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By Jacob Stockinger
If you missed the free 40th annual Karp Family Labor Day Concert on Tuesday night in Mills Hall, you missed more than music. You missed the kind of event that makes for long and precious memories.
Sure, you can nitpick the program and the performers, who also included daughter-in-law violist Katrin Talbot (below right) and guest violinist Suzanne Beia (below left), who performs with the Pro Arte Quartet, the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.
You could ask, for example, which cello transcription worked better – the Violin Sonatina, Op. 100, by Dvorak or the Violin Sonata No. 10, Op. 96, by Beethoven. (The Ear votes for the Dvorak.)
And you could also ask which performer stood out the most. (The Ear thinks that is the great-grandmother and matriarch pianist Frances Karp playing in a Mozart piano quartet. At 90, Frances still possesses beautiful tone, the right volume and balance, and the necessary technical chops. They say there is nowhere to hide in Mozart, but Frances Karp did need any place to hide. Her Mozart was, simply, sublime.)
But, in the end, those kinds of questions and critiques really seem beside the bigger point.
What mattered most was the sheer enjoyment of hearing a family perform live some wonderful music by Mozart, Beethoven, Dvorak and Schumann (the passionate Adagio and Allegro in A-flat Major, Op. 70, played by Lynn Harrell in the YouTube video at the bottom).
And what mattered more as The Ear thought about it was the kind of time travel the concert involved.
There were two kinds, really.
One had to do with having watched the various performing Karps – clearly Madison’s First Family of Music – over four decades. It was touching to realize that The Ear has seen cellist Parry Karp, to take one example, evolve from son to husband to father to grandfather. And through it all, the music remained.
In today’s culture of short attention spans, that kind of constancy and persistence — through the inevitable ups and downs of 40 years — is something to celebrate, admire and cherish.
Time travel happened in another way too.
The Ear first watched Frances Karp accompany her son Parry (below top), then watched son Christopher Karp accompany his older brother Parry (below bottom). And it called to mind the days when – before radio or recordings – families made music together in their homes.
Historically, that’s how many great composers and much great music got started. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Felix Mendelssohn played piano duets with their gifted sisters, Nannerl and Fanny, respectively. Jean Sibelius played duets with his sister. And there were surely many more. Hausmusik, or “house music,” played a vital role.
And this is how it felt at the traditional Karp family concert. We felt invited into a loving, close and gifted musical family who were performing as much for each other as for the audience.
We could use more of that.
The musical and the familial mixed so beautifully, so convincingly, that all one can say after the event is “Thank you” with the ardent wish to hear them again next year.
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Get out your datebooks and calendars.
Here is a complete listing for major concerts and events at the University of Wisconsin Mead Witter School of Music during the new 2019-20 season.
The calendar starts with the FREE season-opening 40th annual Karp Family Labor Day Concert this coming Tuesday night, Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall. The program features chamber music by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Dvorak. For more information about the program and performers, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/40th-karp-family-concert/
Most concerts this season will take place in the new Hamel Music Center (below), which has a three-day opening celebration Oct. 25-27.
Please note that just a few programs are listed. For other programs, and for information about any admission charge, you can go to the School of Music’s home website closer to the event and click on Concerts and Events: https://www.music.wisc.edu/events/
Tuesday, Sep 3, 2019
Karp Family Concert
7:30 PM
Mills Hall
Sunday, September 29, 2019,
Jessica Martin & John O’Brien – Nordic song recital
4:00 PM
Morphy Hall
Monday, Sept. 30, 2019
Beth Wiese, Tuba, Guest Artist Recital
7:30 PM
Morphy Hall
Friday, October 4, 2019
Pro Arte Quartet
8:00 PM
Mills Hall
Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019
Chanticleer
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019
Wind Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Friday, October 11, 2019
UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sunday, October 13, 2019
University Bands
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Contemporary Jazz & Blue Note Ensemble
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Wisconsin Brass Quintet – Faculty Concert Series
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thursday, October 17
Jazz Faculty Quintet with special guest Michael Dudley, trumpet
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Monday, October 21, 2019
Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble and UW Jazz Orchestra
7:30 PM
Play Circle
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Concert Band
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Wed, October 23, 2019
Jazz Composers Group & Jazz Standards
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Thu, October 24, 2019
Parry Karp with Eli Kalman, piano
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Friday, October 25, 2019
Opening Celebration Weekend: Hamel Music Center. Please check our website for details.
All Day
740 University Avenue
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Opening Celebration Weekend: Hamel Music Center. Please check our website for details.
