY
This Wednesday, April 24, is the penultimate FREE Just Bach concert of the semester. It takes place at 1 p.m. in Luther Memorial Church, 1021 University Avenue.
This month’s program, featuring the baroque flute, presents the program that was canceled because of the blizzard in January.
First on the program is the Trio Sonata in G Major, BWV 1038, for flute, violin and continuo, a gorgeous example of baroque chamber music.
Following that comes the Orchestral Suite No. 2, BWV 1067, for flute, strings and harpsichord, really a mini flute concerto.
The program ends with Cantata 173 “Erhoehtes Fleisch und Blut” (Exalted Flesh and Blood), scored for two flutes, strings and continuo, joined by a quartet of vocal soloists: UW-Madison soprano Julia Rottmayer; mezzo-soprano Cheryl Bensman-Rowe; tenor Wesley Dunnagan; and UW-Madison bass-baritone Paul Rowe.
The orchestra of baroque period-instrument specialists, led by concertmaster Kangwon Kim, will include traverse flutists Linda Pereksta and Monica Steger.
The last Just Bach concert of this semester is May 29. For more information, go to: https://justbach.org
THURSDAY
On Thursday night, April 25, at 7 p.m. — NOT 8 as mistakenly listed here at first –at Oakwood Village West, 6209 Mineral Point Road, the Madison group Sonata à Quattro (below) will repeat the Good Friday program it performed last week at a church in Waukesha.
The one-hour concert – featuring “The Seven Last Words of Christ” by Franz Joseph Haydn — is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. (You can sample the first part of the Haydn work in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Commissioned by the southern Spanish episcopal city of Cadiz, this piece was originally scored for orchestra, but it enjoyed such an immediate, widespread acclaim, that the publication in 1787 also included arrangements for string quartet, and for piano. In nine movements beginning with an Introduction, Haydn sets the phrases, from “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” to “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit,” concluding with one final movement depicting an earthquake.
Performers for this program are: Kangwon Kim, Nathan Giglierano, Marika Fischer Hoyt and Charlie Rasmussen. Modern string instruments will be used, but played with period bows.
The period-instrument ensemble Sonata à Quattro was formed in 2017 as Ensemble-In-Residence for Bach Around The Clock, the annual music festival in Madison.
The ensemble’s name refers to baroque chamber music scored for three melody lines plus continuo. The more-familiar trio sonata format, which enjoyed great popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, employs a continuo with only two melody instruments, typically treble instruments like violins or flutes.
In contrast, a typical sonata à quattro piece includes a middle voice, frequently a viola, in addition to the two treble instruments and continuo; this scoring has a fuller, richer sonority, and can be seen as a precursor to the string quartet. For more information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/sonataaquattro/
SATURDAY
On Saturday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m. at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 1833 Regent Street, the veteran Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble (below) will perform a concert of baroque chamber music.
Tickets are at the door only: $20 for the public, $10 students.
Performers are: Brett Lipshutz, traverse flute; Sigrun Paust, recorder; Monica Steger, traverse; Anton TenWolde, baroque cello; and Max Yount, harpsichord.
The program is:
Johann Baptist Wendling – Trio for two flutes and bass
Johann Pachelbel – Variations on “Werde Munter, mein Gemuethe” (Be Happy, My Soul)
Friedrich Haftmann Graf – Sonata or Trio in D major for two German flutes and basso continuo
Daniel Purcell – Sonata in F Major for recorder
INTERMISSION
Georg Philipp Telemann – Trio for recorder, flute,and basso continuo TWV 42:e6
Franz Anton Hoffmeister – Duo for two flutes, Opus 20, No. 1
Joseph Bodin de Boismortier – Trio Sonata, Op. 37, No. 5
Telemann – Trietto Methodicho (Methodical Sonata) No 1. TWV 42: G2
After the concert, a reception will be held at 2422 Kendall Avenue, second floor.
For more information, go to: https://wisconsinbaroque.weebly.com
Posted in Classical music
Tags: #17thCentury, #18thCentury, #AntonTenWolde, #BachAroundtheClock, #BachCantata, #BaroqueCello, #BaroqueChamberMusic, #BaroqueEra, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrettLipshutz, #CadizSpain, #CharlieRasmussen, #CherylBensman-Rowe, #ChristianMusic, #ChristianReligion, #Classicalera, #CommissionedMusic, #CriticalAcclaim, #DanielPurcell, #DuetMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #FleshandBlood, #FluteConcerto, #FranzAntonHoffmeister, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FriedrichHartmannGraf, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #GoodFriday, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #JesusChrist, #JohannBaptistWendling, #JohannPachelbel, #JohannSebastianBach, #JosephBodindeBoismortier, #JuliaRottmayer, #JustBach, #KangwonKim, #LindaPereksta, #LutherMemorialChurch, #MarikaFischerHoyt, #MaxYount, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #Mezzo-sopranoSinger, #MonicaSteger, #Musicfaculty, #NathanGiglierano, #OakwoodVillageWest, #OrchestralSuite, #PaulRowe, #PeriodInstrument, #PeriodInstruments, #PianoMusic, #ProtestantReligion, #SevenLastWordsofChrist, #SigrunPaust, #SonataaQuattro, #SopranoSinger, #St.Andrew'sEpiscopalChurch, #StringInstruments, #StringQuartet, #TenorSinger, #TheCrucifixion, #ThemeAndVariations, #TraverseFlute, #TrioSonata, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViolaMusic, #VocalMusic, #WaukeshaWisconsin, #WesleyDunnagan, #WestTowneMall, #WisconsinBaroqueEnsemble, #YouTubevideo, 17th century, 18th century, acclaim, Anton TenWolde, Arts, audience, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, Baroque, Baroque cello, baroque era, bass-baritone, blog, blood, bow, Brett Lipshutz, BWV, Cadiz, cancel, Cantata, Cello, Chamber music, Charlie Rasmussen, Cheryl Bensman Rowe, choral music, Christ, Christianity, church, Classical, Classical music, composer, Concert, concertmaster, concerto, continuo, correction, cross, crucifixion, Daniel Purcell, door, duo, Early music, earlymusic, employ, ensemble, era, error, exalted, Facebook, faculty, festival, flesh, flute, Franz Anton