melody | 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

TONIGHT at 7:30 the UW-Madison offers free but conflicting online concerts of opera and percussion music

November 24, 2020
1 Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

Tonight – Tuesday, Nov. 24 – at 7:30 p.m. the University of Wisconsin’s Mead Witter School of Music will offer two FREE but competing events online.

You would think with so many empty spots in the events calendar due to the coronavirus pandemic that such conflicts could be avoided.

In any case, whichever concert you choose to watch – or perhaps to toggle back and forth between the two – here are the details:

OPERA SCENES

The first concert, done by University Opera, is Opera Scenes.

According to the website description: “What was to be Opera Workshop’s Fall Opera Scenes program has morphed in a delightful way.

“This term, each singer undertook an in-depth study of one particular operatic role. We’ll be presenting the fruits of that study – excerpted recitatives and arias from The Coronation of Poppea, Don Giovanni and Orfeo ed Euridice – staged in each student’s adapted habitat, and filmed by the students themselves.”

Here is the program with specifics about the singers and the selections as well as other aspects such as direction and accompaniment:

UW-Madison Opera Workshop: Professors Mimmi Fulmer, Thomas Kasdorf and University Opera head David Ronis (below) are the directors; William Preston and Molly Schumacher are the TAs.

“Batti, batti” and “Vedrai carino” from “Don Giovanni” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Zerlina: Maria Steigerwald
Directors: Molly Schumacher and David Ronis
Pianist: William Preston

“Chiamo il mio ben così” and “Che farò senza Euridice” from “Orfeo ed Euridice” by Christoph Willibald Gluck

Orfeo: Emily Quartemont
Director: David Ronis
Pianist: Thomas Kasdorf

“Or sai chi l’onore” and “Non mi dir” from “Don Giovanni” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Donna Anna: Sachie Ueshima
Director: Mimmi Fulmer
Pianist: Thomas Kasdorf

Excerpts from Act I, Scenes 3, 4, and 10 from “L’incoronazione di Poppea”by Claudio Monteverdi. (Below is a photo by Michael R. Anderson of a previous fully staged production in 2018 by University Opera of the Monteverdi opera.)

Poppea: Molly Schumacher
Director: Mimmi Fulmer
Pianist: William Preston

Here is a direct link to the one-hour production: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANcPY9sLGls

UW CHAMBER PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE

Also tonight is a concert by the UW-Madison Chamber Percussion Ensemble (below), directed by Anthony Di Sanza and Thomas Ross.

It takes place in the Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall of the Hamel Music Center, and will run from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. No in-person attendance is allowed.

The UW-Madison Chamber Percussion Ensemble is dedicated to the performance of significant and engaging works for the Western percussion ensemble tradition. Repertoire from diverse trends in 20th and 21st century chamber composition is explored with an emphasis on new compositions for percussion.

Here is a direct link to the live-streamed concert, with more information about the program and the names of the players if you click on “Show More”: https://youtu.be/iZKO8pZmomA

And here is the program of the mostly new music:

Living Room Music (in the times of Covid) (1940) by John Cage and heard in the YouTube video at the bottom.
I. To Begin
II. Story
III. Melody
IV. End

Spanesque Oscillations (2003) by Steve Riley

For High Hats (2017) by Matt McBane

INTERMISSION

Marimbaireachd (1997) by Matthew Welch

The Lonelyness of Santa Clause (1994) by Fredrik Andersson

Metric Lips (1988) by Bela Fleck (arr. Steinquest)

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #20thCentury, #21stCentury, #AnthonyDiSanza, #BaroqueComposer, #BaroqueMusic, #BaroqueOpera, #BelaFleck, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberPercussionEnsemble, #ChristophWillibaldGluck, #ClaudioMonteverdi, #CollaborativePianist, #ConcertProgram, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DavidRonis, #DonGiovanni, #EmperorNero, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #FredrikAndersson, #HamelMusicCenter, #HighHats, #JacobStockinger, #JohnCage, #LivingComposers, #LivingRoom, #LivingRoomMusic, #MarimbaMusic, #MatthewWelch, #MattMcBane, #MeadWitterFoundationConcertHall, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MetricLips, #MimmiFulmer, #ModernComposers, #Musicfaculty, #NewMusic, #OnlineConcert, #OperaAria, #OperaMusic, #OperaScenes, #OperaticRecitative, #OrfeoedEuridice, #PercussionMusic, #PianoAccompanist, #SantaClause, #SopranoSinger, #SteveRiley, #TheCoronationofPoppea, #TheEar, #TheUW, #ThomasKasdorf, #ThomasRoss, #Tuesdaynight, #UniversityOpera, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WilliamPreston, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, 2018, 20th-century, 21st century, ;ik, accompany, act, adapted, allow, Anthony Di Sanza, Arts, audience, avoid, Baroque, begin, Bela Fleck, blog, calendar, Chamber music, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Classical music, Claudio Monteverdi, competing, composer, compositions, Concert, conflict, coronation, coronavirus, David Ronis, dedicate, description, details, director, diverse, Don Giovanni, Early music, emphasis, empty, end, engaging, event, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, faculty, fall, forward, Fredrik Andersson, Gluck, habitat, Hamel Music Center, high hats, in person, in-depth, Jacob Stockinger, John Cage, like, lips, living composers, living room, Living Room Music, lonely, Madison, marimba, Matt McBane, Matthew Welch, Mead Witter Foundation Concert Hall, Mead Witter School of Music, melody, metric, Mimmi Fulmer, modern, Monteverdi, morph, Mozart, Music, music faculty, Nero, new, New Music, online, opera, Opera aria, opera scenes, operatic, Orfeo ed Euridice, oscillations, pandemic, percussion, Percussion music, performer, Pianist, Piano, Piano accompanist, Poppea, post, posting, previous, production, professor, program, recitative, repertoire, repertory, role, run, Santa Clause, scene, selection, share, significant, singer, soprano, specifics, spot, stage, staged, Steve Riley, story, Student, study, tag, The Coronation of Poppea, The Ear, Thomas Kasdorf, Thomas Ross, toggle, tonight, tradition, trend, Tuesday, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Opera, UW, UW-Madison, virtual, virtual concert, vocal music, watch, Western, William Preston, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, works, YouTube, Zelina

