The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: The UW Choral Union, UW Symphony Orchestra and guest soloists took the audience on a memorable musical voyage in Ralph Vaughan Williams “A Sea Symphony”
6 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, 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
It took a postponement of almost two months before the UW Choral Union (below) finally got to perform last Saturday night in the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall in the new Hamel Music Center.
But the wait was worth it.
The combined forces – conducted by the retiring choral director Beverly Taylor – proved convincing and accomplished in the challenging score of “A Sea Symphony” by the early 20th-century British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams.
The performers did justice to the score’s vivid sound painting. You could hear the sea wind whistling through the rigging; you could feel the ship plowing through the swells and waves.
The American poet Walt Whitman (below) – whose epic-like poetry provided the text for this ambitious nautical and musical journey – would have been proud of the performance.
After all, like Whitman’s poetry, Vaughn Williams’ music — his first symphony — can be forceful and spacious at many moments, tender and reflective or even intimate at other times. The music matches the text, and the performers matched both.
The forces were precise under Taylor’s baton, with sharp attacks and no ragged stopping. True, there were a few moments when the balance seemed a bit off, when the UW Symphony Orchestra overpowered the large campus and community chorus, especially in the very brassy and thickly scored first movement. You just wanted to hear the words better and felt frustrated not to.
But for the most part, though, the student orchestra proved impressive. They were tight and crisp, accurate and transparent, allowing listeners to hear the inner part playing and even certain modernist harmonies of the generally conservative Vaughan Williams (below).
Moreover, the symphony, the chorus and the soloists blended especially well and movingly in the symphony’s quieter moments.
Those moments included the second movement, “On the Beach at Night, Alone”; and the quiet, understated ending where the idea of voyage and exploration becomes personal and metaphorical or spiritual as well as literal: “Reckless, O soul, exploring, I with thee, and thou with me … O my brave soul! O farther, farther sail!”
(You can hear a sample in the hymn-like opening of the fourth movement in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
In addition, the outstanding acoustics of the new hall – where the chorus sits above and behind the orchestra – brought the performance to life even more convincingly.
There were two soloists (below): soprano Chelsie Propst and baritone James Harrington.
Harrington possessed a pleasing tone, but he seemed to be holding back for some reason. He could have projected more confidence and been more energetic or assertive in his delivery. After all, neither Whitman nor Vaughan Williams is shy in this large-scale work.
Curiously, it was the woman soloist, Propst, who roared like the sea, whose big voice easily soared over the orchestra and chorus. Her singing was thoroughly beautiful and thoroughly engaging.
Unfortunately, the very successful concert was not sold out, but the audience proved attentive and very enthusiastic.
This debut performance in the new hall made one look forward all the more to another big piece and big performance by the UW Choral Union and UW Symphony Orchestra, one that will wrap up the season and end Taylor’s long tenure at the UW-Madison: the dramatic and operatic Requiem by Verdi on Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26.
Tags: #20thCentury, #AmericanBrassQuintet, #AmericanPoet, #ASeaSymphony, #BaritoneSinger, #BeverlyTaylor, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BritishComposer, #ChelsiePropst, #ChoralMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GiuseppeVerdi, #HamelMusicCenter, #JacobStockinger, #JamesHarrington, #Large-scale, #MeadWitterFoundationConcertHall, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #OrchestralMusic, #RalphVaughanWilliams, #SaturdayNight, #SopranoSinger, #SoundPainting, #SundayNight, #TheEar, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UWChoralUnion, #UWSymphonyOrchestra, #VerdiOpera, #VerdiRequiem, #VocalMusic, #WaltWhitman, #YouTubevideo, 20th-century, A Sea Symphony, accomplished, accurate, acoustics, alone, ambition, ambitious, American, Arts, assertive, attack, baritone, baton, beach, beautiful, Beverly Taylor, big, blend, blog, brass, brave, British, Campus, challenge, Chelsie Propst, Choir, choral music, chorus, Classical music, combined, community, composer, Concert, concert hall, conductor, confidence, conservative, crisp, delivery, director, dramatic, end, ending, enegetic, engaging, exploration, Facebook, first, forceful, forces, frustrated, Giuseppe Verdi, hall, Hamel Music Center, harmonies, harmony, hear, inner, intimate, Jacob Stockinger, James Harrington, journey, justice, like, link, literal, Madison, match, Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Mead Witter School of Music, metaphorical, modernist, moment, movement, Music, musical, nautical, new, night, opera, operatic, Orchestra, orchestral music, outstanding, overpower, painting, part, performance, performer, personal, piece, pleasing, poet, Poetry, possess, post, posting, postponement, precise, quiet, ragged, Ralph Vaughan Williams, reader, reflective, Requiem, rigging, sample, Saturday night, score, sea, Season, share, sharp, shy, singer, Singing, soloists, soprano, soul, Sound, sound painting, space, spacious, spiritual, stopping, Student, Sunday, swell, symphony, tag, tender, tenure, text, The Ear, tight, tone, transparent, understated, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW Choral Union, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW-Madison, vast, Verdi, Verdi Requiem, vivid, vocal music, voice, voyage, wait, Walt Whitman, wave, whistle, Wind, Wisconsin, words, work, wrap, YouTube
Classical music: Here are short takes about some chamber music, orchestral music and choral music concerts for this week, starting TODAY
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
It is another very busy week in Madison for classical music. Here are some short takes about various concerts, starting today and running through the week.
TODAY
Today — Sunday, April 7 — at 12:30 p.m., longtime chamber music partners UW-Madison cellist Parry Karp and UW-Oshkosh pianist Eli Kalman (below) will perform a FREE all-French recital at the Chazen Museum of Art in Brittingham Gallery 3. The concert is part of the regular monthly series Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen.
The concert will also be STREAMED LIVE starting at 12:30 p.m.
For a streaming portal and details about the program, go to:
TUESDAY
On Tuesday night, April 9, at 7:30 p.m. in Music Hall, at the foot of Bascom Hill, students in the UW-Madison Opera Workshop class perform a variety of scenes from opera and musical theater, staged and with piano accompaniment.
Sorry, but there are no details available about the composers, opera or scenes.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10
On Wednesday night, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. in the Middleton Performing Arts Center that is attached to Middleton High School, 2100 Bristol Street, the largely amateur but critically acclaimed Middleton Community Orchestra (below) will perform.
The program, under guest conductor Kyle Knox, features the Symphony No. 2 in D Major by Ludwig van Beethoven and “The Wand of Youth” Suites by Sir Edward Elgar. (You can hear the opening of the Beethoven symphony in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. and the auditorium opens at 7 p.m.
A meet-and-greet reception follows the concert.
Tickets are $15 for the general public. Admission is FREE to students.
For more information, including how to purchase tickets in advance and how to support the orchestra, go to:
http://middletoncommunityorchestra.org/concert_information
FRIDAY
On Friday, April 12, at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, the UW Chorale will perform a FREE concert under conductor Bruce Gladstone.
Sorry, no details are available about the program.
SATURDAY
On Saturday, April 13, at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, a FREE concert by UW-Madison Combined Choirs will be performed. The event features the Masters Singers, the University Chorus and the Women’s Chorus (below).
Sorry, there are no details available about the program.
Tags: #AmateurMusicians, #artmuseum, #BascomHill, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BruceGladstone, #ChamberMusic, #ChazenMuseumofArt, #ChoralMusic, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #EliKalman, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #Frenchcomposer, #FrenchMusic, #KyleKnox, #LiveStreaming, #MastersSingers, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MiddletonCommunityOrchestra, #MiddletonHighSchool, #MiddletonPerformingArtsCenter, #MusicalTheater, #MusicalTheatre, #MusicHall, #OperaMusic, #ParryKarp, #PianoAccompaniment, #StreamedLive, #SundayAfternoonLiveattheChazen, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityofWisconsin-Oshkosh, #UniversityOpera, #VocalMusic, #Women'sChorus, #YouTubevideo, amateur, art museum, Arts, audience, Bascom Hill, Beethoven, blog, Brittingham, Bruce Gladstone, busy, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Chazen Museum of Art, choral music, Chorale, Classical music, combined, composer, Concert, conductor, critically acclaimed, Eli Kalman, Facebook, forward, free, French, guest, hear, Jacob Stockinger, Kyle Knox, like, link, live-streamed, Ludwig van Beethoven, Masters Singers, Mead Witter School of Music, Middleton Community Orchestra, Middleton High School, Middleton Performing Arts Center, monthly, Music, Music Hall, musical, opening, opera, Orchestra, Parry Karp, partners, partnership, performer, Pianist, Piano, piano accompaniment, portal, program, scene, scenes, series, share, sing, singers, stream, Student, Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen, symphony, tag, theater, theatre, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, UW-Oshkosh, vocal music, week, Wisconsin, women, workshop, YouTube
Classical music: Madison Youth Choirs will perform music of Madison’s nine sister cities this Sunday afternoon and evening
2 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement to post:
“This semester, Madison Youth Choirs singers (below) are embarking on a musical journey across the globe as they explore and perform compositions connected to the diverse cultures inhabiting Madison’s nine sister cities: Ainaro, East Timor; Arcatao, El Salvador; Camaguey, Cuba; Freiburg, Germany; Kanifing, The Gambia; Mantua, Italy; Obihiro, Japan; Tepatitlán, Mexico; and Vilnius, Lithuania.
“As we study the wide variety of musical forms that emerged from these nine regions and think about the reasons we’re drawn to establish sister city relationships, we’re examining both the common forces that drive the creative expression of artists from all cultures and the unique contributions that artists from our sister cities have made to the worldwide musical canon.
“We invite you to join us for a culminating winter concert series celebrating these international choral connections.
WHERE
Madison Youth Choirs Winter Concerts, “Sister Cities”
First Congregational United Church of Christ
1609 University Ave., Madison
WHEN
Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017
1:30 p.m. Girlchoirs
4:00 p.m. Boychoirs
7:00 p.m. High School Ensembles
Tickets available at the door: $10 for general admission, $5 for students 7-18, and free for children under 7. A separate ticket is required for each performance.
This concert is generously endowed by the Diane Ballweg Performance Fund with additional support from American Girl’s Fund for Children, BMO Harris Bank, and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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.
“SISTER CITIES” PROGRAMS
Sunday, December 10, 2017, First Congregational Church, Madison
1:30 p.m. Concert (Featuring MYC Girlchoirs)
Choraliers
“Now We Are Met” by Samuel Webbe
“Sakura” Traditional Japanese folk song
“Tecolote” Spanish lullaby, arr. Victoria Ebel-Sabo
“S’Vivon” Traditional Jewish folk song, arr. Valerie Shields
Con Gioia
“Peace Round” Traditional round, text by Jean Ritchie
“Shepherd’s Pipe Carol by John Rutter
“Murasame” by Victor C. Johnson, text: 11th-century Japanese poem
“Guantanamera” Cuban folk song, text by José Marti
Capriccio (below)
“A Circle is Cast” by Anna Dembska
“Ich will den Herrn loben alle Zeit” by Georg Philipp Telemann, arr. Wallace Depue
“Ma come bali bene bela bimba” Traditional Italian, arr. Mark Sirett
“Soran Bushi” Japanese folk song, arr. Wendy Stuart
“Yo Le Canto Todo El Dia” by David L. Brunner
4:00 p.m. Concert (Featuring MYC Boychoirs)
Combined Boychoirs
“Dance for the Nations” by John Krumm, arr. Randal Swiggum
Purcell (below)
“La Nanita Nana” by José Ramon Gomis, arr. David Eddlemann
“Es is Ein Ros entsprungen” by Melchior Vulpius
“Sakura” Traditional Japanese folksong, arranged by Purcell choir members
Britten (below)
Two Elegies by Benjamin Britten
- Old Abram Brown
- Tom Bowling
“No che non morira” (from Tito Manlio) by Antonio Vivaldi
Holst
“O Rosetta” by Claudio Monteverdi
“O là, o che bon echo” by Orlando di Lasso
“We Are” by Ysaye Barnwell
Combined Boychoirs
Chorus of Street Boys from Carmen by Georges Bizet
“Kimigayao” (The National Anthem of Japan) Melody by Hiromori Hayashi
7:00 p.m. Concert (Featuring High School Ensembles)
Cantilena
“How Can I Keep From Singing?” by Gwyneth Walker
Liebeslieder Walzer by Johannes Brahms, text by Georg Friedrich Daumer
- Wie des Abends (from Opus 52) (You can hear it in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
- Vogelein durchrauscht die Luft (from Opus 52)
- Nein, geliebter, setze dich (from Opus 65)
Ragazzi
“Bar’chu” by Salamon Rossi
“The Pasture” (from Frostiana) by Randall Thompson
“Mogami Gawa Funa Uta” by Watanabe/Goto, based on folk materials, arr. Osamu
Shimizu
Cantabile
“Angelus ad pastores ait” (from Sacrae Cantiunculae, 1582) by Claudio Monteverdi
“Gamelan” by R. Murray Schafer
“Mata del Anima Sola” by Antonio Estévez
Cantabile and Ragazzi (below)
“The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy” Traditional carol from Trinidad, arr. Stephen
Hatfield
Combined Choirs
“Dance for the Nations” by John Krumm
Tags: ability, admission, afternoon, age, Ainaro, anthem, Arcatao, arrangement, artist, Arts, Baroque, Bizet, boy, boychoir, boys, Brahms, Britten, Camaguey, Canon, Carmen, Carol, Chamber music, children, children's concerts, Choir, choral music, Christ, church, city, Classical music, combined, common, community, composer, Concert, connection, create, creative, Cuba, Cuban, culture, dance, diversity, Early music, East Timor, Education, El Salvador, Elegy, ensemble, evening, expression, First Congregational United Church of Christ, folk, folk song, force, form, free, FREIBURG, fund, funding, Gambia, Georg Philipp Telemann, Germany, gir;, girlchoir, globe, Guantanamera, high school, Holst, international, Italian, Italyt, Jacob Stockinger, Japah, Japanese, Jesus, Jewish, Johannes Brahms, John Rutter, Jose Marti, journey, Kanifing, Lasso, Liebeslieder, Lithuania, Lord, lullaby, Madison Youth Choirs, Mantua, Mexico, Monteverdi, Music, Music education, nation, national anthem, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, NEA, Obihiro, pasture, peace, People, performance, Piano, pipe, poem, reason, relationship, round, shepherd, singer, Singing, sister, sister city, song, Spain, Spanish, state, State of Wisconsin, street, ticket, traditional, Trinidad, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vilnius, virgin, Virgin Mary, Vivaldi, Waltz, winter, Wisconsin Arts Board, young, Youth, YouTube
Classical music: A busy week at the UW spotlights choral and vocal music with some wind, brass and guitar music included
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
It’s going to be a busy week at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music.
And especially if you are a fan of choral music, there is much to attract you.
Here is run-down by the day:
TODAY
At 3 p.m. in Mills Hall is a FREE concert of Combined Choirs that features the Women’s Chorus (below), the University Chorus and the Masters Singers.
Sorry, no word about the program, but the groups’ past record suggests excellent programs are in store.
TUESDAY
From noon to 1:30 p.m. in Morphy Recital Hall, William Buchman (below), who is assistant principal bassoon of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and a faculty member at DePaul University in Chicago, will give a master class that is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
At 7:30 p.m. in Music Hall on Bascom Hill, University Opera a FREE Fall Opera Scenes program with UW student singers (below form last year).
Featured are excerpts from four operas and one Broadway musical: “The Marriage of Figaro” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; “Orpheus in the Underworld” by Jacques Offenbach; “Der Freischuetz” (The Marksman or Freeshooter) by Carl Maria von Weber; and “Carousel” by Rodgers and Hammerstein,
WEDNESDAY
At 7:30 p.m. in Mills Hall, the Wisconsin Brass Quintet (below, in a photo by Michael R. Anderson) will give a FREE concert.
Members of the faculty ensemble are Alex Noppe and Matthew Onstad, trumpets; Mark Hetzler, trombone; Tom Curry, tuba; and Daniel Grabois, horn.
The program includes: Johann Schein: Three Psalm Settings; Peter Maxwell Davies, arr. Matthew Onstad: “Farewell to Stromness” (1980), from The Yellow Cake Review; Jan Radzynski: Take Five (1984); Gunther Schuller’s Music for Brass Quintet (1961); and Alvin Etler’s Quintet for Brass Instruments (1966).
For more information, go to http://www.wisconsinbrassquintet.com
THURSDAY
From 10 a.m. until noon in Morphy Recital Hall, the acclaimed Grammy Award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin (below), who will perform with the Madison Symphony Orchestra this coming weekend, will give a FREE master class that is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
FRIDAY
At 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, the Madrigal Singers (below top), under conductor Bruce Gladstone (below bottom, in a photo by Katrin Talbot), will present Part 2 of “Israelsbrünnlein” (Fountains of Israel) by the Baroque composer Johann Hermann Schein.
According to program notes, “Johann Hermann Schein’s collection of 26 motets from 1623 has long been considered the most important set of motets in the early 17th century. Schein (below), frustrated that there wasn’t a true counterpart of the Italian madrigal to be found in German music, set out to marry the expressiveness of the madrigal to German texts.
“In this case, he chose to set sacred and mostly biblical texts, rather than the secular poetry found in most madrigals. His set of spiritual madrigals display both moments of pure joy and exultation as well as heartbreaking sadness and longing.
“Last fall, the Madrigal Singers presented the first 13 of these motets, and this fall, we finish out the collection with motets 14-26.
“This music is incredibly moving and remarkably fresh, revealing a marked sensitivity to the texts and a mastery of musical expression.” (You can hear a sample in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
SATURDAY
At 8 p.m., in Luther Memorial Church (below), 1021 University Avenue, the Low Brass Ensemble will give a FREE recital. No word on composers or pieces on the program.
At 8 p.m. in Mils Hall, the group Chorale, under conductor Bruce Gladstone will present “Songs to Live By.”
Programs notes read: “Music has always had a way to touch our souls the way other things cannot. When paired with poetry that speaks honestly to the human condition, it can lift us out of the merely abstract, touching our souls and offering insight on how we can be better at being human and humane.
“The Chorale offers a choral song-cycle by composer Gwyneth Walker (below) on autobiographical poems by Virginia Hamilton Adair, as well as three works by Elizabeth Alexander: “How to Sing Like a Planet”; “If You Can Walk You Can Dance”; and “Finally On My Way To Yes.”
“Also on the program is Joshua Shank’s “Rules To Live By,” a heartfelt and moving piece whose text was written by the commissioning ensemble.
SUNDAY
At 5 p.m., in Mills Hall, the UW-Madison Wind Ensemble (below top) and Winds of Wisconsin will give a FREE joint concert.
Scott Teeple will conduct with guest violinist, Professor Soh-Hyun Altino (below bottom, in a photo by Caroline Bittencourt) soloing.
Here is the program:
UW-Madison Wind Ensemble:
“Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman, #2,” by Joan Tower
Concerto for Violin and Wind Ensemble, by Robert Hutchinson with the violinist Park Altino
Winds of Wisconsin:
“Chester Overture for Band,” by William Schuman
“A Child’s Embrace” by Charles Rochester Young
“Vesuvius,” by Frank Ticheli
Combined UW Wind Ensemble and Winds of Wisconsin:
“Folk Dances,” by Dmitri Shostakovich
Tags: abstract, acclaim, Alvin Etler, arranged, arrangement, Arts, assistant, avenue, award, band, Baroque, Bassoon, Bible, biblical, brass, Broadway, cake, Carousel, century, Chamber music, Charles Rochester Young, Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Child, children, Choir, choral music, church, Classical music, collection, combined, composer, Concert, concerto, dance, DePaul University, Der Freischuetz, Dmitri Shostakovich, Early music, Elizabeth Alexander, embrace, ensemble, expression, expressiveness, exultation, faculty, Fanfare, farewell, Figaro, folk, fountain, Frank Ticheli, free, fresh, German, Germany, Grammy, guest, guitar, Gunther Schuller, Gwyneth Walker, Hammerstein, heartbreak, Horn, human, humane, important, insight, instrument, Israel, Jacob Stockinger, Jan Radzynski, Joan Tower, Johann Schein, joint, Joshua Shank, Joy, live, longing, Luther, Luther Memorial Church, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, madrigal, Madrigal Singers, marksman, Marriage, Marriage of Figaro, Master, master class, masterclass, mastery, Mead Witter School of Music, motet, moving, Mozart, Music, musical, Musical theater, notes, Onstad, opera, Orchestra, Orpheus, Orpheus in the Underworld, Overture, part, Peter Maxwell Davies, photo, Poetry, principal, program, psalm, quintet, recital, review, Robert Hutchinson, Rodgers, Rodgers and Hammerstein, rule, sad, sadness, sample, scene, secular, sensitivity, Sharon Isbin, shooter, singer, solo, song, soul, spiritual, symphony, text, theater, theatre, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, uncommon, underworld, university, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vesuvius, Viola, Violin, Virginia Hamilton Adair, vocal music, von Weber, week, William Schuman, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Brass Quintet, woman, women, Writer, YouTube
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 