The Well-Tempered Ear
Revisit historical and forgotten pianists with Mark Ainley’s ‘Piano Files’
2 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Who were Jascha Spivakosky, Gitta Gradova, Wilhelm Backhaus, Marcelle Meyer, Benno Moisiewitsch, Guitar Novaes (below), Eugen Indjic and Solomon — pianists from Russia/Ukraine, the United States, Germany, France, England, Brazil, Serbia/US and England, respectively?
Who was the Polish-American Josef Hofmann (below) and why did Sergei Rachmaninoff and others consider him the greatest pianist of his day while others considered him — and still do — dangerously radical?
Why was the early death of Dino Lipatti (below) such a major loss for classical music?
Most of all: How did these performers play the piano? What made them special? And what did they sound like?
Just ask Mark Ainley (below).
Ainley’s online Piano Files goes back to the earliest days of recordings and resurrects forgotten virtuosi on Facebook and the web.
His frequently posts entries — often on birthdays or anniversaries of deaths and certain concerts — offers concise, well researched and well-written summaries of their lives and careers.
And he finds the best surviving or available recordings by those pianists — usually on YouTube or reissued CDs and LOPs (below) — and links to them so you can hear differences and decide for yourself.
For example, The Ear found the 1930 recording of Chopin mazurkas that Polish pianist Ignaz Friedman (below) recorded (on YouTube at the bottom) quite revealing about historical stylistic and rhythmic differences — freer rubato and hands not always played together — compared to more mainstream interpretations by, say, Arthur Rubinstein or Vladimir Horowitz or Martha Argerich.
You can also learn much about the Big Names, including pianists who studied with students Chopin and Liszt. Ainley celebrates well-known piano virtuosi like Rubinstein, Horowitz, Gina Bachauer, Claudio Arrau, Jorge Bolet and Dame Myra Hess as well.
Ainley’s Piano Files save you a lot of time and searching on your own, and are available for you to subscribe to for downloads and sharing on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/ThePianoFilesWithMarkAinley
You can also go to his online website — which I prefer — and bookmark it if you like. There is a lot to explore, to read and listen to. The archives of past entries go back to March of 2011:
https://www.thepianofiles.com/author/Mark
And here is email if you have or a tip or suggestion for Ainley, or a reaction to his site and his written and recorded postings:
What do you think of the Piano Files?
Do you learn anything from them?
Will you use them and enjoy them?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, 2011, America, American, anniversary, Apple, archives, Arrau, Arthur Rubinstein, Arts, Asia, asian, Bach, Beethoven, Benno Moisiewitsch, big, big names, Bing, birthday, blog, bookmark, Brazil, Carl Mikuli, Chamber music, Chopin, Classical music, classical pianist, classical piano, Claudio Arrau, composer, Concert, concerto, concise, dance, dangerous, death, Dinu Lipatti, download, Early music, effort, England, enjoy, Eugen Indjic, Euorpe, European, explore, Facebook, forget, forgotten, France, Frédéric Chopin, French, Germany, Gina Bachauer, Gitta Gradova, Google, Google Alert, Google Search, Great Britain, Greece, Greek, hands, historical, how, interpret, interpretation, Jacob Stockinger, Jascha Spivakosky, Johann Sebastian Bach, Jorge Bolet, Josef Hofmann, learn, listen, Liszt, loss, Ludwig van Beethoven, Marcelle Meyer, Mark Ainley, Martha Argerich, mazurka, Microsoft, Microsoft Bing, Mikuli, Mozart, Music, Myra Hess, names, neglect, neglected, North America, North American, ok, online, Orchestra, OS, Pianist, pianists, Piano, Piano Files with Mark Ainley, Poland, Polish, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, radical, recording, reserach, rhythm, rubato, Russia, Russian, search, Serb, Serbia, share, Solomon, Sonata, South America, South American, Student, students, subscribe, surviving, Swiss, Switzerland, tag, The Ear, The Well-Tempered Ear, time, U.S., UK, Ukraine, Ukrainean, Ukrainian, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, use, vintage, virtuoso, Vladimir Horowitz, Website, what, when, why, Wilhelm Backhaus, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, writing, you, YouTube
YOU MUST HEAR: Alkan’s ‘Barcarolle’
4 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
One of the standout recordings for The Ear this past year was “Waves.”
It is a recital of Baroque, Romantic and modern French piano music by Bruce Liu (below), who won the 18th Chopin Competition in 2021 and has since skyrocketed to fame.
Here is Liu’s story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Liu
Liu’s first recording for Deutsche Grammophon was a memorable and highly acclaimed all-Chopin recital made up of excerpts from his competition appearances. Recently, “Waves” (below), his second solo recording, was released.
You can enjoy “Waves” for the crisply articulated Rameau theme-and-variations suite. Or for the nuanced Ravel in “Miroirs” (Mirrors).
But Liu — who was born in Paris to Chinese parents, who came of age in Montreal, Canada, and who speaks fluent Mandarin, French and English — manages to unearth a piece that at least this pianophile never heard before and now wants to play.
It is the Barcarolle by the eccentric and misanthropic French-Jewish composer Charles-Valentin Alkan (1833-88, below).
I’m not usually a fan of Alkan.
He possessed a titanic keyboard technique and his music often sounds too much like simply a showcase for it, especially his Solo Concerto for Piano. Too often he sounds just too much over the top, too forced and virtuosic, not naturally lyrical or accessible.
Perhaps that stems from having so little social contact in his personal and artistic life.