Today is Veterans Day. Here is some appropriate music by Beethoven to mark it. Can you guess which piece? What composer or music would you choose?

November 11, 2020
1 Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

Today – Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2020 – is Veterans Day.

It started out as Armistice Day in 1918 when the end of World War I was declared to take place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

It is a day to mark the service of all veterans – not just those who died in the line of duty, as is celebrated on Memorial Day.

You can find a lot of choice of classical music to play for Veterans Day. Here is one link to a compilation that features patriotic songs and marches: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJepYzH1VUY

But The Ear settled on Beethoven (below, in an 1815 portrait by Joseph Willebrord Maehler).

Can you guess which piece?

It is not the memorable funeral marches on the Piano Sonata in A-Flat, Op. 26, or the Symphony No. 3 “Eroica.”

It is also not the “Sacred Hymn of Thanksgiving” in the String Quartet, Op. 132.

And it is not “Wellington’s Victory” or the “Egmont” Overture or the Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” with its triumphant fast movements.

Instead it is the second movement of the Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92. (You can hear it see it represented graphically in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

That is the very well known Allegretto movement with its repetitious and almost hypnotizing, soaring theme. It seems like a funeral march, full of introspection, poignancy and sadness, that is a bit brisker and more lyrical than usual.

It is so popular, in fact, that it has been used as a soundtrack in many movies, including “The King’s Speech” and has inspired works based on it including the “Fantasia on an Ostinato” by the contemporary American composer John Corigliano.

If it seems an unexpected choice, you just need to know more about its history.

It was composed 1811-1812, and Beethoven correctly considered it one of his finest works. So did Richard Wagner who famously described as the “apotheosis of the dance” for the infectious rhythms throughout the symphony.

At its premiere in Vienna, in his introductory remarks Beethoven said: “We are moved by nothing but pure patriotism and the joyful sacrifice of our powers for those who have sacrificed so much for us.”

Beethoven (below, in 1815 as depicted in a paining the Joseph Willibrord Maehler) premiered the symphony at a charity concert in 1813 to help raise money for the Austrian and Bavarian soldiers who had been wounded at the Battle of Hanau while fighting against France during the Napoleonic Wars.

It was so popular with the first performance that the audience demanded and received an immediate encore performance of the second movement.

Here is a Wikipedia link to the history of the symphony: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._7_(Beethoven)

To this day, the Seventh Symphony, so charged with energy, remains for many people, conductors and orchestral players their favorite Beethoven symphony.

It is ironic that Leonard Bernstein (below, in a photo by Paul de Hueck) performed the Seventh Symphony at the last concert he ever conducted – at the Tanglewood Festival in August 1990. He took the second movement at a slower-than-usual tempo and many have criticized Bernstein, who was in terrible health, and have suggested that he was using it as a funeral march or homage for himself.

They may be right. But in retrospect the choice of Bernstein – who died two months later — finds a certain justification in the original motive for the entire symphony and especially the second movement.

Listen for yourself.

Then tell us what you think.

Does this movement justify it being played on Veterans Day?

What music would you choose to mark the day?

What do you think of the Symphony No. 7 in general and the second movement in particular?

The Ear wants to hear.

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #ArmisticeDay, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #EgmontOverture, #EmperorConcerto, #EroicaSymphony, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FantasiaonanOstinato, #FilmSoundtrack, #FuneralMarch, #HealthEmergency, #JacobStockinger, #JohnCorigliano, #LeonardBernstein, #LivingComposer, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MemorialDay, #MovieSoundtrack, #MusicCritic, #NapoleonicWars, #NewMusic, #OperaMusic, #OrchestralPlayers, #PianoConcerto, #PianoMusic, #PianoSonata, #RichardWagner, #SacredHymnofThanksgiving, #SeventhSymphony, #SlowMovement, #StringQuartet, #TanglewoodFestival, #TanglewoodMusicCenter, #TheEar, #TheKing'sSpeech, #VeteransDay, #ViennaAustria, #VisualArt, #Wellington'sVictory, #Wikipediaentry, #WorldWarI, #YouTubevideo, 1918, Allegretto, apotheosis, appropriate, Armistice Day, Arts, audience, Austria, Austrian, battle, Bavaria, Bavarian, Beethoven, Bernstein, blog, brisk, celebrate, Chamber music, choice, choose, Classical music, compendium, compilation, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, Corigliano, critic, criticize, dance, day, dead, death, declare, describe, duty, Egmont Overture, Emperor Concerto, encore, end, energy, Eroica, Eroica Symphony, Facebook, Fantasia, Fantasia on an Ostinato, fight, film soundtrack, forward, France, French, funeral march, graphic, graphically, guess, Hanau, Health, help, History, hour, hymn, hypnotizing, immediate, infectious, introspection, ironic, Jacob Stockinger, John Corigliano, joyful, know, Leonard Bernstein, like, link, listen, Living composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, lyrical, march, mark, melody, Memorial Day, month, movement, movie, Movies, Music, Napoleon, Napoleonic, Napoleonic Wars, need, New Music, opera, Orchestra, orchestral, orchestral players, ostinato, Overture, patriotic, patriotism, peace, People, performance, Piano, Piano concerto, piano music, Piano sonata, piece, play, player, poignancy, popular, post, posting, pure, repetitious], represent, rhythm, Richard Wagner, sacred, Sacred Hymn of Thanksgiving, sacrifice, sadness, said, say, schematic, service, Seventh Symphony, share, sing, slow, Slow movement, soldiers, Sonata, song, songs, soul, soulful, soundtrack, String quartet, subscriber, suggest, symphony, tag, Tanglewood Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, Tempo, terrible, Thanksgiving, The Ear, The King's Speech, theme, think, today, triumph, triumphant, truce, unexpected, United States, usual, Veteran, Veterans Day, victory, Vienna, visual schematic, Wagner, war, Wednesday, Wellington, Wellington's Victory, Wikipedia, work, World War I, wound, wounded, YouTube, YouTube video

Classical music: Today is May 5 — Cinco de Mayo. And here is a work by Mexican composer Gustavo Campa to celebrate the holiday

May 5, 2020
Leave a Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

Today is May 5 – the colorful Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo.

If you don’t know the origins of the holiday and what events sparked it, here is a link to the Wikipedia entry:

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

Usually the music that celebrates the holiday is popular music or folk music – including mariachi bands and guitar music.

But there is also a good amount of classical music by Mexican composers that can mark the occasion.

In past years, this blog has featured Mexican performing artists such as the terrific pianist Jorge Federico Osorio and the most famous Mexican composer, Carlos Chavez (below, in a photo by Paul Strand).

But there are many others.

Perhaps programming and performing more Mexican and Latin American composers and music would help attract Latinx listeners to concert halls once they reopen.

In any case, here is a link to a sampler or compilation of Mexican music found on Spotify:

https://www.classicalmusicindy.org/cinco-de-mayo-playlist/

And here, in the YouTube video at the bottom, is a lovely “Melody” for violin and orchestra, with a photo essay, by the Mexican composer Gustavo Campa (below) along with a link to his biography:

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

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CarlosChavez, #CincodeMayo, #ClassicalChart, #Classicalcomposer, #ConcertHall, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FolkMusic, #GuitarMusic, #JacobStockinger, #JorgeFedericoOsorio, #LatinAmerican, #LatinAmericanmusic, #MariachiBand, #PaulStrand, #PerformingArtist, #PopularMusic, #TheEar, #Wikipediabiography, #YouTubevideo, Arts, attract, audience, band, biography, blog, Carlos Chavez, celebrate, Chavez, Cinco de Mayo, Classical music, colorful, compilation, composer, Concert, concert hall, entry, essay, event, Facebook, famous, Folk music, forward, guitar, Holiday, Jacob Stockinger, Jorge Federico Osorio, Latin American, Latino, Latinx, like, link, listener, Madison, mariachi, mark, May, melody, Mexican, Mexico, Music, occasion, online, Orchestra, origin, Paul Strand, performer, performing artist, photo, Pianist, Piano, popular music, posting, sampler, share, Spotify, Strand, symphony, tag, terrific, The Ear, today, Violin, Wikipedia, YouTube

Classical music: The Festival Choir of Madison performs Yiddish music Saturday night. The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra performs the child-friendly “Beethoven Lives Next Door” for FREE twice on Saturday morning

March 11, 2020
Leave a Comment

ALERT: Do you have children or grandchildren you want to introduce to classical music? This Saturday morning, March 14, at 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. in the Goodman Community Center, at 149 Waubesa Street on Madison’s near east side, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra will give two FREE public performances of “Beethoven Lives Next Door.” The interactive, multi-media event includes live music and story-telling, and is designed for children age 4-10 and their families. Because space is limited, advance registration is strongly recommended. You can register for one of the performances by going to: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performances

By Jacob Stockinger

The Festival Choir of Madison will present its second concert of the season, “Ner Tamid: Eternal Flame,” on this Saturday night, March 14, at 8 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Madison at 900 University Bay Drive.

The choir (below), under the artistic direction of Edgewood College professor Sergei Pavlov (below, front right) will perform songs drawing on Yiddish folklore, Klezmer innovations, the pain and cultural fusion of the diaspora, and the poignancy of love in the Holocaust.

Spanning geography and time, this array of Sephardic folk songs, Middle Eastern melodies, the high European tradition of the late 19th century, and contemporary settings of ancient texts paints a rich picture of the breadth of Jewish musical tradition.

The performance includes works by Gustav Mahler, Jacob Weinberg (below top) and Alberto Guidobaldi (below bottom) for classical composers, as well as Paul Ben Haim and Josef Hadar, who are more contemporary Israeli and Jewish composers, respectively.

The Festival Choir of Madison (FCM) is an auditioned, mixed-voice volunteer choir of over 50 experienced singers. FCM performs thematic concerts of artistically challenging choral music from around the world for listeners who enjoy traditional, modern, and eclectic works, and for singers who enjoy developing their talents with others.

The choir performs three thematic concerts annually in November, March and May. It also serves as the core choir for the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra’s annual “Messiah” concert. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear the Festival Choir of Madison perform “The West Lake” by Chinese composer Chen Yi in 2019.)

Concert admission — general seating — is $10 for students, $15 for senior citizens, and $20 for adults, with tickets available at the door the day of the concert. Tickets can also be purchased online at: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4383496

To learn more about the choir and see details about its May 16 performance of Mozart’s Requiem, visit: www.festivalchoirmadison.org

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #19thCentury, #AlbertoGuidobaldi, #ArtisticDirector, #BeethovenLivesNextDoor, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrownPaperTickets, #ChenYi, #Chinesecomposer, #ChoralMusic, #ContemporaryMusic, #EclecticMusic, #EdgewoodCollege, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #FamilyFriendly, #FestivalChoir, #FestivalChoirofMadison, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FolkMusic, #folksongs, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GoodmanCommunityCenter, #GustavMahle, #Handel'sMessiah, #IsraeliComposer, #IsraeliMusician, #JacobWeinberg, #JewishComposer, #JewishComposers, #JewishMusic, #Jewishmusician, #JewishReligion, #JosefHadar, #KlezmerMusic, #LiveConcert, #LiveMusic, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MessiahOratorio, #MIddleEast, #MiddleEastern, #Musicfaculty, #NerTermid, #PaulBenHaim, #SaturdayMorning, #SaturdayNight, #SeniorCitizen, #SergeiPavlov, #TheHolocaust, #TheWestLake, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YiddishMusic, #YouTubevideo, 19th century, 2019, 2020, Alberto Guidobaldi, alto, ancient, Artistic director, Arts, audience, audition, available, bass, Beethoven, Beethoven Lives Next Door, blog, Brown Paper Tickets, Chen Yi, Child, children, China, Chinese, Chinese composer, choral music, Classical music, classicalmusic, community, composer, Concert, conductor, contemporary music, core, cultural, culture, diaspora, door, eclectic, Edgewood College, eternal, eternal flame, Europe, European, event, experience, Facebook, faculty, families, Family, Festival Choir, Festival Choir of Madison, First Unitarian Society of Madison, flame, folk, folklore, forward, friend, friendly, fusion, future, geography, George Frideric Handel, Goodman, Goodman Community Center, Gustav Mahler, Handel, Holocaust, innovation, interactive, Israel, Israeli, Jacob Stockinger, Jacob Weinberg, Jewish, Jewish composer, Josef Hadar, klezmer, like, limited, link, live music, Love, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Mahler, march, May, melodies, melody, Messiah, Middle East, Middle Eastern, mixed, mixed-voice, modern, morning, Mozart, multi-media, Music, Ner Tamid, night, online, Orchestra, pain, paint, Paul Ben Haim, performance, performer, poignancy, post, posting, professor, recommend, registration, Religion, Requiem, rich, Saturday, Season, seating, senior, Sephardic, Sergei Pavlov, setting, share, sing, singer, song, songs, soprano, space, story-telling, Student, symphony, tag, tenor, texts, thematic, theme, time, tradition, traditional, Unitarian, United States, Viola, Violin, vocal music, voice, volunteer, Weinberg, west lake, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, works, Yiddish, Yiddish music, YouTube

Classical music: This Friday brings a FREE concert at noon of cello and violin sonatas by Beethoven. At night, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra explores rarely heard works and composers plus the “Jupiter” Symphony by Mozart

February 19, 2020
4 Comments

ALERT: This Friday’s FREE Noon Musicale at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, features the Mosaic Chamber Players performing a one-hour, all-Beethoven concert in honor of the Beethoven Year, which celebrates the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

The program is: Cello Sonata, Op. 5, No. 1; and two violin sonatas, Op. 12, No. 3, and Op. 30, No. 2. For more information, go to: http://www.mosaicchamberplayers.com

By Jacob Stockinger

Can you tell the difference between the real Mozart and the “Swedish Mozart”?

You’ll have the chance to find out this Friday night, Feb. 21, if you go to the concert by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below, in a photo by Mike Gorski) at 7:30 p.m. in the Capitol Theater of the Overture Center.

That is when you can hear the Symphony in C-Sharp Minor, VB 140, by Joseph Martin Kraus (1756-1791, below), an 18th-century German-born, short-lived composer who, as an exact contemporary of Mozart, spent most of his career at the court in Stockholm, Sweden, and became known as the “Swedish Mozart.”

(You can hear the opening movement of the Kraus symphony, played by Concerto Koln, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

Here is more about Kraus (below): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Martin_Kraus

The Kraus symphony opens the WCO concert.

Then for the purpose of comparison, the concert closes with Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551. It is often cited as Mozart’s most accomplished work in the symphonic form, and is renowned for its melodies and harmonies, and for the masterful, even spectacular, counterpoint in the last movement.

But that kind of discovery and approach to programming is not unusual for WCO maestro Andrew Sewell (below, in a photo by Alex Cruz), who has a penchant for exposing audiences to rarely heard works and composers as well as to well-known masterpieces.

For this concert, Sewell will be helped by the return of guest violin virtuoso Giora Schmidt (below in a photo by David Getzschman), who has been acclaimed for his technique, tone, lyricism and riveting interpretations. He played the Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor by Sergei Prokofiev with the WCO in 2018.

Schmidt will solo in two rarely heard works for violin and orchestra: the 16-minute Violin Concerto, Op. 48, by the Russian composer Dmitry Kabalevsky (1904-1987); and the 8-minute Romance by the Norwegian composer Johan Svendsen (1840-1911).

For more about Kabalevsky (below), go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Kabalevsky

For more about Svendsen (below), who was a conductor and violinist as well as a composer, go to: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Svendsen

To purchase tickets ($10-$77) and to read a detailed biography of soloist Schmidt and find out more about the concert, go to: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performances/masterworks-ii-5/

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #18thCentury, #All-Beethoven, #AndrewSewell, #BeethovenYear, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolTheater, #CelloSonata, #ConcertoKoln, #CourtMusic, #DmitryKabalevsky, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #GioraSchmidt, #GuestArtist, #HomeWebsite, #JacobStockinger, #JohanSvendsen, #JosephMartinKraus, #JupiterSymphony, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MosaicChamberPlayers, #MusicalInterpretation, #NoonMusicale, #NorwegianComposer, #OvertureCenter, #PianoAccompaniment, #PianoAccompanist, #SergeiProkofiev, #SwedishMozart, #TheEar, #ViolinRomance, #ViolinSonata, #Wikipediabiography, #Wikipediaentry, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, 18th century, 2018, accompany, accomplished, Andrew Sewell, anniversary, Arts, audience, Beethoven, biography, birth, blog, born, Capitol Theater, career, celebrate, cellist, Cello, century, chance, close, comparison, composer, Concert, concerto, Concerto Koln, conductor, contemporary, counterpoint, court, difference, discovery, Dmitry Kabalevsky, exact, exposing, Facebook, First Unitarian Society of Madison, form, forward, free, Friday, German, Germany, Giora Schmidt, guest, guest artist, harmony, honor, hour, information, interpretation, Jacob Stockinger, Johan Svendsen, Joseph Martin Kraus, Jupiter Symphony, Kochel, Kraus, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, lyrical, Madison, Maestro, masterpiece, melody, Mosaic Chamber Players, movement, Mozart, Music, musical, Noon Musicale, Norway, Norwegian, online, Orchestra, Overture Center, penchant, performer, Piano, play, post, posting, program, purpose, rare, real, Romance, Sergei Prokofiev, Sewell, share, short, short-lived, solo, soloist, Sonata, Stockholm, Sweden, Swedish, Swedish Mozart, symphonic, symphony, tag, technique, tell, The Ear, tickets, tone, United States, Violin, violinist, virtuoso, WCO, Website, well-known, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, work, YouTube

Classical music: The Ancora String Quartet will play several concerts of Beethoven and Randall Thompson over this coming weekend, including one at Olbrich Gardens on Friday night

February 5, 2020
2 Comments

By Jacob Stockinger

The Ear has received the following information from the veteran Ancora String Quartet, which will play several performances of the same program over the coming weekend in several different cities.

Members of the Ancora String Quartet (below from left, in a photo by Barry Lewis), who also play with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, are: violinists Wes Luke and Robin Ryan; violist Marika Fischer Hoyt; and cellist Benjamin Whitcomb.

