The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: As we say goodbye to summer, YOU MUST HEAR THIS: Irish composer Joan Trimble’s “Pastorale” homage to the summery French composer Francis Poulenc
5 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
One week from today is Labor Day.
So it is time to start saying goodbye to summer and hello to fall — even though the autumnal equinox won’t arrive until Monday, Sept. 23, at 2:50 a.m. CDT.
The Ear’s favorite summertime composer is the French master Francis Poulenc (below), whose accessible and tuneful music possesses in abundance that Gallic sense of lightness and lyricism, of wit and charm, of modern Mozartean classicism and clarity — complete with trills and ornaments — that seems so appropriate to the summer season.
But then recently on Wisconsin Public Radio, The Ear heard for the first time something inspired by Poulenc that he thinks many of you will appreciate, especially during the transition between the seasons.
It is, appropriately, a 2-1/2 minute “Pastorale” for two pianos – a form Poulenc himself used in his most famous piano concerto — by the underplayed and little known Irish 20th-century composer and pianist Joan Trimble (below). And it has many of the same qualities that distinguish Poulenc.
Here is a link to a Wikipedia entry with more about Trimble: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Trimble
You can hear her homage to Poulenc in the YouTube video, from a Marco Polo CD distributed by Naxos Records, that is below.
Here’s hoping you enjoy it.
If you have a reaction, positive or negative, please share it.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AutumnalEquinox, #AutumnEquinox, #BaroqueOrnamentation, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FrancisPoulenc, #Frenchcomposer, #JoanTrimble, #LaborDay, #LyricalMusic, #MarcoPoloRecords, #ModernMusic, #NaxosRecords, #PianoConcerto, #TheEar, #Wikipediaentry, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, abundance, accessible, appreciate, Arts, audience, Autumn, blog, Chamber music, charm, clarity, Classical music, classicalmusic, Classicism, Compact Disc, composer, concerto, counterpoint, distinguish, easy-listening, eit, enjoy, entry, equinox, Facebook, fall, famous, favorite, forward, France, Francis Poulenc, French, Gallic, Goodbye, hear, hello, Holiday, homage, hommage, inspiration, inspire, inspired, Ireland, Irish, Jacob Stockinger, Joan Trimble, Joy, Labor Day, lightness, like, link, lyrical, lyricism, Madison, Marco Polo Records, melodic, melody, modern, modern music, Mozart, Mozartean, Mozartian, Music, Naxos Records, neo-Classicism, new, ornament, ornamentation, pastoral, Pastorale, performer, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, post, posting, reader, recording, Season, share, spread, start, subscriber, summer, summertime, summery, tag, The Ear, trill, tune, tuneful, two-piano, welcome, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, word, YouTube
Classical music: The fourth annual Madison New Music Festival takes place this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It features Wisconsin composers and several world premieres
2 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
The fourth season of the Madison New Music Festival (below, in a photo from 2017 by Max Schmidt) will take place this coming Friday, Aug. 9, through Sunday, Aug. 11.
The Madison New Music Festival is an annual, weekend-long celebration for the Madison community of classical works written by contemporary composers.
In four concerts – three with admission and one free — the festival will showcase Wisconsin-based composers and performers of new music, as well as world premiere performances by guest artists.
Tickets for each concert are $15 for adults and $5 for students. Subscriptions to all three concerts are available for $35. For more information, go to http://madisonnewmusic.org or to Facebook (@Madison New Music Festival) or Instagram (@madisonnewmusic).
Here is the line-up:
Concert 1: Music from Wisconsin – Friday, Aug. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (227 State St.)
What: In anticipation of this fall’s Wisconsin Triennial and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, this concert spotlights all Wisconsin-born, -based, or -educated composers, curated by pianist Robert Fleitz (below, with a toy piano he often performs on), whom The New York Times called “mesmerizing.” Joined by young local musicians, Fleitz explores music created right here in their own backyard.
Concert 2: World Premieres – Saturday, Aug. 10, at 7:30 p.m.
Where: First Unitarian Society of Madison’s Atrium Auditorium (900 University Bay Drive)
What: Internationally acclaimed violist Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti and Wisconsin-born pianist Karl Larson (below top) will give the world premieres of new viola sonatas from three of the world’s leading composers: Andrew Norman, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and Scott Wollschleger. In addition, local cellist James Waldo will kick off the evening with a premiere of a work for solo cello by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Les Thimmig (below bottom).
Concert 3: SistaStrings – Sunday, Aug. 11, at 2:30 p.m.
Where: Robinia Courtyard (829 East Washington Avenue)
What: The concert features the Milwaukee-based sister duo SistaStrings (below, in a photo by Adam Ryan Morris). Violinist Chauntee Ross and cellist Monique LaDora Ross blend their training as accomplished classical instrumentalists with “R&B and a touch of gospel influence that culminates in a vibey, lush sound.” The sisters will play tracks from their new and acclaimed Extended Play recording in the cozy courtyard. (You can hear them in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Partner concert: Madison New Music Ensemble (FREE concert) – Sunday, Aug. 11, at 5 p.m.
Where: Memorial Union Terrace (800 Langdon Street, below)
What: Join the newly formed Madison New Music Ensemble (below top), led by UW-Madison composer Joseph Koykkar (below bottom), at the Memorial Union Terrace as part of their Summer Serenade series. The group will perform works by Koykkar, Ian Clarke, Gabriela Lena Frank, Gareth Farr and Kirsten Volness.
Tags: #AndrewNorman, #AnnaThorvaldsdottir, #ArtisticWork, #AtriumAuditorium, #BarabooWisconsin, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChaunteeRoss, #ContemporaryComposers, #ContemporaryMusic, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #EPrecording, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #GabrielaLenaFrank, #GarethFarr, #GospelMusic, #GuestArtist, #IanClarke, #InstagramPost, #JacobStockinger, #James Waldo, #JamesWaldo, #JosephKoykkar, #KirstenVolness, #LesThimmig, #LivingComposers, #MadisonMuseumofContemporaryArt, #MadisonNewMusicEnsemble, #MadisonNewMusicFestival, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MemorialUnion, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #MoniqueLaDoraRoss, #NewMusic, #R&BMusic, #RobertFleitz, #RobiniaCourtyard, #ScottWollschleger, #SistaStrings, #SummerSerenade, #TheNewYorkTImes, #ToyPiano, #UnionTerrace, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViolaSonata, #WisconsinTriennial, #WisconsinUnionTerrace, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubevideo, acclaimed, admission, adult, Andrew Norman, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, annual, Art, Arts, Atrium Auditorium, audience, backyard, based, blend, blog, celebration, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Chauntee Ross, Classical, Classical music, classicalmusic, community, composer, Concert, concerts, contemporary composers, contemporary music, courtyard, critically acclaimed, curated, educated, EP, event, explore, extended play, Facebook, festival, First Unitarian Society of Madison, forward, free, Friday, Gabriela Lena Frank, Gareth Farr, Goodbye, gospel, guest artist, Ian Clarke, influence, Instagram, instrumentalist, international, Jacob Stockinger, Joseph Koykkar, Karl Larson, KarlLarson, Kirsten Volness, Les Thimmig, like, link, living composers, local, Madison, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Madison New Music Ensemble, Madison New Music Festival, Mead Witter School of Music, Memorial Union, mesmerizing, Milwaukee, Monique LaDora Ross, Museum, Music, new, New Music, performer, Pianist, Piano, post, posting, R&B, read, recording, Robert Fleitz, Robinia Courtyard, Saturday, Scott Wollschleger, Season, series, share, showcase, solo, Student, subscriber, Summer Serenade, Sunday, tag, talent, The New York Times, ticket, toy, toy piano, training, Union Terrace, Unitarian, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, Website, weekend, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Triennial, Wisconsin Union Terrace, work, world, world premiere, young, YouTube, YouTube video
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 