The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Next season the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra will expand to two performances of its winter Masterworks concerts by adding a Saturday night concert in Brookfield, near Milwaukee
7 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
Next season will mark the 20th anniversary of Andrew Sewell (below top) coming to Madison to serve as the music director and principal conductor of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below bottom).
It is hard to imagine a better Bravo! or anniversary gift for the maestro – who has said he wants the WCO to become a chamber orchestra, as its name implies, for the entire state of Wisconsin — than what will in fact take place: the WCO will expand its winter Masterworks concerts to two performances by adding a Saturday night performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts (below) in Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee. (Sewell is also the music director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony in California.)
Madison performances of Masterworks will continue to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday night in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center.
You can find out more about the Masterworks programs for next season by going to the WCO home website:
https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performance-listing/category/masterworks
There you will find the usual eclectic mix of new guest artists and new or neglected composers and repertoire that has marked Sewell’s tenure and brought him critical acclaim.
Pianist Orion Weiss will perform the popular Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major, K. 467 – “Elvira Madigan” – by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; violinists Giora Schmidt and Eric Silberger will perform concertos by Dmitri Kabalevsky and Niccolo Paganini, respectively; harpist Yolanda Kondonassis will perform a concerto by Argentinian Alberto Ginastera; and Andrew Balio (below), principal trumpet of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, will return to Madison where he grew up and perform a 1948 trumpet concerto by Italian composer Andre Tomasi.
Early music and new music to be featured includes works by: Donald Fraser (an acclaimed English conductor, composer and arranger, below) who now lives in Illinois, and often comes to Madison); Joseph Martin Kraus, known as the “Swedish Mozart”; Norwegian composer Johann Svensen; and three English composers (always favorites of Sewell who was born and educated in New Zealand) who are John Marsh, James Macmillan and York Bowen. (In the YouTube video at the bottom you can hear the English Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kenneth Woods — a native Madisonian who will return next season to conduct the Madison Symphony Orchestra — recording the Scherzo movement from Donald Fraser’s “Sinfonietta,” the same work that the WCO will perform.)
Works by Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn and Sergei Prokofiev also figure prominently, including Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 “Jupiter” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral” in honor of the composer’s 250th birthday in 2020.
Also on the website, you will find the upcoming season of Wednesday night Concerts on the Square for this summer (June 26-July 31) plus the dates and themes – although no guest artists or works — for 2020 (June 24-July 29).
Go to: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performances
You can also find information for next season about the WCO performing George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah,” Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” with the Madison Ballet; the Young Artist Concerto Competition; the free Family Series; and the community Super Strings program for elementary students.
To receive a brochure with information about all these events and about how to get tickets — an “early bird” discount on subscription tickets runs through May 31– call (608) 257-0638 or go to: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org
Tags: #AbbeyRoad, #AlbertoGinastera, #AndreTomasi, #AndrewBalio, #AndrewSewell, #ArgentinianComposer, #BaltimoreSymphonyOrchestra, #BaroqueComposers, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrookfieldWisconsin, #CapitolTheater, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberMusicians, #ChamberOrchestra, #ChoralMusic, #ConcertoCompetition, #ConcertsontheSquare, #CriticalAcclaim, #DmitriKabalevsky, #DonaldFraser, #EarlyBird", #ElementarySchool, #ElviraMadigan, #EnglishComposer, #EnglishSymphonyOrchestra, #EricSilberger, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FamilyEvent, #FelixMendelssohn, #FranzJosephHaydn, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GioraSchmidt, #GuestArtist, #GuestSoloist, #Handel'sMessiah, #HarpConcerto, #HarpMusic, #HomeWebsite, #italianComposer, #JamesMacMillan, #JohannSvensen, #JohnMarsh, #JosephMartinKraus, #JupiterSymphony, #KennethWoods, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonBallet, #MasterworksSeason, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #MusicDirector, #NewMusic, #NewZealand, #NiccoloPaganini, #NorwegianComposer, #OrionWeiss, #OvertureCenter, #PianoConcerto, #PrincipalTrumpet, #RecordingStudio, #SanLuisObispo, #SanLuisObispoSymphony, #SaturdayNight, #SeasonBrochure, #SergeiProkofiev, #SharonLynneWilsonCenterfortheArts, #StateOfWisconsin, #SubscriptionTicket, #SuperStrings, #SwedishMozart, #TelephoneCall, #TheNutcracker, #TrumpetConcerto, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViolinConcerto, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YolandaKondonassis, #YorkBowen, #YoungArtist, #YouTubevideo, 2019, 2020, Abbey Road, Alberto Ginastera, Andre Tomasi, Andrew Balio, Andrew Sewell, anniversary, Argentina, Argentinian, arranger, Arts, audience, ballet, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Beethoven, birthday, blog, born, bravo, brochure, Brookfield, Capitol Theater, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, choral music, Classical music, classicalmusic, community, composer, composers, concerto competition, Concerts on the Square, conductor, critical acclaim, dance, date, Dmitri Kabalevsky, Donald Fraser, early bird, Early music, eclectic, educated, Education, elementary, Elvira Madigan, English composer, English Symphony Orchestra, Eric Silberger, event, Facebook, Family, favorite, forward, free, George Frideric Handel, gift, Giora Schmidt, guest artist, Handel, harp, harp concerto, Haydn, home website, honor, ILLINOIS, information, Italian, Italian composer, Jacob Stockinger, James MacMillan, Johann Svensen, John Marsh, Joseph Martin Kraus, Jupiter Symphony, Kabalevsky, Kenneth Woods, Kochel, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Ballet, Maestro, Masterworks, Masterworks Season, Mead Witter School of Music, member, Mendelssohn, Messiah, Milwaukee, mix, movement, Mozart, Music, Music director, native, neglected, new, New Music, New Zealand, Norway, Norwegian composer, Orchestra, Orion Weiss, Overture Center, Overture Center for the Arts, Paganini, Pastoral Symphony, PastoralSymphony, performer, Pianist, Piano, principal, Prokofiev, public, recording, repertoire, return, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo Symphony, Saturday night, Scherzo, Season, series, share, Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, Sinfonietta, soloist, state, State of Wisconsin, Student, studio, subscription, suburb, summer, Super Strings, Sweden, Swedish, Swedish Mozart, symphony, tag, telephone, The Nutcracker, theme, trained, Trumpet, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Violin, violinist, vocal music, WCO, Website, winter, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, word, works, Yolanda Kondonassis, York Bowen, young artist, YouTube
Classical music: This Tuesday night, May 21, at 7:30 the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras perform an impressive Side-by-Side concert that is FREE and UNTICKETED in Overture Hall
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
This coming Tuesday night, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall of the Overture Center, 201 State Street, is another event that can’t help but build audiences and generate good will for classical music.
