The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: A concert of rarely performed French Baroque chamber music with voice is this Sunday afternoon
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By Jacob Stockinger
This Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m., a concert of French Baroque chamber music will take place.
Performers are UW-Madison alumna and current graduate student, soprano Chelsie Propst (below top); baroque violinists Nathan Giglierano and Laura Thompson; Eric Miller (below middle) on baroque cello and viola da gamba; and organist Sigrun Franzen (below bottom).
The concert will be performed at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (below, exterior and interior), 1833 Regent Street, on Madison’s near west side.
Admission is $10.
The program includes “Médée” (Medea) by Louis-Nicolas Clérambault; “La Sultanne” by François Couperin (below in a YouTube video); “La mort de Didon” (The Death of Dido) by Michel Pignolet de Montéclair; and “Ditemi, o piante,” HWV 107, by George Frideric Handel.
Tags: Arts, Baroque, Cello, Chamber music, Chelsie Propst, Classical music, Clerambault, Couperin, Dido, Dido and Aeneas, Early music, Eric Miller, France, French, George Frideric Handel, Jacob Stockinger, Madison, Medea, Montéclair, Music, organ, Sigrun Franzen, soprano, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, viola da gamba, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: Madison Symphony Orchestra’s music director John DeMain discusses the 2017-18 season with critic John W. Barker
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By Jacob Stockinger
Here is a special posting, an interview with the Madison Symphony Orchestra‘s music director John DeMain about the next season, conducted and written by frequent guest critic and writer for this blog John W. Barker.
Barker (below) is an emeritus professor of Medieval history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also is a well-known classical music critic who writes for Isthmus and the American Record Guide, and who hosts an early music show once a month on Sunday morning on WORT FM 89.9 FM. For years, he served on the Board of Advisors for the Madison Early Music Festival and frequently gives pre-concert lectures in Madison.
By John W. Barker
Last month, I had a welcome opportunity to sit down with John DeMain (below, in a photo by Prasad), music director of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, together with his marketing director, Peter Rodgers, to discuss the orchestra’s recently announced 2017-18 concert season. (NOTE: Today is the deadline for current subscribers to renew and keep their seats. You can call 608 257-3734 or go to https://www.madisonsymphony.org/reneworder)
This meeting allowed me new insights into the various factors that go into selecting a season’s repertoire. It also gave me further appreciation of Maestro DeMain’s personality and talents.
It further revealed the unfairness of some criticism made that the coming season is “conservative” and repetitive of familiar works. In fact, his programming involves very thoughtful awareness of the differing expectations of the varied audience.
It has become customary to make the season’s opening concert a showcase for talented members of the orchestra, rather than for guest soloists.
The September program thus offers a masterpiece I particularly relish, Hector Berlioz’s Harold in Italy, a symphony with viola obbligato — featuring the orchestra’s principal violist, Chris Dozoryst (below).
But the inclusion of the neglected Fifth or “Reformation” Symphony by Felix Mendelssohn was decided as a link to this year’s 500th-anniversary commemoration of Martin Luther’s launching of the Lutheran Reformation in 1517. Also on the program is Leopold Stokowski’s orchestral arrangement of the Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for organ by Johann Sebastian Bach.
The October program contains a notable example of a familiar and popular “warhorse,” Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9, “From the New World.” This was indeed performed by the MSO two seasons back as part of the “Beyond the Score” presentations. DeMain indicates that the close repetition is made deliberately to connect with that past event, to expand further the audiences’ understanding of the work.
He is also juxtaposing the symphony with the appearance of the acclaimed Olga Kern (below), playing the Piano Concerto by Samuel Barber and with the “Mother Goose” Suite by Maurice Ravel.
The November soloist is guitarist Sharon Isbin, in two concertos, one new (“Affinity” by Chris Brubeck) and one old (Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo) She plays with her instrument electronically amplified, something very off-putting in my experience. But DeMain notes that all guitarists do that now in concert work, and he wanted to include the guitar to bring in new and different audience members.
Inclusion of suites by Aaron Copland and Manuel de Falla – “Billy the Kid” and “The Three-Cornered Hat,” respectively — also represent popular appeal.
January will bring a triumph for DeMain: the appearance of violinist Gil Shaham (below), after 15 years of efforts to secure him. Shaham will perform the Violin Concerto by Peter Tchaikovsky.
The all-Russian program also allows DeMain to venture for the first time into “The Love for Three Oranges” suite by Sergei Prokofiev and the Third Symphony of Sergei Rachmaninoff.
The issue of “warhorse” repetition is raised by the First Symphony by Johannes Brahms in the February program. But DeMain points out that it has been 10 years since the MSO played the work, a significant one that richly deserves performance by now.
He is also proud to include with it the outstanding Rossini opera overture (Semiramide) and the rarely heard Cello Concerto, with German cellist Alban Gerhardt (below), by the 20th-century British composer William Walton.
DeMain admits to mixed feelings about the “Beyond the Score” presentations of music and background context, but he is confident that the one offered (one night, outside subscriptions) on March 18, about the monumental Enigma Variations, by Sir Edward Elgar, (below) will work well.
The combination in April of Benjamin Britten’s powerful Sinfonia da Requiem and Robert Schumann’s First Symphony (“Spring”) with Antonin Dvorak’s sadly neglected Violin Concerto has special meanings for the maestro. It allows the return of the greatly admired Augustin Hadelich (below) as soloist.
But it also allows DeMain’s return, for his first time since 1974, to the Schumann score, with which he had a crucial encounter in a youthful appearance with the Pittsburgh Symphony.
Finally, the May program is an unusually exciting combination of Mozart’s too-little-appreciated Piano Concerto No. 22 with soloist Christopher O’Riley (below) of NPR’s “From the Top” with the roof-raising Glagolitic Mass, featuring the Madison Symphony Chorus, of Leos Janacek.
DeMain has made important commitments to the orchestral music of Janacek (below) before this, and his advance to the composer’s great blockbuster choral work is a landmark.
Amid savoring DeMain’s thoughts on the season – which also includes the MSO’s traditional Christmas concert in early December — and his wonderful recollections of past experiences, I came to recognize more than ever the remarkable combination of talents he brings to his Madison podium.
Beyond so many conductors, DeMain has had deeply engaging phases of his career in orchestral literature (large and small), in opera and musical theater, and in chamber music, while being himself an accomplished pianist.
With the breadth of his range, he brings a particular sensitivity to the contexts and diversities of what he conducts. He has become to his musicians not only a skilled guide, but also a subtle teacher, deepening their understanding without any hint of pedantry.
It cannot be said enough how truly blessed we are to have him with us in Madison.
For more information about the 2017-18 season, including specific dates and times, and about purchasing tickets for new subscribers and renewing subscribers, go to:
http://www.madisonsymphony.org/17-18
Tags: Aaron Copland, Alban Gerhardt, American Record Guide, amplification, arrangement, Arts, Augustin Hadelich, Bach, Baroque, Benjamin Britten, Berlioz, Beyond the Score, Billy the Kid, blockbuster, Brahms, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, Chris Brubeck, Christmas, Christopher O'Riley, Classical music, composer, concerto, Concierto de Aranjuez, critic, Dvorak, Early music, Elgar, Enigma Variations, From the New World, From The Top, Gil Shaham, Glagolitic, guitar, Harold in Italy, History, Isthmus, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Janacek, Joaquin Rodrigo, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John DeMain, John W. Barker, landmark, lecture, Love of Three Oranges, Luther, Madison, Madison Early Music Festival, Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maestro, Manuel de Falla, marketing, Martin Luther, mass, Medieval, MEMF, Mendelssohn, Mother Goose, Mozart, Music, Music director, New World, NPR, Olga Kern, on-line, online, opera, Orchestra, orchestral, organ, Overture, Overture Center, personality, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, professor, Prokofiev, Rachmaninpff, Ravel, Reformation, renew, repertoire, Requiem, Robert Schumann, Rossini, Russian, Samuel Barber, score, Semiramide, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sharon Isbin, soloist, Spring, Stokowski, subscriber, Suite, symphony, talent, Tchaikovsky, Three-Cornered Hat, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, traits, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, Violin concerto, vocal music, Walton, warhorse, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, WORT-FM 89.9, YouTube
Classical music: How did the modern symphony orchestra get arranged the way it is?
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By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend the Madison Symphony Orchestra (below, seen from above) closes its season.
For information about the program, the performers, the performances and tickets, go to:
But while you are watching and listening, you might wonder: How did the modern orchestra get to be arranged the way it is?
And here is a concise explanation of that evolution:
http://www.wqxr.org/story/why-orchestra-seated-way-explanation
Enjoy!!
Tags: A German Requiem (Brahms), Arts, Brahms, Cello, Charles Villiers Stanford, choral music, Classical music, Jacob Stockinger, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music, Orchestra, organ, Overture Center, Requiem, symphony, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music
Classical music: Madison Symphony Orchestra closes its season with the German Requiem by Brahms and the American premiere of Charles Villiers Stanford’s 1921 Concert Piece for Organ and Orchestra
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson), led by music director John DeMain, will close out its current season this coming weekend.
For the season-closing concert, soprano Devon Guthrie and bass-baritone Timothy Jones will make their MSO debuts when they join the orchestra for Brahms’ A German Requiem.
The concert will open with the American premiere of Charles Villier Stanford’s Concert Piece for Organ and Orchestra featuring Nathan Laube (below top), who is returning to the MSO.
The finishing touch to the 2016-17 season happens in the second half of the concert, when more than 100 members of the Madison Symphony Chorus (below) take the stage with the orchestra and organ to perform Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem.
Featured vocal soloists in the Brahms German Requiem are soprano Devon Guthrie (below top) and bass-baritone Timothy Jones (below bottom), who is familiar from multiple appearances with the Madison-based Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society.
The concerts in Overture Hall of the Overture Center, 201 State St., are on this Friday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m.; this Saturday, May 6, at 8 p.m.; and this Sunday, May 7, at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets are $16-$87. For more information, go to: http://www.madisonsymphony.org/brahms
Charles Villiers Stanford’s Concert Piece for Organ and Orchestra was completed on April 15, 1921. Stanford (below) is one of the leading figures in what is sometimes called the “Second English Musical Renaissance” — which was a movement in the late 19th century, led by British composers.
Stanford (below) believed in more conservative English contemporary music, rather than the music of Wagner, for example. He composed in all genres but had a great commitment to the organ.
His Concert Piece for Organ and Orchestra was never performed or published during his lifetime. This is the piece’s debut performance with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and the American premiere of the work.
Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem was completed between 1857 and 1868. The word “Requiem” is Latin for “rest” or “repose” and in the Catholic faith the Requiem is the funeral Mass or Mass of the Dead. (You can hear the opening movement in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
While usually filled with “terrifying visions of the Last Judgment and pleas for intercession on behalf of the souls of the dead and the living,” Brahms however puts death in a different light. He took sections of the Bible that are religious, but not necessarily Christian, and tells a story of salvation for all.
Although upon its completion, Brahms (below) called this piece, “Ein deutsches Requiem, nach Worten der Heiligen Schrift” (which translates to; “A German Requiem, from Words of the Holy Scripture”), he was quoted saying that his piece should really be called “A ‘Human’ Requiem.” It is believed to be dedicated to Brahms’ mother, and his musical father and mentor, Robert Schumann.
One hour before each performance, Beverly Taylor (below), MSO assistant conductor and chorus director, as well as director of choral activities at the UW-Madison, will lead a 30-minute Prelude Discussion in Overture Hall to enhance concertgoers’ understanding and listening experience.
For more background on the music, visit the Program Notes by MSO trombonist and UW-Whitewater professor Michael Allsen (below) at: http://www.allsenmusic.com/NOTES/1617/8.May17.html
Groups of 15 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information visit, madisonsymphony.org/groups
Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $12 or $15 tickets. More information is at: madisonsymphony.org/studentrush. Students can receive 20% savings on seats in select areas of the hall on advance ticket purchases.
Seniors age 62 and up receive 20% savings on advance and day-of-concert ticket purchases in select areas of the hall.
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
Find more information at madisonsymphony.org
Major funding for the May concerts is provided by: Kenneth A. Lattman Foundation, Inc., Larry and Jan Phelps, University Research Park, and BMO Wealth Management. Additional funding is provided by: WPS Health Solutions, Carla and Fernando Alvarado, and Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra announces its 2017-2018 season of nine concerts of “favorites combined with firsts”
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By Jacob Stockinger
Here is the official announcement of the 2017-18 season by the Madison Symphony Orchestra:
The 2017-18 season of the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO, below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) presents nine programs that invite audiences to “listen with all your heart” and “feel the emotion, power and majesty” of great classical music.
Subscriptions are available now, and single tickets for all concerts go on sale to the public Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017.
For more information about tickets and ticket prices plus discounts for new subscribers and renewing subscribers, go to:
http://www.madisonsymphony.org/17-18
MSO music director John DeMain, who will be marking his 24th season with the MSO, has created an exciting season that features favorites combined with firsts.
Says DeMain (below, in a photo by Prasad): “I must point out two monumental firsts: the MSO debut of the great violinist Gil Shaham, renowned and sought after the world over, whose appearance Madison has waited for for many years; and the Madison premiere of the Glagolitic Mass by Czech composer Leos Janacek, a gargantuan work for chorus and orchestra with a prominent role for our “Colossal Klais,” the Overture Concert Organ.”
Performances are in Overture Hall of the Overture Center at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays; 8 p.m. on Saturdays; and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays.
The 2017-2018 subscription series concerts begin on Sept. 15, 16 and 17 with “Orchestral Brilliance”—proudly presenting the Madison Symphony Orchestra performing the Johann Sebastian Bach/Leopold Stokowski version of the organ Toccata and Fugue in D minor; Felix Mendelssohn’s Reformation Symphony and Hector Berlioz’s “Harold in Italy” with MSO principal viola Christopher Dozoryst (below, in a photo by Katrin Talbot) as soloist. (You can hear Leopold Stokowski conduct his own transcription of the work by Bach, which was used in Walt Disney’s film “Fantasia,” in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
“From the New World” on Oct. 20, 21 and 22 features the return of beloved pianist Olga Kern (below), a gold medalist in the Van Cliburn competition, performing Samuel Barber’s Piano Concerto, and the MSO performing Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” and Maurice Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite.
On Nov. 17, 18, and 19 “Troubadour: Two Faces of the Classical Guitar” features sensational guitar virtuoso Sharon Isbin (below) playing two works, one by American composer Chris Brubeck, and the other by the Spaniard Joaquin Rodrigo, with the MSO performing two Suites—Manuel DeFalla’s The Three-Cornered Hat and Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid.
The cherished kickoff to the holiday season, “A Madison Symphony Christmas,” returns on the first weekend in December — the 1, 2, and 3. Guest artists Emily Pogorelc, soprano, and Eric Barry, tenor, join John DeMain, the MSO, the Madison Symphony Chorus (below), Madison Youth Choirs and Mount Zion Gospel Choir on stage for the family-friendly celebration.
The MSO season subscription continues in 2018 with the long awaited appearance of violinist Gil Shaham (below) with the MSO—“Gil Shaham Plays Tchaikovsky” on Jan. 19, 20 and 21. This program features works by three of the most popular Russian composers of all time— Sergei Prokofiev’s The Love for Three Oranges Suite, Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3 and Peter Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto.
“Richly Romantic” concerts take place on Feb. 16, 17 and 18 when one of MSO’s favorite cellists, Alban Gerhardt (below), returns performing the lyrical William Walton’s Cello Concerto, and the MSO presents Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 and Gioachino Rossini’s Overture to Semiramide.
Spring arrives April 13, 14, and 15 with “String Fever” featuring Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 1, Spring, Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem and Grammy Award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich (below) performing the Antonin Dvorak’s Violin Concerto.
The season finale, “Mass Appeal,” takes place on May 4, 5 and 6. Star of NPR’s From the Top, pianist Christopher O’Riley (below), will open the program with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 22. The MSO premiere of the monumental Glagolitic Mass by Czech composer Leos Janacek features the Overture Concert Organ and the Madison Symphony Chorus, along with soloists Rebecca Wilson, soprano, Julie Miller, mezzo-Soprano, Roger Honeywell, tenor, and Benjamin Sieverding, bass.
The MSO’s 17-18 season includes the popular multimedia production of Beyond the Score®, “Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations,” featuring live actors and visuals in the first half, with the entire work performed in the second half. Joining the orchestra are American Players Theatre actors James Ridge (below), Colleen Madden and Brian Mani, along with Wisconsin Public Radio’s Norman Gilliland of Wisconsin Public Radio as the Narrator. This single performance takes place on Sunday, March 18, 2018*.
NOTE: *Advance tickets for Beyond the Score® are available only to MSO 17-18 season subscribers prior to single tickets going on sale to the general public on Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Beyond the Score® is a production of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Gerard McBurney, Creative Director for Beyond the Beyond the Score®
ABOUT THE MADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 92nd season in 2017-2018 and its 24th season under the leadership of music director John DeMain.
The MSO has grown to be one of America’s leading regional orchestras, providing Madison and south central Wisconsin with cultural and educational opportunities to interact with great masterworks and top-tier guest artists from around the world.
Find more information at madisonsymphony.org
Tags: Aaron Copland, Actor, Alban Gerhardt, America, American Players Theatre, Arts, Augustin Hadelich, Bach, Barber, Baroque, Berlioz, Beyond the Score, Billy the Kid, Brian Mani, Cello, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, choral music, Chris Brubeck, Christmas, Christopher Dozoryst, Christopher O'Riley, classical guitar, Classical music, Colleen Madden, Concert, concerto, Czech, Disney, Dvorak, Edward Elgar, emotion, Enigma Variations, Fantasia, Felix Mendelssohn, film, From the New World, From The Top, fugue, Gil Shaham, Glagolitic, Grammy, guitar, Harold in Italy, heart, Holiday, Jacob Stockinger, James Ridge, Joaquin Rodrigo, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John DeMain, Klais, Leopold Stokowski, Leos Janacek, Love of Three Oranges, Madison, Madison Symphony Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Youth Choirs, majesty, Manuel de Falla, mass, Mother Goose, movie, Mozart, Mt. Zion Gospel Choir, multimedia, Music, narrator, New World Symphony, Norman Gilliland, NPR, Olga Kern, Orchestra, organ, Overture, Overture Center, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Piano, power, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Reformation Symphony, Rossini, Schumann, Semiramide, Sharon Isbin, singer, singers, soloists, soprano, Spring, string, subscription, Suite, symphony, tenor, Three-Cornered Hat, ticket, toccata, Toccata and Fugue in D minor, transcription, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Viola, Violin, virtuoso, visual, vocal music, Walt Disney, William Walton, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Bach Musicians perform Bach’s “St. John Passion” this Friday night and Saturday night in authentic early music style
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Madison Bach Musicians (below), which specializes in authentic period performances of early music, will perform Johann Sebastian Bach’s “St. John Passion” this coming Friday and Saturday nights, both at 7:30 p.m., in the Atrium Auditorium of the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive.
On both nights at 6:45 p.m., MBM founder and music director Trevor Stephenson (below) will give a free pre-concert lecture on the “Structure and Performance History of the St. John Passion.” In his remarks, Stephenson said he will discuss the question of anti-Semitism in the famous work.
(NOTE: Stephenson and some of the players will also be on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Midday” with Norman Gilliland TODAY at noon.)
At the end of Part I, the Rev. Michael Schuler of the Unitarian Society will give a talk focusing on “Theological Reflections on Bach and the St. John Passion.”
This is only the second time the work has been performed in historical style in the state of Wisconsin. For more information and explanation, see the story in the Wisconsin State Journal:
Tickets are $28-$33 and are available online, at Orange Tree Imports and at the door. Ticket information is at www.madisonbachmusicians.org
Trevor Stephenson writes the following about the work and the performance:
Bach was 38 years old when he composed the monumental St. John Passion during his initial year of employment in Leipzig, 1723-24. The work was first performed at the Nikolai Church during the Good Friday service on April 7, 1724.
As was the custom, no concerted music had been played in church during the previous six weeks of Lent, and the airing of the St. John Passion ― music of unprecedented complexity, lasting for over two hours — must have had an overwhelming effect on the fresh ears and devoted souls of the parishioners.
From its outset—with the whirling gear-like figures in the strings beneath the moiling of the oboes—the St. John Passion has an otherworldly aura of a story that has been foretold. Bach’s genius is in how he balances this inevitability with a sense of forward dramatic thrust: the passion story must happen, has already happened, but it also must be played out in real-time by living people, step by painful step. Time is at once both linear and circular. (Below is the manuscript for the “St. John Passion.”)
I believe that the objective of Bach (below) in setting the St. John Passion was to tell as vividly as possible the story of Jesus’ cruel earthly demise while at the same time tempering this vividness with frequent textual reminders, as well as an overarching tone, that convey the firm belief that Jesus’ Passion had not only been prophesied long before his birth but that Jesus’ suffering and death on earth was the only solution for the forgiveness of humanity’s sins.
The Evangelist John is our guide for the story of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and burial. John sings his narration in the dry and angular recitative style, addressing the audience directly. He summarizes some scenes and introduces others, which are then played out in present-tense tableau format by various characters: Jesus, Peter, Pilate, Court officers, the angry mob.
Bach uses two techniques to pause and comment upon the narrative: first, with arias for solo voices and instrumental obbligato, that employ freely-composed poetry to reflect upon the story in a personal way — like the thoughts of someone observing the action; and second, by chorales which use tunes and texts that would have been familiar to Bach’s parishioners to elicit a broader communal response to the passion story. Many of the chorales are like a spiritual balm, providing moments of much needed rest throughout the work.
For the upcoming April 14 and 15 concerts of the St. John Passion ― on Good Friday and Holy Saturday ― the Madison Bach Musicians has endeavored as much as possible to recreate the early 18th-century sound world of that first Leipzig performance in 1724. MBM will use a 17-member baroque orchestra, conducted by UW-Madison bassoonist and performance-practice specialist Marc Vallon (below, in a photo by James Gill).
The orchestra will play entirely on 18th-century style instruments:
- Gut-strung violins, violas, cellos, and bass played with baroque bows which facilitate articulation and phrase grouping
- Early 18th-century single-keyed wooden traverso flutes and single-keyed wooden oboes―uniquely warm-sounding and clear-toned. Plus the baroque ancestor of the modern English horn, the tenor oboe da caccia
- A baroque chamber organ with wooden pipes tuned in 18th-century Well Temperament
- And specialty instruments—even by 18th-century standards. The viola da gamba, featured during the tombeau– or tomb-like Es ist vollbracht (It is fulfilled) aria heard after Jesus’ death; and two violas d’amore, delicate and velvet toned, replete with sympathetic strings for a haunting after-glow of sound. (You can hear that aria in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
These instruments will join with 10 outstanding vocalists—specialists in singing both solo and choral baroque repertoire.
Internationally recognized, and Grammy Award winning tenor, Dann Coakwell (below, in a photo by Mary Gordon) will sing the part of John the Evangelist.
The Passion will be sung in its original German; but an English translation of the text will be projected in supertitles scene-by-scene throughout the performance.
MBM is thrilled to be presenting this masterwork in the Atrium Auditorium (below, in a photo by Zane Williams) at First Unitarian Society, a space beautifully suited to early music. The sightlines are superb, and the acoustics offer a great balance of clarity, crispness, and spaciousness.
Seating is limited, so advance ticket purchase is suggested.
Tags: 18th century, acoustics, anger, anti-Semitism, aria, arrest, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Bassoon, burial, Cello, choral music, Chorale, Christian, Classical music, communal, conductor, court, crucifixion, death, Early music, Earth, English, English horn, evangelist, flute, forgiveness, German, Germany, Good Friday, Grammy Award, historically informed performance practices, History, Holy Saturday, Horn, instrumental, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus, Johann Sebastian Bach, Leipzig, Lent, Madison, manuscript, Marc Vallon, Michael Schuler, mob, Music, noon, Norman Gilliland, Oboe, Orchestra, organ, Passion, performance, period instruments, period performance, Peter, Pilate, Poetry, sightline, sing, singer, solo, Sound, spiritual, St. John, St. John Passion, strings, structure, suffering, supertitles, tenor, text, The Midday, theology, time, translation, trial, tune, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, viola d'amore, viola da gamba, Violin, vocal music, voice, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, Wisconsin State Journal, wood, YouTube
Classical music: After this year’s success, “Bach Around the Clock” will return next year on March 10, 2018
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By Jacob Stockinger
The revival of “Bach Around the Clock” (below) this past Saturday proved so successful to listeners, performers and organizers that it will return again next year in March 2018. (Below are violist Stan Weldy and his mandolinist son Alex.)
“It went so well, we will do it again,” said the chief organizer, violist Marika Fisher Hoyt (below), who plays with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Ancora String Quartet. She not only was the main host for BATC, she also played in more than half-dozen performances.
As you may recall, the marathon event to mark the 332nd birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) took place from noon to midnight, wisely revised to 9:30 p.m. after too few performers signed up, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (below), 1833 Regent Street.
Plans for next year are already being made and meetings have already been held. And next year will bring major some changes, Fischer Hoyt told The Ear.
For one, the date will be March 10, 2018 – not March 17 or March 24 – which means it will come well before the usual timing of the Saturday nearest to Bach’s birthday of March 21. But, unlike what happened this year, this earlier date avoids the UW-Madison spring break plus the Easter break for public schools. That could reap big benefits in terms of audience and performers.
Because of the immense amount of work involved, Fischer Hoyt said, a non-profit organization will also be formed and more volunteers will be recruited to help spread out the workload of lining up performers and donors, and of organizing and hosting the event.
As for lining up performers, Fischer Hoyt is extremely optimistic.
“There’s a lot of talent in this town I’ve never heard of,” she told The Ear. (Below is impressive pianist Tim Adrianson performing three Preludes and Fugues from “The Well-Tempered Clavier,” Book II.)
The Ear, who spent an enjoyable six hours or so attending the event, has to agree. He took a lot of photos and will be posting more about the event in the coming days.
Right now, he wants to give a big shout-out to Fischer Hoyt for some of the innovations she brought to this year’s revival of a traditional event that was held for three years, and then abandoned, by Wisconsin Public Radio.
Here are a few of the changes she made, which The Ear thinks proved all for the better, for BATC 4.
1) There were multiple hosts, which breaks up the event and helps avoid monotony.
2) Prior to playing, performers, some of whom traveled from as far away as Dubuque, Milwaukee, Chicago and Waupun, were briefly interviewed and asked what they liked about Bach’s music and why they chose a particular piece to perform. (Below, flutist Casey Oelkers, left, talks with Hoyt.) That adds personal interest.
3) Free quality snacks of fresh fruit and cheese, not just delicious sweet things like cookies and kringle, were available, as were bottled water, tea and coffee. Good food translates into longer and more comfortable attendance.
4) The church’s venue, especially its woody interior (below), seemed much more suited to Bach’s music and friendly to the audience than the Pres House. And thanks to donations, in addition to a fine church organ there were fine instruments to play, including a Kawai grand piano and a hand-built clavichord from Farley’s House of Pianos. There were also birthday cakes donated by Clasen’s European Bakery of Middleton.
5) The entire event was recorded by Rich Samuels (below) — Madison’s chronicler of live music. He is from WORT-FM 89.9 and he will air BATC in increments on his “Anything Goes” program on Thursday mornings. In fact the broadcasts started this past week with a performance of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 on Thursday morning.
6) The event was streamed live via four different places or portals: the St. Andrew’s website, the Bach Around the Clock website, the Audio for the Arts website and WORT website.
7) There was an impressive variety of performers on all levels and of repertoire. It ranged from student to amateur to professional; from solo and small chamber groups to larger choral and orchestral ensembles, plus faculty members from the UW-Madison, UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh as well as the Milwaukee Conservatory of Music. The Ear expects the lineup will get even better as word of next year gets out and spreads. (Below are students from the Suzuki Strings of Madison.) Time to get out the music and start practicing!
8) There might a 9-CD boxed set from Audio for the Arts, depending on getting authorization from all the performers.
In short, Bach Around the Clock 4 was a remarkable community event to honor both a remarkable composer and a town with a remarkable commitment to and a remarkable amount of classical music.
To keep current with BATC news, check the event’s website: https://bacharoundtheclock.wordpress.com
Cheers to Bach Around the Clock.
And special cheers to Marika Fischer Hoyt.
Bravissimo tutti!
Did you go?
What did you think?
Do you have something to say that you can leave in the COMMENT section?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: Ancora String Quartet, Arts, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, Baroque, birthday, boxed set, Brandenburg Concerto, Cello, Chamber music, cheese, Chicago, choral music, church, Clasen's European Bakery, Classical music, clavichord, coffee, community, Compact Disc, composer, concerto, conservatory, cookies, Early music, Easter, Episcopal, Farley's House of Pianos, flute, food, fruit, fugue, hand-made, instrument, interview, Iowa, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Kawai, kringle, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee, Music, Orchestra, organ, performer, Piano, Prelude, public schools, Radio, recording, Rich Samuels, school, Sonata, Spring, Spring Break, String quartet, Suzuki, Suzuki Strings of Madison, talent, tea, The Well-Tempered Clavier, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater, Viola, Violin, water, Waupun, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, WORT-FM 89.9
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra presents two organ concerts this week – this season’s final organ recital TONIGHT at 7:30 p.m. and this season’s final FREE community hymn sing on Saturday at 11 a.m.
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following information to post about two performances, put on by the Madison Symphony Orchestra, in Overture Hall this week. The first is the season’s final organ recital and the second is the season’s final hymn sing:
The Madison Symphony Orchestra welcomes acclaimed organist Erik Wm. Suter in recital, TONIGHT, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.
Suter will perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Maurice Duruflé and William Bolcom, among others. For the specific works on the program, go to: http://madisonsymphony.org/suter
A native of Chicago, Suter (below) enjoys an international career from Tokyo to Toronto and from Massachusetts to Madison. For 10 years he served as organist at the Washington National Cathedral.
Additionally, he has won five first place awards in numerous organ competitions around the world.
His performances of the complete organ works of Maurice Duruflé have garnered high praise: “Suter’s impeccable organ playing and musicianship were certainly the highlight of the evening.” (You can sample Suter’s Duruflé project, performed at the National Cathedral, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
On Saturday, March 11, at 11 a.m., the MSO invites the entire community to sing together with the Overture Concert Organ at a free Hymn Sing in Overture Hall, 201 State Street.
All ages are welcome and no registration or tickets are required.
The Hymn Sing will feature classic hymns and spirituals such as Rock of Ages, Were You There, and I Know That My Redeemer Lives as well as solo organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Douglas Bristol and Louis Vierne.
Gary Lewis (below), organist at Bethel Lutheran Church in Madison, will lead the hymn singing, which will last approximately one hour.
TICKETS
General Admission for each Overture Concert Organ performance is $20. Tickets can be purchased at madisonsymphony.org/suter, (608) 258-4141 or the Overture Center Box Office.
Student Rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $10 tickets.
The Erik Wm. Suter performance is sponsored by Mike and Beth Hamerlik.
Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund. With a gift from Pleasant T. Rowland, the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) commissioned the Overture Concert Organ, which is the backdrop of all MSO concerts.
Tags: Arts, Bach, Baroque, Bethel Lutheran Church, Bolcom, Chicago, choral music, Classical music, D.C., Douglas Bristol, Durufle, Early music, Erik Wm. Suter, frecital, Gary Lewis, hymn, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Lutheran, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Massachusetts, Mozart, Music, National Cathedral, Orchestra, organ, Overture Center, recital, sing, Tokyo, Toronto, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vierne, vocal music, Washington, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
Classical music: The Madison Symphony Orchestra’s organ concert on Tuesday night features two male singers in music from oratorios and operas
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By Jacob Stockinger
This coming week, the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) will present organist Samuel Hutchison (below) and acclaimed singers Andrew Bidlack and Kyle Ketelsen performing as a trio in vocal and instrumental music from oratorios and operas.
The concert is Tuesday night, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall of the Overture Center, 201 State Street.