All Day
740 University Avenue
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Opening Celebration Weekend: Hamel Music Center. Featured Event: Collins Fellows Concert
1:00 PM
Collins Recital Hall, Hamel Music Center
Wed, October 30, 2019
Master Class with Violist Nobuko Imai
6:30 PM
Collins Hall
Thu, October 31, 2019
Violist Nobuko Imai with Pro Arte Quartet
12:00 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, November 1, 2019
Madrigal Singers
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, November 2, 2019
Alicia Lee, faculty clarinet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sun, November 3, 2019
Wind Ensemble
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, November 8, 2019
Wingra Wind Quintet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, November 9, 2019
UW Chorale
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thu, November 14, 2019
UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, November 15, 2019
University Opera: Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Sun, November 17, 2019
University Opera: Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2:00 PM
Music Hall
Tue, November 19, 2019
University Opera: Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Sat, November 16, 2019
Low Brass Ensemble
4:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, November 16, 2019
Combined Choirs
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, November 16, 2019
Timothy Hagen, faculty flute
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, November 22, 2019
UW Concert Choir
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, November 22, 2019
Pro Arte Quartet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, November 22, 2019
UW Jazz Orchestra
5:00-7:00 PM
Rathskeller
Saturday, Nov 23, 2019
Undergrad Audition Day
All day
Sat, November 23, 2019
World Percussion Ensemble
12:00 PM
Music Hall
Sat, November 23, 2019
Brass Ensembles
1:00 PM
??
Sun, November 24, 2019
UW Concert Band with Winds of Wisconsin
5:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Mon, November 25, 2019
Chamber Percussion Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mills Hall
Tue, November 26, 2019
Opera Scenes
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Mon, December 2, 2019
Piano Studio Recital
6:30 PM
Collins Hall
Tue, December 3, 2019
Jazz Composers & Contemporary Jazz Ensembles
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Wed, December 4, 2019
Jazz Standards Ensemble & Afro-Cuban Jazz
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Thu, December 5, 2019
UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra & UW Wind Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, December 6, 2019
Saxophonist Greg Ward with the Blue Note Ensemble and UW jazz faculty
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, December 7, 2019
UW & Madison Metropolitan Jazz Festival
Final Concert, 3:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, December 7, 2019
Choral Union: Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “A Sea Symphony”
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, December 8, 2019
University Bands
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, December 8, 2019
Choral Concerts at Luther Memorial Church
2:00 PM
Luther Memorial Church
Sun, December 8, 2019
Choral Concerts at Luther Memorial Church
4:00 PM
Luther Memorial Church
Sun, December 8, 2019
All-University Strings
4:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
BEGIN 2020
Sun, January 26, 2020
Annual Schubertiade
3:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, February 1, 2020
Christopher Taylor and Friends — Beethoven Symphony Extravaganza
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Wed, February 5, 2020
Daniel Grabois, horn
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Thu, February 6, 2020
UW Symphony Orchestra
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, February 8, 2020
The Knights
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, February 16, 2020
UW Wind Ensemble
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Monday, February 17, 2020
Chamber Percussion Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mills Hall
Tue, February 18, 2020
Concert Band
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thu, February 20, 2020
Parry Karp, faculty recital
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, February 21, 2020
Marc Vallon & Friends
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sunday, Feb 23, 2020
Les Thimmig, faculty recital
2:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, April 18, 2020
Low Brass Ensemble
4:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, February 28, 2020
Pro Arte Quartet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, February 29, 2020
Wingra Wind Quintet
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, February 28, 2020,
University Opera – Mozart’s Così fan tutte
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Sun, March 1, 2020
University Opera – Mozart’s Così fan tutte
2:00 PM
Music Hall
Tue, March 3, 2020
University Opera – Mozart’s Così fan tutte
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Sun, March 1, 2020
Winds of Wisconsin
5:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Wed, March 4, 2020
Afro-Cuban Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Composers Group
7:30
Collins Hall
Thu, March 5, 2020
Blue Note Ensemble & Jazz Standards Ensemble
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Sat, March 7, 2020
UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra with guest pianist Wu Han
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, March 8, 2020
University Bands
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Tue, March 10, 2020
Percussion Department Recital
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Weds March 11, 2020
UW Jazz Orchestra
7:30 PM
Play Circle
Wednesday, March 11, 2020
Wisconsin Brass Quintet – Faculty Concert Series
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thu, March 12, 2020
UW Wind Ensemble
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, March 27, 2020
Le Domaine Musicale with Marc Vallon and Friends
8:00 PM
Collins Hall
Sun, March 29, 2020
Concert Band
2:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sun, April 5, 2020
Beethoven Competition Winners’ Recital
3:30 PM
Collins Hall
Sun, April 5, 2020
“Symphony Showcase” Concerto Winners’ Solo Concert
7:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 11, 2020
Chorale
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Fri, April 12, 2019
Perlman Trio Chamber Concert
3:00 PM
Collins Hall
Tue, April 14, 2020
Opera Scenes
7:30 PM
Music Hall
Wed, April 15, 2020
Contested Homes: Migrant Liberation Movement Suite
7:30 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Thu, April 16, 2020
Pro Arte Quartet
7:30 PM
Collins Hall
Fri, April 17, 2020
Combined Choirs
8:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 18, 2020
Low Brass Ensemble
4:00 PM
Mead Witter Hall
Sat, April 18, 2020
UW-Madison Choral Reunion concert featuring Concert Choir, Madrigals and alumni
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Summer is almost over and the new concert season is about to begin in just a couple weeks.
