The Well-Tempered Ear
Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200 today
2 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Perhaps the only symphony more iconic than Beethoven’s Ninth is the Fifth Symphony by the same composer (below).
But today we celebrate the premiere of the pioneering Ninth Symphony that took place 200 years ago on May 7, 1824. Below is the original poster announcing the concert program with the premiere, which Beethoven conducted in his total deafness.
Here is a link to an anniversary story, with lots of historical background about the original performance, by the PBS affiliate WETA in Washington, D.C.:
https://weta.org/fm/classical-score/may-7-1824-200th-anniversary-premiere-beethovens-symphony-no-9
The 70-minute-long Ninth — also called the “Choral” Symphony — is a remarkable work in so many ways. It remains perhaps the most universal music ever written, meaningful to many different individuals and cultures.
Unlike most symphonies of the time, the opening does not immediately announce a theme. It seems to drift around until it finds a solid key and recognizable theme and rhythm. And then it takes off. It reminds The Ear of the depiction by Haydn, Beethoven’s teacher, in his oratorio “The Creation.”
The New York Times also has an essay by Daniel Barenboim about the meaning of Beethoven’s Ninth. No doubt that would be interesting and enlightening to read. But unfortunately the Times hides it behind a pay wall. Only subscribers get to see it right now.
Instead, here is a comprehensive look in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_(Beethoven)
The famous choral setting of German poet Friedrich Schiller’s 1785 “Ode to Joy” of the last movement is also the official hymn of the European Union. This was the first use of a chorus in a symphony but would not be the last.
In Japan, the same “Ode to Joy” is sung en masse with a chorus up to 10,000 in stadiums every New Year’s Day and on other special occasions, as you can see in the YouTube video at the bottom, an event that took place after a horrendous earthquake and tsunami. The idealistic music embodies the journey from despair to hope, and to brotherhood and solidarity with all people and all nations.
Leonard Bernstein directed it in Berlin to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall and the coming of German reunification.
As its theme, the nightly Huntley-Brinkley New Report on NBC used to use the percussive, pounding, rhythmically propulsive Scherzo movement — which is The Ear’s favorite movement.
The Ear also thinks that the soulful slow movement has strong suggestions of the lovely and well-known slow movement of Beethoven’s earlier “Pathétique” piano sonata. But it doesn’t seem to have been used as a theme or in a movie soundtrack. Does anyone know differently?
What does the Ninth Symphony mean to you?
What do you think of the Ninth and how do you rank it among other symphonies?
Do you have a favorite recording or performance?
What is your favorite movement of Beethoven’s Ninth?
What other uses of The Ninth do you know of?
The Ear wants to hear
Tags: #ClassicFM, 1824, 2024, America, American, Android, anniversary, anthem, Apple, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Beethoven, Beethoven's Fifth, Beethoven's Ninth, Berlin Wall, Bing, blog, Broadcast, brotherhood, CD, celebrate, chaos, China, Chinese, choral music, Choral Symphony, chorus, Classical, Classical music, Compact Disc, composer, Concert, conductor, culture, Daniel Barenboim, deaf, deafness, depair, different, disability, drift, duckduckgo, earthquake, en masse, European Union, Facebook, fampus, favorite, Fürtwangler, fifth, film, Friedrich Schiller, German, Germany, Google, Google Alert, Google Alerts, Google Search, Haydn, hearing disabled, hope, Huntley-Brinkley, hymn, icon, iconic, ideakistic, idealism, individual, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, journalism, journalist, key, Korea, Korean, Leonard Bernstein, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, May 7, mean, meaning, Microsoft, Microsoft Bing, movement, movie, Music, NBC, New Year's Day, New York Times, news, ninth, Ode to Joy, official, opening, oratorio, Orchestra, original, OS, pathetique, Pathetique Sonata, PBS, perform, performance, Piano, pioneering, poem, Poetry, Poster, premiere, program, propulsive, recording, remarkable, report, reunification, rhythm, Romantic, Safari, Scherzo, share, solidarity, soloist, Sonata, soul, soulful, soundtrack, South Korea, South Korean, stadium, Student, suggestion, symphony, tag, take off, takeoff, Teacher, Television, The Creation, The Ear, The Well-Tempered Ear, theme, tidal wave, today, Toscanini, tsunami, TV, Twitter, U.S., United States, universal, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, US, use, vocal music, wander, well-known, Well-Tempered, welltempered, WETA, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, WordPress, Wordpress.com, work, X, you, YouTube
Klaus Mäkelä, 28, is the new music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
6 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
It seems to The Ear that another young conducting superstar is in the making.
I’m talking about the 28-year-old Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä (below, in a photo by Marco Borggreve), who just yesterday was named the successor to 82-year-old Riccardo Muti as the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, starting in 2027.