Hoffmeister, Franz Joseph Haydn, free, Friedrich Hartmann Graf, Georg Philipp Telemann, German, Good Friday, happy', harpsichord, historically informed performance practices, instrument, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus Christ, Johann Baptist Wendling, Johann Pachelbel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Julia Rottmayer, Just Bach, Kangwon Kim, like, Linda Pereksta, line, link, Luther Memorial Church, Lutheranism, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Marika Fischer Hoyt, Max Yount, May, Mead Witter School of Music, melody, member, methodical, Mezzo-soprano, mistake, modern, Monica Steger, movement, Music, Nathan Giglierano, open, Orchestra, orchestral, Paul Rowe, performer, period instruments, phrase, Piano, piece, popularity, Protestant, public, publication, Quartet, reception, recorder, Retirement, Saturday, semester, Seven Last Words, share, Sigrun Paust, Sonata, Sonata à Quattro, soprano, soul, Spain, Spanish, specialist, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, String quartet, strings, Suite, tag, tenor, Thursday, ticket, traverse, treble, trio sonata, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wiscosnin, variations, Veteran, Viola, Violin, vocal music, voice, Waukesha, Wednesday, Wesley Dunnagan, West Towne Mall, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, word, You Tube, YouTube
Tags: #17thCentury, #18thCentury, #AntonTenWolde, #BachAroundtheClock, #BachCantata, #BaroqueCello, #BaroqueChamberMusic, #BaroqueEra, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrettLipshutz, #CadizSpain, #CharlieRasmussen, #CherylBensman-Rowe, #ChristianMusic, #ChristianReligion, #Classicalera, #CommissionedMusic, #CriticalAcclaim, #DanielPurcell, #DuetMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #FleshandBlood, #FluteConcerto, #FranzAntonHoffmeister, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FriedrichHartmannGraf, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #GoodFriday, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #JesusChrist, #JohannBaptistWendling, #JohannPachelbel, #JohannSebastianBach, #JosephBodindeBoismortier, #JuliaRottmayer, #JustBach, #KangwonKim, #LindaPereksta, #LutherMemorialChurch, #MarikaFischerHoyt, #MaxYount, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #Mezzo-sopranoSinger, #MonicaSteger, #Musicfaculty, #NathanGiglierano, #OakwoodVillageWest, #OrchestralSuite, #PaulRowe, #PeriodInstrument, #PeriodInstruments, #PianoMusic, #ProtestantReligion, #SevenLastWordsofChrist, #SigrunPaust, #SonataaQuattro, #SopranoSinger, #St.Andrew'sEpiscopalChurch, #StringInstruments, #StringQuartet, #TenorSinger, #TheCrucifixion, #ThemeAndVariations, #TraverseFlute, #TrioSonata, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViolaMusic, #VocalMusic, #WaukeshaWisconsin, #WesleyDunnagan, #WestTowneMall, #WisconsinBaroqueEnsemble, #YouTubevideo, 17th century, 18th century, acclaim, Anton TenWolde, Arts, audience, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, Baroque, Baroque cello, baroque era, bass-baritone, blog, blood, bow, Brett Lipshutz, BWV, Cadiz, cancel, Cantata, Cello, Chamber music, Charlie Rasmussen, Cheryl Bensman Rowe, choral music, Christ, Christianity, church, Classical, Classical music, composer, Concert, concertmaster, concerto, continuo, correction, cross, crucifixion, Daniel Purcell, door, duo, Early music, earlymusic, employ, ensemble, era, error, exalted, Facebook, faculty, festival, flesh, flute, Franz Anton Hoffmeister, Franz Joseph Haydn, free, Friedrich Hartmann Graf, Georg Philipp Telemann, German, Good Friday, happy', harpsichord, historically informed performance practices, instrument, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus Christ, Johann Baptist Wendling, Johann Pachelbel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, Julia Rottmayer, Just Bach, Kangwon Kim, like, Linda Pereksta, line, link, Luther Memorial Church, Lutheranism, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Marika Fischer Hoyt, Max Yount, May, Mead Witter School of Music, melody, member, methodical, Mezzo-soprano, mistake, modern, Monica Steger, movement, Music, Nathan Giglierano, open, Orchestra, orchestral, Paul Rowe, performer, period instruments, phrase, Piano, piece, popularity, Protestant, public, publication, Quartet, reception, recorder, Retirement, Saturday, semester, Seven Last Words, share, Sigrun Paust, Sonata, Sonata à Quattro, soprano, soul, Spain, Spanish, specialist, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, String quartet, strings, Suite, tag, tenor, Thursday, ticket, traverse, treble, trio sonata, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wiscosnin, variations, Veteran, Viola, Violin, vocal music, voice, Waukesha, Wednesday, Wesley Dunnagan, West Towne Mall, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, word, You Tube, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Opera stages its first-ever production of Dvorak’s fairy tale opera “Rusalka” next Friday night and Sunday afternoon. A preview roundtable is this Sunday afternoon
April 20, 2019
Leave a Comment
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Madison Opera will stage its production of Antonin Dvorak’s luxurious masterpiece Rusalka on Friday night, April 26, at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, April 28, at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall at the Overture Center, 201 State Street.
Running time is 3 hours with two intermissions, and will feature projected supertitles with English translations of the original Czech that will be sung.
Tickets are $18-$131 with discounts available for students and groups. Go to: https://www.madisonopera.org/tickets/
Inspired by the classic fairy tale The Little Mermaid, the story travels from a mythical forest to a palace and back again. Its lush score includes the famous “Song to the Moon.” (You can hear Renée Fleming sing”Song to the Moon” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Set in a mythical realm, Rusalka is about a water nymph who falls in love with a human prince. She tells her father Vodnik that she wishes to become human and live with the Prince on land. Horrified, Vodnik tells her that humans are full of sin, but reluctantly suggests she enlist the help of Jezibaba, a witch. Jezibaba agrees to make her human, but cautions that Rusalka will lose her power of speech. Further, if the Prince betrays her, she will be cursed forever.
