The Well-Tempered Ear
How do you rank Beethoven’s five piano concertos? Which is your favorite set of recordings?
16 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
Lately, The Ear has been listening to the five piano concertos by Ludwig van Beethoven (below).
That, of course, is not counting the composer’s rarely performed piano transcription of his own violin concerto.
The five concertos are so different but so consistently great that they are always in demand for programming and always a pleasure to listen to as well, I imagine, to play.
Lately I have been sampling two new complete recordings that have received high praise from critics: one (below top) by the Chinese pianist Haochen Zhang, who won the Van Cliburn competition in 2009 and recorded his set, including a cadenza by him, with the Philadelphia Orchestra under conductor Nathalie Stutzmann; and the other, a complete live set (below bottom) by the American pianist Garrick Ohlsson, the winner of the 1970 Chopin competition, recently recorded at the Grand Teton Festival.
Both are fine recordings and well worth listening to.
They made me once again recalculate my personal ranking of the five piano concertos. I don’t mean a ranking by quality or which one is the best, but simply which individual concertos I prefer to listen to by frequency. Here is any order: 4, 3, 5 (Emperor), 1, and 2.
How would you rank these five masterworks?
There are so many excellent recordings of these glorious works. I have listened to individual concertos and complete sets by Claudio Arrau, Emanuel Ax, Alfred Brendel (who has recorded them three times), Maurizio Pollini, Mitsuko Uchida, Daniel Barenboim, Murray Perahia, Leif Ove Andnes, Glenn Gould, Arthur Rubinstein (who recorded them twice), Rudolf Serkin, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jan Lisiecki, Rudolf Buchbinder, Krystian Zimerman, Yefim Bronfman; and on and on. It is hard to pick just one favorite and the idea of a “definitive” performance is impossible.
And truth be told, I generally turn to different performers for different concertos. Martha Argerich has not recorded all five but I love her performances of Piano Concertos 1, 2 and 3. I admire the late Nelson Freire in the Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”). And I am very moved by Krystian Zimerman’s playing of the inspired and unconventional middle movement of the Piano Concerto No. 4 in the YouTube video at the bottom.
But overall the most consistent sets I continue to like are classics by the late Leon Fleisher and Richard Goode, who completely understands and captures what is special about Beethoven, as he demonstrated in his pioneering complete set of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas.
How would you personally rank the Beethoven pianos concertos as your favorites by appeal and listenability?
Which pianist in Beethoven’s five piano concertos do you listen to and like the most often?
Is there a complete set you find irresistible and recommend to others? Or a particular recording of a particular concerto?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #YouTubevideo, Alfred Brendel, America, American, appeal, Arthur Rubinstein, Arts, Asia, asian, audience, Beethoven, blog, China, Chinese, classic, Classical music, Claudio Arrau, complete, composer, Concert, concerto, conductor, critic, critical, critical acclaim, Daniel Barenboim, definitive, demand, different, Early music, Emanuel Ax, Emperor, Emperor Concerto, Europe, European, Facebook, festival, Garrick Ohlsson, Glenn Gould, Grand Teton Music Festival, Haochen Zhang, impossible, Jacob Stockinger, Jan Lisiecki, Krystian Zimerman, Leif Ove Andnes, Leon Fleisher, link, list, listenability, Ludwig van Beethoven, Martha Argerich, Maurizio Pollini, Mitsuko Uchida, Murray Perahia, Music, Nathalie Stutzmann, Nelson Freire, Orchestra, particular, personal, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pianist, Piano, Piano concerto, pioneer, play, pleasure, popular, popularity, praise, quality, rank, rating, recording, Richard Goode, Rudolf Serkin, Rudolph Buchbinder, sample, set, share, Sonata, symphony, tag, The Ear, transcription, U.S., Van Cliburn, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Violin, Violin concerto, Vladimir Ashkenazy, winner, Yefim Bronfman, YouTube
Too bad the Wisconsin Union Theater didn’t book a great pianist for next season
9 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
“We are living in a Golden Age of pianists,” famed concert pianist, Juilliard teacher and frequent Madison performer Emanuel Ax (below) has said.
He should know. But you would never guess that from the recently announced next season at the Wisconsin Union Theater (below).
The WUT has not booked a solo pianist for the 2022-23 season.