Chances are good that the talented, photogenic and charismatic Mäkelä — ignore the umlauts and “ke” is pronounced kay — who has had a meteoric rise will eventually join the company of Gustavo Dudamel and Yannick Nézet-Séguin as an heir to such celebrated conductors as Leonard Bernstein and Herbert von Karajan, then Claudio Abbado, Michael Tilson Thomas and Marin Alsop.
The Ear would love to post stories from the New York Times, the Washington Post or the Chicago Tribune. But they all hide their online stories behind a paywall.
Here is another story, from ABC-TV in Chicago and the Associated Press, that has all the essentials and some extra background:
In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can see his 2-minute video made specifically to introduce himself on the occasion of his selection to lead the CSO. He talks about what he likes about the world-famous orchestra and why he wanted to accept the permanent position after guest conducting the CSO
And here is an excerpt of Mäkelä conducting the Paris Orchestra in Carnegie aHall last month. His reading of Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” — on an all-Stravinsky program with “The Rite of Spring — raised the neck hair on The Ear.
You can under how the young Finn has developed a reputation for both spontaneous energy and sonic clarity.
What do you think of Klaus Mäkelä becoming the music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra?
Have you heard him conduct? What did you think?
Would you go to Chicago to hear him conduct?
Will he become a worthy successor to such Chicago luminaries as Muti, Daniel Barenboim, George Solti and Fritz Reiner?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, 2024, 2027, ABC-TV, alerts, Amsterdam, AP, Apple, Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, Arts, Asia, asian, Associated Press, audience, background, Beethoven, Bernard Haitink, Bernstein, Bing, blog, Carnegie Hall, celebrated, Cello, charismatic, Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, China, Chinese, choral music, clarity, Classical music, Claudio Abbado, composer, Concert, Concertgebouw, concerto, Conducting, conductor, CSO, Daniel Barenboim, debut, energy, essential, Europe, European, Facebook, Finland, Finn, Finnish, Fritz Reiner, George Solti, global, globe, Google Alert, guest conductor, Gustavo Dudamel, handsome, hear, Herbert von Karajan, Igor Stravinsky, Jacob Stockinger, Karajan, Klaus Makela, Klaus Mäkalä, Leonard Bernstein, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Marin Alsop, Mäkelä, medici.tv, meteoric, Michael Tilson Thomas, Microsoft, MTT, Music, Music director, Netherlands, New York Times, Norway, online, opera, Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, OS, Oslo, Paris, Paris Orchestra, performer, photo, photogenic, Piano, program, Riccardo Muti, rise, Rite of Spring, rizz, Safari, Scandinavia, Scandinavian, share, Sonata, spontaneous, story, Stravinsky, successor, superstar, symphony, tag, talented, The Ear, The Firebird, The Well-Tempered Ear, think, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Washington Post, Website, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world, worldwide, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, you, young, YouTube
How do you rank Beethoven’s five piano concertos? Which is your favorite set of recordings?
16 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Lately, The Ear has been listening to the five piano concertos by Ludwig van Beethoven (below).
That, of course, is not counting the composer’s rarely performed piano transcription of his own violin concerto.
The five concertos are so different but so consistently great that they are always in demand for programming and always a pleasure to listen to as well, I imagine, to play.
Lately I have been sampling two new complete recordings that have received high praise from critics: one (below top) by the Chinese pianist Haochen Zhang, who won the Van Cliburn competition in 2009 and recorded his set, including a cadenza by him, with the Philadelphia Orchestra under conductor Nathalie Stutzmann; and the other, a complete live set (below bottom) by the American pianist Garrick Ohlsson, the winner of the 1970 Chopin competition, recently recorded at the Grand Teton Festival.
Both are fine recordings and well worth listening to.
They made me once again recalculate my personal ranking of the five piano concertos. I don’t mean a ranking by quality or which one is the best, but simply which individual concertos I prefer to listen to by frequency. Here is any order: 4, 3, 5 (Emperor), 1, and 2.
How would you rank these five masterworks?
There are so many excellent recordings of these glorious works. I have listened to individual concertos and complete sets by Claudio Arrau, Emanuel Ax, Alfred Brendel (who has recorded them three times), Maurizio Pollini, Mitsuko Uchida, Daniel Barenboim, Murray Perahia, Leif Ove Andnes, Glenn Gould, Arthur Rubinstein (who recorded them twice), Rudolf Serkin, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jan Lisiecki, Rudolf Buchbinder, Krystian Zimerman, Yefim Bronfman; and on and on. It is hard to pick just one favorite and the idea of a “definitive” performance is impossible.
