The Well-Tempered Ear
Today – Monday, March 22 — is Day 6 of the 2021 online Bach Around the Clock festival. The program features string, keyboard, percussion and vocal music with some interesting transcriptions
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
Yesterday – Sunday, March 21 — was the actual birthday, the 336th, of Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750).
But the 10-day virtual and online celebration being held by Bach Around the Clock (BATC) continues.
Here are the pieces and performers that will take place.
The Ear is especaially pleased by some of the transcriptions, which offer more proof of just how indestructible and versatile Bach’s music remains.
Particularly interesting is the string quartet version of the famous cantata “Wachet auf” (Sleepers, Wake) and the Three-Part Inventions or Sinfonias transcribed for marimba, and played by Sean Kleve (below), a UW-Madison graduate who performs with the critically acclaimed experimental Madison-based percussion ensemble Clocks in Motion.
Monday’s program is available starting at 8 a.m.
Click here and scroll down to Day 6 to view.
Performers
• Minuet 2 in G Major, Anh 116; Suite in G Minor, BWV 822; Gavotte from Double Concerto in D Minor, BWV 1043, I. Vivace. Suzuki Strings Sonora Ensemble
• Cantata 140: “Wachet Auf” (Sleeper, Wake), arranged for string quartet. St. Croix Valley String Quartet: Janette Cysewski and Debbie Lanzen, violins; Dianne Wiik, viola; and Joel Anderson, cello.
• French Suite No. 3 in B Minor for keyboard, BWV 814: Sarabande, Anglaise, Menuett and Trio. Kris Sankaran
• Sinfonia 1 in C Major, BWV 787; Sinfonia 7 in E Minor, BWV 793; Sinfonia 10 in G Major, BWV 796; Sinfonia 11 in G Minor, BWV 797; Sinfonia 15 in B Minor, BWV 801. Sean Kleve, marimba. (You can hear Glenn Gould playing the original version of the first Sinfonia in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
• Chorale: We thank Thee, Lord, for sending. Katie Hultman, soprano, and Kenneth Stancer, organ
Live and Recorded Evening Program at 7 p.m.
Click here and scroll down to Day 6 to view.
BATC audiences will remember pianist Lawrence Quinnett (below) from his exquisite renderings of selections from The Well-Tempered Clavier, at the 2018 Festival.
Quinnett, on the piano faculty of Livingstone College, returns in 2021 to give a brief talk on his approach to ornamentation in the six French Suites, as a prelude to his live performance of Suite No. 5. The floor will open for questions, followed by Quinnett’s recorded performance of the remaining five Suites.
Tags: #BachAroundtheClock, #BachCantata, #BaroqueMusic, #BaroqueOrnamentation, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #ChoralMusic, #CityofMadison, #ClocksinMotion, #CriticallyAcclaimed, #DoubleConcerto, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FrenchSuite, #GlennGould, #JacobStockinger, #JesusChrist, #JohannSebastianBach, #KeyboardMusic, #LawrenceQuinnett, #LiveMusic, #LiveStreaming, #LivingstoneCollege, #MadisonWisconsin, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MusicEducation, #OnlineConcert, #OnlineFestival, #PercussionEnsemble, #PercussionMusic, #RecordedMusic, #SeanKleve, #Sleeps, #SonoraStrings, #StringMusic, #StringQuartet, #SuzukiMethod, #SuzukiStrings, #TheEar, #TheUW, #TheWell-TemperedClavier, #Three-PartInvention, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VirtualConcert, #VirtualFestival, #WachetAuf, #Well-TemperedClavier, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, 1685\2021, Anglaise, answer, approach, arrange, arrangement, Arts, audience, Bach, Bach Around the Clock, Baroque, BATC, birthday, blog, Blog post, blog posting, brief, BWV, Cantata, celebration, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, channel, choral music, Chorale, Christ, Classical music, classicalmusic, clavier, Clocks in Motion, composer, Concert, concerto, continue, critically acclaimed, day, double, double concerto, Early music, evening, experimental, exquisite, Facebook, faculty, famous, festival, floor, forward, French, French Suite, Gavotte, Glenn Gould, harpsichord, harpsichordist, indestructible, interesting, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus, Johann Sebastian Bach, Keyboard, Lawrence Quinnett, like, link, live, live music, livestream, Livingstone College, Lord, Madison, major, march, marimba, marimbist, Mead Witter School of Music, menuett, minor, morning, Music, Music education, offer, online, open, ornamentation, percussion, Percussion Ensemble, Percussion music, perform, performer, Pianist, Piano, piece, play, please, pleased, professor, program, proof, Q&A, question-and-answer, questions, recorded, recorded music, remain, renderings, return, sarabande, Sean Kleve, selection, share, sinfonia, Sleepers, Sonora Strings, start, string music, String quartet, Student, subscriber, Suite, Suzuki Method, Suzuki Strings, tag, talk, temper, thank, The Ear, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Thee, Three-Part Invention, transcribed, transcription, trio, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, versatile, video, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtual, vivace, vocal music, Wachet auf, Wachet auf ruft uns die Stimme, wake, Well-Tempered Clavier, Wisconsin, YouTube
Starting TODAY, the First Unitarian Society of Madison offers three free, online mini-concerts at noon on Fridays to celebrate Women’s History Month
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
The Ear has received the following announcement to post about three free, online mini-concerts to celebrate Women’s History Month through the Friday Noon Musicales at the First Unitarian Society of Madison.
The concerts start today:
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
• To celebrate Women’s History Month, the First Unitarian Society of Madison will present three Friday Noon Musicales during March.
• All three will be guest produced by Iva Ugrcic.
• Iva Ugrcic (below) is Founding Artistic Director of the Madison-based LunART Festival, which supports, inspires, promotes and celebrates women in the arts.
• Each program will feature highlights from past LunART Festival performances.
• Each program will be approximately 45 minutes long.
DATES AND PROGRAMS
Each video will become available at noon on the indicated date, and will remain available for viewing in perpetuity.
This Friday, March 12 — Works by living composers Jocelyn Hagen, Salina Fisher and Missy Mazzoli (below top), as well as Romantic-era composer Clara Schumann (below bottom, Getty Images). Specific titles are not named.
Performers include: Iva Ugrcic, flute; Matthew Onstad, trumpet; Tom Macaluso, trombone; Elena Ross and Todd Hammes, percussion; Kyle Johnson, Jason Kutz, Satoko Hayami and Yana Avedyan, piano; Beth Larson and Isabella Lippi, violin; Karl Lavine, cello (below); ARTemis Ensemble.
Friday, March 19 — Works by living composers Linda Kachelmeier, Elsa M’bala, Doina Rotaru (below top) and Eunike Tanzil, as well as Medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen (below bottom) and Romantic-era Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel. Specific works are not named. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear flutist Iva Ugrcic play Doina Rotaru’s haunting “Japanese Garden.”)
Performers include: Iva Ugrcic, flute; Jose Ignacio Santos Aquino, clarinet; Midori Samson, bassoon; Breta Saganski and Dave Alcorn, percussion; Satoko Hayami (below), Jason Kutz and Eunike Tanzil, piano; ARTemis Ensemble
Friday, March 26 — Alexandra Olsavsky, Edna Alejandra Longoria, Kate Soper and Jenni Brandon as well as post-Romantic era American composer Amy Beach (below bottom). Specific pieces are not named.
Performers include: ARTemis Ensemble; a string quartet with violinists Isabella Lippi and Laura Burns, violist Fabio Saggin, and cellist Mark Bridges (below); Jeff Takaki, bass; Vincent Fuh and Kyle Johnson, piano; Jennifer Lien, soprano; Iva Ugrcic, flute.
THREE OPTIONS FOR ATTENDING
• Website — https://www.fusmadison.org/musicales
• Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/fusmadison
• YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/fusmadison > “Playlists” > “Music at FUS”
ABOUT THE “FRIDAY NOON MUSICALES” RECITAL SERIES
• The Friday Noon Musicales at First Unitarian Society is a free noon-hour recital series offered as a gift to the community.
• Founded in 1971, 2020-2021 is the series’ 50th season.
• The series has featured some of the finest musicians in the Midwest, who flock to perform in the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Landmark Auditorium.
• The music performed is mostly classical, but folk, jazz and musical theater styles are presented on occasion.
• During the pandemic, the Musicales have largely been on hiatus.
JUSTICE AND MUSIC INITIATIVE (JAM)
• The Justice And Music Initiative (JAM) at the First Unitarian Society of Madison represents a commitment to more socially equitable and earth-friendly music practices.