Here is a link to the lineup for the next season:
https://union.wisc.edu/visit/wisconsin-union-theater/seasonevents/
Is The Ear the only one who has noticed and is disappointed?
Who else feels bad about it?
After all, this is the same presenting organization that brought to Madison such legendary pianists as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Ignaz Jan Paderewski, Percy Grainger, Arthur Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz, Dame Myra Hess, Guiomar Novaes, Egon Petri, Robert Casadesus, William Kapell, Claudio Arrau, Alexander Brailowsky, Gary Graffman, Glenn Gould, Rosalyn Tureck, Byron Janis, Misha Dichter, Peter Serkin, André Watts, Lili Kraus and Garrick Ohlsson
It is the same hall (below) in which The Ear has heard Rudolf Serkin, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Angela Hewitt, Alfred Brendel, Murray Perahia, Valentina Lisitsa, Andras Schiff, Joyce Yang, Yefim Bronfman, Jeremy Denk, Ingrid Fliter, Richard Goode, Leon Fleisher, Simone Dinnerstein, Wu Han and so many other great and memorable names including, of course, Emanuel Ax.
What a history!
As you can see and as The Ear likes to say, the Wisconsin Union Theater is “The Carnegie Hall of Madison.” For over 100 years, it is where the great ones play.
One irony is that many of those former bookings of pianists took place when the University of Wisconsin School of Music had many more pianists on the faculty and provided a major alternative venue for piano recitals.
Another irony is that so many young people take piano lessons (below) and are apt to want to attend, probably with their parents, to hear a live professional concert piano recital. You would think the WUT would also see the advantages of having such community outreach links to the public and to music education, especially since the WUT has hosted Open Piano Day for the public. (See the YouTube video of a Channel 3000 story in February 2020 at the bottom.)
From what The Ear reads, there are lots of up-and-coming pianists, many affordable names of various winners of national and international competitions. They should be affordable as well as worthy of being introduced to the Madison public.
But that seems a mission now largely left to the Salon Piano Series.
Plus, so many of the new pianists are young Asians who have never appeared here, which should be another draw for the socially responsible and diversity-minded WUT.
But that is another story for another day.
What do you think of the WUT not presenting a solo pianist next season?
Maybe there will be a pianist booked for the 2023-24 season.
What pianists would you like see booked by the WUT student programming committee?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AlexanderBrailowsky, #AlfredBrendel, #AndrasSchiff, #AndréWatts, #AngelaHewitt, #ArthurRubinstein, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #ByronJanis, #CarnegieHall, #Channel3000, #CommunityOutreach, #ConcertHall, #ConcertPianist, #EgonPetri, #EmanuelAx, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GarrickOhlsson, #GaryGraffman, #GlennGould, #GoldenAge, #GuiomarNovaes, #IgnazJanPaderewski, #IngridFliter, #JacobStockinger, #JeremyDenk, #JoyceYang, #JuilliardSchool, #LatinAmericanmusic, #LeonFleisher, #LiliKraus, #MeadWitterSchoolofMusic, #MishaDichter, #MurrayPerahia, #MusicalOrganization, #Musicfaculty, #MyraHess, #OpenPianoDay, #PercyGrainger, #PeterSerkin, #PIanoRecital, #PIanoTeacher, #RichardGoode, #RobertCasadesus, #RosalynTureck, #RudolfSerkin, #SalonPIanoSeries, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #ShannonHall, #SimoneDinnerstein, #TheEar, #TheUW, #TheUW-Madison, #TooBad, #Up-and-Coming, #ValentinaLisitsa, #VladimirAskenazy, #VladimirHorowitz, #WilliamKapell, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #WuHan, #YefimBronfman, #YouTubevideo, advantage, affordable, Alexander Brailowsky, Alfred Brendel, alternative, András Schiff, André Watts, Angela Hewitt, announce, appear, Arrau, Arthur Rubinstein, Arts, Ashkenazy, Asia, asian, audience, bad, Baroque, Beethoven, blog, Blog post, Book, Brendel, Byron Janis, Carnegie Hall, Chamber music, Channel 3000, China, Chinese, Classical music, Claudio Arrau, committee, community, Competition, composer, Concert, concert hall, concert pianist, diversity, Education, Egon Petri, Emanuel Ax, Facebook, Facebook post, faculty, fame, famed, famous, female, Garrick Ohlsson, Gary Graffman, Glenn Gould, Golden Age, great, guess, Guiomar Novaes, hall, he, hear, her, here, History, Horowitz, Ingrid Fliter, international, irony, Jacob Stockinger, Japan, Japanese, Jeremy Denk, Joyce