Here is a walk-through narrative of his life: https://www.pianotv.net/2016/10/brief-history-charles-alkan/
And here is his Wikipedia biography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles-Valentin_Alkan
But then I heard Liu playing Alkan’s Barcarolle — one of a set of pieces —and was joyfully surprised. It sounds mysterious and wistful, more like a nocturne than a rocking-boat barcarolle to me. And it even sounds playable by amateurs like The Ear.
So I intend to check out more Alkan, especially the short pieces like preludes.
Listen to the 4-minute Barcarolle in the YouTube video at the bottom.
What do you think?
Do you like it? Are you surprised by it?
Would you want to play it?
What do you think of Alkan?
Can you suggest other listenable and even playable pieces by Alkan?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, accessible, Alkan, amateur, Amazon, Amazon Music, Android, Apple, Apple Music, Apple Music Classical, artistic, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, barcarole, Baroque, biography, blog, Bruce Liu, Canada, Canadian, CD, Charles-Valentin Alkan, China, Chinese, Chopin, Chopin Competition, Chopin International Piano Competition, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, Deutsche Grammophon, DG, eccentric, English, Europe, Facebook, fame, fluent, force, France, French, Google, Idagio, Jacob Stockinger, Jewish, language, life, link, lyrical, Mandarin, memorable, misanthropic, modern, Music, nocturne, Orchestra, Paris, perform, performance, Pianist, Piano, piano recital, pianophile, pianotv.net, play, Poland, Polish, Prelude, Rameau, Ravel, recital, recorded, recorded music, recording, Romantic, share, skyrocket, social, Spotify, Suite, The Ear, theme and variations, United States, vinyl, virtuoso, Warsaw, Wikipedia, YouTube
Here are winners of major international music competitions in 2023. What’s next?
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Which young, up-and-coming classical musicians should you keep an eye on during the coming year?
Which ones, if any, will be booked in coming years to performance locally, say, at the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Wisconsin Union Theater; or at the Salon Piano Series; or as a University of Wisconsin Mead Witter School of Music guest artist?
One guide to 2024 and beyond might be to review the winners of the international music competitions held in 2023.
Thanks to The Violin Channel, here is a list of many such winners who may go on to establish more prominent careers. If you click on the names of the competitions, posted in red, you will be linked to fuller stories about the competitions, many of which you have probably never heard of. The Ear follows many contests but had never heard of many of these.
Here is a link:
You can find out about histories of the competitions, other prize winners, places they are held and how often, jury members and contest rules and formats, and more. And you can hear excerpts from some prestigious competitions including the Bischoff Chamber Music competition and a competition for young child prodigy violinists in Italy.
At the bottom of the story, you can hear a YouTube video with the 19-year-old, Asian-American pianist Magdelena Ho in her contest-winning performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 at the Clara Haskil Competition in Switzerland. She looks to have a promising future.
The winners came all continents — Asian, Africa, North America, South America and Europe.
And the competitions were held in many different places and focused on many different kinds or genres of classical music: violin, viola, cello, double bass and guitar; piano; saxophone;mharp; percussion and drums; chamber music and symphonic music; conducting; singing; and early music.
At the bottom is a vibrant performance of a familiar Bach suite by Canadian cellist Luka Coetzee who won Finland’s Paulo Competition and also took first prize at the Pablo Casals Competition on 2022.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #Up-and-Coming, #YouTubevideo, 2023, 2024, Africa, African, America, American, Android, Ann Arbor, Apple, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, Bischoff, blog, Bonn, Boston, brass, Canada, Canadian, Cello, Chamber music, Child, children, China, Chinese, choral music, Clara Haskil, Classical, Classical music, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, continent, contralto, double bass, drums, Early music, Europe, Facebook, Finland, Finnish, format, France, French, future, genre, geography, German, Germany, Google, guest artist, guitar, Hanover, harp, History, Ho, international, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Kim, kind, Korean, Leonid Kogan, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mac, MacBook, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Massachusetts, Mead Witter School of Music, Michigan, Mozart, Music, music competition, Musician, North America, opera, Orchestra, OS, Overture Center, PC, Penderecki, percussion, perform, performance, Pianist, Piano, Poland, Polisy, prize, prodigies, prodigy, Romania, Romanian, rules, Russia, Russian, Salon Piano Series, Saxophone, Serge Koussevitsky, share, singer, Singing, Sonata, song, soprano, South Africa, South African, South America, South Korea, South Korean, stream, strong, study, Suite, Swiss, Switzerland, symphony, tag, Teacher, The Ear, U.S., United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, Viola, Violin, Violin Channel, violinist, violist, vocal music, Wee, win, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, won, year, young, young artists, YouTube
20 women composers talk about classical music
2 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
What do women composers think about themselves, their careers and the place they occupy in the world of classical music?
Here are quotes — with YouTube videos, great vintage still photographs and musical excerpts — by 20 women composers throughout history from Hildegard von Bingen in the Middle Ages to contemporary living composers such as Americans Joan Tower, Missy Mazzoli, Jennifer Higdon and Jessie Montgomery.
That many of the names will seem familiar to many readers is a sign of how the “canon” has expanded in recent years and brought a new appreciation of neglected women composers, many of whom have been completely overlooked but are now featured prominently on concert programs and radio shows.
Mind you, insightful observations and great quotes about sexism, racism, ambition, creativity and history don’t guarantee music of superior quality.
But their music has to be played and listened to before it can be judged.
The Ear found this collection well worth paying attention to by men as well as women, especially young ones pursuing a career in music. Everyone can use a little inspiration and encouragement.
Here is a link to the website based in Hong Kong, China that has the story:
What about Louise Ferrenc or Florence Price?
Barbara Strozzi and Asian women?
Are there other names you would include?
