The Well-Tempered Ear
Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200 today
2 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Perhaps the only symphony more iconic than Beethoven’s Ninth is the Fifth Symphony by the same composer (below).
But today we celebrate the premiere of the pioneering Ninth Symphony that took place 200 years ago on May 7, 1824. Below is the original poster announcing the concert program with the premiere, which Beethoven conducted in his total deafness.
Here is a link to an anniversary story, with lots of historical background about the original performance, by the PBS affiliate WETA in Washington, D.C.:
https://weta.org/fm/classical-score/may-7-1824-200th-anniversary-premiere-beethovens-symphony-no-9
The 70-minute-long Ninth — also called the “Choral” Symphony — is a remarkable work in so many ways. It remains perhaps the most universal music ever written, meaningful to many different individuals and cultures.
Unlike most symphonies of the time, the opening does not immediately announce a theme. It seems to drift around until it finds a solid key and recognizable theme and rhythm. And then it takes off. It reminds The Ear of the depiction by Haydn, Beethoven’s teacher, in his oratorio “The Creation.”
The New York Times also has an essay by Daniel Barenboim about the meaning of Beethoven’s Ninth. No doubt that would be interesting and enlightening to read. But unfortunately the Times hides it behind a pay wall. Only subscribers get to see it right now.
Instead, here is a comprehensive look in Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._9_(Beethoven)
The famous choral setting of German poet Friedrich Schiller’s 1785 “Ode to Joy” of the last movement is also the official hymn of the European Union. This was the first use of a chorus in a symphony but would not be the last.
In Japan, the same “Ode to Joy” is sung en masse with a chorus up to 10,000 in stadiums every New Year’s Day and on other special occasions, as you can see in the YouTube video at the bottom, an event that took place after a horrendous earthquake and tsunami. The idealistic music embodies the journey from despair to hope, and to brotherhood and solidarity with all people and all nations.
Leonard Bernstein directed it in Berlin to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall and the coming of German reunification.
As its theme, the nightly Huntley-Brinkley New Report on NBC used to use the percussive, pounding, rhythmically propulsive Scherzo movement — which is The Ear’s favorite movement.
The Ear also thinks that the soulful slow movement has strong suggestions of the lovely and well-known slow movement of Beethoven’s earlier “Pathétique” piano sonata. But it doesn’t seem to have been used as a theme or in a movie soundtrack. Does anyone know differently?
What does the Ninth Symphony mean to you?
What do you think of the Ninth and how do you rank it among other symphonies?
Do you have a favorite recording or performance?
What is your favorite movement of Beethoven’s Ninth?
What other uses of The Ninth do you know of?
The Ear wants to hear
Tags: #ClassicFM, 1824, 2024, America, American, Android, anniversary, anthem, Apple, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Beethoven, Beethoven's Fifth, Beethoven's Ninth, Berlin Wall, Bing, blog, Broadcast, brotherhood, CD, celebrate, chaos, China, Chinese, choral music, Choral Symphony, chorus, Classical, Classical music, Compact Disc, composer, Concert, conductor, culture, Daniel Barenboim, deaf, deafness, depair, different, disability, drift, duckduckgo, earthquake, en masse, European Union, Facebook, fampus, favorite, Fürtwangler, fifth, film, Friedrich Schiller, German, Germany, Google, Google Alert, Google Alerts, Google Search, Haydn, hearing disabled, hope, Huntley-Brinkley, hymn, icon, iconic, ideakistic, idealism, individual, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, journalism, journalist, key, Korea, Korean, Leonard Bernstein, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, May 7, mean, meaning, Microsoft, Microsoft Bing, movement, movie, Music, NBC, New Year's Day, New York Times, news, ninth, Ode to Joy, official, opening, oratorio, Orchestra, original, OS, pathetique, Pathetique Sonata, PBS, perform, performance, Piano, pioneering, poem, Poetry, Poster, premiere, program, propulsive, recording, remarkable, report, reunification, rhythm, Romantic, Safari, Scherzo, share, solidarity, soloist, Sonata, soul, soulful, soundtrack, South Korea, South Korean, stadium, Student, suggestion, symphony, tag, take off, takeoff, Teacher, Television, The Creation, The Ear, The Well-Tempered Ear, theme, tidal wave, today, Toscanini, tsunami, TV, Twitter, U.S., United States, universal, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, US, use, vocal music, wander, well-known, Well-Tempered, welltempered, WETA, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, WordPress, Wordpress.com, work, X, you, YouTube
What classical music is good for studying, reading and writing?