Just about all the groups in the Madison area, large and small, have announced their upcoming seasons.
But it you are wondering why the brochure for the hundreds of events that will take place at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music hasn’t arrived yet, here is the answer.
There isn’t one this year.
For many years the UW-Madison’s SOM — as the School of Music is often abbreviated – has issued a handsome season brochure (below) with names and dates, if not always complete programs.
In the past couple of years, the brochure has been particularly informative with background about performers and events at the school as well as about students and alumni.
But due to a variety of factors, there will be no season brochure although there will be a special brochure for the opening weekend on the new Hamel Music Center (below), which is Oct. 25-27.
A variety of reasons has caused the lack of a brochure, says Publicist and Concert Manager Katherine Esposito. But the familiar full-season brochure will return for the 2020-21 season.
It the meantime, Esposito recommends that you go to the Concert and Events calendar, which has been updated and made more user-friendly, on the website for the school of music. It also features information about faculty and staff as well as news about the school. Here is a link:
On the right hand side is a menu that allows you to view the calendar as a running list or by the month, week or day with maps or photos.
On the left hand side is another menu that allows you to search by musical category (performers and ensemble) as well as concert date, time, venue and admission cost, if any.
Esposito always recommends that you subscribe to the email newsletters. You can see past ones and sign up to receive future ones if you go to this part of the home website: https://www.music.wisc.edu/recent-newsletters/
As usual, the season at the UW-Madison will open with 40th FREE Karp Family Labor Day Concert, which now takes place the day after the holiday, on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall.
Over four decades, the Karps (below are the brothers pianist Christopher Karp with cellist Parry Karp, who will team up again this year) have never repeated a piece on the the Labor Day concerts.
The program this year includes the sublime Piano Quartet No. 2 in E-Flat Major, K. 493, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (you can hear the first movement with a visual schematic in the YouTube video at the bottom); the late Sonata No. 10 for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 96, by Ludwig van Beethoven, which has been transcribed by Parry Karp for cello and piano; and lesser known works by Robert Schumann and Antonin Dvorak.
For more about the program and the performers, who include guest violinist Suzanne Beia of the Pro Arte Quartet, the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/40th-karp-family-concert/
The Ear has received the following announcement from UW-Madison cellist Parry Karp (below) about the 39th Karp Family Labor Day Concert – which this year has been moved from Monday night to Tuesday night and aptly renamed as the first concert of the new season, the same purpose it has served since it began.
“On Tuesday — NOT Monday — we will perform our 39th Karp Family Opening Concert.
“Through the years we have always done our opening program the day before classes begin. For the past many years that has meant the program was on Labor Day. However this year classes start on Wednesday, so our program will be at 7:30 p.m. on this coming TUESDAY, Sept. 4, in Mills Concert Hall.
“Admission is FREE.
“Performers are: Suzanne Beia, violin; Alicia Lee, clarinet; Katrin Talbot, viola; Parry Karp, cello; Frances Karp and Christopher Karp, piano.
“The program is listed below.
“Continuing in our tradition of never repeating a piece, these are all new pieces for this series of concerts. The program includes the world premiere of Eric Nathan’s piece for Cello and Piano entitled “Missing Words III.” Some biographical information and an excerpt from a program note about the piece are below. We are very excited to play this program.”
Eric Nathan (below): “Missing Words III” for Cello and Piano (2017) in its world premiere. Here is a link to Nathan’s home website:http://www.ericnathanmusic.com
Ludwig van Beethoven: Sonata in F Major for Piano and Violin, Op. 24 “Spring” (1801-2), transcribed for Piano and Cello by Parry Karp
The music by Eric Nathan (b. 1983) has been called “as diverse as it is arresting” with a “constant vein of ingenuity and expressive depth” (San Francisco Chronicle), “thoughtful and inventive” (The New Yorker), and as moving “with bracing intensity and impeccable logic” (Boston Classical Review).
Nathan, a 2013 Rome Prize Fellow and 2014 Guggenheim Fellow, has garnered international acclaim.
EXCERPT FROM A PROGRAM NOTE BY ERIC NATHAN
“Missing Words III” (2017) is the third in an ongoing series of compositions composed in homage to Ben Schott’s book, Schottenfreude (Blue Rider Press/Penguin Group), a collection of newly created German words for the contemporary world.
The German language has the capability to create new words through the combination of shorter ones and can express complex concepts in a single word for which there is no direct translation in other languages. Such words include Schadenfreude, Doppelgänger and Wanderlust, and these have been adopted into use in English. With his new book, Ben Schott proposes new words missing from the English language that we can choose to adopt into our own vocabulary.”
“Missing Words III” was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, Parry and Christopher Karp (below). It follows two previous works in the “Missing Words” series, which were composed for the Berlin Philharmonic’s Scharoun Ensemble and the American Brass Quintet, respectively. (You can hear the composer and his “Missing Words” music in the YouTube video below.)