The Well-Tempered Ear
Classical music: Organist and composer Chelsea Chen debuts at Overture Hall on Tuesday night
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By Jacob Stockinger
Organist Chelsea Chen (below) makes her Madison debut on this Tuesday night, Feb. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in Overture Hall as part of the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Concert Organ series.
Ticket information is below.
Chen brings to her Overture Hall premiere an array of widely known classical pieces plus her own original composition.
Chen’s performance begins with Ola Gjeilo’s Sinfonietta and Edvard Grieg’s First Peer Gynt Suite, Op. 46— continuing with Chen’s original work, the Taiwanese Suite, Camille Saint-Saens’ Finale from “Organ” Symphony No. 3, Ad Wammes’ Miroir, and finally, selections from Gustav Holst’s The Planets.
Composer Gjeilo (below) has praised Chen’s interpretation of Sinfonietta, which the organist has performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.
The First Peer Gynt Suite, Op. 46, by Grieg is one of the most easily recognizable compositions within the musical art form. Subtitled “Morning,” it is the first of two suites that Grieg (below) transcribed from Henrik Ibsen’s 1867 Norwegian play Peer Gynt.
The opus, albeit a short first movement from the suite, intends to instill imagery of the sunrise over the North African desert. Despite this, it is more commonly associated with the sweeping mountains, fjords and lakes that mark Norway’s landscape.
Chen’s own Taiwanese Suite combines the dynamic range of the organ with inflections of traditional Asian folksongs. It is composed of three movements: “Hills in the Springtime,” “Moonlight Blue” and “Mountain of Youth.”
Inspired by the works of Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt and others, Saint-Saens (below) composed a variety of arrangements and selections for numerous occasions. By age 10, the French composer and child prodigy had given his first concert. His Finale from “Organ” Symphony No. 3 is, as some consider, the pinnacle of his body of compositions. (You can hear Chen’s playing of the Finale from the “Organ” Symphony by Saint-Saens in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Miroir was composed by Dutch composer Ad Wammes (below) for Stephen Taylor to celebrate the organist’s appointment to the Nicolaïkerk, a church in the Netherlands. In an unconventional mirroring — hence the title — the right hand repeats the higher voices in the same pattern throughout the song, whereas the left hand varies texture, voice and tone in the lower registers. The result is a calming, low hum that is lifted by the glistening echoes of the upper registers.
To Holst, The Planets suite could be framed as “a series of mood pictures,” with its seven movements. Ironically, Holst (below) seemed to heavily dislike his explosive popularity resulting from the suite’s compositional structure. Despite his supposed negativity towards the piece, its inherent superb qualities of each movement — no two are alike — became a staple of evocative composition.
Following an academic career at the Juilliard School and Yale University, Chelsea Chen has practiced under the tutelage of known names in the musical world, such as Paul Jacobs and John Weaver. For more information about her, go to: https://madisonsymphony.org/event/chelsea-chen/
Single Tickets are available for $20 each and can be purchased online at http://madisonsymphony.org/chen, through the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street, or by calling the Box Office at (608) 258-4141.
Groups of 10 or more can save 25% by calling the MSO office at (608) 257-3734. For more information, visit, https://madisonsymphony.org/groups
Student rush tickets can be purchased in person on the day of the concert at the Overture Center Box Office at 201 State Street. Students must show a valid student ID and can receive up to two tickets for $10 each. More information is at: https://madisonsymphony.org/studentrush
Discounted seats are subject to availability, and discounts may not be combined.
This performance is sponsored by Friends of the Overture Concert Organ (below) that was custom-built by Klais Orgelbau of Germany. Support for all Overture Concert Organ programs is provided by the Diane Endres Ballweg Fund. With a gift from Pleasant T. Rowland, the Madison Symphony Orchestra commissioned the Overture Concert Organ.
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Classical music: The UW-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet opens its new season in top form
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By Jacob Stockinger
On Friday night in Mills Hall, in an all-masterpiece program that featured Classical, Romantic and Modernist works, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet (below, in a photo by Rick Langer) opened its new season .
And it did so in top form. The Ear came away with one thought: You just can’t find better chamber music in Madison — and it’s free!
In the “Sunrise” Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4, by Franz Joseph Haydn, the Pro Arte exhibited the ideal Classical style with its balance, voicing and clarity.
The sunrise motif proved utterly convincing and evocative. Particularly noteworthy was how the group highlighted the dissonances in the Classical era’s slow movement. (Hear it in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The interpretation offered more proof that when the work is consonant, you play for the dissonance; and when the work is dissonant, you play for the consonance.
In the short, non-stop Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp minor, Op. 108, by Dmitri Shostakovich, The Ear was impressed by how the Pro Arte teased out the remnants of late Russian Romanticism that creep into the mostly modernist works of Shostakovich and Prokofiev.
Also remarkable was how the Pro Arte highlighted the structure and counterpoint that Shostakovich, a devotee of Bach, brought to his modernism. This seemed a softer and more lyrical Shostakovich, less strident or percussive, than you often hear. And the approach worked beautifully to engage the listener.
And then came the grand finale done grandly: the late Beethoven Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132. The quartet unraveled the often perplexing and thick texture; the epic length; and the forward-looking compositional methods.
The Pro Arte used a low-key and restrained approach that only highlighted the heart-rending lyricism of the “Heiliger Dangesang,” or Sacred Hymn of Thanksgiving, that the aging Beethoven composed when he had recovered from what he thought might be a fatal illness.
How fitting! The perfectly planned program started with one dawn by the teacher and ended with another dawn by the student.
Madison keeps getting more new chamber music groups, all very accomplished and all very good. But the Pro Arte Quartet — now in its 106th season of existence and its 78th season in residence at the UW-Madison — is still tops. As one fan said in near disbelief, “That concert was out of this world.” He wasn’t alone as the performance drew a prolonged standing ovation and loud bravos from the two-thirds house.
When it comes to chamber music, you just can’t do better than the Pro Arte Quartet. It’s that simple. With such quality and affordability, the Pro Arte should always be playing to a full house.
The Pro Arte Quartet will repeat the same program on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 7, at 12:30 p.m. for “Sunday Afternoon Live at the Chazen.” Admission to the Brittingham Gallery 3 performance space is free, and the concert will be streamed live. Go here for details and a link:
And the dates and times — without programs — of future Pro Arte Quartet concerts can be found here: https://www.music.wisc.edu/pro-arte-quartet/
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogReview, #ChamberMusic, #ChazenMuseumofArt, #Classicalcomposer, #Classicalera, #DmitriShostakovich, #FacebookPost, #Forward-Looking, #FranzJosephHaydn, #JohannSebastianBach, #LateRomanticism, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MillsHall, #MusicalInterpretation, #MusicalPerformance, #ProArteQuartet, #RomanticComposer, #RomanticMusic, #RussianRomanticism, #SacredHymn, #SacredHymnofThanksgiving, #SergeiProkofiev, #SlowMovement, #StandingOvation, #StringQuartet, #SundayAfternoonLiveattheChazen, #SunriseQuartet, #TheEar, #TopForm, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #YouTubevideo, aging, artist-in-residence, Arts, audience, Bach, balance, Baroque, Beethoven, blog, bravo, cellist, Cello, Chamber music, clarity, Classical era, Classical music, classicalmusic, composer, Composition, Concert, consonance, consonant, counterpoint, date, devotee, disbelief, dissonance, dissonant, Dmitri Shostakovich, epic, event, existence, Facebook, fatal, free, future, Haydn, House, hymn, ideal, illness, interpretation, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, length, Ludwig van Beethoven, lyrical, Madison, masterpiece, method, Mills Hall, modernism, motif, Music, noteworthy, ovicative, percussive, performance, post, posting, Pro Arte Quartet, program, Prokofiev, remnant, residence, restrained, restraint, Russian, sacred, Slow movement, softer, space, streaming, strident, String quartet, structure, sunrise, tease, texture, Thanksgiving, The Ear, thought, time, top form, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, violinist, violist, voicing, Wisconsin, work, world, YouTube
Classical music: The UW-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet – music’s oldest string quartet — will play a FREE concert of late quartets by Haydn, Beethoven and Shostakovich this Friday night
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By Jacob Stockinger
Clocking in at over 100 years old, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Pro Arte Quartet (below in a photo by Rick Langer) is the longest-lived string quartet in the history of music.
Current members are (from left) David Perry and Suzanne Beia, violins; Sally Chisholm, viola; and Parry Karp, cello.
Ever since it was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1912 and then in 1938 found refuge from World War II as the first musical artists-in-residence at the UW-Madison (or anywhere), the Pro Arte has had the reputation of commissioning and championing living composers and new works. Such composers, whose works they also premiered, include Samuel Barber, Bela Bartok, Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger, Frank Martin and many others.
Here is a link with some of its background:
https://www.music.wisc.edu/event/pro-arte-quartet-4/
And here is a link to a more expanded history of the Pro Arte, along with a schedule of concerts this season:
https://www.music.wisc.edu/pro-arte-quartet/
But the Pro Arte Quartet (below, performing at Carnegie Hall in a photo by Rick Langer) is also unparalleled in performing the classics of the quartet repertoire.
You can hear that for yourself this coming Friday night at 8 p.m. in Mills Hall, when they will play a FREE concert of three quartets that came late in the composers’ careers.
The quartet will perform the famous and aptly nicknamed “Sunrise” String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4, by Franz Joseph Haydn; the late Beethoven String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132, with its “Heiliger Dankgesang” – or “Sacred Hymn of Thanksgiving” (which you can hear and see graphically depicted in the YouTube video at the bottom); and the String Quartet No. 7, Op. 108, by Dmitri Shostakovich.
The Ear thinks the program is hard to beat for either experienced string quartets listeners or for newcomers to the genre.
He bets you will too.
Tags: #ArthurHonegger, #BelaBartok, #BrusselsBelgium, #CarnegieHall, #ChamberEnsemble, #ChamberMusic, #Classicalera, #DariusMilhaud, #DmitriShostakovich, #FrankMartin, #FranzJosephHaydn, #HeiligerDankgesang, #LateWorks, #LivingComposer, #LivingComposers, #LudwigVanBeethoven, #MusicHistory, #NewComposers, #NewMusic, #NewWorks, #ProArteQuartet, #SacredHymn, #SamuelBarber, #StringQuartet, #SunriseQuartet, #UniversityofWisconsin, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #WorldPremiere, #WorldWarII, #YouTubevideo, artist-in-residence, Arts, background, Barber, Bartok, Beethoven, Carnegie Hall, Cello, Chamber music, champion, Classical music, commission, composer, free, genre, Haydn, History, Honegger, hymn, listener, long-lived, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Martin, Milhaud, Music, music history, new, new composer, New Music, new works, newcomer, oldest, Pro Arte Quartet, program, reputation, sacred, Shostakovich, String quartet, sunrise, Thanksgiving, United States, university, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, Wisconsin, World War II, YouTube
Classical music: The Ancora String Quartet excels in music by Haydn, Dvorak and especially Ravel as it impressively opens its new season in two acoustically different venues
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By Jacob Stockinger
Here is a special posting, a review written by frequent guest critic and writer for this blog, John W. Barker. Barker (below) is an emeritus professor of Medieval history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also is a well-known classical music critic who writes for Isthmus and the American Record Guide, and who hosts an early music show once a month on Sunday morning on WORT-FM 89.9 FM. For years, he served on the Board of Advisors for the Madison Early Music Festival and frequently gives pre-concert lectures in Madison. He also took the performance photos.
By John W. Barker
The Ancora String Quartet offered a nicely balanced program last Saturday night to open its new season at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church.
The program began with Haydn’s String Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4, known as the “Sunrise” quartet. A work of the composer’s maturity, published in 1799, it shows him straining the boundaries of Austrian Classicism and pushing close to the proto-Romanticism of his student, Beethoven.
Each work in the program was preceded by a spoken introduction, given by a member of the ensemble, and for the Haydn quartet violist Marika Fischer Hoyt did the honors.
Then came three (Nos. 2, 5 and 10) of the 12 arrangements for quartet that Antonin Dvorak made from his song cycle, Cypresses. The spoken introduction in this case was given by first violinist Wes Luke (below), who not only spoke but also sensibly read aloud — in English translation — the words of each song. Dvorak’s deeply personal lyric expression came through the more meaningfully for that.
Finally came the Quartet in F Major by Maurice Ravel. For this, cellist Benjamin Whitcomb (below) gave a cogent spoken introduction. Ravel’s work matches Debussy’s string quartet — to be played later this season — as a chamber music contribution to so-called French “Impressionism.” But it also is one of the last great demonstrations of how initially stated themes can be quoted or re-introduced in new characters and colors throughout all the movements.
This program had special value for me because it was one I was able to hear twice on two successive evenings. I particularly profited from a double hearing of the Ravel, which allowed me to listen how the various themes popped out here and there in ever-varied differences. (You can hear the String Quartet by Ravel in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
The performances each time were beautifully precise and atmospheric, but the particular points of contrast involved instead a factor too often forgotten in evaluating a concert: the acoustic divergences of different performing sites.
The previous Friday evening, I heard the program in the Grand Hall of the Capitol Lakes Retirement Center. Its acoustics are tight and bright, bringing great clarity and immediacy to the playing.
By comparison, the sound at St. Andrew’s is bigger, richer and more reverberant, although differing in relation to how far up front or way back you sit—another variable to consider.
I spoke with the players about this, and it is clear that they must, and do, take account of such acoustic differences as they move from one performing site to another. Careful concert-goers, too, should always consider these differences as they listen.
A final thought: The Ancora String Quartet, which also includes Robin Ryan as second violin, has always played with splendid expertise and stylistic sense. But it seems clear to me by now that the settling in of Wes Luke as the new first violinist has brought added vigor and assertiveness to the group’s playing, making it an even more important ensemble than ever before in Madison’s musical life.
The concert will be repeated tonight in Janesville at 7:30 p.m. in the Kilmark Theatre of the UW-Rock County at 2909 Kellogg Avenue. The performance is FREE and OPEN to the public.
For more information about the Ancora String Quartet and its new season, go to the website: http://ancoraquartet.com
Tags: acoustics, American Record Guide, Ancora String Quartet, Arts, Austria, Beethoven, blog, bright, Capitol Lakes, Capitol Square, Cello, Chamber music, character, church, clarity, Classical music, Classicism, color, composer, critic, cypress, cypresses, Debussy, Dvorak, Early music, English, ensemble, Episcopal, expertise, expression, factor, festival, forgotten, France, French Impressionism, Friday, Haydn, History, host, introduction, Isthmus, Jacob Stockinger, Janesville, John W. Barker, lecture, life, Ludwig van Beethoven, lyric, Madison, Madison Early Music Festival, maturity, Medieval, morning, movement, Music, night, performance space, photo, poem, professor, quote, Radio, Ravel, read, relation, Retirement, reverberant, review, rich, Romanticism, Saturday, song, spoken, St. Andrew, String quartet, Student, style, Sunday, sunrise, Sunrise Quartet, theater, theatre, theme, tight, translation, tree, trees, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Rock County, venue, Viola, Violin, words, work, WORT-FM 89.9, YouTube
Classical music: The Ancora String Quartet will open its new season this Saturday night with music by Haydn, Dvorak and Ravel.
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By Jacob Stockinger
The Ancora String Quartet (below in a photo by Barry Lewis) will open its 17th season this Saturday night with a varied program. Members, from left, are: Wes Luke and Robin Ryan, violins; Marika Fischer Hoyt, viola; and Benjamin Whitcomb, cello.
The ASQ members play with many other professional groups, including the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and the Madison Bach Musicians. Cellist Whitcomb teaches at the UW-Whitewater.
The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church (below) on Madison’s near west side at 1833 Regent Street.
The stylistically varied program includes: The “Sunrise” Quartet, Op. 76, No. 4, by Franz Joseph Haydn; “Cypresses Nos. 2, 5 and 10 by Antonin Dvorak, and the String Quartet in F Major by Maurice Ravel.
Tickets at the door are $15 for the general public; $12 for seniors and students; and $6 for children under 12.
A post-concert reception to meet the members of the quartet is included in the ticket.
Another performance will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kirk Denmark Theatre, UW-Rock County. The performance is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Here are some program notes from the Ancora String Quartet:
“The opening recital features something for every musical taste.
“First on the program is a superb example of mature Haydn, from its exquisite opening theme depicting the rising sun — a favorite image among composers — to the fleet Finale which gets faster and ever faster, racing towards its triumphant conclusion.
“Dvorak first set the poetic cycle Cypresses for voice and piano, but his own transcription for string quartet retains the lyrical vocal style of these miniature character pieces.” (You can hear Cypress No. 2 at the bottom in a YouTube video. The Ear considers Dvorak’s “Cypresses” to be little gems that are literally small masterpieces that are not as well-known as they should be. They make great encores.)
“The Ravel quartet brings French Impressionism at its finest, with iridescent colors, jazzy rhythms and propulsive energy.”
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Classical music: Which are the most famous and most popular string quartets? And which ones are your favorites?
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By Jacob Stockinger
Does The Ear ever love chamber music!
And it has been a good few days for him and for other Madison fans of string quartets.
On Saturday night, The Ear heard the Ancora String Quartet (below) in outstanding performances of the “Dissonance” Quartet by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the late String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, “Rosamunde,” by Franz Schubert.
Then on Monday night, the Ear heard the terrific Rhapsodie Quartet (below top, in a photo by Greg Anderson), made up of players in the Madison Symphony Orchestra, perform the “American” String Quartet by Antonin Dvorak followed by the sublime and profound Cello Quintet by Franz Schubert. UW-Madison and Pro Arte Quartet cellist Parry Karp (below bottom) sat in as the extra cellist.
At the Ancora concert, cellist Benjamin Whitcomb, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, made the case that Mozart’s “Dissonance” Quartet is well known for its apt nickname and is probably the best known or most popular of Mozart’s string quartets.
That got The Ear to thinking:
What are the most well-known and most popular string quartets?
And which string quartets are your favorites that you would recommend to other chamber music fans?
The Ear drew up a list of candidates of the first honor of being well-known.
He suspects that the “Emperor” Quartet — with its famous and infamous slow movement theme that was turned from an homage to the Austrian emperor into an anthem for Nazi Germany — by Franz Joseph Haydn, the “Death and the Maiden” Quartet of Schubert and the “American” Quartet of Dvorak all rival or surpass the public reputation of the Mozart’s “Dissonance,” although that one is certainly and deservedly famous to the general public.
As to The Ear’s favorite quartets: The Ear is especially partial to the six early Op. 18 string quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven (below), which often take a back seat to the same composer’s middle quartets and late quartets. But of the famous last ones, The Ear loves the very last one, Op. 135, with its return to classical structure and clarity.
He also loves all of the Op. 76 string quartets by Haydn (below top) and is especially partial to the “Sunrise” and the “Quinten” or “Fifths” quartets. He also loves Haydn’s earlier Op. 20 “Sun” quartets; and all six string quartets that Mozart (below bottom) composed for and dedicated to Haydn, generally considered the father or the modern string quartet who also played string quartets with himself on violin and Mozart on viola.
The Ear likes Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden” well enough, but he is always blown away by Schubert’s last quartet in G major, which was used as a soundtrack in Woody Allen’s great movie “Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
He also loves the lyrical quartets on Dvorak (below), especially the Op. 51 “Slavonic” as well as the “American.” (You can hear the opening of the “Slavonic” String Quartet in a YouTube video at the bottom.)
As for Johannes Brahms, The Ear prefers the string quintets and string sextets to the string quartets.
Francophile that he is, The Ear also loves the single string quartets by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel.
Among other modern string quartets, he loves the third and fifth of Bela Bartok, the second one by Sergei Prokofiev and the eight and 11th by Dmitri Shostakovich. He also adds the String Quartet No. 3 “Mishima” by Philip Glass.
Well, that’s enough for today and for this post.
What string quartet do you think is the most famous or most popular?
And which string quartets are your favorites?
Leave word, with a YouTube link if possible, in the COMMENT section.
The Ear wants to hear.
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Classical music: What is your favorite piece of music to greet Spring with? Plus, British composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies has died at 81
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SURVEY: This is the first day of Spring. The vernal equinox just arrived here in Madison, Wisconsin and the Midwest about a half-hour ago, on Saturday, March 19, at 11:30 p.m. CDT.
What is your favorite piece of music to greet the season with? Antonio Vivaldi‘s “Four Seasons”? Robert Schumann‘s Symphony No. 1 “Spring”? A miniature piano piece by Felix Mendelssohn or Edvard Grieg? A song by Franz Schubert? Leave word in the COMMENT section, with a link to a YouTube performance if that is possible.
Here is a link to a similar post from 2011:
The Ear especially loves the “Spring” Sonata for Violin and Piano by Ludwig van Beethoven. Here is a link to a YouTube video with the first movement played by pianist Arthur Rubinstein and violinist Henryk Szeryng.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAcWGVC4Nqc
By Jacob Stockinger
He was a contrarian who was widely accepted and valued.
He was an iconoclast who achieved the height of respectability when Queen Elizabeth II of England named him to an honorary knighthood.
And he was an eclectic composer, whose style could be charmingly simple, melodic and tonal, or knottily atonal, difficult and complex.
The British composer and conductor Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (pronounced Davis, below) died this past week at his island home off the coast of Scotland. He was 81 and had been ill with leukemia. (You can hear his “An Orkney Wedding With Sunrise” in a YouTube video at the bottom.)
The year is early yet, but it has not been a kind one to classical music. We have already lost the avant-garde French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, the German-Austrian conductor and early music pioneer Nikolaus Harnoncourt and now Davies.
Here are obituaries about Sir Peter Maxwell Davies with video and audio clips:
From BBC:
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-35802564
From the Deceptive Cadence blog on NPR (National Public Radio):
From the New York Times:
From The Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/mar/14/sir-peter-maxwell-davies-obituary
And from Classical-music.com:
http://www.classical-music.com/news/sir-peter-maxwell-davies-dies-aged-81
Tags: art song, Arthur Rubinstein, Arts, BBC, BBC News, Beethoven, British, Chamber music, choral music, Classical music, composer, England, English, Fours Seasons, Grieg, Henryk Szerying, Jacob Stockinger, lieder, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Mendelssohn, Midwest, Music, New York Times, NPR, Orchestra, Orkney, Peter Maxwell Davies, Piano, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth II, royal family, Schubert, Scotland, Sonata, song, Spring, Spring sonata, sunrise, The Guardian, The New York Times, United Kingdom, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, vernal equinox, Violin, Vivaldi, Wisconsin, YouTube
Classical music: Happy New Year! What music would you like to hear today? The holiday is a chance to start over, and music by Haydn adds to the occasion. Plus, here is one critic’s roundup of the best concerts of 2015
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ALERT: What were the Best Concerts of 2015? The Ear can’t really disagree with the picks made by veteran critic John W. Barker, who usually writes for Isthmus but who also contributes to this blog. The Ear would certainly add the debut recital by UW-Madison violinist Soh-Hyun Park Altino. But these days no critic can get to all the concerts that take place in Madison.
Here is a link to the roundup that Barker did for Isthmus. You have to scroll down to get to Barker’s story:
http://isthmus.com/arts/isthmus-critics-look-back-stellar-year-2015/
By Jacob Stockinger
Today is January 1, 2016.
The Ear thinks of a new year as a kind of new day.
It’s a chance to start over.
After all, that is why people make New Year’s resolutions.
So here is something from YouTube to help: The cheerful and optimistic opening movement, with a lively sonic sunrise of renewal from the early Symphony No. 6 in D major, “Le Matin or “Morning,” by Franz Joseph Haydn (below), who also composed a famous ”Sunrise” String Quartet later in life.
WHAT MUSIC WOULD YOU LIKE TO HEAR ON NEW YEAR’S DAY? PLEASE TELL US IN THE COMMENT SECTION
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The Well-Tempered Ear 