The Sound Post » Articles of Interest

Jarvi, DiDonato, Lang Lang, Jansen, Kissin win ECHO Klassik Award

Colin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:05:09 +0000

Paavo Jarvi, conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, has been named conductor of the year by The German Phono Academy in Berlin for his recordings of Beethoven’s 2nd and 6th “Pastoral” symphonies.

Similarly, Lang Lang and Joyce DiDonato each won instrumentalist and singer of the year, respectively. Janine Jansen, Evgeny Kissin, and 6 others won concert recording of the year.

Additionally, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra won best world recording of the year under the baton of Sir Charles Mackerras, who passed away this month.

The ECHO Klassik Awards will be presented in October at the philharmonic hall in Essen. For more information see the article on Billboard.

Singer Belts Nine Months After Lung Transplant

Colin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 20:23:02 +0000

Charity Tillemann-Dick is a world class soprano with a world class story. Just nine months after undergoing a double lung transplant in tandem with open heart surgery, the tenacious diva regaled her doctor’s with a performance of Puccini’s aria O mio babbino caro.

Before her surgery, Tillemann-Dick battled her condition for 4 years on and off the stage. She continued to perform despite failing health, afraid that a hiatus from singing would stall her momentum. Read on for the CNN video of her performance and link to the original article.

See the CNN article here.

British Woman Donates Fortune to the Met, Bird Group

Colin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:56:39 +0000

Mona Webster, a British woman living in Edinburgh who passed away at 96 last August, decreed that the majority of her fortune be split between two organizations which represented her greatest interests: the Metropolitan Opera and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust.

Webster was born on the Isle of Man in 1913, where her father was a lighthouse keeper. She first discovered her love for birds when she moved to Scotland as a girl, and was later introduced to opera via the Met’s Saturday afternoon broadcasts. The Met’s director of planned and special gifts, Gail Chesler, said that Ms. Webster remembered Saturday broadcasts as far back as 1939.

Webster had been in contact with Met representatives since 2000 when she was invited to New York for an opening night performance following a generous donation. She had attended performances prior to 2000 with opera tour groups however, which established her connection to the organization and prompted her to write the $7.5 million donation into her will. Needless to say, her generosity will not only boost the opera company but also serve to illustrate the boundless audience that art, music, and nature all inspire.

Source: NY Times.

Juilliard Acquires Beethoven and Mendelssohn Manuscripts

Colin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:20:20 +0000

To mark the completion of a $200 million addition, The Juilliard School will host a lecture event tonight at Alice Tully Hall. The school is expected to announce the acquisition of two original manuscripts as gifts from Bruce Kovner, chairman of Juilliard and billionaire trader. Including the two newest articles, Kovner will have donated 140 manuscripts to the Juilliard archive.

The two items include a copy of Beethoven’s “Kreutzer” sonata and Mendelssohn’s “Elijah,” each containing revisions and notes by its respective composer. There will be a concert as part of the event showcasing other works whose manuscripts have been obtained. This includes Beethoven’s “Grosse Fuge” and the last act of Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro.”

Kovner has expressed his intent to make these manuscripts available to scholars, having already begun processing the artifacts for access on juilliardmanuscriptcollection.org Read about the event, the acquisitions, and the archive here (source: NYT).

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Gets New Maestro

Colin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:10:12 +0000

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra announced that Jacques Lacombe will succeed Neeme Järvi as music director. The 46 year old French Canadian is joining the organization during a period of frozen wages and a reduced concert schedule with the intent of revitalizing both orchestra and audience.

Lacombe says that in order to invigorate the classical scene a conductor must be inventive with his programming. While his preferences lean towards 19th century repertoire with 20th century classics, Lacombe remains fluid with his vision, saying that he doesn’t “want to be labeled,” and that he is still “discovering things.”

While the Ledger regards Lacombe as “untested,” he has many conducting credits including the Met. Where Jäarvi brought experience and renown, Lacombe will hopefully bring new energy and perspective.

Source: The Star Ledger

Newsweek: Classical Music’s Version of Dodgers vs. Yankees: A Youthquake Hits Both Coasts

Colin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:32:44 +0000

Before the Dodgers relinquished their chance at the Series, Newsweek featured an article capitalizing on the potential bi-coastal competition and profiled the two conductors who recently claimed their coasts: Alan Gilbert and Gustavo Dudamel. Author Seth Colter Walls asserts that the LA and NY Philharmonics are not in competition, but instead share the goal of bringing conductors’ names into American—even international—homes.

Citing that both conductors have already commissioned and premiered works by well known composers, Walls indicates the pair intend to, and are capable of renewing interest in new music and bringing young audiences to concert halls. Click to read the Newsweek article containing the words “buttress” and “contemporaneity.”

The New Yorker: Why So Serious?

Colin — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 05:49:04 +0000

While concertgoers today might resent those who unknowingly applaud or whisper between movements of a piece, it seems such gaffes have only recently begun to draw frowns. The familiar silent audience who applauds in appropriate places is of relatively new invention. Relative of course to the age of the music which makes up the classical repertoire. As it turns out, classical concerts used to be noisy, social gatherings where aristocrats could mingle and the public could turn bourgeois into a verb.

The September 8th issue of The New Yorker featured the article “Why So Serious?” In it, writer Alex Ross chronicles the history of classical concert tradition.

Ross cites examples from performances at the Paris Opera, and recitals by the pianist credited with creating modern piano performance tradition, Franz Liszt. Ross compares Liszt’s recitals to “The Ed Sullivan Show,” claiming that Liszt would solicit suggestions from the audience for subjects to improvise at the piano. Furthermore, Liszt is said to have modulated not only between tonal centers, but entire pieces. As Ross explains it:

Once, when Liszt was beginning a performance of the "Kreutzer" Sonata with the violinist Lambert Massart, listeners began calling out "Robert le Diable!"—meaning that they wished to hear instead Liszt’s fantasy on themes from the Meyerbeer opera.

Apparently, Liszt obliged. While perhaps not as raucous, a similar concert atmosphere was the trend at the time. But with the French Revolution came the decline of aristocracy and the rise of the Bourgeoise—a new middle class who wanted unique ways to feel elite. And so modern concert tradition was born. Ross argues that the public’s “elite” new concert etiquette combined with more daring performers gave way to the traditions which solidified into modern practice. He quotes pianists Liszt and Clara Wieck (who would later become Clara Schumann) as having “ventured” to play all the movements of the “Hammerklavier” and “Appassionata” Sonatas respectively. Two performances which provoked, he cites author Kenneth Hamilton as saying, “intense debate.”

As the mood of both audience and performer became more formal, it laid the cobble-stoned road for the works of composers like Debussy and Mahler, who were able to compose lengthier, more homogeneous works. By the turn of the 20th century, symphonies were being played in full by professional orchestras of unprecedented caliber. Of course, an organization could not program a single movement of a Mahler symphony, as it would sever the programmatic and emotional themes therein.

Ross also comments on the programming tendencies of today: a halved concert, where the focal symphony or concerto occurring after intermission is preceded in the first half perhaps by a tone poem or overture. He claims this monotony is starting to crumble as a new generation of conductors mounts podiums around the world, renewing audience vigor and interest in classical performances. His only remaining lament, is that concerts today restrict rather than “unleash” the classics—that concerts today might not sparkle quite as much as those of a past era.

Another Writer’s Reaction To Criticism Of Conductors

Ian — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:16:20 +0000

Do you like apples? If you caught my rather sassy rant about Philippa Ibbotson’s recent article “The Myth of the Maestro”, you might enjoy this one. Another Guardian writer has outright disagreed with Ibbotson’s aforementioned piece. Wait, did I say disagree? More like, called her out on it. How about them apples?

In his opening remark of the article “Conductors – the cash and the confusion,” author of the Guardian’s blog On Classical Tom Service agrees with Ibbotson that conductors are overpaid. Immediately after this short-lived agreement, he openly points out the underlying theme of her piece which we all sensed:

I can’t agree with her premise that conductors make no difference to the performances you hear all over the world

He proceeds to cite comments from the extensive comment thread following Ibbotson’s article (which I spent several hours reading through, some of it was absolutely hilarious). He mentions the absurdity of her “air traffic controller [...] responsible for the red arrows on the landing strip” comment, and says that her argument neglects the key point we all wanted to tattoo on her forehead: that a concert is a small part of a very long journey, led by the conductor. During every rehearsal, who leads the interpretation? Focuses the ensemble’s attention on issues of musicality, intonation, historical accuracy? I could go on for hours. How about, who never takes a break? The conductor.

What I cannot figure out: Ibbotson has played in several of the top UK orchestras. She has a resume that does more than suggest she knows what she is talking about, it demands that you respect her opinion. Upon re-reading “The Myth of the Maestro”, I notice her very well-placed criticism, and relative neutrality in suggesting that anything is her opinion. For the most part, she simply tries to make suggestions to the reader. Perhaps she is more clever than we thought, and was simply attempting to see if anyone was reading her column.

I leave you with my favorite quote from Service,

love them or hate them, the conductor – or, more accurately, the chemistry between the conductor and the players, created through hours of preparation, rehearsal, and collaboration – defines the musical experience of an orchestral concert or an operatic performance

Update: Link to Tom Service’s article at The Guardian

The New WQXR: More Music, Less Variety

Colin — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:26:56 +0000

As WQXR prepares to move from 96.3FM to 105.9FM this Thursday, October 8, at 8:00pm, its new parent company, WNYC, has announced some of the changes that will occur.

One benefit will be a reduction in commercials. The NYT article says “underwriting announcements” will only take up about 4 minutes per hour, compared to almost 12 minutes per hour of commercials currently.

In addition, many of WQXR’s broadcasts will remain. The station will continue to broadcast from the Met, the New York Phil, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The article does not mention the fate of Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin.

Read on for changes to expect.

What will change however, is the list of works deemed radio worthy. The move will include the creation of a new internet radio stream called Q2, which will program new and modern works too edgy for radio listeners. The surprise however, is that works like Beethoven’s late piano sonatas and string quartets will be relegated to Q2, along with Mahler’s entire portfolio.

WQXR will also be cutting large choral works and all religious programming—the latter is banned by National Public Radio.

The station’s white list, which includes Beethoven, Brahms, Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, and Wagner, will serve as a guide for programming. Other composers included are Copland, Janacek, Gershwin, Satie, Sibelius and Vivaldi. While this is certainly not a comprehensive list, absences such as Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, and Rachmaninoff create unsettling uncertainties.

Finally, listeners seeking a familiar voice can expect to hear those of Jeff Spurgeon, Midge Woolsey and Elliott Forrest, who will be rejoining WQXR as hosts. Source: NY Times Arts

French Record Label to Record Unpublished Vivaldi Works

Colin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:45:38 +0000

All 450 Of Them

The French record label Naïve is undertaking a project to record 450 unpublished compositions by well known Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. As reported by New York Times Music, the project is administrated by American musician Susan Orlando, who commented that despite economic hardship, the project is expected to continue through 2015. Upon completion, the entirety of Vivaldi’s musical legacy will be preserved on a 100 CD set available from Naïve. For extensive information regarding the project, and a professional’s take on the beauty of Vivaldi’s music, check out the article at the Times