• This commitment includes music performed on our campus, both for worship and non-worship events.
• To help achieve our goal, we recognize and celebrate recognition days and months with our musical selections, such as Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15–10/15), LGBT History Month (October); Native American Indian Heritage Month (November), Black History Month (February), Women’s History Month (March), and African-American Music Appreciation Month (prev. Black Music Month; June).
Tags: #African-AmericanMusic, #AlexandraOlsavsky, #AmericanComposer, #AmericanIndian, #AmyBeach, #ARTemisEnsemble, #ArtisticDirector, #AsianMusic, #BethLarson, #BlackCulture, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BretaSaganski, #CelebratingWomen, #ChamberMusic, #CityofMadison, #ClaraSchumann, #ConcertSeries, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DaveAlcorn, #DoinaRotaru, #EdnaAlejandraLongoria, #ElenaRoss, #ElsaM’bala, #EunikeTanzil, #FabioSaggin, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FannyMendelssohn-Hensel, #FirstUnitarianSocietyofMadison, #FluteMusic, #FolkMusic, #FrankLloydWright, #FridayNoonMusicale, #GettyImages, #HildegardvonBingen, #HomeWebsite, #IsabellaLippi, #IvaUgrcic, #JacobStockinger, #JapaneseGarden, #JasonKutz, #JeffTakaki, #JenniBrandon, #JenniferLien, #JocelynHagen, #JoseIgnacioSantosAquino, #KateSoper, #KyleJohnson, #LandmarkAuditorium, #LauraBurns, #LGBTQrights, #LGBTRights, #LindaKachelmeier, #LivingComposer, #LunARTFestival, #MadisonWisconsin, #MarkBridges, #MatthewOnstad, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MedievalMusic, #MidoriSamson, #MissyMazzoli, #MusicalTheater, #MusicalTheatre, #MusicAppreciation, #NativeAmerican, #NoonMusicale, #OnlineConcert, #RomanticEra, #RomanticMusic, #SalinaFisher, #SatokoHayami, #SocialJustice, #SopranoSinger, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #TheUW, #ToddHammes, #TomMacaluso, #VincentFuh, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #Women'sHistoryMonth, #WomenComposers, #YanaAvedyan, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, African American, Alexandra Olsavsky, alumna, America, American, American Indian, Amy Beach, announcement, appreciation, ARTemis Ensemble, Artistic director, Arts, Asia, asian, attend, audience, available, bass, Bassoon, bassoonist, Beth Larson, black, blog, Breta Saganski, bridges, Burns, Campus, celebrate, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Clara Schumann, clarinet, clarinetist, Classical, Classical music, classicalmusic, commitment, community, composer, Concert, concert series, coronavirus pandemic, date, Dave Alcorn, design, Doina Rotaru, Early music, Earth, Edna Alejandra Longoria, Elena Ross, Elsa M’bala, ensemble, equitable, era, Eunike Tanzil, Fabio Saggin, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, feature, First Unitarian Society of Madison, flute music, flutist, folk, forward, founded, founder, Frank Lloyd Wright, free, Friday Noon Musicale, friendly, Garden, Getty Images, gift, glute, goal, graduate, graduate student, guest, haunting, hear, heritage, hiatus, highlights, Hildegard von Bingen, Hispanic, History, home website, Indian, indicate, initiative, inspire, Isabella Lippi, Iva Ugrcic, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Jason Kutz, Jazz, Jeff Takaki, Jenni Brandon, Jennifer Lien, Jocelyn Hagen, Jose Ignacio Santos Aquino, justice, Karl Lavine, KarlLavine, Kate Soper, Kutz, Kyle Johnson, Landmark Auditorium, Larson, Laura Burns, Lavine, LGBT, LGBTQ, like, Linda Kachelmeier, link, living, long, Longoria, LunART Festival, Madison, march, Mark Bridges, Matthew Onstad, Mead Witter School of Music, Medieval, Midori Samson, Midwest, minutes, Missy Mazzoli, Music, Musical theater, musical theatre, mystic, mystical, name, Native American, non-worship, noon, Noon Musicale, occasion, online, option, pandemic, participant, past, percussion, percussionists, performance, perpetuity, Pianist, Piano, playlist, post, post-Romantic, posting, practices, present, produced, program, promote, recital, recognition, Religion, remain, Romantic, Ross, Salina Fisher, Samsin, Satoko Hayami, Schumann, Season, series, share, sing, Singing, social justice, society, Sonata, song, soprano, specific, String quartet, Student, style, support, tag, The Ear, theater, title, Todd Hammes, Tom Macaluso, Trumpet, trumpeter, Unitarian, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, upcoming, UW, UW-Madison, video, view, Vincent Fuh, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, virtual, vocal music, voice, Website, Wisconsin, women, women composers, Women's History Month, work, worship, Yana Avedyan, YouTube, YouTube video
The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra starts its four-concert Winter Chamber Series TONIGHT at 7:30. Tickets are $30 for one-time access from Friday night to Monday 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
The new semester of virtual online concerts begins tonight with the inauguration of the Winter Chamber Series by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra (WCO, below in a photo by Mike Gorski).
Tonight’s program features music by Giovanni Gabrieli, Valerie Coleman, Alec Wilder, Craig Russell and Franz Schubert. (In the YouTube video at the bottom, you can hear the first movement of the Schubert Cello Quintet, played by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.)
The programs are short and feature classic works as well as new music and neglected composers. Often single movements or excerpts rather than complete works are performed.
Concerts all debut on Fridays and remain available through Monday night. Debut dates are TONIGHT, Jan. 22; Feb. 26; March 26; and April 16. A ticket entitles the purchaser to one viewing.
Here is a description of the chamber music series from the WCO:
“While full orchestras remain sidelined, the WCO is excited to present the Winter Chamber Series. This new series will feature chamber works for multiple ensembles ranging from trios to octets, showcasing the versatility and caliber of the WCO’s 34 world-class musicians.
“Patrons will enjoy the four-concert series in the comfort of their own home, streaming each concert on WCO Live on-demand starting at 7:30 p.m. on the evening of the concert launch.
“All programs will be 60–75 minutes in length, with not only music but also stories from the WCO’s own musicians on their journey to becoming professional musicians.
“Also included is a pre-concert talk with maestro Andrew Sewell and Norman Gilliland, as well as a post-concert reflection with musicians of the WCO.”
Here is a link to the concerts, with programs plus notes by music director and conductor Sewell (below in a photo by Alex Cruz) as well as a link to purchase tickets from the Overture Center box office: https://wcoconcerts.org/concerts-tickets/winter-chamber-series
In addition, the WCO has started a musician’s relief fund. It seeks donations to pay musicians for the wages they have lost due to postponed or canceled concerts.
Here is a link: https://wcoconcerts.org/support/donate
Tags: #AlecWilder, #AndrewSewell, #ArtsPatron, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BoxOffice, #BrassMusic, #CelloMusic, #ChamberMusic, #ChamberMusicSocietyofLIncolnCenter, #ConcertSeries, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #CraigRussell, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzSchubert, #Fridaynight, #GiovanniGabrieli, #JacobStockinger, #LincolnCenter, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #Mondaynight, #MusicalExcerpt, #MusicDirector, #NeglectedComposers, #NewMusic, #NormanGilliland, #OnlineConcert, #OvertureCenter, #Pre-concertTalk, #ProfessionalMusician, #ProgramNotes, #StringMusic, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #TheInauguration, #TheUW, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #ValerieColeman, #ViolinMusic, #VirtualConcert, #WindMusic, #WinterChamberSeries, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #YouTubevideo, Alec Wilder, Andrew Sewell, Arts, audience, available, become, biography, blog, box office, brass music, calibre, canceled, cellist, Cello, cello music, Chamber music, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, classic, Classical music, Coleman, comfort, complete, composer, Concert, concert series, conductor, coronavirus, Craig Russell, debut, donation, donor, Early music, ensemble, excerpt, excite, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, flute, forward, Franz Schubert, Friday, full, fund, Gabrieli, Giovanni Gabrieli, hearing, Home, Horn, host, inauguration, Jacob Stockinger, journey, length, like, Lincoln, LIncoln Center, link, listener, lost, Madison, Mead Witter School of Music, minute, minutes, Monday, movement, multiple, Music, Music director, musicians, neglected composers, new, New Music, night, Norman Gilliland, notes, Octet, one, online, Orchestra, Overture Center, pandemic, patron, post, post-concert, posting, postponed, pre-cocert, pre-concert, professional, program, program notes, purchase, purchaser, reflection, relief, remain, Russell, Schubert, semester, share, short, sidelined, single, stories, story, stream, string music, String quartet, symphony, tag, talk, The Ear, ticket, tickets, time, tonight, trio, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, UW-Madsion, VALERIE COLEMAN, versatility, Viola, viola music, Violin, violinist, violist, virtual, WCO, Wilder, wind music, winter chamber music, Winter Chamber Series, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, YouTube
This Wednesday’s FREE Just Bach virtual online concert features holiday music from the Christmas Oratorio and other works
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
The Ear has received the following announcement from the organizers of Just Bach:
The program for Just Bach’s holiday concert this Wednesday, Dec. 16, opens with Chorale Prelude settings of Advent melodies from the Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book) by Johann Sebastian Bach (below), with Mark Brampton Smith on organ and soprano Sarah Brailey singing the melodies.