That is when, once again, the professional musicians of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the student musicians of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras will play side-by-side (below, in a rehearsal), under the baton of WCO music director Andrew Sewell, in an inspiring example of apprenticeship and cooperation.
The Ear has been to the concert before, and loved the experience, which he found moving and excellent. He highly recommends it.
The ensemble repertoire to be played is ambitious and impressive.
In addition, soloists on the program are winners of the WYSO Concerto Competition: flutist Brian Liebau and violinist Benjamin Davies Hudson (below).
Says the WCO website: “Supporting young musicians in our community is essential to the future of music and the arts in Madison. We welcome all in the community to join us at this FREE concert.”
TICKETS
There is no charge for this concert, and no ticket is necessary to enter. Seating is general admission. Doors open at 6:45 p.m., and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.
REPERTOIRE
Antonin Dvorak, “Slavonic Dances,” Op. 46, Nos. 1, 3 and 8 (1878)
Hamilton Harty, “In Ireland,” a fantasy for flute, harp and orchestra (1935)
Camille Saint-Saens, “Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso,” Op. 28 (1863), for violin and orchestra. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you hear the catchy, tuneful and virtuosic work performed by violinist Itzhak Perlman.)
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 (1877-78), movements 3 and 4
Modest Mussorgsky, selections from “Pictures at an Exhibition” (1874; arranged by Maurice Ravel in 1922)
Tags: #AndrewSewell, #AntoninDvorak, #Benjamin Davies Hudson, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrianLiebau, #CamilleSaint-Saens, #ClassiclaMusic, #ConcertoCompetition, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #HamiltonHarty, #HarpMusic, #HomeWebsite, #IntroductionandRondoCapriccioso, #ItzhakPerlman, #MauriceRavel, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #ModestMussorgsky, #MusicDirector, #MusicEducation, #OrchestralMusic, #OttorinoRespighi, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PicturesatanExhibition, #ProfessionalMusician, #RomeItaly, #SidebySide, #SlavonicDances, #StudentMusicians, #SymphonicRepertoire, #TheEar, #ThePInesofRome, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViolinConcerto, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #YouTubevideo, Andrew Sewell, Antonín Dvořák, apprentice, apprenticeship, arranged, Arts, audience, baton, blog, Brian Liebau, build, Camille Saint-Saëns, catchy, Classical music, community, composer, Concert, concerto, concerto competition, conductor, cooperation, dance, door, ensemble, event, experience, Facebook, fantasy, flute, flutist, forward, free, future, good will, goodwill, Hamilton Harty, harp, home website, inspiration, inspiring, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Ireland, Italy, Itzhak Perlman, Jacob Stockinger, like, link, Love, Madison, Maurice Ravel, Mead Witter School of Music, member, Modest Mussorgsky, Music, Music director, Music education, open, Orchestra, Ottorino Respighi, Overture Center, Overture Hall, performer, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Pictures at an Exhibition, professional, recommend, repertoire, Rome, share, Side by Side, Slavonic, Slavonic Dances, Student, symphony, tag, The Ear, The Pines of Rome, tuneful, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, unticketed, UW-Madison, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, virtuosic, virtuoso, Website, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Youth Symhony Orchestras, WYSO, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison New Music Ensemble makes its debut this Friday night. A FREE harpsichord recital is Friday at noon
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
ALERT: This Friday’s FREE Noon Musicale at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, features harpsichordist Faythe Vollrath (below). She has been hailed by the Wall Street Journal for her “subtly varied tempo and rhythm that sounds like breathing.” Her programs do not focus solely on early music, but also incorporate new music written for historic instruments. The concert runs from 12:15 to 1 p.m. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear and see her playing the 1993 “Toccata” by Emma Lou Diemer.)
By Jacob Stockinger
On this coming Friday night, April 12, at 7:30 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, the Madison New Music Ensemble will give its debut concert.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Only cash and personal checks will be accepted at the door.
The program features music by the group’s artistic director and Madison-based composer Joseph Koykkar — the director of music in the Dance Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison — Robert Muczynski, Ed Martin, Lennon/McCartney and others.
Special guests are The Vine Street Trio, a faculty trio from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, playing works by contemporary composers and saxophonist Peterson Ross.
Members of the Madison New Music Ensemble (below, from left) are: Danielle Breisach; Joseph Koykkar; Monica Jiang; Joseph Ross; Amy Harr; Elena Ross; and Bethany Schultz
For more information about the performers and the group, go to the Madison New Music Ensemble page on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/madisonnewmusicensemble/
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ClarinetMusic, #ContemporaryComposer, #EdMartin, #EmmaLouDiemer, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #FaytheVollrath, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #HarpsichordMusic, #JohnLennon, #JosephKoykkar, #MadisonNewMusicEnsemble, #NewMusic, #NoonMusicale, #PaulMcCartney, #PercussionMusic, #PeriodInstrument, #PetersonRoss, #PianoMusic, #RobertMuczynski, #SeniorCitizen, #TheBeatles, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityofWisconsin-Oshkosh, #VineStreetTrio, #VocalMusic, #WallStreetJournal, #YouTubevideo, adult, alert, antiquity, Arts, audience, Baroque, blog, breathing, cash, Cello, Chamber music, clarinet, Classical music, composer, Concert, contemporary composer, dance, debjt, debut, department, Early music, earlymusic, Ed Martin, Emma Lou Diemer, Facebook, faculty, Faith Vollrath, First Unitarian Society of Madison, flute, free, Friday, harpsichord, historic instrument, Jacob Stockinger, John Lennon, Joseph Koykkar, like, link, Madison New Music Ensemble, Music, New Music, night, Noon Musicale, Oboe, Paul McCartney, percussion, performer, period-instrument, personal check, Peterson Ross, Pianist, Piano, post, professor, program, recital, rhythm, Robert Muczynski, Saxophone, saxophonist, senior, senior citizen, share, Sound, Student, subtle, tag, temp, The Beatles, toccata, United States, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, UW-Oshkosh, varied, Vine Street Trio, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wall Street Journal, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: On Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, the Madison Bach Musicians explore the miracle of Mozart across his lifetime and across different genres
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Madison Bach Musicians concludes its 15th season on this coming Saturday night, April 6, at 8 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, April 7, at 3:30 p.m. with The Mozart Miracle .
The program features performances of beloved music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791, below) with an all period-instrument chamber orchestra in the magnificent acoustic setting of the First Congregational United Church of Christ (below), 1609 University Avenue, near Camp Randall Stadium.
