BREAKING NEWS: Classical Music

VC GIVEAWAY | Win 1 of 5 Personalized Thomastik-Infeld String Consultations and DOMINANT PRO Violin String Sets

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 18:12:47 +0000

To help celebrate the international release of the newly expanded line of the Thomastik-Infeld DOMINANT PRO Violin String Set, The Violin Channel, in conjunction with our good friends at Thomastik, in Vienna, are hosting an exciting giveaway. You can win 1 of 5 DOMINANT PRO Violin String Sets and a personalized string consultation to select the best strings for you.

Suitable for chamber musicians, soloists, and orchestral musicians, the new set expands upon the possibilities of the legendary DOMINANT strings.

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"At Thomastik-Infeld, we collaborate daily with top-class, international musicians who have often requested that we develop an additional set similar, but expanding upon the possibilities of the existing Dominant strings," Rotter added. "With Dominant Pro, we introduce a new generation of strings! The set DP100 is already known for its exceptional power, good balance of brilliance and warmth and its broad range of sound colors. And with the five strings of Dominant Pro's Expanded Line, even more choices are now available."

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Entries close Tuesday, September 21, 2021.

COMPETITION TERMS & CONDITIONS

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The closing date for entry will be 11:59 PM 21st September 2021 (New York Time). After this date, no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
All incomplete entries will be disregarded and not eligible for entry.
The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
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No cash alternative to the prizes will be offered. The prizes are not transferable. Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
Winners will be chosen at random using randomization software.
The winner will be notified by email within 7 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
The promoter’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
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The post VC GIVEAWAY | Win 1 of 5 Personalized Thomastik-Infeld String Consultations and DOMINANT PRO Violin String Sets appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Excellent singing as the Royal Opera revives a rather tired production of Die Zauberflöte

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 15:49:20 +0000

Mozart, Die Zauberflöte: Soloists, Actors, Royal Opera Chorus (chorus director: William Spaulding), Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Hartmut Haenchen (conductor). Royal Opera House, London, 15.9.2021. (MB) Production: Director – Sir David McVicar Revival director – Dan Dooner Designs – John Macfarlane Lighting – Paule Constable Movement – Leah Hausman, Angelo Smimmo Cast: Tamino ... Read more

Classical music news. John Poole

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Today's memorial concert for British conductor John Poole will be live-streamed from London

Combining Western classical with Native American musical culture: I chat to composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 08:53:16 +0000

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate: Lowak Shoppala' - premiere in 2009

The composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate is both a citizen of the USA and the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma and his music reflects this dual heritage, combining the Western classical tradition with that of Native American cultures. His work, Lowak Shoppala' (Fire and Light), expresses Chickasaw identity through classical music theatre. Lowak Shoppala' premiered in 2009 and the premiere recording was released in June 2021 on Azica Records, featuring Jerod conducting Chickasaw Nation Children's Chorus and Nashville String Machine with baritone Stephen Clark, sopranos Chelsea Owen and Meghan Vera Starling and narrators Richard Ray Whitman, Lynn Moroney, and Wes StudiI recently chatted to Jerod by Zoom to find out more about the work.

The Chickasaw Nation is a federally recognized Native American nation, with headquarters at Ada, Oklahoma. They are indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands and the Chickasaw language, Chikashshanompa’, is primarily an oral language. Today the Chickasaw Nation is the thirteenth largest federally recognized tribe in the United States with a population of 38,000, the majority residing in Oklahoma.

Jerod's father is a Chickasaw lawyer and tribal judge as well as being a classically trained pianist and baritone, whilst his mother is of Manx descent and was a professional choreographer and dancer. This resulted in the young Jerod growing up on a diet of theatre, from classic to modern to ethnically diverse. He loves Irish musical culture and fell in love with Riverdance, and the way the work modernised traditional Irish music resonated with Jerod. He liked what they were doing and felt that similar things were happening with Native American culture.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate at the recording sessions for Lowak Shoppala'

It was at this point that the American Composers Forum approached him with a commission for a new work. Their Continental Harmony Program was pairing composers with communities to create new works, but using non-obvious pairings such as a Black composer with a Jewish community. In Jerod's case, they suggested his own tribe, so a classically trained Native American writing music for his own people.

And just as Riverdance expressed Irish culture in a series of independent scenes, Jerod envisaged his new piece doing the same for the Chickasaw Nation. It just so happened that the Pulitzer Prize finalist and Chickasaw poet Linda Hogan had just composed a poem, Fire and Light, which encompassed the history of the Chickasaw Nation, and this formed the basis for the new work along with new poetry written especially by Hogan.

Luckily for Jerod, the Chickasaw Nation is prosperous and was supportive of the enterprise, and the first performance of Lowak Shoppala' brought together choirs and a dance troupe from the tribe, and the designers were Chickasaw too, whilst the orchestra was the local Oklahoma Youth Orchestra. To a certain extent, this was all serendipitous, but the premiere at the Chickasaw tribal headquarters pulled the community together. The work is finally on disc, 12 years later, but Jerod has left the work unchanged (bar a handful of notes). He comments that whilst he accepts that some things can use revision, he largely tries to avoid it and quotes Shostakovich who said that if you feel you need to revise a work, then write a new piece. Jerod has a piece being performed at Carnegie Hall in June 2022 and the work premiered in 2005. When the 2022 performance was being planned, Jerod considered whether he needed to revise the piece and decided to leave it alone.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate: Lowak Shoppala' - recording session

Whilst the combination of the Western classical tradition with Native American musical culture might, at first sight, seem something new, Jerod is at pains to put it in the wider context and point out that composers as diverse as Debussy, Bartok, Tchaikovsky and Takemitsu were combining their own musical culture with the wider classical tradition. And that the combination of ethnic and national identities is something that has been widespread in the performing arts for centuries.

For the more ethnomusicological aspect of this combination, Jerod was very much inspired by Bartok, pointing out that Bartok's music started out like that of Liszt but Bartok's work collecting and transcribing folk-melodies had a transformative effect on his own musical style. And Bartok's processes inspired Jerod's own as he transcribed Native American music. The process involves finding musicians who are comfortable with the process as Jerod has worked with not just Chickasaw but that of other tribes, and he explains that the diverse tribes are comfortable thinking on multiple levels when it comes to mixing their cultures.

And the mixing of Western influence and Native American is, of course, not restricted to music. Native American visual art is over 150 years old, with Native American artists working with the work of Western cultural icons and abstracting them, and of course, the materials that contemporary Native American artists work with are usually not aboriginal but from the wider world. The same is true in dance, where choreographer Martha Graham was a big influence, whilst in the 1940s and 1950s, there were Native American ballerinas, including Georges Balanchine's wife. Jerod comments that everyone affects everyone and that Native American culture is very robust. And not just culture, other professions, there is a Chickasaw astronaut. For Jerod, there is so much inspiration to be found for the combining of the two cultures, and he adds that people are born beautiful and creative as well.

His work is aimed at both Native Americans and others, after all, every artist desires an audience, and he has enjoyed the variety of responses to his work, positive responses from what he calls Indian country, very focused on the Native American aspects, and diverse responses from outside. Jerod cites as an example a performance of one of his works, which was in the Chickasaw language, where a young Lithuanian woman was in the audience. It was her first visit to the USA, and Jerod found her response to his music refreshing. He returns to the point that an artist desires a relationship with the audience, and this anticipation brings energy when creating the work in isolation.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate with Margaret Wheeler (costume & set design), & Linda Hogan (poetry) at the premiere of Lowak Shoppala' in 2009

Jerod is a classically trained pianist (he studied at Northwestern University) with, as I have mentioned, a wide influence of musical theatre and dance from his parents. Initially his classical and his Chickasaw identities were separate. But he started to compose when he was 23, and his mother commissioned a work from him for a new ballet on Native American themes. To a certain extent her decision was practical, he understood her practice and method and was well placed to write music inspired by Native American culture. But in effect she was asking Jerod to be all of himself, to combine the classical and Chickasaw sides, something that he had been unconsciously training for.

The response was positive from Native Americans, but Jerod did not initially plunge in, he felt he had a responsibility artistically, but then he resumed his studies and added composition to his study. From then on his music would focus on Chickasaw culture. Jerod started learning the piano at the age of eight, and three months later he announced that he was going to be a concert pianist, and it was this focus of purpose that he brought to his studies as a composer. But years later, he still loves what he does.

His current project is a new opera, Shell Shaker: A Chickasaw Opera, which is based on a Chickasaw legend about how they received the shell shaker as their main percussion instrument. But Jerod sees it as a classic hero story, a journey into an unknown place to discover themselves, so his opera will express Chickasaw culture in classical archetypes. The work was commissioned by Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra and premiering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst College on 4 March 2022. For the libretto, Jerod is working with Lokosh (John D Hinson) as interpreter/translator for the original Chickasaw, but Jerod explains that traditionally Native American languages did not have poetry so that they are creating something new. He has scored just over 50% of the work and is currently 'working like a mad man'.