Violinist Nathan Giglierano follows with the beautiful, contemplative Largo from the third solo violin Sonata, along with two pieces – Two-Part Invention No. 13 and the Sinfonia from Cantata 156 — arranged for violin and viola, which he plays with his wife Gillian.
The second half of the program features selections from the Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248. The Madison-based early music group Sonata à Quattro (SAQ, below in a photo by Barry Lewis) plays the luminous Sinfonia – in an arrangement for string quartet and organ– that opens the second Cantata in this work. The performance was recorded at St. Matthias Episcopal Church in Waukesha, Wis., where SAQ is ensemble-in-residence. (You can hear the Sinfonia in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Members of SAQ (below, in a photo by Barry Lewis) are: Christine Hauptly Annin and Leanne League, violins; Marika Fischer Hoyt, viola; Charlie Rasmussen, cello; and Mark Brampton Smith, organ.
Soprano and UW-Madison graduate student Sarah Brailey (below) — who was just nominated for a Grammy Award — returns with three chorales from the Christmas Oratorio, singing all four parts in a multi-track recording and bringing the holiday program to a high-tech conclusion.
We are thrilled to participate in the weekly ‘Music at Midday’ concert series by Luther Memorial Church. Here is a link: https://www.luthermem.org/music-at-midday.
As part of this series, Just Bach concerts take place on the third Wednesday of each month. Remaining concerts are Dec. 16, Jan. 20, Feb. 17, March 17, April 21 and May 19. Each program lasts approximately 30 minutes.
It is still too risky to have in-person audiences, so these concerts are posted on the Just Bach and Luther Memorial YouTube Channels.
Please note: Now that concerts are online instead of in person, the videos are published early Wednesday mornings, instead of at noon. Then the online post will remain up and accessible for an indefinite time.
Here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcyVFEVsJwklHAx9riqSkXQ?
Viewing the concerts is free, but we ask those who are able, to help us pay our musicians with a tax-deductible donation. https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7A4R7CA8VDRMG&source=url
Concert viewers are invited to a half-hour live Zoom post-concert reception on Wednesday night, Dec. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Those who would like to join us and chat with the performers can follow this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88960952122?pwd=NTNQY21HZmxNSEh0ODRWdmQvVTlsQT09
Just Bach concerts are typically performed in Luther Memorial’s beautiful nave (below), but that was not possible this month. The recent Emergency Order barring indoor gatherings in Dane County of people from different households inspired some special creativity.
The program was recorded by musicians in their respective homes, and at a church in Waukesha County, and in some cases, some high technology was involved.
Dave Parminter was the videographer.
Just Bach’s social media links are:
youtube.com/channel/UCcyVFEVsJwklHAx9riqSkXQ?
Tags: #AdventMusic, #BachCantata, #BaroqueOratorio, #BarqoueMusic, #BarryLewis, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ChamberMusic, #CharlieRasmussen, #ChoralePrelude, #ChoralMusic, #ChristianChurch, #ChristineHauptlyAnnin, #ChristmasMusic, #ChristmasOratorio, #CityofMadison, #ClassicalMusician, #ClassicalMusicians, #ConcertSeries, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DaneCounty, #DaveParminter, #EarlyMorning, #EmergencyOrder, #Ensemble-in-residence, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GillianGiglierano, #GraduateStudent, #GrammyAward, #HighTechnology, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #HolidayConcert, #HolidayMusic, #HolidayProgram, #HomeWebsite, #husband-and-wife, #InPerson, #InstrumentalMusic, #JacobStockinger, #JesusChrist, #JohannSebastianBach, #JustBach, #LeanneLeague, #LittleOrganBook, #MarikaFischerHoyt, #MarkBramptonSmith, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #Multi-track, #MusicatMidday, #NathanGiglierano, #OnlineConcert, #OrganMusic, #PeriodInstruments, #RecordedMusic, #SarahBrailey, #SixtyMinutes, #SocialMedia, #SoloViolin, #SoloViolinSonata, #SonataaQuattro, #SopranoSinger, #St.MatthiasEpiscopalChurch, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #TheUW, #Two-PartInvention, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WaukeshaWisconsin, #Wife-and-Husband, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, #ZoomMeeting, Advent, approximately, arrangement, audience, Bach, bar, Baroque music, Barry Lewis, beautiful, blog, BWV, Cantata, cases, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, Charlie Rasmussen, chat, choral music, Chorale, chorale prelude, Christ, Christian, Christian church, Christine Hauptly Annin, Christmas, Christmas music, Christmas Oratorio, church, Classical music, classicalmusic, concert series, conclusion, contemplative, coronavirus, creativity, Dane County, Dave Parminter, different, donation, early, Early music, earlymusic, emergency order, Facebook, Facebook post, Facebook posting, forward, free, gathering, Gillian Giglierano, graduate student, Grammy, Grammy Award, group, help, high tech, historically informed performance practices, Holiday, holiday music, holiday program, Home, home website, household, husband, in person, indefinite, indoor, inspired, instrumental, Jacob Stockinger, Jesus, Johann Sebastian Bach, join, Just Bach, lasts, Leanne League, like, link, Little Organ Book, live, luminous, Madison, Marika Fischer Hoyt, Mark Brampton Smith, Mead Witter School of Music, melodies, members, minutes, month, morning, Music, Music at Midday, musicians, muti-track, Nathan Giglierano, nave, noon, online, oratorio, organ, organ music, organist, Orgelbüchlein, pandemic, part, participate, pay, People, performance, performer, performers, period instruments, pieces, play, post, post-concert, posting, published, reception, recorded, recorded music, remain, remaining, risky, Sarah Brailey, selections, series, setting, share, sinfonia, singer, Singing, social media, solo, solo violin sonata, Sonata, Sonata à Quattro, soprano, special, St. Matthias Episcopal Church, String quartet, tag, tax-deductible, technology, The Ear, thrilled, time, Two-Part Invention, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW, UW-Madison, videographer, Viola, Violin, Violin Sonata, violinist, violist, virtual, vocal music, Waukesha, we, Website, Wednesday, wife, YouTube, Zoom
The Madison Bach Musicians will open its new season with a virtual online concert of Haydn and Mozart this Saturday night and Sunday afternoon
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
The Ear has received the following announcement, about a promising contrast-and-compare concert, from the Madison Bach Musicians:
The Madison Bach Musicians (MBM) will start its 17th season this Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, Oct. 3 and 4, with a virtual chamber music concert and livestream event featuring the irrepressibly joyous, witty and poised music of Classical-era masters Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).
The performances features period instruments and historically informed performance practices.
See details near the bottom about the schedules and how to buy tickets.
Performers are violinist Kangwon Kim and cellist James Waldo (on gut-strung period instruments), fortepianist Trevor Stephenson, and soprano soloist Morgan Balfour — winner of the 2019 Handel Aria Competition. (Below top is Kangwon Kim; below middle is James Waldo; and below bottom is Morgan Balfour.)
The broadcast will begin with a 30-minute pre-concert lecture by MBM artistic director Trevor Stephenson (below, in a photo by Kent Sweitzer) illuminating the program’s repertoire, the lives of Haydn and Mozart, and the aesthetic aims of the period instruments.
While most of the pieces on the program are buoyant and full of celebration, the concert will begin with a pensive and melancholy work commensurate with our current pandemic times.
Mozart composed the Sonata in E minor for violin and fortepiano in 1778 at the age of 22 while on tour in Paris. His mother, who was with him on the tour, became suddenly ill and died unexpectedly. This sonata is the only piece of instrumental music Mozart ever composed in the key of E minor, and its blend of gravitas, sparseness and tenderness is heartbreakingly poignant.
Mozart’s Piano Trio in G major, composed in 1788, shows him at his sunniest and most affable, with one brilliant and catchy tune after another suspended effortlessly — at least in Mozart’s hands! ― within the balance of Classical form.
The program’s first half ends with five of Mozart’s songs. Mozart truly loved the soprano voice, and he lavished some of his greatest writing upon it. The set includes perhaps his best-known song, Das Veilchen (The Violet)―which is also, oddly enough, Mozart’s only setting of a text by the German poet Goethe.
The second half of the concert is devoted to the music of Mozart’s near contemporary, Joseph Haydn, who was just 24 years older than Mozart.
Though the two composers came from very different musical and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Haydn (below) was lower working class, rural, and musical but not professionally trained.
Mozart (below) was urban, solid middle class, musically trained, sophisticated, and ambitious.
Both managed to carve out successful careers in the fertile musical culture of Vienna and its environs. They certainly knew each other and even made music together on occasion, playing in string quartets — with Haydn on violin and Mozart on viola.
Haydn composed two sets of English Canzonettas (songs) during his visits to England during the early 1790s.
The Mermaid, with its flirtatious beckoning, stretches the confines of the parlor setting (where this music was most likely performed) and suggests a cabaret environment. Fidelity, on the other hand, stays within the parlor style, emphasizing how the bond of devotion can overcome physical separation. Haydn brilliantly interweaves stormy, naturalistic episodes with declarations of unbending loyalty.
The concert will close with Haydn’s mercurial Piano Trio No. 27 in C major. Also composed during his London visits in the 1790s, this trio is the first of a set of three dedicated to the London-based virtuoso pianist Therese Bartolozzi. The Presto finale―with its unbridled high spirits―is a supreme example of Classical Era cheeky, theatrically conceived wit. (You can hear the finale in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
SCHEDULE AND TICKETS
As a result of public health guidelines in response to Covid-19 that do not allow for an in-person audience, we will livestream our concert from Grace Episcopal Church, downtown on Capitol Square, on Saturday evening for at-home viewing. (Below are Trevor Stephenson and Kangwon Kim rehearsing in masks at Stephenson’s home.)
The event will begin with a pre-concert talk by Trevor Stephenson at 7:30 p.m., and after the 8 p.m. concert, the musicians will remain on stage to answer questions submitted by our audience.
On Sunday, starting at 3 p.m. we will rebroadcast the Saturday evening recording and follow that with a live question-and-answer session with our musicians from their homes.
After purchasing tickets for $15 per household, you will be sent a link to access the performance. The recorded lecture and video will be available for up to 72 hours after they take place.
To purchase tickets, go to: https://madisonbachmusicians.org/oct-3-4-haydn-mozart/ or to: https://madison-bach-musicians.square.site/product/haydn-mozart-oct-3-4-livestream/54?cs=true
For information about the Madison Bach Musicians’ full season, go to: https://madisonbachmusicians.org/season-overview/
Tags: #ArtistcDirector, #BaroqueChamberMusic, #Baroquesinging, #BaroqueViolin, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CapitolSquare, #ChamberMusic, #ChristianChurch, #Classicalcomposer, #Classicalera, #Classicalform, #ClassicalStyle, #ConcertSeason, #Contrast-and-Compare, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FranzJosephHaydn, #GeorgeFridericHandel, #GraceEpiscopalChurch, #GreatBritain, #GutStrings, #HandelAriaCompetition, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #InstrumentalMusic, #JacobStockinger, #James Waldo, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohannWolfgangvonGoethe, #KangwonKim, #LifeandDeath, #LiveStreaming, #LondonEngland, #MadisonBachMusicians, #MadisonWisconsin, #MajorKey, #MakeMusic, #Middle-Class, #MiddleClass, #MinorKey, #MusicalStyle, #OnlineConcert, #ParisFrance, #PeriodInstruments, #PianoTrio, #PianoVirtuoso, #Pre-concertLecture, #PublicHealth, #RecordedMusic, #SharonLynneWilsonCenterfortheArts, #SopranoSinger, #StringQuartet, #TheEar, #TheFortepiano, #TheMermaid, #TheViolet", #TrevorStephenson, #ViennaAustria, #ViolinSonata, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorkingClass, #YouTubevideo, aesthetic, afternoon, ambitious, answer, aria, Artistic director, Arts, at home, audience, Austria, Austrian, available, Bach, background, Baroque, Baroque music, beckoning, begin, best-known, blog, bond, bouyant, brilliant, Broadcast, buy, cabaret, canzonetta, Capitol Square, career, carve, catachy, celebration, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, cheeky, Christian, church, Classical era, Classical form, Classical music, compare, composed, composer, conceived, Concert, contemporary, contrast, coronavirus, culture, death, deatils, declaration, dedicated, devoted, devotion, different, downtown, Early music, effortless, effortlessly, eit, emphasize, England, English, environment, environs, episode, esthetic, Facebook, fertile, fidelity, fie, finale, flirtatious, fortepiano, forward, Franz Joseph Haydn, George Frideric Handel, German, Germany, Goethe, grace, Grace Episcopal Church, gravitas, great, Great Britain, greatest, guidelines, gut, gut strings, gut-strung, half, Handel, Handel Aria Competition, hands, Haydn, Health, hear, heartbreaking, help, historically informed performance practices, Home, household, illuminate, in person, information, instrument, instrumental music, interweave, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Joy, joyous, Kangwon Kim, key, Kim, lavished, lecture, like, link, live, lives, livestream, London, Love, loved, lower, loyalty, lyric, Madison, Madison Bach Musicians, major key, Make Music, manage, masks, Master, melancholy, mermaid, minor key, minute, Morgan Balfour, MorganBalfour, Mother, Mozart, Music, musica, musical, Musician, naturalistic, night, odd, oddly, older, on-stage, online, only, onstage, overcome, pandemic, Paris, parlor, pensive, performer, period instruments, physicsl, Piano, Piano Trio, piece, play, poet, Poetry, poignancy, poignant, poise, post, posting, pre-concert, pre-concert lecture, professional, professionally, program, public, Public health, Q&A, question, recorded, rehearsal, rehearse, remain, repertoire, repertory, response, result, rural, Saturday, schedule, Season, separation, session, set, setting, share, Singing, socio-economic, solid, Sonata, song, sophisticated, soprano, sparseness, stormy, String quartet, style, subscriber, suddenly, sun, Sunday, sunny, suspended, tag, talk, tenderly, tenderness, text, The Ear, The Violet, theatrical, ticket, together, tour, trained, Trevor Stephenson, trio, tune, UK, unbendng, unexpected, United States, urban, Vienna, viewing, Viola, violet, Violin, Violin Sonata, violinist, violist, virtual, virtuoso, visit, vocal music, voice, winner, Wisconsin, wit, witty, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, work, working class, writing, year, YouTube
Classical music: As superstar Itzhak Perlman turns 75, a critic assesses his virtues and shortcomings in playing both the violin and his audiences
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
Last Monday, Aug. 31, superstar violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman (below, in a photo by Yael Malka of The New York Times) turned 75.
To celebrate, Sony Classical released a boxed set of 18 CDs (below) with many performances by Perlman – solo, chamber music and concertos – recorded over many years.
On the occasion of Perlman’s birthday, critic Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim of The New York Times wrote a retrospective review of Perlman’s long career. (You can hear his most popular performance ever — with more than 6 million hits — in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The Ear finds the opinion piece both brave and truthful, pointing out Perlman’s mastery of the Romantic repertory but also criticizing his stodgy treatment of Vivaldi and other Baroque music that has benefitted from the period-instrument movement and historically informed performance practices
Yet the essay, which also touches on ups and down of Perlman’s career, always remains respectful and appreciative even when discussing Perlman’s shortcomings.
Offering many historical details and photos as well as sample videos, the critical assessment of Perlman seems perfectly timed.
