Posts Tagged ‘New York’

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The New York Philharmonic Archives: A musicological treasure

by: Jake DeBacher

Stravinsky Telegram
For the past several months I’ve been looking for an excuse to write about the New York Philharmonic’s Digital Archives. This wonderful collection of concert programs, business correspondence, and conductor-marked scores focuses on the N.Y. Phil’s “International Years” between 1943 and 1970. This period represents a remarkable series of historical achievements for the orchestra: Leonard Bernstein was appointed assistant conductor in 1943 and rose to the position of Music Director in 1957, women were being granted tenure in the Philharmonic for the first time, the Long Playing record made its debut, and the government, realizing that New York was rapidly becoming a internationally-recognized cultural center, began funneling considerable funding into the arts.

The process of digitizing all archived material of the International Years is not yet over. All 1.3 million items are expected to be online by 2012, but there are already hundreds of thousands of items to sort through—each a historical gem. The archive is replete with nuggets (both educational and entertaining) that will surely satisfy the curiosity of classical music fans for many, many hours.
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Posted on August 23rd, 2011 by Jake DeBacher | 2 Comments »

Dudamel and LA Phil Come to East Coast

Bring West Coast Glam

by: Colin Oettle


Last Thursday and Friday, Gustavo Dudamel gave tri-staters the opportunity to see him conduct for the first time since his inauguration as music director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. At Avery Fisher Hall on Thursday, Dudamel and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performed Leonard Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2 “The Age of Anxiety.” Times critic Anthony Tommasini called the performance “arresting” and said the work “if sometimes wild and brassy, was basically wonderful.” However, he was not as enamored with the LA rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique.”

Tommasini felt that technical faults in the performance hinted at under-preparation despite Dudamel’s emotive and carefully executed direction. While the lush, expressive lyricism lent itself to a poignant interpretation from the maestro, The NY Times thought the orchestra’s inability to deliver resulted in a performance that was “rough and unfocused.”

But on Friday, The Sound Post was able to see Dudamel continue his east coast performances with a similar program in Prudential Hall at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Dudamel and Thibaudet began the performance by repeating the same pristine execution of Bernstein’s 2nd Symphony “The Age of Anxiety” from the night before. View Full Article »

Posted on May 23rd, 2010 by Colin Oettle | 0 Comments »

Levine Returns to BSO After Spinal Surgery

Conducting Still Pain in the Neck

by: Colin Oettle


James Levine led the Boston Symphony Orchestra last week for the first time since his back surgery in the Fall. While Levine has been in New York for assorted performances at Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera, his leadership at the BSO was absent for most of the season’s Fall performances. He presented his returning program, featuring works by Berlioz, Ravel, and Carter, in both Boston and New York. Perhaps fortuitously, the night before the BSO’s Carnegie Hall performance, Levine and the BSO won a Grammy for their recording of Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloé.” For a complete review of the performance and a clip of the Grammy winning recording, see the NYT article here.

Posted on February 9th, 2010 by Colin Oettle | 0 Comments »

Mark O’Connor Crosses Over

Again

by: Colin Oettle


Violinist Mark O’Connor will team up with bassist John Patitucci and guitarist Julian Lage at New York City’s Blue Note next weekend, bringing his classical, folk, and flamenco backgrounds to a new, jazzier venture. The trio will debut at the Blue Note on January 7, 8, and 9, with each member contributing his individual background, style, and compositional elements.

Widely known for his folk performances and compositions, O’Connor is a classically trained musician whose influences have led him through many genres, including jazz. More recently, he has generated buzz for his new violin method, The Mark O’Connor Violin Method. The method bears ideological similarities to the time-tested Suzuki Method, but guides its students through a repertoire of American folk music.

As O’Connor begins his foray with the trio, listeners can probably count on him crossing into the jazz realm regularly, even as he continues to release more installments of his folk-based method book.

