The Well-Tempered Ear
Today’s Just Bach concert starts the 10-day Bach Around the Clock festival that runs through March 26. All events are free and online. Here are the lineups
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By Jacob Stockinger
Today — Wednesday, March 17 – brings the free monthly Just Bach concert that is online for 30 minutes.
This year that concert will also serve as the opening event of the annual Bach Around the Clock (BATC) festival to celebrate the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Here is a link to the lineup of the Bach Around the Clock events. As of this writing, many of the special morning and evening guests and events are listed. But the daytime programs and performers are listed only for today, tomorrow and the final concert. The Ear understands the rest of the listings will be up by the end of today: https://bachclock.com/concert-schedule
There might be frequent additions, changes and updates, so it is best to check back often.
The Ear has heard that, as usual, the festival will include students, amateurs and professionals; young people and adults; individuals, smaller chamber music ensembles and larger groups; and many well-known and neglected works from many genres.
Those genres include vocal and choral music; keyboard music for clavichord, harpsichord, piano and organ; string music for violin, viola and cello; wind and brass music; and much more.
Daily festival concerts will be posted starting at 8 a.m. Central Daylight Time and evening segments will begin at 7 p.m CDT. All events and concerts will be posted and available during the entire festival.
As for today’s Just Bach concert, here is the announcement from Marika Fischer Hoyt (below), the artistic director of Bach Around the Clock and a co-founder and co-director of Just Bach:
Greetings from Just Bach! We hope this finds you well, and ready to experience more of the timeless beauty of Bach, this month in music for organ and strings.
Our concert TODAY opens with a welcome and program overview from me. We figure when Just Bach and Bach Around The Clock join forces, the Master himself (below, in a cutout, in a photo by Barry Lewis) is summoned.
Today’s program opens with organist Mark Brampton Smith (below) playing two Sinfonias from Cantata 35.
These are arrangements of two dramatic organ concerto movements, and Mark brings off the virtuosic passages with flair, while the strings provide a spirited accompaniment.
Then the strings take center stage – in arrangements for string quartet — bringing a yearning melancholy to the slow Andante movement of Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, BWV 1047, and energy and excitement to Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, BWV 1048.
The program closes with our popular chorale sing-along, “Befiehl du deine Wege” (Commend Your Ways), BWV 271. I will introduce the piece and the text, and my sister, soprano Barbara Fischer, will sing it — with Mark on the organ.
We encourage viewers to sing along by following the chorale sheet music, which will be displayed on the computer screen.
Do you have a question for the performers? Would you like to listen in as they chat about the program? Please join us for a half-hour live Zoom post-concert reception tonight, March 17, at 7 p.m. The link is posted on the Just Bach website: https://justbach.org/concerts/
As regular performers on Luther Memorial Church’s weekly “Music at Midday” concert series, Just Bach presents half-hour programs starting at 8 a.m. on the third Wednesday of each month and then remain posted. Remaining dates this semester: March. 17, April 21, and May 19. Our concerts are posted on the Just Bach and Luther Memorial YouTube Channels: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyVFEVsJwklHAx9riqSkXQ
Viewing the concerts is free, but we ask those who are able, to help us pay our musicians with a tax-deductible donation at: https://justbach.org/donate/
Today’s performers include members of the Madison-based early music group Sonata à Quattro (below in photo by Barry Lewis) and are: Christine Hauptly Annin and Aaron Yarmel, violin; Marika Fischer Hoyt, viola; Charlie Rasmussen, cello; Mark Brampton Smith, organ; and Barbara Fischer, guest soprano.
Dave Parminter is the videographer and Barry Lewis is the photographer.
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Which classical composer has helped you the most during the Covid-19 pandemic?
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By Jacob Stockinger
The holidays are over and as we close in on marking a year of the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic, The Ear has a question:
Which composer has helped you the most to weather the pandemic so far?
The Ear wishes he could say Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin or Brahms. And the truth is that they all played a role, some more than others.
But The Ear was surprised by the composer whose works he most listened to and liked — Antonio Vivaldi (below), the Red Priest of Venice who lived from 1678 to 1714 and taught at a Roman Catholic girls school.
Here is more about his biography, which points out that his work was neglected for two centuries and began being rediscovered only in the early 20th-century and still continues being rediscovered to the present day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi
The Ear isn’t talking about popular The Four Seasons although that set of 12 solo violin concertos has its charms and originalities.
The Ear especially appreciated the lesser-known concertos for two violins and the cello concertos, although the concertos for bassoon, flute, recorder, oboe, lute, trumpet and mandolin also proved engaging, as did the concerto grosso.
It was the 20th-century composer Igor Stravinsky (below) – the modern pioneer of neo-Classicism — who complained that Vivaldi rewrote the same concerto 500 times. “Vivaldi,” Stravinsky once said, “is greatly overrated – a dull fellow who could compose the same form many times over.”
But then did anyone turn to Stravinsky – who, The Ear suspects, was secretly envious — when they needed music as medicine or therapy during the pandemic?
