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January 2007

Foxtrot Into Twilight

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

We'll hear John Adams' mini-encapsulation of his brilliant opera "Nixon in China" with the hypnotic foxtrot for orchestra, "The Chairman Dances." Also, Bryden Thomson and the Ulster Orchestra give an atmospheric reading of Sir Arnold Bax's orchestral tone poem "Into The Twilight."

The Tallis Scholars perform Gregorio Allegri's Baroque choral spectacle "Miserere" — which wasn't allowed out of the Vatican until a fourteen-year-old Mozart bootlegged a copy from memory after hearing it only twice. We'll also hear Mozart's take on J.S. Bach with his transcription of the Prelude and Fugue No. 6, courtesy of the Grumiaux Trio. Bringing our evening to a bombastic close is the Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam under Sir Georg Solti, in Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring."


Bird Music

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Tonight, the London Symphony Orchestra performs Ottorino Respighi's salute to the birdsong genre of Baroque times, "Gli ucelli" (The Birds). Also, bird music by Japanese composer Hikari Oe, whose musical talents were discovered at a young age when he started imitating birdsong note-for-note — despite being born developmentally disabled.

Later in the evening we'll hear Hungarian composer Béla Bartók's extraordinary Third Piano Concerto, written during the last months of his life. Suffering from leukemia, Bartók wrote the concerto as a gift to his wife, who was a concert pianist like himself; Bartók hoped she would be able to generate income from its performance after his own (imminent) demise.


Bernstein's Favorite

Monday, January 29, 2007

American composer Randall Thompson (1899 - 1984), while perhaps not an immediate household name, is nevertheless one of the most innovative composers of the 20th century. Thompson's Symphony No. 2 in E minor was written in 1932 and subsequently became a favorite of Leonard Bernstein's (we'll hear him conduct it tonight).

We'll also hear a bevy of lesser-known composers, including Uuno Klami, Cecil Burliegh, Francois Dompierre, Erwin Schulhoff and John Rutter. Rounding out the evening will be a guitar piece by Chick Corea, Debussy's "Suite Bergamesque," and the fiery "Rhumba Rhapsody" by Ernesto Lecuona.


Katchen Plays Rorem

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Ned Rorem described his Piano Sonata No. 2 as "a garland of four happy songs." The American pianist Julius Katchen, a giant of the twentieth century stage whose life was tragically cut short by cancer, was an enthusiastic proponent of the work - even before Rorem had acheived the fame he currently enjoys. We'll hear Katchen's 1952 recording of this seminal contemporary work.

Tonight's program embraces the unconventional. We'll hear works by Arvo Part, Michael Nyman and Richard Danielpour. In addition, we'll hear a haunting selection of Renaissance Passacaglias performed on period instruments, including the colascione, the chitarra battente, and the nychelharpa.


Spotlight on: Lalia Madriguera

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Tonight we shine the spotlight on Lalia Madriguera, a celebrated singer of American popular classics as well as traditional Latin song. Madriguera is also the leader of two live music shows featuring music from those genres, "Flash!Bam!Alakazam!" for children, and "From Swing to Samba" for adults. We'll talk with Madriguera about her performance process, community service work, and her plans for the future.

The evening continues with more than a little Latin inspiration; we'll hear four pieces by Camargo Guarnieri performed by the Brazilian Guitar Quartet, a traditional Andean suite, and Latin American folk songs. Rounding out the program is Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A, one of the composer's most beloved gems.


Vivaldi's Guitar

Friday, January 26, 2007

Vivaldi wrote plenty of music for guitar, but also adapted other works for the instrument as well. Tonight we'll hear a charming and intimate interpretation of his Concerto RV 540, originally written for viola d'amore, lute, strings and harpsichord (Angel Romero plays guitar and conducts the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields).

The evening continues with more guitar works: we'll hear some traditional Irish jigs; John Duarte's "English Suite" for guitar; and a suite (and symphony) by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Also on the program tonight are some less familiar works by Michael Praetorius, Reynaldo Hahn and Michael Torke.


A Night For Waltzing

Thursday, January 25, 2007

We'll dance the night away with waltzes by Philip Glass, Frederick Chopin, Dave Brubeck, and Johannes Brahms. Also, Ravi Shankar's Western-style version of an Indian raga in "L'Aube Enchantée" (The Enchanted Dawn).