And truth be told, I generally turn to different performers for different concertos. Martha Argerich has not recorded all five but I love her performances of Piano Concertos 1, 2 and 3. I admire the late Nelson Freire in the Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”). And I am very moved by Krystian Zimerman’s playing of the inspired and unconventional middle movement of the Piano Concerto No. 4 in the YouTube video at the bottom.
But overall the most consistent sets I continue to like are classics by the late Leon Fleisher and Richard Goode, who completely understands and captures what is special about Beethoven, as he demonstrated in his pioneering complete set of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas.
How would you personally rank the Beethoven pianos concertos as your favorites by appeal and listenability?
Which pianist in Beethoven’s five piano concertos do you listen to and like the most often?
Is there a complete set you find irresistible and recommend to others? Or a particular recording of a particular concerto?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, Alfred Brendel, America, American, appeal, Arthur Rubinstein, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Beethoven, blog, China, Chinese, classic, Classical music, Claudio Arrau, complete, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, critic, critical, critical acclaim, Daniel Barenboim, definitive, demand, different, Early music, Emanuel Ax, Emperor, Emperor Concerto, Europe, European, Facebook, festival, Garrick Ohlsson, Glenn Gould, Grand Teton Music Festival, Haochen Zhang, impossible, Jacob Stockinger, Jan Lisiecki, Krystian Zimerman, Leif Ove Andnes, Leon Fleisher, link, list, listenability, Ludwig van Beethoven, Martha Argerich, Maurizio Pollini, Mitsuko Uchida, Murray Perahia, Music, Nathalie Stutzmann, Nelson Freire, Orchestra, particular, personal, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, pioneer, play, pleasure, popular, popularity, praise, quality, rank, rating, recording, Richard Goode, Rudolf Serkin, Rudolph Buchbinder, sample, set, share, Sonata, symphony, tag, The Ear, transcription, U.S., Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Violin, Violin concerto, Vladimir Ashkenazy, winner, Yefim Bronfman, YouTube
Ailing superstar maestro and pianist Daniel Barenboim, 80, quits longtime German opera post
Leave a Comment
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
Yesterday — Friday, Jan. 6, 2023 — superstar maestro and pianist Daniel Barenboim, 80, resigned his longtime post of over 30 years as director of the Berlin State Opera.
Barenboim (below) cited ill health — specifically a severe inflammation of blood vessels — as the reason for his resignation.
Local residents might recall his long tenure at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where many of them probably heard him conduct and perhaps even perform as a concert pianist.
Here is a long biographical entry in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Barenboim
Below are links to two news articles about Barenboim’s decision.
In them you can read a lot of details about: his philosophy of interpretation; his childhood as a Jewish child prodigy in Argentina; his training and early career as both pianist and conductor; his performances with marriage to British cellist Jacqueline du Pré, who died young; his love of German music and his role in Germany’s reunification; his controversial criticism of how Israel treats Palestinians; and the orchestra and music school he co-founded with the Palestinian activist and world-famous literary scholar Edward Said.
Here is a story from British newspaper The Guardian:
And here is the story from the German broadcasting network and media conglomerate Deutsche Welle:
https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dw.com%2Fen%2Fconductor-daniel-barenboim-resigns-as-berlin-state-opera-director-over-ill-health%2Fa-63760683&data=05%7C01%7C%7Ceeb75c8f244542d0496e08daf02ed28b%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0e%7C638086381129033294%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=qmTwyPzkWpJKfAT4ohHJVWWnISE%2BxZS%2FxuM7hrC09zQ%3D&reserved=0
Finally, here is a recent compilation video from the outstanding arts website and streaming service medici.tv to celebrate Barenboim’s recent 80th birthday. It is called “80 Minutes with the Barenboim” and it features many other classical luminaries such as Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman and Pierre Boulez who have been vital to his life and global career.
Do you know any of Barenboim’s many recordings?
Do you have a favorite recording to recommend?
Did you ever hear Barenboim in person conduct or play the piano?
What did you think of him? Of his conducting or playing?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BerlinGermany, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #DanielBarenboim, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #MusicalInterpretation, #TheEar, #Wikipediabiography, #YouTubevideo, activist, Argentina, Argentine, Arts, Bach, Barenboim, Beethoven, Berlin, Berlin State Opera, biography, birthday, blog, career, Cello, Chamber music, Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Classical music, Concert, concerto, conductor, culture, Daniel Barenboim, Edward Said, Facebook, German, Germany, global, illness, interpretation, Israel, Israeli, Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Jacob Stockinger, Jacqueline du Pré, Jewish, Johann Sebastian Bach, La Scala, life, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Maestro, Mozart, Music, news, opera, Orchestra, Palestinian, philosophy, Pianist, Piano, Pierre Boulez, Pinchas Zukerman, Politics, poor health, prodigy, recording, share, sick, superstar, symphony, tag, The Ear, Violin, violinist, vocal music, West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Wikipedia, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
This weekend, starting Friday night, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra finishes up its winter season of online chamber music
Leave a Comment
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
This is the time of the year when music groups generally announce their next season while finishing up the current one.