Vivaldi was, in fact, a master. See and hear for yourself. In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear a performance of Vivaldi’s Concerto Grosso in G minor, RV 535, performed by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
Why Vivaldi? You might ask.
Well, it’s nothing highbrow.
The best explanation is that Vivaldi’s music simply seems like caffeine for the ears and sunshine for the eyes. His music isn’t overly introspective or glum, and it isn’t too long or melodramatic.
The melodies and harmonies are always pleasing and energizing, and the tempi are just right, although bets are that the music is much harder to play than it sounds.
In short, Vivaldi’s extroverted music is infectious and appealing because it just keeps humming along — exactly as those of us in lockdown and isolation at home have had to do.
Happily, there are a lot of fine recordings of Vivaldi by period instrument groups from England, Italy and Germany and elsewhere that use historically informed performance practices. But some the most outstanding recordings are by modern instrument groups, which should not be overlooked.
With a few exceptions – notably Wisconsin Public Radio – you don’t get to hear much Vivaldi around here, especially in live performances, even from early music and Baroque ensembles. If you hear Vivaldi here, chances are it is The Four Seasons or the Gloria. Should there be more Vivaldi? Will we hear more Vivaldi when live concerts resume? That is a topic for another time.
In the meantime, The Ear wants to know:
Which composer did you most listen to or find most helpful throughout the pandemic?
Leave your choice in the comment section with, if possible, a YouTube link to a favorite work and an explanation about why you liked that composer and work.
The Ear wants to hear.
Thank you and Happy New Year!
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Classical music: Trevor Stephenson announces the new season of the Madison Bach Musicians on YouTube. It features smaller concerts and familiar comfort music
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By Jacob Stockinger
At a time when so many concerts are being canceled, it is especially welcome when a local ensemble announces plans for the 2020-21 season.
To announce the 17th season of the Madison Bach Musicians — a period-instrument group that uses historically informed performance practices — the founder and artistic director Trevor Stephenson (below), who also plays the harpsichord, fortepiano and piano, has made and posted a 13-1/2 minute YouTube video.
The season will also be posted on the MBM website in early June, and will also be announced with more details about times and ticket prices via email and postal mailings.
In the video, Stephenson plays the harpsichord. He opens the video with the familiar Aria from the “Goldberg” Variations and closes with two contrasting Gavottes from the English Suite in G minor.
As usual, Stephenson offers insights in the programs that feature some very well-known and appealing works that are sure to attract audiences anxious to once again experience the comfort of hearing familiar music performed live.
One thing Stephenson does not say is that there seems to be fewer ambitious programs and fewer imported guest artists. It’s only a guess, but The Ear suspects that that is because it is less expensive to stage smaller concerts and it also allows for easier cancellation, should that be required by a continuing COVID-19 pandemic.
If the speculation proves true, such an adaptive move is smart and makes great sense artistically, financially and socially given the coronavirus public health crisis.
After all, this past spring the MBM had to cancel a much anticipated, expensive and very ambitious production, with many out-of-town guests artists, of the “Vespers of 1610” by Claudio Monteverdi. Nonetheless, MBM tried to pay as much as it could afford to the musicians, who are unsalaried “gig” workers who usually don’t qualify for unemployment payments.
“Hope and Joy” is a timely, welcome and much-needed theme of the new season.
The new season starts on Saturday night, Oct. 3, at Grace Episcopal Church downtown on the Capitol Square, and then Sunday afternoon, Oct. 4, at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton.
The program is Haydn and Mozart: songs composed in English and German by Haydn plus songs by Mozart; the great violin sonata in E minor by Mozart; and two keyboard trios, one in C major by Haydn and one in G major by Mozart.
Only four players will be required. They include: Stephenson on the fortepiano; concertmaster Kangwon Kim on baroque violin; James Waldo on a Classical-era cello; and soprano Morgan Balfour (below), who won the 2019 Handel Aria Competition in Madison.
On Saturday night, Dec. 12, in the First Congregational United Church of Christ, near Camp Randall Stadium, MBM will perform its 10th annual holiday concert of seasonal music.
The program includes several selections from the “Christmas Oratorio” by Johann Sebastian Bach; a Vivaldi concerto for bassoon with UW-Madison professor Marc Vallon (below, in a photo by James Gill) as soloist; and the popular “Christmas Concerto” by Arcangelo Corelli.
On Saturday night, April 24, at Grace Episcopal Church and Sunday afternoon, April 25, at Holy Wisdom Monastery, the MBM will perform a concert of German Baroque masterworks with the internationally renowned baroque violinist Marc Destrubé (below).
The program features Handel and Bach but also composers who are not often played today but who were well known to and respected by Bach and his contemporaries.
Specifically, there will be a suite by Christoph Graupner (below top) and a work by Carl Heinrich Graun (below bottom).
There will also be a concerto grosso by George Frideric Handel and two very well-known concertos by Bach – the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and the Concerto for Two Violins.
Here is the complete video:
What do you think of the Madison Bach Musicians’ new season?
The Ear wants to hear.
