The Well-Tempered Ear
Edgewood College will live-stream its FREE Spring Celebration concert this Friday night
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By Jacob Stockinger
At 8 p.m. CDT this Friday night, April 30, the music department at Edgewood College will live-stream its FREE online Spring Celebration concert.
Here is the link: music.edgewood.edu
Here is the program:
The Edgewood Chamber Orchestra (below) will perform music by the Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel, who studied with Mozart and knew Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert (see the Wikipedia bio at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Nepomuk_Hummel; Krzysztof Penderecki, a Polish composer who died a year ago March; and the Argentinean “new tango” composer Astor Piazzolla, whose birth centennial was last month. Soloists include Gwyneth Ferguson on trumpet, and Malia Huntsman on oboe.
The Chamber Singers (below) will offer selections from Broadway musicals and contemporary choral arrangements, including Lord of the Rings by Enya, works from Josh Groban, and the Polish composer Henrik Gorecki.
The Guitar Ensemble will perform Haru no Umi (The Sea in Spring) by the Japanese composer Michio Miyagi (below), and a medley from the 1970s rock group Chicago: 25 or 6 to 4/Saturday in the Park, by Mark Lamm.
The Chamber Winds will perform selections from Crooner’s Serenade; Josef Rheinberger’s Evening Song (Abendlied, in the YouTube video at the bottom); and an arrangement of John Williams’ movie score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
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The Madison Symphony Orchestra holds a FREE live-streamed organ concert of Bach and Handel by Juilliard professor Paul Jacobs this Tuesday night at 7:30
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By Jacob Stockinger
A FREE online organ concert on this Tuesday night, Nov. 17, will provide a classic example of the compare-and-contrast programs that The Ear likes so much.
Here are details:
On this Tuesday night, Nov. 17, at 7:30 CST, Juilliard organ professor Paul Jacobs (below) will return to Overture Hall to give a FREE live-streamed performance as part of the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s concert organ series.
In 2018, the Grammy Award-winning Jacobs made his Madison debut and garnered praise for an all-Bach program. This time, Jacobs – who taught MSO organist Greg Zelek – will perform a program that alternates between Johann Sebastian Bach (below top) and George Friderich Handel (below bottom).
The program features Jacobs offering his musical insights into Handel’s Organ Concertos. Bookended by his arrangements of two of Handel’s Op. 4 Concertos for solo organ, the versatility of the MSO’s Klais organ (below) will be on full display. (You can hear the theme-and-variations finale of the Organ Concerto, Op. 4, No. 1, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Although the virtual concert, which can be viewed through this Wednesday, Nov. 18, is FREE, registration is required. You can also register to see the free Oct. 13 concert by Greg Zelek through this Wednesday.
To see the complete Bach and Handel program, read more background about Paul Jacobs, and register to watch, go to: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/paul-jacobs-2020-streamed/
Concert sponsors are: Jeff and Beth Bauer; Jane Hamblen; and Robert F. Lemanske.
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Classical music: Bach Around the Clock 2019 is looking for performers of all kinds to play on March 2
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By Jacob Stockinger
Do you like the music of Johann Sebastian Bach (below, followed by photos of performances from past years)?
Then attention individuals and groups!
Amateurs and professionals!
Students and teachers!
Young people and old!
Instrumentalists and singers!
Bach Around the Clock – the annual one-day festival to mark the birthday of composer Johann Sebastian Bach – is looking for performers for the 12 hours of celebration.
This year, the event takes place on Saturday, March 2.
Here is an official announcement with complete details about participating in and supporting the event:
Would YOU like to perform at Bach Around the Clock (BATC)?
Plan to join in the celebration of the 334th birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
Musicians — amateur and professional — are invited to perform their favorite piece by Bach.
To request a performance spot, go to the BATC website and click on “Contact Us” to find our online sign-up request form.
Tell us who you are, whether it’s you alone or in a group, what you would like to perform, what instrument(s) and the approximate amount of time you would like for your performance. We will get back in touch with you with complete details.
Here is a link: https://bachclock.com/
Performances will take place on Saturday, March 2, at St. Andrew’s Church, 1833 Regent St., Madison, from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. It will be live-streamed on local radio stations and websites.
P.S. You can help keep this festival free and open to all! Bach Around the Clock welcomes donations to help meet the costs of offering this free community event. To make a secure online contribution, click below:
Bach Around the Clock is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The Ear, who finds the event instructive and enjoyable, wants to add that although he loves and appreciates performances of Bach’s works as they were originally intended, he especially enjoys unusual arrangements that show the plasticity and genius of Bach’s music. He loves bluegrass Bach, roots Bach, jazz Bach, fell Bach and more.