But of course the pandemic continues to shroud plans for the new upcoming season in uncertainty and whether it will be online or in-person.
Meanwhile, groups are in the final stretch of finishing up this season.
This Friday night, April 16, at 7:30 p.m., the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO, below in photo by Mike Gorski) will debut the fourth and last online chamber music concert of its curtailed and substituted winter season.
The varied program includes works, both well-known and neglected, by four composers — from Italy, Russia, France and Austria — who come from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
The concert begins with the complete Concerto for Four Violins in B minor, RV 580, by Antonio Vivaldi (below). The string accompaniment will be scaled down.
Then comes the complete Septet for Winds, Strings and Piano by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (below).
The first and third movements of the Nonet by the rediscovered 19th-century French composer Louise Ferenc come next. (Here is the Wikipedia link to Ferenc (below):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_Farrenc
The final music will be the first, fourth and fifth movements – including the famous theme-and-variations – of the famously tuneful “Trout” Piano Quintet by Franz Schubert (below).
In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear the namesake theme-and-variations movement — based on one of Schubert’s songs — played by Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Daniel Barenboim, Jacqueline du Pre and Zubin Mehta, with a graphical depiction of the score.
The concert lasts 60-75 minutes.
Tickets are $30.
Here is a link to program notes by WCO music director and conductor Andrew Sewell (below, in a photo by Alex Cruz) and to purchasing a ticket through the Overture Center box office.
The ticket is good for one viewing between Friday night and Monday night, April 19, at 7:30 p.m.
https://wcoconcerts.org/events/winter-chamber-series-no-iv
Tags: #18thCentury, #19thCentury, #20thCentury, #AndrewSewell, #AntonioVivaldi, #AustrianComposer, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberOrchestra, #CoronavirusPandemic, #DanielBarenboim, #DoubleBassist, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FemaleComposer, #FranzSchubert, #Frenchcomposer, #IgorStravinsky, #ItalianBaroque, #ItzhakPerlman, #JacquelineduPré, #LouiseFerrenc, #OnlineConcert, #OrchestralAccompaniment, #PianoQuintet, #PinchasZukerman, #ProgramNotes, #RussianComposer, #StringMusic, #TroutQuintet, #ViolinConcerto, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #Wikipediabiography, #Wikipediaentry, #WindMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #YouTubevideo, #ZubinMehta, 18th century, 19th century, 20th-century, accompaniment, Andrew Sewell, Antonio Vivaldi, Arts, audience, Austria, Austrian, Barenboim, Baroque, bass, bassist, begin, blog, Blog post, blog posting, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, coronavirus, cost, curtail, Daniel Barenboim, depiction, digital, double bass, double bassist, down, du Pre, Early music, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, famous, female, Ferrenc, forward, France, Franz Schubert, French, graphic, groups, help, Igor Stravinsky, in person, Italian, Italy, Itzhak Perlman, Jacob Stockinger, Jacqueline du Pré, like, link, Louise Ferrenc, Madison, Mehta, minutes, movement, Music, namesake, new, nonet, on-demand, online, Orchestra, Overture Center, pandemic, Perlman, photo, Pianist, Piano, Piano Quintet, Pinchas Zukerman, plan, program, program notes, quintet, rediscover, representation, Russia, Russian, scale, Schubert, score, Season, septet, Sewell, share, shroud, Singing, song, Spring, Stravinsky, string music, strings, substitute, tag, theme and variations, ticket, Trout, tuneful, uncertainty, United States, upcoming, varied, Viola, Violin, violinist, virtual, Vivaldi, vocal music, WCO, well-known, Wikipedia, wind music, winter, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, women, YouTube, Zubin Mehta, Zukerman
Classical music: Autumn arrives today. What composers, works and instruments do you like to listen to in fall? The Ear favors late Brahms – specially the strings, the piano and the clarinet
6 Comments
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
Fall arrives today.
The autumn equinox will occur at 8:54 p.m. Central Daylight Time.
As the days get markedly shorter and the night longer, one’s mood often changes as do one’s listening preferences.
Many composers have written pieces about autumn, and you are sure to hear many of them on Wisconsin Public Radio or other media outlets.
But The Ear has his favorites.
Not for nothing is the late music of Johannes Brahms described as autumnal, both because it happens late in the composer’s life and because of its bittersweet sounds, its poignant harmonies and its melancholy melodies.