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Classical music: This weekend, the Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates Valentine’s Day with violinist Pinchas Zukerman and cellist Amanda Forsyth in the Romantic “Double Concerto” by Brahms
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By Jacob Stockinger
This coming weekend, the Madison Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of John DeMain, will celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The program “Romantic Encounter” examines the brashness of French composer Hector Berlioz’s “Le Corsaire” Overture, as well as the thundering seriousness of American composer Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3.
The husband-and-wife duo (below) of violinist Pinchas Zukerman, and cellist Amanda Forsyth make their return to Madison to reprise their performance of German composer Johannes Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor. (You can hear the passionate slow movement in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Performances will be held in Overture Hall, 201 State Street, on Friday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $19 to $95. See below for details.
Says maestro DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) about the world-renowned duo: “The married team of Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth return to recreate their exciting interpretation of the Brahms Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra.
“One of Berlioz’s finest overtures, the exhilarating Le Corsaire opens the concert. And Aaron Copland’s majestic, powerful and lyrical Third Symphony — which is one of Copland’s great masterpieces and includes his Fanfare for the Common Man — is heard on the second half of the program.”
Eight minutes long, Berlioz’s swashbuckling “Le Corsaire” was composed in Nice, France, after the final break-up of his marriage. The composer resided in a tower above the sea, which explains the ruined fortification’s depiction in his overture. “Corsaire” translates to “a ship used for piracy,” but this meaning is not related to the work.
The Double Concerto was Brahms’ final work for orchestra. He composed the concerto for his old but estranged friend, violinist Joseph Joachim, as well as for cellist Robert Hausmann. With few recent precedents, the closest comparison to this work would be the Baroque concerto grosso, in which a soloist or small group is contrasted with an entire ensemble.
Copland’s monumental Symphony No. 3 was commissioned by conductor Serge Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The work perfectly reflects the spirit of post-war America and impressively holds the title of “Greatest American Symphony.” In writing this piece, Copland (below) borrowed from himself by incorporating his triumphant Fanfare for the Common Man.
ABOUT PINCHAS ZUKERMAN
With a celebrated career encompassing five decades, Pinchas Zukerman reigns as one of today’s most sought-after and versatile musicians — violin and viola soloist, conductor and chamber musician. He is renowned as a virtuoso, admired for the expressive lyricism of his playing, singular beauty of tone, and impeccable musicianship, which can be heard throughout his discography of over 100 albums.
Born in Tel Aviv, Zukerman came to the United States where he studied at the Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian as a recipient of the American-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship. He received the National Medal of Arts from President Ronald Reagan and is a recipient of the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence in Classical Music.
ABOUT AMANDA FORSYTH
The Canadian and Juno Award-winning Amanda Forsyth is considered one of North America’s most dynamic cellists. She has achieved her international reputation as soloist, chamber musician and was principal cello of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra from 1999 to 2015. Her intense richness of tone, remarkable technique and exceptional musicality combine to enthrall audiences and critics alike.
PROGRAM NOTES, TICKETS AND EVENT DETAILS
The lobby opens 90 minutes prior to each concert. The MSO recommends that concert attendees arrive early for each performance to make sure they have time to pass through Overture Center’s security stations, and so they can experience the Prelude Discussion that takes place one hour before each concert.
Program notes are available at: http://www.allsenmusic.com/NOTES/1920/5.Feb20.html
- Single Tickets are $19-$95 each and are on sale now at: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/romantic-encounter/through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141. Fees apply to online and phone sales.
- Groups of 10 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information, visit, https://madisonsymphony.org/concerts-events/buy-tickets/group-discounts/.
- 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://madisonsymphony.org/concerts-events/buy-tickets/student-rush/
- Seniors age 62 and up receive 20% savings on advance and day-of-concert ticket purchases in select areas of the hall.
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
Major funding for the February concert has been provided by NBC 15; The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club; Marvin J. Levy; Fred and Mary Mohs; Nancy Mohs; and David and Kato Perlman.