What do you think of the collage of quotes, music and videos?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, Africa-American, America, American, Amy Beach, appreciation, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Barbara Strozzi, Baroque, Beethoven, Bettina von Arnim, Black composers, Brazil, Brazilian, British, Canon, careers, Cecile Chaminade, Cello, Chamber music, China, Chinese, choral music, Clara Schumann, Clara Wieck Schumann, Classical music, collage, composer, Concert, concert program, concerto, contemporary, Early music, encouragement, English, equal rights, Ethel Smyth, excerpts, Facebook, familiar, Fanny Mendelssohn, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, feminism, feminist, Florence Price, forgotten, France, French, Germaine Tailleferre, German, Germany, Grazyna Bacewicz, Great Britain, guarantee, Hildegard von Bingen, History, Hong Kong, insight, inspiration, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Jennifer Higdon, Jessie Montgomery, Joan Tower, judge, Julia Perry, Kassia, Korea, Korean, link, living, Louise Ferrenc, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Margaret Bonds, Marie Jaëll, Medieval, Middle Ages, Missy Mazzoli, Mozart, Music, music students, neglected, opera, Orchestra, overlooked, Overture Center, PBS, People's Republic of China, performances, performer, photographs, Pianist, Piano, place, play, Poland, Polish, PRC, public television, quality, racisim, Radio, radio show, Rebecca Clarke, Russia, Russian, Sexism, share, singers, Sonata, Soviet, symphony, tag, Television, Teresa Carreño, The Ear, think, U.K., UK, Undine Smith Moore, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, vintage, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, Wisconsin Public Television, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, women, women composers, world, WORT-FM 89.9, WPR, WPT, young, YouTube
Edgewood College will live-stream its FREE Spring Celebration concert this Friday night
Leave a Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
At 8 p.m. CDT this Friday night, April 30, the music department at Edgewood College will live-stream its FREE online Spring Celebration concert.
Here is the link: music.edgewood.edu
Here is the program:
The Edgewood Chamber Orchestra (below) will perform music by the Austrian composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel, who studied with Mozart and knew Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert (see the Wikipedia bio at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Nepomuk_Hummel; Krzysztof Penderecki, a Polish composer who died a year ago March; and the Argentinean “new tango” composer Astor Piazzolla, whose birth centennial was last month. Soloists include Gwyneth Ferguson on trumpet, and Malia Huntsman on oboe.
The Chamber Singers (below) will offer selections from Broadway musicals and contemporary choral arrangements, including Lord of the Rings by Enya, works from Josh Groban, and the Polish composer Henrik Gorecki.
The Guitar Ensemble will perform Haru no Umi (The Sea in Spring) by the Japanese composer Michio Miyagi (below), and a medley from the 1970s rock group Chicago: 25 or 6 to 4/Saturday in the Park, by Mark Lamm.
The Chamber Winds will perform selections from Crooner’s Serenade; Josef Rheinberger’s Evening Song (Abendlied, in the YouTube video at the bottom); and an arrangement of John Williams’ movie score for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Tags: #ArgentineanComposer, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BroadwayMusical, #CentralTime, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberOrchestra, #ChoralMusic, #CoronavirusPandemic, #Crooner'sSerenade, #DaylightTime, #EdgewoodCollege, #EdgewoodCollegeChamberOrchestra, #EdgewoodCollegeChamberSingers, #EdgewoodCollegeChamberWinds, #EdgewoodCollegeGuitarEnsemble, #EveningSong, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzSchubert, #GuitarMusic, #GwynethFerguson, #HaruNoUmi, #HenrickGorecki, #JacobStockinger, #JapaneseComposer, #JapaneseMusic, #JohannNepomukHummel, #JohnWilliams, #JosefRheinberger, #JoshGroban, #KrzysztofPenderecki, #LiveStreaming, #LordoftheRings, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MailaHuntsman, #MarkLamm, #MichioMyagi, #MovieScore, #MusicalTheater, #NewMusic, #NewTango, #OboeMusic, #OnlineConcert, #OrchestralMusic, #PolishComposer, #RockandRoll, #RomanCatholic, #SergeiPavlov, #StarWars, #StarWars:TheForceAwakens, #TheEar, #TrumpetMusic, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #Wikipediaentry, #WindMusic, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, 1970s, Abendlied, Argentina, arrangement, arrangements, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Austria, Austrian, Ástor Piazzolla, Beethoven, biography, blog, blog posting, Broadway, Broadway musical, Catholic, centennial, Central Time, Chamber music, chamber orchestra, Chicago, Choir, choral music, Classical music, composer, Concert, contemporary, coronavirus, coronavirus pandemic, crooner, Crooner's Serenade, daylight time, Edgewood College, Edgewood College Chamber Orchestra, Edgewood College Chamber Winds, Edgewood College Guitar Ensemble, Enya, evening, Evening Song, Facebook, film, forward, Franz Schubert, German, Germany, group, guitar, guitar music, guitarist, Gwyneth Ferguson, Haru no Umi, Henrik Gorecki, Hummel, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, John Williams, Josef Rheinberger, Josh Groban, Krzysztof Penderecki, like, link, live-stream, livestream, Lord of the Rings, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Malia Huntsman, march, Mark Lamm, medley, Michio Myagi, month, movie, movie score, Mozart, Musical theater, new, new nusic, new tango, Oboe, oboist, online, orchestral music, pandemic, Penderecki, perform, performer, Piazzolla, player, Poland, Polish, post, posting, Rock, rock and roll, Roman Catholic, Schubert, sea, seledtions, Serenade, Sergei Pavlov, share, sing, singer, Singing, soloist, song, Spring, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Student, study, tag, tango, The Ear, Trumpet, trumpeter, Viola, Violin, virtual, vocal music, Wikipedia, wind instruments, wind music, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, works, year, YouTube
The acclaimed Meccore String Quartet performs an online concert of works by Mozart, Beethoven and Penderecki this Sunday night as part of the Wisconsin Union Theater season
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.
