The Well-Tempered Ear
Ukraine’s most famous living composer is now a war refugee in Germany
5 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
He fights and defends his native country with beautiful sounds.
Ukraine’s most famous living composer has had to flee his war-torn country and — like some 3 million fellow Ukrainians in various other countries — is now living as a a war refugee in Germany.
He is Valentin Sylvestrov (below), 84, and has survived both World War II and the Nazi occupation as well as the Soviet rule experiencing democracy and freedom after the fall of the USSR and now the devastating Russian invasion five weeks ago.
The irony is that his music, which The Ear can’t recall ever hearing performed live in Madison — although Wisconsin Public Radio recently featured a beautiful choral work — seems calming and peaceful, even consoling.(Please correct me if I am mistaken.) Many people compare him to the style of Arvo Pärt, his Eastern European contemporary and colleague in Estonia.
Little wonder that his works have found a new popularity in worldwide concerts as the world hopes for the survival and victory of Ukraine — below is Ukraine’s flag — over Vladimir’s Putin’s army and war crimes.
His works have been particularly popular at fundraisers and memorials. They underscore the long history and importance of Ukraine’s tradition of making music, which has been recounted in the news features you find in the press, on TV, on radio and elsewhere in the media including live streams and recorded videos other media, especially the Internet.
As far as The Ear can tell, his most popular work in the concert hall these days is his hauntingly beautiful 1937 “Prayer for Ukraine.” You can hear it, in an orchestra version, in a YouTube video at the bottom.
As background here are two different interviews with the distressed and saddened Sylvestrov in exile.
The first interview, from The New York Times, is by a professor at Arizona State University who has published a book on postwar Eastern European composers and offers links to more works: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/30/arts/music/valentin-silvestrov-ukraine-war.html
The other interview is from the German media outlet Deutsche Welle, translated into English and featuring current photos: https://www.dw.com/en/ukrainian-composer-valentin-silvestrov-what-are-you-kremlin-devils-doing/a-61158308
The tragic occasion of the war in Ukraine could be the event that brings the soul-stirring music of Sylvestrov to a larger global public.
He certainly deserves it — along with some live performances here — and The Ear certainly plans on posting more of his music.
Have you heard the music of Valentin Sylvestrov?
Do you have favorite works from his piano music, chamber music, choral music and many symphonies?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #ArizonaStateUniversity, #ArvoPärt, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ClassicalMusician, #DeutscheWelle, #EasternEurope, #EasternEuropean, #EuropeanRefugee, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #JacobStockinger, #LivePerformance, #LiveStreaming, #LivingComposer, #MadisonSymhonyOrchestra, #PianoMusic, #PrayerforUkraine, #SovietUnion, #SymphonicMusic, #TheEar, #TheMedia, #ThePublic, #UkrainianComposer, #UnionofSovietSocialistRepublics, #UniversityofArizona, #ValentinSilvestrov, #VladimirPutin, #WarRefugee, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WorldWarII, #YouTubevideo, academic, Arizona, Arizona State University, Army, arrangement, Arts, Arvo Part, audience, background, beautiful, blog, Blog post, Book, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, Classical music, classicalmusic, colleague, Communism, Communist, compare, composer, Concert, concerto, contemporary, correct, country, deserve, Deutsche Welle, devastating, different, distress, Eastern Europe, English, Estonia, event, exile, experience, Facebook, Facebook posting, fall, famous, Fellow, feratures, fight, flee, forward, fundraiser, German, Germany, global, hear, History, hope, Internet, interviews, invasion, Jacob Stockinger, link, live, live performance, live streaming, live-stream, Living composer, lving, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, media, memorial, million, mistake, Music, native, Nazi, new, news, occasion, occupation, Orchestra, other, photos, Piano, plan, posting, postwar, pray, prayer, Prayer for Ukraine, press, professor, public, publish, Putin, Radio, reader, recounted, refugee, rule, Russian, sad, soul, soul-stirring, Sound, Soviet, Soviet Union, Stalion, subscriber, survive, symphony, The Ear, tradition, Tragic, transcription, TV, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Ukrainian composer, underscore, United States, University of Arizona, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, USSR, Valentin Silvestrov, version, victory, video, Vladimir Putin, vocal music, war, war refugee, war-torn, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, work, World War II, WPR, write, WWII, YouTube
Classical music: Today at noon you can hear Japanese marimba music. At the UW-Madison, tonight offers a FREE concert of Eastern European music by the Wingra Wind Quintet. Tomorrow night is a FREE concert of vocal music by UW Chorale
3 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.
ALERT: TODAY, Nov. 8, from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at the FREE Friday Noon Musicale at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, the veteran international marimbist Rebecca Kite (below) — who teaches and concertizes — will perform a program that features music of Handel, herself and contemporary Japanese composers including Keiko Abe and Minoru Miki. Kite recently moved to Madison.
By Jacob Stockinger
Tonight and tomorrow night feature two noteworthy and FREE concerts of chamber music for winds and choral music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music.
Here are details:
WINGRA WIND QUINTET
TONIGHT, Nov. 8, at 8 p.m. in the Collins Recital Hall of the new Hamel Music Center, 740 University Ave., the UW-Madison’s Wingra Wind Quintet performs a FREE concert of music from Eastern Europe.
Works by Bela Bartok, Leos Janacek, Gyorgy Kurtag and Endre Szervanszky will be featured.
The guest artist is clarinetist Brian Gnojek (below).
For more information about the concert, the works on the program and background of the Wingra Wind Quintet (below, in 2018, in a photo by Katrin Talbot) as an acclaimed faculty chamber music ensemble, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/wingra-wind-quintet-2/2019-11-08/
UW CHORALE
This Saturday night, Nov. 9, in the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall of the Hamel Music Center, the UW Chorale (below) will perform a FREE concert with an eclectic theme.
The program is called “How to Spice Up Your Life.” Selections include works about music, dance, chat, sports, love, outings and cooking.
The concert includes a performance of PDQ Bach’s The Seasonings, a parody of baroque oratorios, featuring faculty soloists Julia Rottmayer and Paul Rowe with student soloists Angela Peterson and Charles Hancin. (You can hear Part I of “The Seasonings” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
For more information, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/uw-chorale-3/
Tags: #AliciaLee, #BaroqueMusic, #BaroqueOratorio, #BassoonMusic, #BelaBartok, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrianGnojek, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #ClarinetMusic, #CollinsRecitalHall, #ContemporaryComposer, #ContemporaryMusic, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #EasternEurope, #EasternEuropean, #EndreSzervanszky, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FluteMusic, #FridayNoonMusicale, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GuestArtist, #GyorgyKurtag, #HamelMusicCenter, #HornMusic, #JapaneseComposer, #JapaneseMusic, #JuliaRottmayer, #KeikoAbe, #LeosJanacek, #LivingComposer, #MarcVallon, #MarimbaMusic, #MeadWitterFoundationConcertHall, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MinoruMiki, #ModernComposers, #ModernMusic, #Musicfaculty, #MusicProfessors, #NewMusic, #OboeMusic, #PaulRowe, #PDQBach, #PercussionMusic, #RebeccaKite, #TheEar, #TheSeasonings, #TimothyHagen, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UWChorale, #WindMusic, #WindQuintet, #WingraWindQuintet, #YouTubevideo, Abe, acclaimed, alert, Alicia Lee, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Bach, background, Baroque, Baroque music, Bartok, Bassoon, bassoon music, Béla Bartók, blog, Brian Gnojek, Chamber music, chat, choral music, Chorale, clarinet, clarinetist, Classical music, classicalmusic, Collins Recital Hall, composer, Concert, concert hall, concertize, cooking, critically acclaimed, dance, Eastern Europe, Eastern European, Endre Szervanszky, ensemble, Facebook, First Unitarian Society of Madison, flute, flute music, forward, free, Friday Noon Musicale, George Frideric Handel, guest artist, Gyorgi Kurtag, Hamel Music Center, Handel, Horn, information, international, Jacob Stockinger, Janacek, Japan, Japanese, Julia Rottmayer, Keiko Abe, Kurtag, Leos Janacek, like, link, Living composer, Love, Madison, Marc Vallon, marimba, marimbist, Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Mead Witter School of Music, Minoru Miki, modern, modern composers, modern music, move, Music, music faculty, New Music, night, noteworthy, Oboe, oboe music, oratorio, outings, parody, Paul Rowe, PDQ, PDQ Bach, percussion, performer, post, posting, professor, program, Rebecca Kite, recent, selection, share, soloist, Sports, Student, subscriber, tag, teach, The Ear, The Seasonings, Timothy Hagen, today, tomorrow, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW Chorale, Veteran, video, vocal music, wind music, Wind quintet, Wings Wind Quintet, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: The Festival Choir of Madison will perform Slavic music – including several U.S. and world premieres — under a guest Spanish conductor this Saturday night
2 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
The Festival Choir of Madison (below) will perform the program “The Slavic Soul” this coming Saturday night, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Atrium Auditorium at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive.
