The Well-Tempered Ear
See and hear The Cliburn piano competition for FREE via streaming. It runs through June 18
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
The 16th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition got under way this past Thursday, June 2, and will run through Saturday, June 18, when the winners will be announced.
2022 marks the 60th anniversary year of the competition, which the American pianist Van Cliburn founded at Texas Christian University after his 1958 Cold War victory in the Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow,.
You can follow it all online. The complete impressive competition is being broadcast on medici.tv and on YouTube.
But The Ear has used the competition’s own streaming website and finds the videos, sound quality, contestant biographies and background information very professional and helpful. So far, it has been a thoroughly satisfying, enjoyable and engaging experience. I highly recommendation it for students, amateur pianists and all music lovers.
For The Ear, one of the most impressive performances from yesterday was given by the 21-year-old Chinese pianist Yangrui Cai (below), heard in the YouTube video at the bottom. Such beautiful and subtly virtuosic but shaded Liszt and Brahms is not often heard.
Here is a link to the home page (below): https://cliburn.org
From there you can hear live performances, past performances and many facts , including the complete schedule, about The Cliburn, as it is now called. All times are Central Daylight.
Starting at 10 a.m. today — Saturday, June 4 — will see the final 10 performances (3 in the morning and night, four in the afternoon) of the preliminary round, which has featured 30 pianists in 40-minute solo recitals. Except for a specially commissioned “Fanfare Toccata” by Sir Stephen Hough, who is also on the jury, the choice of programs is entirely up to the individual contestants.
The road to the Cliburn is not easy.
It started with 388 applicants. That was trimmed down to 72 by preliminary judges. Out of 72, 30 were chosen by jurors to compete.
After today, it will be on to the quarter-finals with 18 contestants in 40-minute recitals with no repetition from the preliminary round; then the semi-final round with 12 contestants in a combination of 60-minute solo recital along with a Mozart piano concerto accompanied by the Fort Worth Symphony conducted by the Nicholas McGegan, who is famous for his interpretations of Baroque and Classical era music; and the final concerto round with each contestant play two concertos with Fort Worth Symphony under famed conductor Marin Alsop, who is also the head juror.
The Ear will be posting his own thoughts as he experiences the extensive competition, maybe after each round or even each day.
But The Ear also wants to hear from you.
Do you have thoughts about the various contestants?
Who are your favorites and why?
Thoughts about the programs and repertoire being played?
Other thoughts about the competition in general?
The Ear Wants to hear.
Tags: #AmateurMusician, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CentralDaylightTime, #ChinesePianist, #ClassicalMusician, #ColdWar, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FortWorthSymphony, #FranzLiszt, #FranzSchubert, #IgorStravinsky, #InGeneral, #JacobStockinger, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #LiveStreaming, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MarinAlsop, #MoscowConservatory, #MusicalInterpretation, #NicholasMcGegan, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoMusic, #PianoStudent, #RobertSchumann, #Semi-finals, #SergeiProkofiev, #SoloRecital, #SouthKorea, #SouthKorean, #StephenHough, #TexasChristianUniversity, #TheCliburn, #TheEar, #TheInternet, #TheU.S., #UnitedStates, #VanCliburn, #VanCliburnInternationalPianoCompetition, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, accompaniment, accompany, afternoon, amateur, America, American, anniversary, announce, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Bach, background, Baroque, beautiful, Beethoven, Belarus, Belarusian, biography, blog, Brahms, Central Daylight Time, China, Chinese, Christian, Classical, Classical music, classicalmusic, Cold War, commission, Competition, composer, Concert, concerto, contest, Dallas, Europe, European, experience, Facebook, Facebook post, fact, fame, Fanfare, final, Fort Worth, Fort Worth Symphony, found, founded, Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, general, great, Handel, hear, home ]poage, idea, Igor Stravinsky, impressive, in general, individual, information, Internet, interpretation, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, juror, jury, Korea, Korean, like, link, Liszt, live, lover, Ludwig van Beethoven, Marin Alsop, medici.tv, minute, morning, Moscow, Mozart, Music, Nicholas McGegan, night, online, Orchestra, past, performance, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, piano music, post, professional, program, programming, Prokofiev, quality, quarter-finals, recital, repertoire, repertory, Robert Schumann, Russia, Russian, satisfying, Saturday, schedule, Schubert, Schumann, Sergei Prokofiev, shade, share, solo recital, Sonata, Sound, South Korea, South Korean, start, Stephen Hough, Stravinsky, stream, streaming, Student, subtle, symphony, tag, Tchaikovsky, TCU, Texas, Texas Christian University, The Cliburn, The Ear, thought, Thursday, time, toccata, today, U.S., Ukraine, Ukrainian, United States, university, Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, victory, video, virtuosic, virtuosity, web, winner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, yesterday, you, YouTube
Classical music: This weekend, the Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates Valentine’s Day with violinist Pinchas Zukerman and cellist Amanda Forsyth in the Romantic “Double Concerto” by Brahms
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 coming weekend, the Madison Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of John DeMain, will celebrate Valentine’s Day.
The program “Romantic Encounter” examines the brashness of French composer Hector Berlioz’s “Le Corsaire” Overture, as well as the thundering seriousness of American composer Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3.
The husband-and-wife duo (below) of violinist Pinchas Zukerman, and cellist Amanda Forsyth make their return to Madison to reprise their performance of German composer Johannes Brahms’ Double Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor. (You can hear the passionate slow movement in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Performances will be held in Overture Hall, 201 State Street, on Friday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 15, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 16, at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $19 to $95. See below for details.
Says maestro DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) about the world-renowned duo: “The married team of Pinchas Zukerman and Amanda Forsyth return to recreate their exciting interpretation of the Brahms Double Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra.
“One of Berlioz’s finest overtures, the exhilarating Le Corsaire opens the concert. And Aaron Copland’s majestic, powerful and lyrical Third Symphony — which is one of Copland’s great masterpieces and includes his Fanfare for the Common Man — is heard on the second half of the program.”
Eight minutes long, Berlioz’s swashbuckling “Le Corsaire” was composed in Nice, France, after the final break-up of his marriage. The composer resided in a tower above the sea, which explains the ruined fortification’s depiction in his overture. “Corsaire” translates to “a ship used for piracy,” but this meaning is not related to the work.
The Double Concerto was Brahms’ final work for orchestra. He composed the concerto for his old but estranged friend, violinist Joseph Joachim, as well as for cellist Robert Hausmann. With few recent precedents, the closest comparison to this work would be the Baroque concerto grosso, in which a soloist or small group is contrasted with an entire ensemble.
Copland’s monumental Symphony No. 3 was commissioned by conductor Serge Koussevitsky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The work perfectly reflects the spirit of post-war America and impressively holds the title of “Greatest American Symphony.” In writing this piece, Copland (below) borrowed from himself by incorporating his triumphant Fanfare for the Common Man.
ABOUT PINCHAS ZUKERMAN
With a celebrated career encompassing five decades, Pinchas Zukerman reigns as one of today’s most sought-after and versatile musicians — violin and viola soloist, conductor and chamber musician. He is renowned as a virtuoso, admired for the expressive lyricism of his playing, singular beauty of tone, and impeccable musicianship, which can be heard throughout his discography of over 100 albums.
Born in Tel Aviv, Zukerman came to the United States where he studied at the Juilliard School with Ivan Galamian as a recipient of the American-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship. He received the National Medal of Arts from President Ronald Reagan and is a recipient of the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence in Classical Music.
ABOUT AMANDA FORSYTH
The Canadian and Juno Award-winning Amanda Forsyth is considered one of North America’s most dynamic cellists. She has achieved her international reputation as soloist, chamber musician and was principal cello of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra from 1999 to 2015. Her intense richness of tone, remarkable technique and exceptional musicality combine to enthrall audiences and critics alike.
PROGRAM NOTES, TICKETS AND EVENT DETAILS
The lobby opens 90 minutes prior to each concert. The MSO recommends that concert attendees arrive early for each performance to make sure they have time to pass through Overture Center’s security stations, and so they can experience the Prelude Discussion that takes place one hour before each concert.