For The Ear, you will find it in most of late Brahms, especially in the slow movements. He loves the string music – the violin, the cello and especially the viola sonatas – as well as the clarinet sonatas and piano intermezzi.
Below are three samples.
Here is the slow movement from the Violin Sonata No. 3 in D Minor, played by violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianist Daniel Barenboim:
Here is the slow movement of the Sonata in F Minor, Op. 120, No. 1, for, in this case, clarinet or viola:
And here is a particularly moving piano intermezzo, Op. 117, No. 2, in B-flat minor, played by Arthur Rubinstein:
And should you still be unsure what music you like for the fall, here is a link to two hours of music for fall — vocal and instrumental music by Antonio Vivaldi, Franz Joseph Haydn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn Alexander Glazunov, Peter Tchaikovsky, Giuseppe Verdi, Edvard Grieg, Gustav Mahler and others — put together by Minnesota Public Radio:
Is there a special composer who evokes autumn for you?
What instruments most speak to you of fall?
Are there special works you like to listen to in autumn?
Leave your thoughts in the COMMENT section, along with a link to a YouTube performance if possible.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AlexanderGlazunov, #AntonioVivaldi, #ArthurRubinstein, #AutumnalEquinox, #AutumnEquinox, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChoralMusic, #ClarinetMusic, #ClarinetSonata, #DanielBarenboim, #EdvardGrieg, #FacebookPost, #FelixMendelssohn, #FourSeasons, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FranzSchubert, #GiuseppeVerdi, #GustavMahler, #JohannesBrahms, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MediaOutlet, #MInnesotaPublicRadio, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoIntermezzi, #PianoMusic, #PublicRadio, #SlowMovement, #StringMusic, #TheEar, #ViolaMusic, #ViolaSonata, #ViolinMusic, #ViolinSonata, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinPublicRadio, Arthur Rubinstein, Arts, audience, Autumn, autumnal equinox, Baroque, Beethoven, bittersweet, blog, Brahms, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, clarinet, Classical music, composer, Daniel Barenboim, day, Early music, Facebook, fall, favorite, Four Seasons, Franz Schubert, Glazunov, Grieg, intermezzi, intermezzo, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, late, life, link, listening, longer, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Mahler, media, melancholy, Mendelssohn, Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio, mood, Music, night, opera, Orchestra, performance, Pianist, Piano, playlist, poignant, post, posting, preference, public radio, Schubert, shoter, Singing, Slow movement, Sonata, song, songs, Sound, symphony, Tchaikovsky, The Ear, time, United States, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Verdi, Viola, Violin, violinist, Vivaldi, vocal music, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, YouTube
Classical music: How will Brexit affect classical music in Great Britain? Many musicians and audiences are preparing for the worst
4 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
London has long been a international hub of culture, with a special reputation as the home base of many of the great musicians who perform regularly on the Continent.
But how will “Brexit” affect the future of classical music and classical musicians in Great Britain?
Some pretty prominent, active and knowledgeable musicians, including the pianist-conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy and Daniel Barenboim, think it will be for the worst.
One sign is that the European Youth Orchestra (below, in a photo by Peter Adamik, and in the YouTube video at the bottom), which receives a subsidy from the European Union, is moving from London to the city of Ferrara in Italy before Great Britain exits from the European Union.
A particular cause of concern is what kind of confused logistics will happen if visas are required for British groups to tour and perform on the Continent, something that apparently has opera houses especially worried.
A recent story goes into more detail, including charges from Brexit defenders that musicians and representatives of the culture industries in general are being alarmist.
Here is the story, published by The Independent in the United Kingdom and then reproduced in the United States in The New York Times: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/brexit-classical-music-musicians-europe-vladimir-ashkenazy-daniel-barenboim-eu-a8483271.html
What do you think?
Leave your opinion in the COMMENT section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BrassMusic, #DanielBarenboim, #EconomicNews, #EuropeanUnion, #EuropeanYouthOrchestra, #Ferrara, #JohannSebastianBach, #MusicEducation, #OperaCompany, #OperaHouse, #OrchestralMusic, #OrchestralPlayers, #PercussionMusic, #PoliticalNews, #StringMusic, #TheContinent, #TheIndependent, #TheNewYorkTImes, #UnitedKingdom, #UnitedStates, #VladimirAshkenazy, #WoodwindMusic, #WorldCulture, #YouTubevideo, active, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, blog, Brexit, Cello, Classical music, composer, conductor, culture, Daniel Barenboim, economics, England, European Union, European Youth Orchestra, global, great, industry, international, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, knowledgeable, logistics, London, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mozart, Music, Music education, Musician, New York Times, opera, Opera house, Orchestra, percussion, Pianist, Piano, Politics, prominent, reputation, strings, symphony, The Continent, tour, U.S., UK, United Kingdom, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, Viola, Violin, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world, YouTube
Classical music: New Yorker magazine music critic Alex Ross names his favorite performances, recordings and book of 2017
2 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
Many musicologists, musicians and music fans consider Alex Ross (below), of The New Yorker magazine, to be the best music critic in the U.S.