Period-instrument specialists hailing from Madison, Milwaukee, Chicago, Omaha, Seattle, Philadelphia and New York City will perform on natural or valveless horns, classical oboes, gut-strung violins, violas, cellos and a double bass played with 18th-century transitional bows.
Early music specialist and bassoon professor Marc Vallon (below to, in a photo by James Gill) of UW-Madison Mead Witter School of Music will lead the orchestra (below bottom, in a performance last year at the First Unitarian Society of Madison).
Internationally acclaimed soprano Ariadne Lih (below), from Montreal, Canada, will join the ensemble for Exsultate Jubilate — a ringing example of how Mozart could seamlessly fuse religious zeal with vocal pyrotechnics. (You can hear Renée Fleming sing “Exsultate Jubilate” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The program also features dance sequences, choreographed by Karen McShane Hellenbrand (below) of the UW-Madison, from Mozart’s ballet Les Petits Riens (The Little Nothings).
Also included are pre-concert lectures: On Saturday, April 6, at 7:15 p.m. there is a lecture by MBM artistic director Trevor Stephenson with an 8 p.m. concert . On Sunday, April 7, his lecture is at 2:45 p.m. with the concert at 3:30 p.m.
Advance-sale discounted tickets are $35 for general admission.
Tickets are available at Orange Tree Imports and Willy Street Coop (East and West). You can also buy advance tickets online at www.madisonbachmusicians.org
Tickets at the door are: $38 general for adults, $35 for seniors 65-plus, and student rush for $10, on sale 30 minutes before lecture.
MBM artistic director Stephenson (below) sent the following remarks to The Ear:
Here are two fantastic quotations about Mozart:
“Together with the puzzle he gives you the solution.” Ferrucio Busoni on Mozart
“It may be that when the angels go about their task of praising God, they play only Bach. I am sure, however, that when they are together as a family, they play Mozart…” Karl Barth
Both quotes underline, I believe, Mozart’s charismatic generosity of spirit, his sense of play and camaraderie. We’re all in this together! Mozart’s music is a perfect fusion of melodic inspiration — tunes so good they can stay in your head for joyous weeks at a time, or even a lifetime — and structural clarity.
His sense of proportion — when to display 18th-century balance and when to step outside the frame — is uncanny and always a delight. And for me, as a five-year-old-boy, dancing about the living room to the old LP vinyl — dancing lightly, though, so the record wouldn’t skip — it was Mozart’s boundless energy and joy, pouring out of the speakers, that really revved me up.
The Madison Bach Musicians program on this coming Saturday and Sunday will explore several sides of Mozart’s genius: master orchestrator and symphonist; aficionado of fugues; virtuoso keyboard player and mesmerizing improviser; ballet composer; and the greatest fashioner of material for the soprano voice.
MBM has assembled a Classical-period chamber orchestra, replete with gut strings and transitional bows, natural horns, and classical oboes. To this we’ll add: a fortepiano — the type of instrument Mozart toured with; an elegant dancer — for dance was an integral part of 18th-century living; and a magnificent soprano — Mozart was virtually besotted with the magic of the high female voice, and he wrote for it throughout his life with imagination and a sense of thrilling experiment that has never been equaled before or since.
Here is a bit about each selection:
Symphony No. 1 in E-flat major – Composed 1764 when Mozart was just eight years old (below), during an extended stay in London with his father Leopold and sister Nannerl. Strongly influenced by the symphonies of C. F. Abel and J. C. Bach (The London Bach, youngest son of Johann Sebastian).
Symphony No. 29 in A major – Composed 1774 when Mozart was 18 years old (below). It is often considered the pinnacle of his early symphonic writing.
Exsultate Jubilate for soprano and orchestra – Written 1773 in Milan for the castrato, or male soprano, Venanzio Rauzzini, it is an elegant fusion of rapturous melodies and vocal display.
Adagio & Fugue in C minor for strings – Composed in 1788, certainly the latest Mozart work on the program when the composer was 32. Mozart had by this time — largely through the Sunday soirees at Baron van Swieten’s—been studying Bach’s fugues closely for several years. This fugue is an arrangement of a work for two fortepianos, K. 426, which Mozart had composed five years earlier in 1783. Mozart added the opening Adagio for the strings version.
Fantasy in D minor for fortepiano – Mozart improvised frequently as part of both private and public performance. This Fantasy, with its dark distinctive opening which explores the fantastical low register of the fortepiano, may give us a good idea of what Mozart might have done one night just sitting down to “jam” for his friends.
Two French Songs for soprano and fortepiano — Birds follow the warm weather, so they never cease their courtship. And in the woods one day the protagonist foolishly rouses a sleeping Cupid — and pays a terrible price.
Ballet excerpts from Les Petit Riens – literally The Little Nothings. Mozart composed most, but not all, of this ballet in Paris 1778 for Jean-Georges Noverre, ballet master of the Paris Opera. The work served as an interlude to an opera by Niccolo Piccinni that closed after just four performances.