Posted on January 2nd, 2010 by Colin Oettle | 0 Comments »

Baldwin Dedicated to Classical Music

Big Mahler Fan

by: Colin Oettle


Alec Baldwin loves classical music. According to the NY Times, Baldwin is not only invested in his role as announcer for the New York Philharmonic’s weekly radio broadcasts, but he is also a die-hard classical music fan. Daniel Wakin writes that Baldwin was offered the position after the Phil took notice of his patronage. The NY Phil regularly keeps tabs on its celebrity concert-goers, offering them tickets in exchange for publicity.

The Phil first booked Baldwin as narrator for an “Inside the Music” series in 2008—a program where a work is first explained and then performed. Then, after Baldwin joked that he’d like to quit acting and become a classical music radio presenter, the Phil pounced on his apparent interest and made an offer.

Now, as Baldwin records radio announcements between acting commitments like this winter’s “It’s Complicated” and NBC’s “30 Rock,” he sets his schedule around musical events he refuses to miss. Last May, he contracted time off to see Daniel Barenboim conduct Mahler’s ninth symphony. Baldwin’s interest in classical music began on a soap opera set when he was 24, when a staging director chided him for not recognizing Berlioz’s “March to the Scaffold” from Symphony Fantastique. Now, Baldwin listens to classical everywhere from his home to his car, and has a constantly expanding library of works.
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Posted on December 19th, 2009 by Colin Oettle | 0 Comments »

Perlman to Play Polio Benefit Concert With NY Phil

by: Colin Oettle

Perlman
World renown violinist Itzhak Perlman will give a one-night-only performance with the New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall this evening to raise money for Rotary International’s campaign against polio. Perlman, who lost the ability to walk to polio, will play a selection of works including Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and John Williams’ Theme from Schindler’s List.

Tickets start between $70.00 and $90.00, with a special premium package available for $500.00. These premium tickets grant concertgoers prime seat location as well as admittance to a private reception with Mr. Perlman following the event. As stated on the NY Phil website, “Net ticket proceeds will benefit Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign.” For info and tickets, see the event’s page at nyphil.com.

Posted on December 2nd, 2009 by Colin Oettle | 0 Comments »

Classical Newcomer Writes Book On Bach Cello Suites

Head Yet To Implode

by: Colin Oettle

The Cello Suites
Eric Siblin, a pop music critic whose classical education is wanting at best, shares his take on Bach’s six cello suites in his book “The Cello Suites: J.S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece.” The book is the result of Siblin’s pseudo-obsessive exploration into the six suites, despite an overall unfamiliarity with Bach and classical music in general.

Siblin was inspired by the same Casals recording that brought the suites into the spotlight of cello literature, and he begins the book with an attempt to shed light on what NY Times writer Janet Maslin identifies as the suites’ “elusiveness.” Bach’s intentions are still murky, as the alternate tuning required by some movements suggests the works may not have been written for cello. Or if they were, that the outliers among the suites do not belong in the same collection that modern musicians have come to accept as an indisputable volume.
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Posted on November 30th, 2009 by Colin Oettle | 0 Comments »

Unfinished Debussy Operas Based On Poe Stories are Premiered

by: Colin Oettle

debussy_poe
Opera comany Opéra Français de New York, in conjunction with the French Institute Alliance Française, presented two single-act operas that were left unfinished by French composer Claude Debussy. The two works are based on the Edgar Allan Poe stories “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Devil in the Belfry.”

According to NY Times writer Anthony Tommasini, the existing music for both operas, incomplete sketches included, was not enough to fill even an hour. So, the program was fleshed out with four songs and a piano prelude. Tommasini says that the show, called “Debussy and Poe,” still captured the dark, macabre exploration that Debussy intended for the works. Of course, listeners were probably unable to avoid the obvious question: what if Debussy had completed them?

For the complete performance review read the NY times here.

Posted on November 26th, 2009 by Colin Oettle | 0 Comments »

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