The Festival Choir will have guest conductor Nikoleta Popova for the event, who is coming from Spain to conduct a program comprised of songs either by Slavic composers or inspired by Slavic music. More about the conductor is below.
Several U.S. premieres are marked with an asterisk and there is one world premiere.
Tickets are $20, $15 for seniors 65 and over; and $10 for students. For information and tickets, go to: https://festivalchoirmadison.squarespace.com/concerts/2018/5/theslavicsoul
Here is the complete program:
THE SLAVIC SOUL
Bela Bartok (1881-1945) – Four Slovak Folk Songs (heard in the YouTube video at the bottom)
Dmitri Shostakovich (1908-1975) – Two Russian Folk Songs. With Anya Gubenkova, alto
Alexander Davidenko (1899–1934) – “At Ten Versts From the Capital”* with Ted Reinke, piano, and Dan Broner, organ
Vera Nasha (Our Faith)* Serbian Folk Song, arr. Yónatan Sánchez Santianes with James McKenzie, percussion
Szymon Godziemba-Trytek (1988) Agnus Dei (World Premiere) with Ted Reinke, organ
Georgy Sviridov (1915–1998) – “A Wondrous Birth”; “Balalaika”; and “Reveille.” With Anya Gubenkova, alto
Dobri Hristov (1875–1941) – “Rachenitsa”
Todor Popov (1921–2000) – “Stara Sa Maika” (The Old Mother)*
“Kalinka,” a Russian Folk Song arranged by Vadim Prokhorov
The guest conductor is Nikoleta Popova (below) of Bulgaria and Spain. She is a renowned specialist in Eastern European and Bulgarian music and has offered seminars and master classes all over the world.
Currently, Popova is Professor in Conducting at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Canarias in Las Palmas, Spain, where she is also music director of the conservatory orchestra and choirs. She has appeared as guest conductor in Austria, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the U.S., as well as her native Bulgaria.
Born in Dobrich, Bulgaria, Nikoleta Popova received her education as a conductor from the National Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria, and from Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Graz. Among her teachers are Eric Whitacre, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, Alex Schillings, Klaas Stok, Marco Antonio Da Silva Ramos, and others.
In 2011 Nikoleta Popova received her Ph.D. from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria with a dissertation on the performance of the black spiritual. Since 2012, she has published three books in Spanish with in-depth analysis of the problems that singers and conductors face in the interpretation of African-American spirituals.
Tags: #AgnusDei, #AlexanderDavidenko, #AmericanPremiere, #BelaBartok, #Bulgarianmusic, #DmitriShostakovich, #DobriHristov, #EasternEuropean, #EricWhitacre, #FestivalChoir, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FolkMusic, #GeorgySviridov, #NikoletaPopova, #PercussionMusic, #RussianMusic, #SaturdayNight, #SerbianMusic, #SlavicCulture, #SofiaBulgaria, #SpanishLanguage, #TodorPopov, #UnitedStates, #VeraNasha, #WorldPremiere, African American, African-American music, Agnus Dei, Alexander Davidenko, alto, analysis, Arts, Austria, balalaika, Bartok, birth, Bulgarian, choral music, Classical music, composer, conductor, conservatory, Dmitri Shostakovich, doctorate, Eastern European, Eastern European music, Eric Whitacre, Festival Choir, Festival Choir of Madison, folksong, interpretation, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Madison, Mother, Music, Nikoleta Popova, Orchestra, organ, percussion, PhD, Piano, Poland, premiere, professor, Saturday, Seminar, singer, Singing, Slavic, Slovak, Sofia, song, soul, Spain, Spanish, spiritual, U.S., Vera Nasha, wondrous
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 