Yang, Juilliard, know, Korea, Korean, legendary, Leon Fleisher, Lili Kraus, lineup, link, live, living, Madison, male, Mead Witter School of Music, memorable, men, Misha Dichter, mission, Murray Perahia, Music, music student, Myra Hess, name, national, new, Open Piano Day, organization, outreach, Paderewski, Parent, Percy Grainger, performer, Peter Serkin, Pianist, Piano, piano recital, piano student, piano teacher, play, post, posting, presenter, professional, program, programming, public, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninov, read, recent, recital, Richard Goode, Robert Casadesus, Rosalyn Tureck, Rubinstein, Rudolf Serkin, Salon Piano Series, say, Season, see, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Rachmaninov, Shannon Hall, share, Simone Dinnerstein, socially responsible, solo, Sonata, South Korea, South Korean, Student, tag, Taiwan, Taiwanese, Teacher, Television, The Ear, think, too bad, TV, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, UW-Madison, Valentina Lisitsa, venue, video, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Horowitz, who, William Kapell, winner, WISC-TV, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Union Theater, women, worth, worthy, Wu Han, WUT, year, Yefim Bronfman, you, young, YouTube
The famed International Tchaikovsky Competition has been expelled from the World Federation of International Music Competitions
10 Comments
PLEASE HELP THE EAR. IF YOU LIKE A CERTAIN BLOG POST, SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD A LINK TO IT OR, SHARE IT or TAG IT (not just “Like” it) ON FACEBOOK. Performers can use the extra exposure to draw potential audience members to an event. And you might even attract new readers and subscribers to the blog.
By Jacob Stockinger
One of the granddaddies of all international music competitions — probably the best known and most prestigious — has been disowned.
The International Tchaikovsky Competition — the one that catapulted the young American pianist and first winner Van Cliburn (below, during the competition) to worldwide fame during the height of the Cold War, for which he received the only ticker tape parade in New York City ever given to a musician — has been expelled from the World Federation of International Music Competitions, which was founded in 1957 and represents 110 music competitions and programs to help young musicians build a career.
The move comes in response to recent events in Ukraine — including alleged Russian war crimes during its brutal, deadly and unprovoked invasion.
The famed Tchaikovsky Competition — which started in 1958 and is now for pianists, violinists, cellists, vocalists as well as woodwind and brass players — is held in Moscow and St. Petersburg and is financed and organized by the Russian government. It has launched the careers on many great musicians.
It is co-chaired by the discredited Russian conductor Valery Gergiev (below right, in 2014), a close friend and avid supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin (below left) and of the conflict in Ukraine.
The expulsion came about because the Tchaikovsky Competition refused to condemn the Russian invasion, as the federation requested.
Here is a link to the story that was published on the website Classical Music, an online publication of the BBC Music Magazine. It contains background on both the competition and the current state of affairs regarding Russian musicians and the Russian conflict in Ukraine. It has a lot of noteworthy links:
And here is the response from the organizers of the Russian competition, which takes place every four years. The 16th competition was held in 2019, and the 17th is still scheduled for 2023. (The announcement of the 2019 piano winners — by the Russian former piano winner Denis Matsuev, who has been boycotted because of Ukraine — is in the YouTube-Medici.TV video at the bottom.)
The response — which accuses the federation of “persecuting” Russian musicians and promises that it will be held as usual and remain open to contestants worldwide — is posted on the competition’s website:
https://tchaikovskycompetition.com/en/news/415.htm
It makes one wonder what the effects on the next Tchaikovsky competition will be.
Will potential jurors outside Russia boycott the competition?
Will non-Russian contestants — with the exception perhaps on Chinese and Belarusian performers — avoid participating?
And what will be the effect on the inaugural Rachmaninoff Competition for pianists, composers and conductors that is scheduled to take place this June in Moscow?
What do you think?
Is it the right call by the international federation?
Or the wrong call?