The Wisconsin Union Theater will stream an online Concert Series performance by the Meccore String Quartet (below, in a photo by Arkadiusz Berbecki) this Sunday night, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m. CST.
The program is: String Quartet No. 21 in D major, K. 575, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; String Quartet No. 3 “Leaves from an Unwritten Diary” by 20th-century Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki; and String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132, by Ludwig van Beethoven.
The ensemble includes violinists Wojciech Koprowski and Aleksandra Bryla; violist Michal Bryla; and cellist Marcin Maczynski.
As one of Europe’s most compelling ensembles, the Meccore String Quartet has appeared at many influential music festivals around the globe, such as the Rheingau Musik Festival and the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
The ensemble was the first-ever Polish string quartet to perform during the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at the Bundestag, the national parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The Meccore String Quartet has also received many international awards, including a nomination for the Paszport Polityki award in the classical music category for its “innovative approach to the music and for breaking the musical stereotypes.”
The musicians won the Premio Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition and the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition.
When they are not performing, Meccore’s members lead chamber music and individual instrumental classes at the Frederic Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland.
Praised for their technical accuracy, Meccore is also known for its deep musicality and expressiveness. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear the Meccore playing an excerpt from Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 2 n G Major, Op. 18, No. 2.)
“The Meccore String Quartet brings an unparalleled energy and emotional depth to its performances,” says Wisconsin Union Theater director Elizabeth Snodgrass (below). “This ensemble is admired the world over, and our patrons will experience why the Quartet has earned global praise during its virtual Wisconsin Union Theater performance.”
Information about purchasing tickets can be found here. Tickets for this online event are $10 for UW-Madison students; $17 for Wisconsin Union members, UW-Madison staff and faculty, and students that do not attend UW-Madison; and $20 for all other patrons. Tickets are good for access for a week, through next Sunday, March 7.
The performance by the Meccore String Quartet is sponsored by the David and Kato Perlman Chamber Music Fund. The Wisconsin Union Theater presents this event, in part, with the help of financial support from Wisconsin Arts Board funding from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information about the Meccore String Quartet’s upcoming performance, visit union.wisc.edu/events-and-activities/event-calendar/event/meccore-quartet.
Tags: #20thCentury, #BerlinGermany, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DavidandKatoPerlmanChamberMusicSeries, #ElizabethSnodgrass, #Europeanmusic, #EuropeanMusician, #FacebookPage, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FredericChopin, #HolocaustRemembranceDay, #InstrumentalMusic, #JacobStockinger, #KrzysztofPenderecki, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MeccoreStringQuartet, #MusicEducation, #NationalEndowmentfortheArts, #OnlineConcert, #PolishComposer, #StateOfWisconsin, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #TheHolocaust, #TheUW, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VirtualConcert, #WigmoreHall, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, 20th-century, access, accuracy, admire, approach, Arts, audience, award, Beethoven, blog, break, cellist, Cello, ceremony, Chamber music, Chopin, class, Classical music, Competition, composer, Concert, coronavirus, coronavirus pandemic, David and Kato Perlman Chamber Music Series, deep, depth, diary, Elizabeth Snodgrass, emotional, energy, ensemble, Europe, European, expressiveness, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, faculty, federal, festival, financial, forward, Frédéric Chopin, Germany, global, good, Holocaust, Holocaust Remembrance Day, innovative, instrumental, international, Jacob Stockinger, Krzysztof Penderecki, leaves, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Meccore String Quartet, member, Mozart, Music, Music education, musicality, National Endowment for the Arts, NEA, night, nomination, online, patron, Penderecki, Poland, Polish, post, posting, praise, purchase, receive, republic, say, share, staff\, State of Wisconsin, stereotype, stream, String quartet, Student, students, Sunday, support, tag, teach, technical, The Ear, tickets, United States, university, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, unwritten, upcoming, UW, UW-Madison, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtual, Warsaw, week, Wigmore Hall, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world, YouTube
Classical music: The Pro Arte Quartet minus one plays string trios this Friday night and Sunday afternoon, then starts its Beethoven string quartet cycle on Friday, Nov. 22. Plus 3 UW profs premiere a new fusion work tonight
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.
CORRECTION: The all-Telemann concert by the Madison Bach Musicians on this Saturday night at the First Unitarian Society of Madison is at 8 p.m. — NOT 7:30 as it was mistakenly listed in the early version of yesterday’s post. The Ear apologizes for the error. The pre-concert lecture is at 7:15 p.m. There is also a performance on Sunday at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Middleton at 3:30 p.m., with a lecture at 2:45 p.m. For more information, go to: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2019/10/02/classical-music-how-did-baroque-composer-telemann-get-overshadowed-and-why-is-he-being-rediscovered-trevor-stephenson-talks-about-his-all-telemann-concerts-this-weekend/
ALERT: TONIGHT, Thursday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m., three UW-Madison music professors — Anthony Di Sanza (percussion), Tom Curry (tuba, keyboard and electronics) and Mark Hetzler (trombone and electronics) — will perform their new composition “Don’t Look Down” at the Arts + Literature Laboratory, located at 2021 Winnebago Street on Madison’s near east side. (Phone is 608 556-7415.)
The trio’s goal to showcase their instruments using a combination of electro-acoustic techniques, improvisation and traditional chamber music applications to create an array of sonic environments and musical languages.
The result is a work that looks at the impact of media and technology on society, while featuring shifting soundscapes and a variety of styles including classical, rock, jazz and experimental.