For more information, go to: www.madisonbachmusicians.org
Tags: #AriadneLih, #ArtisticDirector, #BalletMusic, #BaronvanSwieten, #BBCProms, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CampRandallStadium, #ChamberOrchestra, #ChicagoIllinois, #ChristianChurch, #ChristianReligion, #Classicalera, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #ExsultateJubilate, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FerruccioBusoni, #FirstCongregationalUnitedChurchofChrist, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FrenchSong, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #JesusChrist, #JohannChristophBach, #JohannSebastianBach, #KarlBarth, #LeopoldMozart, #LondonEngland, #MadisonBach Musicians, #MaleSoprano, #MarcVallon, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MelodicMusic, #MilanItaly, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #MontrealCanada, #MusicalExcerpt, #NannerlMozart, #NewYorkCity, #NiccoloPiccinni, #OboeMusic, #OmahaNebraska, #OperaMusic, #OrangeTreeImports, #ParisFrance, #ParisOpera, #PeriodInstruments, #PhiladelphiaPennsylvania, #RenéeFleming, #SeattleWashington, #SeniorCitizen, #SopranoSinger, #TheLondonBach, #TrevorStephenson, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VocalMusic, #WillyStreetCoopEast, #WillyStreetCoopWest, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, 18th century, acoustic, adult, angels, Ariadne Lih, Artistic director, Arts, Bach, balance, ballet, ballet music, Baron van Swieten, Baroque, basson, BBC Proms, bird, birds, blog, bow, bows, boy, Busoni, C.F. Abel, camaraderie, Camp Randall Stadium, Canada, castrato, Cello, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, charisma, Chicago, Christ, church, clarity, Classical, Classical music, closed, compose, composer, conductor, counterpoint, courtship, critically acclaimed, cupid, dance, dancer, dark, delight, discount, display, door, double bass, Early music, energy, era, excerpt, experiment, Exsultate Jubilate, Facebook, Family, fantasy, father, Ferruccio Busoni, First Congregational United Church of Christ, First Unitarian Society of Madison, fortepiano, French, fugue, fusion, generosity, genius, God, gut, head, historically informed performance practices, horns, imagination, improvisation, improviser, interlude, international, Jacob Stockinger, jam, Jesus, Johann Christoph Bach, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joy, Karl Barth, Keyboard, lecture, Leopold Mozart, lifetime, London, LP, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, Marc Vallon, Mead Witter School of Music, melody, Milan, Milwaukee, miracle, Montreal, Mozart, Music, natural, New York City, Niccolo Piccinni, Nonnerl Mozart, Oboe, Omaha, online, opera, Orange Tree Imports, Orchestra, orchestrator, Paris, Paris Opera, period instruments, Philadelphia, play, player, price, private, professor, Proms, proportion, protagonist, public, pyrotechnics, quotation, quote, rapture, Religion, religious, Renée Fleming, ringing, Saturday, Seattle, senior citizen, sense, sequence, setting, sing, singer, sister, soprano, speaker, specialist, spirit, strings, structure, Student, Sunday, symphony, terrible, The London Bach, thrill, thrilling, ticket, transitional, Trevor Stephenson, tune, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, valveless, vinyl, Viola, Violin, virtuoso, vocal, vocal music, voice, weeks, Willy Street Coop East, Willy Street Coop West, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Woods, YouTube, zeal
Classical music: The Oakwood Chamber Players will play music by Russian, British, Canadian and American composers this Saturday night and Sunday afternoon
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
ALERT: If you attend the concert by the Cuarteto Casals tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Shannon Hall of the Wisconsin Union Theater, you night want to read local writer and amateur cellist Paul Baker’s interview with the Chicago-born violist who analyzes the interpretation of each piece on the program. Here is a link to Baker’s blog “Only Strings” where you can find the interview: https://onlystringswsum.wordpress.com/author/pbaker/
For more information about the group and the concert, go to yesterday’s post: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2019/02/28/classical-music-this-friday-night-the-wisconsin-union-theater-presents-a-world-class-spanish-string-quartet-and-will-also-announce-the-special-programs-for-its-centennial-anniversary-next-season/
By Jacob Stockinger
This coming weekend, the Oakwood Chamber Players (below) continue their season theme of Vignettes with compositions that depict concepts and stories.
The program includes dances from Panama, a string quartet from Russia and interpretation of the natural world woven into a composition by an American composer.
Performances will take place Saturday night, March 2, at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, March 3, at 2 p.m. Both concerts will be held at the Oakwood Center for Arts and Education, 6209 Mineral Point Road, on Madison’s far west side not far from West Towne Mall.
Tickets can be purchased with cash or personal checks at the door: $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors, and $5 for students. Visit www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com or call (608) 230-4316 for more information.
Five Novelettes for string quartet by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov (below) showcase the composer’s imagination and romantic writing. From the opening elegance in the Spanish style to the spirited Hungarian character in the finale, each of the five contrasting movements is graceful and captivating.
Red Hills Black Birds was composed by American composer Libby Larsen (below) for clarinet, viola and piano after she viewed contrasting paintings of New Mexico by Georgia O’Keeffe. Many of O’Keeffe’s works embody a sense of perspective, color and horizon. Larsen’s music uses her impressions of O’Keeffe’s art as her compositional focus. She reimagines six paintings of the southwest and shapes her composition to concepts of breadth and timelessness.
Dash for flute, clarinet and piano by American composer Jennifer Higdon (below) is a riotous musical chase. The composer chose these three instruments specifically for their capability of velocity. The unrelenting pulse creates a breath-taking technical sprint for the players.
O Albion by British composer Thomas Adès (below) is excerpted from his string quartet Arcadiana. The music has an ethereal quality and mesmerizes with its slow beauty and simplicity. (You can hear “O Albion” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Trio for flute, clarinet and bassoon is an upbeat piece written by Canadian composer, bassoonist and jazz pianist Bill Douglas. His writing brings together both classical and jazz influences.
The concert concludes with Danzas de Panama by William Grant Still (below) for string quintet and flute. A noted 20th century African-American composer, Still based this piece on Panamanian folk tunes collected in the 1920s. He used the lushness of the songs and compelling rhythms with great success. He was a talented orchestrator and it is hard to resist the panache and charm of the four movements: Taborita, Mejorana, Punto and Cumbia y Conga.
Oakwood Chamber Players members are Marilyn Chohaney, flute; Nancy Mackenzie, clarinet; Amanda Szyczs, bassoon; and Maggie Townsend, cello. They will be joined by guest artists Elspeth Stalter-Clouse, violin; Ariel Garcia, viola; Brad Townsend, bass; and Satoko Hayami, piano.
This is the fourth of five concerts in the Oakwood Chamber Players’ 2018-2019 season series entitled Vignettes. Remaining concerts will take place on May 18 and 19.
The Oakwood Chamber Players are a group of Madison-area professional musicians who have rehearsed and performed at Oakwood Village for over 30 years. They have also played in other local groups, including the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The Oakwood Chamber Players is a professional music ensemble proudly supported by Oakwood Lutheran Senior Ministries and the Oakwood Foundation.