The Prince falls in love with Rusalka and plans to marry her, but her silence unnerves him, and a Foreign Princess interrupts the wedding festivities with evil intent. Rusalka returns to the lake as a spirit that lures men to their death – and the Prince follows her.
“Rusalka is one of the most gorgeous operas in the repertoire,” says Kathryn Smith, Madison Opera’s general director (below, in a photo by James Gill). “I fell in love with it when I first saw it over 20 years ago, and listening to the score is a pure pleasure. I am so delighted to share this opera with Madison, so that everyone can learn how brilliant an operatic composer Dvorak was, and experience an opera that is justifiably popular around the world.”
Rusalka’s story was inspired by multiple sources, including Slavic mythology and the fairy tales of Karel Jaromir Erben, Hans Christian Andersen, and Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué.
The opera premiered on March 31, 1901 in Prague and quickly became a massive success, hailed as Dvorak’s masterpiece.
But it was not initially widely performed outside of Czech territories; the first U.S. performance was in 1975. But in recent decades, the opera by Dvorak (below) has become a regular part of the opera repertoire, due to its beautiful music and lovely story.
This production is not only a Madison Opera premiere, but also the company’s first-ever opera in Czech.
Madison Opera’s cast features both returning artists and debuts.
Soprano Emily Birsan (below) returns to Madison Opera in the title role, following successes here as Gounod’s Juliet and Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème. Last month, she sang Violetta in Verdi’s La Traviata at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The Chicago Tribune has praised her singing for her “amazing clarity of diction, accuracy of intonation and fineness of expression.”
Tenor John Lindsey (below) returns to Madison Opera as The Prince, after singing in last summer’s Opera in the Park.
Making their debuts with Madison Opera are soprano Karin Wolverton as the Foreign Princess, contralto Lindsay Amman as the witch Jezibaba and bass William Meinert as Rusalka’s father, Vodnik. Emily Secor, Saira Frank and Kirsten Larson play the three wood sprites; Benjamin Liupaogo sings the Hunter.
The Madison Opera Chorus and Madison Symphony Orchestra round out the musical forces, all under the baton of John DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson), Madison Opera’s artistic director.
Keturah Stickann (below) directs her first opera for Madison Opera; she has directed both traditional and contemporary repertoire across all of the U.S., most recently for San Francisco Opera and Washington National Opera.
This production originated at Minnesota Opera and features projections (below) by Wendall K. Harrington, who has been described as “the godmother of modern projection design.”
In reviewing the Minnesota production, theTwin Cities Arts Reader praised “the stunning visuals on display, which only serve to enhance and elaborate on the action and the music.”
Madison Opera’s production of “Rusalka” is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts, Kay & Martin Barrett, Millie & Marshall Osborn, Sally & Mike Miley, Kato Perlman, Charles & Martha Casey, John Lemke & Pam Oliver, and The Ann Stanke Fund.
RELATED EVENTS
You can learn more about “Rusalka” at the events leading up to the performances.
Opera Up Close will take place this Sunday, April 21, 1-3 p.m. at the Margaret C. Winston Opera Center (below) 335 West Mifflin Street, $20 general admission; free for full-season subscribers; $10 for two-show subscribers.
This event features a multimedia behind-the-scenes preview of Rusalka. General director Kathryn Smith will discuss Antonin Dvorak and the history of his fairy-tale opera. Principal artists, stage director Keturah Stickann and conductor John DeMain will participate in a roundtable discussion about Madison’s production and their own takes on this masterpiece.
Pre-Show Talks by Kathryn Smith take place on Friday, April 26, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 28, at 1:30 p.m. at Wisconsin Studio at Overture Center, and are free to ticket holders.
Post-Opera Q&A’s are on Friday, April 26, and Sunday, April 28, immediately following the opera in the Wisconsin Studio at Overture Center, and are free to ticket holders.
More information — including cast biographies and a blog with Q&A interviews with some cast members — is available at https://www.madisonopera.org and https://www.madisonopera.org/2018-2019-season/rusalka/.
Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AntoninDvorak, #ArtisticDirector, #BassSinger, #Beautifulmusic, #BenjaminLiupaogo, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CharlesGounod, #ChicagoIllinois, #ChoralMusic, #ContemporaryOpera, #ContemporaryRepertoire, #ContraltoSinger, #CzechRepublic, #EmilyBirsan, #EnglishTranslation, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FairyTale, #FriedrichdelaMotteFourqué, #GiacomoPuccini, #GiuseppeVerdi, #HansChristianAndersen, #JohnDeMain, #JohnLIndsey, #KarelJaromirErben, #KathrynSmith, #KatoPerlman, #KeturahStickann, #LaTraviata, #LyricOperaofChicago, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaCenter, #MadisonOperaChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MinnesotaOpera, #MusicDirector, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #OperaCenter, #OperaInThePark, #OperaMusic, #OperaRepertoire, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #PreludeDiscussion, #RenéeFleming, #RomeoandJuliet, #SanFranciscoOpera, #Sin, #SongtotheMoon, #SopranoSinger, #StageDirector, #TenorSinger, #TheChicagoTribune, #TheLittleMermaid, #TraditionalMusic, #TraditionalRepertoire, #TwinCities, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #WashingtonNationalOpera, #WaterNymph, #WendallK.Harrington, #WisconsinStudio, #WoodSprite, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, accuracy, action, admission, afternoon, amazing, Antonín Dvořák, Artistic director, artists, Arts, bass, beautiful, beauty, Benjamin Liupaogo, biographies, biography, blog, brilliant, cast, Charles Gounod, Chicago, choral music, clarity, classic, Classical music, company, composer, Concert, conductor, contemporary, contralto, curse, Czech, Czech Republic, deace, death, debut, delight, design, diction, director, discount, discussion, donor, Dvorak, elaborate, Emily Birsan, enhance, event, evil, expression, Facebook, fairy tale, famous, father, firest, foreign, Friday, Friederich de la Motte Fourqué, funding, general, General director, Giuseppe Verdi, godmother, gorgeous, group, Hans Christian