He tells me about a Chickasaw song that he sings with his son when getting him ready for school, a traditional one where you go through the names of parents, grandparents and so on, and now this has found its way into the opera, creating one of the happy moments in the new work. Jerod enjoys the synergy of such moments, cool stuff like that make his life grand.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate

Whilst Jerod has written large scale works with words, oratorios and cantatas, Shell Shaker will be his first full-blown opera. It is in fact part of a planned trilogy, with the second one dealing with a Cherokee legend. Also coming up he has an enviably large order book, including a new work for the Turtle Island Quartet, a new Violin Concerto, a work for the Verdigris Ensemble in Dallas and much else. He is also planning a music theatre work based on the accurate story of Pocahontas. He feels both lucky and grateful to have so much new work, but he has to concentrate on one work at a time.

Another exciting venture ahead is his time as composer in residence at the Alba Music Festival which is North of Milan in Italy, something he describes as exciting and amazing.

Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate: Lowak Shoppala' - Chickasaw Nation Children's Chorus, Nashville String Machine, Stephen Clark, Chelsea Owen, Meghan Vera Starling, Richard Ray Whitman, Lynn Moroney, Wes Studi, conductor Jerod Tate - Azica Records [available from Amazon, Spotify]

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Elsewhere on this blog

Not just a fine debut recital: Julian Van Mellaerts & James Baillieu are joined by family & friends for their exploration of Songs of Travel and Home on Champs Hill Records - record review
Sheer diversity: The Boulanger Legacy - music for violin and piano from the Boulanger sisters and three of Nadia's pupils, one Polish, one American, one Argentinian - record review
Light and shade: In Soleil Noir, tenor Emiliano Gonzalez Toro takes us on a voyage around the art of Francesco Rasi, the first Orfeo in Monteverdi's opera - record review
Mixed blessing: Bach's St Matthew Passion at the BBC Proms with never quite solves the problem of how to fill the Royal Albert Hall with this profoundly contemplative work - concert review
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Not just a fine debut recital: Julian Van Mellaerts & James Baillieu are joined by family & friends for their exploration of Songs of Travel and Home on Champs Hill Records

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 08:27:35 +0000

Songs of travel and home - Quilter, Bridge, Gareth Farr, Ravel, RVW; Julien Van Mellaerts, James Baillieu, Bryony Gibson-Cornish, Sofia Castillo, Raphael Wallfisch; Champs Hill Records
Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 11 September 2021 Star rating: 4.0 (★★★★)
A debut recital which explores baritone Julien Van Mellaerts' diverse origins, what home means and explores identity through song

For a young artist, the question of programming their debut recital disc is a large one, the balance between making something personal and making something which forms a musically satisfying whole. For his debut recital on Champs Hill Records, baritone Julien Van Mellaerts is joined by pianist James Baillieu, viola player Bryony Gibson-Cornish, flute player Sofia Castillo and cellist Raphael Wallfisch for a programme of music by Roger Quilter, Frank Bridge, Gareth Farr, Maurice Ravel and RVW.

If the programme seems, at first, somewhat diverse, then Van Mellaerts explains in his introductory note how all the pieces link to his own diverse origins. Born in New Zealand, his mother's family has been in the country since the 1840s, but his half British/half French father immigrated in the 1970s. So, in a way, the programme explores the idea of identity through song.

There are other links too, viola player Bryony Gibson-Cornish is a friend of Van Mellaerts from 'back home' and they performed Frank Bridge's songs for voice, viola and piano together when studying at the Royal College of Music. The song cycle Ornithological Anecdotes was commissioned by Van Mellaerts and Baillieu for a tour of New Zealand with words by the country's first poet laureate, Bill Manhire, and music by New Zealand composer Gareth Farr [see my review of a recent disc of Farr's Cello Concerto: Chemin des Dames]. And the cycle examines some of the unusual birds which are unique to the country. Van Mellaerts is not only part French, but did his university dissertation on Ravel, and the Chansons madécasses gives him a rare chance to perform with his partner, flute player Sofia Castillo, as well as cellist Raphael Wallfisch with whom Van Mellaerts worked in 2018 for the Royal Ballet.

The whole would not work if it were not for Van Mellaerts superb performances, aided and abetted by Baillieu and the others. He sings with an engagingly firm sense of line along with a lovely flexibility and admirable freedom in the upper repertoire, plus superb diction so that you never have to worry about checking the words.

We begin with Roger Quilter's Go lovely rose, in a performance which brings out the poetry and the way Quilter's music respects it. Then comes a trio of wonderfully passionate Bridge songs with viola player Bryony Gibson-Cornish. I have heard these in their version for mezzo-soprano but Van Mellaerts is finely convincing in this version for baritone, viola and piano. Gibson-Cornish's viola is warmly plangent and having a male voice creates an interesting relationship between voice and instrument. The first song is intense, questing and restless, whilst the second moves from thoughtful poeticism to real power. We end with the flowing Heine translation, the performers creating a sense of real chamber music. Another Quilter song, Now sleeps the crimson petal comes next, full of the virtues of the first Quilter song and making you think that someone needs to ask Van Mellaerts and Baillieu to explore this repertoire properly on disc.

Gareth Farr's Ornithological Anecdotes sets five poems by Bill Manhire, each poem describing a particular and rather odd New Zealand bird. Farr's music is imaginative with a variety of interesting textures in the songs, and it sounds as if it is quite singer-friendly. 'Dotterel' creates an intriguing atmosphere, describing a bird that pretends to be injured to lure predators away form the nest. 'Takahe' is a flightless bird that was thought to be extinct, but the last remaining dozen or so were discovered in the late 1940s and it has become something of a conservation success. The song is one with voice over a quasi-ground-bass in the piano, and the words and music really draw you in. 'Huia' is a bird which is now extinct and so little is known about it that there isn't even a recording of its call. The song is rather intense and brings out the rather pointed words. 'Kiwi' is, of course, the best known and the performers bring out the wit and the swagger in the song. Finally the delightfully characterful 'Tui' which has the singer mainly speaking in rhythm over and imaginative piano part.

From here we move to Ravel's Chansons madécasses, where Ravel sets poems by the 18th century poet, Évariste de Parny, which the poet claimed were translations from original Madegascan verse. Ravel's settings use an accompaniment of flute (Sofia Castillo), cello (Raphael Wallfisch) and piano (James Baillieu) to create a really atmospheric setting for the words, which are prose poems. 'Nahandove' introduces us to Van Mellaerts' rather seductive manner in these songs, complimented by Wallfisch's warm, high cello. Words are prime here, with the performers making the music flow according the text, the voice surrounded by the instruments. And for all the pleasure described in the first song, there is an underlying melancholy. 'Aoua!' is intense, with an opening that cuts like a knife leading to a striking performance which has a sense of steadily pressing forward to an intense, insistent climax. Finally, the flute, cello harmonics and piano set the eerie atmosphere for 'Il est doux'. The almost incantatory vocal line brings out the narrative, but the instruments give it an uncertain atmosphere.

Ravel's Don Quichotte à Dulcinée was a trio of songs from a project for a film, but Ravel's failed to deliver them in time and the trio has become a concert standard. Baillieu brings out the engaging Spanish sense in the opening song, complementing Van Mellaert's mellifluous vocal line. The second song is darkly atmospheric, with a sense of slow build, whilst the final one combines the Spanish atmosphere with a swaggering approach and a bit of humour.

Robert Louis Stevenson, his wife and their household in Vailima, Samoa, c. 1892

Robert Louis Stevenson's Songs of Travel were published posthumously in 1896 and were written largely in the South Seas where Stevenson had settled. RVW chose nine of them to set, and despite Stevenson's original setting, RVW's songs give the impression of an English vagabond indeed. There are many ways to approach these songs and the story they tell, here was have very much a young man's performance. For all the steady tread in the music, 'The vagabond' is full of a sense of anticipation for what is to come. Throughout the cycle, I appreciated Van Mellaerts' attention to the sense of line and to the poetry, with both him and Baillieu giving a performance full of lovely details. 'Let beauty awake' has great beauty of tone, but real engagement too, whilst the curiously sexist 'The roadside fire' [try singing the words 'And you shall wash your linen and keep body white' with a straight face with your wife/girl friend in the audience] is full of delicacy. 'Youth and love' is thoughtful, but grows in power, then 'In dreams' leads us to the more mystical side of the cycle. Van Mellaerts' vagabond is, perhaps, more down to earth than some, but he and Baillieu give us some gloriously magical moments, so 'The infinite shining heavens' is full of practical mysticism. 'Whither must I wander?' is full of a very poetic melancholy, and the opening swagger of 'Bright is the ring of words' quickly unwinds, leaving to the finely poetic final song.

