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March 2006

Evocative Chambers

Friday, March 31, 2006

Tonight we feature two evocative chamber works in anticipation of upcoming New York City concerts. First, we delve into Sir Arthur Bliss's Rhapsody, his "second essay in timbre," with soprano Elizabeth Gale, tenor Anthony Rolfe-Johnson, and the rich permutation of the Nash Ensemble. Also, violin sensation Vadim Repin gives us a taste of his abilities in Ravel's last chamber piece, his Violin Sonata in G minor, with pianist Boris Berezovsky.

Gabriel Faure might have composed his "Dolly Suite" as a gift to the daughter of singer (and soon-to-be second wife of Claude Debussy)Emma Bardac, but tonight we present an orchestral arrangement of this well-known work with Yan Pascal Tortelier conducting the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

Reminiscences of Brazil usher in our next musical installment as pianist William Bolcom leads us through Set I of Darius Milhaud's "Suadades do Brazil." But tarry in lush landscapes we do not, as guitarist David Tanenbaum and Tracy Silverman, playing both violin and viola, perform Terry Riley's arid "Cantos Desiertos."

Jazz-infused timbres close our evening with David Baker's "Refractions"; Paul Freeman conducts the Czech National Symphony Orchestra.

» Sir Arthur Bliss's Piano Concerto at Avery Fisher Hall, on Friday, April 7th.

» Violin virtuoso Vadim Repin in recital, Sunday, April 2nd.


Musical Usherings

Thursday, March 30, 2006

The feline timbre of the clarinet opens our evening tonight, as we explore those works that helped usher in the wave of German romanticism.

Our first hour features music from a contemporary of Mozart, Franz Danzi and his Concertante for Flute and Clarinet in B with flutist Sir James Galway, clarinetist Sabine Meyer, and the Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra under Jorg Faerber. Next, we hear from Mozart himself in one of his later chamber works, the Clarinet Quintet in A, with Sabine Meyer making a reappearance with the Hagen Quartet.

Our evening continues into full-fledged Romanticism with Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, a work which saw its genesis in the profound friendship shared between the composer and the violinist Ferdinand David. Christian Ferras performs the honors as soloist with Constantin Silvestri conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra. BR> BR> A descriptive tour through locale-infused sonorities concludes our time together as we hear Ravel's "Rapsodie espagnole" with Geoffrey Simon conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra; Rodgrigo's "Concierto de aranjuez" with guitarist Narciso Yepes and the Philharmonia Orchestra under Garcia Navarro; and finally Milhaud's "Suite provencale" with Michel Plasson leading Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse.


National Council Auditions Finals Concert

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Tune in tonight to hear the stars of tomorrow as we present the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions Finals Concert.

We'll get ourselves primed for the show with selections from some past winners: Ben Heppner sings one of the most challenging arias in the tenor repertoire, Richard Strauss's "Di rigori armato." Also, we'll enjoy a lovely trio of arias from the equally lovely trio of Renee Fleming, Susan Graham and Heidi Grant Murphy.

Then its vocal fireworks galore as the real show begins: listen to these talented young singers as they compete on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera, vying for their place in one of the oldest and most important vocal contests in America!


Quiet City

Tuesday, March 28, 2006

Aaron Copland's "Quiet City" casts a trumpet soloist in the part of observer over a large (and deceptively serene) metropolis at night. Originally written for a play that never made it to Broadway, it's since become a concert favorite of orchestras (not to mention trumpet players) around the world. Richard Hickox leads the City of London Sinfonia with trumpet soloist Crispian Steele-Perkins.

A bit earlier on, however, we'll enjoy a symphony from Papa Haydn: No. 51 in B-flat; Adam Fischer and the Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra perform the honors. We'll also visit the French Baroque repertoire via the Second Suite in B Minor by Louis Antoine Dornel (from his Suites for Transverse Flute, published in 1711).

In our last hour we'll serve up a substantial symphonic treat via Sir Andrew Litton and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 3 in A Minor. Rachmaninoff (who died on this date in 1943) infused the work with feelings of sadness over the fact that he could never go home again after fleeing the Revolution in 1917. "One place is closed to me," he wrote, "and that is my own country — Russia."


Musical Oddities

Monday, March 27, 2006

Adventurous instrumentation characterizes our choice of music tonight. We begin with an arrangement by the flute ensemble, Vienna Flautists, of Mozart's "Piece for a Clockwork Organ"- a piece discredited by Mozart himself but nevertheless charming and entrenched in the classical music repertory. Composers do not always have the last say on the place history bestows upon their works!

In anticipation of their upcoming Carnegie Hall appearance, evening music presents percussionist Evelyn Glennie, along with Barry Wordsworth and the National Philharmonic Orchestra, in Scott Joplin's immortal "Maple Leaf Rag," and then the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Richard Strauss's Sonatina for Winds No. 1, "From an Invalid's Workshop." We also include the overture to Gaetano Donizetti's "Don Pasquale," as a teaser preview before the opera's unveiling at the Metropolitan Opera later this month.

Ralph Vaughan Williams shepherds us back into idyllic soundscapes with his Symphony No. 3, "A Pastoral Symphony" with soprano Amande Roocroft and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Bernard Haitink. Next, contemporary composer Hugh Aitken instills nostalgia into his "Rameau Remembered" as flutist Scott Goff and the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz help conclude our evening's adventures.

» Percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, Tuesday, March 28th.

» Opening night of Donizetti's "Don Pasquale" at the Metropolitan Opera, Friday, March 31st.


American Modernists

Sunday, March 26, 2006

Tonight, Evening Music seats us at the starlit table of a pair of American modernists. First, George Rochberg regales us with his metaphysical tale of time and timelessness, the "Transcendental Variations" (Christopher Lyndon-Gee leads the Saarbrucken Radio Symphony). Also, New York born Paul Creston unveils his "Gregorian Chant for String Orchestra," as Arthur Lief leads the New York Chamber Symphony.

As a counterpoint to our immersion in 20th century music, we'll hear music from Marin Marais (of "Tous les matins du monde" fame); Jordi Savall leads Le Concert des Nations through "Airs pour les matelots and les tritons" from the "Alcione" Suite No. 4.

Our evening winds to a close with the Medici String Quartet essaying Leos Janacek's String Quartet No. 1, "The Kreutzer Sonata", a work inspired from Tolstoy's similarly titled short story of marital strife and jealousy-induced revenge.


Bravo Bartok!

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Tonight we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the birth of Hungarian-born composer, ethnomusicologist, and pianist, Bela Bartok.

Getting things off to an appropriately festive start is the "Six Romanian Folk Dances" with pianist Pavel Gililov and violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky. The main event of the evening, however, will be our man of the hour's "Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta" with the illustrious Herbert von Karajan leading the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

Johann Christoph Pezel, an important precurser of Bartok favorite J.S. Bach, rounds off our evening with a Sonata-Ciacona in B-flat with Reinhardt Goebel at the helm of Musica Antiqua Koln.


Haydn à la Andsnes

Friday, March 24, 2006

Next to the commanding technique of his wunderkind contemporary Mozart, Joseph Haydn has been overlooked in the canon of keyboard concertos — and yet he has produced some gracious, restrained, and much admired works in this genre. Tonight we explore his Piano Concerto No. 11 in D with Leif Ove Andsnes performing double duty as soloist and conductor of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra.

A pair of stringed-instrument dominated works continues our evening, with first a piece written by Mario Castelnuvo-Tedesco during the year of his exile from his native Italy - his Guitar Concerto No. 1 with guitarist Pepe Romero being joined by Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Next, we'll be treated with a preview of Yo-Yo Ma's upcoming Carnegie Hall concert as he plays J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 3.

From the tilled pastures of Western tradition, we move next to Lou Harrison's foray into Asian influenced sonorities with his Concerto for Pipa (an Asian lute) and String Orchestra with the New Professionals Orchestra under Rebecca Miller being joined by another artist in concert in the New York area in April, pipa soloist Wu Man.

» Yo-Yo Ma and Bach's Cello Suites at Carnegie Hall, April 5th.

» Wu Man and Friends at Zankel Hall, April 6th.


Musical Tinkerings

Thursday, March 23, 2006

Ludwig van Beethoven was famous for tinkering with his musical scores ad infinitum to get them "just right." This obsessive perfectionism led to no less than four different versions of the overture to his opera "Fidelio" (originally called "Leonore," after the opera's heroine). Tonight, Nikolaus Harnoncourt leads the Chamber Orchestra of Europe through the "Leonore" Overture No. 3 (which was actually written before No. 1, but that's a different story!).

Sir Edward Downes and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra give us a glimpse of symphonic Verdi in the ballets from his opera "Jerusalem"; just to give Verdi his vocal due, we'll also hear the exciting young tenor Rolando Villazon in Alfredo's aria from Verdi's great opera, "La Traviata."

But then back to musical tinkerings: anyone who's ever seen Leonard Bernstein discussing Beethoven's 5th Symphony on the old "Omnibus" T.V. series knows how many fits and starts Beethoven went through in just getting his symphony off the ground. Of course, the final result was well worth the birth pangs; we'll hear the famous 5th later on in a classic performance from the Vienna Philharmonic under Sir Georg Solti.


Come on, Spring!

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Spring seems to be lagging behind, so we'll give it a little musical motivation tonight with some spring-themed works from around the world.

We'll set the stage in our first hour with Claude Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun"; Sir Georg Solti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Then it's the more direct approach with Joseph Haydn's "Song of Joy" from "The Seasons" (Spring, of course!). Pianist Eva Knardahl shakes it up with Edvard Grieg's "Spring Dance" while Sergio and Odair Assad add some spice with Piazolla's "Spring in Buenos Aires" (vacation, anyone?).

Later on we'll have plenty of music just for music's sake, including Johannes Brahms's Clarinet Trio in A Minor (featuring Benny Goodman) and an early Piano Sonata by Beethoven, No. 4 in E-flat, in an elegant performance from John O'Conor.


Symphonic Wake

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

In the formidable wake of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, composers were forced to take the genre in new directions in order to stay fresh. Johannes Brahms brought clear chamber sensibilities to his grand symphonies; tonight we'll hear his Symphony No. 3 with the New York Phil under Kurt Masur.

Before that, however, we'll enjoy a pre-Beethoven symphonic treat: Jaap Schröder leads the Academy of Ancient Music through Mozart's Symphony No. 16 in C, while guitarist Sharon Isbin takes us back even furthur with J.S. Bach's Concerto in A Minor (originally for violin).

The husband and wife team of David Finckel and Wu Han serve up Shostakovich's Cello Sonata later on, and we'll hear a sonata of a different kind — pianist Herbert Henck performs George Antheil's "Savage Sonata."


Strings and Threads

Monday, March 20, 2006

Tonight we'll hear the "Strings and Threads" suite from violinist/composer Mark O'Connor, a stylistic travelogue that takes us through centuries of folk music for the fiddle.

We'll start our second hour with a bang as William Boughton leads the Philharmonia Orchestra in the overture to Smetena's "The Bartered Bride"; the energy continues through Mozart's Violin Sonata No. 18 (with Henryk Szering and Ingrid Haebler)and Berlioz's "Royal Hunt and Storm" from his opera "Les Troyens" (James Levine and the Berlin Philharmonic).

Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields set a more placid tone in our third hour with Bach's Second Orchestral Suite; then it's a mini Samuel Barber fest as Jon Kimura Parker takes up Barber's wonderful Piano Concerto, followed by a special treat: Leontyne Price sings Barber's song "The Daisies" — accompanied by the composer himself.


Schumann's Fairy Tales

Sunday, March 19, 2006

Conceived as adult fairy tales, Robert Schumann's "Märchenbilder" open our evening with a lyrical performance from violist Paul Neubauer and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott.

Then, from one piece rich in descriptive imagination to another: we'll hear Jordi Savall and La Capella Reial de Catalunya singing of love in Monteverdi's madrigal "Altri canti d'amor."

And finally, evening music makes its way to America with Oklahoma-born Roy Harris and his Symphony No. 3 with Eduardo Mata and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Finally, we wind to our conclusion on the wings of Ralph Vaughan Williams's ethereal "The Lark Ascending" with violinist Anne Akiko Meyers being joined by Andrew Litton and the Philharmonia Orchestra.


Musical Divide

Saturday, March 18, 2006

Tonight, Evening music highlights — while perhaps challenging — the musical divide separating the Classical era from modern classical music.

For the modernists, we have Peter Garland and his tribute to John Cage, "I Have Had to Learn the Simplest Things Last" with pianist Aki Takahashi and the percussionists of Essential Music. Also, the 20th-century Brit Herbert Howells makes a contribution with his "Howells' Clavichord"; John Paul performs on the lute-harpsichord hybrid, the lautenwerk.

C.P.E. Bach's Cello Concerto in A, with cellist Anner Bylsma and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Gustav Leonhardt, opens the classical side of our evening. The "Papa" of Classicism, Joseph Haydn, rounds out our night of contrasts with his Divertimento in G, brought to us by the Musicians of the Old Post Road.


Irish Medley

Friday, March 17, 2006

On this celebratory St. Patrick's Day, we open our evening with a diverse medley of Irish inspired works. We'll hear Arnold Black's "Laments and Dances" with the Turtle String Quaret, Michael Newman and Laura Oltman on guitar, as well as John Gardner's "Irish Suite" with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia under Gavin Sutherland.

For the remainder of our evening, we'll turn our attention to a composer and a quartet, both of which are being featured in concerts in the New York City area this month. First, the monumental "Firebird" Ballet by Stravinsky will be heard in its entirety with Pierre Boulez leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Our evening concludes with a sampling from the diverse repertoire of the Kronos Quartet including Terry Riley's "G Song" and Franghiz Ali-Zadeh's "Oasis."

» Wall to Wall Stravinsky tomorrow at Symphony Space.

» Kronos Quartet at Carnegie Hall, March 24-26.


Borszkh Belt

Thursday, March 16, 2006

Tonight, Margaret will be joined by Ira Siff, Artistic director of La Gran Scena Opera for a bit of conversation — and a preview of the upcoming farewell performance of diva Madame Vera Galupe Borszkh.

Before that, however, virtuosity and bravura abound in Duo Sonare's interpretation of the 18th century guitarist's Ferdinando Carulli's "Larghetto and Variations after Mozart," and pianistic flair of the romantic variety rounds out our first hour with Shura Cherkassky performing Chopin.

Lots more music continues later in the evening: the Imani Winds add spice to "La Nouvelle Orleans" by Lalo Schifrin, and the London Philharmonic brings class to Ralph Vaughn Williams' lush orchestral piece, "Wasps."

The final hour of our program will feature "Don Giovanni" sans singers: we'll hear the overture as well as "Deh, vieni alla finestra" for flute and oboe. Diva Deborah Voight will take over with an Amy Beach song, and we'll go out with a Brahmsian bang: Kurt Masur leads the New York Philharmonic in the "Tragic Overture."


Musical Departures

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Tonight, musical "departures" of varying sorts — we'll hear Beethoven's "farewell" sonata for piano. Also, selections from Nathan Granner and Beau Bledsoe's album "Departure," which takes a new look at some old classics.

Pianist Claude Frank performs the Beethoven in our first hour, a piece written in honor of Ludwig Van's brother, who was about to depart on a long journey. For something different, Dan Brown fans might be interested to hear Otto Nicolai's "Knight Templar" overture from the Bamburg Symphony; then Granner and Bledsoe turn Puccini's "E lucevan le stelle" (from "Tosca") into a stylish seguirilla.

We'll revisit the spanish mood again later in the evening with Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concierto madrigal," featuring Pepe and Angel Romero, aptly backed by Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. And finally, coming full circle, we'll return to Beethoven and the piano as Sviatoslov Richter performs the Sonata No. 28 in A.


Telemann's Birthday

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

We'll honor George Philip Telemann's birthday with Sonata No. 6 in D Minor performed by American Baroque Ensemble, and get playful with theme and variations found in Mozart's Flute Quartet No. 3 in C.

Schumann's seductive Piano Trio No. 2 in F, Op. 80 will be the centerpiece of the 8 o'clock hour, followed by the alluring Aria for Clarinet by Albert Roussel performed by Janet Hilton. Shortly after 9, Neeme Jarvi leads the Bamberg Symphony with Martinu’s Symphony No. 6 (Fantaisies symphonique).

Gypsy spirit infuses the final hour of the program with the voices of Victoria de los Angeles and Jan de Gaetani, the latter singing Brahms's "Zigeunerlieder" with Gilbert Kalish at the piano. With mandolin dominating Il Giardino Armonico's fiery version of Scarlatti's Sonata in D Minor, you may find yourself dancing before winding down with Haydn's String Quartet in F.


A Bit of Brit

Monday, March 13, 2006

A veritable English Garden will be woven throughout this evening's program, beginning with the young English trumpeter Alison Balsom playing Bach. Trevor Pinnock leads the English Concert in our first hour with Haydn's Symphony No. 47 in G.

We'll also celebrate the birthday of legendary American soprano Eileen Farrell with "Tacea la notte placida" from "Il Trovatore." Also on the playlist, the Cleveland Quartet takes on Alexander Borodin's String Quartet No. 2 in D in the 8 o’clock hour.

But back to the Brits — later on we'll enjoy a harpsichord suite by the patriarch of English music, Henry Purcell, followed by the lesser known Lennox Berkeley. We’ll hear his Serenade for Strings from 1939, which oddly ends with the Lento movement, possibly illustrating the looming global conflict of the period.

Joviality follows with Wind Symphony No. 1 in E-flat by "the English Bach," Johann Christoph. Fugue fans will enjoy Alan Hovhaness's Prelude and Quadruple Fugue performed by I Fiamminghi, and towards the end of the program, Scaramouche (with violinist Andrew Manze) will play music from England's Golden Age of chamber music: Henry Lawes' Consort Suite VII.


Modern Movers and Shakers

Sunday, March 12, 2006

20th century music enthusiasts and neophytes alike will enjoy tonight's playlist as we delve into the works of some of the principle and lesser-known shakers in modern music.

Although spring might be around the corner, we will plunge into wintery imagery with some examples of musical modernism: Conni Ellisor's "Blackberry Winter" (Paul Gambill with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra) and Sir Arnold Bax's "Winter Waters." Rounding out our evening will be the timeless J.S. Bach and his "French Suite" No. 4, with jazz pianist Keith Jarrett performing the honors.


Chamber Verdi

Saturday, March 11, 2006

Giuseppe Verdi's traditional image could not be further removed from the chamber music repertoire, and yet during an illness-laden production of Aida, the opera maestro decided to while away the hours by composing his String Quartet in E minor. We will hear Dimitri Mitropoulus's string orchestra arrangement of this playful piece with Andre Previn leading the Berlin Philharmonic.

Tonight's music also includes Dennis Russell Davies conducting the American Composers Orchestra in Alan Hovhaness's Symphony No. 2. Entitled "Mysterious Mountain," this American composer of Armenian heritage imagined this work as a tribute to the "whole idea of mountains" and perhaps larger themes of sublimity, awe, and conquest.


Cellomania

Friday, March 10, 2006

Tonight, Evening Music pays tribute to an instrument which seems to have carved for itself a singularly resonant, pensive, and symbolic niche in Western classical music tradition: the cello.

Bookending our evening are two composers whose works have come to represent focal points in this instrument's repertoire. First, Luigi Boccherini composed prodigiously for the cello, amassing 38 sonatas and 12 concertos, the ninth of which we'll hear tonight with cellist Jian Wang performing with Camerata Salzburg. Finally, an ailing Sergei Prokofiev also produced an entire series of cello works near the end of his life, the first of which was the Cello Sonata in C which we'll hear with Michal Kanka being accompanied by pianist Jaromir Klepac.

In the interim, neo-classical works will be featured, beginning with Myung-Whun Chung and the Berlin Philharmonic slated for Dvorak's enchanting Serenade in E for strings. Also, Josephine Gandolfi and the California Parallele Ensemble under Nicole Paiement venture in the oeuvre of Germaine Tailleferre, a lesser known colleague of Poulenc and Milhaud in the illustrious French group, "Les Six." Joseph Haydn rounds out our evening with a return to the heart of classicism with his Horn Concerto No. 3, with hornist Timothy Brown being joined by the Academy of Ancient Music under the direction of Christopher Hogwood.


Youthful Exuberance

Thursday, March 09, 2006

Youthful exuberance opens our playlist tonight as we explore the most mature of Mendelssohn's symphonies for strings, his String Symphony No. 12, composed at the tender age of 14 (William Boughton performs the honors with the English Symphony Orchestra). From one child prodigy to another, Mozart rounds out our first hour with his music for dinnertime, the Divertimento for Winds in F, as performed by Consortium Classicum.

Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto dominates our second lyrical hour. While Barber might have struggled with the musical demands of his patron and recalcitrant soloist, we hear only the charm and investment in violinist Hilary Hahn's performance with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra under Hugh Wolff.

Advancing into more contemporary times, we'll hear Zoltan Kodaly's "Peacock Variations" — a wonderful tale of liberation with Antal Dorati leading the Philharmonia Hungarica. Finally, you will agree that our evening winds its way to a fantastic close as violinist Kyung Wha Chung and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under Rudolf Kempe serve up Max Bruch's "Scottish Fantasy."


A Matter of Life and Death

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Tonight we commemorate the anniversary of birthdays (and deathdays) of several prominent composers.

We'll start with the earliest: Carlo Gesualdo, the infamous Venosian Prince who murdered his wife and her lover (as well as wrote a few wildy modern sounding madrigals in his time) was born on this date in 1566. Early music specialists La Venexiana perform Gesualdo's "Or che in gioia" during our first hour.

Another birthday is marked in our second hour by the Freiburger Baroque Orchestra under Thomas Hengelbrock as they perform Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's "Hamburg" Symphony No. 3. The second surviving son of Johann Sebastian, C.P.E. Bach was born on today's date back in 1714.

Opera enthusiasts will be interested in our next birthday celebrant, Ruggiero Leoncavallo (born in 1857). We'll hear the intermezzo from his most famous opera, "I pagliacci." Herbert von Karajan conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra in our third hour.

And finally, we'll note the anniversary of Hector Berlioz's death in 1869 at the age of 62. Dimitri Mitropoulos conducts the Columbia Symphony Orchestra in the lush song-cycle "Nuits d'ete" featuring the equally lush soprano Eleanor Steber.


Strolling Through the Sonorities

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

We begin tonight's stroll through sonorities with Maurice Ravel's hymn to 18th century French music, "Le tombeau de Couperin" — Paul Paray leads the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Next, Jordi Savall serves up a selection from the Baroque master himself with Couperin's "La chemise blanche."

Hopefully our feet can keep up the pace as we jump into Morton Gould's inventive "Tap Dance Concerto" with tap dancer Lane Alexander (Paul Freeman leads the Czech National Symphony Orchestra). Our third hour comes to a poignant finale with Frederick Delius's Violin Sonata No. 1; its final movement alludes to Europe ravaged by the first World War.

We continue in a somber vein as Sir Simon Rattle leads the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in Benjamin Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem. Finally, the clouds pass though as we enjoy the strains of Jean-Philippe Rameau's playful Suite from "Dardanus" with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra under Nicholas McGegan.


Masonic Mozart

Monday, March 06, 2006

Much speculation hovers around Mozart's Violin Sonata in E-flat, due to its association with the clandestine gatherings of Vienna's Masonic lodges. Daniel Barenboim and Itzhak Perlman perform the honors during our first hour tonight, in this simple (yet secretive) work couched in musical symbolism.

Then it's off to France with pianist Jean-Bernard Pommier in Debussy's "Estampes"; we'll also hear an early work by Georges Bizet, his Symphony No. 1 in C Major. Eduardo Mata conducts the National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada in this popular work by the then 17-year old composer.

Fans of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto will not fail to hear his imprint on the Violin Concerto No. 1 by Max Bruch, an enchanting work played tonight by Gil Shaham and the Philharmonia Orchestra under Giuseppe Sinopoli. Our evening concludes with a return to those mind-boggling child prodigies as we hear cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han in their rendition of a young Richard Strauss's Cello Sonata.


Brazilian Trailblazer

Sunday, March 05, 2006

Tonight, Evening Music celebrates the birthday of that towering figure in Brazilian art music, Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Following in the path of many a nationalistic composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) brought contemporary European form to Brazilian folk tradition, crafting a living, breathing nationalistic style that re-imagined Brazilian music in modern terms. Tonight, we'll hear two contrasting selections: Odaline de la Martinez leads Lontano and the BBC singers in "Quatuor," a work that combines syllabic vocalism with sparse and exotic instrumentation. On the more traditional side, Pepe Romero brings his formidable artistry to bear with the "Brazilian Folk Suite" for solo guitar.

Starting the evening, however, is folk music of a different kind. Poet and resident Victor Hugo called Guernsey Island "rugged yet sweet" — something which applies to the musical tradition of the Channel Islands as well. We'll hear some Traditional Guernsey songs and melodies from the Harp Consort with Andrew Lawrence-King and soprano Clara Sanabras.


Much Ado About Erich

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Before Erich Wolfgang Korngold found his great fortune in Hollywood as a writer of film scores, he was still one of the most popular and successful composers in Europe. Tonight we'll hear some theatrical music he wrote before coming to California: Gil Shaham and Andre Previn perform Korngold's "Much Ado About Nothing" suite for violin and piano.

Be sure to tune in first, however, at 8:00 tonight for another wonderful violinist, as Ilya Gringolts performs in WNYC's "Concerts from the Frick Collection." Later on, Evening Music spices things up with some Flamenco from guitarist Pepe Romero and friends; we'll also hear music from the Spanish-born, German-trained, naturalized American composer Carlos Surinach. Members of the Bronx Arts Ensemble team up with pianist Pablo Zinger for Surinach's Piano Quartet, his own musical tribute (a là Villa-Lobos) to Johann Sebastian Bach.


The Art of Ian

Friday, March 03, 2006

Tonight's selection features the art of tenor Ian Bostridge, in anticipation of his upcoming Benjamin Britten recital at Zankel Hall. As a teaser preview, we'll enjoy his take on two Noel Coward songs, "I Travel Alone" and "I'll See You Again," with pianist Jeffrey Tate, as well as Britten's marvelously orchestrated Serenade; Ingo Metzmacher leads the Bamberg Symphony with horn soloist Marie-Louise Neunecker.

Our evening unfurls, however, on the wings of a wind instrument medley. Marc Schachman and the Artaria Quartet tackle Mozart's Oboe Quartet, followed by J.S. Bach's Concerto for Oboe and Violin with violinist Isaac Stern and oboist Harold Gomberg under the direction of Leonard Bernstein's New York Philharmonic. Later on in the evening, flutist Fenwick Smith takes a moonlit stroll, with string quartet in tow, through American composer Arthur Foote's enchanting Nocturne and Scherzo.

Italian born Antonio Salieri (of Amadeus infamy) is heard in our final segment with Andreas Staier performing the Piano Concerto in C, one of the composer's rare forays away from opera.

» Ian Bostridge sings Britten at Zankel Hall.


Smetana's Birthday & Joplin in New York

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Our evening starts with a bang as we give a birthday nod to Czech composer Bedrich Smetana. Eugene Ormandy leads the Philadelphia Orchestra in the delightful "Dance of the Comedians" from Smetana's "Bartered Bride." We'll also hear a selection from Scott Joplin's "Treemonisha," courtesy of pianist Alessandra Celletti. Joplin fans, you're in luck this month as the Collegiate Chorale and soloists perform a concert version of "Treemonisha" at Alice Tully Hall.

In our second hour, we'll have an infusion of French tradition with Daniel Barenboim and the Orchestre de Paris, as they hold our hands through Bizet's irrepressible "Jeux d'enfants." Guitarist Kazuhito Yamashita will then perform the "Suite Compostelana" of Federico Mompou, the self-effacing Spaniard whose musical tastes developed in France. Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 98 brings our first half to a close with classical elegance.

Many hands make light work as Karl Engel, Till Engel, Leopold Hager, and the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra whisk us through the latter part of our evening with Mozart's Concerto for Three Pianos in F. Evocations of Italy are also heard in Hugo Wolf's "Italian Serenade" with the Emerson String Quartet; we'll reach our conclusion with (italiophile) Mendelssohn and a selection from his "Songs without Words," under the fingers of pianist Murray Perahia.

» The Collegiate Chorale in Joplin's "Treemonisha" at Alice Tully Hall.


A Night at the Opera

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

Much of opera's great music is orchestral, and we'll open tonight's program with a couple of Wagnerian selections. First, a different take on the "Ride of the Valkyries" from the Cambridge Buskers; after that, a Wagner rarity: the overture to "Rienzi." And speaking of rarities, the Metropolitan Opera serves up Tchaikovsky's "Mazeppa" next week for the first time in Met history; the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig offers us a mini preview with that work's popular "Gopak" dance.

We’ll also feature instrumentalists delving into opera arias. The "singing cornet" William Vacchiano plays the "Toreador Song" from Bizet's "Carmen Suite" No. 2, while cellist David Finkel and pianist Wu Han have fun with Beethoven's variations on a duet from Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte."

Finally, the singers receive equal time with song and symphonic fare. Bryn Terfel sings Dvorak's "Goin' Home," backed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Barry Wordsworth. As a highlight in our last hour, we'll hear a live recording of the New York Philharmonic's Lincoln Center inaugural concert: a star cast of singers including Lucine Amara, Jennie Tourel, Richard Tucker and George London join forces with the NY Phil and Leonard Bernstein for part one of Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 8, the "Symphony of a Thousand."

» "Mazeppa" premieres at the Metropolitan Opera