Andersen, History, hour, human, hunter, intent, intermission, interview, intonation, Jacob Stockinger, John DeMain, John Lindsey, Karel Jaromir Erben, Kathryn Smith, Kato Perlman, Keturah Stickann, La Traviata, land, Love, lovely, lure, lush, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Center, Madison Opera Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, marry, massive, masterpiece, Mead Witter School of Music, men, Minnesota, Minnesota Opera, moon, multimedia, multiple, Musetta, Music, Music director, musical, mythical, mythology, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, night, nymph, opera, opera center, Opera in the Park, operatic, Orchestra, original, Overture Center, Overture Hall, palace, part, pleasure, popular, power, Prague, Prelude, Prelude Discussion, premiere, preview, prince, princess, principal, production, project, projection, Puccini, pure, Q&A, realm, recent, regular, Renée Fleming, repertoire, returning, Romeo and Juliet, roundtable, Rusalka, San Francisco Opera, score, silence, sing, Singing, Slavic, song, Song to the Moon, soprano, source, speech, sprite, stage director, story, Student, stunning, subscriber, success, summer, Sunday, sung, supertitle, tenor, terrioty, territories, The Chicago Tribune, The Little Mermaid, ticket, traditional, translation, Twin Cities, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Verdi, Violetta, visual, vocal music, Washington National Opera, water, water nymph, wedding, Wendall K. Harrington, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Studio, witch, wood, world, world premiere, YouTube
Tags: #AntoninDvorak, #ArtisticDirector, #BassSinger, #Beautifulmusic, #BenjaminLiupaogo, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CharlesGounod, #ChicagoIllinois, #ChoralMusic, #ContemporaryOpera, #ContemporaryRepertoire, #ContraltoSinger, #CzechRepublic, #EmilyBirsan, #EnglishTranslation, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FairyTale, #FriedrichdelaMotteFourqué, #GiacomoPuccini, #GiuseppeVerdi, #HansChristianAndersen, #JohnDeMain, #JohnLIndsey, #KarelJaromirErben, #KathrynSmith, #KatoPerlman, #KeturahStickann, #LaTraviata, #LyricOperaofChicago, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaCenter, #MadisonOperaChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MinnesotaOpera, #MusicDirector, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #OperaCenter, #OperaInThePark, #OperaMusic, #OperaRepertoire, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #PreludeDiscussion, #RenéeFleming, #RomeoandJuliet, #SanFranciscoOpera, #Sin, #SongtotheMoon, #SopranoSinger, #StageDirector, #TenorSinger, #TheChicagoTribune, #TheLittleMermaid, #TraditionalMusic, #TraditionalRepertoire, #TwinCities, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #WashingtonNationalOpera, #WaterNymph, #WendallK.Harrington, #WisconsinStudio, #WoodSprite, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, accuracy, action, admission, afternoon, amazing, Antonín Dvořák, Artistic director, artists, Arts, bass, beautiful, beauty, Benjamin Liupaogo, biographies, biography, blog, brilliant, cast, Charles Gounod, Chicago, choral music, clarity, classic, Classical music, company, composer, Concert, conductor, contemporary, contralto, curse, Czech, Czech Republic, deace, death, debut, delight, design, diction, director, discount, discussion, donor, Dvorak, elaborate, Emily Birsan, enhance, event, evil, expression, Facebook, fairy tale, famous, father, firest, foreign, Friday, Friederich de la Motte Fourqué, funding, general, General director, Giuseppe Verdi, godmother, gorgeous, group, Hans Christian Andersen, History, hour, human, hunter, intent, intermission, interview, intonation, Jacob Stockinger, John DeMain, John Lindsey, Karel Jaromir Erben, Kathryn Smith, Kato Perlman, Keturah Stickann, La Traviata, land, Love, lovely, lure, lush, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Center, Madison Opera Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, marry, massive, masterpiece, Mead Witter School of Music, men, Minnesota, Minnesota Opera, moon, multimedia, multiple, Musetta, Music, Music director, musical, mythical, mythology, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, night, nymph, opera, opera center, Opera in the Park, operatic, Orchestra, original, Overture Center, Overture Hall, palace, part, pleasure, popular, power, Prague, Prelude, Prelude Discussion, premiere, preview, prince, princess, principal, production, project, projection, Puccini, pure, Q&A, realm, recent, regular, Renée Fleming, repertoire, returning, Romeo and Juliet, roundtable, Rusalka, San Francisco Opera, score, silence, sing, Singing, Slavic, song, Song to the Moon, soprano, source, speech, sprite, stage director, story, Student, stunning, subscriber, success, summer, Sunday, sung, supertitle, tenor, terrioty, territories, The Chicago Tribune, The Little Mermaid, ticket, traditional, translation, Twin Cities, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Verdi, Violetta, visual, vocal music, Washington National Opera, water, water nymph, wedding, Wendall K. Harrington, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Studio, witch, wood, world, world premiere, YouTube
Classical music: Recorder virtuoso Piers Adams solos in baroque and contemporary concertos this Friday night with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra
April 18, 2019
3 Comments
3 Comments
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
During his long and successful tenure with Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below), music director and conductor Andrew Sewell has established a reputation for championing unusual repertoire and booking young or relatively unknown soloists as well as for offering insightful interpretations of classic masterworks.
But Sewell (below) seems to be surpassing himself with the concert he will lead this Friday night, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center.
For one, the concert features the British recorder virtuoso Piers Adams (below), who established his own reputation as a part of the unusual baroque quartet Red Priest, the nickname for Antonio Vivaldi, who was indeed a priest in Venice with flaming red hair. (In the YouTube at the bottom, you can sample Adams’ virtuosity as he makes bird calls on the recorder while playing a section of “Spring” from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.”)
You can also go to the following websites for more information about Piers Adams:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Adams
The Ear can’t think of another time any major group in the area offered a soloist on the recorder – a baroque wooden flute-like instrument — except for the Madison Early Music Festival.