Tags: #African-AmericanComposer, #AlexanderGlazunov, #AmateurMusician, #AmericanComposer, #Bassmusic, #BassoonMusic, #BillDouglas, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BritishComposer, #CanadianComposer, #CelloMusic, #ChamberMusic, #ChicagoIllinois, #ChristianReligion, #ClarinetMusic, #CuartetoCasals, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FluteMusic, #FolkDance, #FolkTune, #JazzPianist, #JenniferHigdon, #LibbyLarsen, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicalInterpretation, #MusicEnsemble, #NaturalWorld, #NewMexico, #OakwoodChamberPlayers, #OakwoodVillage, #OakwoodVillageWest, #OnlyStrings, #PanamaDances, #PaulBaker, #PersonalCheck, #PianoMusic, #RedHillsBlackBirds, #RomanticMusic, #RussianComposer, #SaturdayNight, #SeniorCitizen, #StringQuartet, #StringQuintet, #Sundayafternoon, #TheSouthwest, #ThomasAdès, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViolaMusic, #ViolinMusic, #WestSide, #WestTowneMall, #WilliamGrantStill, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #YouTubevideo, admission, African American, afternoon, Albion, Alexander Glazunov, amateur, American composer, Arcadiana, Art, Arts, audience, bass, Bassoon, beauty, Bill Douglas, bird, black, blo, breadth, Canada, Canadian, captivating, cash, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, character, charm, chase, Chicago, Christian, clarinet, Classical music, color, compelling, composer, Composition, concept, Concert, contrast, Cuarteto Casals, dance, dances, DASH, depict, Education, elegance, ethereal, Facebook, finale, five, flute, Focus, folk tune, forward, graceful, hill, horizon, Hungarian, imagination, impressions, influence, information, instrument, interpretation, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, like, link, lushness, Lutheran, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Mead Witter School of Music, members, mesmerizes, ministries, ministry, movement, Music, Musical composition, natural world, New Mexico, night, novelette, Oakwood Chamber Players, Oakwood Village, Oakwood Village West, Only Strings, opening, orchestrator, paintings, panache, Panama, Panamanian, Paul Baker, performer, personal check, perspective, Pianist, Piano, players, post, posting, professional, program, Pulse, quality, quintet, red, Red Hills Black Birds, Religion, rhythm, riotous, Romantic, Russian, Russian composer, Saturday, Season, senior, sense, shape, share, simplicity, slow, song, southwest, Spanish, sprint, story, String quartet, string quintet, Student, success, Sunday, tag, technical, theme, Thomas Ades, tickets, timelessness, trio, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, unrelenting, velocity, vignette, Viola, Violin, weekend, west, west side, West Towne Mall, William Grant Still, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Union Theater, word, woven, writing, YouTube
Classical music: Wikipedia offers a comprehensive overview of classical music in 2018. Plus, the annual New Year’s Day concert by the Vienna Philharmonic airs this morning on radio and tonight on TV
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
Today – January 1, 2019 – brings just two items or stories to the blog.
NEW YEAR’S DAY FROM VIENNA
The first item is a kind of ALERT.
One of the most popular and beloved worldwide musical traditions is the annual Great Performances broadcast by National Public Radio (NPR) of “New Year’s Day From Vienna” with the Vienna Philharmonic.
This year’s conductor is Christian Thielemann (below top) of the Munich Philharmonic and the host is Hugh Bonneville (below bottom in a photo by Nick Briggs) of PBS’ “Downton Abbey.”
The concert is a sold-out feast of waltzes, polkas and marches (including the famous clap-along “Radetzky March,” with Herbert von Karajan conducting in 1987, in the YouTube video at the bottom).
The radio version will be broadcast on Wisconsin Public Radio from 10 a.m. to noon THIS MORNING, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019.
Then at 8-9:30 p.m. TONIGHT, Wisconsin Public Television will broadcast the visual version of the event, complete with ballet and wonderful landscape, interior and architectural shots in and around Vienna. There will also be encore performances: https://wptschedule.org/episodes/48242142/Great-Performances/From-Vienna-The-New-Years-Celebration-2019/
For a playlist and more background, go to: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/from-vienna-the-new-years-celebration-2019-about/9076/
2018 IN REVIEW
The first day of the new year seems like the perfect time to look back and see what happened in classical music during the past year.
And this year, The Ear found something truly comprehensive and international.
Wikipedia has put together a year-end overview that is astonishing for its amount of detail.
You will find a global day-by-day calendar that includes links, in blue, for more details.
You will find news items and major events – including the effect of the #MeToo movement as well as deaths and obituaries, jobs and retirements.
You will find a list of new music.
You will find a list of new operas.
You will find lists for several major awards for classical recordings.
It is a terrific resource — a good long read, both informative and entertaining. Perfect for New Year’s Day.
Here is a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_in_classical_music
Happy New Year!
Tags: #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianThielemann, #Clap-along, #CompactDisc, #DowntonAbbey, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GrammyAwards, #GreatPerformances, #HappyNewYear, #HerbertvonKarajan, #HughBonneville, #JunoAwards, #MeToo, #MunichGermany, #MunichPhilharmonic, #NationalPublicRadio, #NewMusic, #NewOperas, #NewsItems, #NewsStories, #NewYear's, #NewYear'sDay, #NewYear'sDayFromVienna, #OrchestralMusic, #PBSSpecials, #RadetskyMarch, #RadetzkyMarch, #RadetzskyMarch, #RadioBroadcast, #TelevisionBroadcast, #TVShow, #ViennaAustria, #ViennaPhilharmonic, #Wikipediaentry, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WisconsinPublicTelevision, #WordWide, #YouTubevideo, alert, architecture, archutectural, Arts, audience, Austria, awards, Bach, ballet, Baroque, Beethoven, blog, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, Christian Thielemann, Classical music, classicalmusic, Compact Disc, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, dance, death, Downtown Abbey, Early music, encore, event, Facebook, feast, forward, Great Performances, Happy New Year, Herbert von Karajan, host, Hugh Bonneville, interior, international, Jacob Stockinger, job, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, landscape, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, march, Me Too, Me Too movement, morning, Mozart, Music, National Public Radio, New Music, New Year, New Year's, New Year's Day, New Year's Day From Vienna, news, NPR, obituaries, obituary, opera, Orchestra, orchestral music, PBS, performance, Piano, polka, post, posting, Radetsky March, Radetzky March, Radetzsky March, Radio, read, recording, Retirement, share, sold-out, stories, story, symphony, tag, Television, today, tonight, TV, United States, video, Vienna, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Waltz, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, Wisconsin Public Television, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, word, work, world, year, YouTube
Classical music: Here are playlists of the best classical music for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. What music would you choose?
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
REMINDER: A well-edited one-hour excerpt of the recent Christmas concert by the Madison Symphony Orchestra will air on Wisconsin Public Television at 9:30 p.m. this Tuesday, on Christmas Night. The Ear saw the first airing of the broadcast and highly recommends it. Both the programming and the performing are top-notch. It is a perfect way to wrap up your holiday.
By Jacob Stockinger
Today is Christmas Eve and tomorrow is Christmas Day.
Some people celebrate tonight and some people celebrate tomorrow.
But no matter when you mark the holiday with gifts, gathering and special food, great music has an integral place in the celebration.
Indeed, music seems nothing less than a great gift to the entire world. As the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.”
To help you celebrate, here are playlists of the best classical music, from Medieval times through Baroque music up to living composers, for marking Christmas.
Here are two playlists, with a total of two hours of music, already compiled and available on YouTube. Be sure to hit SHOW MORE at the top to see the complete title, composer’s name and timing of the selections:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrFCdi7apV8&list=PLcGkkXtask_cCaCLkrmuDUfukHct9eut-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voIrzsxeE6w
And perhaps best of all, here are several lists in the same place from famed classical radio station WQXR in New York City. They not only have generous sound samples, but also allow you to choose what genre of music you prefer — say, choral music or brass music or piano music to string quartet chamber music:
https://www.wqxr.org/story/essential-christmas-recordings/
What music would you choose as favorite Christmas fare?
The Ear wants to hear.