From past years, he remembers hearing Two-Part Inventions written for keyboard played by a bassoon and flute duo. (You can hear it in the YouTube video at the bottom.) Similarly, he found it entrancing when one of the suites for solo cello was played on a saxophone and another on an electric bass guitar.
The Ear loves such unexpected variety – and is sure that Johann Sebastian himself, who often borrowed from and transcribed his own works, would approve.
Tags: #AmateurMusician, #BachAroundtheClock, #BaroqueMusic, #BassoonMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BluegrassMusic, #ChamberMusic, #ChristianChurch, #CommunityEvent, #ElectricGuitar, #FluteMusic, #FolkMusic, #HarpsichordMusic, #JazzMusic, #JohannSebastianBach, #OldPeople, #PayPal, #PianoMusic, #ProfessionalMusician, #RockandRoll, #RockMusic, #RootsMusic, #SaxophoneMusic, #St.Andrew'sEpiscopalChurch, #SuiteforSoloCello, #Two-PartInvention, #YoungPeople, amateur, arrangements, Arts, audience, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, bagpipe, Baroque, bass, Bassoon, birthday, bluegrass, borrow, Cello, Chamber music, Christian, Christianity, church, Classical music, community, composer, concerto, cost, donation, Early music, electric, electric guitar, ensemble, Episcopal, event, festival, flute, folk, free, genius, group, groups, guitar, harpsichord, individual, instrument, instrumentalist, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Keyboard, like, link, live-stream, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music, non-profit, old, Orchestra, Pay Pal, performer, photo, Pianist, Piano, plasticity, professional, Radio, Rock, rock and roll, rock music, roots music, Saxophone, share, singer, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, stream, Student, Suite for solo cello, tag, tax, tax-deductible, taxes, Teacher, time, transcribe, transcription, Two-Part Invention, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Website, Wisconsin, work, young people, YouTube
Classical music education: This Sunday the Madison Youth Choirs will present their Winter Concert Series celebrating “Shakespeare 400 “
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By Jacob Stockinger
This winter, the Madison Youth Choirs are joining cultural institutions around the world by celebrating the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare (below) and his ongoing legacy.
Singers of various ages will perform musical settings from the plays Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love’s Labour’s Lost and The Tempest by composers including William Byrd, Thomas Morley, Henry Purcell, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Benjamin Britten, Giuseppe Verdi, Cesar Franck, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gerald Finzi, John Rutter and others.
Examining the role that motif, tension, structure and rhythm play in the repertoire and Shakespeare’s vast body of work, the choirs will explore the elements that combine to create compelling art that stands the test of time.
The MYC Winter Concerts, “Shakespeare 400,” will take place this Sunday, Dec. 11, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ (below), 1609 University Ave., near Camp Randall stadium.
Here is the schedule: 1:30 p.m. Girl choirs; 4 p.m. Boy choirs; 7 p.m. High School Ensembles
Tickets will be available at the door. Admission to each of the three concerts is $10 for the general public, $5 for students 7-18, and free for children under 7
PROGRAMS
Here is the repertoire for the MYC 2016 Winter Concert Series “Shakespeare 400”:
1:30 p.m. Concert (Featuring MYC Girlchoirs)
Choraliers
“Hey Ho! To the Greenwood” by William Byrd
“Spirits” by Douglas Beam
“Orpheus With His Lute” by Ralph Vaughan Williams
“Double, Double Toil and Trouble” by Leeann Starkey
photo
Con Gioia
“When Icicles Hang by the Wall” by David Lantz III
“You Spotted Snakes” by Toby Young
“Ban Ban Caliban” by Dan Forrest
Capriccio
“Hark! The Echoing Air” by Henry Purcell
“Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind” by Sarah Quartel
“Philomel with Melody” and “I Will Wind Thee in My Arms” by Cary Ratliff
“It Was a Lover and His Lass” by John Rutter
Cantabile
When Icicles Hang” by Stephen Hatfield
“Che faceste” from Macbeth (sung in Italian) by Giuseppi Verdi
4 p.m. Concert (Featuring MYC Boychoirs)
Combined Boychoirs
“One December, Bright and Clear” Traditional Catalonian carol, arr. By Wilberg
“Panis Angelicus” by Cesar Franck
Purcell
“Chairs to Mend” by William Hayes
“Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind” by John Rutter (heard in the YouTube video at the bottom)