True to form, Adams will perform baroque music with the WCO – specifically, the Concerto for Recorder in C Major by Georg Philipp Telemann.
But to add to the more unusual aspects of the concert, Adams will also perform a contemporary work with the WCO – specifically, a 1994 recorder concerto by the English composer David Bedford (1937-2011, below) that was commissioned by Adams and has proven popular both on a recording and in concert.
For more information about Bedford, go to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bedford
To round out the program, Sewell has programmed two other rarely heard works: the “Brook Green” Suite by Gustav Holst, best known for “The Planets”; and the Serenade in E-Flat Major, Op. 6, by the Czech composer Josef Suk (below), a very accomplished violinist and composer who studied with Antonin Dvorak and then became his son-in-law.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josef_Suk_(composer)
For more information about the concert, including tickets ($12-$80) and notes on the performers and the program, go to:
https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performances/masterworks-iv-4/
Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AndrewSewell, #AntoninDvorak, #AntonioVivaldi, #BaroqueFlute, #BaroqueMusic, #BirdCalls, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolTheater, #ChamberOrchestra, #CommissionedMusic, #DavidBedford, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FourSeasons, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #GuestSoloist, #GustavHolst, #JosefSuk, #MadisonEarlyMusicFestival, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicalInterpretation, #MusicDirector, #NewMusic, #OvertureCenter, #PiersAdams, #RecorderConcerto, #RedPriest, #SoundSample, #StringSection, #ThePlanets, #UnitedKingdom, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VeniceItaly, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #YouTubevideo, Andrew Sewell, Antonín Dvořák, Antonio Vivaldi, Arts, audience, Baroque, baroque flute, Baroque music, bird, bird calls, birds, blog, Book, British, brook, Capitol Theater, chamber orchestra, champion, classic, Classical music, commission, Compact Disc, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, Czech, David Bedford, Early music, English, ensemble, establish, Facebook, flute, forward, Four Seasons, Georg Philipp Telemann, green, group, Gustav Holst, hair, information, insight, instrument, interpretation, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Joseph Suk, like, link, live, long, Madison, Madison Early Music Festival, Marriage, masterwork, Mead Witter School of Music, Music, Music director, New Music, nickname, notes, novelty, Orchestra, Overture Center, performer, Piers Adams, planet, priest, program, Quartet, recorder, recorder concerto, recording, Red Priest, repertoire, reputation, sample, Serenade, share, soloist, soloists, son-in-law, spread, Spring, standard, string section, strings, study, successful, Suite, surpass, symphony, tag, tenure, The Planets, ticket, UK, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, unusual, UW-Madison, Venice, Viola, Violin, violinist, virtuosity, virtuoso, WCO, Wisconsin Chamber Choir, word, young, YouTube
Tags: #AndrewSewell, #AntoninDvorak, #AntonioVivaldi, #BaroqueFlute, #BaroqueMusic, #BirdCalls, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolTheater, #ChamberOrchestra, #CommissionedMusic, #DavidBedford, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FourSeasons, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #GuestSoloist, #GustavHolst, #JosefSuk, #MadisonEarlyMusicFestival, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicalInterpretation, #MusicDirector, #NewMusic, #OvertureCenter, #PiersAdams, #RecorderConcerto, #RedPriest, #SoundSample, #StringSection, #ThePlanets, #UnitedKingdom, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VeniceItaly, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #YouTubevideo, Andrew Sewell, Antonín Dvořák, Antonio Vivaldi, Arts, audience, Baroque, baroque flute, Baroque music, bird, bird calls, birds, blog, Book, British, brook, Capitol Theater, chamber orchestra, champion, classic, Classical music, commission, Compact Disc, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, Czech, David Bedford, Early music, English, ensemble, establish, Facebook, flute, forward, Four Seasons, Georg Philipp Telemann, green, group, Gustav Holst, hair, information, insight, instrument, interpretation, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Joseph Suk, like, link, live, long, Madison, Madison Early Music Festival, Marriage, masterwork, Mead Witter School of Music, Music, Music director, New Music, nickname, notes, novelty, Orchestra, Overture Center, performer, Piers Adams, planet, priest, program, Quartet, recorder, recorder concerto, recording, Red Priest, repertoire, reputation, sample, Serenade, share, soloist, soloists, son-in-law, spread, Spring, standard, string section, strings, study, successful, Suite, surpass, symphony, tag, tenure, The Planets, ticket, UK, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, unusual, UW-Madison, Venice, Viola, Violin, violinist, virtuosity, virtuoso, WCO, Wisconsin Chamber Choir, word, young, YouTube
Classical music: What music would you choose to honor Notre Dame de Paris and the loss from the fire that engulfed the historic cathedral on Monday
April 16, 2019
22 Comments
22 Comments
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
You’ve seen the heart-rending photos of the raging flames, the collapsed spire and the billowing smoke.
We have yet to learn a lot of details about the interior of the historic cathedral Notre Dame de Paris (below in a photo by Agence France-Presse and Getty Images) and how it fared.
But surely music is a fine way to honor such a world treasure.
Like many of you, The Ear has been to Notre Dame in Paris, several times in fact, both inside and outside. I have seen it and heard it.
While we wait for more news of what survived and what didn’t, here is a moving YouTube video of people in the cathedral listening to an improvisation on the mighty organ that is joined by singers.
One wonders: Did the organ survive? Is it usable?
When will services resume?
When will music once again shake the monumental interior?
Please leave a comment about what music you would play to honor Notre Dame de Paris. It doesn’t have to be French or religious – just suitable to the occasion.
Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AgenceFrance-Presse, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChristianChurch, #ChristianReligion, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GettyImages, #Heart-Rending, #NotreDame, #NotreDamedeParis, #OrganMusic, #ParisFrance, #TheEar, #WorldTreasure, #YouTubevideo, Agence-France Presse, Arts, Bach, Baroque, billowing, blog, cathedral, choral music, Christian church, Classical music, collapse, detail, Early music, Facebook, fire, flame, France, Getty Images, heart, historic, honor, improvisation, inside, interior, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, loss, monumental, moving, Music, news, Notre Dame, Notre Dame de Paris, organ, outside, Paris, photo, Religion, religious, services, singers, Singing, smoke, spire, survive, The Ear, tragedy, treasure, vocal music, Wisconsin, world, YouTube
Tags: #AgenceFrance-Presse, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChristianChurch, #ChristianReligion, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GettyImages, #Heart-Rending, #NotreDame, #NotreDamedeParis, #OrganMusic, #ParisFrance, #TheEar, #WorldTreasure, #YouTubevideo, Agence-France Presse, Arts, Bach, Baroque, billowing, blog, cathedral, choral music, Christian church, Classical music, collapse, detail, Early music, Facebook, fire, flame, France, Getty Images, heart, historic, honor, improvisation, inside, interior, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, loss, monumental, moving, Music, news, Notre Dame, Notre Dame de Paris, organ, outside, Paris, photo, Religion, religious, services, singers, Singing, smoke, spire, survive, The Ear, tragedy, treasure, vocal music, Wisconsin, world, YouTube
Classical music: The Middleton Community Orchestra and conductor Kyle Knox brightened a soggy spring with early Beethoven and Elgar. On Tuesday night, an organ and cello concert takes place in Overture Hall.
April 15, 2019
2 Comments
2 Comments
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
ALERT: On this Tuesday night, April 16, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, organist Greg Zelek and guest cellist Thomas Mesa will close out the season of Concert Organ performances sponsored by the Madison Symphony Orchestra. The program includes music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Claude Debussy and Charles-Marie Widor. For tickets ($20) and more information about the program with detailed biographies of the performers, go to: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/thoms-mesa-greg-zelek/
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 veteran and 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 FM. 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 early spring concert on last Wednesday night by the Middleton Community Orchestra (below, in a photo by Brian Ruppert) at the Middleton Performing Arts Center that is attached to Middleton High School was comparatively short – it had no intermission — and was devoted to only two composers.
The first was Edward Elgar (below, in 1910), whose early orchestral works included a good deal of music drawn from his youthful sketchbooks. Notable in that category were two suites, given the joint title of The Wand of Youth.
From the eight sections of the First Suite (1907), six were played, and from the six sections comprising the Second Suite (1908), four were given. All these movements are colorful and evocative little miniatures, reflecting early imagination, often touching, but many quite boisterous.
The other composer was Ludwig van Beethoven (below), as represented by his Symphony No. 2. This shows the young composer moving quite distinctly beyond the stylistic world of Haydn and Mozart into the rambunctious new symphonic idiom he would go on to create. (You can hear Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic play the opening of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The guest conductor this time, Kyle Knox – the recent University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate who is the music director of Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras and the associate conductor of the Madison Symphony Orchestra — chose to give the music a “big orchestra” approach.
For both the suites and the symphony, the lighter and cleaner textures of a chamber orchestra would seem best. But with an orchestra totaling some 91 players, Knox chose to go for volume and sonority.
His tempos, especially in the Beethoven were notably fast. As the largely amateur orchestra followed loyally, there was some raw playing at times.
Still, the MCO asserted strong character, which made a very happy impression on the audience and brightened an evening of soggy weather.
Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AmateurMusician, #AmericanRecordGuide, #BaroqueMusic, #BeethovenSymphony, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassSection, #CelloMusic, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberOrchestra, #Charles-MarieWidor, #ClaudeDebussy, #EdwardElgar, #EmeritusProfessor, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FranzSchubert, #GregZelek, #IsthmusNewspaper, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnW.Barker, #KyleKnox, #LeonardBernstein, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonEarlyMusicFestival, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MedievalHistory, #MiddletonCommunityOrchestra, #MiddletonHighSchool, #MiddletonPerformingArtsCenter, #MusicalStyle, #MusicCritic, #MusicReview, #OrganMusic, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #PercussionSection, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #Pre-concertLecture, #SpringWeather, #StringMusic, #StringSection, #TheWandofYouth, #ThomasMesa, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViennaAustria, #ViennaPhilharmonic, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WoodwindSection, #WORT-FM89.9, #YouTubevideo, amateur, American Record Guide, April, Arts, audience, Austria, Bach, Baroque, Baroque music, Beethoven, big, biography, blog, boisterous, brass, category, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, character, Charles-Marie Widor, Classical music, Claude Debussy, clean, colorful, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, critic, early, Early music, Edward Elgar, emeritus professor, evocative, Facebook, fast, forward, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, graduate, Greg Zelek, guest, happy', Haydn, idiom, imagination, impression, intermission, Isthmus, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, John W. Barker, joint, Kyle Knox, lecture, Leonard Bernstein, lighter, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Early Music Festival, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Mead Witter School of Music, Medieval history, Middleton Community Orchestra, Middleton High School, Middleton Performing Arts Center, miniature, movement, Mozart, Music, music critic, music review, night, opening, Orchestra, organ, organist, Overture Center, Overture Hall, percussion, performer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, players, professor, program, raw, recent, review, Season, Serenade, share, short, sketchbooks, soggy, sonority, sping, string section, strings, style, Suite, symphony, tag, Tempo, texture, The Wand of Youth, Thomas Mesa, title, touching, Tuesday, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Vienna, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Viola, Violin, volume, weather, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, woodwind, WORT-FM 89.9, Writer, youthful, YouTube
Tags: #AmateurMusician, #AmericanRecordGuide, #BaroqueMusic, #BeethovenSymphony, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassSection, #CelloMusic, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberOrchestra, #Charles-MarieWidor, #ClaudeDebussy, #EdwardElgar, #EmeritusProfessor, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FranzSchubert, #GregZelek, #IsthmusNewspaper, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnW.Barker, #KyleKnox, #LeonardBernstein, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonEarlyMusicFestival, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MedievalHistory, #MiddletonCommunityOrchestra, #MiddletonHighSchool, #MiddletonPerformingArtsCenter, #MusicalStyle, #MusicCritic, #MusicReview, #OrganMusic, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #PercussionSection, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #Pre-concertLecture, #SpringWeather, #StringMusic, #StringSection, #TheWandofYouth, #ThomasMesa, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViennaAustria, #ViennaPhilharmonic, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WoodwindSection, #WORT-FM89.9, #YouTubevideo, amateur, American Record Guide, April, Arts, audience, Austria, Bach, Baroque, Baroque music, Beethoven, big, biography, blog, boisterous, brass, category, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, character, Charles-Marie Widor, Classical music, Claude Debussy, clean, colorful, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, critic, early, Early music, Edward Elgar, emeritus professor, evocative, Facebook, fast, forward, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, graduate, Greg Zelek, guest, happy', Haydn, idiom, imagination, impression, intermission, Isthmus, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, John W. Barker, joint, Kyle Knox, lecture, Leonard Bernstein, lighter, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Early Music Festival, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Mead Witter School of Music, Medieval history, Middleton Community Orchestra, Middleton High School, Middleton Performing Arts Center, miniature, movement, Mozart, Music, music critic, music review, night, opening, Orchestra, organ, organist, Overture Center, Overture Hall, percussion, performer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, players, professor, program, raw, recent, review, Season, Serenade, share, short, sketchbooks, soggy, sonority, sping, string section, strings, style, Suite, symphony, tag, Tempo, texture, The Wand of Youth, Thomas Mesa, title, touching, Tuesday, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Vienna, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Viola, Violin, volume, weather, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, woodwind, WORT-FM 89.9, Writer, youthful, YouTube
Classical music: This Sunday brings three concerts of choral and orchestral music
April 13, 2019
1 Comment
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
This Sunday brings three chances to hear choral and orchestral music.