Additional funding has been provided by Robert Benjamin and John Fields; Boardman and Clark LLP; Forte; Barbara Melchert and Gale Meyer; and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tags: #AaronCopland, #AmandaForsyth, #AmericanComposer, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BoardmanandClark, #BostonSymphony, #BoxOffice, #CanadianMusician, #CelloConcerto, #ChamberMusic, #CityofMadison, #ClassicalMusician, #CommissionedMusic, #ConcertoGrosso, #DoubleConcerto, #FacebokPosting, #FacebookPost, #FanfarefortheComonMan, #FredMohs, #GermanComposer, #Governor'sClub, #HectorBerlioz, #husband-and-wife, #InternationalReputation, #IsaacStern, #IsraeliMusician, #IvanGalamian, #JacobStockinger, #JohannesBrahms, #JohnDeMain, #JosephJoachim, #JuilliardSchool, #JunoAward, #JunoAwards, #JunoAwrd, #KatoPerlman, #LawFirm, #LeCorsaire, #LyricalMusic, #MadisonConcourseHotel, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicalInterpretation, #NationalArtsCentreOrchestra, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #NationalMedalofArts, #NBCNews15, #NorthAmerica, #OrchestralMusic, #OvertureHall, #PinchasZukerman, #Pre-concertLecture, #PrincipalCellist, #ProgramNotes, #RomanticMusic, #RonaldReagan, #SeniorCitizen, #SergeKoussevitsky, #StateOfWisconsin, #TelAviv, #TonalBeauty, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ValentinesDay, #ViolinConcerto, #ViolinistVirtuoso, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #YouTubevideo, Aaron Copland, albums, Amanda Forsyth, America, American, artistic, Arts, audience, availability, award, Baroque, baton, beauty, Berlioz, blog, Boardman and Clark, born, borrow, Boston, Boston Symphony, box office, Brahms, brash, break-up, Canada, Canadian, career, CD, celebrated, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Classical music, classicalmusic, commission, common, Compact Disc, comparison, composer, Concert, concerto, Concerto Grosso, conductor, Copland, critics, day, decade, depiction, details, discography, discount, discussion, donor, donors, double concerto, duo, dynamic, enthrall, estranged, event, excellence, exciting, expressive, Facebook, Fanfare, Fanfare for the Common Man, final, forward, France, French, Friday, Friday night, friend, funding, funds, German, Germany, Governor's Club, gravitas, great, greatest, group, hall, hear, Hector Berlioz, Holiday, husband, ID, impeccable, impressive, incorporate, international, interpretation, Isaac Stern, Israel, Israeli, Ivan Galamian, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, John DeMain, Joseph Joachim, Juilliard School, Juilliard School of Music, Juna Award, Juno, Kato Perlman, law firm, Le Corsaire, like, link, lyrical, Madison, Madison Concourse Hotel, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maestro, majestic, man, Marriage, married, masterpiece, Mead Witter School of Music, meaning, Mohs, monumental, movement, Music, musical, musicality, Musician, musicianship, National Arts Centre Orchestra, National Endowment for the Arts, National Medal of Arts, NBC15, NEA, Nice, North America, Orchestra, orchestral music, Overture, Overture Center, Overture Hall, passionate, performer, Pinchas Zukerman, play, post, post-war, posting, powerful, pre-concert, Prelude, President, principal, privacy, program, program notes, purchase, recipient, Recordings, recreate, reign, remarkable, renown, reprise, reputation, reside, return, richness, Romantic, Ronald Reagan, ruined, scholarship, sea, seats, security, senior, Serge Koussevitsky, serious, share, ship, show, slow, soloist, spirit, State of Wisconsin, Student, study, Sunday, swashbuckling, symphony, tag, technique, Tel Aviv, thunder, tickets, time, timing, tone, tower, triumphant, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Valentine, Valentine's Day, valid, versatile, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtuoso, weekend, wife, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, world, YouTube
Classical music: Trio Celeste makes its Madison debut this Sunday afternoon playing music by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Piazzolla. They give a FREE master class on Saturday afternoon
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By Jacob Stockinger
This is a slow time of the year for classical music concerts, the winter intermission between fall and spring semesters. But The Ear received for the Salon Piano Series the following announcement to post:
“We caught this West Coast group on a rare Midwest tour. Trio Céleste (below) has firmly established itself as one of the most dynamic chamber music ensembles on the classical music scene today. They’ve wowed audiences worldwide with their “unfailingly stylish” (The Strad) and “flawless” (New York Concert Review) interpretations.
“The piano trio has firmly established itself as one of the most dynamic chamber music ensembles on the classical music scene today. This season’s highlights include recital debuts at the Chicago Cultural Center and New York’s Carnegie Hall, and the world premiere of Paul Dooley’s Concerto Grosso for Piano Trio and Strings.
“Winners of the prestigious Beverly Hills Auditions and the recipients of the 2017 Emerging Artist Award from Arts Orange County, the ensemble has performed hundreds of recitals worldwide.
“Their first album on the Navona label debuted at No. 5 on iTunes for “Best Seller New Release.” (You can see them recording the first album in the YouTube video at the bottom.)”
The program for Trio Celeste’s concert on this Sunday afternoon, Jan. 6, at 4 p.m. at Farley’s House of Pianos, 6522 Seybold Road, on the far west side of Madison near West Towne Mall, will include:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 (1882)
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Trio élégiaque No. 1 in G minor (1892)
Astor Piazzolla – Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (1965-1970) (selections) arr. for piano trio by José Bragato
For more information, about the trio, go to: http://www.trioceleste.com
MASTER CLASS
On this Saturday, Jan. 5, at 4 p.m., Trio Céleste will teach a master class at Farley’s House of Pianos, where they will instruct students from Farley’s House of Pianos and the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO). This is a FREE event that the public is invited to observe.
The master class program will include portions of:
Joseph Haydn – String Quartet Op. 33, No. 3 “The Bird”
Klaus Badelt (arr. Larry Moore) – Theme from “Pirates of the Caribbean”
Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet Op. 18, No. 1
Edvard Grieg – String Quartet Op. 27, No. 1
The master classes for the 2018-19 season are supported by the law firm of Boardman & Clark LLP.