This is not just a fine debut recital, but is one of those programmes which manage to be engaging not just because of the performers' musicality but also because they seem to enjoying the music so much. There is real personality here, for all the beauty of Van Mellaerts' voice, he makes us listen to the music and the poetry with Baillieu forming a superb comrade on the journey, and the CD has a lovely image of the two of them on the back, t-shirts, shorts, broad grins, standing on rock in a New Zealand landscape.

Songs of Travel and Home
Roger Quilter - Go, lovely rose
Frank Bridge - Three songs for medium voice, viola and piano
Roger Quilter - Now sleeps the crimson petal
Gareth Farr - Ornithological Anecdotes
Maurice Ravel - Chansons madécasses
Maurice Ravel - Don Quichotte à Dulcinée
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) - Songs of Travel

Julien Van Mellaerts (baritone)
James Baillieu (piano)
Sofia Castillo (flute)
Raphael Wallfisch (cello)
Recorded 10-13 November 2020, Music Room, Champs Hill,
CHAMPS HILL RECORDS CHRCD164 1CD [70:00]

Never miss out on future posts by following us

The blog is free, but I'd be delighted if you were to show your appreciation by buying me a coffee.

Elsewhere on this blog

Sheer diversity: The Boulanger Legacy - music for violin and piano from the Boulanger sisters and three of Nadia's pupils, one Polish, one American, one Argentinian - record review
Light and shade: In Soleil Noir, tenor Emiliano Gonzalez Toro takes us on a voyage around the art of Francesco Rasi, the first Orfeo in Monteverdi's opera - record review
Mixed blessing: Bach's St Matthew Passion at the BBC Proms with never quite solves the problem of how to fill the Royal Albert Hall with this profoundly contemplative work - concert review
A Companionship of Concertos: Tedd Joselson returns to the studio for concertos by Grieg and Rachmaninov - record review
Ancient and Modern: Helen Charlston & Toby Carr premiere Owain Park's new piece for mezzo-soprano and theorbo - concert review
Arthur Honegger: Mélodies et Chansons from Holger Falk & Steffen Schleiermacher - record review
The last piano solos by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov in a recital of power and subtlety by Nikita Lukinov at Pushkin House - concert review
The history behind: 17 June 1800 - Puccini's Tosca and Sardou's La Tosca - feature article
A sequence of vivid characters: William Walton's A Song for the Lord Mayor's Table alongside Puccini, Verdi and Finzi in a superb recital from Elizabeth Llewellyn and Simon Lepper - concert review
Composing is not something that you decide to do, it chooses you: I chat to composer Richard Danielpour about his new work which arose directly out of the events of 2020 - interview
Quite an occasion: Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts early Handel and Bach for his 60th appearance at the BBC Proms - concert review
Surprisingly satisfying: Bach's The Art of Fugue from Les inAttendus (accordion, bass viol, Baroque violin) - record review
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Day 19 of the George Enescu Festival: Yuja Wang and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Sat, 18 Sep 2021 00:25:50 +0000

George Enescu Festival 2021 [2]: Yuja Wang (piano), Mahler Chamber Orchestra (concertmaster & leader: Matthew Truscott). Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest, 15.9.2021. (SS) Haydn – Symphony No.31 in D major, ‘Hornsignal’ Janáček – Capriccio for Piano Left-Hand and Chamber Ensemble, Vzdor (Defiance) Stravinsky – Octet for Winds Shostakovich – Piano Concerto No.2 in F major, Op.102 Braying ... Read more

San Diego’s New Waterfront Concert Venue Makes A Splash

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 22:01:00 +0000

Of course I am describing a special place, not the kind of home most orchestras could hope to build in their neighbourhood. But the need is the same, to reach out to more people in a friendly environment. – Toronto Star

FLASHBACK FRIDAY | Jaap van Zweden Performs Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 20:27:23 +0000

Having served as the Music Director of the New York Philharmonic since 2018, Jaap van Zweden this week made the announcement to step down.

He originally planned to leave the role in 2023 when his initial contract was to expire. However, according to NY Phil’s President and CEO Deborah Borda, he will stay on an extra year to give the ensemble time to return to the newly renovated David Geffen Hall in 2022

A violin student of Dorothy DeLay, he was awarded the concertmaster's position of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra aged just 19 — a position he served for 16 years.

After transitioning to conducting, Maestro Zweden served as the Music Director of the Dallas Symphony from 2008-2018 and is currently Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic.

The post FLASHBACK FRIDAY | Jaap van Zweden Performs Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1 appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Body-Shaming In Opera

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 20:01:00 +0000

“Diversity applies to pretty much everybody except fat people,” opera critic Uwe Friedrich tells me. The pressure to conform to a societal ideal of beauty has “increased enormously” in recent years. – Van

VC LIVE | 2021 Geneva International Cello Competition [WATCH NOW]

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 19:08:59 +0000

Open to cellists aged 14 to 30, this year's first prize winner will receive CHF 20,000 plus an invitation to join the competition's two-year career development program — providing valuable career advice and coaching plus concert and recording opportunities.

Approximately 10 laureates, from this year's competition, will also be invited to join a special workshop to discuss important industry and career-starter topics with a panel of experts, including career strategies, how to get the appropriate attention of agents, presenters and producers, and the basic know-hows of contracts, rights and health.

As the official media and broadcast partner, all rounds of this year's cello competition will be streamed right here on The Violin Channel and will be available for playback.

"We will be hosting a hybrid competition this year — virtual for the first round and live in-person, in Geneva, for the semi-final and finals rounds," Didier Schnorhk, Secretary General of the Geneva International Music Competition, told The Violin Channel.

"We this year have also lowered the application fee, to take into consideration the financial difficulties of our young artists, and we have also provided financial and technical support for all first round candidates with the recording of their videos. This year, we have also made the decision to cover the cost of all semi-finalists invited to Geneva in the October," he has said.

"As you can imagine, these are all important changes we felt necessary to support our young musicians."

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION NINE

Constantin Macherel (30, Switzerland)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello

Christoph Croisé (27, Switzerland)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 2 in D minor | Prélude, Sarabande, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No 4 in C major No. 1
Ligeti | Sonata for cello solo
C. Croisé | Clouds above the C
Tchaikovsky | Pezzo Capriccioso, Op. 62

Alessandra Doninelli (26, Switzerland)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 3 in C major | Allemande, Sarabande, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello
Cassado | Dance of Green Devil

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION TEN

Leland Ko (23, United States)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Sarabande, Bourrées
Beethoven |Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Dutilleux | 3 Strophes sur le nom de Sacher
Faure | Cello sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 117

Matthias Balzat (22, New Zealand)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Allemande, Courante, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Ginastera | Puñena 2
Popper | Dance of the Elves, Op. 39

Christoph Heesch (26, Germany)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 4 in E flat major | Prélude, Sarabande, Bourrées
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello
Rossini | Une larme | Theme and Variations

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION ELEVEN

Stéphanie Huang (25, Belgium)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 4 in E flat major | Prélude, Allemande, Sarabande, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello
R. Schumann | Adagio und Allegro

Jeremias Fliedl (21, Austria)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 3 in C major |Allemande, Courante, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No.1
Ligeti | Sonata for solo cello
Dvorak | Silent Woods, Op. 68

Maxime Quennesson (26, France)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 3 in C major
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Ligeti | Sonata for solo cello
Sarasate | Zigeunerweisen

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION SEVEN

Jakyoung Huh (23, South Korea)

J.S. Bach | Suite N°3 in C major | Prelude, Bourrées, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Ligeti | Sonata for solo cello
Poulenc | Cello Sonata

Aaron Wolff (27, United States)

Bach |Suite N°3 in C major | Prélude, Allemande, Courante
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello

Florian Pons (26, France)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 4 in E flat major | Prélude, Allemande, Courante
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Dutilleux | 3 Strophes sur le nom de Sacher
R. Schumann | Adagio und Allegro

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION EIGHT

Min Ji Kim (26, South Korea)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Sarabande, Bourrées, Gigue
Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Ginastera | Puñena 2
Dinicu/Heifetz | Hora Staccato

Rolando Fernandez (30, Mexico)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 2 in D minor | Prélude, Sarabande, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello
Tchaikovsky | Pezzo Capriccioso

Michiaki Ueno (25, Japan)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Sarabande, Bourrées, Gigue
Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Hindemith | Sonata for solo cello
Davidoff | At the Fountain, Op. 20

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION FIVE

Oleksiy Shadrin (28, Ukraine)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 2 in D minor | Prélude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Hindemith | Sonata for solo cello

Chase Park (23, United States)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 2 in D minor | Sarabande, Menuets, Gigue
Beethoven | Cello Sonata No. 4 in C minor
Dutilleux | 3 Strophes sur le nom de Sacher
R. Schumann | Adagio and Allegro

Daniel Thorell (23, Sweden)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 2 in D minor | Prélude, Sarabande, Gigue
Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Ligeti: Sonata for solo cello
Chopin (Arr. M. Gendron) | Introduction and Polonaise Brillante

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION SIX

En-Chun Lin (20, Taiwan)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 4 in E flat major |Allemande, Courante, Sarabande
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello
R. Schumann | Adagio und Allegro

Anouchka Hack (25, Germany)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 2 in D minor | Prélude, Courante, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello
R. Schumann | Fantasiestücke

Marcel Johannes Kits (26, Estonia)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 2 in D minor | Prélude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuet, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION THREE

Jaemin Han (15, South Korea)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 3 in C major | Prelude, Sarabande, Bourrées
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Ligeti | Sonata for solo cello
Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen

Samuel Niederhauser (23, Switzerland)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 4 in E flat major | Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande
Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Crumb | Sonata for cello solo

Joanna Twaddle (25, United Kingdom)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Sarabande, Bourées
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Penderecki | Per Slava
Schumann | Adagio and Allegro

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION FOUR

Ivan Skanavi (24, Russia)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 3 in C major | Prelude, Sarabande, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello
Suk (Arr. W.E. Schmidt) | Love Song No. 1

Raphaël Jouan (27, France)

Bach | Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Allemande, Gigue
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Dutilleux | 3 Strophes sur le nom de Sacher
Debussy | Cello sonata in D minor

Willard Carter (19, United Kingdom)

J.S. Bach: Suite No. 3 in C major | Courante, Sarabande, Gigue
Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello
Paganini | Variations on a Theme of Rossini

Bryan Cheng (24, Canada)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Sarabande, Gigue
Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 No. 1
Hindemith | Sonata for solo cello
Boulanger | Trois Pièces (No. 1 and No. 3)

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION ONE

For the opening rounding, recorded and sent in by the candidates, each cellist will perform selected movements from a Bach Solo Cello Suite and a 20th Century Solo Cello Sonata, Beethoven’s Cello & Piano Sonata in C Major plus one or two short pieces of their own choice.

The entire opening round recital is not permitted to exceed 45 minutes in total.

The 2021 jury comprises Ivan Monighetti (Chair), Thomas Demenga, Michaela Fukačová, Ophélie Gaillard, Clive Greensmith, Qin Li-Wei, and Shauna Rolston.

Johannes Gray (24, United States)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Allemande, Sarabande, Gigue -
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Ligeti | Sonata for solo cello
Ducros | Encore

Mauro Paolo Monopoli (21, Italy)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 4 in E flat major | Prélude, Sarabande, Bourrées
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly | Sonata for solo cello, Op. 8
Martinu | Variations on a Theme of Rossini

Hayoung Choi (23, South Korea)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 3 in C major | Prélude, Sarabande, Gigue
Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 in C major, Op.102 N°1
Kodaly: Sonata for solo cello, Op. 8 (1st movement) - N. Paganini: Le Streghe, Op.8

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION TWO

Anton Spronk (27, Switzerland/Netherlands)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 3 in C major | Prelude, Sarabande, Bourrées
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Ligeti | Sonata for solo cello
Martinu | Variations on a Theme of Rossini

Milena Umiglia (23, Switzerland)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 2 in D minor | Prelude, Sarabande, Menuets
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Kodaly: Sonata for solo cello
Cassado | Dance of the Green Devil

Maria Zaytseva (19, Russia)

J.S. Bach | Suite No. 4 in E flat major | Prelude, Sarabande, Bourrées
Beethoven | Sonata No. 4 in C major No. 1
Hindemith | Sonata for solo cello
Rostropovich | Humoresque

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VC INTERVIEW | Newly-Formed Washington Arts Ensemble's 'Dynamic' Series

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 19:07:07 +0000

The Violin Channel recently discussed the launch of the Dynamic Chamber Music Series in Washington D.C. by the Washington Arts Ensemble with Co-Founders Natalia Kazaryan and Christopher Schmitt.

Tell us about the newly-formed Washington Arts Ensemble? How did you come together and what would you say is your collective vision?

Christopher: By chance, Natalia and I reconnected in D.C. years after studying at Juilliard together. Soon we discovered a mutual aspiration to found a new type of chamber music series that would bring new audiences to classical music and create a unique concert experience that emphasizes the connection between artist and audience.

The goal is to enrich and reinvigorate the classical music scene in our nation’s capital, not just revive the same way things were done pre-pandemic. We are challenging norms with new and diverse programming of underrepresented composers, and a cultivation of a vibrant audience of lifelong classical music lovers alongside those just hearing it for the first time. As our series grows, we plan to offer many more concerts in varying settings and share our rehearsal process, excerpts of performances, and interviews on washingtonartsensemble.org.

What unique musical experience do you want to create for your audience?

Natalia: We want our audience to come away from our events feeling elated. Not only will they experience music-making at the highest level, but they will also connect with our artists in a way that has not been done before. Rather than briefly greeting the musician after the performance, they will be able to meet and really get to know our musicians before, during, and after the concerts over wine and hors d’oeuvres.

We want our audience to feel like they are a core part of the cultural community, making a personal connection with the artists as well as fellow listeners that lasts and makes them look forward to seeing each other at the next event.

Reading about your ensemble, there seems to be a positive focus on lowering the physical and metaphorical boundaries between your musicians, your audiences, and your wider community. Why is this important and can you tell us more about this greater pursuit?

Christopher: Classical music is often seen as inaccessible to newcomers, with high barriers to entry to understanding the music and norms of concertgoing. Many believe classical music is only for high society types, but we believe it should feel accessible to anyone.

One way we hope to achieve this is by performing in nontraditional venues that are more familiar to people who do not yet attend classical concerts, and another is that the increased interaction with the musicians helps the audience perceive the artists as people like them, members of
the same community they can feel a connection towards.

To celebrate your inaugural concert, you will stream the first in the series here on The Violin Channel this evening. Can you tell us what your in-person and online audience can expect?

Natalia: Our concerts are designed to be experienced in person. There is a community and fellowship aspect, as well as the culinary experience that we emphasize. We meet, connect over a glass of wine and food, and experience live music together.

However, for many people, this is not an option. Whether they are located in D.C. but prefer to stay home or they are tuning in from out of town, we want to bring them in by giving them a window into our community. We are partnering with a professional video/live-streaming team, and are committed to bringing our remote listeners the highest quality musical experience, too.

When programming and putting this season together, what would you say were your core idea?

Natalia: A balanced, diverse program is extremely important to us, but only without compromising on the quality of music. In our fall season, we are programming beloved works by older masters, great works by women, lesser-performed gems of the past, contemporary works, and works by POC.

What are your plans for the ensemble? Where would you love to see yourselves expand with this concept?

Natalia: As the series grows, we hope to offer many more informal performances and gatherings, in addition to the larger concerts. While continuing our partnership with the Arts Club, we want to curate musical experiences in unusual venues in and around D.C., in a way that celebrates culture, creativity, and building a community that helps revitalize the hard-hit performing arts scene in D.C. and eventually beyond.

Tell us about the beautiful Arts Club of Washington, where your inaugural series is taking place. How does this opulent historical venue add to your mission to cultivate an unforgettable classical experience?

Natalia: The Arts Club is a warm, inviting space. Its rich history, beautiful architecture, and frequently changing art collections is a fitting venue for our series. It’s a place that celebrates history, creativity, and a sense of community. Fun fact: ever since it founding in 1916, they have welcomed both women and men to join.

What other concerts do you have programmed in the series, and if audiences would like to attend or tune in online, how can they go about doing this?

Christopher: We have three additional concerts programmed in D.C. with more on the way, all of which listeners can buy tickets to attend in-person or stream online. Tickets and livestream information is on our website, which is also the best place to check for future concerts and other content.

Tune into The Violin Channel's Facebook page at 7:30 PM EST to watch the concert live.

The post VC INTERVIEW | Newly-Formed Washington Arts Ensemble's 'Dynamic' Series appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Yo-Yo Ma Receives Japan's Praemium Imperiale Award

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 17:50:37 +0000

In its 32nd year, the Japan Art Association’s Praemium Imperiale awarded four recipients for their exceptional achievements, impact, and enrichment to the arts globally.

Each recipient receives an honorarium of $136,000, a medal, and a testimonial letter.

Yo-Yo Ma’s fellow laureates in their respective categories comprise Brazilian-French painter Sebastião Salgado, American sculptor James Turrell, and Australian architect Glenn Murcutt.

The Theatre and Film category was not awarded this year due to the impact of the pandemic, where many of the candidates were unable to fulfill the category’s award requirements.

The Praemium Imperiale also recognizes a group or institution that encourages young people to engage in the arts. The 2021 Grant for Young Artists was awarded to Italy’s Advanced Training School of the Central Institute for Restoration, who will receive $45,000 and an official diploma for their achievement.

Due to concern for the health and safety of participants, an in-person award ceremony will not be held in Tokyo. Instead, each recipient will receive an award in October at the Japanese Embassy or Consulate General of Japan in the recipient's country of residence.

"This year's Praemium Imperiale laureates represent the pinnacle of artistic achievement in each of their fields and have inspired, engaged, and connected global communities through their exceptional talent, dedication and work," said Hisashi Hieda, chairman of the Japan Art Association.

"We are deeply honored they have chosen to accept this year's award and join the distinguished past laureates who have redefined how the arts can build and shape a better world."

“I am deeply honored,” said Yo-Yo Ma in the press release. “I have tried to live not seeking honor but to do my best to live honorably, so to receive this unexpected honor is very humbling.

“I can only accept by thanking those who have made me, helped form me, and helped me on a journey of exploration and discovery, and to them, I am deeply grateful," he continued.

Previous winners of the award include Mikhail Baryshnikov, Ingmar Bergman, Shirin Neshat, Mona Hatoum, Leonard Bernstein, Judi Dench, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Phillip Glass, David Hockney, Steve Reich, Robert Rauschenberg, Ravi Shankar, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Billie Tsein, and Tod Williams.

The post Yo-Yo Ma Receives Japan's Praemium Imperiale Award appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Afghan Singers Recount Their Flight From The Taliban

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 17:03:00 +0000

The BBC interviewed half a dozen musicians who have had instruments smashed, relatives killed, and threats issued since the extremists took over Afghanistan last month. They now all in hiding in Pakistan, hoping to find refuge in another country. – BBC

Kožená, the LSO and Rattle show how the coupling of Adámek and Beethoven worked remarkably wel

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:47:43 +0000

Ondřej Adámek, Beethoven: Magdalena Kožená (mezzo-soprano), London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Simon Rattle (conductor). Barbican Hall, London, 17.9.2021. (CC) Ondřej Adámek – Where Are You? (UK premiere) Beethoven – Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68, ‘Pastoral’ It was so nice to see such a large audience – not only per se, but there to hear Ondřej ... Read more

Magnificent Mahler’s Third Symphony inaugurates Zurich’s renovated Tonhalle

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:33:59 +0000

Mahler: Wiebke Lehmkuhl (alto), Zürcher Sängerknaben (Konrad von Aarburg, Alphons von Aarburg, chorusmasters), Ladies of the Zürcher Sing-Akademie (chorusmaster Florian Helgath, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich / Paavo Järvi (conductor). Tonhalle, Zurich, 16.9.2021. (JR) Mahler – Symphony No.3 Classical music lovers in Zurich and the surrounding area have been waiting patiently for four years for the Tonhalle ... Read more

New Montreal Maestro Shows Flair For Basics (But Maybe Not French)

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:27:51 +0000

MONTREAL – At the season opener for the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, music director-designate Rafael Payare received a huge ovation even before the downbeat, a display justified by an affirmative Shostakovich Fifth.

The post New Montreal Maestro Shows Flair For Basics (But Maybe Not French) first appeared on Classical Voice North America.

Conductor Henry Charles Smith III has Died, Aged 90

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:00:10 +0000

Henry Charles Smith III, a Grammy award-winning conductor, trombonist, and educator has passed away.

He spent twelve seasons at the helm of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, as well as leading the Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Before transitioning into conducting, Smith was a noted trombonist and advocate of low brass music. For many years, he held the position of Principal Trombone in the Philadelphia Orchestra, and also performed separately as a member of the orchestra's Brass Quintet. It was with this group that he won the Grammy award for Classical Record of the Year in 1969, for a recording of Gabrieli's brass music.

Smith was also a passionate educator. He taught for many years at the Interlochen Arts Camp and was the conductor of the World Youth Symphony for 16 years. He also taught widely at the tertiary level, in the departments of the Curtis Institute of Music, Indiana University, Temple University, St. Olaf, Luther and Bethel Colleges, and the University of Texas, where he retained the title of Professor Emeritus upon retirement.

"Henry is most remembered as being the epitome of a gentleman," wrote the Mississippi Valley Orchestra on social media. "He was always the bigger person in the room and always lived up to the highest moral compass. His humility and love of music increased those capacities in every musician in the orchestra. He made everyone feel important. To quote one of our musicians: 'he would have been a wonderful leader in any field he chose.' Luckily, he chose music, and even luckier for us, he led MVO."

"At a time when brass players had a reputation for being the tough guys of the orchestra, Henry eschewed bravado," wrote one of Smith's ex-pupils, Bill McGlaughlin, on social media. "He was always a very gentle gentleman. In fact, he was a natural, both in life and as a musician."

Our condolences to Smith's family, friends, and colleagues.

The post Conductor Henry Charles Smith III has Died, Aged 90 appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

That way madness lies: why the obsession about diagnosing Robert Schumann?

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 15:22:39 +0000

The Romantic composer died in an asylum in 1856, since when musicians, doctors - and even the Nazis – have sought to name the illness that brought his early death. It tells us as much as about the story of modern psychiatry as it does about the man and his music.

Of all the things, one of Robert and Clara Schumann’s grandchildren, Felix, ended up working as a door-to-door lingerie salesman in a New York suburb. On the morning of 25 October 1941, he was found slumped behind the wheel of his car, parked in a garage behind his house. Carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the New York Times, he had been “despondent because of poor health and financial reserves”. The death was recorded as a suicide.

In the Schumann family, suffering as a consequence of psychiatric illness stretched back generations. It is thought that Robert’s father had a nervous breakdown; his mother endured bouts of depression and would recover at what is now the Karlovy Vary spas in the Czech Republic; his sister Emilie took her own life. As for Schumann himself, he was troubled by severe psychotic episodes for his entire adult life, and attempted suicide in 1854, aged 44. At his own request he was admitted to the Endenich asylum near Bonn, where he died two years later. Furthermore, a son of Robert and Clara’s spent 31 years in an asylum.

New York's Columbia University Seeking Assistant Professor

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 14:55:45 +0000

The chosen candidate must have a completed Ph.D. or Doctor of Musical Arts by June 30, 2022 — the time of appointment.

The specialization of this Assistant Professor role may include a scholarly emphasis on critical race theory; historical perspectives on race and music theory; or other issues of race, ethnicity, and/or indigeneity as they relate to music theory and analysis.

Responsibilities of the position involve research and publication, departmental service, and teaching graduate and undergraduate courses — including required courses in the undergraduate theory sequence.

All applications are to be completed through Columbia University’s Academic Search and Recruiting (ASR) system. Applicants must upload their cover letter, curriculum vitae, and a statement describing teaching experience and research interests.

Additionally, applicants should include a statement outlining how their scholarship will contribute to building and supporting diverse communities. Contact details for three referees and one writing sample of no more than 30 pages are also expected.

Applications will be reviewed as of November 15, 2021, and will continue until the position is filled.

To apply for this position, click here.

The post New York's Columbia University Seeking Assistant Professor appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Here’s The First-Ever Piano With 108 Keys

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 13:35:00 +0000

The instrument, designed and handmade by Wayne Stuart of Stuart & Sons in Australia, has a nine-octave range, two octaves more than a standard grand piano and about the same as most pipe organs. – Classic FM

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Appoints New Chief Conductor

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 13:31:10 +0000

Born in Kanagawa, Japan in 1979, Kazuki Yamada has been the UK's City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) Principal Guest Conductor since 2018.

At present, he is also the Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. In fact, Yamada intends to strengthen connections between the two orchestras by taking the CBSO Chorus to Monaco for a joint performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana in 2023.

For a time, Yamada studied under Seiji Ozawa and credits Ozawa with what he describes as his "Japanese feeling" for music. He hopes to introduce more Japanese repertoire into the CBSO's programs, including works by Toru Takemitsu, Akira Miyoshi, and Toshiro Mayuzumi. Yamada will also take the orchestra on a tour of Japan in 2023.

Yamada began his musical life as a percussionist but added conducting to the mix at the age of 17. His first international success came when he won the Besançon Competition at the age of 30.

Now aged 42, he worried that he might now be too old for the Birmingham position. However, the CBSO's Chief Executive, Stephen Maddock, felt differently.

"We thought: this is silly to extend our search when we’ve got somebody standing here right in front of us who has all that we need,” Maddock said of Yamada.

“From his very first concerts with us, there was an immediate rapport between Kazuki and our musicians, and enormous respect for his musicianship and craft," said Maddock. "Over time that has only deepened, and I know that those who have already seen Kazuki conduct the orchestra will be as thrilled as we are by this news."

“His energy, dynamism and precision make for electrifying concerts and I have no doubt that audiences in Birmingham and beyond will very quickly come to await his next performances as eagerly as our musicians already do, as we embark on new musical adventures together,” he added.

“For me, the best thing about the CBSO is they know how to enjoy music,” Yamada says. “We always create something fresh and exciting. There is always a very warm atmosphere. I am always happy to see them, and am so happy to be part of their family.”

The post City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Appoints New Chief Conductor appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Bach, 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, I. Allegro' (Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin)

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 13:15:54 +0000

Still a crowd-pleaser after 300 years.

(Image credit: Rischgitz/Getty Images)

VC Artist Stefan Jackiw to Premiere Conrad Tao's New Violin Concerto

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 12:50:18 +0000

This weekend, composer Conrad Tao's violin concerto will receive its premiere performance by VC Artist Stefan Jackiw at the Atlanta Symphony Hall — alongside Strauss' "Don Juan" and "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks" and Alvin Singleton's "Different River."

A pianist as well as a composer, at just 27 years old, Tao's first large-scale orchestral work "Everything Must Go" was premiered by the New York Philharmonic in 2018.

Conrad Tao (Photo Credit: Brantley Gutierrez)

His new violin concerto will not be the first time Tao and Jackiw have worked together. Tao already wrote a piece, especially for Jackiw, entitled "all I had forgotten or tried to," which the pair performed in a duo recital earlier this year. Their performing relationship has given Tao an intimate understanding of Jackiw's approach to music, which exerted considerable influence on the genesis of the new concerto.

"Ultimately it came down to thinking what I wanted to hear from Stefan," Tao said. "That’s always motivated me, knowing [his] playing as well as I do, what can I get that I don’t usually hear, aspects of his playing that I want to get inside of."

Tao says that the concerto also reflects on the experience of being isolated during the pandemic, with all social interaction shifted online.

"Like many, I found calm in time spent outdoors," he notes. "Focusing on the ebb and flow of the Hudson River, listening intently to traffic noise and leaves commingling in the wind, finding a shore of mysteriously stacked stones while walking north along the water — it all kept me in the present, in my body, and in my life."

VC Artist Stefan Jackiw was recently appointed to the violin faculty of the Mannes School of Music in New York. He has made solo debuts with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, among others.

“There’s a lot of humor, in the outer movements, and Conrad describes parts of it as the violin surfing through the orchestra,” said Jackiw of the new piece. “As a violinist, structure isn’t the first thing I’m drawn to. But I was struck by how structurally rigorous it is, especially the first movement. Once that’s pointed out to me, as a performer, that makes the work easier to digest.”

You can purchase tickets from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's website.

The post VC Artist Stefan Jackiw to Premiere Conrad Tao's New Violin Concerto appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Classical music news. Joint Commissions

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000

Four organisations from different countries collaborate to commission new works from Quebec composer Samy Moussa

Recap’s Debut Album “Count to Five” Builds Community Among Women

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 10:00:00 +0000

As a musician, it’s often easy to pinpoint the overall themes of an album through instrumentation, genre, and the era..

The post Recap’s Debut Album “Count to Five” Builds Community Among Women appeared first on I CARE IF YOU LISTEN.

Dunedin Consort review – Monteverdi up close and personal

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 09:11:24 +0000

St Mary’s Parish Church, Haddington
The secular side of the composer’s output was the focus of this imaginative and vivid festival programme

The Dunedin Consort gave a thrilling, visceral performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers at the Lammermuir festival a few years ago. For this year’s appearance, the ensemble returned to the composer, but on this occasion it was for an exploration of the secular side of his output.

Monteverdi’s work straddled the end of the Renaissance and the beginning of the Baroque. It is full of tortured chromaticism that paints the emotion expressed in texts full of sighs and moans. It’s no wonder musicians familiar with the modernism of the 20th century took his music to their hearts during its rediscovery.

Even More Data On Required Vaccination Policies

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 07:00:55 +0000

Pew Research Center has recently published data on the public’s comfort level in engaging in certain activities during the pandemic and whether they would favor showing proof of vaccination (h/t Ceci Dadisman). Spoiler: most of the adults they polled favor vaccination requirements for live concert events.

The report isn’t focused exclusively on live concert events and covers a broad range of activity influenced by vaccination status. But that doesn’t make it any less useful when determining your organization’s policy.

In addition to the Performing Arts Org Vax Policy Database, the President’s appeal, and now Pew’s research, organizations have no shortage of good reasons to roll out vaccination requirements for all stakeholders.

Dudamel’s Conducting Fellowship Program Is Paying Off Big Time

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 22:01:00 +0000

The main thing these former fellows may take home from L.A. is indoctrination. New music here is part of the daily diet. Dudamel’s curiosity has led to a far more varied repertory at the L.A. Phil than that of any other major orchestra. – Los Angeles Times

Day 18 of the George Enescu Festival: concerts with Joyce DiDonato and Orchestre de France

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 22:00:12 +0000

George Enescu Festival 2021 [1]: (SS) Joyce DiDonato and Il Pomo d’Oro, Romanian Athenaeum, Bucharest, 14.9.2021. Part I: Gli antichi Salamone Rossi – Sinfonia grave (Il primo libro delle sinfonie et gagliarde) Monteverdi – Penelope’s aria ‘Illustratevi, o cieli’ (Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria); Sinfonia, Ottavia’s aria ‘Addio Roma, addio patria’ (L’incoronazione di Poppea); ‘Sì dolce ... Read more

Opera’s Racial Tragedy Transcends Obstacles Of An Open-Air Staging

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 20:53:16 +0000

DETROIT – Blue, composer Jeanine Tesori and librettist Tazewell Thompson's intimate and compelling music drama about a Black cop whose teenage son is shot dead by another cop, struggled against conditions in a 6,000-seat arena.

The post Opera’s Racial Tragedy Transcends Obstacles Of An Open-Air Staging first appeared on Classical Voice North America.

How A Jazz Musician Found 30,000 Facebook Followers During COVID

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 18:32:00 +0000

Since shortly after the pandemic effectively closed the world down in March 2020, Jim Clayton’s Danforth area home — more specifically his dining room — has become Jim’s Piano Bar, with Clayton logging more than 425 performances, turning a personal Facebook following of 250 into an international audience of more than 30,000. – Toronto Star

Jaap van Zweden to Resign from New York Philharmonic

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 18:22:04 +0000

Having directed the New York Philharmonic since 2018, Jaap van Zweden made the announcement at the end of a rehearsal this week.

According to a report by The New York Times, the pandemic made the 60-year-old conductor reconsider some priorities — explaining that it became increasingly difficult to see his family, especially during the orchestra's busy touring season.

Van Zweden originally planned to leave the role in 2023 when his initial contract was to expire. However, according to NY Phil’s President and CEO Deborah Borda, he will stay on an extra year to give the ensemble time to return to the newly renovated David Geffen Hall in 2022. The space is opening two years ahead of schedule, after accelerated construction plans.

It is also of note that van Zweden will assist in finding a suitable successor. "Jaap’s willingness to extend his contract by an additional year (through the 23/24 season) provides us the time and space to run a search process that is thoughtful and elegant," Borda commented.

“The pandemic has changed all our worlds, so I recognize and respect the very personal decision Jaap has made about his future,” she continued.

Van Zweden spent most of the last year and a half at home in the Netherlands — and has since returned to New York to open the new 2021-22 season at Alice Tully Hall with a concert entitled “From Silence to Celebration” on Friday evening.

Of the NY Phil's past music directions, the conductor’s tenure will be the shortest since Pierre Boulez, who led the orchestra for six seasons in the 1970s.

“While I love the NY Philharmonic and look forward to continuing as Music Director over the next three seasons, so much has changed because of COVID, including thoughts about my own future, my life, and my family,” said van Zweden in a note to NY Phil's musicians obtained by Vulture.

"In life, I think timing is critical: it's important to know when to say yes and when to move on,” he continued. “With that thought in mind, my inner voice tells me the time is right to conclude my tenure as Music Director at the end of the 2023-24 season.”

Born in Amsterdam, Jaap van Zweden was 19 when he became the youngest-ever concertmaster of Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. His conducting career began almost 20 years later in 1996.

In addition to being New York Philharmonic's 26th Music Director, van Zweden currently serves as Hong Kong Philharmonic's Music Director —a role he will also step down from when his contract expires in 2024.

He is the Honorary Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, where he was Chief Conductor from 2005 to 2013, and has also directed the Royal Flanders Orchestra and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

The post Jaap van Zweden to Resign from New York Philharmonic appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Il Vologeso review | Erica Jeal's classical album of the week

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 17:31:21 +0000

The Mozartists/Page
(Signum)
Ian Page’s live recording is a lively introduction to the music of Niccolò Jommelli, who, like the Bee Gees two centuries later, had an ear for a striking harmony

Niccolò Jommelli, as none but the most committed 18th-century opera nerd will be able to tell you, wrote Il Vologeso in 1766, when the 10-year-old Mozart was a year into his own composing career. That’s how come Il Vologeso qualified for Ian Page’s ongoing Mozart 250 project, putting the great composer’s work into the context of what was going on musically around him. This recording is of its belated UK premiere, an upbeat performance given in April 2016 by Page, his ensemble the Mozartists and an up-and-coming cast.

2021 Busoni Composition Prize Announces Recipient

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 15:25:25 +0000

Akademie der Künste Berlin's Busoni Composition Prize was donated by Aribert Reimann in 1988 and is presented every two to three years to young emerging composers.

Santos’ music is distinguished by a lively richness of sound from “artfully rhythmized and contrasting extensions of the music through everyday sounds, electronics, microtonal diffraction or resonance.”

A graduate of the University of Chicago, Eastman School of Music, and the University of South Florida, Santos is the recipient of prizes at the Luigi Nono International Competition and the RED NOTE Competition.

The sponsorship award of 2500 Euros was given to German composer Elias Jurgschat.

The jury of the competition comprised Ludger Brümmer, Chaya Czernowin, and Johannes Kalitzke.

“This year, the piano competition and the composition prize have identified their respective prize winners only a few days apart,” the Busoni competition wrote on their social media.

“Both initiatives unmistakably celebrate the great figure of Ferruccio Busoni and his ideal of the creative interpreter,” they continued. “Congratulations to the laureates!”

The award ceremony will take place in Berlin on November 26, 2021, where the prize-winning works will be performed alongside those by Ferruccio Busoni.

The post 2021 Busoni Composition Prize Announces Recipient appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Opera librettist Amanda Holden obituary

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 15:17:50 +0000

Scholar of opera who translated librettos into English, wrote ones of her own and edited guides to encourage new listeners

In 1985 two professional developments defined the path of Amanda Holden’s work until her sudden and unexpected death at the age of 73. She worked on her first opera translation, Don Giovanni, for Jonathan Miller at English National Opera (ENO), which made her realise that, in addition to her profound musical understanding and knowledge, she had the wordsmith’s talent required to craft opera translations. This opened up a fruitful avenue that eventually led to her creating more than 60 opera translations.

At almost the same moment, she conceived the idea of a reference work on opera that was to be an enormous scholarly enterprise. Together with Stephen Walsh and Nicholas Kenyon, and Rodney Milnes as consultant editor, she put together a proposal for a substantial operatic reference based on composers that would sit between the rather limited selection of the Kobbé opera guide and the rather prolix New Grove Opera. Peter Mayer at Penguin decided to go with the idea, and so Amanda faced the daunting task of recruiting and monitoring more than 100 contributors from all over the world.

Canada's Mécénat Musica Organized Door-To-Door Concerts

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 14:51:18 +0000

The French-Canadian organization Mécénat Musica launched their Mini-Concerts Santé initiative in 2020, which provided 4,900 concerts to 36,000 members of the public.

Small groups of musicians went door-to-door on the streets of Québec and Ontario, with the aim of alleviating the isolation and loneliness brought on by the pandemic.

All concerts employed appropriate physical distancing, and no resultant cases of COVID-19 were reported.

Over the course of the endeavor, Mécénat Musica was able to provide employment for over 1700 musicians, in a time when very little work was available to performers because of the shutdowns. A total of $464,000 was paid out to these musicians, most of which was raised through donations.

The mini-concerts were awarded the Prix Opus by the Conseil Québécois de la Musique, a prize that honors the Musical Event of the Year.

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart," said an audience member. "[The concert created] a magical moment which moved me to tears."

The concerts are the subject of a French short documentary, which you can view below:

The post Canada's Mécénat Musica Organized Door-To-Door Concerts appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

San Antonio Symphony Management Demands To Slash Orchestra’s Size By 40%

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:31:00 +0000

In renegotiations for the final year (2021-22) of the current contract, management had proposed cutting salaries in half, down to $17,710 per year. Their latest offer, said to be final, is to cut the roster of full-time players from 71 to 42, with 26 part-timers. – San Antonio Current

Beethovenfest Bonn Reveals Turnout For 2021 Festival

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:30:32 +0000

Usually held annually in Bonn, Germany, the 2020 Beethovenfest and celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday was cancelled due to COVID-19 and imposed restrictions.

The festival was able to return this year, presenting over 50 concerts between August 20 and September 10, 2021. This year's festival motto was “Resurrect, yes, resurrect!” inspired by Mahler’s “Resurrection” Symphony No. 2.

About 12,200 visitors attended the set 53 concerts, 24 of which were performed to sold-out audiences. Over 1,500 people attended a further 22 concerts which were held at Bonn’s Post Tower with free entry.

On Beethovenfest’s opening weekend, five top-tier ensembles presented all nine of the composer's symphonies. The proceeds of those performances being donated to relief efforts for the flood disaster in the Rhein-Sieg district, Germany.

This festival was the final one for its director Nike Wagner, who upon opening the 2021 edition said:
"Because of his commitment to humanity, Beethoven is not a narcissistic composer or a purely lyrical composer working from an ivory tower. He says 'I,' — but that encompasses 'we.'"

GUSTAV MAHLER | SYMPHONY NO. 2, “RESURRECTION SYMPHONY” | MAHLER CHAMBER ORCHESTRA | MAXIME PASCAL | BEETHOVENFEST BONN | 2021

The post Beethovenfest Bonn Reveals Turnout For 2021 Festival appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Jaap van Zweden To Leave New York Philharmonic In 2024

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 12:30:00 +0000

“[The orchestra’s music director] announced that he would leave his post at the end of the 2023-24 season, saying that the pandemic had made him rethink his life and priorities.” He’ll also step down from the Hong Kong Philharmonic that spring. – The New York Times

Control, élan and vision from Tetzlaff and Andsnes at Wigmore Hall

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 12:25:31 +0000

Lutosławski, Dvořák, Bartók: Christian Tetzlaff (violin), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano), Wigmore Hall, London, 15.09.2021. (CS) Lutosławski – Partita for violin and piano (1984) Dvořák – Violin Sonata in F Op.57 (1880) Bartók – Violin Sonata No.1 BB84 (1921) On paper this recital looked interesting: three works for violin and piano linked by Slavic folk influences, ... Read more

Parisian Conservatory Drops Charges Against Cellist Jérôme Pernoo

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 12:17:52 +0000

Jérôme Pernoo was originally suspended from the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance (CNSMDP) following accusations of sexual misconduct towards male students.

He was reinstated in July 2021, following the expiration of this suspension, with talks that the matter would be revisited in September.

Although the school has now renounced the charges of serious misconduct, Pernoo will be excluded from his teaching position for one year, as of September 9, 2021.

“Following reports from students, then an internal investigation, the CNSMDP noted that Jérôme Pernoo had failed to meet the exemplary requirements required by the conservatory as a higher education establishment," CNSMDP said in a statement. "It emerges from numerous testimonies that his teaching methods disrupt the smooth running of the Conservatory and hinder the exercise of the duty of protection owed to its students."

Pernoo's lawyers Hervé Témime and Chirine Heydari-Malayeri are denouncing the one-year suspension “on the basis of alleged educational grievances, unrelated to these accusations.”

"He has not been charged with any of the criminal offenses mentioned by the press, despite an investigation carried out exclusively against him, in direct violation of the cardinal principles of due process, objectivity, impartiality, prudence and confidentiality," the statement continued.

They further state that Pernoo “firmly refutes these complaints and will challenge this decision by introducing hierarchical and administrative appeals.”

The post Parisian Conservatory Drops Charges Against Cellist Jérôme Pernoo appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

CD Spotlight. Birdsong Fragments

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000

'Songs of Travel and Home' performed by Jullien van Mellaerts, recommended by Geoff Pearce. '... a singer with a very expressive voice, a pleasing tone, a great insight into the music he sings ...'

Jeremy Denk and friends – an intimate performance that invited the audience in

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 09:47:52 +0000

Lammermuir festival
A chamber music programme of Ives and Schubert saw Denk, the festival’s artist-in-residence, at his best

Lammermuir festival’s artist-in-residence Jeremy Denk is a multi-faceted, intelligent pianist, equally at home playing solo Bach in recital, as he did over the weekend, or concertos with orchestra as he will demonstrate in the closing concert. This concert in the spacious surroundings of Dunbar parish church presented Denk in the guise of chamber musician performing Schubert’s Trout Quintet with an ensemble drawn from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Using Collaboration To Raise That Tide

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 07:00:50 +0000

Get Your Magic is a collaboration of Annapolis Performing Arts organizations joining forces to get you back inside our venues for the best entertainment Annapolis has to offer. Participants include Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, The Ballet Theatre of Maryland, Classic Theatre of Maryland, and Live Arts Maryland.

Their idea was straightforward: patrons buy three or more shows from across their collective event list and all seats are priced at a flat $29 per ticket. It’s always good to see arts orgs cooperate to this degree, it goes to show that rising tide lifts all boats is a very tangible benefit of this approach.

The only hitch was none of their existing ticketing providers could handle those requirements, but it wasn’t a problem for UpStage, the new Ticketing CRM my company is in the final stages of developing. We were able to put the minimum purchase requirements along with custom reporting function that allows each group to export purchase records for just their events in three short weeks.

This project demonstrates a tiny fraction of the flexibility and power UpStage is bringing to the nonprofit performing arts sector.

From a design perspective, I love the event card grid layout (very Netflix), dark and light theme options, along with the ability to filter events by group. The backend offers per event sales metrics, inventory control, and those custom reports mentioned above.

Visit https://getyourmagic.org/ to experience it first-hand.

I’m grateful and excited to be in the right place and the right time to help this idea come to fruition instead of being relegated to the bin of “What if…?”. And kudos to the quartet of arts orgs for being willing to step up and embrace something new.

Sign up at UpStageCRM.io to get on our mailing list to be the first to get notified when we’re ready to begin accepting new users in the Fall of 2021.

John Ireland: Trio in D for clarinet, cello and piano (1913)

Thu, 16 Sep 2021 05:00:00 +0000

Before listening to John Ireland’s Trio in D for clarinet, cello and piano, I recommend reading the excellent essay by Stephen Fox at MusicWeb International. I have noted before that this is an excellent piece of musical scholarship, that is not technically off-putting. Further contextualisation of this piece can be gained from the liner notes written by Giles Easterbrook for the Prima Facie recording of the work. This explains that the Trio’s history is complex, its chronology uncertain and Ireland’s motivation ‘debatable.’

Distilling all this information provides the following overview of the Trio’s genesis, development and reception. The work appears to have been composed during 1912-1913. It was premiered during a Thomas Dunhill chamber concert in the Steinway Hall on 9 June 1914. The soloists were Charles Draper, who was known as the grandfather of English clarinettists, May Mukle (cello) and the composer playing the piano. After a couple of performances, the composer withdrew the Trio. Subsequently, elements of the piece were introduced into a conventional Piano Trio. Alas, this itself was abandoned. Eventually, some of the music was included in Ireland’s Piano Trio No.3 in E major, composed in 1938. This has established itself in the repertoire.

Stephen Fox, the Canadian clarinettist, clarinet maker and musicologist has reconstructed a ‘satisfying work of some beauty, great vigour and a delightful addition to the repertoire’. The above-mentioned essay by Fox explains how this was achieved.

What does this Trio sound like, and how does it fit into John Ireland’s musical aesthetic? I think that listeners who are au fait with the composer’s music will recognise the present work’s pivotal nature. The influence of Johannes Brahms and Charles Villiers Stanford had been respectfully laid aside to be replaced by something that nods to Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy. On the other hand, Fox makes a valid point in declaring that this Trio could not have been written by anyone other than a British composer. Certainly, there are some hat tips to folksong, if not any actual quotations.

This is a gorgeous work that provides the listener with a beautiful evocation of the landscape heard through the prism of Ireland’s mind. It is hard to believe that there are only two recorded versions of this masterpiece currently available. It seems to me that this pivotal work should be at the forefront of John Ireland’s chamber music repertoire.

An excellent recording of Ireland’s Trio can be heard on the Prima Facie CD label (PFNSCD 009). It is performed by the Tritium Trio: Jernej Albreht clarinet, Joseph Havlat, piano, Lydia Hillerudh, cello. Other works on this disc include John McCabe’s Sonata for clarinet, cello and piano (1969), Kenneth Leighton’s Fantasy on an American Hymn Tune(1975) and Giles Easterbrook’s Trio (2002).

The Naxos recording of John Ireland’s Trio in D for clarinet, cello and piano, has been uploaded to YouTube. It is presented as three videos: Allegro non Troppo, Scherzo-Vivace and Lento con moto. The artists are Robert Plane, clarinet, Sophia Rahman, piano and Alice Neary, cello.

Far-Flung String Players Converge (Virtually) For A Festival Homecoming

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 23:19:42 +0000

BANFF, Alberta – After the success of last year's streamed Banff International String Quartet Festival, the 2021 event again went digital, spurred by a “moral obligation to be hand in hand with the artists through this pandemic."

The post Far-Flung String Players Converge (Virtually) For A Festival Homecoming first appeared on Classical Voice North America.

The Metropolitan Opera marks the anniversary of 9/11 with Verdi’s Requiem

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 22:22:58 +0000

Verdi’s Requiem – The Met Remembers 9/11: Ailyn Pérez (soprano), Michelle DeYoung (mezzo-soprano), Matthew Polenzani (tenor), Eric Owens (bass-baritone), Metropolitan Opera Chorus & Orchestra / Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Metropolitan Opera, New York, 11.9.2021. (RP) The Metropolitan Opera observed the twentieth anniversary of 9/11 with a Verdi Requiem that resonated far beyond its walls. Earlier in September, ... Read more

This A Cappella Quintet Can Mimic Your Electronic Devices

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 19:03:00 +0000

“Traditional a cappella groups cover pop lyrics and full music beds with impressive skill. But one group in South Korea, called MayTree, is taking the genre further to mimic the digital devices that occupy our lives.” (audio) – The World (PRX)

OUT NOW | Thomastik-Infeld Launches Expanded Line of the DOMINANT PRO Violin String Set

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 15:02:52 +0000

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The post OUT NOW | Thomastik-Infeld Launches Expanded Line of the DOMINANT PRO Violin String Set appeared first on The World's Leading Classical Music News Source. Est 2009..

Professional Classical Musicians Have The Same Physical Problems (Other) Athletes Do

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 14:30:00 +0000

LA Phil violist Ingrid Hutman: “When we’re injured, we tend to go to sports doctors because that’s what’s available. It’s very difficult to find practitioners who understand the peculiarities of musicians and what we do.” – San Francisco Classical Voice

BREAKING NEWS: Classical Music

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The gold plated E-string DP01AU, which generates a very warm, clear sound that simultaneously conveys brilliance.

The platinum plated E-string DP01PT, which has the greatest projection of all DOMINANT PRO E-strings.

The tin plated E-string DP01SN, which has a smaller diameter and is therefore ideally suited to instruments with a normal or high string position.

The chrome wound A-string DP02B achieves pitch stability immediately after being strung and offers a very high resistance to bow pressure.

The aluminum wound D-string DP03 is a great choice for musicians who prefer a larger D-string diameter.

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Excellent singing as the Royal Opera revives a rather tired production of Die Zauberflöte

Classical music news. John Poole

Combining Western classical with Native American musical culture: I chat to composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate

Not just a fine debut recital: Julian Van Mellaerts & James Baillieu are joined by family & friends for their exploration of Songs of Travel and Home on Champs Hill Records

Day 19 of the George Enescu Festival: Yuja Wang and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra

San Diego’s New Waterfront Concert Venue Makes A Splash

FLASHBACK FRIDAY | Jaap van Zweden Performs Paganini's Violin Concerto No. 1

Body-Shaming In Opera

VC LIVE | 2021 Geneva International Cello Competition [WATCH NOW]

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION NINE

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION TEN

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION ELEVEN

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION SEVEN

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION EIGHT

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION FIVE

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION SIX

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION THREE

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION FOUR

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 | 10:00 AM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION ONE

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 13, 2021 | 1:00 PM (ET)

2021 GENEVA INTERNATIONAL CELLO COMPETITION

OPENING ROUND — SESSION TWO

VC INTERVIEW | Newly-Formed Washington Arts Ensemble's 'Dynamic' Series

Yo-Yo Ma Receives Japan's Praemium Imperiale Award

Afghan Singers Recount Their Flight From The Taliban

Kožená, the LSO and Rattle show how the coupling of Adámek and Beethoven worked remarkably wel

Magnificent Mahler’s Third Symphony inaugurates Zurich’s renovated Tonhalle

New Montreal Maestro Shows Flair For Basics (But Maybe Not French)

Conductor Henry Charles Smith III has Died, Aged 90

That way madness lies: why the obsession about diagnosing Robert Schumann?

New York's Columbia University Seeking Assistant Professor

Here’s The First-Ever Piano With 108 Keys

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Appoints New Chief Conductor

Bach, 'Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, I. Allegro' (Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin)

VC Artist Stefan Jackiw to Premiere Conrad Tao's New Violin Concerto

Classical music news. Joint Commissions

Recap’s Debut Album “Count to Five” Builds Community Among Women