On this Sunday morning, April 14, at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., in the Atrium Auditorium (below in a photo by Zane Williams) the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, will host its spring All-Music Sunday. The public is invited to attend FREE of charge.
The performers are the Society Choir and Friends, a pickup orchestra, and vocal and instrumental soloists.
The program lasts about one hour and includes the Concerto for Two Trumpets by Antonio Vivaldi and the early Mass in G Major by Franz Schubert. (You can hear the Kyrie from the Schubert Mass in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
At 2:30 p.m., at Edgewood College in the St. Joseph Chapel (below, in a photo by Ann Boyer), 1000 Edgewood College Drive, the Edgewood Chamber Orchestra will give its spring concert.
Director Blake Walter (below) will conduct the performance.
Works to be performed are: the Overture to the opera Fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven; St. Paul’s Suite for String Orchestra by Gustav Holst; and the Symphony No. 35, “Haffner,” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Admission is $5 for general admission, free with those with an Edgewood College ID.
Here are some program notes provided by Edgewood College.
“The Overture to Fidelio — Beethoven’s only opera — is the first of four overtures composed for the opera, but is perhaps the least often performed.
“In 1904, Gustav Holst was appointed Music Director of St. Paul’s School for Girls in London, and wrote the Suite for the small string orchestra and based it on popular English folk songs.
“Mozart completed his Haffner Symphony in 1785 and dedicated it to his patron, Sigmund Haffner the Elder, a wealthy businessman in Vienna.”
Posted in Classical music
Tags: #All-MusicSunday, #AntonioVivaldi, #AtriumAuditorium, #BlakeWalter, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #ChamberOrchestra, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianMusic, #ChristianReligion, #EdgewoodChamberOrchestra, #EdgewoodCollege, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FranzSchubert, #GustavHolst, #HaffnerSymphony, #InstrumentalMusic, #InstrumentalPlayer, #LondonEngland, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MusicDirector, #OperaMusic, #OperaOverture, #OrchestralMusic, #ProgramNotes, #RomanCatholic, #RomanCatholicism, #St.JosephChapel, #St.Paul'sSchoolforGirls, #StringOrchestra, #ThePublic, #TrumpetConcerto, #ViennaAustria, #VocalMusic, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, #ZaneWilliams, All-Music Sunday, Antonio Vivaldi, Arts, Atrium Auditorium, attend, audience, Austria, Beethoven, Blake Walter, blog, brass music, businessman, Cello, chamber orchestra, chapel, Choir, choral music, Christian, Christian music, Christianity, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, director, Early music, Edgewood Chamber Orchestra, Edgewood College, English, Fidelio, First Unitarian Society of Madison, folk song, folk songs, folksong, forward, Franz Schubert, girl, Gustav Holst, Haffner, Haffner Symphony, ID, Jacob Stockinger, Kyrie, like, link, London, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, mass, movement, Mozart, Music, opera, Orchestra, orchestral music, Overture, performer, popular, program notes, public, Roman Catholicism, share, soloist, spread, Spring, St. Joseph, St. Joseph Chapel, St. Paul, St. Paul's School for Girls, String Orchestra, Suite, symphony, tag, Trumpet, United States, Vienna, Viola, Violin, vocal, vocal music, wealth, wealthy, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, word, YouTube, Zane Williams
Tags: #All-MusicSunday, #AntonioVivaldi, #AtriumAuditorium, #BlakeWalter, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #ChamberOrchestra, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianMusic, #ChristianReligion, #EdgewoodChamberOrchestra, #EdgewoodCollege, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FranzSchubert, #GustavHolst, #HaffnerSymphony, #InstrumentalMusic, #InstrumentalPlayer, #LondonEngland, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MusicDirector, #OperaMusic, #OperaOverture, #OrchestralMusic, #ProgramNotes, #RomanCatholic, #RomanCatholicism, #St.JosephChapel, #St.Paul'sSchoolforGirls, #StringOrchestra, #ThePublic, #TrumpetConcerto, #ViennaAustria, #VocalMusic, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, #ZaneWilliams, All-Music Sunday, Antonio Vivaldi, Arts, Atrium Auditorium, attend, audience, Austria, Beethoven, Blake Walter, blog, brass music, businessman, Cello, chamber orchestra, chapel, Choir, choral music, Christian, Christian music, Christianity, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, director, Early music, Edgewood Chamber Orchestra, Edgewood College, English, Fidelio, First Unitarian Society of Madison, folk song, folk songs, folksong, forward, Franz Schubert, girl, Gustav Holst, Haffner, Haffner Symphony, ID, Jacob Stockinger, Kyrie, like, link, London, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, mass, movement, Mozart, Music, opera, Orchestra, orchestral music, Overture, performer, popular, program notes, public, Roman Catholicism, share, soloist, spread, Spring, St. Joseph, St. Joseph Chapel, St. Paul, St. Paul's School for Girls, String Orchestra, Suite, symphony, tag, Trumpet, United States, Vienna, Viola, Violin, vocal, vocal music, wealth, wealthy, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, word, YouTube, Zane Williams
Recent Comments
 | Ronnie on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
 | welltemperedear on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
 | Polly Kuelbs on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
| welltemperedear on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
 | Ann Boyer on How do post-pandemic concert a… |
The Well-Tempered Ear 
Classical music: Sonata à Quattro does justice to the spiritual piety and beautiful music in Haydn’s “Seven Last Words of Christ”
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
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 89.9 FM. For years, he served on the Board of Advisors for the Madison Early Music Festival and frequently gives pre-concert lectures in Madison. He also took the performance photos.