Program notes are available at: http://www.allsenmusic.com/NOTES/1920/5.Feb20.html
- Single Tickets are $19-$95 each and are on sale now at: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/romantic-encounter/through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141. Fees apply to online and phone sales.
- Groups of 10 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information, visit, https://madisonsymphony.org/concerts-events/buy-tickets/group-discounts/.
- Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $15 or $20 tickets. More information is at: https://madisonsymphony.org/concerts-events/buy-tickets/student-rush/
- Seniors age 62 and up receive 20% savings on advance and day-of-concert ticket purchases in select areas of the hall.
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
Major funding for the February concert has been provided by NBC 15; The Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor’s Club; Marvin J. Levy; Fred and Mary Mohs; Nancy Mohs; and David and Kato Perlman.
Additional funding has been provided by Robert Benjamin and John Fields; Boardman and Clark LLP; Forte; Barbara Melchert and Gale Meyer; and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tags: #AaronCopland, #AmandaForsyth, #AmericanComposer, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BoardmanandClark, #BostonSymphony, #BoxOffice, #CanadianMusician, #CelloConcerto, #ChamberMusic, #CityofMadison, #ClassicalMusician, #CommissionedMusic, #ConcertoGrosso, #DoubleConcerto, #FacebokPosting, #FacebookPost, #FanfarefortheComonMan, #FredMohs, #GermanComposer, #Governor'sClub, #HectorBerlioz, #husband-and-wife, #InternationalReputation, #IsaacStern, #IsraeliMusician, #IvanGalamian, #JacobStockinger, #JohannesBrahms, #JohnDeMain, #JosephJoachim, #JuilliardSchool, #JunoAward, #JunoAwards, #JunoAwrd, #KatoPerlman, #LawFirm, #LeCorsaire, #LyricalMusic, #MadisonConcourseHotel, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicalInterpretation, #NationalArtsCentreOrchestra, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #NationalMedalofArts, #NBCNews15, #NorthAmerica, #OrchestralMusic, #OvertureHall, #PinchasZukerman, #Pre-concertLecture, #PrincipalCellist, #ProgramNotes, #RomanticMusic, #RonaldReagan, #SeniorCitizen, #SergeKoussevitsky, #StateOfWisconsin, #TelAviv, #TonalBeauty, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ValentinesDay, #ViolinConcerto, #ViolinistVirtuoso, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #YouTubevideo, Aaron Copland, albums, Amanda Forsyth, America, American, artistic, Arts, audience, availability, award, Baroque, baton, beauty, Berlioz, blog, Boardman and Clark, born, borrow, Boston, Boston Symphony, box office, Brahms, brash, break-up, Canada, Canadian, career, CD, celebrated, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Classical music, classicalmusic, commission, common, Compact Disc, comparison, composer, Concert, concerto, Concerto Grosso, conductor, Copland, critics, day, decade, depiction, details, discography, discount, discussion, donor, donors, double concerto, duo, dynamic, enthrall, estranged, event, excellence, exciting, expressive, Facebook, Fanfare, Fanfare for the Common Man, final, forward, France, French, Friday, Friday night, friend, funding, funds, German, Germany, Governor's Club, gravitas, great, greatest, group, hall, hear, Hector Berlioz, Holiday, husband, ID, impeccable, impressive, incorporate, international, interpretation, Isaac Stern, Israel, Israeli, Ivan Galamian, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, John DeMain, Joseph Joachim, Juilliard School, Juilliard School of Music, Juna Award, Juno, Kato Perlman, law firm, Le Corsaire, like, link, lyrical, Madison, Madison Concourse Hotel, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maestro, majestic, man, Marriage, married, masterpiece, Mead Witter School of Music, meaning, Mohs, monumental, movement, Music, musical, musicality, Musician, musicianship, National Arts Centre Orchestra, National Endowment for the Arts, National Medal of Arts, NBC15, NEA, Nice, North America, Orchestra, orchestral music, Overture, Overture Center, Overture Hall, passionate, performer, Pinchas Zukerman, play, post, post-war, posting, powerful, pre-concert, Prelude, President, principal, privacy, program, program notes, purchase, recipient, Recordings, recreate, reign, remarkable, renown, reprise, reputation, reside, return, richness, Romantic, Ronald Reagan, ruined, scholarship, sea, seats, security, senior, Serge Koussevitsky, serious, share, ship, show, slow, soloist, spirit, State of Wisconsin, Student, study, Sunday, swashbuckling, symphony, tag, technique, Tel Aviv, thunder, tickets, time, timing, tone, tower, triumphant, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Valentine, Valentine's Day, valid, versatile, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtuoso, weekend, wife, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, world, YouTube
Classical music: The 10th anniversary concert of the Middleton Community Orchestra hit all the right notes – including a surprise of high beauty
3 Comments
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE 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
Last Wednesday night at the Middleton Performing Arts Center, the mostly amateur but critically acclaimed Middleton Community Orchestra (below, in a photo by Brian Ruppert) celebrated its 10th anniversary.
The MCO hit all the right notes. And there were many of them, both big and small.
But perhaps the biggest one was also the quietest one.
It came during the repetition section near the end of the heart-rending slow movement of the Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622, by Mozart.
The Ear knows the piece and considers it one of the most perfect compositions ever written. But suddenly he heard the familiar work in a fresh way and with a new appreciation, thanks to the talented guest soloist J.J. Koh, who is principal clarinet of the Madison Symphony Orchestra. (You can hear the slow movement in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The movement was going beautifully when suddenly, Koh (below) brought the dynamics down to almost a whisper. It felt prayer-like, so quiet was the sound. Yet it was completely audible. The tone was rich and the notes on pitch, even though Koh sounded as if he were barely breathing. It was a heart-stopping, breathtaking moment of high beauty.
It takes a virtuoso to play that softly and that solidly at the same time. And Koh was backed up with the same subtlety by the fine accompaniment provided by the scaled-down orchestra under conductor Steve Kurr.
The sublime result was nothing short of haunting, a musical moment that The Ear will remember and cherish as long as he lives.
And he wasn’t alone. A complete silence fell over the appreciative audience as Koh and the MCO were playing, and at intermission it was what everybody was talking about and wondering at. You just had to be there. It was the kind of musical experience that makes a live performance so engaging and unforgettable.
That moment of communion between soloist and ensemble by itself was enough to tell you how very much the MCO, which improves with each performance, has accomplished in its first decade.
There were other noteworthy moments too.
Of course tributes had to be paid.
So the evening started off with some brief background and introductory words from the co-founders and co-artistic directors Larry Bevic and Mindy Taranto (below).
Then Middleton Mayor Gurdip Brar (below) came on stage to read his official 10th anniversary proclamation and to urge people to applaud. He proved a jovial, good-natured cheerleader for the large audience of “good neighbors” that included many children.
When the music finally arrived, conductor Kurr (below) raised the curtain with his own original 14-minute episodic composition celebrating the “Good Neighbor City” of Middleton. It proved a fitting work for the occasion that evoked both the Midwestern harmonies of Aaron Copland and the brassy film scores of John Williams.
After intermission, the full 90-member MCO under Kurr returned and turned in a performance of Antonin Dvorak’s popular “New World” Symphony that did them all proud.
The tempo was energetic with a strong, constant pulse that didn’t falter. As usual, the string and wind sections proved outstanding – and still seem to get better each time.
But the real star this time was the brass, whose prominent part in the Dvorak symphony is hard to play. Playing consistently on pitch and expressively – they were clearly well-rehearsed — the brass boosted the whole performance and raised it to a new level. Which is exactly what the anniversary concert demanded and received.
The Ear wasn’t alone in being impressed.
A professional musician visiting from San Francisco said simply: ”They are much better than our community orchestra.”
Is there better homage to pay to a 10th anniversary concert and to make listeners look forward to hearing more? If you aren’t going to MCO’s affordable and appealing concerts, you are only cheating yourself.
For more information about the complete season, including programs, performers, guest soloists and how to join or support the MCO, go to: http://middletoncommunityorchestra.org
If you went, what did you think of the opening anniversary concert?