The later hours feature suites by two very different composers: The Stockholm Sinfonietta perform Lars-Erik Larsson's "Pastorale" Suite, followed by the "Suite Andaluza" of Celedonio Romero (patriarch of the Romero family of guitarists). Also, you may be familiar with Carlf Orff's famous "Carmina Burana" — but did you know that piece is actually part of a musical triptych? We'll hear one of the other three in the set, Orff's "Catulli Carmina," a cantata based on the 2100-year-old writings of the Roman poet Catullus.


Mozart Goes Bowling

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Modern bowling has its roots in an old target sport called "skittles," which is still popular in some parts of Western Europe. It was also especially favored by Mozart, who used it to fuel his creative juices while writing his Clarinet Trio in E-flat — more commonly known by the german word for the game, "Kegelstatt." We'll hear it tonight from clarinetist James Campbell and members of the Borodin Trio.

Also featured tonight is Steve Reich's "Nagoya Marimbas," which takes its name from the Japanese city where it was premiered in 1994. In this mind-bending percussion duet, Reich looks back to his early years of "phase music" — wherein both performers play the same thing, but out of synch with each other.


Voodoo Music

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Wendy Mae Chambers is known for her large scale musical events in and around New York, such as "Music for Choreographed Rowboats" (with twenty-four musicians in rowboats on Central Park Lake) and "The Grand Harp Event" (featuring thirty harps at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine). We'll mark the composer's fourty-fourth birthday tonight with an excerpt from what she calls a "voodoo" tone poem written in memory of John Cage, "12 Squared."

Also on the contemporary side, we'll hear Ingram Marshall's "Kingdom Come" — commissioned (and performed) by the American Composers Orchestra. We'll preview pianist Garrick Ohlsson's upcoming All-Beethoven concert at Lincoln Center with the Piano Sonata No. 3; another preview's in store with Mark O'Connor's "Fanfare for the Volunteer." O'Connor and Roseanne Cash appear in "Poets and Prophets" for Merkin Hall's "Listen Here: Art Music Now series."


G-Man

Monday, January 22, 2007

When Terry Riley wrote his "G Song" in 1975, he modeled it after the closest thing to minimalism from classical times, the Passicaglia (a repeated bass line with ornamentation above). Originally written for String Quartet, it's been arranged for other groups of instruments as well (and we'll hear it tonight from the Modern Mandolin Quartet).

Other highlights include works by Marc Blitzstein and Judith Weir; later on, Dubravka Tomsic takes on the first Piano Concerto of Johannes Brahms (which premiered on this date in 1859). Rounding out the evening are Bright Sheng's "Postcards" and Dick Hyman's Sextet for Clarinet, Piano, and Strings.


Winter Sonata

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Franz Schubert wrote his last three piano sonatas on the heels of his song cycle "The Winter Journey." Conceived as a set, they have some musical parallels to the wintry work that preceded it (albeit with a pianist instead of a singer). Tonight we'll hear the wonderful Murray Perahia in the second of these, from his recent Sony release.

Earlier in the evening, however, we'll hear from two very different composers: Paraguayan guitarist Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Italian organist Giovanni Gabrieli. Berta Rojas strums up some dances by her countryman Mangoré, while Roland Wilson and his group Musica Fiata Köln offer a survey of Gabrieli tunes.


Spotlight On: Gotham Chamber Opera

Saturday, January 20, 2007

According to the New York Times, Gotham Chamber Opera is "the pre-eminent small opera company in New York." We'll be joined tonight by Artistic Director Neal Goren and singer Eric Jordan to talk about their upcoming production of Rossini's rarely-heard gem, "Il signor Bruschino."

Also tonight, we'll be celebrating the anniversary of American composer Walter Piston's birth with his circus-ballet, "The Incredible Flutist." Another musical figure born on this date was Belgian composer Guillaume Lekeu. Barely twenty-four when he died of typhoid fever, Lekeu left behind a small but impressive catalogue of music. We'll hear his Violin Sonata in G Minor; the brother/sister team of Yehudi and Hephzibah Menuhin perform on violin and piano, respectuvely.


Lost Rhapsody

Friday, January 19, 2007

Nobody really knows what the original performance of George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" sounded like, since the composer improvised most of it at the piano during the first performance and only wrote it down after the fact. We do, however, have a few recordings of Gershwin performing his seminal jazz concerto, and we'll hear one of them tonight.

The Moscow Soloists make an appearance at Zankel Hall next Thursday; we'll offer a preview with Grieg's salute to Norwegian history, the "Holberg Suite." We'll follow that up with Lou Harrison's sparkling Concerto for Pipa with Orchestra, written for (and performed by) Chinese lutist-extraordinaire, Wu Man.


Piece of Cake

Thursday, January 18, 2007

While teaching in New York in the late sixties, composer/pianist William Bolcom spearheaded a serious ragtime revival through his concerts and recordings. Tonight we'll hear his collection of original rags and re-worked classic by Joplin and others, "Afternoon Cakewalk."

Also, born on this date in 1835 was Russian composer César Cui. A Military academic by profession, Cui's musical exploits earned him a place among the "Mighty Five" group of Russian composers during the 19th century. We'll mark the occasion with his "Suite minature"; Kenneth Schermerhorn leads the Hong Kong Philharmonic.


Reconciliation Symphony

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Leonard Bernstein wrote his first symphony when he was twenty-six, taking inspiration from the Lamentations of Jeremiah (hence the subtitle, "Jeremiah"). He also dedicated it to his father, calling it their "great reconciliation piece." Coming on the heels of his spectacular conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic, it was the first music Bernstein wrote with the full blessings of his father — who had always discouraged his son's music career until then (we'll hear it tonight from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with the composer at the podium).

Music by Bernstein's friend Aaron Copland is also heard tonight with Anne Akiko Meyers in Copland's Violin Sonata, while Gerard Schwartz leads the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in David Diamond's inventively mesmerizing "Rounds for String Orchestra." Later in the evening we'll hear from the Kronos Quartet as they perform excerpts from Terry Riley's epic work for String Quartet, "Salome Dances for Peace."


Angel of Light

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Einojuhani Rautavaara is probably the best known Finnish composer of his generation. Writing in a variety of styles, Rautavaara often imbues his music with a mystical element; tonight we'll hear his beautiful Symphony No. 7, subtitled "Angel of Light" (Osmo Vanska leads the Royal Scottish Orchestra).

Also, a birthday tribute to English composer Gavin Bryars, who turns 64 today, as the Hilliard Ensemble perform Bryars' "Glorious Hill." Other offerings include John Ireland's "A Downland Suite" and a Haydn Trumpet Concerto with John Wallace; David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony light up the later hours with Aaron Copland's cowboy ballet, "Rodeo."


In Memoriam: Martin Luther King

Monday, January 15, 2007

Canadian composer Oskar Morawetz had just been commissioned to write a piece for cellist Mstislav Rostropovich when Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968. In the wake of that tragic event, Morawetz decided to express his shock and grief by turning the work into a meditation on King's extraordinary life. We'll hear Morawetz's "Memorial to Martin Luther King" tonight with cellist Shauna Rolston and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

We'll also hear music by William Grant Still, who was not only the first African-American to write for a major symphony orchestra (the New York Philharmonic) but also the first to have an opera produced by a major company (the New York City Opera). "In Memoriam" was written for the New York Phil during the second World War; simple yet powerful, it was inspired by the sad irony that African-American soldiers were fighting overseas to secure freedoms that they didn't even enjoy at home.


Fresh Air

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Aaron Jay Kernis originally wrote his chant-like piece "Air" for violin and piano in 1995. It proved so popular and versatile that it's been re-arranged several times since then — including the World premiere recording we'll hear tonight, with cellist Truls Mork and the Minnesota Orchestra.

Other airs for your ears tonight include works by Henry Cowell, Ian Krouse, J.S. Bach, and that perennial favorite, the "Londonderry Air" (a.k.a. "Danny Boy"). Also featured are Vivaldi's Concerto for Guitar and Viola d'amore and Beethoven's fiery Violin Concerto with soloist Gidon Kremer.


Spotlight on: Clara Rockmore

Saturday, January 13, 2007

Tonight promises to be an electrifying evening as we shine the Spotlight on Clara Rockmore. We'll be talking to award-winning broadcaster Robert Sherman about the woman generally considered to be the world's most accomplished performer of the theremin. For the uninitiated, the theremin is an electronic musical instrument requiring no physical touch during performance.

Also on the program tonight, we'll hear a concerto by Paul Hindemith for trautonium, an electronic instrument similar to a theremin. We'll move on to some favorites by Hadyn and Mozart, as well as a song by Renaissance composer John Dowland. In addition, we've included a lovely violin sonata by Claude Debussy, which is heard more rarely than many of his other works. We hope you'll join us.


Merrie England

Friday, January 12, 2007

English composer Sir Hubert Parry is probably best known for his 1916 setting of William Blake's poem "Jerusalem," but equally effective is tonight's charming work "Lady Radnor's Suite." A piece paradoxically as light as it is contemplative, the Suite is comprised of six traditional dances - a form which goes back to the Baroque period. We'll hear the English String Orchestra under William Boughton.

The rest of the program tonight is particularly multicultural; we'll hear 17th century Hungarian Dances by Ferenc Farkas, a concerto by rarely heard Italian composer Paolo Salulini, the brilliant orchestral piece "Rothko Chapel" by American composer Morton Feldman, as well as a healthy smattering of German repertoire. We hope you can join us tonight as we present this eclectic program.


Star-Crossed Evening

Thursday, January 11, 2007

Tonight we'll hear some music inspired by Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet. Works by Berlioz, Prokofiev, Gounod, and even Elvis Costello are featured — and of course, Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet" Fantasy Overture as well.

Also, a nod to Russian composer Reinhold Gliere on the anniversary of his birth in 1875. Later on, Roland Pöntinen and Love Derwinger take up the solos in Francis Poulenc's Double Piano Concerto; sprinklings of Handel, Satie, and Purcell are also featured tonight.


The Modern Madrigal

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

The Madrigal is one of those musical forms that has flourished ever since its origins in the late sixteenth century. One twentieth-century composer who explored the genre time and time again (albeit with instruments instead of voices) was Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů. Tonight we'll hear his colorfully soulful "Madrigal" Sonata for violin, flute, and piano.

Also tonight, the Second Symphony of French composer Ernest Chausson and Frederick Delius's ever-popular "Brigg Fair." We'll also hear a major work by the second most famous composer in Norwegian history (next to Edvard Grieg, that is). Bjarte Engeset leads the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Johan Svendsen's masterfully scored Symphony No. 1 in D.


Spanish Nights

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Manuel de Falla created his "Nights in the Gardens fo Spain" out of a series of nocturnes he had written for piano. Calling it a set of "symphonic impressions," de Falla filled the lush work with images of exotic flora and wild dancing. Gerard Schwarz and the London Symphony Orchestra perform it tonight with pianist Carol Rosenberger.

Also, music by 18th-century Austrian composer Karl Ditters — who changed his last name to the more illustrious sounding "Ditters von Dittersdorf" when he received the title of "Office Captain" from the royal court. We'll hear his Symphony in D, "The Fall of Phaeton," one of the several symphonies that he based on Ovid's "Metamorphoses."


Diamond in the Rough

Monday, January 08, 2007

American composer David Diamond was barely into his twenties when he was commissioned to write music for the ballet "TOM," based on "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Unfortunately, the ballet was never performed and the music was shelved — until Diamond decided to polish it into an Orchestral Suite nearly fifty years later (we'll hear it tonight from Gerard Schwartz and the Seattle Symphony).

We'll also hear from one of Diamond's artistic and personal influences, Darius Milhaud, with his lively work for winds, "King Rene's Chimney." Later on, the chase is afoot with members of the Kuijken family in Mozart's "Hunt" String Quartet, and we'll treat ourselves to a rare version of Grieg's famous Piano Concerto, featuring soloist Percy Grainger.


A Beast By Any Other Name

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Robert Moran based his critically acclaimed opera "Desert of Roses" on the story of Beauty and the Beast. Tonight we'll hear "Arias, Interludes and Interventions," sort of a modern mad scene featuring soprano Jayne West as Beauty, lamenting over the lifeless body of her Beast.

Also tonight, we'll feature a Debussy Ballade and an organ work by 20th century Italian composer Giacinto Scelsi. Bringing the evening to a close is more modernity in "The Last Day" by innovative British composer Jocelyn Pook.


Spotlight on: Sebastián Zubieta

Saturday, January 06, 2007

Argentinian-born composer Sebastián Zubieta returns tonight, to talk about the Americas Society (Council of the Americas). Created to promote the music of South and Central America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada, "Music of the Americas" presents concerts, lectures and other programs featuring classical, modern and traditional music being produced in the region.

Later on, we'll hear two American classics: "The Red Pony" Suite by Aaron Copland and "The Unanswered Question" by Charles Ives, his hauntingly original work for trumpet, flute quartet and strings. We'll also treat ourselves to some rarely performed works by medieval French composer Gautier de Coincy and contemporary American composer Thomas Canning.


Celebrity Bach

Friday, January 05, 2007

Even though Johann Sebastian is regarded as the Dean of Baroque composers these days, it was actually his sons who received most of the limelight during their lives. Bach son number two, Carl Philipp Emanuel, began his career as member of Frederick the Great's royal court and eventually was regarded as one of the greatest composers in Europe, even by Mozart. We'll hear a work from C.P.E.'s early days, as cellist extraordinaire Anner Bylsma performs the Cello Concerto in A; Gustav Leonhardt leads the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.

We have an eclectic program for the later hours, ranging from Erik Satie to less familiar works by Rennaissance British composer Anthony Holborne, jazz composer James P. Johnson and contemporary Brazilian composer Brenno Blauth. Rounding out the evening are favorite works by Chopin and Ravel, as well as dances (for piano) by Alberto Ginastera.


Concert for a Party

Thursday, January 04, 2007

"Concierto para una fiesta" (Concert for a Party) was Joaquin Rodrigo's final work for solo guitar and orchestra. Rodrigo recreates a festive atmosphere through vibrant dance-rhythms and a mirthful spirit, yet underscores the piece with tranquility and sadness. Guitarist David Russel highlights the contrasting nature of Rodrigo's music, joined by the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra under Erich Kunzel.

Also tonight, the Ciompi String Quartet perform English composer Frank Bridge's String Quartet No. 4, and the Gothenberg Symphony takes on Borodin's Second Symphony. Later in the evening we'll hear a Scandinavian take on Mozart's famous Sinfonia Concertante from the Stockholm Sinfonietta; Bernt Lysell and Nils-Erik Sparf perform the string solos.


Father of the String Quartet

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Franz Joseph Haydn has been called the father of many different musical forms — most of which he developed rather than invented. One invention that belongs entirely to him, however, is the String Quartet. Tonight we'll hear an example from Haydn specialists the Emerson Quartet, in Haydn's String Quartet in G Minor, "The Rider."

Also tonight, music to smooth out the evening in our first hour with J.S. Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3; later on it's the Pittsburgh Symphony in Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 in E Minor, followed by contrasting sonatas from Scarlatti and Turina. We'll bring the evening to a close with music by "the dean of African-American composers," William Grant Still, as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performs his bluesy Symphony No. 1 (subtitled the "Afro-American" Symphony).


Snowflakes in January

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Alexander Grechaninov was a gifted Russian Romantic composer who, while not a household name, nevertheless produced a prolific catalogue of lyrical works. Tonight we're celebrating the second day of 2007 with Grechaninov's "Snowflakes," a fifteen-song cycle for mezzo-soprano and piano. Subtitled, "Songs from the World of Childhood," the cycle is a charming introduction to a composer you may not have heard.

Also tonight, we'll be hearing music by William Grant Still, Michael Tippett, Ian Krouse, Luzzasco Luzzaschi, Steve Reich and Pietro Mascagni. Finally, we'll hear Brahms' brilliant posthumous Piano Trio in A minor.


Happy New Year!

Monday, January 01, 2007

Celebrate New Year's Day here at WNYC! Johann Strauss II, the master of the waltz, wrote his "Explosions" Polka in 1847, soon after German scientist Christian Friedrich Schonbein's discovery of the explosive qualities of nitrocellulose. The charming piece is as popular as it was 160 years ago, and is a fitting choice for this fireworks-filled New Year's Day.

Also on the program tonight, we'll hear festive works by Richard Strauss, Jeremiah Clarke, Frederic Chopin, and none other than Charlie Chaplin. We'll round out the evening with Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, and Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor. Happy 2007!