The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Antonio Vivaldi and Joshua Bell evoke the summer storms that Wisconsin now waits for and fears for the next week
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By Jacob Stockinger
So much of Wisconsin is already so flooded after the past week or 10 days that an open-ended state of emergency has been officially declared for the entire state.
And now the weather predictions for the next week or so are for more rainstorms and thunderstorms every day — complete with watches, alerts and warnings from the National Weather Service.
Will those storms swell the rivers and lakes even more?
Will more streets be closed and bridges destroyed?
Will more basements and even whole homes and buildings be ruined?
Will more businesses be forced to close?
The Ear knows a lot of music about water, especially by Claude Debussy. But so much of the water music from Handel and Smetana to Wagner and Debussy seems restorative or calm or redemptive or simply descriptive.
But the water Wisconsin faces makes us edgy and nervous while we wait to see what happens because the weather could bring more devastation and destruction.
The closest music comes to the right mood is the frenetic and even violent quality of the summer storm in “The Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi and the energetic violin playing by Joshua Bell.
If you can think of a better piece, let The Ear know.
In the meantime, let’s all hope for the best and here is Vivaldi’s musical summer storm in a YouTube video:
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Classical music: Grammy winners Takacs Quartet and pianist Garrick Ohlsson perform a MUST-HEAR concert of Mozart, Brahms and Shostakovich this Sunday night at the Wisconsin Union Theater. Plus, you can hear a FREE performance of string music by Johan Halvorsen and Philip Glass this Friday at noon
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ALERT: This week’s FREE Friday Noon Musicale at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, features the Passcaglia Duo of Norwegian composer Johan Halvorsen and String Quartet No. 5 by American contemporary composer Philip Glass.
Performers are violinists Kaleigh Acord, Elspeth Stalter and Ela Mowinski; violist Shannon Farley; and cellist Morgan Walsh. The concert, which runs from 12:15 to 1 p.m., will be streamed live on the Facebook page of Noon Musicales.
By Jacob Stockinger
Separately and together, The Ear loves piano and strings.
So you can imagine the appeal of a concert that will take place this Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. in Shannon Hall at the Wisconsin Union Theater.
That’s when the veteran and venerable Takacs Quartet (below) and acclaimed pianist Garrick Ohlsson will join forces in a terrific all-masterpiece program.
The concert has all the makings of a MUST-HEAR event for chamber music fans.
The award-winning Takacs Quartet, founded 42 years ago in Hungary and widely recorded and honored, will play two string quartets.
The late String Quartet No. 21 in D Major, K. 575, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (below), is the first of the composer’s three so-called “Prussian” quartets.
Known for a more relaxed style than the earlier “Haydn” quartets by Mozart, the Prussian quartets were composed for the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm II (below), who was a talented amateur cellist.
The Takacs will also perform the seven-movement String Quartet No. 11 in F minor by Dmitri Shostakovich (below). It is one of The Ear’s very favorite of the 16 quartets written by the Russian composer who endured the torments and treacheries of the Stalinist terror in the Soviet Union.
Then Garrick Ohlsson (below) will join in for the Piano Quintet in F Minor by Johannes Brahms. It is one of the four or five crowning quintets for piano and string quartet.
The Ear loves the playing of both artists and the program should be deeply interesting and moving. The Takacs possesses a mastery of many styles and has recorded numerous quartets by Haydn, Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Smetana, Janacek and, more recently, by Dvorak as well as a terrific complete cycle of the 16 Beethoven quartets.
But the Takacs has recorded little Mozart (two string quintets) and little Shostakovich (one quartet and a piano quintet), so The Ear looks forward to hearing the quartet’s take on those composers.
The Takacs has recorded the Brahms Piano Quintet, but with British pianist Stephen Hough and Hungarian pianist Andras Schiff, but that work too should be a memorable performance with Ohlsson, the only American ever to win the International Chopin Piano Competition. (You can hear the energetic and lyrical opening movement from the Takacs-Hough recording in the YouTube video at the bottom, which has an intriguing and colorful bar graph to emphasize the structure.)