Why do you think so?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #AnnaNetrebko, #ArmedConflict, #BBCMusicMagazine, #BestKnown, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrassMusic, #ChineseMusicians, #ColdWar, #DaniilTrifonov, #DenisMatsuev, #DublinIreland, #DublinPianoCompetition, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #GidonKremer, #InternationalTchaikovskyCompetition, #JacobStockinger, #NewYorkCity, #PeterIlyichTchaikovsky, #PianoConcerto, #RussianFederation, #SergeiRachmaninoff, #SergeiRachmaninov, #StringMusic, #TheEar, #UniversalMusic, #ValeryGergiev, #VanCliburn, #VictoriaMullova, #ViolinConcerto, #VladimirAshkenazy, #VladimirPutin, #VocalMusic, #WarCime, #WoodwindMusic, #WorldFederationofInternationalMusicCompeititions, #YouTubevideo, accuse, Anna Netrebko, announcement, armed conflict, Arts, audience, authoritarian, background, BBC, BBC Music Magazine, Belarus, Belarusian, best-known, blog, Blog post, blog posting, boycott, brass, brutal, build, career, cellist, Cello, China, Chinese, Classical music, classicalmusic, close, Cold War, composer, Concert, concerto, condemn, conductor, conflict, contestant, Daniil Trifonov, deadly, deffect, democracy, Democratic, Denis Matsuev, discredited, Dublin, Dublin Piano Competition, exception, expel, expulsion, Facebook, fame, federation, founded, friend, funance, Gidon Kremer, government, grandaddy, great, hear, International Tchai, International Tchaikovsky Competition, invasion, Jacob Stockinger, June, juror, jury, launch, link, medici.tv, Moscow, move, Music, Musician, New York City, next, now, online, Orchestra, parade, participate, persecute, pianists, Piano, Piano concerto, President, prize, program, publication, publish, Putin, Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninoff Competition, Rachmaninov, represent, response, right, Russia, Russian, Russian Federation, schedule, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Rachmaninov, share, sing, singer, Singing, St. Petersburg, story, string music, supporter, symphony, tag, Tchaikovsky, The Ear, think, Ukraine, Ukrainian, United States, Universal Music, Valery Gergiev, Victoria Mullova, video, Violin, Violin concerto, violin music, violinist, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Putin, vocal music, war, war crime, Website, why, win, winner, Wisconsin, wonder, woodwind, world, World Federation of International Music Competitions, worldwide, wrong, year, young, 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: The Wisconsin Union Theater announces its new season featuring Renée Fleming’s postponed concert on Oct. 24
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 with the lineup for next season’s concerts at the Wisconsin Union Theater (below top, with a photo of Shannon Hall below bottom), which he calls “The Carnegie Hall of Madison.”
The upcoming season of the Wisconsin Union Theater features eight performances, including a rescheduled performance on Oct. 24 by world-renowned vocalist Renée Fleming (below), who was previously scheduled to perform May 2, 2020, as part of the 100th Concert Series but had to cancel because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fleming recorded a special message for Wisconsin Union Theater patrons: https://youtu.be/V1B4L2KFUls.
During the 101st Concert Series, patrons will have the opportunity to attend performances by the following artists. Click on the links and names to find out more:
- Oct. 3, 2020 – Room Full of Teeth (below in a photo by Bonica Ayala)
- Oct. 24, 2020 – Soprano Renée Fleming
- Nov. 7, 2020 – Cellist Camille Thomas (below in a photo by Dan Carabas)
- Dec. 11, 2020 – Pianist Jeremy Denk (below, in a photo by Shervin Lainez)
- Jan. 29, 2021 – Verona Quartet (below in a photo by Dario Acosta)
- Feb. 28, 2021 – Meccore Quartet (below in a photo by Arkadiusz Berbecki)
- April 15, 2021 – Brentano Quartet (below in a photo by Juergen Frank)
- May 1, 2021 – Sō Percussion with Caroline Shaw (below in photos by Stefan Cohen, top, and Kait Moreno)
All programs are subject to change. The WUT team will announce when subscriptions and single-event tickets, along with prices, will become available for purchase at a later date.
The Wisconsin Union Theater’s Concert Series is one of the oldest uninterrupted series of its kind in the United States and has brought such talented artists as pianists Arthur Rubinstein and Vladimir Horowitz, violinists Fritz Kreisler and Itzhak Perlman, and pianists Vladimir Ashkenazy and Claudio Arrau to Madison.
The Wisconsin Union Theater holds numerous arts events throughout the year and has provided cultural experiences for community members and visitors for more than 75 years.