RECITAL PROGRAM:

String Quartet No. 2 in G Major by Randall Thompson

String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 130, by Ludwig van Beethoven

CONCERT DATES:

Friday, Feb. 7, at noon

Interview with Wisconsin Public Radio host

Norman Gilliland on The Midday

WERN 88.7 FM

Friday, Feb.7, from 5 to 7 p.m.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Bolz Conservatory

3330 Atwood Ave., Madison

Tickets at the door: $5

Saturday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Park (“Freethinkers”) Hall

307 Polk Street, Sauk City

Tickets: $15 general, $12 children and seniors

Sunday, Feb. 9, at 2 p.m. (UPDATE: THIS CONCERT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO AN OUTBREAK OF ILLNESS AT CHAI POINT. IT WILL BE RESCHEDULED.)

Chai Point Retirement Community

1400 N. Prospect Ave., Milwaukee

Free and open to the public

PROGRAM NOTES:

The program opens with an unusual work, the String Quartet No. 2 in G Major, by American composer Randall Thompson (below). Better known for his choral music, Thompson wrote this quartet in 1967 to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the Harvard Musical Association.

The quartet is joyous and optimistic in character, with thoughtful and creative part-writing. The first movement brims with youthful energy, contained in smoothly flowing triplets.

The simple, graceful folk melody that opens the second movement continually reinvents itself in a set of charming variations. The third movement’s heartfelt tune expresses a deep content, setting up the finale, whose explosive energy erupts in a good-natured, light-hearted romp.

Beethoven (below) wrote the second piece on our program, the String Quartet in B-Flat Major, Op. 130, 141 years before the Thompson and many centuries beyond it in subtlety, sophistication, intellectual rigor and emotional depth.

With six movements and lasting 40 minutes, it is the composer’s longest piece of chamber music, and it stretches limits in other ways as well. The original work, completed in 1825, contained the Grosse Fuge (Great Fugue) but Beethoven replaced that in 1826 with the Finale Allegro, the last full-scale movement he completed before his death in 1827.

Op. 130 bristles with contrasts, and juxtapositions of extremes, on the micro-level to the macro-level, all contained in movements ranging from a short, gnarly Presto, to a graceful Poco Scherzo, to a lyrical, innocent Alla Danza Tedesco (In the Style of a German Dance), to the fabled Cavatina, which, Beethoven wrote, moved him to tears when he even thought about it. (You can hear the Cavatina in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

In performing Op. 130, the Ancora String Quartet tackles its 14th of the 16 Beethoven string quartets. The ASQ plans to perform Op. 59, No. 3, and Op. 131, in the summer and fall, to complete the Beethoven cycle in this, the Beethoven Year when we celebrate the 250th anniversary of his birth.

For more information, go to: facebook.com/ancoraquartet and www.ancoraquartet.com

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AmericanComposer, #AncoraStringQuartet, #BeethovenYear, #BenjaminWhitcomb, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BolzConservatory, #ChaiPoint, #ChaiPointRetirementCommunity, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #CityofMadison, #CompleteCycle, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FinalExam, #FolkMelody, #GreatFugue, #GrosseFuge, #HarvardMusicalAssociation, #HarvardUniversity, #JacobStockinger, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MadisonWisconsin, #MarikaFischerHoyt, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #NormanGilliland, #OlbrichBotanicalGardens, #OlbrichGardens, #ParkHall, #Part-Writing, #RandallThompson, #RetirementCommunity, #RobinRyan, #SaukCity, #SaukCityWisconsin, #SeniorCitizen, #StringMusic, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #ThemeAndVariations, #TheMidday, #WERN88.7FM, #WesLuke, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #YouTubevideo, American, Ancora String Quartet, anniversary, Arts, audience, Beethoven, Beethoven Year, Benjamin Whitcomb, birth, birthday, blog, Bolz Conservatory, cavatina, celebrate, cellist, Cello, centuries, century, Chai Point, Chai Point Retirement Community, Chamber music, character, charming, children, choral music, cities, city, Classical music, community, complete, composer, Concert, contrast, counterpoint, creative, cycle, dance, date, death, deep, depth, different, door, emotional, energy, explosive, extreme, fabled, Facebook, fall, flow, folk, folk melody, forward, free, Freethinkers, Friday, fugue, full-scale, general, German, Germany, gnarly, good-natured, graceful, Great Fugue, Grosse Fuge, Harvard Musical Association, Harvard University, hear, heartfelt, host, innocent, intellectual, interview, Jacob Stockinger, Joy, joyous, juxtaposition, light-hearted, like, limits, link, long, Ludwig van Beethoven, lyrical, macro, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Marika Fischer Hoyt, melody, member, micro, Milwaukee, movement, Music, noon, Norman Gilliland, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, Olbrich Gardens, open, optimism, optimistic, opus, original, Park Hall, performance, performer, piece, play, post, program, public, reader, recital, replace, Retirement, Robin Ryan, romp, Sauk City, seniors, share, short, simple, smooth, sophistication, stretch, string music, String quartet, style, subtlety, summer, tag, tears, The Ear, The Midday, theme and variations, thought, thoughtful, ticket, triplets, tune, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, unusual, variations, Veteran, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, way, weekend, WERN 88.7 FM, Wes Luke, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, work, WPR, year, youthful, YouTube

Classical music: Here is the corrected program for the Oakwood Chamber Players, who open the new year with music by Mozart and Stravinsky plus new music by living composers this Saturday night and Sunday afternoon

January 9, 2020
Leave a Comment

CORRECTION: By mistake, The Ear earlier posted the wrong program for the Oakwood Chamber Players this weekend. Here is the correct information. The Ear apologizes for the error and any inconvenience.