The Ear hopes you enjoy it as much as he did. Here is a link: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/26/arts/music/itzhak-perlman-violin.html
If you have heard Itzhak Perlman either on recordings or live – at the Wisconsin Union Theater, the old Civic Center or Overture Hall — let us know what you think.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AntonioVivaldi, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BostonSymphony, #BoxSet, #ChamberMusic, #CivicCenter, #ClassicalRecording, #CompactDisc, #ConcertPianist, #CorinnadaFonseca-Wollheim, #DanceMovement, #DisabilityRights, #DorothyDeLay, #EricLeinsdorf, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FelixMendelssohn, #FilmScore, #FourSeasons, #HistoricallyInformedPerformancePractices, #IsraeliMusician, #ItzhakPerlman, #JacobStockinger, #JeanSibelius, #Jewishmusician, #JohannesBrahms, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnWilliams, #JuilliardSchool, #KlezmerMusic, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MauriceRavel, #MaxBruch, #MovieMusic, #MusicCritic, #MusicEducation, #NewYorkTimes, #NiccoloPaganini, #OvertureCenter, #PablodeSarasate, #PeriodInstrument, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PeterTchaikovsky, #RobertSchumann, #RomanticMusic, #Schindler'sList, #SergeiProkofiev, #SesameStreet, #SonyClassical, #StevenSpielberg, #TheEar, #TheHolocaust, #TheViolin, #ViolinConcerto, #ViolinistVirtuoso, #VirtuosoViolinist, #VladimirAshkenazy, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #Yo-YoMa, #YouTubevideo, 75, acrobatic, Antonio Vivaldi, appreciative, Arts, assessment, audience, audiences, Audio, Bach, Baroque, Baroque music, Beethoven, benefit, birthday, blog, Boston Symphony Orchestra, bow, Box set, Brahms, brave, Bruch, career, CDs, celebrate, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, charm, Classical music, classicalmusic, communicate, Compact Disc, Concert, concerto, Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim, critical, de Sarasate, details, disability, disability right, disability rights, disappointment, discuss, Dorothy DeLay, downs, Early music, enjoy, Eric Leinsdorf, ever, Facebook, fans, Felix Mendelssohn, Film score, forward, Four Seasons, hear, historical, historically informed performance practices, hit, Holocaust, hope, intonation, Israel, Itzhak Perlman, Jacob Stockinger, Jean Sibelius, Jewish, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Williams, Juilliard School, Juilliard School of Music, klezmer, legend, like, link, long, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Master, mastery, Maurice Ravel, Max Bruch, Mendelssohn, million, movement, movie music, Mozart, Music, music critic, Music education, New York City, New York Times, Nicolo Paganini, offer, offering, old, opinion, Orchestra, Overture Center, Overture Center for the Arts, Paganini, PBS, performance, period instruments, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, photo, Pianist, Piano, piece, play, polio, popular, post, posting, Prokofiev, Ravel, recital, recording, remain, repertoire, repertory, respectful, retrospective, review, rights, Robert Schumann, Romantic, Sarasate, Schindler's List, Schumann, self-assurance, Sergei Prokofiev, Sesame Street, share, shortcomings, Sibelius, solo, Sonata, SONY, Sony Classical, Steven Spielberg, Student, superstar, tag, Tchaikovsky, Teacher, Television, The Ear, the violin, tone, truthful, TV, United States, ups, vibrant, video, vigorous, Violin, violinist, virtue, virtuoso, Vivaldi, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolgang Amadeus, Yo-Yo Ma, YouTube
Classical music: This summer the Token Creek Festival goes online. The music starts TODAY at 4 p.m. Concerts run daily through Sept. 15 and remain up for this month
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
The annual Token Creek Chamber Music Festival normally occurs in the final weeks of summer, just before Labor Day, in the welcoming rustic comfort of the beautifully converted barn (below) located on the rural farm property of composer John Harbison and violinist Rose Mary Harbison.
With its normal concert season canceled due to Covid-19, the festival is pleased to announce an alternative for the summer almost ended.
Slightly later than usual, “MUSIC FROM THE BARN” is a two-week virtual season, a retrospective of concert compilations from 30 years of performances.
The topical programs will be released daily over the period Sept. 1–15 at 4 p.m. (CDT), and will remain posted and available to “attendees” throughout the month. From anywhere in the world, you can revisit whole programs or individual pieces.
The goal of the series has been to achieve the broadest possible representation of repertoire and artists who have graced the Token Creek stage since the series began in 1989.
To festival-goers, it will come as no surprise that the virtual season emphasizes music of Bach, Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven, vocal music, works by artistic director John Harbison and his colleagues, and, of course, jazz.
In addition to the welcoming beauty of the barn and festival grounds, with sparkling creek and abundant gardens and woods, and the convivial intermissions at every concert, one of the features most beloved by audiences is the concert introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient and MIT professor John Harbison (below) that begins each program. Happily, these remain a feature of the virtual season as well.
Season Schedule
Tues., Sept. 1: Welcome and introduction from the artistic directors (below and in the link to the YouTube video at the bottom)
TODAY, Wed., Sept. 2: Founders Recital
Thurs., Sept. 3: Haydn Piano Trios
Fri., Sept. 4: Bach I: Concertos
Sat., Sept. 5: A Vocal Recital (I)
Sun., Sept. 6: Beethoven
Mon., Sept. 7: Contemporaries
Tues., Sept. 8: Early Modernists
Wed., Sept. 9: A Vocal Recital (II): Schubert and Schumann
Thurs., Sept. 10: Jazz 2003-2019
Fri., Sept. 11: Neo-classicists: Pizzetti, Martinu, Stravinsky
Sat., Sept. 12: Schoenberg and His Circle
Sun., Sept. 13: Mozart
Tues., Sept. 14: John Harbison: Other Worlds
Wed., Sept. 15: Bach II: Preludes, Fugues, Arias, Sonatas
Programs will be posted on Token Creek’s YouTube Channel, accessible from the festival website (https://tokencreekfestival.org), which will also host concert details: works, artists, program notes and other information.
All concerts are FREE and open to the browsing public.
In addition to the virtual concert season, the Token Creek Festival is pleased to release two new CDs.
A Life in Concert (below) features music written for Rose Mary Harbison by John Harbison, and performances of diverse music by the two of them. It includes the world premiere recordings of Harbison’s Violin Sonata No. 1 and Crane Sightings: Eclogue for Violin and Strings, inspired by frequent encounters with a pair of sandhill cranes at the Wisconsin farm.
Wicked Wit, Ingenious Imagination (below) offers four piano trios by Haydn, a beloved genre the festival has been surveying regularly since 2000. CDs will be available at the festival website by mid-September.
For more information, go to: https://tokencreekfestival.org
https://tokencreekfestival.org/2020-virtual-season/welcome/#
Tags: #ALIfeinConcert, #AmericanJazz, #ArnoldSchoenberg, #ArtisticDirector, #AtonalMusic, #BachCantata, #BaroqueMusic, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BohuslavMartinu, #ChamberMusic, #ClassicalRecording, #ConcertSeason, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #CraneSightings, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FacultyMember, #FranzJosephHaydn, #FranzSchubert, #GeniusGrant, #IgorStravinsky, #InstrumentalMusic, #JacobStockinger, #JohannSebastianBach, #JohnHarbison, #LaborDay, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MacArthurFellow, #MacArthurFoundation, #MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology, #Musicfaculty, #MusicFromtheBarn, #MusicProfessor, #NeoClasssicalMusic, #NewMusic, #OnlineConcert, #PianoTrio, #ProgramNotes, #PulitzerPrize, #RobertSchumann, #RoseMaryHarbison, #SandhillCranes, #StateOfWisconsin, #StringMusic, #TheEar, #TokenCreekChamberMusicFestival, #TokenCreekFestival, #TwelveTone, #UWProfessor, #ViolinSonata, #VirtualConcert, #VocalMusic, #Wicked Wit, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WorldPremiere, #YouTubeChannel, #YouTubevideo, A Life in Concert, abundant, alternative, announce, annual, anywhere, aria, Arnold Schoenberg, Artistic director, artists, Arts, atonal, attendee, Bach, barn, Baroque, beautiful, beauty, Beethoven, blog, Bohuslav Martinu, broad, browsing, canceled, Cantata, CDs, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, channel, co-artistic director, colleagues, comfort, compilation, composer, concert season, concerti, concertos, contemporary, converted, convivial, coronavirus, crane, creek, daily, details, diverse, diversity, early, Early music, Eclogue, emphasize, encounter, end, Facebook, faculty, farm, feature, festival, festival-goers, forward, founders, Franz Joseph Haydn, Franz Schubert, free, fugue, Garden, gardens, genius grant, goal, grace, grounds, Haydn, Holiday, Igor Stravinsky, imagination, individual, information, ingenious, Ingenious Imagination, IngeniousImagination, instrumental music, intermission, introduction, Jacob Stockinger, Jazz, Johann Sebastian Bach, John Harbison, Labor Day, later, life, like, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Martinu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, modern, modernists, month, Mozart, Music, Music From the Barn, music professor, neoclassical, neoclassicists, New Music, normal, normally, occur, online, online concert, open, other, pair, pandemic, performance, period, Piano Trio, piece, Pizzetti, pleased, post, posting, Prelude, program, program notes, property, public, Pulitzer Prize, recipient, recital, recording, release, remain, repertoire, repertory, representation, retrospective, revisit, Robert Schumann, Rose Mary Harbison, rural, rustic, sale, sandhill cranes, schedule, Schoenberg, Schubert, Schumann, Season, sell, September, share, sighting, singer, Singing, Sonata, sparkling, stage, Stravinsky, string music, strings, summer, surprise, tag, The Ear, today, Token Creek Chamber Music Festival, Token Creek Festival, topical, twelve tone, two, usual, Viola, Violin, Violin Sonata, violinist, virtual, vocal, vocal music, week, welcome, welcoming, whole, Wicked, Wisconsin, wit, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Woods, works, world, world premiere, years, YouTube
Classical music: Madison Opera’s virtual Opera in the Park goes online for FREE this Saturday night and stays up until Aug. 25. Listen to it indoors or outdoors
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
Madison Opera’s Opera in the Park isn’t in a park this year — as it has been in past years (below) — but it will be available for people to enjoy for free in their backyards, in their living rooms or anywhere else with an internet connection.
The digital concert will be released on this Saturday, July 25, at 8 p.m. CDT, and can be watched on Madison Opera’s website, www.madisonopera.org/digital, where you can find complete information and, soon, a complete program to download.
The annual free concert has moved online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a newly created program of opera arias and more.
Digital Opera in the Park features: soprano Jasmine Habersham; soprano Karen Slack; tenor Andres Acosta; and baritone Weston Hurt. (The last two will sing the justly famous baritone-tenor duet “Au fond du temple saint” from Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers,” which you can hear in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Habersham (below) makes her Madison Opera debut with this unique performance, and will sing Susanna in the company’s production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro next April.
Slack (below) debuted with the company in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking, and will be part of the company’s digital fall season.
Acosta (below) sang Timothy Laughlin in Gregory Spears’ Fellow Travelers with Madison Opera this past February.
Hurt (below) debuted as Germont in Verdi’s La Traviata last season and is part of the company’s digital fall season.
The four singers will be joined by several important local artists. They include violinist Suzanne Beia, the assistant concertmaster of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the concertmaster of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the second violin of the UW-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet.
There will also be a fleet of eight pianists. They include MSO music director and Madison Opera’s artist director John DeMain (below top, in a photo by Prasad) and the UW-Madison graduate and composer Scott Gendel (below bottom). The two will play multiple numbers, including DeMain accompanying Beia on the beautiful “Meditation” from Thaïs.
Each singer recorded their arias with an accompanist in their home cities, and chorusmaster Anthony Cao (below top) both accompanies and conducts the Madison Opera Chorus (below bottom) in a virtual “Anvil Chorus” from Il Trovatore.
The evening will be hosted by Madison Opera’s General Director Kathryn Smith and by WKOW TV’s Channel 27 News co-anchor George Smith.
“Reimagining Opera in the Park in the pandemic era has been a challenge, but one we have happily embraced,” says Smith (below in a photo by James Gill). “Our wonderful artists were game to record themselves in their home towns, to sing duets with each other through headphones, and to share their artistry with our community in a new way. Over 40 choristers joined a Zoom call to get instructions, and then they recorded their parts of the ‘Anvil Chorus.’”
“While in some ways this concert has required more work than our live Opera in the Park in Garner Park, it is always a pleasure to present beautiful music for everyone to enjoy.”
Digital Opera in the Park features music from Verdi’s Il Trovatore, now canceled in live performance but originally slated to open Madison Opera’s 2020-21 season; Jerry Bock’s She Loves Me, which the company performs in January; and Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, which will be performed in April.
The program also includes selections from Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers, Richard Strauss’ Arabella, Verdi’s Don Pasquale, Puccini’s Tosca, Massenet’s Hérodiade and Thaïs, Rossini’s William Tell, Pablo Sarozabal’s zarzuela La Tabernera del Puerto, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific, and more.
The concert will be available beginning at 8 p.m. CDT on this Saturday night, July 25, and will remain online until Aug. 25, allowing for both repeated viewing and flexibility for people who are unable to watch on the first night.
While Digital Opera in the Park will be free to watch, it would not be possible without the generous support of many foundations, corporations and individuals who believe in the importance of music. Madison Opera is grateful to the sponsors of Opera in the Park 2020:
- Presenting Sponsor: the Berbeewalsh Foundation
- Sponsors: the John and Carolyn Peterson Charitable Foundation, Full Compass Systems, the Raymond B. Preston Family Foundation, University Research Park, Colony Brands, Johnson Financial Group, MGE Foundation, National Guardian Life, Wisconsin Arts Board, Dane Arts and the Madison Arts Commission.
- Media Sponsors: WKOW, Madison Magazine, Wisconsin Public Radio, Magic 98, and La Movida.
RELATED EVENTS include:
OPERA ON THE WALL | JULY 25, 2020 | ONLINE
Madison artists Liubov Swazko (known as Triangulador) and Mike Lroy have created artwork around our community, including beautiful murals on State Street storefronts.
In an act of artistic cross-pollination, they will create an artwork that comes from their personal response to Digital Opera in the Park, offering a rare glimpse of visual artists responding to musical artists. Their creative process will be filmed in the Madison Opera Center, and shared online starting on July 25.
The finished artwork will be displayed in the Madison Opera Center. Go to Swazko’s website at triangulador.com (one work is below) and Lroy’s website at mikelroy.com to see their past work.
POST-SHOW Q&A | JULY 25, 2020, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE INITIAL STREAM
Join Kathryn Smith and the Digital Opera in the Park artists for a post-concert discussion, including an opportunity to ask questions. Details on format and platform will be available closer to the date.
Tags: #AndresAcosta, #AnthonyCao, #AnvilChorus, #ArtisticDirector, #BaritoneSinger, #Beautifulmusic, #BerbeeWalshFoundation, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BroadwayMusical, #ChamberMusic, #Channel27, #ChoralMusic, #ChorusMaster, #CityofMadison, #ColonyBrands, #CoronavirusPandemic, #COVID-19, #DaneArts, #DeadManWalking, #DigitalOperainthePark, #DonPasquale, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FamousMusic, #FellowTravelers, #FullCompassSystems, #GarnerPark, #GeneralDirector, #GeorgesBizet, #GiacomoPuccini, #GioachinoRossini, #GiuseppeVerdi, #GregorySpears, #HomeWebsite, #IlTrovatore, #JacobStockinger, #JakeHeggie, #JamesGill, #JasmineHabersham, #JerryBock, #JohnandCarolynPeterson, #JohnDeMain, #JohnsonFinancialGroup, #JosephMcCarthy, #JulesMassenet, #KarenSlack, #KathrynSmith, #LaMovida, #LaTaberneradelPuerto, #LaTraviata, #LGBTQrights, #LGBTRights, #LiubovSwazko, #LiveMusic, #LiveStreaming, #LivingRoom, #MadisonArtsCommission, #MadisonMagazine, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaCenter, #MadisonOperaChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MadisonWisconsin, #Magic98, #MarriageofFigaro, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MediaSponsor, #MGEFoundation, #MikeLroy, #MusicalTheater, #MusicDirector, #NationalGuardianLife, #NewsAnchor, #OperaAria, #OperaInThePark, #OperaMusic, #PabloSarozabal, #PabloZarozabal, #PianoAccompaniment, #PianoAccompanist, #ProArteQuartet, #PublicHealth, #RelatedEvent, #RichardStrauss, #RodgersandHammerstein, #ScottGendel, #Self-Isolation, #SheLovesMe, #shelter-at-home, #ShelterinPlace, #SopranoSinger, #SouthPacific, #SpanishComposer, #StateStreet, #Stayathome, #SuzanneBeia, #TenorSinger, #TheEar, #ThePearlFishers, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityResearchPark, #VisualArt, #VisualArtist, #VocalMusic, #WestonHurt, #WilliamTell, #WisconsinArtsBoard, #WisconsinChamberOrchestra, #WisconsinPublicRadio, #WKOWTV, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #YouTubevideo, accompany, alumni, alumnus, anchor, Andres Acosta, annual, Anthony Cao, Anvil Chorus, anywhere, April, Arabella, aria, Artistic director, artistry, artists, Arts, artwork, assistant, audience, August, available, backyard, baritone, beautiful, believe, BerbeeWalsh Foundation, Bizat, blog, Broadway musical, call, cancel, canceled, challenge, Chamber music, channel, choral music, choristers, chorus, cities, Classical music, Colony Brands, community, company, complete, composer, Concert, concertmaster, conduct, conductor, connection, coronavirus, corporations, create, creative, creative process, Dane Arts, date, Dead Man Walking, debut, detail, digital, Digital Opera in the Park, discussion, Don Pasquale, donor, download, duet, else, embrace, enjoy, era, event, everyone, Facebook, fall, famous, feature, February, Fellow Travelers, film, fleet, flexibility, format, forward, foundations, free, Full Compass Systems, game, Garner Park, General director, generous, Georges Bizet, Giacomo Puccini, gift, Gioacchino Rossini, Giuseppe Verdi, glimpse, graduate, grateful, Gregory Spears, happy', Hérodiade, headphones, home town, home website, hometown, homosexual, host, Il Trovatore, imagine, immediate, importance, important, individual, indoors, information, initial, instruction, Internet, isolation, Jacob Stockinger, Jake Heggie, James Gill, Jasmine Habersham, Jerry Bock, John and Carolyn Peterson, John DeMain, Johnson Financial Group, Joseph McCarthy, Jules Massenet, July, just, justly, Karen Slack, Kathryn Smith, kayak, La Movida, La Tabernera del Puerto, La Traviata, LGBT, LGBTQ, like, link, Liubov Swazko, live music, living room, local, Love, Madison, Madison Arts Commission, Madison Magazine, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Center, Madison Opera Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Magic 98, manager, Marriage, Marriage of Figaro, Massenet, Master, McCarthyism, Mead Witter School of Music, media, Meditation, MGE Foundation, Mike Lroy, Mozart, MSO, multiple, mural, Music, Music director, musical, Musical theater, National Guardian Life, new, news, number, onlne, opera, Opera in the Park, opera music, opportunity, outdoors, Pablo, Pablo Sarozabal, Pablo Zarozabal, Pacific Ocean, pandemic, PAQ, Park, parts, past, People, performance, performer, photo, Pianist, Piano, piano accompaniment, Piano accompanist, platform, pleasure, post, post-concert, posting, present, Pro Arte Quartet, process, production, program, public, Public health, Puccini, Q&A, questions, Radio, rare, record, related event, relatred, remain, repeat, research, respond, Richard Strauss, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rossini, Saturday, Scott Gendel, Season, selections, September, share, She Loves Me, shelter in place, sing, singer, Singing, soprano, South Pacific, Spain, Spanish, sponsor, State Street, stay at home, store, storefront, Strauss, stream, Student, support, Suzanne Beia, symphony, tag, Television, tenor, Thaïs, The Ear, The Marriage of Figaro, The Pearl Fishers, theatre, Tosca, town, Triangulador, TV, United States, university, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Research Park, UW, UW-Madison, Verdi, viewing, Violin, violinist, visual art, visual artist, vocal music, wall, watch, way, WCO, Website, Weston Hurt, William Tell, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, wisconsin public radio, WKOW, WKOW TV, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, wonderful, work, WPR, year, YouTube, Zarozabal, zarzuela, Zoom
Classical music: University Opera’s production of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” is a musical treat despite its outdated story. Performances remain this afternoon and Tuesday night
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
Larry Wells – the very experienced Opera Guy for this blog – took in the University Opera’s production of Mozart’s “Cosi fan tutte” Friday night at Music Hall on Bascom Hill and filed this review. (Performance photos are by Michael R. Anderson.)
By Larry Wells
I attended the opening night of University Opera’s production of Mozart’s “Cosi Fan Tutte” (So Do They All or Such Are Women).
Considered a musical masterpiece, the opera features a cast of six singers who participate in a comedy about love and fidelity. (Below, from left, are Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi, Benjamin Hopkins as Ferrando, James Harrington as Don Alfonso, Kelsey Wang as Despina, Kevin Green as Guglielmo and Chloe Agostino as Dorabella.)
In director David Ronis’ attempt to make the story more timely, the action took place in a vaguely early 20th-century setting – the Roaring Twenties, to be precise — suggested by the women’s costumes and the art deco set.
Two of the men, who are called off to war, brandished swords, which I believe were not widely used in World War I. (Below, from left, are Benjamin Hopkins as Ferrando, James Harrington as Don Alfonso and Kevin Green as Guglielmo in the opening scene from Act I.)
In any event, an attempt to make an historic artifact with its incumbent unenlightened views of women relevant to the 21st century may be fruitless, and I believe that audiences today recognize the archaic attitudes expressed therein as comic and dated.
That sexist manipulation needs to be discussed today, as suggested in the director’s notes, and that women’s “agency” — to quote an overused academic term — remains an issue today is the tragedy. This comedy goes only a small distance in helping us realize that some things have not changed, even though many have.
But on to the performance.
The three female characters (below) included the vocally stunning Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi. Her “Come scoglio” was a showstopper. (Below, from left, are Chloe Agostino as Dorabella and Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi in their Act I duet.)
Chloe Agostino’s sweet soprano perfectly reflected her Dorabella, and Anja Pustaver’s comic turn as Despina revealed an interesting voice that reminded me of Reri Grist’s Oscar in the Erich Leinsdorf recording of Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera” – which is a compliment, albeit possibly obscure.
Kevin Green as Guglielmo grew on me as the evening progressed and as he became more confident. But the standout was James Harrington as Don Alfonso. I feel that he is a major talent in our midst. (Below in the foreground are Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi and Benjamin Hopkins as Ferrando; in the background are James Harrington as Don Alfonso and Kevin Green as Guglielmo.)
Green and his partner, Benjamin Hopkins’ Ferrando, had to don disguises in order to tempt each other’s intended. In the libretto they disguise themselves as Albanians.
In what I can only hope was a nod to political correctness in order to spare the feelings of our Albanian brothers, they disguised themselves in this production as lumberjacks clad in flannel shirts and denim jeans — which was incongruously absurd but amusing at the same time. (Below,Kelsey Wang, left, as Despina examines Benjamin Hopkins as the Albanian Ferrando in a fake medical examination during the finale of Act I.)
The vocalists shone most in their many ensembles – duets, trios, quartets and sextets. The blendings of the various voices were always harmonious. The trio “Soave sia il vento” (Gentle Be the Breeze) — featuring Rosché, Agostino and Harrington (below) — was sublime and worth the price of admission on its own. (Below, from left, are Chloe Agostino as Dorabella, James Harrington as Don Alfonso and Cayla Rosché as Fiordiligi in the famous Act I trio “Soave sia il vento,” which you can hear in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The UW Symphony Orchestra was ably and nobly led by new conductor Oriol Sans (below) whose hiring proved to be a major coup for the university. Everything I’ve heard him conduct so far has been excellent, and this performance was no exception.
The harpsichord continuo by Thomas Kasdorf (below) was captivating in its nuance and effortlessness – very impressive.
I enjoyed the abstract unit set designed by Joseph Varga and complemented by the effective lighting designed by Zak Stowe.
In all, it was an evening primarily in which to close one’s eyes and listen.
Repeat performances, with alternating cast members, take place this afternoon – Sunday, March 1 – at 2 p.m. and again on Tuesday night, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. Running time is about 3 hours with one intermission. The opera is sung in Italian with English surtitles.
Tickets are $25, $20 for seniors and $10 for students. For more information about the opera, the cast and the production, go to: https://www.music.wisc.edu/2020/02/10/cosi-fan-tutte/
Tags: #20thCentury, #21stCentury, #AMaskedBall, #ArtDeco, #BascomHill, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BlogReview, #CosifanTutte, #DavidRonis, #DeminCoveralls, #ErichLeinsdorf, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FamousMusic, #FlannelShirt, #GeneralAdmission, #GiuseppeVerdi, #HarpsichordContinuo, #HomeWebsite, #HumanVoice, #JacobStockinger, #LarryWells, #LoveintheTimeofCholera, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MedicalExamination, #MichaelR.Anderson, #MusicHall, #MusicReview, #OpeningNight, #OperaLibretto, #OperaReview, #OriolSans, #PoliticalCorrectness, #Roaring20s, #RoaringTwenties, #RunningTime, #SeniorCitizen, #SopranoSinger, #TheEar, #ThomasKasdorf, #UnBalloinMaschera, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #UniversityOpera, #UWSymphonyOrchestra, #VocalMusic, #WolfgangAmadeusMozart, #WordWarI, 20th-century, 21st century, A Masked Ball, abstract, absurd, academic, act, action, admission, agency, Albania, Albanian, archaic, aria, art deco, artifact, Arts, attempt, attitude, audience, Bascom Hill, blog, bluejeans, brother, captivating, cast, character, Classical music, comedy, comic, complement, compliment, composer, conduct, conductor, confident, continuo, correctness, Cosi fan tutte, costumes, coup, coveralls, dated, David Ronis, delight, denim, denim coveralls, design, director, discuss, disguise, distance, don, duo, effective, effortless, English, Erich Leinsdorf, eveing, examination, excellent, exception, Facebook, fake, famous, female, fidelity, flannel shirt, forward, fruitless, fun, Giuseppe Verdi, harmonious, harpsichord, hiring, historic, hours, I, impressive, information, interesting, intermission, issue, Italian, Jacob Stockinger, Jeans, Larry Wells, libretto, lighting, like, link, Love, lumberjack, Madison, major, manipulation, masterpiece, Mead Witter School of Music, medical, member, men, Michael R. Anderson, Mozart, Music, Music Hall, musical, new, nuance, obscure, opening night, opera, Opera review, Orchestra, Oriol Sans, outdated, perfect, performance, performer, photo, photos, political, political correctness, post, posting, price, production, progress, Quartet, quogte, recording, reflect, relevant, remain, repeat, review, Roaring 20s, Roaring Twenties, running time, scene, senior, set, setting, sex, sexist, sextet, share, showstopper, singers, soprano, standout, story, string sextet, Student, stunning, sublime, sung, surtitles, sweet, sword, symphony, tag, talent, term, The Ear, Thomas Kasdorf, tickets, today, tragedy, trio, Un ballo in maschera, United States, university, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, University Opera, UW, UW Symphony Orchestra, UW-Madison, Verdi, view, vocal music, vocalist, vocalists, voice, war, Website, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, women, World War I, YouTube
Classical music: Excellent singing, acting, orchestral playing, sets and costumes combined to make Verdi’s “La Traviata” one of Madison Opera’s best ever productions
7 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. 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 experienced Opera Guy for this blog – Larry Wells – took in last weekend’s production by the Madison Opera of Verdi’s “La Traviata” and filed the following review. Performance photos are by James Gill.
By Larry Wells
During the first few moments of the Overture to Giuseppe Verdi’s “La Traviata” — on Sunday afternoon in Overture Hall — I had a feeling that this would be a special performance. Members of the Madison Symphony Orchestra sounded full and alive and attentive to artistic director and conductor John DeMain.
(You can hear the haunting overture or prelude, performed at the BBC Proms by the Milan Symphony Orchestra under Chinese conductor Xian Zhang, in the YouTube video at the bottom,)
Presented by Madison Opera, this performance will remain in my memory as one of the best I have attended here.
The traditional production was well staged by director Fenlon Lamb with beautiful sets (below) designed for Hawaii Opera Theater and provided by Utah Opera. The sets provided a sense of spaciousness and perspective as befits grand houses in 19th-century Paris.
Likewise, the costumes were spectacular, particularly in the masquerade scene (below) in the second act where almost everyone was in opulent black.
The three principal characters were all well portrayed, although tenor Mackenzie Whitney’s Alfredo (below left) seemed rather youthful to be proclaiming he was being reborn by his love for Violetta (below right).
Both Whitney and baritone Weston Hurt (below right), who portrayed Alfredo’s father Germont, sang perfectly well.
But all of my notes seem to have focused on soprano Cecilia Violetta Lopez’s portrayal of Violetta (below left, with Mackenzie Whitney as Alfredo). One aria, duet and ensemble after another was remarkably sung with her pure and crystalline voice.
Lopez is also a talented actress who convincingly conveyed the emotions of the heroine in their wide gamut from care-free courtesan to love-struck woman to abandoned consumptive.
I was close enough to the stage to see the changing emotions flicker across Lopez’s face, and I was very impressed, and ultimately moved, by her performance.
All three of the main characters could sing, but Lopez could really sing and act as well. It was an outstanding performance that left me quite affected.
The chorus sounded wonderful, and the choristers did not overact, for which I was grateful. Their contribution to the finale of the second act made that ensemble heartbreaking. Likewise, the final ensemble at the end of the opera left me bereft.
Altogether conductor, orchestra, singers, chorus, set, costumes and lighting combined to create an unforgettable afternoon. I pay tribute to Verdi for creating an enduring work of art and to John DeMain (below, in a photo by Greg Anderson) for an amazing performance.
For more background about the real-life story and inspiration of the opera and more details about the production and the cast, go to: https://welltempered.wordpress.com/2019/10/28/classical-music-the-madison-opera-performs-verdis-la-traviata-this-friday-night-and-sunday-afternoon-in-overture-hall/
Unfortunately, I was seated behind an older couple. The woman was obviously very ill and apparently was unable to lift her head high enough to see the stage, let alone read the supertitles. Her partner — I assume it was her husband — patiently whispered a summary of the supertitles throughout the performance.
I believe that people feel that they are inaudible to others when they whisper to their neighbor, but we all know that this is not the case.
I mentioned this to friends during the intermission, and they said that I should say something. However, my Midwestern niceness kicked in and I just endured it. I thought that perhaps this would be the last opera she would ever attend.
Yet I could not help feeling that I would not have enjoyed someone whispering in my ear while music was being performed; and I would have perhaps prepared in advance so that I knew what I would be hearing.
Additionally, I darkly mused that perhaps “La Traviata” is not an appropriate opera to bring someone who is critically ill to.
Readers’ thoughts on this matter would be appreciated.
Tags: #19thCentury, #ArtisticDirector, #AsianMusicians, #BaritoneSinger, #BBCProms, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #CeciliaViolettaLopez, #ChineseConductor, #ChoralMusic, #ClassicalMusician, #ConcertEtiquette, #CriticallyIll, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FenlonLamb, #GiuseppeVerdi, #HawaiiOperaTheater, #husband-and-wife, #JacobStockinger, #JamesGill, #JohnDeMain, #LarryWells, #LaTraviata, #MackenzieWhitney, #MadisonOpera, #MadisonOperaChorus, #MadisonSymphonyOrchestra, #MasqueradeBall, #MilanItaly, #MilanSymphonyOrchestra, #MusicCritic, #MusicReview, #OperaGuy, #ParisFrance, #SopranoSinger, #StageDirector, #Sundayafternoon, #TenorSinger, #TheEar, #UtahOpera, #VocalMusic, #WestonHurt, #WorkofArt, #XianZhang, #YouTubevideo, 19th century, abandoned, act, acting, actress, advance, Alfredo, alive, amazing, another, appreciated, appropriate, aria, Art, Artistic director, Arts, Asia, asian, attend, attentive, audience, background, baritone, BBC Proms, beautiful, bereft, best, blog, care-free, cast, Cecilia Violetta Lopez, Central Midwest Ballet Academy, characters, China, Chinese, choral music, choristers, chorus, Classical music, classicalmusic, close, combine, composer, Concert, concert etiquette, conductor, consumptive, contribution, convey, costumes, couple, courtesan, create, creating, critic, critically ill, crystalline, dark, director, duet, ear, emotions, enduring, enjoy, ensemble, etiquette, everyone, experience, Facebook, father, feeling, Fenlon Lamb, fill, finale, Focus, forward, friends, gamut, Germont, Giuseppe Verdi, grand, grateful, haunting, Hawaii, Hawaii Opera Theater, hear, hearing, heartbreak, heartbreaking, help, heroine, houses, husband, ill, impressed, inaudible, information, inspiration, intermission, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, James Gill, John DeMain, La Traviata, Larry Wells, last, lift, lighting, like, link, Love, love-struck, Mackenzie Whitney, Madison, Madison Opera, Madison Opera Chorus, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Maestro, main, masquerade, matter, member, memory, Midwest, Midwestern, Milan, Milan Symphony Orchestra, moment, moved, mused, Music, music critic, music review, neighbor, niceness, notes, older, opera, Opera Guy, opera scenes, opulent, Orchestra, overact, Overture, Paris, pay, People, performance, performer, perspective, photo, portrayal, post, posting, Prelude, prepare, proclaim, production, pure, reader, real-life, reborn, remain, remarkable, review, sang, say, scene, seated, sense, sets, share, singers, Singing, something, soprano, Sound, spaciousness, special, spectacular, stage, staged, story, summary, Sunday, Sunday afternoon, sung, supertitles, tag, talent, talented, tenor, The Ear, thoughts, traditional, tribute, unforgettable, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Utah Opera, Verdi, video, Violetta, vocal music, voice, weekend, Weston Hurt, whisper, whispering, wife, Wisconsin, woman, wonderful, work, work of art, Xian Zhang, youthful, YouTube
Recent Comments
The Well-Tempered Ear 