Tickets are $45 in advance (students $10) or $50 at the door. You can purchase tickets at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3499176
An artist’s reception will follow the concert.
For more information, go to https://salonpianoseries.org
Service fees may apply. Tickets also for sale at Farley’s House of Pianos. Student tickets can only be purchased online and are not available the day of the event.
Tags: #ArtsOrangeCounty, #AstorPiazzolla, #BeverlyHills, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CarnegieHall, #ChamberEnsemble, #ChamberMusic, #ChicagoCulturalCenter, #CompactDisc, #ConcertoGrosso, #EdvardGrieg, #EmergingArtist, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #Farley'sHouseofPianos, #FourSeasonsofBuenosAires, #FranzJosephHaydn, #LawFirm, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MusicEducation, #MusicReview, #NavonaRecordings, #NewRelease, #NewYork, #NewYorkConcertReview, #OrangeCounty, #PaulDooley, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoTrio, #PiratesoftheCaribbean, #SalonPIanoSeries, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #StringInstruments, #StringQuartet, #TheMidwest, #TheStrad, #TrioCéleste, #WestCoast, #WestTowneMall, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, Album, artist, Arts, Arts Orange County, audience, award, Ástor Piazzolla, background, Beethoven, bestseller, Beverly Hills, blog, Carnegie Hall, Cello, Chamber music, Chicago, Chicago Cultural Center, Classical music, Compact Disc, composer, concerto, Concerto Grosso, debut, Edvard Grieg, elegiac, Elegy, emerging artist, ensemble, Facebook, fall, Farley's House of Pianos, forward, Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, Franz Joseph Haydn, Haydn, intermission, iTunes, ITunes Store, Jacob Stockinger, law, law firm, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, master class, masterclass, Midwest, Music, Music education, music review, Navona, new, new release, New York, New York City, New York Concert Review, Orange County, Paul Dooley, Piano, Piano Trio, Pirates of the Caribbean, post, posting, reception, recital, recording, Salon Piano Series, semester, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Rachmaninov, share, Spring, String quartet, strings, Student, tag, Tchaikovsky, The Strad, theme, ticket, tickets, tour, trio, Trio Céleste, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, west coast, West Towne Mall, winter, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, world premiere, worldwide, YouTube
Classical music: This weekend also brings holiday brass music, string music and new chamber music with voice to the UW. Plus, live radio broadcasts from the Metropolitan Opera start this Saturday on Wisconsin Public Radio
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ALERT: This Saturday, Dec. 1, sees the start of the “Live From the Met” opera broadcasts on Wisconsin Public Radio with Arrigo Boito’s opera “Mefistofole.” The weekly series, now in its 88th year, will continue through May 11. Starting time is usually noon. Here is a link to the radio broadcast season: https://www.wpr.org/metropolitan-opera-begins-its-88th-season
By Jacob Stockinger
As usually happens towards the end of the semester, concerts are backing up, especially on the weekends.
Yesterday, information about the two performances of the annual UW-Madison Winter Choral Concert on Sunday afternoon was posted. Here is a link: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2018/11/29/classical-music-two-performances-of-the-uw-madisons-popular-winter-choral-concert-takes-place-this-sunday-afternoon/
But much more is going on.
Take a look and listen:
SATURDAY
Non-music majors, take heart. If you attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison, you can still play and perform while pursuing other studies.
At 4 p.m. in Mills Hall, the All-University Strings (AUS) will perform a FREE concert that is open to the public.
The group (below, in a photo by Jeff Miller for the UW-Madison) is comprised of two non-major string orchestras (named Orchestra One and Orchestra Too), and is open to all interested string players. No audition is required, seating order is voluntary, and there is no ranking within the sections.
The AUS program endeavors to be a true learning community, serving students from virtually every department and major with the goal of nurturing lifelong engagement in music and the arts.
Pedro Oviedo is the conductor, and the guest artists are The Hunt Quartet. (The string quartet is made up of graduate students at the UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music: Chang En Lu and Ava Shadmani, violins; Fabio Saggin, viola; and Alex Chambers-Ozasky, cello. They will be joined by Max Herteen, double bass.)
The appealing program includes:
Norman Leyden: Serenade for Strings
Karl Jenkins: Allegretto from “Palladio” (A neo-Baroque piece you might recognize from a De Beers “Diamonds Are Forever” ad. Listen to it in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Eric Whitacre: October
Modest Mussorgsky, orchestrated by Maurice Ravel: “The Hut on Fowl’s Legs (Baba Yaga)” and “The Great Gate of Kiev” from Pictures at an Exhibition
Astor Piazzolla: La muerte del angel (The Death of the Angel)
Ralph Vaughan Williams: Concerto Grosso
SUNDAY
At 12:30 p.m. the UW Horn Choir (below) will present its annual holiday concert at the Chazen Music of Art as part of the Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen series.
The FREE and public concert, directed and conducted by horn Professor Daniel Grabois, takes place in Brittingham Gallery No. 3.
The event will also be streamed live. Here is a link to the streaming portal as well as information about the program, which includes Bach and Mahler, the players and how to reserve seats:
https://www.chazen.wisc.edu/about/news/in-the-news/sunday-afternoon-live-with-the-uw-horn-choir/
At 8 p.m. in Morphy Hall, a FREE concert of chamber music by distinguished guest artists will be held.
The Brooklyn-based soprano-violin duo Cipher Duo (below top, Justine Aronson and Sarah Goldfeather) will team up with cellist Nicholas Photinos(below bottom), a member of the Grammy-winning chamber music ensemble eighth blackbird, for an evening-length performance of both new and reimagined music.
The program will include works by Sarah Goldfeather, Amy Beth Kirsten, David T Little, Dolly Parton and more.
On Monday, the performers will also give public master classes:
The Cello Master Class is Monday, Dec. 3, 12:15-2:15 p.m. in Morphy Hall.
The Violin-Voice Master Class: Monday, Dec. 3, 1:15-3:15 p.m. in Music Hall.
For more information about the program and performers, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/guest-artists-nicholas-photinos-cello-and-cipher-duo-voice-and-violin/
Tags: #All-UniversityStrings, #AmyBethKirsten, #ArrigoBoito, #AstorPiazzolla, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CelloMusic, #ChamberMusic, #ChazenMuseumofArt, #ChristmasHoliday, #CipherDuo, #ConcertoGrosso, #DanielGrabois, #DavidTLittle, #DeBeers, #DiamondsAreForever, #DollyParton, #DoubleBass, #EighthBlackbird, #EricWhitacre, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GraduateStudent, #GrammyAward, #GreatGateofKIev, #GuestArtist, #GustavMahler, #HolidayConcert, #HornChoir, #HuntQuartet, #JohannSebastianBach, #JustineAronson, #KarlJenkins, #LiveFromtheMet, #LiveStreaming, #MauriceRavel, #MetropolitanOpera, #MillsHall, #ModestMussorgsky, #MorphyHall, #MusicEducation, #MusicHall, #NeoBaroque, #NewMusic, #NewTango, #NicholasPhotinos, #NormanLeyden, #NuevoTango, #OpentothePublic, #OperaMusic, #PedroOviedo, #PicturesatanExhibition, #RalphVaughanWilliams, #SarahGoldfeather, #StringMusic, #StringOrchestra, #StringQuartet, #SundayAfternoonLiveattheChazen, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViolaMusic, #ViolinMusic, #WinterConcert, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #YouTubevideo, ad, All-University Strings, Amy Beth Kirsten, angel, Arts, audition, Ástor Piazzolla, Bach, Baroque, blog, Blog post, blog posting, Broadcast, Cello, Chamber music, Chazen Museum of Art, choral music, Cipher Duo, Classical music, community, composer, Concert, Concerto Grosso, conductor, Daniel Grabois, David T Little, De Beers, death, department, diamond, Diamonds Are Forever, Dolly Parton, double bass, Early music, eighth blackbird, engagement, Eric Whitacre, evening, evil, Facebook, fowl, free, graduate student, Grammy, Great Gate of Kiev, guest artist, Gustav Mahler, hiut, Holiday, horn choir, Hunt Quartet, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Justine Aronson, Karl Jenkins, learning, leg, like, link, listen, Live From the Met, live streaming, live-stream, livestream, look, major, master class, masterclass, Maurice Ravel, Mefistofole, Mephistopheles, Metropolitan Opera, Mills Hall, Modest Mussorgsky, Morphy Hall, Music education, Music Hall, New Music, new tango, Nicholas Photinos, Norman Leyden, nuevo tango, October, open, Orchestra, orchestrated, Palladio, Pedro Oviedo, perform, Pictures at an Exhibition, play, portal, program, public, Radio, Ralph Vaughan Williams, ranking, reimagined, Sarah Goldfeather, Satan, Saturday, Season, seating, section, series, share, soprano, string music, String Orchestra, String quartet, studies, Sunday, Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen, tag, tango, the Met, UW-Madison, Viola, Violin, voluntary, weekend, weekly, winter, Winter Concert, wisconsin public radio
Classical music: The Madison Bach Musicians perform their seventh annual Baroque Holiday Concert of Bach, Vivaldi and Corelli this Saturday night
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Madison Bach Musicians will perform their seventh annual Baroque Holiday Concert (below, in a 2014 photo by Kent Sweitzer) this Saturday night at 8 p.m. in the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Avenue, across from Camp Randall stadium.
The concert will be preceded at 7:15 p.m. by a lecture by MBM founder and director Trevor Stephenson (below), who will talk about period instruments, the pieces and composers on the program, and historically informed performance practices.
The seasonal program features works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Arcangelo Corelli and Antonio Vivaldi.
Soprano Alisa Jordheim (below top) and baritone Joshua Copland (below bottom) will sing the solo parts in a cantata by Bach.