By Jacob Stockinger

The first concerts for the new year by the Oakwood Chamber Players (below) will be take place this Saturday night, Jan. 11, at 7 p.m., and Sunday afternoon, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m., at the Oakwood Village University Woods Center for Arts and Education at 6209 Mineral Point Road in Madison, on Madison far west side near West Towne Mall.

The program begins with a witty opener, “L’Heure de Berger” by French composer Jean Francaix (below) for woodwind quintet and piano. The piece’s three movements cleverly depict the quirky personalities of patrons observed at a Parisian restaurant.

“Y Deryn Pur” for oboe, violin, viola and cello — by the award-winning British composer Cecilia McDonald (below) is based on an expressive Welsh folk tune, “The Gentle Dove.”

Written early in his career, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s “Pastorale” is a soothing song without words for a mixed quintet of winds and strings. It is a delicate piece originally written for voice and piano, then re-orchestrated for the sustained sonorities of a chamber ensemble.

“Silver Dagger” is a plaintive tale told through a traditional Appalachian folk song and re-envisioned emotionally and dramatically for violin, cello and piano by American composer Stacy Garrop (below).

The “Suite Belle Epoque in Sud-America” was written for the Berlin Woodwind Quintet by Brazilian composer and conductor Julio Medaglia (below). It bursts with vitality and expressive melodies while celebrating a variety of South American musical styles. (You can hear his suite in the YouTube video at the bottom.)

The perennial simplicity, beauty and warmth of Mozart are showcased in his “Adagio in F,” performed by bassoon and string trio.

The program concludes with “Ralph’s Old Records” by Kenji Bunch (below) – a fresh and humorous composition for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello and piano that takes listeners through a series of brief movements inspired by an old family record collection.

Tickets are available at the door and are priced at $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $5 for students, or at www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com

The Oakwood Chamber Players are a professional music ensemble supported by Oakwood Lutheran Senior Ministries and the Oakwood Foundation

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #BrazilianComposer, #BritishComposer, #CeciliaMcDonald, #ChamberMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FolkMusic, #Frenchcomposer, #IgorStravinsky, #JacobStockinger, #JeanFrancaix, #JulioMedaglia, #KenjiBunch, #LivingComposers, #NewMusic, #NewYear, #OakwoodChamberPlayers, #OakwoodVillage, #RussianComposer, #SaturdayNight, #SouthAmerica, #SouthAmerican, #StacyGarrop, #StringTrio, #Sundayafternoon, #TheEar, #TheGentleDove, #VocalMusic, #WelshMusic, #WestTowneMall, #WindQuintet, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, Appalachian, Arts, blog, Brazil, Brazilian, British, career, Cecilia McDonald, Cello, Chamber music, clarinet, clever, composer, Concert, conductor, correction, dagger, depict, dove, drama, dramatic, Education, emotion, emotional, error, Facebook, Family, flute, folk song, folksong, forward, France, French composer, gentle, Humor, Igor Stravinsky, Jacob Stockinger, Jean Francaix, Julio Medaglia, Kenji Bunch, like, link, living composers, Madison, melody, movement, Mozart, New Music, New Year, Oakwood Chamber Players, Oakwood Village, Oboe, orchestration, Paris, Parisian, Pastorale, performer, Pianist, Piano, piece, post, posting, program, quintet, records, restaurant, Russia, Saturday night, share, silver, simplicity, song, sonority, South America, South American, Stacy Garrop, string trio, strings, Sunday afternoon, tag, The Ear, The Gentle Dove, trio, tune, university, Viola, Violin, vocal music, voice, warmth, Welsh, West Towne Mall, Wind, wit, witty, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, woodwind

Classical music: The Oakwood Chamber Players perform a mini-opera version of “A Christmas Carol” this Saturday night and Sunday afternoon

December 6, 2019
1 Comment

By Jacob Stockinger

Over several deuces, the Oakwood Chamber Players have built a solid reputation for their top-notch performances of unusual and neglected repertoire.

So it comes as no surprise that the group will offer one of the newer, more unusual and promising takes on the holiday classic, “A Christmas Carol.”

Twice this weekend, the Madison-based, widely experienced musical theater actor and baritone Robert A. Goderich reprises his tour-de-force performance, last done in 2016, of Charles Dickens’ characters for the Oakwood Chamber Players’ presentation of the mini-opera “The Passion of Scrooge” by New York composer Jon Deak.

