The Well-Tempered Ear
Cellist Camille Thomas makes her Madison debut online from Paris for the Wisconsin Union Theater this Saturday night
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Wisconsin Union Theater’s fall virtual Concert Series performances will begin this Saturday night, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. CST with a live online performance from Paris by the acclaimed cellist Camille Thomas (below).
The “Midnight in Paris” recital – performed in Paris and streamed — features music by Claude Debussy, Nadia Boulanger, Maurice Ravel and Frederic Chopin. The performance will be preceded by a live 30-40 minute online Q&A with Thomas and pianist Julien Brocal on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. CST.
Here are the specific works on the program, which will last about 75 minutes with no intermission:
Debussy, “Clair de Lune” (arr. Roelens)
Nadia Boulanger, “Three Pieces” for cello and piano
Ravel, Kaddish
Chopin, Cello Sonata in G Minor, Op. 65; and Introduction et Polonaise brillante, Op. 3
Tickets for this online event are $10 for UW-Madison students, $18 for Wisconsin Union members, and $20 for all other patrons.
For more information about the Thomas’ performance – including a video and how to purchase tickets — visit union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/event-calendar/event/camille-thomas.
Thomas (below), a Franco-Belgian cellist, says she uses her music to bring people together from a range of cultures and backgrounds. Thomas released her second album, called “Voice of Hope,” with the exclusive Deutsche Grammophon this past June. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear Thomas play a solo version from the album of Gluck’s “Dance of the Blessed Spirits” from his opera “Orfeo ed Euridice.”)
Thomas plays the Feuermann Stradivarius cello (1730, below) — named for the famous 20th-century cellist Emanuel Feuermann who played it — with a bow by Eugene Sartory, who is regarded as one of the finest bow makers in history. Joining her for this performance will be pianist Julien Brocal.
“Camille Thomas’s extraordinary talent makes her one of the most captivating artists of our time, as evidenced by being the first cellist in several decades to be signed by the major record label Deutsche Grammophon,” says Wisconsin Union Theater director Elizabeth Snodgrass. “Her ‘Midnight in Paris’ program brings us closer to her roots and reflects the beauty and charm of her personality as well as her musicality.”
The Ear has listened to some of Thomas’ performances on YouTube and finds her tone, intonation and phrasing outstanding.
The performance by Camille Thomas is the start of the fall Concert Series events, which includes a concert with pianist Jeremy Denk (below, in a photo by Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times) on Friday, Dec. 11.
In its 101st year, the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Concert Series is one of the oldest uninterrupted series of its kind in the United States.
The Wisconsin Union Theater (WUT) has served as a cultural center for community members and visitors for more than 75 years. The WUD Performing Arts Committee plans many of the Theater’s events, including the Concert Series.
While usually held in-person and most often in Shannon Hall, the Wisconsin Union Theater team will hold this fall’s theater events in a virtual format for the health and safety of patrons, artists and team members in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The team aims for all of its spaces, including online ones, to be accessible. Those that need accommodations can reach out to the Wisconsin Union Theater team at wisconsinuniontheater@union.wisc.edu.
The WUT team says it continues to evaluate what changes may need to occur related to the spring Concert Series events as well as other spring Theater season performances.
The Wisconsin Union Theater has made multiple commitments to take a stand against racial injustice, including being more than allies, being activists; using the arts to create social justice; remembering students are future leaders and must be part of the change; using its voice to influence leadership and being firm in its resolve; and making space, stepping back and learning how to give up undeserved or unnecessary power and privilege.
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Classical music: Learn about old and new violin-making, and about making violins in Wisconsin.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Are all Stradivarius violins good or outstanding?
The answer might surprise you.
A piece for “Wisconsin Life” discussed the question this week. It was broadcast on Wisconsin Public Radio in the morning. It was part of a story about Brian Derber, a North Woods violinmaker, or luthier, in Wisconsin.