By John W. Barker
Marika Fischer Hoyt’s newest ensemble is called Sonata à Quattro (below), using the Italian Baroque expression for instrumental works scored for three upper parts and basso continuo. That idiom was the background to the more integrated balance of the string quartet.
It was Franz Joseph Haydn (below) who really consolidated that transformation, and so it was appropriate that the new group should at this early point in its development pay a major tribute to that composer.
Responding to a commission from a Spanish prelate, in 1786-87 Haydn composed a set of seven orchestral adagios — plus opening and closing pieces — to be played in a Good Friday ceremony celebrating the seven final statements by Christ from the cross (below, in a painting by Diego Velazquez) that are cumulatively reported by the Gospel writers.
At the same time, Haydn made a reduction of those orchestral movements into the string quartet format. That version he published outside his regular sets of string quartets, which had opus numbers.
Especially in the quartet form, this music achieved wide circulation, so much so that several attempts were made by others to create an oratorio out of this music, prompting Haydn himself to make his own oratorio version in 1795-96. Along the way, someone else made a keyboard transcription of the music that Haydn sanctioned.
It was, of course, the string quartet version — The Seven Last Words of Christ — that the Sonata à Quattro performed. It did so, first as part of a Good Friday church service in Milwaukee on April 19, and then as an independent one-hour free and public concert at the Oakwood Village West auditorium last Thursday night.
Fischer Hoyt (below), the group’s founder and violist, gave an introductory talk about the group’s name and about its decisions as to instrumentation. (It usually plays on period instruments, but chose this time to use modern ones with period bows.) Cellist Charlie Rasmussen added some comments about the music and its history. Violinists Kangwon Kim and Nathan Giglierano were happy just to play.
Haydn’s music was written in the deepest piety and sincerity, and that comes through in the individual components, which cost him much effort. (You can hear the second half of the work in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The seven Sonatas are framed by a solemn Introduction and a furious evocation of the “earthquake” that we are told followed the death of Jesus. Each successive Sonata is cast in very tight and concentrated sonata form. Haydn makes the Latin form of each statement or “word” the theme of each sonata. In all, the cycle makes the most deeply absorbing combination of spirituality and ingenuity.
The players brought out both those dimensions in a performance of rapt beauty. This score has quite a few recordings, but it is not heard in concert all that often, so it was a treasure to be given this wonderful presentation.
And now we know that Sonata à Quattro has great possibilities to develop.
Share this:
Like this:
Tags: #AmericanRecordGuide, #BaroqueMusic, #BassoContinuo, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BlogReview, #BooksoftheBIble, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberMusician, #CharlieRasmussen, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #CommissionedMusic, #ConcertHall, #DiegoVelazquez, #EmeritusProfessor, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzJosephHaydn, #GoodFriday, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #InstrumentalMusic, #IsthmusNewspaper, #ItalianBaroque, #JesusChrist, #JohnW.Barker, #KangwonKim, #MadisonEarlyMusicFestival, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MarikaFischerHoyt, #MedievalHistory, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #MusicCritic, #MusicReview, #NathanGiglierano, #OakwoodVillageWest, #OrchestralMusic, #PeriodInstrument, #PianoTranscription, #RadioHost, #SevenLastWordsofChrist, #SonataaQuattro, #StringQuartet, #WORT-FM89.9, absorbing, adagio, American Record Guide, Arts, audience, background, basso continuo, beauty, Bible, blog, bow, celebrate, cellist, Cello, ceremony, Chamber music, Charlie Rasmussen, choral music, Christ, Christian, church, circulation, Classical music, classicalmusic, closing, comments, commission, Compact Disc, component, composer, concentrated, concentration, Concert, concert hall, consolidate, cross, crucifixion, cumulative, cycle, death, deep, develop, development, Diego Velazquez, dimension, Early music, earthquake, Easter, effort, emeritus professor, ensemble, evocation, expression, Facebook, final, form, forward, founder, Franz Joseph Haydn, furious, Good Friday, gospel, historically informed performance practices, History, host, hour, idiom, independent, individual, ingenuity, introductory, Isthus, Italian, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus, Jesus Christ, John W. Barker, Kangwon Kim, Keyboard, Latin, lecture, like, link, Madison, Madison Early Music Festival, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Marika Fischer Hoyt, Medieval, Milwaukee, modern, movement, Music, music review, name, Nathan Giglierano, new, number, Oakwood Village West, opening, opus, oratorio, painting, performance, performer, period instruments, photo, piety, player, possibilities, possibility, prelate, presentation, professor, Radio, rapt, recording, reduction, reported, review, service, Seven Last Words of Christ, share, sincerity, socre, solemn, Sonata, Sonata à Quattro, Spanish, spirituality, statement, String quartet, Sunday, tag, talk, tight, transcription, transformation, treasure, tribute, upper, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, wonderful, word, WORT-FM 89.9, Writer