Tickets are $10-$47. For more information about purchasing tickets plus a video and more background about the artists, go to:
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Classical music: This weekend brings two major piano recitals – by UW-Madison virtuoso Christopher Taylor and Italian duo-pianists Roberto Plano and Paola Del Negro – plus a public piano master class
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By Jacob Stockinger
As you have already seen from this week’s postings so far, this coming weekend is loaded with conflicting concerts.
One result is that events that would normally receive separate postings must be combined.
Such is the case today, with previews of two very appealing piano concerts plus a master class.
SATURDAY
This Saturday night at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, the celebrated UW-Madison pianist Christopher Taylor (below), a bronze medalist in the Van Cliburn Competition, will perform a terrifically well-planned recital that is a classic case of contrast-and-compare, and reveals how music begets more music.
Here are some notes from the School of Music about the program:
“Christopher Taylor’s conceptual program features Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, arranged by Franz Liszt.
Over 175 years later, New York City-based composer John Corigliano would use Beethoven’s Seventh to inspire his Fantasia on an Ostinato. (You can hear the famous slow movement with the “ostinato,” or continually repeated musical phrase or rhythm, that inspires it in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
On the second half, Taylor will feature two takes on the title “Moments Musicaux” or Musical Moments: first, he will play Franz Schubert’s version, published in the last year of his life (1828); then he’ll perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s version from the start of his career.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for non-School of Music students and children. Ticket information is here.
SATURDAY and SUNDAY
On Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m., as part of the Salon Piano Series, the Italian husband-and-wife piano duo of Roberto Plano and Paola Del Negro (below) will hold a FREE and PUBLIC master class with local students at Farley’s House of Pianos, 6522 Seybold Road, on Madison’s far west side near the West Towne Mall.
Then on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m., in the main showroom at Farley’s, the duo will perform.
The program features: “Pictures from the East” (Bilder aus Osten), Op. 66, by Robert Schumann; Burgmein’s (aka Ricordi) Suite “Les amoureux de Colombine”; Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dances 1-5; “The Moldau” by Bedrich Smetana; and Brahms’ Sonata for Two Pianos, Op. 34b, which later became his famous Piano Quintet.
Tickets are $45 for the public and $10 for full-time students.
For more information about tickets and biographies of the performers, go to: http://salonpianoseries.org/concerts.html
You can also call (608) 271-2626.
Tags: Arts, Beethoven, Beethoven Seventh, Chamber music, Christopher Taylor, Classical music, Colombine, concept, conceptual, Concert, conflict, Corigliano, dance, duo-pianists, east, Fantasia, Farley's House of Pianos, Franz Schubert, Hungarian, Hungary, husband, Italian, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Johannes Brahms, life, Liszt, Madison, master class, Moldau, Moments Musicaux, Music, musical, New York City, note, ostinato, phrase, Piano, pictures, posting, quintet, Rachmaninov, recital, rhtyhm, School of Music, Schumann, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Smetana, Sonata, Student, symphony, ticket, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, virtuoso, West Towne Mall, wife, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: The Salon Piano Series at Farley’s House of Piano announces its new season of four concerts
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By Jacob Stockinger
The reliably virtuosic and musically enjoyable Salon Piano Series has just announced its 2017-18 season.
A piano duo, piano soloists and the Pro Arte Quartet provide traditional salon concert experiences with informal seating and restored pianos.
The 2017-18 Salon Piano Series season again includes piano soloists and ensembles typical of 19th-century European salon concerts, with well-known concert artists from Italy, Russia, Israel and Ireland.
According to a press release, the season’s offerings are:
Roberto Plano and Paola Del Negro Duo (below) on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017 at 4 p.m.