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
It is about to be Finals Week here at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and in many other places.
Little wonder, then, that The Ear recently read a good story about the role of of music in studying.
It was written by a student journalist for The State Press at Arizona State University in Tempe. It covered more kinds of music than classical, but it had some good comments about the ability of music and its various components — melody, rhythm, tempo, text — to focus one’s attention or to distract from the necessary focus.
Here is a link to the story, which also includes 100 music selections from mixed genres:
It got me to wondering what classical music do you readers like for studying, reading and writing — if you like it at all for such serious and intense tasks.
The Ear tends to love listening to Baroque music — especially Vivaldi violin concertos and Bach harpsichord concertos such as the one in the YouTube video at the bottom — and to chamber music and solo piano music.
So, what music do you like to listen to when you are: studying? reading? writing?
Do you have a favorite style, or favorite composer, or favorite pieces?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, America, American, Android, Antonio Vivaldi, Apple, Arizona State University, Arts, Asia, asian, attention, audience, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, Bing, blog, Cello, Chamber music, Chinese, Chiuna, choral music, Classical music, component, composer, concentrate, Concert, concerto, distract, duckduckgo, ear, Early music, Education, Europe, European, exam, Facebook, favorite, feature, final, final exams, finals week, Focus, genre, Google, Google Alert, Google news, Google Search, harpsichord, Harpsichord concerto, hear, higher education, hip-hop, instrumental, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Jazz, Johann Sebastian Bach, journalism, journalist, link, listen, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, melody, Microsoft, Microsoft Bing, mixed, Mozart, Music, news, Newspaper, opera, Orchestra, OS, Piano, piece, pop, post, posting, rap, read, reader, reading, rhtyhm, Romantic, Safari, share, sing, singer, Singing, solo, Sonata, southwestr, story, student'journalism, study, studying, style, symphony, tag, Taiwan, Taiwanese, Tempe, text, The Ear, The State Press, The Well-Tempered Ear, Twitter, UK, United States, universities, university, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, US, Viola, Violin, Vivaldi, vocal, vocal music, week, Well-Tempered, Well-tempered Ear, welltempered, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, WordPress, Wordpress.com, write, writing, X, you, YouTube
Muti to conduct an opera academy in China
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
Italian maestro Riccardo Muti (below) — the 83-year-old retired music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and longtime music director of the iconic La Scala Opera House in Milan— will take his workshops for young conductors and musicians to China for the first time this coming November and December.
Muti is a devoted advocate and practitioner of music education, and has led similar academies in: Ravenna and Milan, Italy; Tokyo, Japan; and Seoul, South Korea.
In a story published in Chinese media, Muti explains why he chose China this time. There he will work in the city of Suzhou with the Suzhou Symphony Orchestra and with individual applicants from around the world.
“During the past decades, classical music has gained a large fan base in China, with new concert halls and new symphony orchestras appearing in the country,” Muti adds. “There are also many great Chinese musicians performing around the world — pianists, violinists, singers and conductors — who have become like bridges, bringing our countries closer to each other.”
The repertoire he has chosen to work on is the one-act Italian opera “Cavalleria Rusticana” (Rustic Chivalry) by Pietro Mascagni.
It seems a perfect choice to The Ear. It is shorter and easier to stage than most full-length operas. It uses the Roman Catholic Church and religion as well as other aspects of European and Italian society and culture. This includes the famous “Regina Coeli” or Easter Hymn (below):
The opera itself has beautiful parts for the vocal soloists, the chorus and the orchestral instrumentalists — as you can hear above and in the famously melodic Intermezzo (in the YouTube video at the bottom) that was used in the film “The Godfather.”
Here is a link to the full story from the China Daily newspaper:
https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202404/13/WS661a1d39a31082fc043c1c81.html
You might also recall an earlier blog post about the recent successes of Asian classical musicians:
https://welltempered.wordpress.com/?s=Asian+musicians
When it comes to Western classical music in China, it seems that success keeps building on success.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, academy, advocate, alto, Android, Apple, applicant, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Baidu, baritone, base, bass, beautiful, Beijing, Bilibili, blog, Blog post, blog posting, brass, bridge, bridges, Cavalleria Rusticana, Cello, Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, China, China Daily, Chinese, chivalry, choice, choral music, chorus, Christ, Christian, Christianity, church, city, Classic FM, Classical music, com, composer, Concert, concert hall, conduct, Conducting, conductor, countries, country, culture, December, devoted, duckduckgo, Easter, Easter hymn, Europe, European, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, famous, fan base, fans, film, Film score, globe, God, Google, Google Alert, Google Alerts, Google Search, icon, iconic, individual, instrumentalists, intermezzo, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Jesus, Korea, La Scala, link, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maestro, Mascagni, media, melodic, mezzosoprano, Milan, movie, Music, Music director, Music education, music students, Musician, Muti, Newspaper, November, one-act, online, opera, Orchestra, orchestral, organ, OS, part, percussion, perfect, perform, performer, performing, Pianist, Piano, Pietro Mascagni, practitioner, QQ, Ravenna, recent, Regina Coeli, Religion, repertoire, repertory, retired, Retirement, Riccardo Muti, rustic, Rustic Chivalry, Seoul, share, short, singer, singers, society, soloist, soprano, soundtrack, South Korea, stage, story, strings, Student, success, Suzhou, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, symphony, symphony orchestra, tag, tenor, The Ear, The Godfather, The Well-Tempered Ear, Tieba, TikTok, Tokyo, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, US, Viola, Violin, violinist, vocal, vocal music, voice, Website, WeChat, Weibo, Well-Tempered, Western, Wisconsin, woodwinds, workshop, world, YouTube
Today is World Piano Day — so play, listen, watch, celebrate
1 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
World Piano Day — established in 2015 — falls on the 88th day of the year because the standard piano keyboard has 88 keys.
Because 2024 is a Leap Year, World Piano Day is being celebrated a day later than usual — on today, March 28.
For more background and past playlists, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Day
There are lots of free celebrations online, to say nothing of just sitting down at a piano and playing or listening to someone else play or going to your library of CDs and LPs or using your streaming service.
Here is a list of live international events from March 12-April 7, complete with information links, to concerts and other events marking Piano Day around the world.
Some presenters have put together their own special celebrations. DG is offering a 30-day free trial to its Stage+ streaming site to mark the occasion.
Deutsche Grammophon, the world’s oldest classical record company, has a terrific stable of prize-winning, critically acclaimed pianists, includes Maurizio Pollini who died last Saturday, as well as Lang Lang, Yuja Wang, Vikingur Olaffson, Maria Joao Pires, Seong-Jin Cho, Grigory Sokolov, Alice Sara Ott, Daniil Trifonov, Hélène Grimaud and Bruce Liu.
Check it out. Here is a link to DG’s celebration:
You can also find many things to watch and hear — concerts, documentaries — for this year and from past year of YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=World+Piano+Day
And at the bottom, from World Piano Day 2023, is a YouTube video with 88 minutes of piano music from masters old and current — including Vladimir Horowitz and Arthur Rubinstein — to celebrate World Piano Day:
Will you celebrate World Piano Day?
Do you play the piano or did you take piano lessons?
Do you have a favorite pianist?
Do you have a favorite composer and favorite piece for the piano?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #Prize-Winning, #YouTubevideo, 2023, 2024, 88, acclaim, Adfrica, African, Apple, Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, Arrau, Arts, Ashkenazy, asian, audience, Barenboim, Baroque, Beethoven, black, blog, Bruce Liu, CD, celebrate, celebration, Chamber music, China, Chinese, Cho, Chopin, Classical music, Columbia, composer, Concert, concerto, critic, critical, critically acclaimed, day, Decca, Deutsche Grammophon, DG, documentary, Early music, establish, Europe, European'Asia, event, Facebook, favorite, Fujita, Gilels, globe, Google, Google Search, Grigory Sokolov, Grimaud, hear, Helene Grimaud, Horowtz, Hough, Iceland, Icelandic, international, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Johann Sebastian Bach, Keyboard, keys, Kissin, Korean, Lang Lang, Leap Year, Levit, liberty, library, Lim, link, listen, Liu, LP, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Mao, Mao Fujita, Maria Joao Pires, Maurizio Pollini, Mozart, Music, music students, Naxos, ok, Orchestra, OS, Ott, Perahia, Philips, Pianist, Piano, piano lessons, piano music, piece, Pires, play, playlist, Polish, Pollini, popular, RCA, repertoire, repertory, Richter, Rubinstein, Russia, Russian, Schiff, share, Sokolov, Sonata, SONY, Sony Classical, South America, South American, South Korea, South Korean, stage, standard, stream, streaming, streaming service, symphony, tag, The Ear, The Well-Tempered Ear, today, Trifonov, Uchida, United States, universal, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Van Cliburn, Vikingur Olafsson, Wang, Well-Tempered, white, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wong, world, World Piano Day, year, YouTube, Yuja Wang, Yunchan Lim
Meet the 2024 winners of the Classic Piano International Competition in Dubai, UAE
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
Did you know that the fourth and final round of a major international piano competition was taking place in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates this past week?
The Ear didn’t — until now.
That when he saw the nine 2024 winners (below), chosen from 70 participants, named in a post on The Violin Channel website.
The third edition of Classic Piano International Competition — which started during the 2017-28 season — makes sense when you think about it.
Dubai has lots of oil money but not a lot of Western culture or prestige. But Piano World contains more than enough competitors and venues for the event — even after such top-ranked, career-boosting competitions as the Tchaikovsky in Russia, the Arthur Rubinstein in Israel, the Leeds in the UK, the Chopin in Poland and the Van Cliburn in the United States.
So why not a major piano event for the Middle East and the Arab world? (Readers: Do you know if any other music competitions take place in that area?)
Its format is unusual.
Pianists cannot apply directly. Instead, they have to participate in the early rounds that are held in countries around the world. Those who finish in the Top Five of a preliminary competition get invited to the final round in Dubai.
The competition’s preliminary rounds took place in the USA, France, Italy, Belgium, Austria, Kazakhstan, Poland, UK, Armenia, China, South Korea, Japan, Israel, and Spain.
Here is some general background:
And here are details including the jury members, the various prizes, and the restricted and required repertoire that the pianists must select from:
https://classicpiano.eu/competition
Russian and Asian pianists dominated this year, with veteran Andrey Gugnin of Russia (below and in the YouTube video at the bottom) taking home the first prize of 100,000 Euros ($108,300) plus 10 concert dates and a 50,000-Euro honorarium for performing with two different orchestras: the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra. Gugnin, who protested Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, now lives in Croatia.
Here is a link to the story with the complete list of winners:
Like many major music competitions these days, Dubai’s was live-streamed. Its global media partners are medici.tv; euronews; and bachtrack. You can or will soon be able to find various artists and rounds of the competition on YouTube.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, 2017, 2018, 2024, America, Arab, Arab world, Arabic, Armenia, Armenia State Symphony Orchestra, Arthur Rubinstein, Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Australia, Austria, Bach, bachtrack, Baroque, Beethoven, Belgium, blog, Chamber music, China, Chinese, Chopin, Classic Piano International Competition, Classical music, competitors, composer, Concert, concerto, country, culture, desert, dollar, Dubai, Early music, England, etude, euro, euronews, Facebook, festival, fourth, France, global, Great Britain, Gulf of Arabia, Gulf states, Haydn, honorarium, international, International Tchaikovsky Competition, invasion, invitation, invite, Islam, Islamic, Israel, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Johann Sebastian Bach, Kazakhstan, Korean, Leeds, link, Liszt, live-stream, Ludwig van Beethoven, media, medici.tv, Middle East, Middle Eastern, Mideast, money, Mozart, Music, nation, national, oil, online, Orchestra, Oxford, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, partner, perform, performer, Pianist, Piano, piano competitions, prestige, prize, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, recital, repertoire, repertory, Russia, Russian, Saudi Arabia, Scriabin, share, Sonata, South Korean, Spain, stream, symphony, tag, Tchaikovsky, The Ear, The Violin Channel, third, tour, U.S., UAE, UK, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States, US, USA, Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, venue, Violin, Violin Channel, Website, Western culture, winner, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world, YouTube
Here are the classical music winners of the 2023 Grammy awards
1 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
The 2023 Grammy — officially known as the 66th Grammy Awards — took place on live TV Sunday night.
Big surprise: pop singer Taylor Swift — she of the $1,000 concert tickets, Kansas City Chiefs skybox and crazy right-wing conspiracy theories about about how she and the NFL are plotting to rig the Super Bowl and re-elect President Biden — dominated and took home a record-breaking fourth Album of the Year for “Midnights.”
In addition, all of the main events — the live performances — that aired on CBS were non-classical.
Does anyone else think that demonstrates just in what disregard — aside from atoning for past neglect of women, composers and performers of color, and contemporary compositions — most classical music is being held right now?
We must not forget that the Grammys are industry awards, designed to recognize and promote sales and profit above and beyond artistic merit, although the two aims sometimes coincide.
That lack of respect also seems demonstrated by the fact that if you go to the website with the complete list for Grammy winners and nominees, the classical Grammys rank dead last. Ahead of classical you will find (in rough order): pop; electronic dance; rock; alternative; rhythm and blues; rap; spoken word; jazz; Latin; contemporary; roots; bluegrass; blues; folk; gospel; Christian; global; African; reggae; new age; children’s; comedy; audiobook; soundtrack; video games; and album notes.
But enough grousing.
Or maybe not.
Anyway, if you want to see that complete listing of the winners along with the nominees, here is a link: https://www.grammy.com/awards/66th-annual-grammy-awards-2023
And excerpted from that list of the nominees and winners of the Grammy Awards are the winners, which have been capitalized and boldfaced.
87. Best Orchestral Performance
Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.
ADÈS: DANTE
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Bartók: Concerto For Orchestra; Four Pieces
Karina Canellakis, conductor (Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra)
Price: Symphony No. 4; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
Scriabin: Symphony No. 2; The Poem Of Ecstasy
JoAnn Falletta, conductor (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)
Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
88. Best Opera Recording
Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) of a world premiere Opera recording only.
BLANCHARD: CCHAMPION
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Ryan Speedo Green, Latonia Moore & Eric Owens; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Corigliano: The Lord Of Cries
Gil Rose, conductor; Anthony Roth Costanzo, Kathryn Henry, Jarrett Ott & David Portillo; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project & Odyssey Opera Chorus)
Little: Black Lodge
Timur; Andrew McKenna Lee & David T. Little, producers (The Dime Museum; Isaura String Quartet)
89. Best Choral Performance
Award to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble.
Carols After A Plague
Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)
The House Of Belonging
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Miró Quartet; Conspirare)
Ligeti: Lux Aeterna
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony Chorus)
Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil
Steven Fox, conductor (The Clarion Choir)
SAARIAHO: RECONNAISANCE
Nils Schweckendiek, conductor (Uusinta Ensemble; Helsinki Chamber Choir)
90. Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
For new recordings of works with chamber or small ensemble (twenty-four or fewer members, not including the conductor). One Award to the ensemble and one Award to the conductor, if applicable.
American Stories
Anthony McGill & Pacifica Quartet
Beethoven For Three: Symphony No. 6, ‘Pastorale’ And Op. 1, No. 3; Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax & Leonidas Kavakos
Between Breaths
Third Coast Percussion
ROUGH MAGIC
Roomful Of Teeth
Uncovered, Vol. 3: Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, William Grant Still & George Walker
Catalyst Quartet
91. Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor when applicable.
Adams, John Luther: Darkness And Scattered Light
Robert Black
Akiho: Cylinders
Andy Akiho
THE AMERICAN PROJECT
Yuja Wang; Teddy Abrams, conductor (Louisville Orchestra)
Difficult Grace
Seth Parker Woods
Of Love
Curtis Stewart
92. Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Award to: Vocalist(s), Collaborative Artist(s) (Ex: pianists, conductors, chamber groups) Producer(s), Recording Engineers/Mixers with greater than 50% playing time of new material.
Because
Reginald Mobley, soloist; Baptiste Trotignon, pianist
Broken Branches
Karim Sulayman, soloist; Sean Shibe, accompanist
40@40
Laura Strickling, soloist; Daniel Schlosberg, pianist
Rising
Lawrence Brownlee, soloist; Kevin J. Miller, pianist
WALKING IN THE DARK
Julia Bullock, soloist; Christian Reif, conductor (Philharmonia Orchestra)
93. Best Classical Compendium
Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) and Engineer(s) of over 50% playing time of the album, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) with over 50% playing time of a world premiere recording only.
Fandango
Anne Akiko Meyers; Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Dmitriy Lipay, producer
Julius Eastman, Vol. 3: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?
Christopher Rountree, conductor; Lewis Pesacov, producer
Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright
Peter Herresthal; Tim Weiss, conductor; Hans Kipfer, producer
PASSION FOR BACH AND COLTRANE
Alex Brown, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds, Edward Perez, Neal Smith & A.B. Spellman; Silas Brown & Mark Dover, producers
Sardinia
Chick Corea; Chick Corea & Bernie Kirsh, producers
Sculptures
Andy Akiho; Andy Akiho & Sean Dixon, producers
Zodiac Suite
Aaron Diehl Trio & The Knights; Eric Jacobsen, conductor; Aaron Diehl & Eric Jacobsen, producers
94. Best Contemporary Classical Composition
A Composer’s Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.
Adès: Dante
Thomas Adès, composer (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Akiho: In That Space, At That Time
Andy Akiho, composer (Andy Akiho, Ankush Kumar Bahl & Omaha Symphony)
Brittelle: Psychedelics
William Brittelle, composer (Roomful Of Teeth)
Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright
Missy Mazzoli, composer (Peter Herresthal, James Gaffigan & Bergen Philharmonic)
MONTGOMERY: ROUNDS (in the YouTube video below)
Jessie Montgomery, composer (Awadagin Pratt, A Far Cry & Roomful Of Teeth)
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, African, album notes, Amazon Music, Android, Anne Akiko Meyers, Anthony McGill, Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, arrangement, Arts, Asia, asian, atone, audience, audiobook, Awadagin Pratt, Bach, Barbie, Baroque, Bartok, Beethoven, Bergen, best, black, blog, bluegrass, blues, brown, Buffalo Symphony Orchestra, CBS, CBS-TV, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Chick Corea, children, children's, China, Chinese, choral music, Christian, Classical music, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Coltrane, comedy, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, conservative, conspiracy theory, contemporary, contemporary music, Corigliano, country, crazy, Dante, disregard, disrespect, Donald Trump, Early music, electronic dance, Emanuel Ax, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Europe, Facebook, Florence Price, folk, football, fusion, George Walker, global, gospel, Grammy, Grammy Awards, Gustavo Dudamel, Harlem, hip-hop, industry, Jacob Stockinger, Japanese, Japoan, Jazz, Jessie Montgomery, JoAnn Falletta, John Coltrane, John Corigliano, Julia Bullock, Kaija Saariaho, Kansas City Chiefs, Latin, Lawrence Brownlee, Leonidas Kavakos, Ligeti, livde broadcast, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, Miley Cyrus, Missy Mazzoli, Music, Musical theater, National Football League, neglect, New Age, NFL, Norway, opera, Orchestra, OS, Pacific Quartet, Passion, performance, performer, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Pianist, Piano, Piano Trio, pop, President Biden, profit, promote, promotion, psychedelic, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, recorded music, reggae, right-wing, Rock, Roomful of Teeth, root, sales, San Francisco Symphony, Scriabin, share, singer, singers, Singing, skybox, snub, soloist, soundtrack, spoken word, Spotify, Stravinsky, streaming, String quartet, symphony, Taylor Swift, Television, Terrence Blanchard, The Ear, The Knights, Third Coast Percussion, Thomas Ades, ticket, transcription, TV, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, video games, Viola, Violin, violinist, vocal music, William Grant Still, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, women, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Yo-Yo Ma, YouTube, Yuja Wang, Zodiac
Apple Music Classical is now available in Asia
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
As of this past Tuesday, Apple Music Classical is finally available in Asia.
At least in China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong and Macao.
Apple has not yet said whether it is available there on Android phones, which in the West came later than the inaugural availability only on iPhones.
But so far The Ear doesn’t see any mention of other East Asians countries such Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Mongolia, Indonesia, Laos or Cambodia. And there is also no mention whatsoever of South Asian countries such as India, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Turkey, Iran and others.
Maybe Apple is still working on the native languages of those markets.
In any case, it seems a natural fit for Apple Music Classical and its enhanced streaming service in terms of artists, repertoire and organizations.
To The Ear, it certainly seems that in many ways Asia seems to be current hotspot for Western classical music, judging by concert attendance as well as the numbers of students and the winners of international competitions.
Here is the announcement that the prestigious Gramophone magazine in the UK posted:
And here is the announcement from Music Business Worldwide. It has more background, including some specifics about classical music performaers in Asia that will now be available on the Apple Music apps. But you have to click on the orange button that reads “Continue to article”:
Plus as of today, Apple has named two prominent and young Asian pianists (named below) as official Artist Ambassadors to Apple Music Classical. Here is the announcement made on Instagram:
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, ambassador, Android, app, Apple, Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, Apple OS, artist, artist ambassador, artists, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, availability, available, Bach, Bangladesh, Baroque, Beethoven, blog, Cambodia, Cambodian, Cello, Chamber music, China, Chinese, choral music, Classical music, Competition, composer, Concert, concerto, country, Early music, England, Europe, Facebook, female, Filipino, Gold medal, Gramophone, Great Britain, Hong Kong, hot spot, India, Indian, Indonesia, Indonesian, Instagram, international, Internet, iPhone, Iran, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Johann Sebastian Bach, Korea, Korean, language, Lao, Laos, Laotian, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Macao, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Malaysia, Malaysian, male, man, Mozart, Music, Music Business Worldwide, music students, Nepal, official, online, opera, Orchestra, Persian, Philippines, Pianist, Piano, playlist, prestige, prominent, repertoire, repertory, Seong-Jin Cho, Seoul, share, silver medal, Singapore, Sonata, South Asia, South Asian, South Korea, South Korean, streaming, students, subscriber, symphony, tag, Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese, Thai, Thailand, The Cliburn, The Ear, The U.K., Turkey, U.K., U.S., UK, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, US, Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Violin, vocal music, Website, Western, Western classical music, winner, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, woman, Yeol Eum Son, young, YouTube, Yunchan Lim
How does a blind great pianist learn music?
1 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
How does he do it?
It is amazing that Nobuyuki Tsujii (below), a 35-year-old Japanese man who has been blind since birth, learned to play the piano.
It is even more amazing that he learned to play classical music well enough to perform in public at the age of 12.
And it seems to The Ear that it is still more amazing that he plays and performs well enough to win the Gold Medal at the international and highly esteemed Van Cliburn Piano Competition in 2009 and go on to establish a global career.
You might have heard of him or even heard his playing before.
Here is a link to his biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobuyuki_Tsujii
But The Ear can’t recall hearing him discuss is such specific detail how he goes about learning a piece of music despite his blindness, his vision impairment and severe disability.
And we are not talking about easy music.
He plays and performs both books of Chopin etudes; played Beethoven’s mammoth, knuckle-busting “Hammerklavier” Sonata, Op. 106, during the Cliburn competition; tosses off Liszt’s fiendishly virtuosic “La Campanella” (in the YouTube video at the bottom he plays it live as an encore to a rapturous reception at a BBC Proms concert); and the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1.
This past Sunday, Tsjuii played the Chopin concerto with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in a free concert at Clemson University,
Here is the revealing Q&A interview he gave to the Greenville Journal for that occasion.
The Ear finds his career an inspiring story.
What do you think?
Would you like to see and hear him play locally?
If you have attended a live concert of his, what did you think?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #KingLear, #YouTubevideo, amazing, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, BBC, BBC Proms, Beethoven, biography, birth, blind, blindness, blog, career, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, Chopin, Classical music, classical pianist, Clemson University, Cliburn, composer, Concert, concerto, detail, disability, disabled, discuss, encore, esteem, etude, Facebook, global, Gold medal, Greenville Journal, Hammerklavier sonata, hear, Hearing impairment, impairment, inspiration, inspiring, international, interview, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, La Campanella, link, Liszt, live concert, live music, local, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, mammoth, man, Mozart, Music, Music education, New Music, North Carolina, Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, perform, Pianist, Piano, piano lessons, play, Q&A, see, share, Sonata, south, specific, story, symphony, tag, The Ear, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, virtuosic, virtuoso, visually impaired, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music predictions for 2024
Leave a Comment
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 classical music blogger LudwigVan has made some interesting predictions about where classical music will go in the coming year.
Not all of the subjects might come to pass in classical music.
But many do seem possible or even plausible.
Like ticket prices dropping because of rising post-pandemic demand and tight family and personal budgets.
Or rising wages for musicians because of inflation.
Or the growing use of VR or virtual reality.
Or hearing more local music and musicians that appeal to younger audiences.
See for yourself. Here is a link:
The Ear will venture his own predictions:
First is that more and more audiences — especially the oldest baby boomers — will increasingly watch and listen to concerts via live streaming and recorded streaming.
It certainly is not as exciting as attending in person. But it is convenient. And it is way cheaper. For example, one good ticket to the Madison Symphony Orchestra or the Madison Opera will buy you a one-year unlimited subscription to the Paris-based arts streaming site medici.tv, which features live and recorded performances of all kinds, plus interviews, competitions and master classes, from around the world and especially Europe.
Then there are other factors to consider such as the artists and the programs you want to see and hear, or the inconvenience, expense and dangers of finding parking or navigating icy walking and driving at night and in bad weather.
And The Ear’s second prediction is that Asian musicians, especially Chinese and Korean, will continue to dominate international competitions.
See: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/?s=asian+musicians
Which predictions by Ludwig-Van do you think apply to classical music and are correct?
Do you have your own thoughts or predictions about trends in the classical world?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, aging, AI, Android, Android (operating system), Apple, Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, artist, artists, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Austria, Austrian, baby boomers, Bach, bad weather, Baroque, Beethoven, blog, British, budget, Cello, Chamber music, China, Chinese, choral music, Classical music, coming year, composer, Concert, concerto, danger, driving, Early music, Europe, expense, Facebook, Family, feature, finances, France, German, Germany, ice, inflation, international, interviews, Italian, Italy, Japanese, Korea, Korean, live streaming, local, local musicians, Ludwig-van, LudwigVan, Madison Opera, Madison Symphony Orchestra, master class, media, medici.tv, Mozart, Music, New Year, oldest, opera, Orchestra, Overture Center, pandemic, Paris, parking, performer, personal, pianists, Piano, plausible, poerformance, possible, post-pandemic, prediction, price, program, rain, recorded music, salary, share, snow, Sonata, South Korea, South Korean, Spotify, streaming, strings, subscription, symphony, tag, thoughts, ticket, UK, United Kingdom, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, unlimited, Viola, Violin, virtual reality, vocal music, VR, wages, walking, weather, Website, Wind, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, you, your, 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 