Leave your opinions and good wishes in the comment section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AaronCopland, #AmateurMusicians, #AntoninDvorak, #ArtisticDirector, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BlogReview, #BrassSection, #ClarinetConcerto, #CommunityOrchestra, #Curtain-Raiser, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FilmMusic, #GoodNeighborCity, #GoodWishes, #GurdipBrar, #HomeWebsite, #J.J.Koh, #JohnWilliams, #LarryBevic, #LiveMusic, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MiddletonCommunityOrchestra, #MiddletonPerformingArtsCenter, #MiddletonWisconsin, #MindyTaranto, #MovieMusic, #MovieSoundtrack, #MusicalMoment, #MusicAppreciation, #NewMusic, #NewWorldSymphony, #PrincipalClarinet, #PrinicpalPlayer, #RightNotes, #SanFrancisco, #SlowMovement, #SteveKurr, #StringSection, #TheEar, #TheMidwest, #TonalBeauty, #WindSection, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, Aaron Copland, accompaniment, accomplish, amateur, anniversary, Antonín Dvořák, applause, appreciation, appreciative, Artistic director, audible, audience, background, beautiful, beauty, big, blog, boost, brass, brass section, breath, breathing, California, cheerleader, cherish, children, clarinet, clarinet concerto, co-founder, comment, communion, community, community orchestra, Composition, concerto, conductor, constant, decade, Dvorak, dynamics, engaging, ensemble, episodic, expressive, Facebook, falter, familiar, Fanfare, film, film music, forward, founder, fresh, From the New World, good neighbor, Good Neighbor City, good wishes, good-natured, Gurdip Brar, haunting, hear, heart-stopping, high, hit, homage, home website, John Williams, join, jovial, K, kids, know, Kochel, Larry Bevic, like, link, listener, live, live music, Madison Symphony Orchestra, mayor, member, Middleton, Middleton Community Orchestra, Middleton Performing Arts Center, Midwest, Midwestern, Mindy Taranto, minute, moment, movie, Mozart, musical, musical moment, new, New Music, New World Symphony, notes, noteworthy, occasion, official, opinion, Orchestra, original, outstanding, People, perfect, performer, piece, pitch, play, popular, post, posting, prayer, principal, proclamation, program, prominent, Pulse, quiet, raise, reader, real, rehearse, remeber, repetition, rich, right, right notes, San Francisco, score, Season, section, share, silence, Slow movement, small, soft, solo, soloist, Sound, star, Steve Kurr, string, string section, stroing, sublime, subscriber, suddenly, support, symphony, tag, talent, talented, Tempo, The Ear, think, tone, tribute, unforgettable, urge, warning, way, Website, whisper, wind section, winds, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, words, work, written, years, you, YouTube
Classical music: Today is Memorial Day – a good time to remember the civilian dead as well as the military dead. The Ear likes Ravel’s “Le Tombeau de Couperin.” What music would you listen to to mark the holiday?
2 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
Today is Memorial Day, 2019, when the nation honors the men and women who died in military service. The Ear would like to see much more attention and remembrance paid to the huge number of civilians — much higher than military personnel and soldiers — who have died in wars and military service, whose lives weren’t given but taken.
In fact, why not establish and celebrate a separate holiday to honor civilian deaths in war? Perhaps it would help to know the detailed history and background of the holiday, since it is not as straightforward or modern as you might expect:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
What piece of classical music would you listen to in order to mark the holiday?
There is a lot to choose from.
The Ear especially likes “Le Tombeau de Couperin” by the early 20th-century French composer Maurice Ravel. It is a “tombeau” – a metaphorical “tomb” or “grave” used by the French to mean paying homage to the dead – in two senses.
Its neo-Classical or neo-Baroque style recalls the 18th-century world of French composers and harpsichordists including Jean-Philippe Rameau and Francois Couperin. But in a second sense, Ravel (below, in 1910) dedicated each of the six movements to a friend – in one case, two brothers — who had died during World War I. So part of its appeal is that it is a very personal statement of grief.
Here is more detailed background about the piece:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_tombeau_de_Couperin
The work was orchestrated later, which added sonic color but cut out two movements. The Ear prefers the original piano version, which seems a little more percussive, austere and straightforward — less pretty but more beautiful, and more in keeping with the holiday by evoking sentiment without sentimentality.
In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear it in a live performance by Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt.
But there are lots of other works to choose from by many composers: John Adams (“The Wound Dresser” after poetry of Walt Whitman); Samuel Barber (Adagio for Strings); Ludwig van Beethoven (slow movements of Symphonies 3 and 7, and of the Piano Sonata Op. 26); Johannes Brahms (“A German Requiem”); Benjamin Britten (War Requiem); Frederic Chopin (Funeral March from Sonata No. 2, polonaises, preludes and the “Revolutionary” Etude); Aaron Copland (“Fanfare for the Common Man” and “Letter From Home”); Edward Elgar (“Nimrod” from “Enigma Variations”); Gabriel Faure (Requiem and Elegy for cello); Franz Joseph Haydn (“Mass in Time of War”); Paul Hindemith (“When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d – A Requiem for Those We Love”); Charles Ives (Variations on “America” and “Decoration Day”); Henry Purcell (“When I Am Laid in Earth”); John Philip Sousa (“Honored Dead” March); Ralph Vaughan Williams (Symphony No. 3 “Pastoral”); and many others, including Johann Sebastian Bach and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Here is a list from the British radio station Classical FM:
Here is a list of patriotic music from Nashville Public Radio:
Here is another list from an American source:
http://midamerica-music.com/blog/five-classical-works-memorial-day/
Here are more sound samples from NPR:
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104341851
And here is another one from Northwest Public Radio:
https://www.nwpb.org/2015/05/22/memorial-day-music-commemorate-celebrate/
What do you think of a holiday commemorating civilian deaths in war?
What favorite piece of classical music would you play and listen to as you mark Memorial Day?
Let us know, with a YouTube link if possible, in the COMMENT section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #18thCentury, #20thCentury, #AaronCopland, #AdagioforStrings, #AmericanPatriotism, #AngelaHewitt, #BaroqueComposer, #BaroqueEra, #BaroqueMusic, #BenjaminBritten, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #CharlesIves, #ChoralMusic, #Classicalera, #ClassicalStyle, #DecorationDay, #EdwardElgar, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FanfarefortheComonMan, #FrancoisCouperin, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FredericChopin, #Frenchcomposer, #FrenchHarpsichord, #FrenchMusic, #FuneralMarch, #GabrielFaure, #HenryPurcell, #IraqWar, #Jean-PhilippeRameau, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnAdams, #JohnPhilipSousa, #KoreanWar, #LeTombeaudeCouperin, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MauriceRavel, #MemorialDay, #NashvilleTennessee, #NationalPublicRadio, #NimrodVariation, #PatrioticMusic, #PaulHindemith, #PianoMusic, #PianoSonata, #PublicRadio, #RalphVaughanWilliams, #SamuelBarber, #TheCivilWar, #TheEar, #ThemeAndVariations, #VietnamWar, #VocalMusic, #WaltWhitman, #WarDead, #WarRequiem, #Wikipediaentry, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorldWarI, #WorldWarII, #YouTubevideo, 18th century, 20th-century, Aaron Copland, Adagio for Strings, Afghanistan, American, Angela Hewitt, appeal, Arts, attention, audience, austere, Bach, background, Baroque, Beethoven, Benjamin Britten, blog, British, brother, Canada, Canadian, Cello, Chamber music, Charles Ives, choral music, Civil War, civilian, Classical, color, Compact Disc, composer, dead, Decoration Day, die, Early music, Earth, Edward Elgar, Elegy, evoking, Facebook, Fanfare, Fanfare for the Common Man, flag, FM, forward, François Couperin, Franz Joseph Haydn, Frédéric Chopin, French, friend, funeral march, Gabriel Fauré, give, given, grave, grief, harpsichord, Henry Purcell, History, Holiday, homage, Home, honor, Iraq, Iraq war, Jacob Stockinger, Jean-Philippe Rameau, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Adams, John Philip Sousa, Korean War, Le tombeau de Couperin, letter, like, link, Love, Ludwig van Beethoven, lyrics, Madison, mass, Maurice Ravel, memorial, Memorial Day, military, modern, movement, Mozart, Music, Nashville, Nimrod, northwest, NPR, opera, Orchestra, orchestrate, original, other, part, pastoral, Pastoral Symphony, PastoralSymphony, patriot, patriotic music, patriotism, Paul Hindemith, percussive, performer, personal, Piano, Piano sonata, Poetry, polonaise, Prelude, public radio, Radio, Ralph Vaughan Williams, remember, remembrance, Requiem, Samuel Barber, sentiment, sentimentality, service, share, Sonata, sonic, source, statement, style, symphony, tag, take, taken, The Ear, theme and variations, today, tomb, UK, United States, variations, Vietnam War, Violin, vocal music, war dead, War Requiem, we, Website, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, works, World War I, World War II, YouTube
Classical music: The Wisconsin Chamber Choir performs Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” this Friday night in Madison and Sunday afternoon in Whitewater
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 Ear has received the following announcement about performances this coming weekend by the Wisconsin Chamber Choir (below) and the professional orchestra Sinfonia Sacra of what is, unfortunately and undeservedly, often considered, when compared to Handel’s “Messiah,” “The Other Oratorio” for the holiday season:
There will be two performances of four parts of Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio” (1734). On Friday night, Dec. 14, 7:30 p.m. at the Luther Memorial Church (below), 1021 University Ave., in Madison; and on Sunday, Dec. 16, at 2 p.m. in the Young Auditorium at the UW-Whitewater, 930 Main Street, in Whitewater.
Advance tickets for the Friday night performance at Luther Memorial Church in Madison are available for $20 ($10 for students) from www.wisconsinchamberchoir.org, via Brown Paper Tickets, or at Orange Tree Imports (Madison) and Willy Street Coop (all three locations in Madison and Middleton).
Advance tickets for the Sunday afternoon performance at Young Auditorium in Whitewater are available from www.uww.edu/youngauditorium/tickets
Of the six cantatas that make up the “Christmas Oratorio,” Part, 1, 2, 3 and 5 will be performed. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear the brisk and energetic opening, performed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Concentus Musicus of Vienna with the Arnold Schoenberg Choir.)
Parts 1 to 3 tell the Christmas story: Mary and Joseph, the birth of Jesus, the shepherds and the angels. Part 5 introduces the magi from the East, traditionally known as the Three Kings.
The music offers a sampling of every style of music in the repertoire of Johann Sebastian Bach (below) as a composer.
Massive, concerto-like movements crowned by brilliant trumpet fanfares, booming timpani and virtuosic fugues highlight the full chorus.
Solo arias, duets and trios and even one instrumental movement provide a contemplative contrast with constantly changing instrumental colors—from lush strings to playful flutes and the pastoral sounds of oboes and bassoons.
Featured vocal soloists include mezzo-soprano Rachel Wood (below top) and tenor J. Adam Shelton (below middle), both on the faculty of UW-Whitewater. Highly accomplished members of the choir, including baritone Bill Rosholt (below bottom, and a Madison Savoyards regular), will share the solo parts with these professionals.
The members of Sinfonia Sacra, under concertmaster Leanne League (below), are drawn from the rosters of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble and the music faculties of UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh.
Trumpet virtuoso John Aley (below top) and oboist Marc Fink (below bottom) will also perform.
Founded in 1998, the Wisconsin Chamber Choir has established a reputation for excellence in the performance of oratorios, a cappella choral works from various centuries, and world premieres.
Bach’s music has always occupied a special place in the choir’s repertory, with performances of the Christmas Oratorio (2002 and 2003), the Mass in B minor (2005), the St. John Passion (2010) and the Magnificat (2017).
Artistic Director Robert Gehrenbeck (below) has been hailed by critics for his vibrant and emotionally compelling interpretations of a wide variety of choral masterworks.
Tags: #AmateurMusician, #ArnoldSchoenberg, #ArnoldSchoenbergChoir, #ArtisticDirector, #BaritoneSinger, #BaroqueMusic, #BassoonMusic, #BillRosholt, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ChristmasOratorio, #ChristmasStory, #ConcentusMusicus, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #FluteMusic, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #Handel'sMessiah, #HolidaySeason, #InstrumentalMusic, #InstrumentalPlayer, #J.AdamShelton, #JesusChrist, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnAley, #LeanneLeague, #LutheranChurch, #LutherMemorialChurch, #MadisonSavoyards, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MarcFink, #MaryandJoseph, #MassinBMinor, #Mezzo-sopranoSinger, #MiddletonWisconsin, #MusicalInterpretation, #MusicalStyle, #MusicCritic, #NikolausHarnoncourt, #OrangeTreeImports, #RachelWood, #RobertGehrenbeck, #SinfoniaSacra, #St.JohnPassion, #StringMusic, #TenorSinger, #TheThreeKings, #TrumpetMusic, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityofWisconsin-Oshkosh, #UniversityofWisconsin-Whitewater, #ViennaAustria, #VocalMusic, #Whitewater, #WhitewaterWisconsin, #WillyStreetCoop, #WisconsinBaroqueEnsemble, #WisconsinChamberChoir, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, a cappella, afternoon, amateur, angel, announcement, aria, Arnold Schoenberg, Artistic director, Arts, auditorium, Austria, Bach, baritone, Baroque, Bassoon, Bill Rosholt, birth, blog, boom, brilliant, Cantata, Cello, centuries, century, choral music, Christ, Christian, Christmas, Christmas Oratorio, church, Classical music, color, compare, compelling, composer, Concentus Musicus, concertmaster, concerto, conductor, contemplative, critic, crown, duet, Early music, emotion, energetic, energy, Facebook, faculty, Fanfare, flute, fugue, George Frideric Handel, Holidays, interpretation, J. Adam Shelton, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Aley, Joseph, Leanne League, like, link, lush, Luther Memorial Church, Madison, Madison Savoyards, Madison Symphony Orchestra, magi, Magnificat, Marc Fink, Mary, Mass in B Minor, massive, masterwork, Messiah, Mezzo-soprano, Middleton, movement, Music, night, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Oboe, opening, Orange Tree Imports, oratorio, Orchestra, other, part, pastoral, performance, playful, professional, Rachel Wood, repertoire, Robert Gehrenbeck, sampling, Schoenberg, share, shepherd, sinfonia, Sinfonia Sacra, sing, singer, Singing, solo, Sound, St. John Passion, strings, Student, symphony, tag, tenor, three kings, ticket, timpani, timpany, tradition, trio, Trumpet, tympani, underserved, unfortunate, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, UW-Madison, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater, variety, Vienna, Viola, Violin, virtuosic, vocal music, weekend, Willy Street Coop, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble, Wisconsin Chamber Choir, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, world premiere, YouTube, YouTube video
Classical Music: The Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble will take Madison listeners on a FREE concert of ‘Imaginary Journeys’ TONIGHT at 7 p.m.
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
The Ear has received the following announcement for a concert that sounds in keeping with the spirit of Halloween:
The Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble (below, in a photo by Thomas Mohr) will lead listeners on aural adventures through space, time and fantasy at its “Imaginary Journeys” concert TONIGHT, Oct. 27.
The concert is FREE and open to the public, and will take place at 7 p.m. at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 5701 Raymond Road, in Madison.
For more information, call (608) 271-6633 or visit www.gslcwi.com or gargoylebrass.com.
The professional ensemble of brass quintet and pipe organ, with percussion, will perform the Madison premieres of new works and arrangements it recently commissioned for its novel array of instruments.
The concert’s namesake work, “Imaginary Journeys,” was written for the ensemble by Chicago-area composer Mark Lathan. It takes listeners on a rocket-powered interstellar adventure, inspired by recent astronomical discoveries.
“For this piece,” Lathan says, “I wanted to bring in some drama, somewhat in the manner of a film score.” Lathan earned a doctorate in music from the University of California at Los Angeles, where he received the Henry Mancini Award in Film Composition and studied film scoring with Jerry Goldsmith.
Another Madison premiere is Craig Garner’s brass-and-organ arrangement of Igor Stravinsky’s ever-popular Suite from “The Firebird,” a ballet based on Russian fairy tales. “The audience will hear an all-time favorite orchestral work like it’s never been heard before,” says Rodney Holmes, founder and artistic director of the Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble.
Concertgoers will also hear the first local performances of “Short Fuse” for brass, organ and percussion by Chris Reyman (below), a jazz performance specialist teaching at the University of Texas at El Paso. Holmes says, “This piece shows off a very different face of what a pipe organ and brass can do.”
Other first hearings include Garner’s two-part instrumental suite from English Baroque composer Henry Purcell’s “Come Ye Sons of Art.”
The concert’s journey into the Baroque era includes brass and organ arrangements of movements from Johann Sebastian Bach’s chorale cantata “Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott” (A Mighty Fortress Is Our God), BWV 80.
The concert’s imaginative works include “Earthscape” by David Marlatt (below, and heard in the YouTube video at the bottom) as well as pipe-organ versions of “Clair de lune” (Moonlight) by Claude Debussy and Louis Vierne.
Performers will include Madison-based organist Jared Stellmacher (below), an award-winning musician heard on the Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble’s critically acclaimed 2015 debut CD “Flourishes, Tales and Symphonies.” He holds a master’s degree in music from Yale University.
Gargoyle ensemble players are trumpeters Lev Garbar and Andrew Hunter, horn player Amy Krueger, trombonist Ian Fitzwater, tuba player Jason Lyons, and percussionist Logan Fox. Conductor will be Jakob Noestvik.
About the Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble
“The Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble plays with warmth, elegance, and panache,” said U.S. music magazine Fanfare in a review of the ensemble’s debut CD. “[They] are perfect companions for the music lover in need of calming nourishment.”
The group takes its whimsical name from the stone figures atop gothic buildings at the University of the Chicago, where the now-professional ensemble got its start in 1992 as a brass quintet of faculty and students.
Under its founder and artistic director Rodney Holmes, it has evolved over the decades into an independent organization of classically trained musicians that focuses on commissioning and performing groundbreaking new works and arrangements for brass and pipe organ. More information can be found at gargoylebrass.com.
Tags: #AMightyFortressIsOurGod, #ArtisticDirector, #BalletMusic, #BalletScore, #BaroqueEra, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #BrassQuintet, #ChicagoGargoyleBrassandOrganEnsemble, #ChristianChurch, #ChristianReligion, #Clairdelune, #ClaudeDebussy, #ComeYeSonsofArt, #CompactDisc, #CraigGarner, #DavidMarlatt, #DoctoralDegree, #EinFesteBurg, #EnglishBaroqueMusic, #EnglishComposer, #FacebookPost, #FairyTale, #FanfareMagazine, #FilmMusic, #FilmScore, #FilmSoundtrack, #GoodShepherdLutheranChurch, #HenryMancini, #HenryPurcell, #HornMusic, #IgorStravinsky, #ImaginaryJourney, #JaredStellacher, #JazzMusic, #JerryGoldsmith, #JesusChrist, #JohannSebastianBach, #LouisVierne, #LutheranReligion, #MadisonPremiere, #MarkLathan, #Master'sDegree, #MovieMusic, #MovieScore, #MovieSoundtrack, #MusicLover, #NewMusic, #NewWorks, #OrchestralMusic, #OrganMusic, #PercussionMusic, #PipeOrgan, #RecordReview, #RodneyHolmes, #TheFirebird, #TromboneMusic, #TrumpetMusic, #TubaMusic, #UniversityofCalifornia-LosAngeles, #UniversityofChicago, #UniversityofTexas-ElPaso, #YaleUniversity, adventure, arrangement, Artistic director, Arts, astornomical, astronomy, aural, award, Bach, ballet, Baroque, blog, brass, Brass quintet, building, calm, Cantata, Chamber music, Chicago, Chicago Gargoyle Brass and Organ Ensemble, Chorale, Christ, Christian, chuch, Clair de Lune, Classical music, commission, Compact Disc, composer, conductor, Craig Garner, David Marlatt, Debussy, debut, discoveries, discovery, doctorate, drama, Early music, Earth, Earthscape, elegance, Facebook, faculty, fairy tale, Fanfare, fantasy, forward, founder, free, free concert, gargoyle, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, groundbreaking, Halloween, Henry Mancini, Henry Purcell, Horn, hymn, Igor Stravinsky, imaginary, instrument, interstellar, Jacob Stockinger, Jared Stellmacher, Jazz, Jerry Goldsmith, Jesus, Johann Sebastian Bach, journey, link, listen, Louis Vierne, Madison, magazine, Mark Lathan, master's, moonlight, movement, Music, music lover, nourishment, orchestral music, organ, percussion, percussionist, perform, piece, pipe organ, popular, post, posting, premiere, publiuc, Record review, rocket, Rodney Holmes, Russia, Russian, scoring, space, stone, Student, Suite, teach, Teacher, The Firebird, time, tonight, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, UCLA, United States, University of California-Los Angeles, University of Chicago, University of Texas-El Paso, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, warmth, Wisconsin, Yale University, YouTube
Classical music: The reviews are in — and they are all raves. This afternoon is your last chance to hear the season-opening concert by maestro John DeMain and the Madison Symphony Orchestra with piano soloist Emanuel Ax
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
Are you still undecided about whether to attend the season-opening concert — this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. in Overture Hall — by the Madison Symphony Orchestra (below top, in a photo by Greg Anderson), with world-famous piano soloist Emanuel Ax (below bottom, in a photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco)?
Perhaps the following rave reviews — which all agree on quality of the program and the performances that start DeMain’s 25th anniversary season and the MSO’s 93rd season — will help you to make up your mind.
The program is certainly an attractive one. It features the curtain-raising “Fanfare Ritmico” by the living American composer Jennifer Higdon (below); Sergei Prokofiev’s dramatic and appealing score to the ballet “Romeo and Juliet” in a suite specially put together by DeMain; and the monumental Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 83, by Johannes Brahms.
Here is a link to a longer background story with details about the program, the performers and tickets, which run $18-$93:
Here is a review written by Matt Ambrosio (below), a graduate student at the UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, for The Capital Times:
And here is the lengthy review — with many discerning details about the background and the actual performance — from the veteran and very knowledgeable reviewer Greg Hettmansberger (below) from his blog “What Greg Says”:
https://whatgregsays.wordpress.com/2018/09/29/john-demain-launches-his-25th-madison-symphony-season/
Unfortunately, The Ear could not find an opening-night review by John W. Barker, who usually covers the MSO for Isthmus.
Of course, you can be a critic too. If you already have heard the MSO concert, either on Friday or Saturday night, please leave your own remarks – positive or negative – in the COMMENT section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AmericanComposer, #BalletScore, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BlogReview, #EmanuelAx, #FacebookPost, #FanfareRitmico, #GregHettmansberger, #IsthmusNewspaper, #JenniferHigdon, #JohannesBrahms, #JohnDeMain, #JohnW.Barker, #LivingComposer, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MattAmbrosio, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicCritic, #MusicDirector, #MusicReview, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #PianoConcerto, #RaveReview, #RomeoandJuliet, #SergeiProkofiev, #TheCapitalTimes, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #WhatGregSays, #World-famous, #WorldFamous, American, anniversary, appealing, Arts, audience, background, ballet, blog, Blog post, Cello, clarinet, Classical music, composer, concerto, conductor, critic, drama, Emanuel Ax, Facebook, Fanfare, graduate student, Greg Hettmansberger, Isthmus, Jacob Stockinger, Jennifer Higdon, Johannes Brahms, John DeMain, John W. Barker, knowledgeable, link, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maestro, Matt Ambrosio, Mead Witter School of Music, mind, Music, music critic, music review, negative, Orchestra, Overture Center, performance, pianistsoloist, Piano, Piano concerto, positive, program, quality, rave, remarks, rhythm, Romeo and Juliet, score, Season, Sergei Prokofiev, Student, symphony, The Capital Times, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Veteran, Viola, Violin, What Greg Says, you, YouTube
Classical music: This weekend pianist Emanuel Ax helps conductor John DeMain celebrate his 25th anniversary season with the Madison Symphony Orchestra
4 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend the Madison Symphony Orchestra (below top, in a photo by Peter Rodgers) will open its season by celebrating the 25th anniversary of its music director and conductor John DeMain, who will collaborate with renowned pianist Emanuel Ax (below bottom, in a photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco).