Italian husband and wife piano duo Roberto Plano and Paola Del Negro kick off the season with Schumann’s “Pictures from the East” (Bilder aus Osten, Op. 66), Brahms’ Hungarian Dances 1-5, “The Moldau” by Smetana, and Brahms’ Sonata for Two Pianos, Op. 34b, the earlier version of his great Piano Quintet. The duo will perform on one piano for the first half of the program and on two for the second half. (You can hear them perform Hungarian Dances by Brahms in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Ilya Yakushev (below) on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017 at 4 p.m.
Returning by popular demand, Ilya Yakushev will perform an exhilarating program of Haydn’s Piano Sonata in D Major, Tchaikovsky’s “Sentimental Waltz,” Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” in his November concert.
Alon Goldstein (below top) and the UW-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet (below bottom in a photo by Rick Langer) on Saturday night, March 10, 2018 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, March 11, 2018 at 4 p.m.
To accommodate the crowds, Salon Piano Series booked two performances for Alon Goldstein and the UW-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet in March. Goldstein will perform selected Scarlatti sonatas solo, then the Pro Arte Quartet and bassist David Scholl will join him for Mozart Concerto No. 23 in A Major, K. 488, in a reduced arrangement, and the Brahms Piano Quintet, Op. 34.
John O’Conor (below) on Saturday, May 12, 2018, 7:30 p.m.
To cap off the season in May, the great Irish pianist John O’Conor will perform Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert in his first Salon Piano Series appearance.
Visit salonpianoseries.org for complete concert programs, and artist information.
All concerts are at Farley’s House of Pianos, at 6522 Seybold Road, on Madison’s far west wide near West Towne Mall. All concert includes a post-concert artist reception.
Tickets are $50 at the door or $45 in advance; season tickets are $150.
You can purchase tickets online at brownpapertickets.com or in-person at Farley’s House of Pianos. Service fees may apply.
About the Salon Piano Series
Now in its fifth season, Salon Piano Series was founded by Tim and Renée Farley to continue the tradition of intimate salon concerts at Farley’s House of Pianos.
The setting replicates that experienced by audiences throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, and offers audiences the chance to hear artists whose inspiring performances are enhanced by the setting and the fine pianos.
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Classical music education: Concerto contest winners perform at the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras winter concerts this Saturday
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By Jacob Stockinger
WYSO will hold its second concert series of the year with the Diane Ballweg Winterfest Concerts on this Saturday, March 18.
Nearly 500 young musicians will display their great talents to the community during the concerts, which are dedicated to music teachers. (See below for times and programs. And listen to WYSO members talk about WYSO in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The concert series will feature all five orchestras including the debut performance of WYSO’s newest string orchestra, Opus One.
Under the direction of Geri Hamilton, Opus One consists of string players ages 8 to 12. This ensemble focuses more on technique than on performance, incorporating instruction on fundamentals of scales, shifting and bowing, in addition to formative ensemble skills experience.
The Youth Orchestra concert will also feature two of the winners from the Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition: Violinist, Mary Deck and Percussionist, Adam Goren.
Mary Deck (below), age 16, is a junior at Madison West High School, and has been a part of WYSO since 2011. She will be performing the first movement of the Violin Concerto No. 4 in D minor, Op. 31, by Henri Vieuxtemps.
Adam Goren (below), age 18, is a senior at Middleton High School and has been a part of WYSO since 2013. He will be performing the third movement of Concertino for Marimba by Paul Creston.
The Diane Ballweg Winterfest Concerts will be held in Mills Concert Hall in the UW-Madison George Mosse Humanities Building, 455 North Park Street.
WYSO concerts are generally about an hour and a half in length, providing a great orchestral concert opportunity for families.
Tickets are available at the door, $10 for adults and $5 for youth 18 and under.
For more information about WYSO, go to: https://www.wysomusic.org
This project is supported by Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation, the Evjue Foundation, Inc., a charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. Generous funding was also provided from the American Girl’s Fund for Children. This project is also funded in part by a grant from the Madison Arts Commission with additional funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board.
SCHEDULE AND PROGRAMS
Opus One and Sinfonietta – 11:30 a.m.
Sinfonietta (below)
Longfield (b.1947), Black Diamond
Smetana (1824-1884), Themes from The Moldau, arr. Frost
Mosier, Kirt N., American Reel
Traditional Irish, The Salley Gardens
Richard Stephan (b. 1929), Variations On A Well-Know Sea Chantey,
Grundman (1934-1996), Kentucky 1800
Leyden (1917-2014), Serenade for String Orchestra: Prelude, Fugue, Nocturne, Cakewalk
Dvorak (1841-1904), Themes From The New World Symphony arr. Gruselle
Opus One
Richard Meyer (b.1957), Night Shift
Follow the Drinking Gourd – African-American Folk Song arr. Carrie Lane Gruselle
Ewazen (b.1951), Four Royal Dances: The Lord
Brian Balmages (b.1975), A Beethoven Lullaby
For the Star of County Down –
Richard Meyer (b.1957) Dragonhunter
Concert Orchestra and Harp Ensemble (below top) – 1:30 p.m.
Concert Orchestra (below bottom)
Gounod (1818-1893), Funeral March of a Marionette ed. Rosenhaus
Holst (1874-1934) Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity from The Planets arr. Leidig
M.L. Daniels (b. 1931) Contending
Tres Danzas de Mexico setting by Rhoads (b. 1918): El Pitayero (from Jalisco); El Café (Province unknown); El Curripiti (from Veracruz)
Montgomery (1771-1854), Angels, From the Realms of Glory, setting Robert W. Smith
Philharmonia Orchestra (below) – 4 p.m.
Wagner (1813-1883), Procession to the Cathedral, from the Opera “Lohengrin” arr. Kennedy
Grieg (1843-1907), Peer Gynt: Suite No. 1, Op. 46: Morning; Ase’s Death; Anitra’s Dance; In the Hall of the Mountain King
Weber (1786-1826), Tourandot, J.75: Overture and March
Hindemith (1895-1963), Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber: Fourth movement – March
Youth Orchestra (below) – 7 p.m.
Vieuxtemps (1820-1881) Concerto for Violin No 4 D minor, Op.31, first movement. Mary Deck, violin soloist
Creston (1906-1985) Concertino for Marimba, third movement. Adam Goren, marimba soloist
Prokofiev (1891-1953) Symphony No 7, op.131, C-sharp minor: Moderato, Allegretto, Andante espressivo, Vivace
Glinka (1804-1857) “Russlan and Ludmilla” Overture
Tags: African American, angels, Arts, Beethoven, brass, cafe, cakewalk, cathedral, concerto, conductor, dance, Dane Arts, drinking, Dvorak, Eric Ewazen, Evjue Foundation, folk, folk song, fugue, funeral, George Mosse, Glinka, glory, Gounod, Grieg, harp, Henri Vieuxtemps, Hindemith, Holst, humanities, Irish, Jacob Stockinger, Jalisco, Jupiter, Lohengrin, Lord, lullaby, Madison, Madison Arts Commission, Madison West High School, march, marimba, Mexico, Music, Music education, New World Symphony, nocturne, opera, Orchestra, Overture, Paul Creston, Peer Gynt, percussion, Prelude, royal, sea chantey, Serenade, Sergei Prokofiev, Smetana, song, strings, Suite, symphony, Teacher, The Capital Times, The Moldau, The Planets, theme, traditional, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Veracruz, Viola, Violin, Wagner, Weber, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin Youth Symhony Orchestras, WYSO, YouTube
Classical music: Which piece of music did you first connect with emotionally and how old were you?
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By Jacob Stockinger
Another weekend, another reader survey.
For The Ear, music was and remains much more an emotional experience than an intellectual one.
So he was intrigued when he came across a survey question on the Internet earlier this week.
The question was simple: When did you first connect emotionally with a piece of classical music and how old were you? And what was the piece and composer of the piece that you first connected with emotionally?
It sounds so easy. But The Ear found himself going back through time and really straining to choose the right answer.
Early on, The Ear loved the sound and drama of Smetana’s tone poem “The Moldau.” And he loved some works by Johann Sebastian Bach that he heard in church. During piano lessons, there was some pieces by Chopin.
But then at about age 11, the Great Emotional Awakening to Music came in a way that reminded him of the famous madeleine memory episode in Marcel Proust’s novel “Remembrance of Things Past,” translated more accurately, if less poetically, these days as “In Search of Lost Time.”
Since he himself was a young and aspiring pianist, The Ear has realized, he no doubt first connected with the powerful recording by Arthur Rubinstein (below top) of the Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18, by Sergei Rachmaninoff (below bottom). That recording also featured Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and you can hear it in the YouTube video at the bottom.
The answer really isn’t a surprise — young people love the sweep of Romantic music. After all, on a lesser emotional level, Rachmaninoff had also moved The Ear with the famous Prelude in C-Sharp Minor — the “Bells of Moscow” — which spurred The Ear into starting piano lessons when he heard it played live and right in front of him by a babysitter.
How intently he listened to the concerto, with a friend in the basement of his friend’s house, over and over again. How it moved him and never failed to move him – and still moves him today.
And then, maybe at 12 or 13, he rushed out and bought the Schirmer score tot he concerto when he was old enough and skilled enough to try to play some of it – the famous opening chords and excerpts from the beautiful and lyrical slow second movement. That experience of playing even excerpts also proved very emotional.
Now, there is also a practical purpose to this question. The answer just might give adults an idea about how to attract young children and new audiences to classical music.
Anyway, that’s what The Ear wants to know this weekend:
How old were you when you first connected EMOTIONALLY to classical music?
And who was the composer, the piece and the performer that you connected with emotionally?
The Ear hopes you have just as much poignant fun recollecting the answer as he did.
Let us know the answer in the COMMENT section with a YouTube link if possible.
The Ear wants to ear.
Tags: Arthur Rubinstein, Arts, babysitter, Bach, Bells of Moscow, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chopin, church, Classical music, Compact Disc, concerto, conductor, Fritz Reiner, In Search of Time Lost, intellect, Internet, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, lessons, Madison, Marcel Proust, Music, Orchestra, Piano, Piano Concerto No. 2 (Rachmaninoff), piano lessons, poem, Prelude, Proust, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, recording, Remembrance of Things Past, Romantic, Schirmer, score, Smetana, The Moldau, tone, tone poem, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: Renowned Czech “pianist’s pianist” Ivan Moravec is dead at 84.
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By Jacob Stockinger
The renowned Czech pianist Ivan Moravec (below) — known as “a pianist’s pianist” — died Monday at the age of 84. He died in Prague of complications from pneumonia.
Moravec was known especially for his interpretations of Chopin, Debussy, Brahms and especially Mozart – his playing of a Mozart piano concerto was heard on the soundtrack of the popular and Academy Award-winning film “Amadeus,” which you can hear in a YouTube video at the bottom. He also played composers from his native land including Antonin Dvorak, Bedrich Smetana and Leos Janacek.
Here are some obituaries:
From Gramophone magazine:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/classical-music-news/pianist-ivan-moravec-has-died
From Classical Music magazine:
http://www.classicalmusicmagazine.org/2015/07/ivan-moravec-9-november-1930-8210-27-july-2015/
From Voy Forums with mentions of awards:
http://www.voy.com/221392/165442.html
From critic Norman Lebrecht‘s blog Slipped Disc:
http://slippedisc.com/2015/07/a-great-pianist-has-died/
Tags: "Amadeus", Academy Award, Arts, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Bedřich Smetana, Brahms, Chamber music, Classical music, Claude Debussy, Cleveland Orchestra, Compact Disc, concerto, Connoisseur Society, Czech Republic, Dvorak, film, Frédéric Chopin, Gramophone (magazine), Ivan Moravec, Jacob Stockinger, Janacek, Johannes Brahms, Madison, Mozart, Music, Nonesuch, Orchestra, Oscars, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, pneumonia, Prague, Préludes (Debussy), Smetana, Supraphone, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
Classical music: The Oakwood Chamber Players perform an all-Czech program of music by Smetana, Janaceck and Adolf Schreiner this Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
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By Jacob Stockinger
Our friends at the Oakwood Chamber Players write:
This weekend, the Oakwood Chamber Players (below) continue to celebrate its 30th anniversary season with an all-Czech program called “Recapitulate!”
The two performances of the program are on this coming Saturday, January 17, at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, January 18, at 1:30 p.m.
Both concerts will be held at the Oakwood Center for Arts and Education, 6209 Mineral Point Road. It is a comfortable and wheelchair-accessible space with good acoustics and sight-lines.
Tickets are available at the door – $20 general admission, $15 seniors and $5 students. Visit www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com for more information.
The program features three favorites from past OCP seasons:
Bedrich Smetana (below) — Trio for violin, cello and piano, Op. 15 in G minor (originally performed May, 2004)
Leos Janacek (below) — Mladi (Youth) for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and bass clarinet (originally performed July, 1989 and again May 2004)
Adolf Schreiner – “Immer Kleiner” (Always Smaller) for clarinet and piano (originally performed May, 2006). You can hear it at the bottom in a YouTube video.
The Smetana work is an exciting and beautiful whirl of piano trio fun
The ensemble has performed the Janacek piece more than once and is happy to have Greg Smith, Jennifer Morgan and Dawn Lawler reunite for this performance.
The seemingly short and sweet “Immer Kleiner” is a comedic homage to the clarinet (below) that includes disassembling the instrument.
This is the third of five concerts in their celebratory 30th anniversary season series titled “Reprise! Looking Back Over 30 Years.”
Remaining concerts include:
- Replay! – March 14 and March 15
- Reissue! – May 23 and May 24
For more details, including programs as well as critical reviews, player biographies and recordings, visit:
The Oakwood Chamber Players is a group of Madison-area professional musicians who have rehearsed and performed at Oakwood Village for 30 years. Many of them play in other professional groups including the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.
The Oakwood Chamber Players are a professional music ensemble proudly supported by Oakwood Lutheran Senior Ministries and the Oakwood Foundation.
Tags: Adolf Schreiner, Arts, bass clarinet, Bassoon, Cello, Chamber music, clarinet, Classical music, Czech music, Czech Republic, Czechoslovakia, flute, Horn, Jacob Stockinger, Janacek, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music, Musical ensemble, Oakwood Chamber Players, Oakwood Village, Oboe, Piano, Smetana, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Violin, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, YouTube
Classical music: The Oakwood Chamber Players announces its 30th anniversary season –- and gives up performing at the UW-Madison Arboretum.
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By Jacob Stockinger
This coming season the Oakwood Chamber Players (below) turns 30.
The group, which features talented players and seasoned professionals — who also play with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music — in repertoire that is often neglected or unknown or new, will mark the occasion by reprising works from past concerts. Think of it as a season of Golden Oldies.
The real news to The Ear is that the group will no longer play one of its two weekend performances at the Visitor Center (below) in the Arboretum.
Here is how one spokesperson explained it: “While we really appreciated the environment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum, as well as the exposure to a different audience, the decision to hold both concerts at Oakwood was a financial one — as these things too often unfortunately are.
“There are space and piano rental fees at the Arboretum that we don’t incur at Oakwood that were making the concerts cost-prohibitive to hold there, and our audience size was not adequately offsetting these expenses.”
Here is an introduction plus a list of the 30th anniversary season programs:
Reprise!
Looking Back Over 30 Years
Looking back over 30 years of music making, the Oakwood Chamber Players remember great performances of unique and much-loved works of art. We also honor the fun and richness we’ve shared with our musician friends; some who have been with us for a single concert or a few years and others who have shared the stage with us for three decades.
And of course our trip down memory lane would not be complete without thoughts of all the terrific audiences who have honored us with their support and applause.
And so we come to this season, one of looking back, still with anticipation of what is to come! We hope you will join us on the journey!”
Concerts are Saturday nights at 7 p.m. and Sunday afternoons at 1:30 p.m. All 2014-15 concerts will be held at the Oakwood Center for Arts and Education, 6209 Mineral Point Road, Madison, WI 53705
Ticket prices are: Senior Single — $15/concert; Senior Series – $65/season; Adult Single – $20/concert; Adult Series – $85/season; Student Single – $5/concert.
For more information, visit: http://www.oakwoodchamberplayers.com
September 13 and 14, 2014 — REWORK!
Johannes Brahms (below top): Sonatas for Clarinet/Piano and Viola/Piano
Ferdinand Ries (below bottom): Quartet for flute, violin, viola and cello
(Brahms Sonatas … one which the composer reworked from clarinet to viola)
November 28 and 30, 2014 — REMIX!
“Christmas Lights” Memories: Various selections from our long history of Christmas Lights performances (originally performed November, 1994)
NOTE: The dates and times for the November concerts are: Friday, November 28, 2014 at 1 p.m.; and Sunday, November 30, 2014 at 1:30 p.m.
January 17 and 18, 2015 — RECAPITULATE!
Bedrich Smetana (below top): Trio for violin, cello and piano, Op. 15 in g minor (originally performed May, 2004)
Leos Janacek (below bottom): “Mladi” (Youth) for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and bass clarinet (originally performed July, 1989/May 2004)
Adolf Schreiner: “Immer Kleiner” for clarinet and piano (originally performed May, 2006)
March 14/15, 2015 — REPLAY!
Claude Debussy (below top): Sonata for flute, viola and harp (originally performed November, 1990)
Ottorino Respighi (below bottom): “Ancient Airs and Dances” (originally performed January, 2005, and heard in a YouTube video at the bottom)
May 23/24, 2015 — REISSUE!
Aaron Copland (below top): “Appalachian Spring” for 13 instruments; (originally performed November, 1989)
Carl Nielsen (below bottom): “Serenato in Vano” for clarinet, horn, bassoon cello and bass (originally performed June, 1993/May, 2009)
Tags: Aaron Copland, Arts, Chamber music, Christmas, Classical music, Claude Debussy, Debussy, Jacob Stockinger, Janacek, Johannes Brahms, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Wisconsin, Music, Oakwood, Oakwood Chamber Player, Oakwood Chamber Players, Orchestra, Ottorino Respighi, Piano, Respighi, Schreiner, Smetana, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison School of Music, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, YouTube
Classical music education: Trust The Ear — you will be pleased and perhaps even astonished by the annual Winterfest concerts of the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras on this Saturday and Sunday on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
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By Jacob Stockinger
This weekend brings the annual Winterfest concerts given by the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras.
Once again, The Ear predicts, audiences will see and hear some of the city’s biggest, most enthusiastic and youngest audiences (below) greet equally young, enthusiastic and talented young players who turn in performances of astounding and often unexpected high quality.
The Ear knows that from personal experience. I will never ever forget a remarkable performance of the Symphony No. 8 by Antonin Dvorak that I heard at a spring WYSO performance several years ago. It was serious music-making, not just student music-making.
In retrospect, all that should be no surprise. Young people from all around southcentral Wisconsin become members of WYSO only through a rigorous audition process, and the training is hard and long. But WYSO’s young performers end up making great music greatly, so that when they are invited to go on tour to Europe (two summers ago) and South America (this coming summer) it seems a natural outcome.
The concerts on this Saturday and Sunday are the primary concert fundraisers for the group that holds the most promise of insuring the future of classical music and music education among young people, especially at a time when arts funding is being taken away from many public schools.
The concerts also serve as the run-up to the all-important Art of Note gala fundraiser on Saturday, March 29, from 6 to 10 p.m. at CUNA Mutual. The concerts are guaranteed to whet your appetite for the Art of Note, which will feature fine food, wine, live music by student groups, auctions of items from sports matches and restaurants to vacations and entertainment, and old violins (below bottom) recycled as art.
(In the interest of full disclosure, The Ear has to say that he is a member of the Board of Directors of WYSO — precisely because he considers it such a vital investment in the future of the performing arts and arts education. You should attend the concerts if you can, and also donate what you can to WYSO because I can’t think of a better or more deserving investment you can make.)
On this Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and March 16, more than 350 talented young musicians will perform both classical and contemporary works.
The Winterfest Concerts will be held in Mills Concert Hall in the University of Wisconsin-Madison George L. Mosse Humanities Building, 455 N. Park Street, in Madison.
WYSO concerts generally last about 1-1/2 hours, and provide a great orchestral concert opportunity for families. Dress is casual and the atmosphere is respectful, but informal. These concerts are, in a word, fun.
Tickets are available at the door: $10 for adults and $5 for children under 18 years of age.
WYSO was founded in 1966 and has served nearly 5,000 young musicians from more than 100 communities in southern Wisconsin.
The concert series kicks off on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. with Sinfonietta (below) performing works by Aaron Copland, Peter Illich Tchaikovsky, Bedrich Smetana, Gazda, and Leyden.
Then on Saturday at 4 p.m. the Concert Orchestra (below) will perform numerous works, including “Three Songs of Chopin” by Frederic Chopin, “In the Bleak Midwinter” by Gustav Holst, “Band of Brothers” by Michael Kamen, and “The Great Gate of Kiev” from “Pictures at an Exhibition” by Modeste Mussorgsky.
On Sunday at 1:30, the Philharmonia Orchestra (below, rehearsing) will perform the irresistible final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s famous Symphony No. 5 in C minor, the fourth movement of Dmitri Shostakovich’s searing Symphony No. 5, “Peer Gynt Suite No. 1” by Edvard Grieg, “March and Procession to Bacchus” by Leo Delibes, and finally “Procession to the Cathedral” by Richard Wagner.
Then also on Sunday at 4 p.m., the Youth Orchestra (below, in performance under WYSO’s music director and UW-Madison conducting professor James Smith) will close the concert series with Symphony No. 4 in E-Flat by the 19th-century Romantic Russian composer Peter Illich Tchaikovsky (it is The Ear’s favorite of Tchaikovsky’s six wonderful symphonies); “Liturgical Scenes” by the 20th-century American composer Ellsworth Milburn; and “El sombrero de tres picos” (The Three-Cornered Hat) by the 20th-century Spanish composer Manuel de Falla. (At bottom is a YouTube video of the finale to Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 as performed at last year’s WYSO Winterfest.)
For more information about the Winterfest concerts and the Art of Note gala fundraiser on Saturday, March 29, as well as for information about auditioning to join WYSO and ways to support WYSO, visit:
WYSO extends special thanks to Diane Endres Ballweg for her generous multi-year support of the Winterfest Concerts. The concerts are also generously supported by Dane Arts, with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Tags: Aaron Copland, Antonín Dvořák, Arts, arts education, Beethoven, Chamber music, Chopin, Classical music, Copland, Delibes, Dvorak, Edvard Grieg, Frédéric Chopin, George Mosse, Great Gate of Kiev, Grieg, Gustav Holst, Holst, Jacob Stockinger, Jean Sibelius, Leo Delibes, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Manuel de Falla, Metropolitan Opera, Music, Music education, Mussorgsky, Orchestra, Peer Gynt, Performing arts, Peter Tchaikovsky, Philharmonia Orchestra, Pictures at an Exhibition, Richard Wagner, Saturday, Shostakovich, Smetana, Sunday, symphony, Tchaikovsky, Three-Cornered Hat, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wagner, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra, WYSO, YouTube
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