Enjoy! And Merry Christmas to all!
Tags: #AntonioVivaldi, #ArcangeloCorelli, #ArvoPärt, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #CatholicMass, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianReligion, #ChristmasDay, #ChristmasEve, #ChristmasMusic, #Christmasnight, #ChristmasOratorio, #DietrichBuxtehude, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FelixMendelssohn, #FriedrichNietzsche, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #JeanSibelius, #JesusChrist, #JohannSebastianBach, #LivingComposers, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #Marc-AntoineCharpentier, #MedievalMusic, #MerryChristmas, #MessiahOratorio, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoMusic, #RalphVaughanWilliams, #RomanCatholic, #RomanCatholicism, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #TheNutcracker, #TraditionalMusic, #WisconsinPublicTelevision, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WQXRradio, #YouTubevideo, air, Arab, Arcangelo Corelli, Arts, Arvo Part, audience, Bach, Baroque, Baroque music, Beethoven, blog, brass music, Broadcast, Buxtehude, Carol, Catholicism, Cello, Chamber music, Charpentier, choral music, Christ, Christian religion, Christianity, Christmas Day, christmas eve, Christmas music, Christmas Night, Christmas Oratorio, Classical music, Compact Disc, composer, concerto, conductor, dance, dvent, Early music, enjoy, excerpt, Facebook, food, Friedrich Nietzsche, gathering, genre, George Frideric Handel, German, gift, hymn, integral, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus Christ, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, life, like, Living composer, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, mass, Medelssohn, Medieval music, Merry Christmas, Messiah, name, New Music, New York City, Nutcracker, performer, performing, philosopher, Piano, piano music, playlist, post, posting, programming, share, Sibelius, String quartet, tag, Tchaikovsky, The Ear, timing, title, today, tomorrow, traditional music, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, vaughan williams, Viola, Violin, Vivaldi, vocal music, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Public Television, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world, WQXR, YouTube
Classical music: The Oakwood Chamber Players celebrate the holidays this weekend with two performances of seasonal music
2 Comments
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend the Oakwood Chamber Players (below) continue their 2018-2019 season series “Vignettes” with a holiday concert on this Saturday night, Nov. 24, at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, Nov. 25, at 2 p.m.
On the program is a range of musical styles and a charming story set for chamber ensemble and narrator.
The cheery holiday-themed program will include familiar seasonal music, treasured classical composers, entertaining arrangements, and some delightful musical storytelling.
Both concerts will be held at the Oakwood Center for Arts and Education, 6209 Mineral Point Road, on Madison’s far west side near West Towne Mall.
Tickets can be purchased with cash or personal checks at the door: the cost is $25 for general admission, $20 for seniors, and $5 for students. For more information, go to: www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com or call (608) 230-4316.
The program includes music from two beloved classical composers: “Joseph, dearest, Joseph mine” from “Geistliches Wiegenlied” by Johannes Brahms; and Suite of Christmas Songs, Op. 72, by Felix Mendelssohn.
In 1927, “The Adoration of the Magi” (below) by Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli, who did many scenes of that subject, inspired Italian composer Ottorino Respighi to create an evocative composition that weaves traditional carols into his musical response to the famous painting. This version has been arranged for chamber ensemble of flute, harp and cello. (You can hear the orchestral version in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The group will be joined by special guest artist baritone Robert “Bobby” Goderich, who has appeared with the Madison Opera and the Four Seasons Theatre. He will sing an upbeat version of the traditional Welsh Gower Wassail as well as performing Silent Night set for the intimate combination of voice, clarinet and harp.
Central to the program, Goderich (below) will narrate Sweep Dreams, an enchanting tale about a lonely man who falls in love with an enchanted broom that dances in the moonlight.
The story by the late and prize-winning author Nancy Willard (below top) was set to music by the late and renowned American choral composer Stephen Paulus (below bottom), who lived in Minneapolis and created the piece while he was composer-in-residence for the Minnesota Orchestra.
Additional works on the concert are “A Winter’s Night” by American composer Kevin McKee (below) for flugelhorn and harp, Australian composer Percy Grainger’s warm-hearted setting of “Sussex Mummers’ Carol,” and two sunny woodwind quintet settings of beloved holiday songs.
The Oakwood Chamber Players will be joined by a significant array of guest artists: Margaret Mackenzie, harp; Wes Luke, violin; Ariel Garcia, viola; Brad Townsend, bass; Jennifer Morgan, oboe; John Aley trumpet and flugelhorn; Robert “Bobby” Goderich, singer/narrator; Nicholas Bonacio, percussion; and Carrie Backman, conductor.
Regular members, who play with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and other local groups, include: Maggie Darby Townsend, cello; Marilyn Chohaney, flute; Nancy Mackenzie, clarinet; Anne Aley, horn; and Amanda Szczys, bassoon.
This is the second of five concerts in the Oakwood Chamber Players’ 2018-2019 season series entitled Vignettes. Remaining concerts will take place in 2019 on Jan. 12 and 13; March 2 and 3; and May 18 and 19.
The Oakwood Chamber Players are a group of Madison-area professional musicians who have rehearsed and performed at Oakwood Village for over 30 years.
The Oakwood Chamber Players are a professional music ensemble proudly supported by Oakwood Lutheran Senior Ministries and the Oakwood Foundation.
Tags: #AdorationoftheMagi, #AmericanComposer, #AudienceMembers, #AustralianComposer, #BassoonMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #CelloMusic, #ChamberEnsemble, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ChristmasCarol, #ChristmasHoliday, #ChristmasSong, #ClarinetMusic, #ClassicalComposers, #Composer-in-Residence, #FacebookPost, #FelixMendelssohn, #FluteMusic, #FourSeasonsTheatre, #GuestArtist, #HarpMusic, #HolidayConcert, #italianComposer, #JohannesBrahms, #JohnAley, #KevinMcKee, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MinneapolisMinnesota, #MinnesotaOrchestra, #MusicalStyle, #NancyWillard, #OakwoodCenter, #OakwoodChamberPlayers, #OrchestralMusic, #OttorinoRespighi, #PercussionMusic, #PercyGrainger, #PersonalCheck, #Prize-Winning, #ProfessionalMusician, #RenaissanceArt, #RenaissanceArtist, #RenaissancePainter, #RobertGoderich, #SandroBotticelli, #SaturdayNight, #SeasonalMusic, #SilentNight, #StephenPaulus, #Sundayafternoon, #TheRenaissance, #ThreeKings, #VocalMusic, #WelshMusic, #WestSide, #WestTowneMall, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WoodwindQuintet, #YouTubevideo, admission, adoration, Adoration of the Magi, American, arrangement, Arts, audience, Australia, author, bass, Bassoon, Blog post, blog posting, Botticelli, broom, Carol, cash, Cello, cello music, Chamber music, charming, cheer, cheery, choral music, Christmas, Christmas Carol, clarinet, Classical music, classicalmusic, composer, Composition, conductor, dance, enchanted, Facebook, famous, flugelhorn, flute, guest artist, harp, Holiday, holiday concert, holiday music, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, John Aley, Kevin McKee, like, link, lonely, Love, Lutheran, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Orchestra, magi, ministry, Minneapolis, Minnesota Orchestra, moonlight, Music, musical, Musician, Nancy Willard, narrator, Oakwood, Oakwood Chamber Players, Oboe, orchestral, painter, painting, percussion, Percy Grainger, personal check, piece, player, professional, Renaissance, Robert Goderich, Saturday night, Season, seasonal music, senior, series, share, Silent Night, singer, song, Stephen Paulus, story, storytelling, Student, style, Suite, Sunday afternoon, tag, theater, theatre, three kings, ticket, traditional, treasure, Trumpet, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, version, vignette, Viola, Violin, vocal music, voice, web site, Website, Welsh, west side, West Towne Mall, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Woodwind quintet, YouTube
Classical music: This weekend, the Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates the legacy and works of Leonard Bernstein
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR SHARE IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
This coming weekend, Leonard Bernstein (below, in a photo by Jack Mitchell) will be remembered, honored and celebrated by his friend and Madison Symphony Orchestra music director John DeMain in a “Remembering Lenny” concert that explores Bernstein’s musical contributions as an American composer and conductor.
Original works by Bernstein will be performed by the MSO on the first half of the concert. The MSO starts with the Overture to Candide, then moves on to On The Town, and, finally, performs his Symphony No. 2 “The Age of Anxiety,” featuring Van Cliburn Competition bronze medal winner and UW-Madison pianist Christopher Taylor.
The second half of the program features Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, the last work that Bernstein (1918-1990) ever conducted during a concert at the summer Tanglewood Festival of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Performances will be held in Overture Hall, 201 State Street, on this Friday night, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m.; this Saturday night, Nov. 10, at 8 p.m.; and this Sunday afternoon, Nov. 11, at 2:30 p.m. Ticket information is below.
Says DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson): “To have my 25th anniversary with the MSO coincide with the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth is special for me personally because of the unique opportunities I had to work with this great American musician.”
DeMain, who premiered Bernstein’s opera “A Quiet Place” in Houston, adds: “The first half of the concert celebrates Lenny the composer, culminating in the first performance by the MSO of his second symphony, The Age of Anxiety, which has a dazzling and at times jazzy part for the piano, and carries with it, still, a timely social statement. Christopher Taylor (below), a Madison favorite with whom I have often enjoyed collaborating, will perform the challenging and exciting piano part.”
DeMain describes the final work in the program: “The second half of the concert pays tribute to Lenny the conductor, and his life-long love of Beethoven. Since the Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92, was the last piece Lenny conducted, I thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate Lenny and his great contribution to American musical life.” (NOTE: You can hear Bernstein conduct the famous second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 during his last public performance, just two months before he died, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Here is some more background:
Bernstein’s operetta Candide is based on the 1759 novella by French philosopher Voltaire. The well-known Overture is quick-paced, with a feverish excitement that begins from the first breath of sound. Many of the meters are in seven beats, or of other non-traditional types, and quickly change. Each player of the ensemble is required to perform with simultaneously the utmost virtuosity and togetherness.
On the Town is a dance-centric musical scored by Leonard Bernstein based on Jerome Robbins’ idea for the 1944 ballet “Fancy Free.” The story depicts three American sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City during wartime, where each man meets and quickly connects with the woman of their dreams. The musical is the source of the ubiquitously popular show tune New York, New York.
The Age of Anxiety was composed between 1948 and 1949, and is inspired by a poem of the same name by W.H. Auden (below). The 80-page poem follows four lonely strangers who meet in a wartime New York bar and spend the evening ruminating on their lives and the human condition. Subtitled “a baroque eclogue” (a pastoral poem in dialogue form), the characters speak mostly in long soliloquies of alliterative tetrameter, with little distinction among the individual voices.
Composed from 1811–1812, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 premiered with Beethoven (below) himself conducting in Vienna on December 8, 1813 at a charity concert for soldiers wounded in the Battle of Hanau.
The symphony’s dance elements, vitality and sense of celebration are conveyed principally through rhythm. It is not the melodies that are so striking and memorable as the general sense of forward movement.
The Overture lobby opens 90 minutes prior to each concert. One hour before each performance, Randal Swiggum (below) will lead a 30-minute Prelude Discussion in Overture Hall to enhance concertgoers’ understanding and listening experience. It is free to ticket holders.
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.
Program notes for the concerts are available online. Go to: http://bit.ly/nov2018programnotes
Tickets can be purchased in the following ways:
- Single Tickets are $18-$93 each and are on sale now at: https://madisonsymphony.org/bernstein\through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141. Fees apply to online/phone sales.
- Groups of 10 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information, visit, https://www.madisonsymphony.org/groups.
- Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $15 or $20 tickets. More information is at: https://www.madisonsymphony.org/studentrush
- Seniors age 62 and up receive 20% savings on advance and day-of-concert ticket purchases in select areas of the hall.
- Subscribers to 5 or more symphony subscription concerts can save up to 50% off single ticket prices. More information is available about the season at: https://madisonsymphony.org/18-19
- Flex-Ticket booklets of 10 vouchers for 2018-19 symphony subscription concerts are available. Learn more at: https://madisonsymphony.org/flex
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
Find more information at madisonsymphony.org
The Presenting Sponsor for the November concerts is Steinhauer Charitable Trust. Underwriting for Christopher Taylor is provided by Sharon Stark, “to Peter Livingston with love.” Major funding is provided by: Stephen D. Morton, The Gialamas Company, Inc., Myrna Larson, Madison Symphony Orchestra League, and Nancy Mohs. Additional funding is provided by Robert Benjamin and John Fields, Godfrey & Kahn, S.C., and Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tags: #AgeofAnxiety, #AmericanComposer, #Americanconductor, #AmericanMusician, #AQuietPlace, #BattleofHanau, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BostonSymphony, #BoxOffice, #BrassSection, #CandideOpera, #CharityConcert, #ChristopherTaylor, #FacebookPost, #FirstPerformance, #GialamasCompany, #Godfrey&Kahn, #HoustonTexas, #JazzMusic, #JeromeRobbins, #JohnDeMain, #LastPerformance, #LeonardBernstein, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #NewYorkCity, #NewYorkNewYork, #OntheTown, #OriginalWork, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #OverturetoCandide, #PastoralPoem, #PercussionSection, #PreludeDiscussion, #ProgramNotes, #RandalSwiggum, #SeasonSubscriber, #SeniorCitizen, #ShowTune, #SociallyRelevant, #SocialRelevance, #SocialStatement, #StateOfWisconsin, #StringSection, #StudentID, #StudentRush, #SubscriptionConcert, #TanglewoodFestival, #TheCliburn, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VanCliburn, #VanCliburnInternationalPianoCompetition, #ViennaAustria, #W.H.Auden, #WarTime, #WindSection, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WithLove, #WorldPremiere, #WorldWarII, #YouTubevideo, A Quiet Place, admission, Age of Anxiety, American, American musician, anniversary, Arts, Ausria, Austria, ballet, Baroque, Battle of Hanau, Beethoven, birth, blog, Boston, box office, brass section, breath, bronze medal, Candide, celebration, centennial, charity, Christopher Taylor, Classical music, composer, Concert, dance, death, dialog, dialogue, died, discount, dream, Eclogue, explore, Facebook, first performance, France, French, Gialamas Company, hear, honor, Houston, ID, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, jazzy, Jerome Robbins, John DeMain, last, Lenny, Leonard Bernstein, life, live, lives, lobby, lonely, Love, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, meger, melody, Mohs, Music, musical, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, New York, New York City, novella, On the Town, online, opera, Operetta, Orchestra, original, Overture, Overture Center, Overture Center for the Arts, Overture Hall, pastoral, percussion section, performance, philosopher, Pianist, Piano, poem, poet, Poetry, post, posting, Prelude Discussion, premiere, professor, program notes, Randal Swiggum, remember, rhythm, sailor, season subscriber, security, see, senior, senior citizen, share, show tune, social relevance, socially relevant, soldiers, soliloquy, Sound, sponsor, stranger, string section, Student, student rush, subscriber, subscription concert, symphony, Tanglewood Festival, Texas, The Cliburn, ticket, togetherness, underwriting, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Veteran, veterans, Vienna, Viola, Violin, virtuosity, vitality, voice, Voltaire, wartme, wind section, winner, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, woman, work, world premiere, World War II, wounded, YouTube
Classical music: Cliburn-winning pianist Kenneth Broberg makes his Madison debut with a FREE master class this evening and a recital Sunday afternoon at Farley’s House of Pianos
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR SHARE IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
A 25-year-old Minneapolis native, pianist Kenneth Broberg (below in a photo by Jeremy Enlow for The Cliburn) won the silver medal at the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.
His 2017-2018 debut season as a Cliburn medalist included recital engagements in cities across the United States and Europe. His debut solo album was released by Decca Gold in August 2017.
This weekend, Broberg — whose playing The Ear finds impressively beautiful — makes his Madison debut at Farley’s House of Pianos, 6522 Seybold Road, on the far west side near West Towne Mall, as part of the Salon Piano Series.
Broberg will be featured in a master class with local young pianists and a solo recital.
For more about Broberg, go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Broberg
And to the pianist’s home web site: https://kennybroberg.com
For more about the Salon Piano Series and the other three concerts this season, along with videos and reviews, go to: https://salonpianoseries.org
You can also hear Broberg play a lyrical and well-known Impromptu by Franz Schubert in the YouTube video at the bottom. He also has many other performances on YouTube, including some from the Cliburn competition.
Here are details about his appearances:
MASTER CLASS
Broberg will give a master class with local piano students THIS EVENING from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Farley’s House of Pianos.
The literature being played is: Sonata in B-Flat Major, K. 333, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; “Des Abends” (Evening) and “Grillen” (Whims) from “Fantasiestuecke (Fantasy Pieces) Op. 12, by Robert Schumann; and “Evocation” and “El Puerto” for the “Iberia” Suite by Isaac Albéniz
The master class is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Children must be age 6 and over to attend.
SOLO RECITAL
On Sunday afternoon, Nov. 4, at 4 p.m. Broberg will perform a solo recital at Farley’s House of Pianos in the main showroom.
The program includes: Prelude, Fugue and Variation, Op. 18, by Cesar Franck and Harold Bauer; Sonata in E minor “Night Wind,” Op. 25, No. 2, by Nikolai Medtner; Toccata on “L’Homme armé” by Marc-André Hamelin; “Children’s Corner” Suite by Claude Debussy (movements are “Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum; Jimbo’s Lullaby; Serenade for the Doll; The Snow Is Dancing; The Little Shepherd; and Golliwog’s Cakewalk); and Three Preludes by George Gershwin.
Advance and online tickets are $45 for adults and $10 for students, and are available at brownpapertickets.com or at Farley’s House of Pianos (608) 271-2626. Tickets at the door are $50. More details are at SalonPianoSeries.org
Tags: #AudienceMembers, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CésarFrank, #CesarFranck, #Children'sCornerSuite, #ClaudeDebussy, #DeccaRecords, #FacebookPost, #FantasyPieces, #Farley'sHouseofPianos, #FranzSchubert, #HaroldBauer, #IberiaSuite, #IsaacAlbeniz, #KennethBroberg, #KennyBroberg, #Marc-AndréHamelin, #Marc-Andrré, #MinneapolisMinnesota, #NikolaiMedtner, #RobertSchumann, #SalonPIanoSeries, #SilverMedal, #SoloDebut, #TheCliburn, #UnitedStates, #VanCliburn, #VanCliburnInternationalPianoCompetition, #WestTowneMall, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, adult, Album, Arts, audience, blog, Blog post, cakewalk, Chamber music, children, chld, Classical music, Claude Debussy, Compact Disc, Competition, composer, Concert, dance, dancing, debut, Decca Records, details, Europe, evening, event, Facebook, fantasy, Farley's House of Pianos, Franz Schubert, free, George Gershwin, georgegershwin, gold, Harold Bauer, Home, Iberia, impromptu, Isaac Albéniz, Jacob Stockinger, Kenneth Broberg, Kenny Broberg, lullaby, lyrical, lyricism, Madison, Marc-André Hamelin, master class, masterclass, medal, medalist, Minneapolis, Minnesota, night, Nikolai Medtner, open, Pianist, Piano, post, posting, Prelude, public, recital, Robert Schumann, Salon Piano Series, Season, Serenade, shepherd, showroom, silver, silver medal, snow, solo, Sonata, Student, Suite, Sunday, The Cliburn, ticket, toccata, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, variation, web site, West Towne Mall, Wind, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, young, YouTube
Recent Comments
 | George Savage on Classical music: The future of… |
 | fflambeau on Classical music: Next season t… |
| fflambeau on Classical music: Next season t… |
| fflambeau on Classical music: Next season t… |
 | p on Classical music: Next season t… |