In case you missed the piece, here it is:
http://www.wisconsinlife.org/story/old-world-violin-making-wisconsin
Tags: Arts, Baroque, Cello, Chamber music, Classical music, Jacob Stockinger, Joshua Bell, Luthier, Madison, Music, Radio, Stradivarius, Tuning peg, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Life, wisconsin public radio
Classical music: Get to know The Ear. For Christmas this year, The Ear gives readers an interview with him done by critic, radio host and blogger Paul Baker.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Today is Christmas Eve.
Lots of people exchange gifts today, rather than on Christmas Day.
So, does this post qualify as a Christmas gift?
I say: Why not?
But I’ll let readers decide and have the final word.
Recently, Paul Baker (below) visited The Ear and did an interview with him.
The topics ranged from personal background to taste about the music I like and dislike, and my adamant support for music education.
It may satisfy some people who want to know more about The Ear.
Baker, as you may know, works in communications at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, which just marked its 50th anniversary at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Baker specializes in jazz and was a freelance reviewer for The Ear when The Ear worked as the arts editor at The Capital Times.
For years, Baker hosted “Caravan,” a show of Middle Eastern and Arabic music.
He has hosted for WORT FM 89.9 in past years.
“I have volunteered as a radio music host sporadically since undergraduate days at the University of Kentucky-Lexington,” says Baker.
Now he has a weekly show –- “Strings Only” -– that airs on Wednesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. on the UW-Madison student radio station WSUM 91.7 FM, which is quite distinguished by the awards it has won and quite varied in its offerings and scheduled programs, as you can see from the website below:
Here is a link to the 2005 background story by the UW-Madison News Service about Paul Baker:
http://www.news.wisc.edu/11801
Here is a link to Paul Baker’s music blog, which, among other things, features record reviews as well as feature stories and profiles – especially notable is the one about the prominent Madison luthier, or violin maker, Ralph Rabin (below, in a photo by Paul Baker), who also is the son of the late Marvin Rabin, the internationally famed music educator and founder-conductor of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra (WYSO):
https://onlystringswsum.wordpress.com
Finally, here is a link to his blog and the interview with me, The Ear. It is entitled “The Well-Tempered Writer”:
https://onlystringswsum.wordpress.com/2014/11/26/the-well-tempered-writer/
Merry Christmas!!
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Classical music: See what goes into making a Stradivarius violin great, from the special Italian spruce trees to the master violin-makers who come to Cremona, Italy from around the world. But are the old violins really better than the best new ones?
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By Jacob Stockinger
Ever wonder what goes into a great violin made centuries ago by Stradivarius or Guarneri or Amati that makes them the favorite instruments of great performing virtuosos?
(The Ear will forget for a while the stories about how blind hearing tests with professional violinists showed that new or modern instruments outscored the centuries-old masterpieces.)
For whatever reason last weekend brought two terrific stories about what goes into making world-class violins – in specific the violins, worth millions of dollars, by Antonio Stradivari (below) and other master crafters and luthiers in Cremona, Italy.
The stories followed the great violins — and also violas and cellos — from the special Italian spruce trees grown in the dolomite Alps, which are celebrated and serenaded with music, to the actual makers of the instruments and the overall cooperative music culture of Cremona, Italy.
One of the stories appeared on NPR (National Public Radio) , specifically on Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. Here is a link:
The other was a great segment on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” It has great visuals and interviews. Here is a link:
http://www.cbs.com/shows/60_minutes/video/FWotANRzsjL84Aj5ziBSdezDN88_Hp3M/the-city-of-music/
And at bottom in a YouTube video, is a comparison test of old and new violin sounds. Listen to it, take it and see how you do.
What do you think of the comparison results?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: 60 Minutes, Alps, Amati, Antonio Stradivari, Arts, Baroque, CBS, Cello, Chamber music, Classical music, Cremona, dolomite, Early music, Guarneri, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Lipinski Stradivarius, Luthier, Madison, Music, NPR, Stradivarius, strings, Television, TV, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, YouTube
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