The program opens with the “Fanfare Ritmico” by Jennifer Higdon, the contemporary American composer and Pulitzer Prize winner. Then comes a special suite of favorite movements, cobbled together by DeMain, from the ballet score for “Romeo and Juliet” by Sergei Prokofiev. The grand finale is the monumental Piano Concerto No. 2 by Johannes Brahms.
Performances will be held in Overture Hall, 201 State Street, on Friday night, Sept. 28, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday night, Sept. 29, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday afternoon, Sept. 30, at 2:30 p.m.
Jennifer Higdon’s “Fanfare Ritmico” celebrates the rhythm and speed of life. Written on the eve of the new millennium, the work reflects on the quickening pace of life as time progresses.
Higdon (below) herself notes, “Our lives now move at speeds much greater than what I believe anyone would have imagined in years past. As we move along day-to-day, rhythm plays an integral part of our lives — from the individual heartbeat to the lightning speed of our computers. This fanfare celebrates that rhythmic motion, of man and machine, and the energy which permeates every moment of our being in the new century.”
Soviet composer Sergei Prokofiev (below) originally wrote the Romeo and Juliet Suite in 1935 for the titular ballet produced by the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Theatre. In addition to the somewhat standard instrumentation, the ballet orchestration also requires the use of tenor saxophone, a voice that adds a unique sound and contributes to the sense of drama prevalent in Shakespeare’s original tragedy.
For this performance, John DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) has hand-picked the best excerpts from across the work to create one orchestra piece.
The epic Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 83, is separated by 22 years from Johannes Brahms’ first piano concerto and is dedicated to Brahms’ teacher Eduard Marxsen. It was premiered in 1881 in Budapest, Hungary, with Brahms (below) playing the piano solo.
The work was an immediate success and demonstrates Brahms’ ability to blend beauty with fire, tenderness with drama. (You can hear the unusual and fiery Scherzo movement, played by Krystian Zimmerman and Leonard Bernstein with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Emanuel Ax (below) is considered one of the best-known concert pianists of the 21st century. As the Seattle Times reports, “[Ax’s] touch is amazing. The keys are not so much struck as sighed upon — moved as if by breath. There is no sense of fingers or hammers or material mechanisms…[it] simply materializes and floats in the air.”
Ax captured public attention in 1974 when he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975 he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists, followed by the coveted Avery Fisher Prize four years later. In 1975, he made his Madison solo recital debut at the Wisconsin Union Theater and he has frequently performed here since then.
Ax is a particular supporter of contemporary composers and new music, and he has given three world premieres in the last few seasons: “Century Rolls” by John Adams; “Seeing” by Christopher Rouse; and “Red Silk Dance” by Bright Sheng. He has also received Grammy awards for the second and third volumes of his cycle of Haydn’s piano sonatas and has made a series of Grammy-winning recordings with cellist Yo-Yo Ma of the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas for cello and piano.
Emanuel Ax (below, in a photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco) is currently a faculty member of the Juilliard School of Music, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a recipient of Yale University’s Sanford Medal.
One hour before each performance, MSO retired trombonist and longtime program annotator J. Michael Allsen will lead a 30-minute Prelude Discussion in Overture Hall to enhance concertgoers’ understanding and listening experience. It is free to ticketholders.
Allsen’s program notes for the concerts are available online at this address: http://www.allsenmusic.com/NOTES/1819/1.Sep18.html
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.
The lobby opens 90 minutes prior to each concert.
Tickets can be purchased in the following ways:
- Single Tickets are $18-$93 each and are on sale now at: https://madisonsymphony.org/axthrough the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141.
- 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 18-19 symphony subscription concerts are available. Learn more at: https://madisonsymphony.org/flex
NOTE: Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
The Madison Symphony Orchestra is celebrating its 93rd season in 2018–2019 and its 25th season under the leadership of Music Director John DeMain. Find more information about the rest of the MSO season at madisonsymphony.org
The Presenting Sponsors for the September concerts are: Joel and Kathryn Belaire. Major funding is provided by: The Wisconsin State Journal and Madison.com; the Irving and Dorothy Levy Family Foundation, Inc.; the Kenneth A. Lattman Foundation, Inc.; Rosemarie and Fred Blancke; and David and Kato Perlman. Additional funding is provided by Jeffrey and Angela Bartell, Martin L. Conney and the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tags: #21stCentury, #AmericanAcademyofArtsandSciences, #AmericanComposer, #ArthurRubinstein, #AveryFisher, #BalletScore, #BrightSheng, #BudapestHungary, #CenturyRolls, #ChristopherRouse, #ConcertArtist, #EduardMarxsen, #EmanuelAx, #FacultyMember, #FanfareRitmico, #FranzJosephHaydn, #Fridaynight, #GrammyAward, #JenniferHigdon, #JohannesBrahms, #JohnAdams, #JohnDeMain, #JuilliardSchool, #KatoPerlman, #KIrovTheatre, #KrystianZimerman, #LeonardBernstein, #LivingComposer, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #ManandMachine, #MariinskyTheatre, #MusicDirector, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #NewMusic, #OvertureCenter, #OvertureHall, #PianoConcerto, #PIanoRecital, #ProgramNotes, #PulitzerPrize, #RedSilkDance, #RomeoandJuliet, #RussianComposer, #SanfordMedal, #SaturdayNight, #SeattleTimes, #SergeiProkofiev, #SilverAnniversary, #Sovietcomposer, #SovietUnion, #StateOfWisconsin, #Sundayafternoon, #TelAviv, #ViennaPhilharmonic, #WilliamShakespeare, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WisconsinStateJournal, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WorldPremiere, #YaleUniversity, #Yo-YoMa, #YouTubevideo, 21st century, anniversary, Arthur Rubinstein, Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition, Arts, Avery Fisher, ballet, beauty, Beethoven, being, Bright Sheng, Budapest, Cello, Century Rolls, Chamber music, Christopher Rouse, Classical music, Compact Disc, composer, computers, concerto, conductor, dance, debut, discount, discussion, drama, Eduard Marxsen, Emanuel Ax, energy, epic, eve, excerpt, faculty member, Fanfare, Fellow, fire, funding, Grammy Award, group, Haydn, heartbeat, Hungary, instrumentation, Jacob Stockinger, Jennifer Higdon, Johannes Brahms, John Adams, John DeMain, Julliard School, Kato Perlman, Kirov, Krystian Zimerman, Leonard Bernstein, life, lightning, live, Living composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, Machine, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, man, Mariinsky, millenium, movement, Music, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, New Music, Orchestra, orchestration, Overture Center, Overture Hall, past, performance, Pianist, Piano, Prelude, prize, program notes, public #ArthurRubinsteinInternationalPianoCompetition, Pulitzer Prize, recital, red silk, rhythm, Romeo and Juliet, Sanford Medal, Saxophone, Scherzo, Season, Seattle, security, senior, September, Sergei Prokofiev, Shakespeare, silver anniversary, solo, Sonata, Sound, Soviet, Soviet Union, speed, sponsor, Student, success, Suite, symphony, Tel Aviv, tender, tenderness, tenor, time, tragedy, Trombone, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vienna Philharmonic, Viola, Violin, weekend, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin State Journal, Wisconsin Union Theater, Yale University, Yo-Yo Ma, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra finishes its season with first-time performances of a piano concerto by Mozart and a Slavic Mass by Janacek
1 Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend the Madison Symphony Orchestra (below, in a photo by Peter Rodgers) concludes its current season with “Mass Appeal,” a program that includes two first-ever performances.
One work is the Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-Flat Major, K. 382, with Christopher O’Riley as the soloist. The other work is the massive “Glagolitic Mass” by the Czech composer Leos Janacek.
The concerts are in Overture Hall of the Overture Center, 201 State St., on Friday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 5, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, May 6, at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets cost $18-$90. Ticket information is lower down.
MSO music director John DeMain (below, in a photo by Prasad) had the following comments about the program:
“The concert opens with the exhilarating Overture to the opera Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
“Janacek’s monumental Glagolitic Mass is a very dramatic work. The soloists who are joining us will fill Overture Hall with voluptuous sound, and the Madison Symphony Chorus will bring its high level of professionalism, adding to the thrilling auditory experience that is so characteristic of Janacek. (NOTE: You can hear the dramatic and brassy opening of the Glagolitic Mass in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
“This work also features the organ in a movement all its own, and will give our audiences a chance to once again experience the beauty and power of the Overture Concert Organ as played by MSO’s Principal Organist Greg Zelek (below).”
“Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni was completed in 1787. Mozart’s musical genius is evident in the subtle shadings of darkness he injects into even the most outwardly cheerful moments of the overture — which was most recently performed by the MSO in 2003.
“Composed in December of 1785, Piano Concerto No. 22 was the first concerto by Mozart (below) to include clarinets, his favorite woodwind, in its scoring. The concerto is considered to be a particularly elegant work, filled with ornate, often complicated, writing for the soloist that carries a natural sense of aristocratic poise.
“The Glagolitic Mass, considered to be one of the century’s masterworks and Janacek’s finest choral work, has often been viewed as a celebration of Slavic culture. With text in Old Church Slavonic, the five movements correspond to the Roman Catholic Ordinary of the Mass, omitting “Dona nobis pacem” in the Agnus Dei.
“The piece begins and closes with triumphant fanfares dominated by the brass and prominently features the organ throughout.
“Janacek (below) wanted it to be a Mass “without the gloom of the medieval monastic cells in the themes, without the same lines of imitation, without the tangled fugues of Bach, without the pathos of Beethoven, without the playfulness of Haydn,” rather he talks of the inspiration of nature and language.
“Acclaimed for his engaging and deeply committed performances, pianist Christopher O’Riley (below, in a photo by Dan Williams) is known to millions as the host of NPR’s From the Top, which spotlights gifted young classical musicians.
“O’Riley’s repertoire spans a kaleidoscopic array of music from pre-baroque to present-day. He performs around the world and has garnered widespread praise for his untiring efforts to reach new audiences.
Christopher O’Riley has performed as a soloist with virtually all of the major American orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, National Symphony, and San Francisco Symphony. He last appeared with the Madison Symphony Orchestra in 1995, making for a highly anticipated return with his performance this season.
Soprano Rebecca Wilson (below, in a photo by Jeremy Lawson) has been praised as a “staggeringly talented singer” by St. Louis Magazine. She has appeared with Union Avenue Opera, in the role of Gutrune in Richard Wagner’s Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) and has performed throughout the Chicago area in many roles.
Hailed as possessing a voice of “spell-binding power and intensity” (The Register-Guard), mezzo-soprano Julie Miller (below, in a photo by Devon Cass) has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras and in many major concert halls across the country.
Tenor Rodrick Dixon (below, in a photo by Dan Demetriad) is a classical crossover artist who possesses a voice of extraordinary range and versatility. His body of work covers 25 years of television, recordings, live theater and concerts, including PBS Specials with tenors Victor Cook, and Thomas Young; “Hallelujah Broadway,” starring his wife, Alfreda Burke; the Miss World Pageant broadcast from China and Washington, D.C., on the “E” channel in 126 countries.
Dixon recently appeared in the annual Freedom Awards. His eclectic discography includes recordings for Sony BMG, EMI Records and Naxos.
Bass Benjamin Sieverding (below, in a photo by Lu Zang) has been recognized by critics nationwide for his “surprising depth” (Boulder Daily Camera), as well as his “natural gift for comedy” and “full, rich sound” (Ann Arbor Observer).
As an active soloist and recitalist, Sieverding performs both regionally and internationally. Sieverding is a three-time district winner and regional finalist of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.
The Madison Symphony Chorus (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) gave its first public performance on February 23, 1928, and has performed regularly with the Madison Symphony Orchestra ever since. The chorus (below) is directed by MSO assistant conductor Beverly Taylor and is comprised of more than 150 volunteer musicians who come from all walks of life and enjoy combining their artistic talent.
One hour before each performance, Beverly Taylor (below), Director of Choral Activities and Professor at the UW-Madison,will lead a 30-minute Prelude Discussion in Overture Hall to enhance concertgoers’ understanding and listening experience.
For more background on the music, please view the Program Notes by MSO trombonist and retiring UW-Whitewater professor J. Michael Allsen at: http://www.allsenmusic.com/NOTES/1718/8.May18.html
The Symphony recommends 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 pre-concert talk (free for all ticket-holders).
Single Tickets for the 2017–2018 season finale May concerts are $18-$90 each and are on sale now at https://www.madisonsymphony.org/singletickets, through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141.
Groups of 15 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 $12 or $18 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.
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
Major funding for the May concerts is provided by Mirror 34 Productions, Fiore Companies, Inc., the Steinhauer Charitable Trust, Diane Ballweg, and WPS Health Solutions. Additional funding provided by Carla and Fernando Alvarado, Forte Research Systems and Nimblify, William Wilcox and Julie Porto, and Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tags: #18Century, #20thCentury, #AmericanOrchestras, #BeverlyTaylor, #ChicagoSymphonyOrchestra, #ChinaBroadcast, #ChineseBroadcast, #ChristopherO'Riley, #ClarinetMusic, #Czechcomposer, #CzechMusic, #DonGiovanni, #EMIRecords, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FreedomAwards, #FromtheTop, #GlagoliticMass, #GregZelek, #HallelujahBroadway, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnDeMain, #LosAngelesPhilharmonic, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonSymphonyChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MetropolitanOpera, #MIssWorld, #MusicEducation, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #NationalPublicRadio, #NationalSymphony, #NaturalWorld, #NaxisRecords, #NewYorkPhilharmonic, #OperaOverture, #OrganMusic, #PBSSpecials, #PhiladelphiaOrchestra, #PianoConcerto, #PianoMusic, #RomanCatholic, #SanFranciscoSymphony, #SlavicCulture, #SonyBMG, #SonyRecords, #StateOfWisconsin, #TheMet, #TheRingCycle, #TwilightoftheGods, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityofWisconsin-Whitewater, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WoodwindMusic, #YoungPeople, Agnus Dei, American, aristocratic, Arts, audition, Baroque, bass, beauty, brass, Broadway, Catholic, celebration, Cello, century, Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, China, choral music, clarinet, Classical music, comment, composer, Concert, concerto, country, critic, critics, culture, Czech, discount, discussion, Dona Nobis Pacem, Early music, elegant, Fanfare, finale, fugue, funding, genius, gloom, Gotterdammerung, host, inspiration, international, Jacob Stockinger, Janacek, John DeMain, language, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, mass, masterwork, Mezzo-soprano, monastery, monastic, Mozart, Music, Music education, Musician, national, National Symphony Orchestra, natural, nature, New Music, New York Philharmonic, notes, NPR, Old Church Slavonic, opera, Orchestra, Overture, Overture Center, pathos, PBS, percussion, performance, Philadelphia Orchestra, playfulness, power, Prelude, professional, program, recitalist, recording, regional, Ring cycle, role, Season, security, senior, sense, Slavic, Slavonic, soloist, soprano, Sound, Student, symphony, talk, Television, tenor, theater, theme, ticket, triumphant, Trombone, Trumpet, Twilight of the Gods, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, voice, volunteer, voluptuous, Wagner, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, woodwind, young people, Youth, 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: The gala opening this weekend of the UW-Madison’s new Hamel Music Center is SOLD OUT. What do you think of the building, the music and the event? Plus, veteran music critic John W. Barker has died
7 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE 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: Word arrived late last night that the respected longtime music critic John W. Barker, a retired UW-Madison professor of medieval history, died Thursday morning. He wrote locally for Isthmus, The Capital Times and this blog. Details will be shared when they are known.