They will be joined by UW-Madison oboist Aaron Hill (below bottom) and a baroque string ensemble in Bach’s lyrical masterpiece Cantata BWV 32 Liebster Jesu, mein Verlangen (Dearest Jesus, My Desiring). A aria and a song by Bach will also be performed.
Also on the program is the rarely performed but electrifying chamber cantata or motet “In Furore iustissimae irae,” RV 626, by Vivaldi. (You can hear it in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The concert will open with the Concerto Grosso in F Major, Op. 6, No. 12, by Arcangelo Corelli.
The concert will conclude with MBM concertmaster Kangwon Kim as the featured violin soloist in the Winter section from Vivaldi’s popular Four Seasons.
Advance-sale discount tickets are $30 for general admission and are available at Orange Tree Imports and the Willy Street Co-op (East and West).
Advance sale online tickets: www.madisonbachmusicians.org
Tickets at the door are $33 for the general public, $30 for seniors (65+). Student Rush tickets for $10 go on sale 30 minutes before the lecture at 6:45 p.m.
For more information, go to: www.madisonbachmusicians.org
Tags: Aaron Hill, Alisa Jordheim, annual, aria, Arts, Bach, baritone, Baroque, Camp Randall, Cantata, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, Christ, Christmas, church, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, Concerto Grosso, Corelli, Early music, ensemble, First Congregational United Church of Christ, Four Seasons, historically informed performance practices, Holiday, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joshua Copland, lecture, lyrical, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, motet, Music, night, Oboe, online, Orchestra, perform, period instruments, photo, photograph, piece, program, Saturday, section, solo, soloist, Sonata, song, soprano, stadium, strings, Student, ticket, Trevor Stephenson, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, video, Viola, Violin, Vivaldi, vocal music, Website, winter, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: Despite some flawed comparisons, the Madison Bach Musicians turn in brilliant performances in a concept program of “imitations” by Bach and Vivaldi
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By Jacob Stockinger
Here is a special posting, a review written by frequent guest critic and writer for this blog, John W. Barker. Barker (below) is an emeritus professor of Medieval history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also is a well-known classical music critic who writes for Isthmus and the American Record Guide, and who hosts an early music show once a month on Sunday morning on WORT-FM 89.9 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
An unusual program opened the 14th season of Trevor Stephenson’s Madison Bach Musicians (below) at the First Unitarian Society of Madison on Saturday night, and was repeated on Sunday afternoon at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton.
Instead of a string of compositions with few or no connections, there was a cumulative assemblage illustrating an overriding theme, as summed up in the title of “Imitation.”
To be sure, only two composers were involved: Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach. The focus was on their uses of imitative textures, including canon and fugue. There were 11 pieces in all, mostly — although not entirely — grouped in pairs, Vivaldi leading each.
The organization was fugue-like, too, beginning with two-part textures and culminating in nine parts. Thus, the nine players (four violins, two violas, two cellos and a harpsichord) were gradually built into the full company by the end.
The pairings did not evoke any direct parallelisms between Vivaldi (below top) and Bach (below bottom), though the former’s experimental and extroverted Italian style stood in regular contrast with Bach’s Germanic seriousness, even as each explored similar contrapuntal possibilities.
The entire concept of the program was intriguing. I did, however, find that two specific selections, both by Bach, did not fit well. They were given in transcriptions rather than as the composer intended. Thus, a fugue from The Well-Tempered Clavier was delivered not on the keyboard, but by five string players.
To be sure, that transformation allowed the three-voice counterpoint to be heard more distinctly, but the fact remains that it was written for keyboard and Bach’s part writing deserved to be heard as he intended.
A more serious instance was the tantalizing idea of hearing Bach’s own transcription of a work by Vivaldi. The original was the Concerto in D minor, Op. 3, No. 11, a true concerto grosso, matching a concertino of two violins and cello against a full four-part string ensemble.
Now, Bach made transcriptions of a number of Vivaldi concertos, but presenting any of them in this context posed practical concerns for these players. In this case, Bach’s adaptation was for solo organ. Instead, we heard it with Bach’s organ transcription transcribed, in turn, into a concerto for nine players by one of the group’s violists, Micah Behr.
(You can compare Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins to Bach’s reworking of the same concerto for four harpsichords in the YouTube video at bottom.)
Again, this third-hand edition allowed for contrapuntal clarity, but it totally distorted Bach’s intentions as a transcriber himself.
That said, the performances were all brilliant. Visiting Baroque cellist Steuart Pincombe (below) was something of a star, but all musicians played wonderfully, sitting in a circle for closest interaction and without an intermission.
Still, reservations about this program aside, this concept or idea concert is worth trying again.
Tags: American Record Guide, arrangement, Arts, Bach, Baroque, blog, Canon, Cello, Chamber music, clarity, Classical music, composer, concept, concertino, concerto, Concerto Grosso, contrapuntal, counterpoint, critic, Early music, emeritus, ensemble, experiment, festival, First Unitarian Society of Madison, fugue, Germanic, Germany, harpsichord, History, Holy Wisdom Monastery, idea, imitation, Isthmus, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, John W. Barker, Keyboard, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, Madison Early Music Festival, Medieval, monastery, Music, Orchestra, organ, pair, player, post, posting, professor, review, Saturday, Steuart Pincombe, strings, style, Sunday, symphony, texture, The Well-Tempered Clavier, theme, transcribe, transcription, Trevor Stephenson, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, Vivaldi, Wisconsin, WORT-FM 89.9, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Bach Musicians perform “imitative” works by Bach and Vivaldi this coming Saturday night and Sunday afternoon
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By Jacob Stockinger
In an original program that is organized much like the music it features, the early music group Madison Bach Musicians (below) will open their new season this weekend with a concert that offers a counterpoint of music by Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi — all done with period instrument and historically informed performance practices.
The two concerts are:
This coming Saturday night, Sept. 23, with a 6:45 p.m. pre-concert lecture by MBM founder, artistic director and keyboardist Trevor Stephenson (below), and a 7:30 p.m. concert at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive in Madison.
This coming Sunday afternoon, Sept. 24, with 2:45 p.m. pre-concert lecture and a 3:30 p.m. concert at Holy Wisdom Monastery, 4200 County Road M, in Middleton.
The guest soloist is Steuart Pincombe (below, in a photo by Ryan West), who plays the baroque cello. He will join the Madison Bach Musicians for this innovative concert – an dual exploration of fugues and imitation from the German Bach and the Italian Vivaldi — two masters of the Baroque.
The concert itself is structured much like a fugue. Starting from a single voice, selections alternate between pieces by Vivaldi (below top) and by Bach (below bottom) ―with each new section of the concert requiring an additional performer. (Sorry, no word on specific works except for the finale.)
The program culminates with the entire ensemble performing Vivaldi’s D minor Concerto Grosso alongside a string arrangement of Bach’s own transcription of the same piece. (You can hear the original by Vivaldi in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Advance-sale discount tickets cost $30 for general admission and at available at Orange Tree Imports and Willy Street Co-op, East and West.
Advance sale online tickets can be found at: www.madisonbachmusicians.org
Tickets at the door are $33 for the general public, and $30 for seniors 65-plus with Student Rush tickets costing $10 and going on sale 30 minutes before the pre-concert lecture.
Tags: Antonio Vivaldi, arrangement, Artistic director, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Cello, Chamber music, Classical music, concerto, Concerto Grosso, counterpoint, Early music, finale, First Unitarian Society of Madison, fugue, German, Germany, historically informed performance practices, Holy Wisdom Monastery, imitation, innovate, innovative, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Keyboard, lecture, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, monastery, Music, online, Orange Tree Imports, Orchestra, period instruments, program, Sonata, Steuart Pincombe, strings, Student, symphony, ticket, transcription, Trevor Stephenson, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, Vivaldi, voice, Willy Street Co-op, Wisconsin, work, YouTube
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The Well-Tempered Ear 
Does Wisconsin Public Radio play too much harp music?
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PLEASE NOTE: Due to a technical glitch, the following commentary was posted briefly yesterday and then withdrawn. That also disabled the commentary function temporarily. Once the glitch is solved, The Ear will post it again. That means some of you will get it twice. I apologize for any inconvenience. And to the fans who have kindly greeted my return, heartfelt thanks. I will be posting more details about the use and frequency of this blog in the near future.
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
Can’t help it.
The harp always reminds The Ear of a giant egg slicer.
Still, The Ear loves the sound of the harp — in the right works.
That usually means when it is blended into orchestral works (Brahms, Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Mahler come to mind) and chamber music works (Debussy and Ravel come to mind).
But when it comes to solo harp and harp concertos, no thanks. Barring some Baroque music and Classical works — Handel’s concerti grossi and Mozart’s “Brunch” Concerto for Flute and Harp — he’ll pass for the most part.
So much harp music, both original and arranged, just sounds second-rate or worse. Can anyone name a masterpiece for the solo harp written by a great composer? And I don’t mean Louis Spohr who composed for his harpist wife.
The solo harp repertoire is very small, hence the need for so many transcriptions.
That’s a problem.
The harp tends to make music for other instruments sound so .. so … so pleasant! Even when the original is dramatic, it’s all pluck pluck, twang twang, zing zing. Just listen to the YouTube video at the bottom of J.S. Bach’s mighty Toccata and Fugue in D minor for Organ played on the harp.
So, The Ear asks, why has Wisconsin Public Radio started playing so much harp music on almost every show? (Below is WPR host, accomplished harpist and harp evangelist Ruthanne Bessman, who often includes harp music in her Saturday Morning program “Classics by Request.”)
Is it because the public really loves hearing the harp so much?
Is it because the radio show hosts do?
Do listener surveys indicate a preference for the harp?
Does the covid pandemic play a role in seeking bland but soothing music?
What do you think?
Do you like or even crave harp music?
Do you think WPR is programming too much harp music these days?
Too little?
Or the right amount?
Leave a comment, please.
The Ear wants to hear.
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