The student-led Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Performing Arts Committee plans many of the Wisconsin Union Theater’s events, including the Concert Series.
More information — including ticket prices and programs — about the Concert Series and other 2020-21 Wisconsin Union Theater events will be made available soon at uniontheater.wisc.edu and on the Wisconsin Union Theater Facebook page.
Tickets purchased for Fleming’s May 2, 2020, performance are valid for the Oct. 24, 2020, performance.
Violinist Gil Shaham (below), who was to perform March 28, 2020, as part of the 100th Concert Series season will instead perform as part of the 2021-22 Wisconsin Union Theater season. Ticket holders for Shaham’s previously scheduled performance date are receiving refunds.
The upcoming year of programming will undoubtedly bring new challenges, and the Wisconsin Union team will continue to make decisions with the health and safety of team members and patrons in mind while providing experiences for a lifetime.
While Memorial Union and Union South remain closed to the public until further notice, the Wisconsin Union continues to provide support services, such as Meals To-Go, and online events and activities.
Tags: #ArthurRubinstein, #BlogPost, #BlogPosting, #BrentanoQuartet, #CamilleThomas, #CapitalLakesRetirement Community, #CarnegieHall, #CarolineShaw, #CelloMusic, #ChamberMusic, #ClaudioArrau, #ConcertSeries, #COVID-19, #FacebookPost, #FacebookPosting, #FritzKreisler, #GilShaham, #HomeWebsite, #ItzhakPerlman, #JacobStockinger, #JeremyDenk, #MadisonWisconsin, #MeccoreQuartet, #MemorialUnion, #PercussionEnsemble, #PerformingArtists, #PerformingArts, #PianoMusic, #PublicHealth, #PulitzerPrize, #RenéeFleming, #RoomFullofTeeth, #ShannonHall, #SingleTickets, #SoPercussion, #SopranoSinger, #StringQuartet, #SubscriptionTicket, #TheEar, #TheU.S., #UnionSouth, #UnitedStates, #UniversityofWisconsin-Madison, #VeronaQuartet, #VladimirAshkenazy, #VladimirHorowitz, #VocalMusic, #WisconsinUnionDirectorate, #WisconsinUnionTheater, #World-Renowned, #YouTubevideo, announcement, Arthur Rubinstein, Arts, Ashkenazy, audience, available, blog, Brentano Quartet, Brentano String Quartet, Camille Thomas, Carnegie Hall, Caroline Shaw, cellist, Cello, centennial, challenges, Chamber music, change, Classical music, Claudio Arrau, closed, community, composer, Concert, concert series, coronavirus, cultural, culture, date, decision, ensemble, event, experience, Facebook, forward, Fritz Kreisler, Gil Shaham, Health, Horowitz, Itzhak Perlman, Jacob Stockinger, Jeremy Denk, Kreisler, later, lifetime, like, lineup, link, Madison, Meccore Quartet, Memorial Union, message, mind, Music, name, new, oldest, online, opera, Orchestra, pandemic, patrons, percussion, performer, performing artists, Performing arts, Perlman, photo, Pianist, Piano, piano music, post, posting, price, program, programming, programs, public, Public health, Pulitzer Prize, purchase, record, refund, Renée Fleming, reschedule, room, Room Full of Teeth, Rubinstein, safety, schedule, Season, series, service, services, Shaham, Shannon Hall, share, single, So percussion, soprano, special, String quartet, Student, subject, subscription, support, tag, team, teeth, The Ear, tickets, U.S., Union South, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, upcoming, UW-Madison, valid, Verona Quartet, Viola, Violin, violinist, visitors, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vladimir Horowitz, vocal music, vocalist, Website, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Union Directorate, Wisconsin Union Theater, WUD, year
Classical music: How will Brexit affect classical music in Great Britain? Many musicians and audiences are preparing for the worst
4 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
London has long been a international hub of culture, with a special reputation as the home base of many of the great musicians who perform regularly on the Continent.
But how will “Brexit” affect the future of classical music and classical musicians in Great Britain?
Some pretty prominent, active and knowledgeable musicians, including the pianist-conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy and Daniel Barenboim, think it will be for the worst.
One sign is that the European Youth Orchestra (below, in a photo by Peter Adamik, and in the YouTube video at the bottom), which receives a subsidy from the European Union, is moving from London to the city of Ferrara in Italy before Great Britain exits from the European Union.
