girls | The Well-Tempered Ear

Vivaldi turns 345 today. His irresistable music deserves more live performances

March 4, 2023
15 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

Today The Ear wishes Happy Birthday to composer Antonio Vivaldi (below), who was born on this day — March 4 — in 1678 in Venice. (He became famous but died in poverty at age 63 on July 28, 1741, also in Venice.)

The Ear likes Vivaldi and his music deserves many more live performances. Even local early music and modern music groups seems reluctant to program much Vivaldi besides “The Four Seasons,” despite the popularity of his other works. Vivaldi not only composed a lot but he did so for many instruments — strings, brass, winds — and in other genres than concertos including sonatas, choral works and operas.

Listen to Vivaldi in the morning. Who can resist him? The Italian style with its energetic rhythm, songful lyricism and major-key cheerfulness are caffeine for the ears.

There are so many fine groups and soloists who perform Vivaldi. Yet so much of his prolific output remains relatively unknown or unheard.

That’s too bad. Johann Sebastian Bach recognized a good thing when he heard it, so he “borrowed” and transcribed many of Vivaldi’s works. One imagines the Italian taste for transparency and tunes appealed to Bach and helped him leaven the often dense, even pedantic Germanic counterpoint and smothering religiosity. Vivaldi provided a model influence for Bach’s eclectic fusion of styles.

Here is a link to an extended Wikipedia biography of the “Red Priest” (below) — Vivaldi’s nickname, used during his teaching at an all-girls school in Venice and derived from his bright red hair. It holds some surprises including the political controversy that surrounded Vivaldi in his day:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi

A lot of modern musicians and music historians seem to hold Vivaldi’s popularity and listener-friendly music against him. Opinions seem divided over who made the snide remark — Igor Stravinsky, Luigi Dallapiccola or both — that Vivaldi rewrote the same concerto 500 times.

Here is an informative takedown of that putdown:

https://notanothermusichistorycliche.blogspot.com/2018/10/did-stravinsky-say-vivaldi-wrote-same.html

In the YouTube video at the bottom is a favorite Vivaldi movement of mine. It helped give me a lifelong unforgettable moment as an accompaniment to viewing NASA’s recently taken moon footage at 37,000 feet in a plane on my way to Hawaii. It is the slow movement of the lute concerto played on the guitar by Julian Bream — and it was perfect for expressing weightlessness and space flight.

That was long ago.

These days for period-instrument performances, I tend to favor The English Concert under Trevor Pinnock , The Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood, and the Academy of Ancient Music Berlin — although there are others terrific ensembles including the modern instrument groups I Musici and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.

For period string soloists — try the double concertos — look to Simon Standage, Monica Huggett, Andrew Manze and Rachel Podger. For modern instrumentalists, check out Victoria Mullova and especially the Israeli violinist Shlomo Mintz, who uses his own ordering and groupings of concertos. I also like the period cellist Christophe Coin and the modern cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras.

Do you have an opinion about Vivaldi — a like or dislike of his music?

Do you have a favorite Vivaldi work?

Do you have favorite performers of Vivaldi?

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AntonioVivaldi, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #ItalianBaroque, #TheEar, #YouTubevideo, Academy of Ancient Music, Academy of Ancient Music Berlin, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Andrew Manze, Antonio Vivaldi, Arts, Baroque, Berlin, birthday, blog, born, brass, British, caffeine, Cello, Chamber music, cheerfulness, choral music, Christophe Coin, Christopher Hogwood, clarity, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, counterpoint, Early music, ears, eclectic, energy, English, English Concert, ensemble, express, Facebook, favorite, Four Seasons, fusion, genre, Germany, girls, good, Great Britain, guitar, Happy Birthday, History, I Musici, Igor Stravinsky, influence, Israel, Israeli, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Jean-Guihan Queyras, Johann Sebastian Bach, Julian Bream, link, listener-friendly, Luigi Dallapiccola, lute, lyricism, Madison, melody, modern, modernism, Monica Huggett, moon, morning, Music, NASA, opera, opinion, perform, poor, popularity, poverty, priest, program, prolific, putdown, Rachel Podger, Red Priest, Religion, school, share, Shlomo Mintz, Simon Standage, snide, soloist, Sonata, space, strings, style, symphony, tag, takedown, The Ear, The Four Seasons, thing, transparency, Trevor Pinnock, tune, UK, United States, Venice, Victoria Mullova, Viola, Violin, Vivaldi, vocal music, wind music, YouTube

Which classical composer has helped you the most during the Covid-19 pandemic?

January 4, 2021
6 Comments

By Jacob Stockinger

The holidays are over and as we close in on marking a year of the coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic, The Ear has a question:

Which composer has helped you the most to weather the pandemic so far?

The Ear wishes he could say Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin or Brahms. And the truth is that they all played a role, some more than others.

But The Ear was surprised by the composer whose works he most listened to and liked — Antonio Vivaldi (below), the Red Priest of Venice who lived from 1678 to 1714 and taught at a Roman Catholic girls school.

Here is more about his biography, which points out that his work was neglected for two centuries and began being rediscovered only in the early 20th-century and still continues being rediscovered to the present day: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Vivaldi

The Ear isn’t talking about popular The Four Seasons although that set of 12 solo violin concertos has its charms and originalities.

The Ear especially appreciated the lesser-known concertos for two violins and the cello concertos, although the concertos for bassoon, flute, recorder, oboe, lute, trumpet and mandolin also proved engaging, as did the concerto grosso.

It was the 20th-century composer Igor Stravinsky (below) – the modern pioneer of neo-Classicism — who complained that Vivaldi rewrote the same concerto 500 times. “Vivaldi,” Stravinsky once said, “is greatly overrated – a dull fellow who could compose the same form many times over.”

But then did anyone turn to Stravinsky – who, The Ear suspects, was secretly envious — when they needed music as medicine or therapy during the pandemic?

Vivaldi was, in fact, a master. See and hear for yourself. In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear a performance of Vivaldi’s Concerto Grosso in G minor, RV 535, performed by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.

Why Vivaldi? You might ask.

Well, it’s nothing highbrow.

The best explanation is that Vivaldi’s music simply seems like caffeine for the ears and sunshine for the eyes. His music isn’t overly introspective or glum, and it isn’t too long or melodramatic.

The melodies and harmonies are always pleasing and energizing, and the tempi are just right, although bets are that the music is much harder to play than it sounds.

In short, Vivaldi’s extroverted music is infectious and appealing because it just keeps humming along — exactly as those of us in lockdown and isolation at home have had to do.

Happily, there are a lot of fine recordings of Vivaldi by period instrument groups from England, Italy and Germany and elsewhere that use historically informed performance practices. But some the most outstanding recordings are by modern instrument groups, which should not be overlooked.

With a few exceptions – notably Wisconsin Public Radio – you don’t get to hear much Vivaldi around here, especially in live performances, even from early music and Baroque ensembles. If you hear Vivaldi here, chances are it is The Four Seasons or the Gloria. Should there be more Vivaldi? Will we hear more Vivaldi when live concerts resume? That is a topic for another time.

In the meantime, The Ear wants to know:

Which composer did you most listen to or find most helpful throughout the pandemic?

Leave your choice in the comment section with, if possible, a YouTube link to a favorite work and an explanation about why you liked that composer and work.

The Ear wants to hear.

Thank you and Happy New Year!

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AntonioVivaldi, #BaroqueBassoon, #BaroqueEnsemble, #BaroqueFlute, #BaroqueMusic, #BaroqueRecorder, #BassoonConcerto, #BerlinGermany, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CelloConcerto, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ChristmasHoliday, #CircleofSound, #ConcertoGrosso, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FavoriteComposers, #FluteConcerto, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FranzSchubert, #FredericChopin, #GreatBritain, #HappyNewYear, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #IgorStravinsky, #InstrumentalOrchestra, #ItalianBaroque, #JacobStockinger, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #LiveMusic, #LivePerformances, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #LuteConcerto, #MandolinConcerto, #ModernInstrument, #MusicTherapy, #NeglectedMusic, #NewYear's, #OboeConcerto, #OnlineConcert, #PeriodInstruments, #PresentDay, #RecordedMusic, #RecorderConcerto, #RedPriest, #RomanCatholic, #RomanCatholicism, #Self-Isolation, #Self-Quarantine, #StringMusic, #ThankYou, #TheEar, #TheFourSeasons, #TheU.K., #TrumpetConcerto, #Two-PartInvention, #UnitedKingdom, #VeniceItaly, #ViolinConcerto, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #Wikipediabiography, #Wikipediaentry, #WindMusic, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, 20th-century, Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin, all, Antonio Vivaldi, appealing, Arts, audience, Bach, Baroque, Baroque music, Bassoon, bassoon concerto, Beethoven, Berlin, best, biography, blog, Brahms, caffeine, carhm, cellist, Cello, Cello Concerto, century, Chopin, choral music, Christian church, Christianity, Christmas, church, Classical music, comment, complain, composer, Concert, concerto, Concerto Grosso, conductor, coronavirus, dull, Early music, ears, energetic, energizing, energy, England, ensemble, envious, exception, explanation, extrovert, eyes, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, favorite, Fellow, flute, flute concerto, form, forward, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, Frédéric Chopin, girl, girls, Gloria, glum, Great Britain, group, Happy New Year, harder, harmony, Haydn, hear, help, highbrow, historically informed performance practices, Holiday, Home, hum, humming, Igor Stravinsky, infectious, instrumental music, introspective, isolation, Italian, Italian Baroque, Italy, Jacob Stockiner, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, like, listen, live, live music, live performances, lockdown, long, lonk, Ludwig van Beethoven, lute, lute concerto, Madison, mandolin, mandolin concerto, medicine, melodramatic, melody, modern, modern instrument, Mozart, Music, music therapy, neglected, neglected music, neo-Classicism, New Year, New Year's, Oboe, oboe concerto, oboist, online, opera, Orchestra, originality, overlook, overrated, pandemic, period instruments, pioneer, play, please, pleasing, popular, post, posting, present, present day, priest, quarantine, question, recorded music, recorder, recorder concerto, recording, Red Priest, rediscover, resume, rewite, rewrote, role, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, RV, same, school, Schubert, secretly, see, share, simple, solo violin, Sonata, Sound, Stravinsky, string music, Student, sunshine, symphony, tag, teach, Teacher, tempi, thank you, The Four Seasons, therapy, times, topic, Trumpet, trumpet concerto, truth, Two-Violin Concerto, Tye Ear, U.K., United Kingdom, United States, Venice, video, Viola, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, virtual, Vivaldi, vocal music, weather, Wikipedia, wind music, wisconsin public radio, wish, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, work, works, year, yourself, YouTube

Classical music: The Winter Concert Series by the Madison Youth Choirs next Saturday and Sunday feature the theme of “Resilience” with guest artist Tony Memmel

December 2, 2018
Leave a Comment

IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event

By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear has received the following announcement to post:

This semester, the Madison Youth Choirs welcome guest artist Tony Memmel, a singer-songwriter and guitarist whose story of ingenuity and resilience will inspire young singers and audience members alike.

Born without a left forearm or hand, Memmel (below) taught himself to play guitar by building a homemade cast out of Gorilla Tape, and has become an internationally acclaimed musician, thoughtful teacher and ambassador for young people with limb differences. (You can hear Memmel talk about himself in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

On this coming Saturday night, Dec. 8, and Sunday afternoon, Dec., 9, at the Middleton Performing Arts Center that is attached to Middleton High School at 2100 Bristol Street, Memmel will join the Madison Youth Choirs in a Winter Concert Series called “Resilience” because it focuses on the ability to overcome challenges both visible and invisible, and along the way discover the limitless possibilities that exist inside each of us.

Here is the schedule:

Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7:00 p.m. – Purcell, Britten, Holst and Ragazzi choirs

Sunday, Dec. 9, at 4:00 p.m. – Choraliers, Con Gioia, Capriccio, Cantilena and Cantabile choir

Tickets will be available at the door, $10 for general admission; $5 for students 7-18; and free for children under 7.

These concerts are generously endowed by the Diane Ballweg Performance Fund with additional support from our sponsors, American Girl’s Fund for Children, BMO Harris Bank, Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. This project is also supported by the Madison Arts Commission and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

About Madison Youth Choirs (MYC): Recognized as an innovator in youth choral music education, Madison Youth Choirs (MYC) welcomes singers of all ability levels, annually serving more than 1,000 young people, ages 7-18, through a wide variety of choral programs in our community.

Cultivating a comprehensive music education philosophy that inspires self-confidence, personal responsibility, and a spirit of inquiry leading students to become “expert noticers,” MYC creates accessible, meaningful opportunities for youth to thrive in the arts and beyond.

For more information about supporting or joining MYC, go to: https://www.madisonyouthchoirs.org

HERE IS THE COMPLETE REPERTOIRE OF THE MYC 2018 WINTER CONCERT SERIES “RESILIENCE”:

SATURDAY, DEC. 8, at 7:00 p.m. Concert (featuring MYC Boychoirs)

Combined Boychoirs with Tony Memmel

“Clenched Hands, Brave Demands” by Tony Memmel

“Though My Soul May Set in Darkness,” text by Sarah Williams, composer unknown

Purcell

“Who Can Sail” Scandinavian Folk Song, arr. Jeanne Julseth-Heinrich

“Hine Ma Tov” Hebrew Folk Song, arr. Henry Leck

Britten

“Jerusalem,” poem by William Blake, music by Sir Hubert Parry

“This Little Babe” from A Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten

Holst

“Keep Your Lamps,” traditional spiritual, arr. André Thomas

“Out of the Deep” by John Wall Callcott

“Shosholoza,” Traditional song from Zimbabwe, arr. Albert Pinsonneault

Combined Boychoirs

“Angels’ Carol” by John Rutter

Tony Memmel

Selections to be announced

Ragazzi

“Wie Melodien” (Op. 5, No. 1) by Johannes Brahms

“The Chemical Worker’s Song” by Ron Angel, arr. after Great Big Sea

“Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight” by Abbie Betinis

Combined Boychoirs with Tony Memmel (below)

“America to Go” by Tony Memmel

SUNDAY, DEC. 9, at 4:00 p.m. Concert (featuring MYC Girlchoirs)

Combined Girlchoirs with Tony Memmel

“Clenched Hands, Brave Demands” by Tony Memmel

Choraliers

“Be Like a Bird,” Text from Victor Hugo, music by Arthur Frackenpohl

“Art Thou Troubled” by George Frideric Handel

“Blustery Day” by Victoria Ebel-Sabo

Con Gioia

“Bist du bei mir” by Johann Sebastian Bach from “The Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach”

“I Heard a Bird Sing” by Cyndee Giebler

“Ask the Moon” from Three Settings of the Moon by Ron Nelson

“I’ll Overcome Someday” by C.A. Tindley

“We Shall Overcome” arr. by Marie McManama and Con Gioia

“i shall imagine” by Daniel Brewbaker, text by e.e. cummings

South African National Anthem by E.M. Sontonga and M.L. de Villiers

Capriccio

“Resilience” by Abbie Betinis

“Be Like the Bird” by Abbie Betinis

“Esurientes” from Magnificat in G minor by Antonio Vivaldi

“And Ain’t I a Woman!” by Susan Borwick, adapted from a speech by Sojourner Truth

Tony Memmel

Selections to be announced by Tony Memmel

Cantilena

“Vanitas vanitatum” by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

“Chant for a Long Day” by Stephen Hatfield

“Wir eilen mit schwachen doch emsigen Schritten”(from BWV 78) by Johann Sebastian Bach

“The Storm is Passing Over” by Charles Albert Tindley, arr. Barbara Baker

Cantabile

“Ich weiss nicht”(Op. 113, No. 11) by Johannes Brahms, text by Friedrich Rueckert

“Widmung” (Op.25, No. 1) by Johannes Brahms, text by Friedrich Rueckert

“I Never Saw Another Butterfly” by Charles Davidson

Combined Choirs with Tony Memmel

“America to Go” by Tony Memmel

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AbrahamLincoln, #ACeremonyofCarols, #AlbertPinsonneault, #AmericanGirl, #AntonioVivaldi, #AudienceMembers, #BaroqueMusic, #BenjaminBritten, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BMOHarrisBank, #ChoralMusic, #DaneArts, #DianeBallweg, #EndresMfg.Company, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FolkMusic, #FriedrichRueckert, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GorillaTape, #GuestArtist, #GuitarMusic, #GustavHolst, #Hebrewmusic, #HenryPurcell, #HolidayCarol, #HubertParry, #JanPieterszoonSweelinck, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnRutter, #MadisonArtsCommission, #MadisonYouthChoirs, #MiddletonHighSchool, #MiddletonPerformingArtsCenter, #MiddletonWisconsin, #MusicEducation, #NationalAnthem, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #PersonalResponsibility, #PleasantRowland, #SojournerTruth, #SongWriter, #SouthAfrica, #TheCapitalTimes, #TheEvjueFoundation, #TonyMemmel, #VictorHugo, #W.JeromeFrautschi, #WeShallOvercome, #WilliamBlake, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #YoungPeople, #YoungSinger, #YouTubevideo, A Ceremony of Carols, ability, Abraham Lincoln, acclaimed, Albert Pinsonneault, ambassador, America, American, American Girl, angel, Antonio Vivaldi, Arts, audience, babe, Bach, Baroque, Benjamin Britten, BMO Harris Bank, boychoir, boys, Brahms, butterfly, cantabile, Capriccio, Carol, cast, challenge, children, Choir, choral music, Classical music, community, composer, Concert, Dane Arts, Diane Ballweg, disability, e.e. cummings, Endres Mfg. Company, Evjue Foundation, Facebook, folk, Folk music, folk song, folksong, forearm, Frautschi, Friedrich Rueckert, George Frideric Handel, girlchoir, girls, Gorilla Tape, guest artist, guitar, guitarist, hand, Hebrew, Holst, homemade, Hubert Parry, imagine, inspiration, inspire, international, Jacob Stockinger, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Jerusalem, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Rutter, left, level, limb, Madison, Madison Arts Commission, Madison Youth Choirs, Magnificat, melodies, melody, Middleton, Middleton High School, Middleton Performing Arts Center, Music, Music education, Musician, national anthem, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, original, personal responsibility, philosophy, Piano, Pleasant Rowland, poem, Poetry, Purcell, resilience, Scandinavian, self-confidence, series, singer, Singing, Sojourner Truth, song, South Africa, spirit, spiritual, sponsor, Teacher, teenager, text, Tony Memmel, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Victor Hugo, We Shall Overcome, Wiliam Blake, winter, Wisconsin Arts Board, woman, worker, YouTube, Zimbabwe

Music education: Madison Youth Choirs perform their Spring Concert series “Seriously Funny” this Sunday

May 10, 2018
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear has received the following announcement to post:

“This spring, the Madison Youth Choirs singers (below) are exploring the unexpected ways that elements of humor, from irony and incongruity to improvisation and timing, are reflected in a wide variety of classical and contemporary musical compositions.

“We’re learning that music, like humor, is a kind of language, operating with its own sense of logic, patterns, and conventions that composers can twist to surprise us and take our musical journey to new places.

“As we study the complexity of humor as a mode of creative expression, we are discovering the power of satire, wit, and misdirection to help us reexamine our assumptions, musical and otherwise.

“In our culminating concert series, our singers will present works including “No, di voi non vo’ fidarmi” by George Frideric Handel; Timothy Takach’s “I Will Howl” by Timothy Takach; the “Fugue for Tinhorns” from Guys and Dolls; and the second movement of Chichester Psalms by Leonard Bernstein.”

The MYC Spring Concerts, “Seriously Funny: Musical Humor, Wit, and Whimsy” will take place this Sunday afternoon and evening, May 13, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Ave., across from Camp Randall Stadium.

Performance are: 1:30 p.m. for Girlchoirs; 4 p.m. for Boychoirs; and 7 p.m. for High School Ensembles.

Tickets will be available at the door: $10 for general admission; $5 for students 7-18; and free for children under 7. A separate ticket is required for each performance.

This concert is supported by American Girl’s Fund for Children, BMO Harris Bank, Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. This project is also supported by the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the Madison Youth Choirs (MYC):

Recognized as an innovator in youth choral music education, Madison Youth Choirs (MYC) welcomes singers of all ability levels, annually serving more than 1,000 young people, ages 7-18, through a wide variety of choral programs in our community.

For further information, go to www.madisonyouthchoirs.org or call (608) 238-7464.

Here is the Repertoire List for MYC 2018 Spring Concert Series, “Seriously Funny: Musical Humor, Wit and Whimsy”

1:30 P.M. CONCERT (FEATURING MYC GIRLCHOIRS)

Choraliers

“Bee! I’m expecting you!” by Emma Lou Diemer

“A Menagerie of Songs” by Carolyn Jennings

Con Gioia

“When V and I” by Henry Purcell

“The Fate of Gilbert Gim” by Margaret Drynan

“The Cabbage-Tree Hat,” traditional Australian folk song

Capriccio (below)

“Papageno-Papagena Duet” (from The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“Ich jauchze, ich lache” (from BWV 15) by Johann Sebastian Bach

“J’entends le Moulin,” French folk song, arr. Donald Patriquin

Combined Choirs

“Funiculi, Funicula” by Luigi Denza

4 P.M. CONCERT (FEATURING MYC BOYCHOIRS)

Combined Boychoirs

“Sumer is icumen in,” Anonymous, 13th century Middle English piece

Purcell Boychoir

“When V and I” by Henry Purcell

“Modern Major-General” from The Pirates of Penzance by Gilbert and Sullivan

“Weevily Wheat,” arr. Dan Krunnfusz

Britten Boychoir (below)

“Gloria Tibi” by Leonard Bernstein

“The Plough Boy,” Traditional, arr. Benjamin Britten

Holst Boychoir

“Il est bel et bon” by Pierre Passereau

“Hopkinton” by William Billings

Ragazzi Boychoir

“I Will Howl” by Timothy Takach

“Rustics and Fishermen,” part V of Choral Dances from Gloriana by Benjamin Britten

“Fugue for Tinhorns” from Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser

Combined Boychoirs

“Chichester Psalms” II. Adonai ro-i by Leonard Bernstein

7 P.M. CONCERT (FEATURING HIGH SCHOOL ENSEMBLES)

Cantilena

“A Girl’s Garden” from Frosting by Randall Thompson

“Love Learns by Laughing” by Thomas Morley

“Turn, Turn, Then Thine Eyes” from The Fairy Queen by Henry Purcell

“My Funny Valentine” from Babes in Arms by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart

“Etude 1 pour les cinq doigts d’après Monsieur Czerny” by Claude Debussy

Ragazzi

“I Will Howl” by Timothy Takach

“Fugue for Tinhorns” from Guys and Dolls by Frank Loesser

Cantabile

“sam was a man” by Vincent Persichetti, text by e.e. cummings

“No, di voi non vo’ fidarmi” by George Frideric Handel

“Cruel, You Pull Away Too Soon” by Thomas Morley

“This Sky Falls” by Jocelyn Hagen

“Svatba,” Traditional Bulgarian, arr. H.R. Todorov

Cantabile and Ragazzi

Choral Dances from Gloriana by Benjamin Britten

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AmericanGirl, #AustralianMusic, #BenjaminBritten, #BMOHarrisBank, #BroadwayMusical, #Bulgarianmusic, #CampRandall, #CampRandallStadium, #CarlCzerny, #ChichesterPsalms, #ChoralMusic, #ClaudeDebussy, #ContemporaryComposer, #ContemporaryMusic, #DaneArts, #EndresManufacturing, #FirstCongregationalUnitedChurchofChrist, #FolkMusic, #FrankLoesser, #FrenchMusic, #FugueforTinhorns, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GilbertandSullivan, #GustavHolst, #GuysandDolls, #HenryPurcell, #HighSchool, #JohannSebastianBach, #LeonardBernstein, #LorenzHart, #MadisonYouthChoirs, #MiddleEnglish, #MiddleSchool, #ModernMajor-General, #MusicEducation, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #NewMusic, #PierrePassereau, #PiratesofPenzance, #PleasantT.Rowland, #RandallThompson, #RichardRodgers, #RodgersandHart, #SpringConcert, #StateOfWisconsin, #TheCapitalTimes, #TheEvjueFoundation, #TheMagicFlute, #ThomasMorley, #TimothyTakach, #VincentPersichetti, #W.JeromeFrautschi, #WilliamBillings, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouthChoirs, admission, afternoon, American Girl, Arts, assumptions, Bach, Baroque, BMO Harris Bank, boy, boychoir, Broadway musical, Bulgaria, Carl Czerny, children, Choir, choral music, Classical music, community, composer, conventions, dance, duet, e.e. cummings, Early music, evening, folk song, folksong, foundation, free, fugue, Fugue for Tinhorns, G&S, George Frideric Handel, Gilbert and Sullivan, girl, girlchoir, girls, Gloriana, Gustav Holst, Guys and Dolls, high school, Holst, Humor, improvisation, incongruity, inquiry', irony, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, language, logic, Madison, Madison Youth Choirs, menagerie, Middle school, Modern Major-General, movement, Music, Music education, musical, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, New Music, opera, Papagena, Papageno, patterns, performance, personal, Piano, poem, poet, Poetry, power, Purcell, responsibility, sature'wit, self-confidence, singer, singers, Singing, song, stadium, summer, Sunday, text, The Capital Times, The Evjue Foundation, ticket, timing, traditional, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vincent Persichetti, voys, whimsy, William Billings, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, young people, Youth, YouTube

Classical music: Two FREE “garage” performances of Fresco Opera Theatre’s “The Ugly Duckling” remain in Fitchburg and Madison on Saturday and Sunday afternoons

June 23, 2017
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear has received the following information from Fresco Opera Theatre:

Take “The Ugly Duckling” — the fairy tale by Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen — mashed up with opera and all set in the context of a typical John Hughes movie.

Fresco revisits the joys that were the ’80s.

The hair.

The fashion.

The mean girls.

The cute boys.

Teenage angst at its best, and what better way to convey it than through opera?

Best of all – WE BRING THE SHOW TO YOU!

This is fun for the whole family, whether you are an opera fan, unfamiliar with opera, or frankly even think you hate opera. This is a totally awesome production!

The final two FREE “garage” performances (below top, by Max Wendt, and below bottom) are this Saturday at 2 p.m. at 4412 Sentinel Pass in Fitchburg and Sunday at 2 p.m. at 21 Shea Court, on Madison’s west side)

This is part of Fresco’s 2017 season of outreach. All that we do this year will be FREE OF CHARGE to get people interested in the fine arts.

We will have our Opera Unplugged series starting up at the end of July, which will take place on the Capitol Square during the Saturday morning Dane County Farmers’ Markets.

This is a great opportunity for families of young children to introduce them to opera.

For more information about Fresco Opera Theatre, including portraits of the cast for “The Ugly Duckling”; past productions; dates and places of Opera Unplugged productions; opera at Olbrich Gardens; and how to support the company, look at the YouTube video at the bottom and go to: http://www.frescooperatheatre.com

Classical music education: This Sunday the Madison Youth Choirs will present their Winter Concert Series celebrating “Shakespeare 400 “

December 6, 2016
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

This winter, the Madison Youth Choirs are joining cultural institutions around the world by celebrating the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare (below) and his ongoing legacy.

Singers of various ages will perform musical settings from the plays Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Love’s Labour’s Lost and The Tempest by composers including William Byrd, Thomas Morley, Henry Purcell, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Benjamin Britten, Giuseppe Verdi, Cesar Franck, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gerald Finzi, John Rutter and others.

Examining the role that motif, tension, structure and rhythm play in the repertoire and Shakespeare’s vast body of work, the choirs will explore the elements that combine to create compelling art that stands the test of time.

The MYC Winter Concerts, “Shakespeare 400,” will take place this Sunday, Dec. 11, at the First Congregational United Church of Christ (below), 1609 University Ave., near Camp Randall stadium.

Here is the schedule: 1:30 p.m. Girl choirs; 4 p.m. Boy choirs; 7 p.m. High School Ensembles

Tickets will be available at the door. Admission to each of the three concerts is $10 for the general public, $5 for students 7-18, and free for children under 7

PROGRAMS

Here is the repertoire for the MYC 2016 Winter Concert Series “Shakespeare 400”:

1:30 p.m. Concert (Featuring MYC Girlchoirs)

Choraliers

“Hey Ho! To the Greenwood” by William Byrd

“Spirits” by Douglas Beam

“Orpheus With His Lute” by Ralph Vaughan Williams

“Double, Double Toil and Trouble” by Leeann Starkey

photo

Con Gioia

“When Icicles Hang by the Wall” by David Lantz III

“You Spotted Snakes” by Toby Young

“Ban Ban Caliban” by Dan Forrest

Capriccio

“Hark! The Echoing Air” by Henry Purcell

“Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind” by Sarah Quartel

“Philomel with Melody” and “I Will Wind Thee in My Arms” by Cary Ratliff

“It Was a Lover and His Lass” by John Rutter

Cantabile

When Icicles Hang” by Stephen Hatfield

“Che faceste” from Macbeth (sung in Italian) by Giuseppi Verdi

4 p.m. Concert (Featuring MYC Boychoirs)

Combined Boychoirs

“One December, Bright and Clear” Traditional Catalonian carol, arr. By Wilberg

“Panis Angelicus” by Cesar Franck

Purcell

“Chairs to Mend” by William Hayes

“Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind” by John Rutter (heard in the YouTube video at the bottom)

“The Coasts of High Barbary” Traditional English sea song, arr. By Julseth-Heinrich

Britten

“Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind” by Roger Quilter

“Full Fathom Five” by John Ireland

“Who is Silvia” by Franz Schubert

Holst

“Full Fathom Five” by Robert Johnson

“Sing We and Chant It” by Thomas Morley

Ragazzi

“Come Away, Death” by Gerald Finzi

“The Witching Hour” by Brandon Ayres

7 p.m. Concert (Featuring High School Ensembles)

Cantilena

“The Willow Song” by Arthur Sullivan

“Willow, Willow, Willow” by Charles H.H. Parry

“Fair Oriana Seeming to Wink at Folly” by Robert Jones

“You Spotted Snakes” (from A Midsummer Night’s Dream) by Felix Mendelssohn

“Give Them Thy Fingers” by Stefan Kalmer

Ragazzi

“Four Arms, Two Necks, One Wreathing” by Thomas Weelkes

“Come Away, Death” by Gerald Finzi

“And Draw Her Home with Music” by Nancy Hill Cobb

“The Witching Hour” by Brandon Ayres

Cantabile

“Che faceste” from Macbeth (sung in Italian) by Giuseppi Verdi

“Come Away, Death” by Roger Quilter

Selections from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Benjamin Britten

“When Icicles Hang” by Stephen Hatfield

Cantabile and Ragazzi

“Ave Verum Corpus” by William Byrd

“Jingle, Bells!” by James Pierpont, arr. by David Wilcocks

These concerts are generously endowed by the Diane Ballweg Performance Fund with additional support from the American Girl’s Fund for Children, BMO Harris Bank and the Wisconsin Arts Board.

About the Madison Youth Choirs (MYC): Recognized as an innovator in youth choral music education, Madison Youth Choirs (MYC) welcomes singers of all ability levels, annually serving more than 1,000 young people, ages 7-18, through a wide variety of choral programs in our community.

For further information, contact: Nicole Sparacino, Madison Youth Choirs, Nicole@madisonyouthchoirs.org or call (608) 238-7464

Posted in Classical music
Tags: A Midsummer Night's Dream, arrangements, Art, Arthur Sullivan, Arts, Baroque, Benjamin Britten, boy choir, boychoir, boys, Byrd, cantabile, Capriccio, Carol, Catalonia, Cesar Franck, Chamber music, chant, choral music, Classical music, comedy, David Wilcocks, death, drama, elementary school, folk song, Franz Schubert, Gerald Finzi, girls, girls choir, high school, Holst, Ireland, Italian, Jacob Stockinger, John Ireland, John Rutter, legacy, Love's Labour's Lost, lute, Madison, Madison Youth Choirs, Mendelssohn, Middle school, motif, Music, Music education, Orpheus, Parry, plays, Purcell, Ralph Vaughan Williams, rhythm, Schubert, sea, Shakepseare, snake, structure, Tempest, tension, Thomas Morley, tradition, traditional, tragedy, Twelfth Night, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Verdi, vocal music, William Shakespeare, William Shakespeare's plays, willow, Wind, winter, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, youth choirs, YouTube

	samanthacrownoversbc… on How do post-pandemic concert a…
	Ronnie on How do post-pandemic concert a…
	welltemperedear on How do post-pandemic concert a…
	Polly Kuelbs on How do post-pandemic concert a…
	welltemperedear on How do post-pandemic concert a…

The Well-Tempered Ear

Vivaldi turns 345 today. His irresistable music deserves more live performances

Share this:

Like this:

Which classical composer has helped you the most during the Covid-19 pandemic?

Share this:

Like this:

Classical music: The Winter Concert Series by the Madison Youth Choirs next Saturday and Sunday feature the theme of “Resilience” with guest artist Tony Memmel

Share this:

Like this:

Music education: Madison Youth Choirs perform their Spring Concert series “Seriously Funny” this Sunday

Share this:

Like this:

Classical music: Two FREE “garage” performances of Fresco Opera Theatre’s “The Ugly Duckling” remain in Fitchburg and Madison on Saturday and Sunday afternoons

Share this:

Like this:

Classical music education: This Sunday the Madison Youth Choirs will present their Winter Concert Series celebrating “Shakespeare 400 “

Share this:

Like this: