The Well-Tempered Ear
YOU MUST HEAR THIS: No piece captures the mixed emotions of Memorial Day better than Charles Ives’ “Decoration Day”
3 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 is Memorial Day, 2022.
It is the annual holiday to remember those who died in military service to the country. (Below are flags placed each year at the tombstones in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.)
If you want to honor survivors and current service members, that would be Veterans Day on Nov. 11.
All weekend long the radio has been playing music and the television has been showing war movies.
A lot of the music is familiar and repeated every year: Sousa marches and Morton Gould suites, elegies by Gustav Mahler, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein; requiems by Mozart and Fauré; a hymn by John Williams and other movie scores. This year has also seen the playlist include rediscovered works of homage by African-American composers such as William Grant Still.
But only this year did The Ear finally hear — thanks to Wisconsin Public Radio — the one piece that, to his mind, best captures Memorial Day with its blending of consonance and dissonance, its mix of major and major keys, of familiar or “found” music and original music.
It is called, simply, “Decoration Day” and it was composed in 1912 — but not published until 1989 — by the 20th-century iconoclastic and early modernist American composer Charles Ives (below, 1874-1954). It ended up as part of a work the composer called “A Symphony: New England Hollidays.”
See if you agree with The Ear.
Listen to the 8-minute performance by “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in the YouTube video at the bottom.
Listen to the deep anguish and and sense of loss conveyed in the opening, when a solemn remembrance procession goes to a cemetery to plant flags and lay flowers and wreaths to “decorate” the graves of the fallen.
Listen carefully and you will hear a faint version of “Taps” and ringing church bells in the atmospheric music.
Then as so often happens in reality, life suddenly intrudes in the form of a celebration by a loud marching brass band as it leaves the cemetery for the celebratory marches, picnics and fireworks.
But at the end, the darkness briefly returns. The sense of loss lingers long after the actual death and long after the holiday has been celebrated.
There is no closure.
Just resignation.
Just living with loss.
Here is the background from Wikipedia about how the holiday started as Decoration Day after the Civil War and when it evolved into Memorial Day in 1970: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
And here is biographical background, with the actual sources and depictions of “Decoration Day” — just go down the page to compositions and click — about Charles Ives: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ives
Did you know and like Charles Ives’ music?
Does “Decoration Day” impress or move you?
What music most embodies Memorial Day for you?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AaronCopland, #African-AmericanComposer, #ArlingtonNationalCemetery, #BandMusic, #BlackAmericans, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassBand, #BrassMusic, #CharlesIves, #ChurchBells, #CivilWar, #DecorationDay, #FacebookPosting, #GabrielFaure, #GustavMahler, #JacobStockinger, #JohnPhilipSousa, #JohnWilliams, #LeonardBernstein, #MajorKey, #MemorialDay, #MilitaryService, #MinorKey, #MixedEmotions, #MortonGould, #NationalPublicRadio, #NewEngland, #OrchestralMusic, #OriginalWork, #SamuelBarber, #TheEar, #ThePresident, #TheU.S., #UnitedStates, #UnitedStatesMarineBand, #USMarines, #VeteransDay, #WarMovies, #Wikipediaentry, #WilliamGrantStill, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, 20th-century, 20th-century music, Aaron Copland, actual, African American, American, American Civil War, Ameriuca, anguish, annual, Arlington, Arlington National Cemetery, Arts, atmosphere, atmospheric, audience, background, band, band music, Barber, Bernstein, biographical, black, blog, bottom, brass band, brass music, celebration, celebratory, cemetery, Charles Ives, church, church bells, Civil War, Classical music, Classical Revolution, closure, compose, composer, Composition, Concert, consonance, Copland, darkness, dead, death, Decoration Day, deep, depiction, dissonance, early, Early music, Elegy, embody, emotion, evolution, evolve, Facebook, fallen, familiar, Fascebook, Faure, film, Fireworks, flag, flower, found, Gabriel Fauré, Gould, grave, Gustav Mahler, hear, Holiday, homage, honor, hymn, iconoclast, iconoclastic, impress, information, intrude, Ives, Jacob Stockinger, John Philip Sousa, John Williams, Leonard Bernstein, life, like, linger, listen, living, loss, loud, Mahler, major key, march, Marines, mark, Memorial Day, military, minor key, minute, mixed, modern, modernist, morph, Morton Gould, move, Movies, Mozart, nation, national, National Public Radio, New England, NPR, opening, orchestral, original, performance, picnic, piece, plant, playlist, post, posting, President, procession, psalm, publish, Radio, reality, rediscover, remembrance, repeat, Samuel Barber, score, sense, service, show, solemn, soundtrack, source, sources, Sousa, Still, suddenly, Suite, symphony, Taps, Television, thanks, The Ear, TV, U.S., United State Marine Band, United States, veterans, Veterans Day, video, war, war movies, weekend, Wikipedia, William Grant Still, Williams, wisconsin public radio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, work, wreaty, year, you, YouTube
Classical music education: The 18th annual family-friendly and FREE Concert in the Park by the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, with two student soloists, is this Wednesday night on the far west wide of Madison
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras will perform its 18th annual FREE summer Concert in the Park (below) on this coming Wednesday, Aug. 7, at 1200 John Q. Hammons Drive in the Old Sauk Trails Business Park. (The rain date is this Thursday.)
Hosted by The Gialamas Company, the Concert in the Park is designed to be fun for all ages and is FREE to the public. The Ear can attest to the excellent quality of the musical performances.
Led by WYSO’s music director and Youth Orchestra conductor Kyle Knox (below), who is a graduate of the UW-Madison and the associate conductor of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, WYSO’s Youth Orchestra will perform works by Antonin Dvorak, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Modest Mussorgsky, Felix Mendelssohn, Camille Saint-Saens, John Philip Sousa and Dmitri Shostakovich.
The program includes concerto performances by two WYSO student soloists: violinist Ellen Zhou; and cellist Grace Kim.
The grounds will open at 5 p.m. for setting up lawn chairs and blankets for picnics and socializing, and for engaging in pre-concert activities, including an ice cream social (below top) and a WYSO instrument petting zoo. Also scheduled are a visit by The Big Red Reading Bus (below bottom) from the Madison Reading Project and activities by the Madison Children’s Museum.
The concert begins at 7 p.m., followed by a fireworks display.
Here is the concert program:
Slavonic Dances Nos. 1, 3, 4, 6, 8 by Antonin Dvorak
Violin Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn
- Allegro molto appassionato
Ellen Zhou, violin (below)
Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33, by Camille Saint-Saens
III. Tempo primo
Grace Kim, cello (below)
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36, by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Finale: Allegro con fuoco
Intermission
“Tahiti Trot” (Tea for Two) by Dmitri Shostakovich (orchestrated by Dave Brubeck and heard in the YouTube video at the bottom)
“Stars and Stripes Forever” March by John Philip Sousa (orchestrated by Leopold Stokowski)
“Pictures at an Exhibition” by Modest Mussorgsky (orchestrated by Maurice Ravel)
1st Promenade
Gnomus
2nd Promenade
4th Promenade
Ballet of Unhatched Chicks
The Hut on Hen’s Legs (Baba Yaga)
The Great Gate of Kiev
For more information, food and beverage menus, and information about how to reserve tables, call (608) 836-8000 or visit www.Gialamas.com (click on Events) or email office@Gialamas.com
For more information about WYSO, including how to join it, support it, learn about its background and attend future events, go to https://www.wysomusic.org
Tags: #AntoninDvorak, #BigRedReadingBus, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BusinessPark, #CamilleSaint-Saens, #CelloConcerto, #ConcertinthePark, #ConcertProgram, #DaveBrubeck, #DmitriShostakovich, #EllenZhou, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FamilyFriendly, #FelixMendelssohn, #FolkDance, #FolkMusic, #GialamasCompany, #GraceKim, #GreatGateofKIev, #HomeWebsite, #IceCream, #IceCreamSocial, #JohnPhilipSousa, #JohnQ.HammonsDrive, #KyleKnox, #LeopoldStokowski, #MadisonChildren'sMuseum, #MadisonReadingProject, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MauriceRavel, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #ModestMussorgsky, #MusicalPerformance, #MusicDirector, #MusicEducation, #OldSaukTrailsBusinessPark, #OrchestralArrangement, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PettingZoo, #PicnicDinner, #PicturesatanExhibition, #RainDate, #SlavonicDances, #SouthKorea, #StarsandStripesForever, #TahitiTrot, #TeaforTwo, #TheEar, #Thursdaynight, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViolinConcerto, #Wednesdayafternoon, #WisconsinYouthSymphonyOrchestras, #WYSOconcerts, #YoungPeople, #YouthOrchestra, #YouTubevideo, activities, age, allegro, American, Antonín Dvořák, Arts, asian, attend, background, ballet, beverage, Big Red Reading Bus, blog, bus, Business, business park, Camille Saint-Saëns, celiist, Cello, Cello Concerto, chicks, children, children's concerts, China, Chinese, Classical music, composer, Concert, Concert in the Park, concert program, concerto, conductor, dance, Dave Brubeck, display, Dmitri Shostakovich, drink, Ellen Zhou, email, engage, evening, event, excellent, Facebook, Family, family-friendly, Felix Mendelssohn, finale, Fireworks, Folk music, food, forward, free, friend, fun, funding, future, Gialamas Company, Grace Kim, Great Gate of Kiev, grounds, hen, host, hut, ice cream, ice cream social, information, instrument, Jacob Stockinger, John Philip Sousa, John Q. Hammons Drive, join, kids, Korea, Korean, Kyle Knox, learn, Leopold Stokowski, like, link, Madison, Madison Children's Museum, Madison Reading Project, Madison Symphony Orchestra, march, Maurice Ravel, Mead Witter School of Music, menu, Modest Mussorgsky, Music, Music director, Music education, musical, Old Sauk Trails, open, Orchestra, orchestral arrangement, orchestrated, Park, perform, performance, pet, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, petting zoo, picnic, Pictures at an Exhibition, post, posting, program, promenade, public, quality, rain, rain date, reserve, share, Slavonic Dances, social, socialize, socializing, soloist, South Korea, sponsor, Stars and Stripes Forever, Student, support, symphony, table, tag, Tahiti Trot, Tea for Two, Tempo, The Ear, Thursday, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Violin, Violin concerto, violinist, visit, Website, Wednesday, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, works, WYSO, young, Youth Orchestra, YouTube, zoo
Classical music: Madison Opera’s annual FREE Opera in the Park returns this Saturday night, July 20, in Garner Park and celebrates 18 years plus a glimpse of the upcoming season
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement to post about one of the most highly anticipated musical events of summer, one that offers lots of family-friendly fun and serious musical enjoyment:
Madison Opera’s Opera in the Park (below, in a photo by James Gill) celebrates its 18th year on this coming Saturday night, July 20, at 8 p.m. in Garner Park, on Madison’s far west side at the intersection of Rosa Road and Mineral Point Road.
The annual free concert of opera and Broadway favorites closes the company’s 2018-19 season and provides a preview of the 2019-20 season. (You can hear a sample of past years in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
A Madison summer tradition that often attracts over 14,000 people, Opera in the Park is an enchanting evening of music under the stars, featuring selections from opera and Broadway.
Opera in the Park 2019 features soprano Jeni Houser, soprano Michelle Johnson, tenor David Blalock and baritone Ben Edquist.
Jeni Houser (below) has sung many roles with Madison Opera, most recently in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, and she returns next season as Eurydice in Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld.
Michelle Johnson (below) scored a major success with Madison Opera as Santuzza in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana last season.
David Blalock (below) debuted with Madison Opera in 2014 and returns this season as Orpheus in Orpheus in the Underworld.
Ben Edquist (below) is making his debut, and will return to the company as Hawkins Fuller in Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers, about the Lavender Scare against LGBTQ people, in February.
The four soloists are joined by the Madison Opera Chorus and Madison Symphony Orchestra, conducted by John DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson).
The evening is hosted by Madison Opera’s General Director Kathryn Smith and WKOW TV’s 27 News co-anchor George Smith (below, in a photo by Simon Fowler).
“Opera in the Park is the greatest performance in Madison Opera’s season,” says Smith (below, in a photo by James Gill). “It offers a truly magical blend of beautiful voices, music from many centuries, and thousands of members of our community relaxing together under the same night sky. I am grateful to all of our supporters who share our belief in the community-building power of music and help us produce this concert every summer.”
Opera in the Park 2019 features arias and ensembles from Verdi’s La Traviata, which opens the 2019-20 season in November; Spears’ Fellow Travelers, which will be performed in February; and Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld, which will be performed in April.
The program also includes selections from Verdi’s Rigoletto and La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny); Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love and Don Pasquale; Korngold’s Die Tote Stadt (The Dead City); Romberg’s The Student Prince; Funny Girl; Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel; and more. As always, this spectacular evening will include one number conducted by the audience with light sticks (below).
Garner Park is located at 333 South Rosa Road. Parking is available in the CUNA Mutual Group and University Research Park lots. Attendees are encouraged to bring picnics, blankets and chairs. Alcohol is permitted but not sold in the park.
On the day of the concert, Garner Park will open at 7 a.m. Audience members may not leave items in the park prior to this time. Lots of porta potties will be provided. Transportation via golf carts is available for those who have limited mobility.
The rain date for Opera in the Park is Sunday, July 21, at 8 p.m.
For more details about attending Opera in the Park and for more extensive biographies of the singers, go to: https://www.madisonopera.org/2018-2019-season/oitp/
While Opera in the Park is free to attend, it would not be possible without the generous support of many foundations, corporations, and individuals who believe in the importance of music in the community.
Madison Opera is grateful to the sponsors of Opera in the Park 2019.The Presenting Sponsor is the BerbeeWalsh Foundation. Other sponsors are the John and Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation; Full Compass Systems; the Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation; University Research Park; Colony Brands; the Evjue Foundation; Johnson Financial Group; MGE Foundation; National Guardian Life; the Wisconsin Arts Board; Dane Arts; and the Madison Arts Commission.
WKOW, Madison Magazine, Wisconsin Public Radio, Magic 98, and La Movida are media sponsors for this community event.
RELATED EVENTS
The Prelude Dinner at Opera in the Park 2019 is at 6 p.m. This annual fundraiser to benefit Opera in the Park helps support Madison Opera’s free gift to the community.
The event includes dinner catered by Upstairs Downstairs, VIP seating at the concert, and a reception with the artists following the performance. Tickets are $150 per person or $1,150 for a table of eight.
More information about Opera in the Park and about the 2019-20 season, including subscriptions, is available at Madison’s Opera’s home website www.madisonopera.org
Tags: #ALittleNightMusic, #All-FestivalConcert, #BaritoneSinger, #BenEdquist, #BerbeeWalshFoundation, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BroadwayMusical, #BroadwayShows, #Carouselmusical, #CavalleriaRusticana, #ChoralMusic, #ColonyBrands, #CUNAMutual, #DaneArts, #DavidBlalock, #DonPasquale, #ErichWolfgangKorngold, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FamilyFriendly, #FellowTravelers, #FreeParking, #FullCompassSystems, #FunnyGirl, #GaetanoDonizetti, #GarnerPark, #GeneralDirector, #GeorgeSmith, #GiuseppeVerdi, #GregAnderson, #GregorySpears, #HistoricBuilding, #HomeWebsite, #JacquesOffenbach, #JamesGill, #JeniHouser, #JohnandCarolynPeterson, #JohnDeMain, #JohnsonFinancialGroup, #KathrynSmith, #LaForzadelDestino, #LaMovida, #LavenderScare, #LGBTQrights, #LGBTRights, #LightStick, #MadisonArtsCommission, #MadisonGasandElectric, #MadisonMagazine, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #Magic98, #MG&E, #MGEFoundation, #MIchelleJohnson, #MineralPointRoad, #MusicalTheater, #MusicalTheatre, #NationalGuardianLife, #NightSky, #OperaAria, #OperaInThePark, #OperaMusic, #OrpheusintheUnderworld, #PietroMascagni, #PortaPotty, #RainDate, #RaymondB.Preston, #RodgersandHammerstein, #RosaRoad, #SigmundRomberg, #SopranoSinger, #SoundSample, #StephenSondheim, #SubscriptionTicket, #TelevisionNews, #TelevisionStation, #TenorSinger, #TheDeadCity, #TheElixirofLove, #TheEvjueFoundation, #TheForceofDestiny, #TheStudentPrince, #UniversityResearchPark, #UpstairsDownstairs, #VocalMusic, #WestSide, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WKOWTV, #YouTubevideo, A Little Night Music, alcohol, anchor, announcement, annual, anticipate, April, arias, artists, Arts, attend, audience, baritone, beautiful, belief, Ben Edquist, BerbeeWalsh Foundation, blanket, blend, blog, Broadway, build, Carousel, catered, Cavalleria Rusticana, centuries, century, chair, charitable, choral music, city, Classical music, Colony Brands, community, company, composer, Concert, conductor, corporations, CUNA Mutual, CUNA Mutual Group, Dane Arts, date, David Blalock, dead, debut, dinner, Don Pasquale, Donizetti, enchanting, enjoyment, ensembles, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Eurydice, evening, event, Family, favorites, February, Fellow Travelers, forward, foundations, free, Full Compass Systems, fun, Fundraising, Funny Girl, Gaetano Donizetti, Garner Park, General director, gift, Giuseppe Verdi, grateful, Greg Anderson, Gregory Spears, host, individuals, item, Jacob Stockinger, Jacques Offenbach, James Gill, Jeni Houser, John and Carol Peterson, John DeMain, Johnson Financial Group, July, Kathryn Smith, La Forza del Destino, La Movida, Lavender Scare, LGBT, LGBTQ, light stick, like, link, Madison, Madison Arts Commission, Madison Gas and Electric, Madison Magazine, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Magic 98, magical, major, Mascagni, media, member, MGE Foundation, Michelle Johnson, Mineral Point Road, Music, musical theatre, National Guardian Life, new, news, night, night sky, November, Offenbach, opera, Opera in the Park, Orchestra, Orpheus, Orpheus in the Underworld, Park, parking, performer, permit, permitted, photo, picnic, Pietro Mascagni, poet, porta potties, porta potty, post, power, Prelude, public, rain, rain date, Raymond B. Preston, reader, reception, relax, relaxing, Rigoletto, Roda Road, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Romberg, sample, Saturday, Season, seating, selections, share, shows, Sigmund Romberg, sing, Singing, sky, sold, Sondheim, song, soprano, spectacular, sponsor, stars, Stephen Sondheim, subscriber, subscription, success, summer, support, supporter, symphony, tag, Television, tenor, The Dead City, The Elixir of Love, The Evjue Foundation, The Force of Destiny, The Student Prince, tickets, TV, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Research Park, Upstairs Downstairs, Verdi, video, VIP, vocal music, voice, Website, west side, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, wisconsin public radio, WKOW TV, YouTube
Classical music: The Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society closes its 28th season this weekend by honoring three guest artists. Plus, here are all the winners of the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition
Leave a Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
ALERT: The Ear has been following two competitors in the 16th International Tchaikovsky Competition in Russia who have local ties. (The only American to win Gold was cellist Zlatomir Fung.) The final results are in: trumpet player Ansel Norris took fifth place and received an artist’s diploma; pianist Kenneth Broberg shared the third prize with two other winners. For a complete list of winners in all the categories — piano, violin, cello, voice, brass and woodwinds — go to this page: https://tch16.com/en/news/
You can also watch and listen to, via live streaming, the two Gala Concerts for the winners today at 11 a.m. and on Saturday at 1 a.m. Valery Gergiev will conduct both. Go to https://tch16.medici.tv
By Jacob Stockinger
This Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society will close out its 28th annual summer chamber music season with concerts in Madison, Stoughton and Spring Green.
Judging by the first two weekends of concerts, The Ear expects it to be a memorable conclusion of the season with the punning theme of “Name Dropping.”
Here is the announcement he received.
“Our third week of concerts celebrates three great musicians, all of whom are audience favorites: cellist couple Anthony (“Tony”) Ross and Beth Rapier; and firebrand violinist Carmit Zori.
“And the Tony Award for Rapier Wit goes to…” is a program centered around cello duets. Rapier and Ross (below), principal and co-principal cellists with the Minnesota Orchestra, start the program with George Frideric Handel’s gorgeous Sonata in G minor for two cellos and piano. (You can hear the Handel sonata, payed by Amit Peled in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
They both display crazy virtuosity in Luigi Boccherini’s Quintet in B-flat Major for flute, violin, viola and two cellos.
The first half ends with Gian Carlo Menotti’s Suite for two cellos and piano, a work that they have performed to acclaim around the world.
The second half of the program is given over to one of Brahms’ greatest works, the Sextet in G Major, Op. 36, for two violins, two violas and two cellos.
Ross and Rapier are joined by violinists Carmit Zori and Leanne League (assistant concertmaster of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra) and violists Toby Appel (below, a faculty member at the Juilliard School who plays in the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center) and Katrin Talbot (a Madisonian who performs with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra) in this spectacular piece.
“And the Tony Award for Rapier Wit goes to…” will be performed at the Stoughton Opera House on Friday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m.; and in Spring Green at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin on Sunday, June 30, at 2:30 p.m.
Firebrand violinist Carmit Zori (below), founder and artistic director of the Brooklyn Chamber Music Society in New York City, will sizzle her way through the second program, entitled “The Legend of Zori.”
The program will open with Johannes Brahms’ Sonata in G Major for violin and piano. Viaje, by living Chinese composer Zhou Tian, is a fun and exciting new piece featuring flute and string quartet.
Zori will bring the program home with the torridly passionate Piano Quintet in F minor by Cesar Franck (below), a work written while Franck was in the throes of a love affair with one of his young students.
“The Legend of Zori” will be performed at The Playhouse at the Overture Center for the Arts on Saturday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m.; and in Spring Green at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin, on Sunday, June 30, at 6:30 p.m.
Venue Locations: the Stoughton Opera House is at 381 East Main Street; the Overture Center in Madison is at 201 State Street; Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin Hillside Theater in on County Highway 23 in Spring Green.
Single admission tickets start are $43 and $49. Student tickets are always $10. All single tickets must now be purchased from Overture Center for the Arts, www.overturecenter.org or (608) 258-4141 (additional fees apply) or at the box office. Tickets are available at the door at all locations.
You can also enjoy a pre-ordered picnic at the Hillside Theater made with love from Pasture and Plenty, using ingredients from local farmers and producers. They are available for pick up at the Hillside Theater after the 2:30 p.m. concert or before the 6:30 p.m. concert, for $18.
Spread a blanket on the beautiful Hillside Theater grounds or eat in the Taliesin Architecture School Dining Room, which will be open exclusively to BDDS concert-goers.
Choose from Green Goddess Chicken Salad, Market Veggie Quiche with Greens, or Hearty Greens and Grains with Seasonal Veggie Bowl (gluten-free/vegan). Seasonal sweet treat and beverage included. See the BDDS order form or call BDDS at 608 255-9866.
Tags: #AmitPeled, #AnselNorris, #AnthonyRoss, #AsianComposer, #BachDancingandDynamiteSociety, #BaroqueMusic, #BethRapier, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BoxOffice, #BrooklynChamberMusicSociety, #CarmitZori, #CelloMusic, #CelloSonata, #CesarFranck, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberMusicSocietyofLIncolnCenter, #Chinesecomposer, #ContemporaryMusic, #CriticalAcclaim, #DiningRoom, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #FluteMusic, #FoodandDrink, #FrankLloydWright, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GianCarloMenotti, #Gluten-Free, #GraduateStudent, #HillsideTheater, #InternationalTchaikovskyCompetition, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #JuilliardSchool, #KatrinTalbot, #KennethBroberg, #LeanneLeague, #LiveStreaming, #LivingComposer, #LoveAffair, #LuigiBoccherini, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MadisonWisconsin, #MediciTV, #MinnesotaOrchestra, #MoscowRussia, #NewMusic, #NewYorkCity, #OvertureCenter, #PastureandPlenty, #PianoAccompaniment, #PianoQuintet, #PrincipalCellist, #SaintPetersburg, #SpringGreen, #StoughtonOperaHouse, #StoughtonWisconsin, #StringMusic, #StringQuartet, #SweetTreat, #Taliesincompound, #TheEar, #ThePlayhouse, #TheU.S., #TobyAppel, #TonyAward, #TrumpetMusic, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ValeryGergiev, #ViolaMusic, #ViolinMusic, #ViolinSonata, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WoodwindInstruments, #WoodwindMusic, #YouTubevideo, #ZhouTian, #ZlatomirFung, acclaim, accompaniment, address, America, American, Amit Peled, annoucement, Ansel Norris, Anthony Ross, artist, Arts, Asia, assistant, Bach, Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, Baroque, Baroque music, Beth Rapier, beverage, blanket, blog, bowl, box office, Brooklyn Chamber Music Society, Carmit Zori, categories, catgeory, celebrate, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, chicken, China, Chinese, Classical music, co-principal, composer, Concert, concertmaster, conclusion, conduct, conductor, contemporary music, couple, critical, dining room, diploma, door, duo, Early music, Facebook, faculty member, farmers, fifth, firebrand, flute, food, founder, Frank Lloyd Wright, Friday, fun, gala, George Frideric Handel, Gian-Carlo Menotti, grain, great, greens, grounds, Hillside Theater, ingredients, International Tchaikovsky Competition, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, Juilliard School, Katrin Talbot, Kenneth Broberg, Leanne League, legend, listen, live streaming, living, Living composer, local, location, Love, Luigi Boccherini, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, medici.tv, Moscow, Music, Musician, name, New Music, New York City, Orchestra, Overture Center, Overture Center for the Arts, Pasture and Plenty, Pianist, Piano, Piano Quintet, picnic, piece, principal, prize, producers, program, pun, quiche, reception, Russia, Saint Petersburg, salad, Saturday, Season, seasonal, sizzle, Sonata, spectacular, Spring Green, St. Petersburg, Stoughton, Stoughton Opera House, string music, String quartet, strings, Student, Suite, Sunday, sweet, sweet treat, Taliesin, The Ear, The Playhouse, theme, third, ticket, ties, Toby Appel, Tony Award, treat, Trumpet, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Valery Gergiev, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian, veggie, venue, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtuosity, vocal music, voice, watch, weekend, winner, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wit, woodwinds, world, young, YouTube, Zhou Tian, Zlatomir Fung
Classical music: Concerts on the Square begin this Wednesday night – and half of the six concerts feature classical music
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
The 36th annual FREE summer series of six Concerts on the Square, performed by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (below) and guest soloists, will begin this Wednesday night, June 26, at 7 p.m. on the King Street Corner of the Capitol Square in downtown Madison.
Each concert draws an average of 30,000 people.
But if you think it is largely a pops concert event, think again.
One of the many outstanding achievements that WCO music director Andrew Sewell (below) has brought to the event – billed as “the Biggest Picnic of Summer” — over the past 20 years is an increased emphasis on classical music, perhaps to help build new audiences for the WCO’s winter Masterworks concerts.
The opening concert, for example, has become a tradition, a chance to introduce to the public the latest winner of the WCO’s young people’s concerto competition – and this year is no different.
Three of the six concerts will be also all-classical – and that’s not counting Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” that will be featured on the Fourth of July program on July 3.
There will also be pops music of course, including a tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ iconic album “Abbey Road”; patriotic fare for Independence Day; and an evening of movie scores, most composed by John Williams, with concertmaster Suzanne Beia as violin soloist in the theme from “Schindler’s List.”
All concerts are on six consecutive Wednesday nights from June 28 through July 31. Performances begin at 7 p.m. on the King Street corner of the Capitol Square. They usually last about two hours.
To find out more, including the programs and biographies of performers for each program, go to: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performance-listing/category/concerts-on-the-square
Once there, if you click on a specific date, on the right hand side you will also find information about concert etiquette, seating on the Capitol lawn, weather cancellations, catering menus, food vendor sales and other information, including details about volunteering and donating. Here is a link to general guidelines:
https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performances/concerts-on-the-square/attending-the-concert/
Here are the three classical concerts:
JUNE 26
“East Meets West” features the WCO’s concerto competition winner pianist Sakurako Eriksen (below) – a Madison native now living in Milwaukee — in the popular and virtuosic Piano Concerto No. 3 by Sergei Prokofiev.
Also on the program are “Francesca da Rimini” by Russian composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky; “Noble and Sentimental Waltzes” by French composer by Maurice Ravel; and an unnamed work by Spanish composer Isaac Albeniz.
JULY 10
“Finlandia” features the Russian-born and Moscow Conservatory-trained accordion virtuoso Sergei Belkin (below).
On the program are unnamed works by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak and Alexander Glazunov; “Oblivion” by Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla; the “Sabre Dance” by Russian composer Aram Khachaturian; and “Finlandia” by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.
JULY 31
“Rockin’ Rachmaninov” features Russian pianist Ilya Yakushev (below), a frequent WCO guest artist who teaches at the Mannes College of Music in New York City.
The program includes the Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, by Sergei Rachmaninov; the Overture to the opera “The Magic Flute” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; the 1944 “Cornish Rhapsody” piano concerto score, composed by English composer Hubert Bath for the World War II film “Love Story”; and a Suite from “The Firebird” by Igor Stravinsky.
Tags: #AbbeyRoad, #AlexanderGlazunov, #AndrewSewell, #AntoninDvorak, #AramKhachaturian, #AstorPiazzolla, #balletsuite, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolSquare, #CompactDisc, #ConcertEtiquette, #ConcertoCompetition, #ConcertsontheSquare, #CornishRhapsody, #Czechcomposer, #EnglishComposer, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FilmMusic, #FilmScore, #FinnishComposer, #FoodVendor, #FourthofJuly, #FrancescadaRimini, #Frenchcomposer, #GuestSoloist, #HubertBath, #IgorStravinsky, #IlyaYakushev, #IndependenceDay, #IsaacAlbeniz, #JeanSibelius, #JohnWilliams, #JulyFourth, #LoveStory, #MadisonWisconsin, #Mannes School of Music, #MannesCollege, #MasterworksConcerts, #MauriceRavel, #MoscowConservatory, #MovieMusic, #MovieSoundtrack, #MusicDirector, #NewYorkCity, #NobleandSentimentalWaltzes, #OperaMusic, #PatrioticMusic, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoConcerto, #PopsMusic, #RockandRoll, #RockMusic, #RussianComposer, #SabreDance, #SakurakoEriksen, #Schindler'sList, #SergeiBelkin, #SergeiProkofiev, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #SpanishComposer, #SuzanneBeia, #TheBeatles, #TheFirebird, #TheMagicFlute, #ValseNoblesetSentimentales, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorldWarII, #YoungPeople, 1812 Overture, @1812Overture, Abbey Road, accordion, achievement, Album, Alexander Glazunov, Andrew Sewell, Angentinean, anniversary, Antonín Dvořák, Aram Khachaturian, Arts, Ástor Piazzolla, ballet, biggest, biography, blog, build, cancellation, Capitol, Capitol Square, catering, Classical music, classicalmusic, Compact Disc, composer, Concert, concertmaster, concerto, concerto competition, Concerts on the Square, conductor, Cornish, Czech, donate, donation, downtown, east, emphasis, English, etiquette, event, Facebook, film, film music, Finland, Finlandia, Finnish, food, forward, Fourth of July, France, Francesca da Rimini, free, French, general, Glazunov, guest, guest soloist, guidelines, Hubert Bath, Igor Stravinsky, Ilya Yakushev, Independence Day, information, Isaac Albéniz, Jacob Stockinger, Jean Sibelius, John Williams, July 4, lawn, like, link, love story, Madison, Manners School of Music, Mannes College of Music, masterwork, Maurice Ravel, meet, menu, Milwaukee, Moscow Conservatory, movie, Mozart, Music, Music director, native, new, New York City, Noble and Sentimental Waltzes, Oblivion, opera, Overture, patriotic, patriotic music, People, performer, Pianist, Piano concerto, picnic, pops, popular, program, public, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, reader, rhapsody, Rock, rock and roll, rock music, Russia, Russian, Sabre Dance, Sakurako Eriksen, Schindler's List, Sergei Belkin, Sergei Prokofiev, series, share, soloist, Spain, Spanish, subscriber, Suite, summer, Suzanne Beia, tag, tango, Tchaikovsky, The Beatles, The Firebird, The Magic Flute, theme, tradition, train, tribute, unnamed, Valses nobles et sentimentales, vendor, Violin, virtuosic, volunteer, Waltz, WCO, weather, west, winner, winter, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, work, World War II, years, young people
Classical music: Madison Opera’s FREE 17th annual “Opera in the Park” takes place this Saturday night in Garner Park
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
Madison Opera’s annual Opera in the Park (below) celebrates its 17th year on this coming Saturday night, July 21, at 8 p.m. in Garner Park on Madison’s far west side, near West Towne Mall.
The annual FREE and family-friendly concert of opera and Broadway favorites closes the company’s 2017-18 season and provides a preview of the 2018-19 season.
A Madison summer tradition that often attracts over 15,000 people (below, in a photo by James Gill), Opera in the Park is an evening of music under the stars that features selections from opera and Broadway.
This year’s Opera in the Park features four soloists: soprano Elizabeth Caballero; soprano Brenda Rae; tenor John Lindsey; and baritone Levi Hernandez.
Caballero (below top) and Hernandez (below bottom) recently starred in Madison Opera’s acclaimed production of “Florencia en el Amazons” last spring.
Lindsey (below) is making his debut, and will return to the company as the Prince in Antonin Dvorak’s Rusalka in April, 2018.
Rae (below) is also making her Madison Opera debut. She did her undergraduate work at the UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music before going on to the Juilliard School and an international career. She is singing Cunegonde in Candide at Santa Fe Opera this summer, and is performing at Opera in the Park in between performances there.
The four soloists are joined by the Madison Opera Chorus and Madison Symphony Orchestra (below top, in a photo by James Gill), conducted by Gary Thor Wedow (below bottom), who has guest conducted Opera in the Park before.
The evening is hosted by Madison Opera’s General Director Kathryn Smith and WKOW-TV’s 27 News co-anchor George Smith (below).
“Opera in the Park is the most wonderful and most unique performance we give at Madison Opera,” says Kathryn Smith (below, in a photo by James Gill). “We have beautiful voices performing music from many centuries in many languages, while thousands of members of our community relax together under the same night sky. It truly shows how music and opera can connect us. I am so grateful to all of our supporters for enabling us to produce this free concert every summer, harnessing the community-building power of music.”
Opera in the Park 2018 features arias and ensembles from Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci, which open the 2018-19 season in November; Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music, which will be performed in February; and Antonin Dvorak’s Rusalka, which will be performed in April. (You can hear the beautiful “Song to the Moon” from Rusalka — a signature aria for superstar soprano René Fleming — sung by Frederica von Stade, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The program also includes selections from La Bohème, Turandot, La Sonnambula, The Marriage of Figaro, El Niño Judío, La del Soto del Parral, My Fair Lady, Candide, On the Town, and more. For a complete list of repertoire on the program, which is subject to change, go to: https://www.madisonopera.org/2018-2019-season/oitp/
As always, this evening will include one number conducted by the audience with light sticks (below).
Garner Park is located at 333 South Rosa Road, at an intersection with Mineral Point Road. Parking is available in the CUNA Mutual Group and University Research Park lots across the street.
Attendees are encouraged to bring picnics, blankets and chairs. Alcohol is permitted but not sold in the park. On the day of the concert, Garner Park will open at 7 a.m. Audience members may not leave items in the park prior to this time.
The rain date for Opera in the Park is Sunday, July 22, at 8 p.m.
While Opera in the Park is free to attend, it would not be possible without the generous support of many foundations, corporations and individuals.
Sponsors of Opera in the Park 2018 are: the BerbeeWalsh Foundation, the John and Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation, Full Compass Systems, the Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation, University Research Park, Colony Brands, the Evjue Foundation – the charitable arm of The Capital Times, Hooper Foundation, MG&E Foundation, Johnson Bank, National Guardian Life, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, the Wisconsin Arts Board, Dane Arts and the Madison Arts Commission.
Madison Magazine, Wisconsin Public Radio, Magic 98, and La Movida are media sponsors for this community event.
RELATED EVENT: Prelude Dinner at Opera in the Park 2018 is on Saturday, July 21, at 6 p.m. in the park under a tent.
This annual fundraiser to benefit Opera in the Park helps support Madison Opera’s free gift to the community. The event includes dinner catered by Upstairs Downstairs, VIP seating at the concert, a complimentary light stick, and a reception with the artists following the performance. Tickets are $145 per person or $1,100 for a table of eight. More information is available at www.madisonopera.org
Madison Opera is a non-profit professional opera company based in Madison, Wisconsin. Founded in 1961, the company grew from a local workshop presenting community singers in English-language productions to a nationally recognized organization producing diverse repertoire featuring leading American opera singers and emerging talent.
A resident organization of the Overture Center for the Arts, Madison Opera presents three annual productions in addition to the free summer concert Opera in the Park and a host of educational programming.
Tags: #ALittleNightMusic, #AntoninDvorak, #BrendaRae, #BroadwayMusicals, #CavalleriaRusticana, #CUNAMututal, #DaneArts, #ElizabethCaballero, #EvjueFoundation, #FamilyFriendly, #FlorenciaenelAmazonas, #FoodCaterer, #FredericavonStade, #GarnerPark, #GaryThorWedow, #GeorgeSmith, #GiacomoPuccini, #JohnLIndsey, #JuilliardSchool, #KathrynSmith, #LaBoheme, #LaSonnambula, #LeonardBernstein, #LeviHernandez, #LightStick, #MadisonArtsCommission, #MadisonMagazine, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MarriageofFigaro, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MediaSponsor, #MusicEducation, #MyFairLady, #NationalGuardianLife, #NewsAnchor, #OntheTown, #OperaAria, #OperaComposer, #OperaInThePark, #OperaMusic, #PietroMascagni, #PucciniOpera, #RenéeFleming, #SantaFeOpera, #SongtotheMoon, #StephenSondheim, #TheCapitalTimes, #TheSleepwalker, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityResearchPark, #UpstairsDownstairs, #VincenzoBellini, #WestTowneMall, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WisconsinBankandTrust, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, A Little Night Music, alcohol, anchor, aria, Arts, baritone, Bellini, blanket, Brenda Rae, Candide, cater, Cavalleria Rusticana, Cello, chair, choral music, Classical music, composer, conductor, CUNA Mutual, Dane Arts, dinner, Evjue Foundation, family-friendly, Florencia en el Amazonas, food, Frederica von Stade, Garner Park, Gary Thor Wedow, George Smith, Giacomo Puccini, Jacob Stockinger, John Lindsey, Juilliard School, Kathryn Smith, La bohème, La Sonnambula, Levi Hernandez, light stick, Madison, Madison Arts Commission, Madison Magazine, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, media, media sponsor, moon, Mozart, Music, Music education, My Fair Lady, National Guardian Life, news, news anchor, On the Town, opera, Orchestra, Overture, Overture Center, Overture to Candide, Pagliacci, Park, picnic, Pietro Mascagni, production, Puccini, Renée Fleming, Song to the Moon, soprano, sponsor, Spring, stars, Stephen Sondheim, summer, symphony, Television, tenor, The Capital Times, The Marriage of Figaro, The Sleepwalker, Turandot, TV, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Research Park, Upstairs Downstairs, Viola, Violin, vocal music, West Town Mall, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin Bank and Trust, wisconsin public radio, WKOW TV, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, WPR, YouTube
Classical music: The 35th annual summer Concerts on the Square start this Wednesday night and will feature a lot of classical music
3 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
Maestro Andrew Sewell usually makes sure the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra programs a fair amount of classical music for its annual summer Concerts on the Square (below).
The FREE popular outdoor concerts — billed as “The Biggest Picnic of Summer” — usually draw up to at least 20,000 people for each performance on the King Street corner of the State Capitol.
They start this Wednesday night at 7 p.m. – blankets can go down at 3 p.m. — and run for six consecutive Wednesday nights through Aug. 1.
But this year Sewell (below) seems especially generous with the classical fare he is serving up. In fact, four of the six concerts are all classical – a much higher percentage than in most past years, if The Ear recalls correctly.
For the complete lineup of the concerts – and to compare this year’s offerings with those of past years — go to the website: https://wisconsinchamberorchestra.org/performance-listing/category/concerts-on-the-square
Then you can click on “More Info” for each individual concert date to get the full program and information about the performers.You can also find what you need to know about following rules, parking, reserving tables, listening etiquette, volunteering, donating and support, and finding menus for food providers.
For this opening concert “Carnival” on Wednesday, the WCO will showcase 18-year-old Kenosha high school senior Matthew Udry (below), a cellist who won this year’s Young Artist Concerto Competition. Udry will perform the Cello Concerto No. 1 by Dmitri Shostakovich.
Also on the all-Slavic program are two Czech compositions: the “Carnival” Overture by Antonin Dvorak (heard in the YouTube video at the bottom); and “Three Dances” from the opera “The Bartered Bride” by Bedrich Smetana.
An all-Russian concert is slated for July 11 with another student cellist, Miriam K. Smith (below top), and the Middleton High School Choir (below bottom). The program includes the Concert Waltz No. 2 by Alexander Glazunov, the “Rococo” Variations by Peter Tchaikovsky and the Intermezzo and Women’s Dance by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
The July 25 concert features the up-and-coming guitarist Colin Davin (below) in a programs of Spanish and Hispanic music including Joaquin Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez,” Alberto Ginastera’s “Estancia: Four Dances,” and Roberto Sierra’s “Fandango.”
Finally, on Aug. 1, baritone Jubilant Sykes (below) is featured in a program that includes: the “Norwegian Rhapsody No. 1” by Johan Halvorsen; Aaron Copland’s “Old American Songs,” including “Simple Gifts” and “I Bought Me a Cat” as well as two spirituals, “Were You There?” and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child”; the Interlude from the symphonic ode, “La Nuit et l’Amour” (Night and Love), from the cantata “Ludus pro Patria,” by the French composer Augusta Holmes; and the Symphony No. 9 “From the New World” by Antonin Dvorak.
Of course other programs include pops and rock music, plus patriotic music for the Fourth of July concert — only fitting for the occasion.
But The Ear still thinks the classical fare is generous and noteworthy.
Of course, loud chitchat, eating and other neighborly noise could interfere with your ability to listen closely to the music.
But Andrew Sewell and the WCO still deserve a big shout out!
Bravo, all!
Tags: #AaronCopland, #AlbertoGinastera, #AlexanderGlazunov, #AmericanPatriotism, #AndrewSewell, #AntoninDvorak, #AugustaHolmes, #BedrichSmetana, #CarnivalOverture, #CelloConcerto, #CelloMusic, #ClassicalMusc, #ColinDavin, #ConcertoCompetition, #ConcertsontheSquare, #ConcertWaltz, #ConciertodeAranjuez, #Czechcomposer, #DmitriShostakovich, #FoodCaterers, #FoodProviders, #FourthofJuly, #Frenchcomposer, #GuitarConcerto, #GuitarMusic, #HighSchool, #HispanicMusic, #IndependenceDay, #JoaquinRodrigo, #JohanHalvorsen, #JubilantSykes, #JulyFourth, #MiddletonHighSchool, #MiddletonHighSchoolChoir, #MiriamK.Smith, #NewWorldSymphony, #NorwegianRhapsody, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PeterTchaikovsky, #PopsMusic, #RobertoSierra, #RockMusic, #RococoVariations, #RussianMusic, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #SimpleGifts, #SlavicMusic, #SpanishMusic, #StateCapitol, #TheBarteredBride, #ThemeAndVariations, #WisconsinCapitol, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, Arts, August, baritone, blanket, bravo, canata, Carnival, cellist, Cello, choral music, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, Concierto de Aranjuez, Czech, dance, donate, etiquette, Fandango, Fourth of July, Ginastera, guitarist, high school, Hispanic, Independence Day, information, intermezzo, Jacob Stockinger, Joaquin Rodrigo, Johan Halvorsen, July, July Fourth, June, Kenosha, listening, Love, Madison, menu, Milwaukee, night, noise, opera, Orchestra, Overture, parking, patriotic, patriotism, picnic, program, reserving, resveration, rule, singer, spitiruals, summer, support, symphony, table, theme and variations, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, volunteer, Waltz, Website, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, women, YouTube
Classical music: The impressive second weekend of four concerts by the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society adds elements of theater and dance to chamber music
1 Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
The second weekend of the three-weekend summer series of concerts by the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society features two performances each of two programs.
The programs in this 27th season with its “Toy Stories” theme – “Play-Do(h)” and “GI Joe” – will be performed at The Playhouse (below) of the Overture Center on Friday and Saturday night at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday performances are at the Hillside Theater (below) at Taliesin, at the Frank Lloyd Wright compound in Spring Green, at 2:30 and 6:30 p.m.
Each program introduces elements of drama, using a narrator, and of dance.
The works include “The Kitchen Revue” by Bohuslav Martinu and “The Masked Ball” by Francis Poulenc as well as “Einstein on Mercer Street” by American composer Kevin Puts and “The Solder’s Tale” by Igor Stravinsky. (You can hear the first part of the Stravinsky work — “The Soldier’s March” — with Jeremy Irons narrating and the composer conducting in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The baritone singer is Timothy Jones (below top), a longtime favorite of BDDS audiences, and Milwaukee-based hip-hop dancer and choreographer Blake Washington (below bottom), who is returning for his second season with BDDS.
Here is a link to the introduction and complete schedule to the entire summer season, including a FREE concert of “American Haiku: for violin and cello this coming Wednesday night:
Also included this weekend are various works for bassoon, flute, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, double bass and percussion by Alexandre Tansman; Georg Philipp Telemann, Gabriel Pierné and Robert Schumann.
A bonus to notice: This year for the first time, at the Hillside Theater at Taliesin, Enos Farms is offering picnic dinners that can be ordered, then picked up and eaten outside or in the Taliesin dining room. For food reservations, go to Tickets at http://bachdancing.org
Tags: #AlbertEinstein, #AlexandreTansman, #AmericanComposer, #AxelStrauss, #BachDancingandDynamiteSociety, #BaroqueMusic, #BassoonMusic, #BlakeWashington, #BohuslavMartinu, #ChamberMusic, #DoubleBass, #EinsteinonMercerStreet, #EnosFarms, #FluteMusic, #FrancisPoulenc, #FrankLloydWright, #GabrielPierné, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #GIJoe, #HillsideTheater, #Hip-HopDance, #IgorStravinsky, #JeffreySykes, #JeremyIrons, #JohannSebastianBach, #KevinPuts, #KitchenRevue, #LauraMedisky, #MaskedBall, #MercerStreet, #OboeMusic, #OvertureCenter, #PercussionMusic, #PicnicDinner, #PlayDoh, #RobertSchumann, #SpringGreen, #StephanieJutt, #Taliesincompound, #ThePlayhouse, #TheSoldier'sTale, #TimothyJones, #ToyStories, #ToyStory, #TrioSonata, #TrumpetMusic, #USArmy, #YouTubevideo, American, Army, Arts, Bach, baritone, Baroque, Bassoon, Blake Washington, Cello, Chamber music, choreographer, choreography, Classical music, composer, Conducting, conductor, dance, double bass, Early music, Enis Farms, farm, flute, free, GI, haiku, hip-hop, Jeremy Irons, Johann Sebastian Bach, kitchen, Madison, march, Martinu, Milwaukee, Music, narrator, Oboe, percussion, performance, Piano, picnic, program, reservation, revue, singer, Sonata, Telemann, theater, theatre, toy, Toy Story, trio, Trumpet, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: Today is Memorial Day 2016. What what classical music would you play? And should civilians be included and honored along with the military?
1 Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
Today is Memorial Day 2016, originally called Decoration Day because people placed flowers on the graves of soldiers who had died or been killed.
But as Decoration Day turned into Memorial Day to honor all military personnel, including the living, the holiday has also become the occasion for marches and parades, for picnics and start-of-summer celebrations.
What music would you play to best honor the occasion and those who served, were wounded or fell?
The Ear has looked for new compilations.
So far, the best one remains, after five years, one that appeared on the Deceptive Cadence blog for National Public Radio or NPR:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=104341851
It comes with names and audio clips.
What pieces of classical music would you choose?
But here is a more controversial question: Should we also include and honor civilians on Memorial Day?
Modern wars — World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan — have turned countless civilians into fatalities and casualties. In fact, in many cases, civilian casualties of war far outnumber military ones.
It is inarguable: Modern wars have drafted or conscripted or forced civilians into action, and not just into the military.
The Ear does not think that honoring civilians who were injured or fell in the wars detracts from honoring veterans and the members of the military who did so.
Maybe civilians should even have their own day to mark and honor their sacrifices?
What do you think?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: Armed Forces Day, cemetery, civilian, Decoration Day, grave, Gulf War, Korean War, marches, Memorial Day, military, Military personnel, National Public Radio, NPR, parade, picnic, summer, United States, United States Armed Forces, Veteran, Vietnam, Vietnam War, World War II
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 
Classical music: Today is the Fourth of July. Here is patriotic music to help celebrate, including a portrait of a truly presidential president for the purpose of comparison
5 Comments
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Today is the Fourth of July – a celebration of Independence Day when the United States officially declared its separation from Great Britain in 1776.
The day will be marked by picnics and barbecues, by local parades and spectacular fireworks – and this year by armored tanks and fighter jets in yet another expensive display of military power by You Know Who: that loudmouth man who overcompensates for dodging the draft by acting more like King George than George Washington.
The “Salute to America” sure looks like it is really going to be a “Salute to Trump.”
But whatever your politics, your preferences in presidents or the festive activities you have planned for today, there is classical music to help you mark and celebrate the occasion. Just go to Google and search for “classical music for the Fourth of July.”
Better yet, tune into Wisconsin Public Radio, which will be featuring American classical music all day long.
In addition, though, here are some oddities and well-known works that The Ear particularly likes and wants to share.
The first is the Russian immigrant composer and virtuoso pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff playing his own version of our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” something he apparently did out of respect for his adopted country before each recital he played in the U.S.:
And the second is by another Russian immigrant and piano virtuoso, Vladimir Horowitz, who was a friend and colleague of Rachmaninoff. Here he is playing his piano arrangement, full of keyboard fireworks that sound much like a third hand playing, of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” by American march king John Philip Sousa. Horowitz used the patriotic march to raise money and sell war bonds during World War II, then later used as an encore, which never failed to wow the audience:
For purposes of artistic and political comparisons of presidents, you will also find Aaron Copland’s “A Lincoln Portrait” – with famous actor and movie star Henry Fonda as the narrator of Honest Abe’s own extraordinary oratory and understated writing — in the YouTube video at the bottom.
And in a ironic twist The Ear can’t resist, here are nine pieces — many orchestral and some choral –chosen by the official website of the BBC Music Magazine in the United Kingdom to mark and honor American Independence Day. It has some surprises and is worth checking out:
http://www.classical-music.com/article/nine-best-works-independence-day
If you like or favor other works appropriate to the Fourth of July or have comments, just leave word and a YouTube link if possible, in the Comment section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Share this:
Like this:
Tags: #AaronCopland, #AbrahamLincoln, #AdoptedCountry, #ALincolnPortrait, #AmericanMusic, #AmericanPatriotism, #BBCMusicMagazine, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CharlesIves, #CheckOut, #ChoralMusic, #DonaldJ.Trump, #EuropeanImmigration, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FighterPlane, #FightJet, #FourthofJuly, #GeorgeWashington, #Googlesearch, #GreatBritain, #HenryFonda, #HonestAbe, #IndependenceDay, #JetPlane, #JoanTower, #JohnPhilipSousa, #KingGeorge, #LeonardBernstein, #MarchKing, #MilitaryPower, #MovieStar, #NationalAnthem, #OrchestralMusic, #PIanoRecital, #PresidentTrump, #SalutetoAmerica, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #Star-SpangledBanner, #StatueofLiberty, #TheEar, #TheStarsandStripesForever, #TheU.S., #UnitedKingdom, #UnitedStates, #VirtuosoPianist, #VladimirHorowitz, #WarBonds, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WorldWarll, #YouKnowWho, #YouTubevideo, A Lincoln Portrait, Aaron Copland, Abraham Lincoln, act, activities, Actor, adopt, adopted, airplane, American, anthem, armor, armored, arrangement, artistic, Arts, audience, barbecue, BBC, BBC Music Magazine, blog, celebrate, celebration, Charles Ives, check out, choral music, Classical music, classicalmusic, colleague, comment, comparison, composer, Concert, country, declare, display, dodging, Donald Trump, draft, encore, expensive, extraordinary, Facebook, famous, favor, festive, fight, Fireworks, flag, forward, Fourth of July, friend, George Washington, Google, Great Britain, hand, Henry Fonda, Honest Abe, honor, immigrant, immigration, Independence Day, ironic, irony, Jacob Stockinger, jet, Joan Tower, John Philip Sousa, King, King George, Leonard Bernstein, like, link, local, loudmouth, Madison, man, march, march king, military, military power, money, movie, movie star, Music, narrator, national anthem, occasion, oddities, official, oratory, Orchestra, orchestral, overcompensate, parade, patriotic, patriotism, performer, Pianist, Piano, picnic, plane, Politics, power, preference, President, President Donald Trump, President Trump, presidential, reader, recital, respect, Russian, salute, Salute to America, section, separation, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Rachmaninov, share, spectacular, star, Star-Spangled Banner, Statue of Liberty, subscriber, surprise, symphony, tag, tanks, The Ear, The Stars and Stripes Forever, The U.S., today, truly, Trump, twist, U.K., understate, understated, United Kingdom, United States, version, virtuoso, Vladimir Horowitz, war bonds, well-known, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, work, World War ll, worth, wow, writing, you know who, YouTube