A particular cause of concern is what kind of confused logistics will happen if visas are required for British groups to tour and perform on the Continent, something that apparently has opera houses especially worried.
A recent story goes into more detail, including charges from Brexit defenders that musicians and representatives of the culture industries in general are being alarmist.
Here is the story, published by The Independent in the United Kingdom and then reproduced in the United States in The New York Times: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/brexit-classical-music-musicians-europe-vladimir-ashkenazy-daniel-barenboim-eu-a8483271.html
What do you think?
Leave your opinion in the COMMENT section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: #BlogPost, #BrassMusic, #DanielBarenboim, #EconomicNews, #EuropeanUnion, #EuropeanYouthOrchestra, #Ferrara, #JohannSebastianBach, #MusicEducation, #OperaCompany, #OperaHouse, #OrchestralMusic, #OrchestralPlayers, #PercussionMusic, #PoliticalNews, #StringMusic, #TheContinent, #TheIndependent, #TheNewYorkTImes, #UnitedKingdom, #UnitedStates, #VladimirAshkenazy, #WoodwindMusic, #WorldCulture, #YouTubevideo, active, Arts, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, blog, Brexit, Cello, Classical music, composer, conductor, culture, Daniel Barenboim, economics, England, European Union, European Youth Orchestra, global, great, industry, international, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, knowledgeable, logistics, London, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mozart, Music, Music education, Musician, New York Times, opera, Opera house, Orchestra, percussion, Pianist, Piano, Politics, prominent, reputation, strings, symphony, The Continent, tour, U.S., UK, United Kingdom, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, Viola, Violin, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wisconsin, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, world, YouTube
Classical music: NPR explores Opus 1 works to mark Jan. 1 and New Year’s Day
2 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
Each year, the media look for new ways to mark the holidays and especially New Year’s Day.
One of the best and most original The Ear has seen and heard in a long time came from National Public Radio (NPR).
On Morning Edition, the radio network consulted Miles Hoffman (below), a violist, conductor and educator, about the first works – the Opus 1 works – that various composers published.
Hoffman’s remarks touch on quite a few young composers and prodigies, including Ludwig van Beethoven (below top), Felix Mendelssohn (below middle) and Ernst von Dohnanyi (below bottom).
Here is a link to the story, which should be listened to, and not just read, for the sake of the music and sound samples:
And from YouTube here are two more Opus 1 works that The Ear would add.
The first is the Rondo in C Minor, Op. 1, by a young Frédéric Chopin (below, in a drawing from Getty Images) and performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy. It shows just how early Chopin had found his own style and his own distinctive voice:
And here are the “Abegg” Variations by critic-turned-composer Robert Schumann (below), played by Lang Lang:
Can you think of other Opus 1 works to add to the list?
Please leave the composer’s name, the work’s title and a YouTube link to a performance, if possible, in the COMMENT section.
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: Art Works, Arts, Beethoven, best, Cello, Chamber music, Chopin, Classical music, Compact Disc, composer, conductor, critic, educator, Ernst Dohnanyi, Feix Mendelssohn, fistinctive, Getty Images, Holiday, Jacob Stockinger, Lang Lang, link, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, media, Miles Hoffman, Morning Edition, Music, Music education, new, New Year, New Year's Day, NPR, opus, original, performance, prodigies, prodigy, rondo, Schumann, Sound, Teacher, title, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Viola, Violin, Vladimir Ashkenazy, voice, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, work, young, YouTube
Classical music: Spring arrives today. What is your favorite music celebrating spring?
10 Comments
By Jacob Stockinger
Has March’s proverbial lion finally yielded to the lamb?
Here is Madison there is still some snow on the ground. But it should all be gone by the end of today, which, like yesterday, will reach into the 50s.
Just in time.
Today is the Vernal Equinox, bringing the first day of spring. It arrives at 5:29 a.m. this morning.
Spring has been an inspiration to many composers. So there is a lot of music to choose from when you want to celebrate season musically.
The Ear is fickle and his choice changes from year to year.
But lately, his favorite has been the “Spring” Sonata in F Major for violin and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven. (You can hear the opening of the famously tuneful and upbeat sonata, performed by violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, in the YouTube video at the bottom.)
Of course there are violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi and Arcangelo Corelli; choral works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Franz Joseph Haydn; chamber music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; orchestral music by Robert Schumann, Peter Tchaikovsky and Igor Stravinsky; piano pieces by Felix Mendelssohn and Edvard Grieg; songs by Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms. And there is more, so much more.
Yesterday, Wisconsin Public Radio programmed a lot of spring music, and The Ear expects the same for today’s programming.
But you can be your own DJ if you want. Here is a list of almost two hours of spring-related music:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfe3MUMdWKQ
And here is a springtime puzzler, or quiz, about flowers in opera from NPR or National Public Radio:
Plus, there are plenty of other guides and anthologies to music for spring that you can find online.
So here is what The Ear wants to know: What is your favorite piece of music to greet spring with?
Leave words in the COMMENT section along with a link to a YouTube performance if possible.
And a Happy Spring to you!
Tags: Arts, Bach, Baroque, Beethoven, Cello, Chamber music, choral music, Classical music, Compact Disc, concerto, Corelli, Early music, equinox, flowers, Franz Schubert, Grieg, Haydn, Itzhak Perlman, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, lamb, lion', Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Music, National Public Radio, NPR, opera, Orchestra, Perlman, Piano, quiz, Radio, snow, Sonata, Spring, Stravinsky, symphony, Tchaikovsky, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, vernal equinox, Viola, Violin, Vivaldi, Vladimir Ashkenazy, vocal music, Wisconsin, wisconsin public radio, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, YouTube
Classical music: The Mosaic Chamber Players continues with its all-Beethoven concerts of sonatas for strings and piano this Saturday night. Plus, the woodwind quintet Black Marigold performs a FREE concert Friday at noon.
Leave a Comment
ALERT: The week’s FREE Friday Noon Musicale, to take place from 12:15 to 1 p.m. at the First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, will feature the local woodwind quintet Black Marigold. It will perform music by August Klughardt, Darius Milhaud and Brian DuFord.
Here is a link about Black Marigold’s winter concerts and the program:
By Jacob Stockinger
The Mosaic Chamber Players — recently hailed as “among the finest purveyors of chamber music in Madison” by critic John W. Barker on The Well-Tempered Ear blog — will be performing an all-Beethoven program this Saturday night, Jan. 30, at 7:30 p.m.
The concert will take place in the beautiful and historic Landmark Hall of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed First Unitarian Society of Madison, 900 University Bay Drive, on Madison’s near west side.
This will be the third program of a 5-concert cycle of all the string sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven (below).
The impressive list of performers (below, from left), most of whom were educated at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music and Lawrence University in Appleton, includes pianist Jess Salek; violinist Laura Burns; cellist Michael Allen; and violinist Wes Luke.
They play with the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Oakwood Chamber Players, the Ancora String Quartet, the Rhapsodie String Quartet, the Madison Youth Choirs, Sound Ensemble Wisconsin, Fresco Opera Theatre, Opera for the Young, and other ensembles here and in Dubuque and LaCrosse.
On the program are: the Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major Op. 30, No. 1; the Sonata for Cello and Piano in C Major, Op. 102, No. 1; and the Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Major, Op. 47 “Kreutzer.” (You can hear the first movement of the famous and riveting Kreutzer Sonata performed by superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy in a YouTube video at the bottom.)
There will be a reception following the program.
Tickets are $15 for the public; $10 for seniors; and $5 for students – by cash or check only. NO CREDIT CARDS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Adds founder and pianist Jess Salek:
“This concert is perfect for an adult or caregiver night-out, and also for students at the middle school-and-above age.
“Please come hear some beautiful music performed by talented, expressive, and professional local artists.
“Thanks for considering. Hope to see you there!”
Tags: Ancora String Quartet, Arts, August Klughardt, Beethoven, Black Marigold, Brian DuFord, Cello, Cello Sonata, Chamber music, Classical music, critic, Darius Milhaud, First Unitarian Society of Madison, Fresco Opera Theatre, Itzhak Perlman, Jacob Stockinger, Kreutzer Sonata, LaCrosse, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Madison Youth Choirs, Music, Oakwood Chamber Players, opera, Opera for the Young, Piano, quintet, Rhapsodie String Quartet, Sonata, Sound Ensemble Wisconsin, String quartet, United States, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Violin, Violin Sonata, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, woodwind, YouTube
Classical music: Superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman turns 70. Plus the Willy Street Chamber Players perform Beethoven on WORT this morning.
1 Comment
ALERT: The Ear’s friend Rich Samuels of WORT 89.9 FM writes: At 7:21 a.m. today, Thursday, Sept. 3, I’ll be broadcasting the Willy Street Chamber Players’ performance of the Beethoven String Quartet No. 11 in F Minor. It was recorded live on July 11 at Madison’s Immanuel Lutheran Church. Featured are Eleanor Bartsch and Paran Amirinazari (violins), Micah Behr (viola) and Mark Bridges (cello).
By Jacob Stockinger
This past Monday, superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman (below, in a photo by Lisa Marie Mazzucco) turned 70.
Perlman, who possesses a sharp sense of humor, likes to call himself a fiddler.
But he is so much more.
Perlman – who once made the cover of Time magazine and who used to fly in his private jet — has played a lot in Madison since the beginning of his concert career, at the Wisconsin Union Theater, the Madison Civic Center and the Overture Center.
The Ear thinks that his most memorable appearance in Madison was before his stratospheric concert fees made him either unaffordable or affordable only to the very well-heeled.
Violinist Itzhak Perlman photographed in 1984.
That was way back when WUT director Ralph Sandler booked the young Perlman to perform the complete solo violin sonatas and partitas by Johann Sebastian Bach. Perlman performed them over two back-to-back nights at the Wisconsin Union Theater.
The event proved to be one of the highlights of all the music that The Ear has ever heard in Madison. It was pretty incredible, watching Perlman sit there by himself on stage as he poured forth these fabulous works.
The Ear likes Perlman’s playing a lot, especially from the early days when he won his share of Grammy Awards.
A great example are his recordings of the sonatas for violin and piano by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that he did with Daniel Barenboim and the sonatas for violin and piano by Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms that he did with Vladimir Ashkenazy. His recordings of the Beethoven and Brahms concertos with conductor Carlo Maria Giulini are also outstanding classics.
But to be honest, the later Perlman often disappointed me.
The Ear heard one performance in Madison where Perlman seemed bored by the music, as if he were phoning it in or going through the motions without much emotional engagement. (Below is Perlman in the 1960s.)
Then there was the time when he relied too much on his post-intermission shtick of pretending to choose and call out impromptu virtuosic encore-like pieces for the second half of his program while he also related to the audience the baseball scores from the World Series with his beloved home town team, the New York Yankees.
Then there was the time when many people went to hear him play the deeply emotional theme from “Schindler’s List” by John Willliams as an encore. He didn’t. (Listen to the YouTube video of it, with over 6 million hits, at the bottom.)
Nonetheless, Perlman remains a charismatic major talent who sure knows how to fill seats and please high-end audiences.
By some accounts, Perlman’s playing has declined in recent years. The Ear wonders if post-polio syndrome has anything to do with it, but can’t recall reading anything about that.
But whatever you think of his own playing, Perlman continues to devote himself to teaching young students with the program established by him and his wife Toby (below left) and to conduct as well as to perform solo recitals and concertos.
This past week NPR or National Public Radio featured a look back at the many facets of Perlman’s long career. It included some great photos as well as some terrific audio samples.
Here is a link:
What do you think of Itzhak Perlman and the various phases of his career?
The Ear wants to hear.
Tags: Arts, Bach, Baroque, Baseball, Beethoven, Carlo Maria Giulini, Chamber music, Classical music, Compact Disc, concerto, conductor, Daniel Barenboim, Grammy Award, Itzhak Perlman, Jacob Stockinger, Johann Sebastian Bach, Johannes Brahms, John Williams, Ludwig van Beethoven, Madison, Mozart, Music, Music education, New York Yankees, Orchestra, Overture Center, partita, Piano, polio, post-polio syndrome, recital, Schindler's List, solo, Sonata, String quartet, Time magazine, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Music, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Violin, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Willy Street Chamber Players, Wisconsin Union Theater, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, WORT-FM 89.9, YouTube
Recent Comments
 | Brian Jefferies on Classical music: A major reass… |
 | welltemperedear on What made Beethoven sick and… |
 | rlhess5d5b7e5dff on What made Beethoven sick and… |
| welltemperedear on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200… |
 | Robert Graebner on Beethoven’s Ninth turns 200… |
The Well-Tempered Ear 