“The Coasts of High Barbary” Traditional English sea song, arr. By Julseth-Heinrich
Britten
“Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind” by Roger Quilter
“Full Fathom Five” by John Ireland
“Who is Silvia” by Franz Schubert
Holst
“Full Fathom Five” by Robert Johnson
“Sing We and Chant It” by Thomas Morley
Ragazzi
“Come Away, Death” by Gerald Finzi
“The Witching Hour” by Brandon Ayres
7 p.m. Concert (Featuring High School Ensembles)
Cantilena
“The Willow Song” by Arthur Sullivan
“Willow, Willow, Willow” by Charles H.H. Parry
“Fair Oriana Seeming to Wink at Folly” by Robert Jones
“You Spotted Snakes” (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream) by Felix Mendelssohn
“Give Them Thy Fingers” by Stefan Kalmer
Ragazzi
“Four Arms, Two Necks, One Wreathing” by Thomas Weelkes
“Come Away, Death” by Gerald Finzi
“And Draw Her Home with Music” by Nancy Hill Cobb
“The Witching Hour” by Brandon Ayres
Cantabile
“Che faceste” from Macbeth (sung in Italian) by Giuseppi Verdi
“Come Away, Death” by Roger Quilter
Selections from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten
“When Icicles Hang” by Stephen Hatfield
Cantabile and Ragazzi
“Ave Verum Corpus” by William Byrd
“Jingle, Bells!” by James Pierpont, arr. by David Wilcocks
These concerts are generously endowed by the Diane Ballweg Performance Fund with additional support from the American Girl’s Fund for Children, BMO Harris Bank and the Wisconsin Arts Board.
About the Madison Youth Choirs (MYC): Recognized as an innovator in youth choral music education, Madison Youth Choirs (MYC) welcomes singers of all ability levels, annually serving more than 1,000 young people, ages 7-18, through a wide variety of choral programs in our community.
Cultivating a comprehensive music education philosophy that inspires self-confidence, personal responsibility, and a spirit of inquiry leading students to become “expert noticers,” MYC creates accessible, meaningful opportunities for youth to thrive in the arts and beyond.
For further information, contact: Nicole Sparacino, Madison Youth Choirs, Nicole@madisonyouthchoirs.org or call (608) 238-7464
Tags: A Midsummer Night's Dream, arrangements, Art, Arthur Sullivan, Arts, Baroque, Benjamin Britten, boy choir, boychoir, boys, Byrd, cantabile, Capriccio, Carol, Catalonia, Cesar Franck, Chamber music, chant, choral music, Classical music, comedy, David Wilcocks, death, drama, elementary school, folk song, Franz Schubert, Gerald Finzi, girls, girls choir, high school, Holst, Ireland, Italian, Jacob Stockinger, John Ireland, John Rutter, legacy, Love's Labour's Lost, lute, Madison, Madison Youth Choirs, Mendelssohn, Middle school, motif, Music, Music education, Orpheus, Parry, plays, Purcell, Ralph Vaughan Williams, rhythm, Schubert, sea, Shakepseare, snake, structure, Tempest, tension, Thomas Morley, tradition, traditional, tragedy, Twelfth Night, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Verdi, vocal music, William Shakespeare, William Shakespeare's plays, willow, Wind, winter, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, youth choirs, YouTube
Classical music: The Wisconsin Chamber Choir will perform an unusual holiday program of several settings of the “Magnificat” as well as two world premieres this Saturday night. Plus, today is the 245th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven.
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ALERT: Today is the 245th birthday of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). You’re sure to hear a lot of Beethoven on the radio. And maybe you will play some Beethoven. Why not let The Ear and other readers know what is your favorite symphony, piano sonata, concerto and string quartet or other chamber music work? Leave your choice in the COMMENT section with a link to a YouTube video, if that is possible.
By Jacob Stockinger
The acclaimed Wisconsin Chamber Choir (below) is known delivering first-rate music in first-rate performance, often with some original twist or take or concept.
This weekend of this holiday season is no different.
On this Saturday night, the critically acclaimed Wisconsin Chamber Choir will perform an ambitious and unusual holiday concert called “Magnificat.”
The performance is Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in Grace Episcopal Church (below), at 116 West Washington Avenue, where it joins Carroll Street on the Capitol Square, in downtown Madison.
Tickets are $15 (students $10) in advance; $20 ($12) at the door. Advance tickets are available from www.wisconsinchamberchoir.org, via Brown Paper Tickets, or at Willy Street Coop (East and West locations) and Orange Tree Imports.