Principal Organist and Curator for the Madison Symphony Orchestra Samuel Hutchison joins forces with two outstanding singers in the first half to perform a program of favorite arias and overtures from Handel’s Messiah, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, and Rossini’s Stabat Mater.
Opera will be the focus of the second half, featuring arias and selections from Bizet’s Carmen, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin and Gounod’s Faust.
For the full program, go to: http://www.madisonsymphony.org/organopera
Featured by Opera News as one of their top 25 brilliant young artists, tenor Andrew Bidlack (below) — who is replacing David Portillo — makes his debut in Overture Hall following performances at The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Welsh National Opera and London’s Covent Garden.
Bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen (below, in a photo by Dario Acosta), who lives in nearby Sun Prairie, has sung with major opera companies throughout the world including The Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the State Opera of Berlin. He is praised for his vibrant stage presence and his distinctive vocalism.
In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear Kyle Ketelsen sing the role of Don Escamillo in a Barcelona, Spain, production of Bizet’s “Carmen.” He is singing the same role in the Metropolitan Opera’s current production of “Carmen.”
General Admission for each Overture Concert Organ performance is $20. Tickets can be purchased at madisonsymphony.org/organopera, (608) 258-4141 or the Overture Center Box Office.
Student Rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two $10 tickets.
This performance is sponsored by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund.
With a gift from Pleasant T. Rowland, the Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) commissioned the Overture Concert Organ, which is the stunning backdrop of all MSO concerts.
Tags: Andrew Bidlack, aria, Arts, Barcelona, baritone, Baroque, bass, Berlin, Bizet, Carmen, choral music, Classical music, Concert, Covent Garden, Elijah, Escamillo, Eugene Onegin, Faust, Felix Mendelssohn, George Frideric Handel, Germany, Gounod, instrumental, Jacob Stockinger, Kyle Ketelsen, London, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Messiah, Metropolitan Opera, Music, New York City, opera, Opera News, oratorio, organ, Overture, Overture Center, Pleasant T. Rowland, Rossini, Samuel Hutchison, Spain, Stabat Mater, stage, State Opera of Berlin, symphony, Tchaikovsky, the Met, trio, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, vocal music, Welsh National Opera, Wisconsin, YouTube
Con Vivo performs rarely heard chamber music by Milhaud, Medtner and Zemlinsky this Sunday afternoon. Plus, a FREE concert of flute music is this Friday at noon
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ALERT: This week’s FREE Friday Noon Musicale at the First Unitarian Society of Madison features Danielle Breisach and Taya König-Tarasevich playing music for baroque and modern flutes. They will play works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Philipp Telemann, Jacques-Martin Hottetere and Yuko Uebayashi. The concert runs from 12:15 to 1 p.m.
By Jacob Stockinger
“Con Vivo! … music with life,” (below) continues its 15th season with a chamber music concert entitled “Capital Europeans” on this Sunday afternoon, Feb. 12, at 2:30 p.m. at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1609 University Ave. across from Camp Randall Stadium.
Tickets can be purchased at the door. Admission is $18 for adults and $15 for seniors and students.
The winter concert, called, “Capital Europeans,” features pieces from three distinct European composers, each with his own style.
Representing Paris, the program includes selections from the Organ Preludes by French composer Darius Milhaud.
Representing Vienna is the Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano by Austrian composer Anton Zemlinsky. (You can sample Zemlinsky’s Clarinet Trio in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The concert will end with a piece that was 46 years in the making: from Moscow, the Piano Quintet for strings and piano by Russian composer Nikolai Medtner (below).
Audience members are invited to join the musicians after the concert for a free reception to discuss the concert.
Adds Con Vivo’s artistic director Robert Taylor: “With this concert, we are performing a Sunday matinee with three unique composers, each with his own musical language. Our Madison audience will be able to hear our musicians up close and personal playing music of extreme delight and depth.”
Con Vivo is a professional chamber music ensemble comprised of Madison area musicians assembled from the ranks of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and various other performing groups familiar to Madison audiences.
For more information about Con Vivo and its upcoming concerts, go to: http://www.convivomusicwithlife.org
Tags: Artistic director, Arts, audience, Austria, Bach, Baroque, baroque flute, Camp Randall Stadium, capital, Cello, Chamber music, clarinet, Classical music, Con Vivo, Europe, European, First Unitarian Society of Madison, flute, France, French, Georg Philipp Telemann, Jacob Stockinger, Jacques-Martin Hottetere, Johann Sebastian Bach, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Medtner, Milhaud, modern, modern flue, Moscow, Music, organ, Paris, Piano, Piano Quintet, Prelude, quintet, reception, Russia, Russian, strings, Telemann, trio, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Vienna, Viola, Violin, YouTube, Yuko Uebayashi, Zemlinsky
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