Besides the major awards his two books – “The Rest Is Noise” and “Listen to This” — have won, Ross has a reputation for emphasizing the new, the unknown and the neglected, and for deeply perceptive judgments and original observations.
Now, a lot of other critics, from The New York Times, National Public Radio (NPR) and Gramophone magazine as well as the Grammy nominations have named their Best of 2017.
Here is a link to a posting that contains other links to those different lists:
Yet it seems particularly important and enlightening to consider what Alex Ross has selected for his recommendations for one book, 10 performances and 20 recordings.
Here is a link to Ross’ list, which has many links to samples and reviews:
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2017-in-review/notable-performances-and-recordings-of-2017
Tags: "Music After the Fall", Alex Ross, America, Arts, award, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, Björk, Book, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, Classical music, Compact Disc, composer, concerto, critic, Daniel Barenboim, Du Yun, Early music, ECM, experimental, fan, Franz Schubert, Grammy, Hollywood, Hollywood Bowl, JACK Quartet, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Adams, John Eliot Gardiner, judgment, Kate Soper, Kurtag, list, Listen to This, Luciano Pavarotti, Ludwig van Beethoven, magazine, Margaret Bonds, Monteverdi, Mozart, Music, musicologist, musicology, New Music, New York City, New York Times, New Yorker, New Yorker magazine, NPR, observation, opera, Orchestra, Orson Welles, performance, Peter Sellars, Piano, recording, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Sibelius, Sonata, symphony, The Rest Is Noise, Thomas Demenga, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wagner, War of the Worlds, William Grant Still, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Yo-Yo Ma
Classical music: Today is the winter solstice. What music best captures or celebrates winter?
6 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
Today is the Winter Solstice.
Winter arrives at 10:28 a.m. Central Standard Time.
That means we are turning the corner. Starting today, nights will get shorter and days will get longer.
But there is still plenty of the year’s most blustery and bone-chilling weather ahead of us.
Lots of classical music celebrates winter.
Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” is a popular choice.
So is the “Winter Dreams” symphony by Tchaikovsky.
Here are links to two compilations of winter music, lasting for a total of more than two hours, on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNMIgZAx2gQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2jAweLVLRk
But no music is more wintry than the celebrated song cycle “Winterreise” or “Winter Journey” by Franz Schubert (below).
Every year, The Ear uses the solstice and the coming of winter to listen once again to this deeply moving and surprisingly modern song cycle.
Many excellent recordings exist. Famed German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (below left, with pianist Gerald Moore) made multiple recordings over many years.
In recent years Matthias Goerner, Thomas Quasthoff, Mark Padmore, Jonas Kaufmann and many others have already made acclaimed recordings, always with distinguished pianists including Gerald Moore, Alfred Brendel, Murray Perahia, Daniel Barenboim and Paul Lewis.
Yet I always find the most satisfying version to be the one made by English tenor Ian Bostridge with Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andnes.
Bostridge’s tenor voice lends a lightness that has a certain clarity and almost speech-like quality to it.
And Bostridge, who wrote the excellent book “Schubert Winter Journey: Anatomy of an Obsession” – a song-by-song analysis of the cycle — knows the texts and contexts of the songs inside and out. His are well-informed and thoroughly thought-out interpretations.
The whole cycle takes about 70 minutes to listen to.
This year The Ear might do one of the 24 songs in the cycle each day and then the entire cycle in one sitting at the end.
The different approach might yield some new insights and new pleasure.
Anyway, choose your own artists and your own way of listening.
But it is a great and timely choice.
Here is “Good Night,” the first song of “Winterreise”:
And here is “The Organ Grinder,” the last song and a favorite of writer Samuel Beckett who found a shared sensibility in the lean austerity of the music of the music and the text:
What winter music would you listen to or recommend to mark the solstice and the coming of winter?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: accompanist, Alfred Brendel, analysis, anatomy, Arts, austere, Bach, baritone, Baroque, Beethoven, Book, British, Cello, central, Chamber music, choice, choral music, Classical music, cold weather, Compact Disc, compilation, composer, concerto, context, cycle, Daniel Barenboim, day, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, dream, Early music, Four Seasons, Franz Schubert, George Frideric Handel, Gerald, Gerald Moore, German, good, good night, Ian Bostridge, insight, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Jonas Kaufmann, journey, lean, Leif Ove Andsnes, listen, long, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Mark Padmore, Matthias Goerner, modern, moving, Mozart, Murray Perahia, Music, night, Norwegian, obsession, opera, Orchestra, organ, Paul, Paul Lewis, Piano, pleasure, popular, Samuel Beckett, Season, short, singer, solstice, Sonata, song, standard, symphony, Tchaikovsky, tenor, text, Thomas Quasthoff, time, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, Vivaldi, vocal music, weather, winter, Winterreise, wintry, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Writer, YouTube
Recent Comments
 | Brian Jefferies on Classical music: A major reass… |
 | welltemperedear on What made Beethoven sick and… |
 | rlhess5d5b7e5dff on What made Beethoven sick and… |
| welltemperedear on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200… |
 | Robert Graebner on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200… |
The Well-Tempered Ear 
Classical music: Here are many more FREE online and streamed concerts to follow and listen to as you quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic
Leave a Comment
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
During the COVID-19 public health crisis and coronavirus pandemic, live streaming of concerts has taken off. It started with daily broadcasts of past productions by the Metropolitan Opera and the Berlin Philharmonic.
Local organizations have followed suit. They include the Madison Symphony Orchestra; the “couchertos” of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra; the twice weekly “tiny desk concerts” by the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society sent to email newsletter subscribers and other recorded audiovisual performances; and local recordings made by Rich Samuels and aired on WORT-FM 89.9.
Here is a compilation, from the British radio station Classic FM with many other FREE listings that also get updated: https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/live-streamed-classical-music-concerts-coronavirus/
Here is another listing of FREE live streams and archived performances from Minnesota Public Radio (MPR): https://www.classicalmpr.org/story/2020/03/16/free-online-classical-concerts
And below are several more that The Ear has checked out and recommends:
CARNEGIE HALL LIVE
Carnegie Hall (below), America’s premier concert venue, has started a series of live streams that include world music, jazz and of course classical music.
The format includes conversation and remarks from homes as well as first-rate live performances from the past. (You can also hear many of the concerts on radio station WQXR in New York City: https://www.wqxr.org)
This past week, The Ear heard an outstanding concert with three pianists, all of whom appeared in Madison last season: Emanuel Ax, who performed an all-Beethoven recital at the Wisconsin Union Theater, played the piano and acted as host; Orion Weiss, who performed a Mozart concerto with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra; and Shai Wosner, who gave a terrific master class and a memorable recital on the Salon Piano Series at Farley’s House of Pianos. If you missed it, it is still archived and accessible.
On this Thursday, April 30, at 1 p.m. CDT you can hear violinist Joshua Bell with pianist Jeremy Denk and cellist Steven Isserlis.
Here is a link: https://www.carnegiehall.org/Explore/Watch-and-Listen/Live-with-Carnegie-Hall?sourceCode=31887&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsYigzumB6QIVjIbACh061Qz2EAAYASABEgJE3fD_BwE
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON
Deutsche Grammophon, the world oldest record label, which was established in 1898, has several online series of live streams and archived concerts.
They include “Moment Musical” (Musical Moment) by Daniel Barenboim and guest artists, broadcast from the Pierre Boulez Saal (concert hall) in Berlin.
Barenboim, who started as a child prodigy pianist and ended up being a world-class conductor who once headed the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has done solo piano and chamber music concerts with the Piano Quintet and two solo pieces by Robert Schumann; the epic Diabelli Variations by Beethoven; and an all-Chopin program of encores. You can also find individual ones on YouTube.
Along more promotional lines, DG also offers a “Best of” series that features movements and excerpts from their newer recordings by some of the best known artists – including pianists Lang Lang, Danill Trifonov, Yuja Wang, Vikingur Olafsson, Jan Lisiecki and Seong-Jin Cho; conductors Gustavo Dudamel, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Andris Nelsons; opera singers Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca.
Here is a link to DG’s homepage from where you can get to the various series: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC34DbNyD_0t8tnOc5V38Big
MILWAUKEE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
Closer to home, every Friday you can listen to weekly concerts by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra called “Musical Journeys.”
Performers include the MSO’s new music director Ken-David Masur as well as guest conductors like Jeffrey Kahane and the past conductor Edo de Waart.
You can hear the past five episodes, and join new ones. You can also hear past concerts by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (below) on Wisconsin Public Radio. Broadcast time is Sunday at 2 p.m.
Here is a link to Musical Journeys: https://www.mso.org/about/music/mso-musical-journeys-5/
VIOLINIST DANIEL HOPE AT HOME
British violinist Daniel Hope – who has performed with the Madison Symphony Orchestra — has been streaming chamber music concerts from the living room of his home in Berlin.