Featured performers include Andy Olson, oboe; Laura Burns, violin; Eric Miller, cello; and Mark Brampton Smith, organ
BACKGROUND AND PROGRAM NOTES
Here is more information from the Wisconsin Chamber Choir:
“My soul magnifies the Lord…”
It is how Mary’s song of praise, from the Gospel of Luke, begins. And it is one of the oldest Christian hymns, known as the Magnificat. (The hymn’s title comes from first word of the Latin version, Magnificat anima mea Dominum.
The Wisconsin Chamber Choir will offer Mary’s song in English, Latin, German and Church Slavonic, with music by Heinrich Schütz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Jan Dismas Zelenka, Arvo Pärt, Herbert Howells and two world premieres by the Iowa-based composer, Peter Bloesch.
Widely regarded as the greatest German composer before Bach, Heinrich Schütz’s double-choir “German Magnificat” was his very last composition. In this piece, Schütz (below) brings the vivid imagery of the Magnificat text to life in some of his most inventive and compelling music.
Czech composer Jan Dismas Zelenka, known as “the Catholic Bach,” was the official church composer to the Catholic court in Dresden. A master of counterpoint like Bach, Zelenka frequently utilized energetic, syncopated rhythms and daring harmonic progressions in his music, qualities on display in his Magnificat in D-major for soloists, choir, and instruments.
From Bach himself, the WCC presents three charming, rarely heard movements that Bach inserted into his own “Magnificat” setting for performances during the Christmas season. (NOTE: You can hear Bach’s complete “Magnificat” with conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt in a YouTube video at the bottom.)
Complimenting these choral works by Bach, Zelenka and Schütz, organist Mark Brampton Smith performs solo organ works by Baroque composers Johann Pachelbel and Johann Kindermann.
The spritely Bogoroditse Devo (the Russian equivalent of the Latin Ave Maria) by Arvo Part (below top) opens the second half of the program, followed by a glorious, Romantic version of the “Magnificat” sung in Church Slavonic. The musical setting is composed by César Cui (below bottom), a close associate of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Modest Mussorgsky and Alexander Borodin.
Representing the Magnificat text in English is the setting for Gloucester Cathedral, composed in 1946 by Herbert Howells (below).
The WCC’s program concludes with a set of seasonal carols by the late Grammy-nominated Stephen Paulus (below top) and Peter Bloesch, a multifaceted composer from Iowa City with extensive experience in choral music, holiday pops arrangements, and film and television scores, including collaborations with Mike Post on TV hits “LA Law” and “Law and Order.”
The WCC will present two world premieres by Peter Bloesch (below): an original version of the medieval carol, Out of Your Sleep Arise and Wake, and a virtuoso, eight-part setting of the beloved French melody, Ding Dong, Merrily on High.
Founded in 1998, the Madison-based Wisconsin Chamber Choir has established a reputation for excellence in the performance of oratorios by Bach, Mozart, and Haydn; a cappella masterworks from various centuries; and world-premieres. Robert Gehrenbeck (below), who directs the choral program at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is the artistic director and conductor of the Wisconsin Chamber Choir.
Tags: a cappella, Alexander Borodin, arrangements, Arts, Arvo Part, Bach, Baroque, Bible, Carol, Catholic, Cello, Cesar Cui, Chamber music, choral music, Christmas, Church Slavonic, Classical music, Czechoslovakia, Dresden, Early music, English, film, German, Germany, gospel, Grammy, Haydn, Herbert Howells, Holiday, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Kindermann, Johann Pachelbel, Johann Sebastian Bach, LA Law, Latin, Law and Order, List of Russian composers, Ludwig van Beethoven, Luke, Madison, Magnificat, Mary, medieval carols, Mike Post, Modest Mussorgsky, Mozart, Music, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Oboe, oratorios, organ, Peter Bloesch, pops, Russia, Schütz, Stephen Paulus, Television, TV, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Whitewater, Violin, Virgin Mary, Wisconsin Chamber Choir, YouTube, Zelenska
Classical music: The University of Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra gets a reprieve, thanks to compromise and repertoire adjustments — or so it seems right now. That makes The Ear happy, and should do the same for you. Plus, you can hear BOTH of Mozart’s piano quartets for FREE on Monday night at Oakwood Village West.
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ALERT: Baroque and modern Madison violinist Kangwon Kim (below), who is a friend of this blog, writes: “I was hoping you could announce my FREE upcoming concert at Oakwood West. I will be playing both of the glorious Mozart Piano Quartets (in G minor, K. 478, and in E-Flat Major, K. 493) in the “Music on Mondays @7” Series with my colleagues, Matthew Michelic, viola; Stefan Kartman, cello; and Jeannie Yu, piano.
The concert will be held on Monday, May 19, at 7 p.m. in the ARTS auditorium at Oakwood West University Woods, 6205 Mineral Point Road on Madison’s far west side. Both of these quartets are very beautiful and we are very excited to perform them in the same program.” And The Ear adds: The two Mozart piano quartets are very different, and very complementary in mood -– not repetitious and wonderfully listenable. This performance is a great way to hear the differences between major-key and minor-key Mozart in one sitting.
By Jacob Stockinger
Talk about the perfect graduation gift for students at the graduation ceremonies this weekend at the University of Wisconsin-Madison!
It now seems that it will NOT be either au revoir or adieu for the UW Chamber Orchestra (below), as it first appeared. Conductor James Smith has made some compromises and adjustments that make it sound likely that the UW Chamber Orchestra will continue next season and next academic year without the hiatus of even one semester that seemed to be its certain fate earlier in this semester.
Here is how it all developed, the backstory, according to a previous posting:
And now comes a reassuring year-end letter to students, faculty and staff from Jim Smith (below), who heads the instrumental conducting program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music.
Here is the text:
“To the members of the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras:
“I am writing to thank you for the artistry and professionalism you brought to every rehearsal and performance. We made some beautiful and exciting music together, and I am indeed lucky to be your conductor.
“Many members of the orchestra will graduate in a few days, and to each of you I send my very best wishes for a creative and interesting life.
“Next year, there will a bit of a change in the orchestra program. There has been much speculation regarding the potential elimination of the Chamber Orchestra. I am happy to tell you that this is indeed NOT the case.
“There is, however, some uncertainty regarding the number of winds available to fill the positions required for a proper chamber orchestra. So I have elected to program works for strings with the potential of adding keyboards, percussion, faculty soloists, and the solo winds as needed for various works.
“Here are a few of the works under consideration:
“Music for Strings, Percussion and Celeste” by Bela Bartok (below top)
“Metamorphosen” by Richard Strauss
“Apollon Musagete” by Igor Stravinsky (below middle)
“Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” string quartet as arranged by Gustav Mahler below bottom)
Adagio from the Symphony No. 5 by Gustav Mahler
“I am quite excited about this repertoire, and know we will have wonderful concerts together.
“You can register for Chamber Orchestra if it has been reintroduced into the schedule of classes. Hopefully, that will be the case. It may be listed Opera Orchestra, a title designed to act as a holding space for whatever substitute for the Chamber Orchestra was necessary to cover the opera production in the first semester.
“Whatever the title of the course, it serves as your organization credit. Difficulties can be sorted out later. The orchestra will meet as usual on Mondays and Wednesdays.
“Again, thank you for everything and have a wonderful summer.
“Sincerely yours,
“James Smith”
If you doubt how welcome this development is, take a listen to the video below. It comes from the outstanding last concert by the UW Chamber Orchestra, which, despite performing for free, deserve a full house every time they play. Some higher profile performing times might help achieve that.
First, they performed a delightful homage to Mozart by French composer Jacques Ibert (below top) and then an homage-like Dance Suite to Baroque French composer Francois Couperin by the late Romantic composer Richard Strauss (below bottom).
Then came a highlight, a genuine masterpiece: the Symphony No. 39 in E-Flat Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (below). The ensemble delivered with grace and taste, it also with muscularity.
This was no music box Mozart, but a performance that shows you why Mozart has been so revered by other composers and listeners alike, and demonstrates what a big development Mozart proved in the history of Western classical music. It sure showed how Mozart wrote a lot more than pleasant, easy-listening wallpaper music to accompany brunch or to allow listeners to multi-task.
Here is a You Tube video of the opening of the first movement from that recent performance by the UW Chamber Orchestra:
Tags: arrangements, Arts, Baroque, celeste, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, Classical music, commencement, Death and the Maiden, E-Flat Major, Franz Schubert, graduation, Gustav Mahler, Igor Stravinsky, Jacob Stockinger, Jacques Ibert, Madison, Mozart, Music, Oakwood Village, Orchestra, percussion, Piano Quartet, Richard Strauss, Schubert, symphony, symphony orchestra, transcriptions, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW Chamber Orchestra, UW Symphony Orchestra, Violin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
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