By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend, Oct. 25-27, marks the official gala opening of the new Hamel Music Center (below, in a photo by Bryce Richter for University Communications) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Mead Witter School of Music. It is located at 740 University Ave., next to the new wing of the Chazen Museum of Art, which has a special exhibit relating to the new music center.
The impressive $58-million structure, which has taken many years to fund (completely privately) and then to build, will celebrate its opening tonight, Saturday night (while the 14th annual Halloween FreakFest on State Street is happening) and Sunday afternoon.
The performers will include distinguished alumni, faculty members and students.
Here is a link to an overall schedule as published on the School of Music’s home website: https://www.music.wisc.edu/hamel-music-center-opening-schedule/
Thanks to an astute reader who found what The Ear couldn’t find, here is a complete schedule — long, varied and impressive — of works and performers: https://www.music.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20191025-Hamel-Music-Center-Opening-Weekend.pdf
And here is a link to the official UW-Madison press release with more background and details about the building: https://news.wisc.edu/mead-witter-school-of-musics-hamel-music-center-opening-this-fall/
UW-Madison composer Laura Schwendinger (below) has been commissioned to write a Fanfare that will receive its world premiere tonight.
The opening promises to be a success, complete with receptions at the end of each performance.
In fact, the public has signed on enough that the FREE tickets to all events are SOLD OUT, according to the School of Music’s home website.
Taste is personal and varies, and The Ear has heard mixed reviews of the new building. (For the special occasion, you can hear “The Consecration of the House” Overture by Beethoven, performed by the La Scala opera house orchestra in Milan under Riccardo Muti, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Basically, people seem to agree that the acoustics are much improved over Mills Hall and Morphy Recital Hall in the old Humanities Building.
But public opinion seems more divided over other aspects, from the overall external architecture and interior design to the smaller size of the big hall, the seats and seating layout, and the restrooms.
So if you go – or have already gone – let the rest of us know what you think about those various aspects of the new building and about the various performers and programs.
As a warm-up preview, here are photos of the main halls or spaces, all taken by Bryce Richter for University Communications:
Here is the 660-seat Mead Witter Concert Hall:
Here is the 300-seat Collins Recital Hall:
And here is the Lee/Kaufman Rehearsal Hall:
But what do you say? You be the critic.
The Ear and others hope to see COMMENTS from listeners and especially performers. What is it like to perform there? Or to sit and listen?
What does the public think of the new building and concert halls? Are you satisfied? What do you like and what don’t you like?
Should some things have been done – or not done – in your opinion?
Does the building and do the concert halls live up to the expectations and hype?
The Ear wants to hear.
Share this:
Tags: #AaronCopland, #AnthonyDiSanza, #ArpeggioneSonata, #ArthurBenjamin, #AstorPiazzolla, #AugustaReadThomas, #BandMusic, #BeverlyTaylor, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #BryceRichter, #CapTimes, #ChamberMusic, #ChazenMuseumofArt, #ChenYi, #ChoralFantasy, #ChoralMusic, #ChristopherTaylor, #ClassicalGuitar, #ClaudeDebussy, #CollinsRecitalHall, #CommissionedMusic, #ConcertChoir, #ConcertHall, #ConsecrationoftheHouse, #CoreyPompey, #EmeritusProfessor, #EuphoniumMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FluteMusic, #FranzSchubert, #Fridaynight, #GuitarMusic, #HalloweenFreakfest, #HamelMusicCenter, #HomeWebsite, #HumanitiesBuilding, #InteriorDesign, #IsthmusMagazine, #IsthmusNewspaper, #JamesSmith, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnAdams, #JohnCage, #JohnW.Barker, #KarlheinzStockhausen, #KarlosMoser, #LaScala, #LauraSchwendinger, #Lee/KaufmanRehearsalHall, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MarcFink, #MarcVallon, #MarkHetzler, #MeadWitterFoundationConcertHall, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MedievalHistory, #MillsHall, #MorphyRecitalHall, #MusicCommission, #MusicCritic, #Musicfaculty, #NewMusic, #OldBuilding, #OperaHouse, #OperaMusic, #OrchestralMusic, #OriolSans, #ParryKarp, #PaulCollins, #PersonalTaste, #PianoMusic, #PressRelease, #ProfessorEmeritus, #PublicOpinion, #RebecccaBlank, #RiccardoMuti, #RichardLottridge, #RichardStrauss, #SaturdayNight, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #SoldOut, #SopranoSinger, #StateStreet, #StephenSondheim, #Sundayafternoon, #SusanC.Cook, #TenorSinger, #TheCapitalTimes, #TheEar, #TimothyHagen, #TomCurry, #TraditionalMusic, #TyroneGreive, #TyroneGrieve, #UniversityCommunications, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UW-MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #UWChorale, #UWSymphonyOrchestra, #VincenzoBellini, #ViolaMusic, #ViolinMusic, #VocalMusic, #WindEnsemble, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, Aaron Copland, acoustics, afternoon, alumni, Anthony DiSanza, architecture, Argentina, Arpeggione sonata, Art, Arthur Benjamin, artistic, Arts, audience, Augusta Read Thomas, Ástor Piazzolla, Bach, background, band music, Bassoon, Beethoven, Bellini, Beverly Taylor, blog, blue, brass, Brazil, Brazilian music, Bryce Richter, build, building, Campus, Cap Times, celebrate, Cello, Chamber music, chancellor, Chazen, Chazen Museum of Art, Chen Yi, Choir, choral, Choral Fantasy, choral music, Chorale, Christopher Taylor, clarinet, Classical music, classicalmusic, Claude Debussy, collage, Collins Recital Hall, comments, commission, commissioned music, communication, composer, Concert, Concert Choir, concert hall, conductor, consecration, Consecration of the House, Corey Pompey, critic, death, Debussy, design, details, die, died, director, distinguished, do, done, donor, ensemble, Euphonium, event, exhibit, expectations, external, Facebook, faculty, Fanfare, fantasy, fest, flute, folk song, folksong, forward, frak, Franz Schubert, freak, Freakfest, free, Friday night, fund, gala, graduates, guitar, Halloween, Halloween Freakest, Hamel Music Center, History, Holiday, home website, Horn, House, humanities, humanities building, hype, impressive, improved, information, interior, interior design, Isthmus, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, James Smith, Jazz, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Adams, John Cage, John W. Barker, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Karlos Moser, La Scala, Laura Schwendinger, Lee/Kaufman Rehearsal Hall, link, listeners, live, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, madrigal, major, Marc Fink, Marc Vallon, Mark Hetzler, Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Mead Witter School of Music, Medieval, Milan, Mills Hall, mixed, mixed reviews, Morphy Recital Hall, Mosse Humanities Building, Mozart, Music, music critic, music faculty, new, New Music, news, Oboe, occasion, Octet, offically, old, old building, opening, opera, Opera house, opinion, Orchestra, orchestral music, Oriol Sans, Overture, Parry Karp, Paul Collins, performer, performers, photo, photograph, photographer, Piano, pieces, post, posting, press, press release, preview, private, private schools, program, public opinion, publicity, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, reader, Rebecca Blank, reception, rehearsal, restroom, review, Riccardo Muti, Richard Lottridge, Richard Strauss, satisfaction, satisfied, Saturday night, say, schedule, Schubert, seat, seating, Serenade, share, social, sold-out, something, Sonata, soprano, space, special, State Street, Stephen Sondheim, Strauss, structure, Student, subscriber, success, Sunday, Sunday afternoon, Susan C. Cook, symphony, tag, tango, taste, tenor, The Capital Times, The Ear, think, Thursday, ticket, time, Timothy Hagen, Tom Curry, tonight, traditional, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba, Tyrone Greive, Tyrone Grieve, United States, University Communications, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW Concert Choir, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW Wind Ensemble, UW-Madison, UW-Madison Symphony Orchestra, vary, Veteran, Vincenzo Bellini, Viola, Violin, vocal music, warm up, weekend, wind ensemble, wind music, winds, wing, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, word, world, world premiere, years, you, YouTube