A prolific concert artist and 25 recordings and four Grammy Award nominations to his credit, Hope (below) has many invited guests and offers a wide range of repertoire.
Here is a link with past episodes. You can also click in upcoming episodes: https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/RC-019356/hope-home/
Are there other sites and streamed performances that you recommend?
Please leave the name and a link in the Comment section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Share this:
Tags: #AndrisNelsons, #AnnaNetrebko, #BachDancingandDynamiteSociety, #BaroqueMusic, #BerlinGermany, #BerlinPhilharmonic, #Bestof, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CarnegieHall, #ChamberMusic, #ChicagoSymphonyOrchestra, #ChineseMusicians, #ChoralMusic, #ClassicalMusician, #ClassicFM, #COVID-19, #DanielBarenboim, #DanielHope, #DaniilTrifonov, #DeutscheGrammophon, #DiabelliVariations, #EdodeWaart, #ElinaGaranca, #EmailNewsletter, #EmanuelAx, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #Farley'sHouseofPianos, #FredericChopin, #GrammyAward, #GuestArtist, #GustavoDudamel, #HomePage, #JacobStockinger, #JanLisiecki, #JeffreyKahane, #JeremyDenk, #JohannSebastianBach, #JoshuaBell, #Ken-DavidMasur, #KoreanMusician, #LangLang, #LiveFromtheMetinHD, #LiveStreaming, #LivingRoom, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MetropolitanOpera, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #MInnesotaPublicRadio, #MomentMusical, #MusicalJourneys, #MusicalMoment, #NationalPublicRadio, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #OperaSinger, #OrionWeiss, #PianoConcerto, #PianoQuintet, #PierreBoulez, #PierreBoulezSaal, #PolishComposer, #PublicHealth, #RadioStation, #RichSamuels, #RobertSchumann, #RomanticMusic, #SalonPIanoSeries, #Seong-JinCho, #ShaiWosner, #shelter-at-home, #SouthKorea, #SouthKorean, #StevenIsserlis, #TheEar, #TheMet, #TinyDeskConcert, #VikingurOlafsson, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorldMusic, #WORT-FM89.9, #WQXRradio, #YannickNezet-Seguin, #YouTubevideo, #YujaWang, accessible, America, Andris Nelsons, Anna Netrebko, archive, Arts, at home, audience, Bach, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Baroque, BDDS, Beethoven, Berlin, Berlin Philharmonic, best, blog, British, Broadcast, Carnegie Hall, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Child, China, Chinese, Cho, Chopin, choral music, Classic FM, Classical music, classicalmusic, comment, compilation, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, conversation, coronavirus, coucherto, credit, crisis, Daniel Barenboim, Daniel Hope, Daniil Trifonov, Deutsche Grammophon, DG, Diabelli Variations, Dudamel, Early music, Edo de Waart, Elina Garanca, email, Emanuel Ax, encore, encores, episode, Facebook, Farley's House of Pianos, format, forward, Frédéric Chopin, free, Grammy, Grammy Award, guest artist, Gustavo Dudamel, HD, hear, hope, host, Jacob Stockinger, Jan Lisiecki, Jazz, Jeffrey Kahane, Jeremy Denk, Johann Sebastian Bach, Joshua Bell, Ken-David Masur, Korea, Korean musician, label, Lang Lang, like, link, listing, live, Live From The Met in HD, live streaming, live-stream, livestream, living room, local, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, master class, masterclass, memorable, Metropolitan Opera, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Public Radio, Moment Musical, Mozart, MPR, MSO, Music, Musical Journeys, musical moment, National Public Radio, New Music, New York City, newsletter, nomination, NPR, oldest, online, opera, Orchestra, organizations, Orion Weiss, pandemic, past, performance, performer, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, Piano Quintet, pieces, Pierre Boulez, Pierre Boulez Saal, Polish, post, posting, premier, prodigy, program, prolific, Public health, public radio, Radio, radio station, range, recital, recording, remarks, repertoire, Rich Samuels, Robert Schumann, Romantic, Romantic music, Salon Piano Series, Seong-Jin Cho, series, Shai Wosner, share, singer, solo, Sonata, South Korea, South Korean, stay at home, Steven Isserlis, stream, streaming, subscriber, Sunday, symphony, tag, The Ear, the Met, time, Tiny Desk Concert, United States, upcoming, update, venue, Vikingur Olafsson, Violin, violinist, vocal music, Wang, WCO, Website, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world, World music, world-class, WORT-FM 89.9, WPR, WQXR, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, YouTube, Yuja Wang