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2006 |
Concert:
A concert at the All Newton Music School (where I take my piano lessons) included the premiere of "Concerto for harpsichord and strings" by Peter Child.
The performers were Maggie Cole and the Lydian String Quartet in a striking performance.
By coming early we were able to sit in the first row and could see the graceful, elegant harpsichord playing close up.
Glimmerglass Opera: Two presentations for the coming summer sound especially interesting, so it's time finally to take a trip to Cooperstown. The operas are a premiere by Stephen Hartke, "The Greater Good", and Jancek's "Jenufa". Glimmerglass has a reputation for giving modern works as part of their season, so this visit should be a real pleasure. "Who's Afraid of 20th-Century Music?": A dinner conversation based on the question "if you were giving a class at an adult learning institute, what woould it be?" generated the spark for my planning a course on 20th-century music. It's been an avocation of mine for a long time, so why not share the enthusiasm and knowledge? The course will be built around the book "Contemporary Composers on Contemporary Music", which features articles by composers, in their own words; it includes the famous "Who Cares if you Listen?" by Milton Babbitt. Naomi and I will share the course, which will also include selected musical excerpts. The idea has gotten very enthusiastic response, and we've handed in the proposal for a decision in April. I'll probably post information and materials on this website in the future. Acquisitions: Two operas on DVD which do not appear to be available on CD - "L'amour de loin" by Kaija Saariaho and "Rasputin" by Einojuhani Rautavaara. |
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2005 |
Heard a fine new work (i.e., new to me), Persichetti's 4th Quartet, at a concert by the Lyian String Quartet.
The group is recording all four Persichetti quartets on CD(s) to be issued mid-next-year.
Worth buying, just for the 4th.
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2005 |
Concert:
We went to Tanglewood to hear a concert of Harbison's "Darkbloom", a new Wuorinen Piano Concerto, Varèse's "Amériques", and Gershwin's "American in Paris.
Try as I might, the Wuorinen just did not do anything for me, even with Peter Serkin playing - there was no flow to it, only disconnected fragments.
Hearing the Varèse piece, I realized why it was still being played many decades later, while the Wuorinen will be forgotten in short order.
"American in Paris" was like a super-sweet dessert at the end.
Book on piano-playing: An article in the New York Times Sunday, July 10, Arts & Leisure section about actors learning to play serious music for their films mentions an 1873 book described as "still the most widely used hand workout in print": "The Virtuoso Pianist in 60 Exercises", by French composer Charles-Louis Hanon. Recently-acquired CDs (20th-century harpsichord): Dances with Harpsichords - Elaine Funaro; Centaur CRC 2651.CDs of interest: Pascal Dusapin (1955- ): "Perelà"; Naîve Montaigne MO782168. A new opera recording that sounds fascinating.John Harbison: "Motetti di Montale"; Koch International Classics. Long awaited, and released at the end of May. |
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2005 |
CDs of interest:
Thomas Adès: Piano Quintet, with Schubert "Trout" Quintet; EMI Classics. |
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2004 |
William Bolcom: "A Wedding"
A new opera, a comedy based on the Robert Altman film, by Bolcom that will be performed by the Chicago Lyric Opera. A pre-performance write-up in the New York Times makes it appear very promising, so it will be interesting to keep an eye out for an eventual CD set. I saw Bolcom's "A View from the Bridge" and was not that moved by it, but am still hoping that his "McTeague" will be revived and recorded some day.Phil Kline: "Zippo Songs" - Airs of War and Lunacy; Cantalope. On the NYTimes list of Best Classical CD's of 2004: "From the words American G.I.'s in Vietnam etched on their Zippo lighters."Christopher Rouse: "Der Gerettete Alberich", "Rapture", Violin Concerto; Ondine. On the NYTimes list of Best Classical CD's of 2004: a percussion concerto as a sequel to "Götterdammerung".20th-century harpsichord music: I've neglected this genre for a while, so it's time to investigate what's out there again. For example, from Email contact I know of a few CD's by Elaine Funaro that have come out in the meantime. |
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2004 |
Not much activity here for a while, so it's time to list a few CD's that have come to my attention over the last several months.
Otherwise, James Levine has started his tenure at the Boston Symphony with a few modern works, with more to come.
Let's hope that some of that spills over to the the Boston opera scene, which has been a cultural backwater for years.
I'm tired of reading about wonderful things being done in Houston, Chicago and San Francisco while we languish.
We've even discontinued our subscription to the Boston Lyric Opera, which seems to have dropped the laudable idea of having at least one relatively modern work among their four per season (such as Glass' Akhnaten, Machover's Resurrection, Strauss' Salome).
Alban Berg: Lyric Suite; Kronos Quartet, Dawn Upshaw. Acquired. Notable for being the version with voice.Thomas Adès: America, a Prophecy; EMI. Acquired Adès' contribution as one of several commissions for the recent milennium.William Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and Experience; Naxos. Acquired "Voices of Light": vocal works of Messiaen, Debussy, Fauré and Golijov, by Dawn Upshaw; Nonesuch Peter Maxwell Davies: Naxos Quartets Nos. 1 and 2; Naxos. Acquired. Orchestral works of Steve Reich; David Robertson and the Orchestre National de Lyon; Naïve Kaija Saariaho: Cinq Reflets de l'Amour de loin, Oltra mar, Nymphea Reflection; Ondine A suite from her recent opera, which I hope will be recorded in full some time. |
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2004 |
"Fieldbook of Wild Birds and Their Music" by F. Schuyler Mathews
This is a book, not a piece of music, originally published in 1904. It's now available as a paperback from Applewood Books - they say that"Mourning becomes Electra" by Marvin David LevyIn this beautifully written and well-illustrated guide to birds' songs from 1904, Mathews describes 127 bird species, mostly of Eastern United States, and their songs. This fieldbook contains descriptions of the physical characteristics and habits of each, as well as detailed comments on their songs and calls. He includes musical scores of at least two songs for each species.Apparently there's a more recent book based on the one by Mathews, "The Music of Wild Birds" by Judy Pelikan. All this came from an NPR (National Public Radio) broadcast, details of which are at The Music of Wild Birds. Both acquired. First given in 1967 at the New York Met, this opera has lately been revised several times, and is now being given at the New York City Opera. It is of course based on the famous O'Neill play which in turn is based on Aeschylus' "Oresteia" trilogy."Nixon in China" by John Adams This opera proved to be worth seeing. The minimalist musical structure is appropriate and effective, and is also not excessive. The Chinese characters are portrayed as being most complex and interesting; on the other side, Nixon is portrayed as seeing the historical significance, albeit in a framework of self-centeredness. Kissinger is only a cardboard caricature. |
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2004 |
Performances:
Opera Boston
is giving two performances of "Nixon in China" by John Adams in mid-March.
We've just signed up for tickets.
Musical works to keep in mind: Romeo Cascarino: The opera "William Penn" is a 2-CD set available on the web site williampennopera.com; the site also provides musical excerpts. Acquired.Web sites of some interesting music organizations in the Boston area: Radius Ensemble |
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