Tickets are $10 in advance at: https://dontlookdown.brownpapertickets.com; and $15 at the door. Student tickets are $5 off with a valid school ID. Advance ticket sales end one hour before the show. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
By Jacob Stockinger
First, a news flash: The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s critically acclaimed Pro Arte Quartet (below, in a photo by Rick Langer) will begin its complete cycle of Beethoven’s 16 string quartets on Friday, Nov. 22.
The program, time and other dates are not available yet, but should be announced soon.
The performances are part of the 2020 Beethoven Year, which will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Stayed tuned for more details.
This Friday night, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, three members of the Pro Arte will perform a FREE concert of string trios. Performers are second violinist Suzanne Beia, violist Sally Chisholm and cellist Parry Karp.
Featured on the program are: the Serenade in C Major, Op. 10 (1902), by the Hungarian composer Ernst von Dohnanyi (below top); the String Trio, Op. 48 (1950), by the Polish composer Mieczyslaw Weinberg (below bottom); and the Serenade in D Major, Op. 8 (1796-97), by Ludwig van Beethoven.) You can hear the opening movement of the Weinberg Trio in the YouTube video at the bottom.
For more information about the quartet and the program, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/pro-arte-quartet-5/
This Sunday afternoon, the Pro Arte Quartet will also perform FREE at the Chazen Museum of Art on Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen. The same program of string trios will be repeated. The performance will be held starting at 12:30 in the Brittingham Gallery 3.
For details about attending, go to: https://www.chazen.wisc.edu/index.php?/events-calendar-demo/event/sunday-afternoon-live-at-the-chazen9/
It will also be streamed live at the following portal: https://c.streamhoster.com/embed/media/O7sBNG/OS1C0ihJsYK/iqf1vBMs3qg_5
Tags: #AnthonyDiSanza, #ArtsandLiteratureLaboratory, #BeethovenYear, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrittinghamGallery3, #BrittinghamGalleryIII, #ChamberMusic, #ChazenMuseumofArt, #CompleteCycle, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #EastSide, #ElectronicMusic, #ErnstvonDohnanyi, #ExperimentalMusic, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #GeorgPhilippTelemann, #HighTechnology, #HolyWisdomMonastery, #HungarianComposer, #LiveStreaming, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MadisonBachMusicians, #MadisonWisconsin, #MarkHetzler, #MassMedia, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MieczyslawWeinberg, #MusicalStyle, #Musicfaculty, #MusicProfessors, #NewMusic, #NewsFlash, #ParryKarp, #PercussionMusic, #PolishComposer, #ProArteQuartet, #RockMusic, #SallyChisholm, #SecondViolin, #StreamedLive, #StringQuartet, #StringTrio, #Sundayafternoon, #SundayAfternoonLiveattheChazen, #SuzanneBeia, #TomCurry, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #YouTubevideo, acoustic, anniversary, Anthony Di Sanza, application, array, Arts, Arts and Literature Laboratory, audience, Austria, Beethoven, Beethoven Year, birth, blog, Brittingham, Brittingham Gallery 3, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Chazen, Chazen Museum of Art, Classical music, classicalmusic, complete, composer, Concert, create, critically acclaimed, cycle, date, details, doors, east side, electro, Electro-Acoustic, electronic, environment, Ernst von Dohnanyi, experimental, Facebook, faculty member, flash, Forst Unitarian Society of Madison, Georg Philipp Telemann, Germany, Holy Wisdom Monastery, Hungarian, Hungary, ID, impact, improvisation, information, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Keyboard, languages, lecture, literature, live streaming, look, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, Mark Hetzler, mass media, Mead Witter School of Music, media, member, Middleton, Mieczyslaw Weinberg, Music, music faculty, music professor, musical, musical style, New Music, news, Parry Karp, percussion, performer, phone, Poland, Polish, portal, post, posting, premiere, Pro Arte Quartet, professor, Quartet, result, Rock, Sally Chisholm, school, second violin, Serenade, shift, show, society, sonic, soundscape, streamed live, String quartet, string trio, stuydent, style, Sunday, Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen, Suzanne Beia, technique, technology, tickets, time, Tom Curry, trio, Trombone, Tuba, tuned, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, valid, variety, version, Vienna, Viola, Violin, violist, Wisconsin, work, yesterday, YouTube
Classical music: A FREE concert of Polish piano music is on this Sunday afternoon at the UW-Madison
1 Comment
IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, PLEASE FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR SHARE IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event.
By Jacob Stockinger
The Ear has received the following announcement to post:
On this Sunday afternoon, Oct. 21, at 4 p.m., University of Oklahoma Professor Igor Lipinski (below) will perform a solo piano recital with commentary at Mills Concert Hall of UW-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music. Mills Hall is located at 455 North Park Street in the George Mosse Humanities Building.
At this FREE CONCERT, Lipinski will perform music by 19th through 21st century Polish composers: Fryderyk (Frederic) Chopin, Karol Szymanowski, Ignaz Jan Paderewski, Grazyna Bacewicz and Pawel Mykietyn. (Editor’s note: Sorry, no titles of specific works are listed.)
Since classical music from Poland has been rarely performed in concert halls in Madison, this recital will be a unique occasion to experience Poland’s musical heritage and diversity.
This concert also commemorates the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence at the conclusion of World War I, after 123 years of its partition and disappearance from the map of Europe.
Please join our local Polish community in celebrating this joyous occasion through appreciation of beautiful and captivating music from some of the Poland’s most important composers.
This event is organized by the Polish Student Association of UW-Madison and Mad-Polka Productions, with cooperation and financial support provided by Lapinski Fund (UW-Madison German, Nordic and Slavic Departments) and the Polish Heritage Club of Madison as well as the Sounds & Notes Foundation from Chicago.
ABOUT THE PERFORMER:
Prof. Igor Lipinski is native to Poland and currently teaching at the University of Oklahoma. At the age of 12, he won a Grand Prize at the Paderewski Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Poland.
He is a musician, piano teacher, performer and also a magician, sometimes surprisingly combining all of his interests during his performances.
He received his Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from Northwestern University and since then performed over 100 concerts, both solo and with orchestras, all over the U.S.
This will be his debut in Madison.
For more information, go to: www.igorlipinski.com
ABOUT THE COMPOSERS:
Fryderyk (Frederic) Chopin (1810-1849, below): He was born in Poland, but also composed and performed in Germany, Vienna and France. Probably the most prominent Polish composer as well as pianist and performer. Much of Chopin’s inspiration came from Polish village music from the Mazovia region. Chopin composed 57 mazurkas – the mazurka being one of his most beloved type of compositions. He also composed numerous polonaises, concertos, nocturnes and sonatas. (You can hear famous Polish pianist Arthur Rubinstein perform Chopin’s famously nationalistic “Heroic” Polonaise in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937, below): Part of “Young Poland” group of composers at the beginning of 20th century, Szymanowski composed operas, ballets, sonatas, concertos, cycle of songs, string quartets. Many of his compositions were also inspired by Polish folk music, including the famous ballet “Harnasie” based on the culture of Polish highlanders which he experienced while living in Zakopane.
Ignaz Jan Paderewski (1860-1941, below) was a remarkable figure in Poland’s turn-of-the-century history. He was a pianist, composer, statesman, politician, philanthropist, actor, businessman, patron of the arts and architecture, wine grower and humanitarian. As a pianist, he was praised for his interpretations of music of Chopin, Liszt, Bach and Beethoven. He successfully toured western Europe before eventually setting off for the USA. Starting with his first 1891 tour he crossed U.S. about 30 times in his 50-year career.
He was a very popular, charismatic and somewhat extravagant figure, which eventually resulted in “Paddymania” phenomenon. He was largely influenced by Chopin in his composition of sonatas, concertos, polonaises, Polish dances, symphonies, mazurkas, krakowiaks, minuets and even one opera. He also relentlessly supported and lobbied for Poland ‘s independence as World War I unraveled. He influenced U.S. politicians and played a crucial diplomatic role in Poland regaining its independence in 1911.
Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969, below): Violinist, pianist, teacher, writer and composer, she was one of the few female classical music composers at the time in Poland and in the world. Thanks to a generous grant from Ignaz Jan Paderewski, she was able to study music in Paris. She composed numerous concertos, string quartets, sonatas, symphonies.
Pawel Mykietyn (1971-, below in a photo by Oliva Soto): Composer, clarinetist, member of Nonstrom Ensemble. In 1995, he won a first prize in the young composers category during the UNESCO composers competition in Paris. Mykietyn’s composing style is at times aggressive and postmodern, incorporating sharp rhythms to create a vivid and provocative sound. He has composed concertos, sonatas, symphonies, preludes and string quartets.
Thanks to all the sponsors and community support, this concert is FREE and open to the public.
Tags: #19thCentury, #20thCentury, #21stCentury, #ArthurRubinstein, #ArtsPatron, #BalletMusic, #Beautifulmusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #CommunitySupport, #ConcertHall, #CulturalDiversity, #DoctoralDegree, #FemaleComposer, #FinancialSupport, #FirstPrize, #FolkDance, #FolkMusic, #FranzLiszt, #FredericChopin, #GeorgeMosse, #GermanDepartment, #GrandPrize, #GrazynaBacewicz, #HeroicPolonaise, #IgnazJanPaderewski, #JohannSebastianBach, #KarolSzymanowski, #LivingComposer, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #Mad-PolkaProductions, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicalDiversity, #MusicalHeritage, #MusicalInterpretation, #NewMusic, #NonstromEnsemble, #NordicDepartment, #NorthwesternUniversity, #OpentothePublic, #OperaMusic, #PaderewskiPianoCompetition, #ParisFrance, #PawelMykietyn, #PianoCompetition, #PianoConcert, #PIanoRecital, #PIanoTeacher, #PolishComposers, #PolishDance, #PolishHeritageClub, #PolishIndependence, #PolishMusic, #PolishStudentAssociation, #PostmodernMusic, #PostmodernStyle, #SharpRhythm, #SlavicDepartment, #SongCycle, #SoundsandNotesFoundation, #StringQuartet, #Turn-of-the-Century, #UnitedNations, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofOklahoma, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ViennaAustria, #VillageMusic, #WesternEurope, #WomanComposer, #WorldWarI, #YoungComposer, #YoungPianists, #YoungPoland, #YouTubevideo, 19th century, 20th-century, 21st century, Actor, aggressive, anniversary, Arthur Rubinstein, Arts, Bacewicz, Bach, ballet, Baroque, beautiful, Beethoven, blog, businessman, captivating, career, chaismatic, Chamber music, charisma, Chicago, Chopin, clarinet, clarinetist, Classical music, community, composer, concert hall, concerto, diplomancy, diplomatic, disappearance, diversity, doctor, Europe, famous, female, figure, financial support, first prize, folk dance, Folk music, France, Franz Liszt, George Mosse, German department, Germany, grand prize, Grazyna Bacewicz, Harnasie, Heroic Polonaise, History, humanitarian, humanities, Ignaz Jan Paderewski, independence, interpretation, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Karol Szymanowski, krakowiak, Liszt, Living composer, lobby, lobbyist, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mad-Polka Productions, Madison, magician, map, mazurka, Mead Witter School of Music, minuet, Mosse Humanities Building, Music, musical heritage, Musician, nationalistic, native, New Music, nocturne, Nordic department, Northwestern University, Nostrum Ensemble, occasion, open to the public, opera, Orchestra, Paderewski, Paderewski Piano Competition, Paris, partition, partriotism, patriotic, patron, Pawel Mykietyn, performer, phenomenon, philanthropist, Pianist, Piano, piano competition, piano teacher, Poland, Polish, Polish dance, Polish Heritage Club, Polish music, Polish Student Association, politician, polka, polonaise, popular, post, posting, postmodern, postmodernism, Prelude, professsor, provocative, recital, sharp rhythm, sing, Slavic Department, solo, Sonata, song, song cycle, Sound, Sounds and Notes Foundation, sponsor, statesman, String quartet, symphony, Teacher, tour, UNESCO, United Nations, United States, University of Oklahoma, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, US, USA, Vienna, violinist, vivid, Western Europe, Wine, winegrower, Wisconsin, woman, World War I, Writer, Young pianists, Young Poland, YouTube
Classical music: This Sunday, Beverly Taylor retires as associate conductor of the Madison Symphony Orchestra. Kyle Knox will succeed Taylor starting this fall.
Leave a Comment
By Jacob Stockinger
The Madison Symphony Orchestra (MSO) has announced that Associate Conductor Beverly Taylor (below) will retire from her current position after 22 years, effective this Sunday, July 1.
Taylor will continue to serve as Director of the Madison Symphony Chorus (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson).
She will also continue as the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Mead Witter School of Music, where she conducts many groups including the Choral Union (below) and the Concert Choir.
Kyle Knox (below) will become the MSO’s new Associate Conductor, effective in the 2018–2019 season.
“I am delighted that Beverly will continue to work with the Madison Symphony Chorus. The chorus has improved steadily under her direction and will sing some very difficult music in the coming seasons,” said MSO music director John DeMain (below, in a photo by Prasad). “I also want to thank Beverly for the outstanding help she has given me in the preparation of our concerts over the years.”
“I’ve loved my time as associate conductor of the symphony, and will continue as chorus director,” says Taylor. “But I’m looking forward to more time for guest conducting, visiting friends and family and finishing the two books I’m at work on. I also have a grant to write a basic conducting textbook, and I’m finishing a handbook on how to develop a musical interpretation.”
John DeMain says he looks forward to Knox joining the MSO. “I think Kyle Knox is a natural to step into the associate conductor position. He has distinguished himself in the past few years with his work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison Opera and the Middleton Community Orchestra (below, in a photo by John W. Barker). He also successfully led the MSO in last year’s Concert on the Green.
“His recent appointment as Music Director of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras (WYSO) is a testament to his brilliant talent and will dovetail easily with his duties with the MSO. I so look forward to our working together and welcome him to our Madison Symphony Orchestra family.”
Knox is also very pleased with his appointment.
“My history with the MSO goes back a few years and I have long admired the work of Maestro DeMain and this wonderful group of musicians,” he says. “It is an honor to have been selected for this opportunity and I look forward to happy years of service and collaboration.”
BACKGROUND BIOGRAPHIES
Beverly Taylor has been the Associate Conductor of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and Director of the Madison Symphony Chorus since 1996 and Director of Choral Activities at UW-Madison since 1995.
Prior roles include conductor of the Boston Bar Association Orchestra, Music Director of the Back Bay Chorale, and Associate Director of Choral Activities at Harvard University.
Taylor has been a guest conductor at the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland, the St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the Vermont Symphony, the Harvard Chamber Orchestra, the Madison Opera, the U.S. Air Force Band and Orchestra, the Harvard Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, and the Wellesley Chamber Singers.
She graduated from the University of Delaware and Boston University School for the Arts and received a fellowship with Chorus America and an orchestral fellowship at Aspen.
Kyle Knox will take over the dual positions of Music Director of WYSO and Associate Conductor of the Madison Symphony Orchestra beginning in the 2018–2019 season.
Past and upcoming conducting credits include Mark Adamo’s Little Women with the Madison Opera; Benjamin Britten’s Albert Herring and The Turn of the Screw, and Transformations; with UW-Madison’s University Opera; the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s 2017 Concert on the Green; Johann Strauss Jr.’s Die Fledermaus and Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers and H.M.S. Pinafore with the Madison Savoyards; as well as UW Music Clinic’s High School Honors Orchestra.
Other concerts include Carousel, Sunday in the Park with George, and Sweeney Todd (2018) with Middleton Players Theatre, Jon Deak’s The Passion of Scrooge with Oakwood Chamber Players, as well as regular appearances with the Middleton Community Orchestra.
He was formerly a clarinetist with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera and Philadelphia Orchestras, and was on the faculty at UW-Milwaukee. Festivals credits include Tanglewood, Spoleto (Italy), Santa Fe Chamber Music, and Bowdoin College, among others. His debut album, the first commercial recording of Conrad Susa’s chamber opera Transformations, will be released in the summer of 2018 on iTunes. He holds degrees from Juilliard School and the UW-Madison. He is married to MSO concertmaster Naha Greenholtz.
Tags: #AlbertHerring, #ArthurRubinstein, #ArturRubinstein, #AssociateConductor, #BenjaminBritten, #BostonUniversity, #BowdoinCollege, #BowdoinFestival, #Carouselmusical, #ChoralMusic, #ChoralUnion, #CollegiumMusicum, #ConcertChoir, #ConradSusa, #DieFledermaus, #FriendsandFamily, #GilbertandSullivan, #GuestConducting, #HarvardChamberOrchestra, #HarvardUniversity, #JohannStrauss, #JohnDeak, #JohnDeMain, #JuilliardSchool, #KyleKnox, #LittleWomen, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonSavoyards, #MadisonSymphonyChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MarkAdamo, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MiddletonCommunityOrchestra, #MIddletonPlayersTheatre, #MilwaukeeSymphonyOrchestra, #MilwaukeeWisconsin, #MusicalInterpretation, #MusicClinic, #MusicDirector, #NahaGreenholtz, #OakwoodChamberPlayers, #RadcliffeCollege, #SantaFeChamberMusicFestival, #SantaFeOpera, #SpoletoFestival, #St.LouisSymphonyOrchestra, #StephenSondheim, #SundayintheParkWithGeorge, #SweeneyTodd, #SymphonyOrchestra, #TanglewoodFestival, #TheGondoliers, #TurnoftheScrew, #U.S.AirForceBand, #UniversityofDelaware, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityOpera, #VermontSymphony, #WellesleyChamberSingers, #WellesleyCollege, Albert Herring, Arts, associate conductor, Bach, Back Bay Chorale, Baroque, basic, Beethoven, Benjamin Britten, Book, Boston, Boston Bar Association Orchestra, Boston University, Bowdoin College, Chamber music, choral music, chorus, clarinet, clarinetist, Classical music, Compact Disc, composer, concertmaster, concerto, Family, friends, Gilbert & Sullivan, Gilbert and Sullivan, H.M.S. Pinafore, handbook, interpretation, iTunes, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Strauss Jr., Johannes Brahms, John DeMain, Juilliard School, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison Opera, Madison Savoyards, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Middleton Community Orchestra, Mozart, Music, music clinic, musical, Naha Greenholtz, opera, Orchestra, Overture Center, Passion, Poland, Scrooge, Stephen Sondheim, Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd, symphony, textbook, The Gondoliers, Turn of the Screw, United States, University of Delaware, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, vocal music, Wisconsin, writing
Recent Comments
 | Brian Jefferies on Classical music: A major reass… |
 | welltemperedear on What made Beethoven sick and… |
 | rlhess5d5b7e5dff on What made Beethoven sick and… |
| welltemperedear on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200… |
 | Robert Graebner on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200… |
The Well-Tempered Ear 
Classical music: Today is the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Here is disturbing music that sonically depicts the charred remains of the people and the city
1 Comment
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
Today is the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima (below) and the dawn of the Atomic Age.
On this Sunday, it will be the same anniversary of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki (below).
Whether you agree or disagree with President Harry S Truman’s decision to use nuclear weapons to end World War II between Japan and the United States, the disturbing music at the bottom uses sound to help the listener picture the charred remains of the people and the devastated cities, seen below in a photo from The New York Times.
It is hard to imagine music being used more descriptively than in this disturbing and even terrifying piece that has received more than 2 million views on YouTube.
“Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima” was composed by the celebrated Polish composer Krzysztof Pederecki (1933-2020, below), who died just over four months ago. Here is a link to more information about the composer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krzysztof_Penderecki
And here are some links to historical accounts of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing:
From cable TV channel CNN, here is an account of the two bombings in photos: https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/04/world/gallery/hiroshima-nagasaki-atomic-bomb/index.html
Here, also from CNN, is an account of Tinian Island, the place where the bombings started: https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/hiroshima-atomic-bomb-75th-anniversary-intl-hnk/index.html
Here is a comprehensive history about Hiroshima and its culture, both pre-bombing and post-bombing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroshima
There will be much more to see, hear and read today and this weekend on National Public Radio (NPR), on many TV news channels including the History Channel and on PBS (especially The Newshour), and in many newspapers as well as on the internet.
If you know of other noteworthy accounts, please leave the name with a link in the Comment section.
What do you think of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
And what do you think about the musical depiction?
The Ear wants to hear.
Share this:
Tags: #AsianHistory, #AtomBomb, #AtomicAge, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CableTelevision, #CNNNews, #EnolaGay, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #HarrySTruman, #HistoryChannel, #JacobStockinger, #KrzysztofPenderecki, #NationalPublicRadio, #nuclearweapons, #PolishComposer, #PresidentTruman, #PublicBroadcastingSystem, #StringMusic, #TheEar, #TheInternet, #TheNewsHour, #TheNewYorkTImes, #TheU.S., #ThrenodyfortheVictimsofHiroshima, #TinianIsland, #Wikipediaentry, #WorldWarII, #YouTubevideo, 75, account, agree, America, Americans, anniversary, Arts, Asia, atom bomb, atomic, Atomic Age, audience, blog, bomb, bombing, cable television, celebrated, channel, charred, city, Classical music, CNN, comment, composer, comprehensive, culture, dawn, dead, death, decision, depiction, descriptive, devastated, died, disagree, disturbing, Enola Gay, Facebook, fallout, first, forward, hard, Harry S Truman, hear, help, Hiroshima, historical, History, History Channel, imagine, information, Internet, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Krzysztof Penderecki, like, link, listener, Music, musical, National Public Radio, newspapers, NPR, nucelar, nuclear, Orchestra, PBS, Penderecki, People, photos, Picture, pictures, place, Poland, Polish, post, post-bombing, posting, pre-bombing, President, President Truman, Public Broadcasting System, radiation, read, reader, remains, section, see, share, Sound, start, string music, strings, Sunday, symphony, tag, Television, terrifying, The Ear, The New York Times, The Newshour, threnody, Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, Tinian Island, Truman, TV, U.S., United States, victim, view, Viola, Violin, war, warfare, weekend, Wikipedia, Wisconsin, world, World War II, YouTube