A dozen musicians, including ensemble members with special guest artists, provide the platform for Goderich’s characterizations on this coming Saturday night, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m., and Sunday afternoon, Dec. 8, at 2 p.m.

The concerts take place at Oakwood Village University Woods Auditorium at 6209 Mineral Point Road, on Madison’s far west side near West Towne Mall.

Tickets are available at the door and are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $5 for students. Go to https://www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com for more information.

Members of the ensemble for this program are: Marilyn Chohaney (flute), Nancy Mackenzie (clarinet), Anne Aley (horn), Elspeth Stalter Clouse (violin) and Maggie Darby Townsend (cello), and guest musicians Hillary Hempel (violin), Emma Cifrino (viola), Brad Townsend (bass), Mike Koszewski (percussion), and Margaret Mackenzie (harp).

Over the past two decades, New York Philharmonic bassist and composer Jon Deak (below) has created a variety of “concert dramas” that tell stories through words and sound.

Performed annually at the Smithsonian, this two-act musical setting re-imagines Ebenezer Scrooge’s struggle to transform his past, present and future from a life of avarice to warmth and humanity.

As singer and narrator, Goderich, who plays all the parts, is the focal point; but the composer has given the instrumentalists an integral part in the story line, too. Conductor Kyle Knox (below) leads the ensemble through many facets of this humorous work filled with dramatic effects.

Deak requires the musicians to be nimble performers, juggling melodic lines while interjecting entertaining sounds into Dickens’ traditional tale. You can hear the opening introduction by the Storyteller in the YouTube video at the bottom.

One of the score’s important aspects is the varied use of percussion, which provides a broad range of instruments and sound effects. Audiences can enjoy both the aural and visual artistry of chains rattling, doors creaking and footsteps echoing in this holiday classic.

Additionally, the Oakwood Chamber Players will perform a suite of British reels and carols, including songs mentioned in the text of Dickens’ original story.

For example, when the Ghost of Christmas Past reminds Scrooge of his first employer Fezziwig, a fiddler plays the tune “Sir Roger De Coverley.” This Scottish-English country dance, arranged by composer Frank Bridge in 1922, is one of the tunes providing an engaging introduction to “The Passion of Scrooge.”

Posted in Classical music
Tags: #AChristmasCarol, #AnneAley, #BaritoneSinger, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberOpera, #CharlesDickens, #CountryDance, #DoubleBass, #DoubleBassist, #EbenezerScrooge, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FocalPoint, #FrankBridge, #GhostofChristmasPast, #GuestArtist, #HilaryHahn'sViolincase, #HolidayClassic, #HomeWebpage, #InstrumentalMusic, #InstrumentalPlayer, #JonDeak, #KyleKnox, #MargaretMackenzie, #MarilynChohaney, #MelodicLine, #MikeKoszewski, #MusicalTheater, #NeglectedMusic, #NeglectedRepertoire, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #NewYorkPhilharmonic, #OakwoodChamberPlayers, #OakwoodVillage, #OperaMusic, #RobertGoderich, #SeniorCitizen, #SmithsonianInstitution, #SoundEffects, #ThePassionofScrooge, #ThePasson ofScrooge, #UniversityWoods, #VocalMusic, #WestSide, #WestTowneMall, #YouTubevideo, A Christmas Carol, acclaim, Actor, adult, Anne Aley, annual, artistry, Arts, audience, aural, avarice, baritone, bass, bassist, blog, British, broad, Carol, Cello, chains, Chamber music, chamber opera, character, Charles Dickens, Christmas, clarinet, clarinetist, classic, Classical music, composer, Concert, conductor, country, country dance, creaking, dance, decades, double bass, double bassist, drama, dramatic, echo, echoing, employer, English, enjoy, ensemble, entertain, entertaining, Facebook, fiddler, flute, flutist, focal point, footsteps, forward, Frank Bridge, future, ghost, Ghost of Christmas Past, guest artist, harp, harpist, Holiday, holiday classic, Horn, hornist, humanity, humorous, instrumental music, instrumental player, instrumentalist, Jacob Stockinger, Jon Deak, juggle, Kyle Knox, life, like, link, Madison, Margaret Mackenzie, Marilyn Chohaney, melodic, melody, Mike Koszewski, Music, Musical theater, musicians, narrator, neglected, new, New Music, New York City, New York Philharmonic, nimble, Oakwood Chamber Players, Oakwood Village, online, opera, opera music, past, percussion, percussionist, performer, player, post, posting, present, presentation, promising, range, reels, repertoire, repetoire, reputation, Robert Goderich, Scottish, Scrooge, senior, senior citizen, setting, share, singer, Smithsonian, Smithsonian Institution, solid, song, songs, Sound, sound effects, standard, story, struggle, Student, Suite, surprise, tag, tale, text, The Passion of Scrooge, ticket, traditional, transform, tune, tunes, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Woods, unusual, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, visual, vocal music, Website, weekend, west side, West Towne Mall, Wisconsin, words, YouTube

	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…
	Ann Boyer on How do post-pandemic concert a…

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: