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April 2007

The Mythic Mystery

Monday, April 30, 2007

Love it or hate it (and there are plenty of people on both sides), Wagner's Tristan und Isolde has generated heat since bursting onto the stage in 1865. In this installment of The Tristan Mysteries, Amy O'Leary gives us an introductory overview of Wagner's opera—and examines the mythic side of Tristan's timeless story. We also assemble a roundtable of opera enthusiasts in the studio to duke it out over which recording of Tristan is the best.

Contributors to The Mythic Mystery include:


Executive Producer, The Tristan Mysteries: Limor Tomer
Producer/Host, The Mythic Mystery: Amy O'Leary
Producer/Host, Tristan Fanatics Roundtable: George Preston
Web Producer, The Tristan Mysteries: Brad Cresswell

The Tristan Mysteries is supported, in part, by a grant from The Corporation for Public Broadcasting.


Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" is justly one of the composer's best-loved works. Based on a melody in Phrygian mode composed by Tallis in 1567, the Fantasia is scored for a double stringed orchestra - an unusual instrumentation that coaxes out the haunting beauty of the thematic material.

Later this evening, we will hear two preludes and fugues by Shostakovich as well as a set by Bach, Webern's "Six Pieces for Orchestra," and works by Holst, Ravi Shankar and Michael Nyman.


Liberace's Tomb

Saturday, April 28, 2007

American composer Michael Daugherty's 1996 work "Le Tombeau de Liberace" (Liberace's Tomb) is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Maurice Ravel, who created his own tribute to Baroque music in "Le Tombeau de Couperin." Daugherty translates the spirit of Ravel into an American idiom, as an homage to an artist of the past—and a cheeky reimagining of the future.


"Classical" Prokofiev

Friday, April 27, 2007

Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1 in D is nicknamed "Classical" for a reason; compared to his later, more unabashedly modernist symphonies, the dissimilarity is almost shocking. Prokofiev conceived of the Symphony No. 1 as a self-administered test, to see if he could write in a strict classical idiom. The result is a masterful mix of wit and nostalgia.

Also on the program this evening, we'll hear Mozart's delightful piano variations on "Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman" (the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for English speakers). We'll also hear a suite by Couperin, a Chopin Berceuse, and works by less familiar composers Antonio Jose Madureira and Miguel Kertsman.


Splendid Wood

Thursday, April 26, 2007

In her new work "Splendid Wood," Jennifer Higdon reflects the shifting veins and rings found within a piece of wood itself, through the sound of marimbas—an instrument the composer says has "a certain sort of magic." Frank Epstein conducts the New England Conservatory Percussion ensemble; they'll be performing it live on May 1rst at Zankel Hall.


A Study in Contrasts

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

The String Quartet No. 5 by Philip Glass is a subtly shifting musical landscape: alternating between light and dark; loud and soft; fast and slow. According to the composer, the subject of the piece is "musicality" itself—"which in a certain way is the most serious subject." We'll hear this mesmerizing work tonight from the ensemble that commissioned it, the Kronos Quartet.


In the Shadows

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Russian composer Anton Arensky spent most of his career shadowed on one side by his mentors(Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky), and on the other side by his students (Scriabin and Rachmaninoff). The rise of the modern recording age sparked a renewed interest in his music, however. Tonight we'll hear one of his colorful chamber works for two pianos, the "Silhouettes" Suite.


Volcano Songs

Monday, April 23, 2007

Meredith Monk has been a performance artist pioneer since the 1960s, creating works that (in her words) dwell "between the cracks, where the voice starts dancing, where the body starts singing, where theater becomes cinema." Tonight we'll focus on one of her vocal works with a title that could just as well describe this dynamic artist: "Volcano Songs."


Medieval Celts

Sunday, April 22, 2007

We begin the evening with two hauntingly beautiful works from the Medieval period, "Quene note" and "Tre fontane" written by an anonymous composer. Taken from traditional Celtic sources, the texts blend seamlessly with harmony to create a lush aural landscape.

Also on the program this evening, we'll hear Beethoven's monumental Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major performed on a period fortepiano by Steven Lubin with the Academy of Ancient Music, conducted by Christopher Hogwood. Works by Henry Purcell, Herbert Howells and Philippe Gaubert round out the evening.


Persian Melodies

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Following tonight's Concerts from the Frick Collection, we'll hear a selection of traditional Persian ballads, as arranged and performed by classical guitarist Lily Afshar. Continuing the theme is American composer Henry Cowell's "Persian Set," followed by music from Virgil Thomson, Philip Glass and Pablo Casals.


Francesco Maria Veracini

Friday, April 20, 2007

Although lesser known today, Italian composer Francesco Maria Veracini was a big star during the first half of the 18th century. We will begin the evening with Veracini's Overture No. 1 in B-flat major, one of a series of six written for the Royal Court of Dresden. Sparkling with wit and virtuosity, we will hear the Musica Antiqua Koln's interpretation of this unfamiliar delight.

Also on the program this evening, we will hear favorite works by Bach, Mozart and Debussy, as well as a violin sonata by Charles Ives. In addition, we'll hear two pieces by Bohuslav Martinu, and workds by Alexander Raskatov, Celedonio Romero and John Adams.


The Forgotten Virtuoso

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Charles-Valentin Alkan was a child prodigy to rival Mozart (having been accepted into the Paris Conservatoire at age six), and became one of the greatest composer/pianists of his day. His piano and organ music was so notoriously difficult that when Alkan stopped performing in public, there was no one around to take up the mantle—leaving his music to languish in obscurity for nearly a century. It wasn't until the age of modern recordings that virtuoso performers rediscovered Alkan's body of work and put him back on the map; tonight we'll hear one of his rare forays beyond the keyboard, the Sonate De Concert for Cello and Piano in E Major.


Danceworks

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Steve Martland writes music that is rhythmic and muscular, using amplification to bring out the sharp edges in his sound. This quality lends itself, naturally, to the arena of dance—and many of his works have been written specifically for that medium. Tonight, we'll hear his pulsating piano duet "Danceworks," written for the London Contemporary Dance Theatre in 1993.


Prokofiev's Gamble

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

When a young Sergei Prokofiev entered the Rubinstein Piano Competition in 1914, he knew he couldn't better his competitors in the standard repertoire. Instead, he decided to play his own technically dazzling Piano Concerto No. 1 — figuring the judges wouldn't be able to tell if he was playing it correctly or not. Prokofiev's gamble paid off: his performance was so riveting that the award panel (who sat with copies of the just-published score in their laps) had no choice but to award the daring young pianist the top prize (we'll hear it tonight with pianist Gary Graffman; George Szell leads the Cleveland Orchestra).


Homage to Pacifica

Monday, April 16, 2007

When Lou Harrison was commissioned to write a new vocal work for the Pacifica Foundation in 1991, America had just finished up the Gulf War. Drawing on the "political" music he had composed during the sixties (in reaction to another war, of course), Harrison combined anti-imperialist texts by Mark Twain with Chief Seattle's famous "environmental" speech from 1854—illustrating them with an eclectic ensemble of Eastern and Western instruments.


Bach on Cello

Sunday, April 15, 2007

J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 4 in E-flat ranks as one of the greatest works ever written for the solo cello. Together with the other five cello suites, the Suite in E-flat employs an astounding range of musical challenges; the interpretive task for the performer is great. Tonight we will hear Nigel North, performing not on the cello, but on lute.

Later this evening, we will hear Olivier Messiaen's seminal work "Quartet for the End of Time." We'll also hear a work by Francois Couperin, as well as pieces by less familiar composers Johannes Ockenghem, Gavin Bryars, Ben Yarmolinsky and Artemy Vedel.


Orphic Memories

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Join us at 8pm for the premiere of Ingram Marshall’s Orphic Memories, a new concerto grosso co-commissioned by WNYC and performed by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. John Schaefer hosts this live broadcast, joined by composer Marshall for a conversation about the themes he finds himself returning to again and again in his work. The concert also features guest soloist Gil Shaham, who will perform Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 61, as well as Mendelssohn's Sinfonia No. 10 in b minor for String Orchestra.

Ingram Marshall on Orphic Memories:
"The narrative idea behind Orphic Memories is an oblique one: it's Orpheus himself remembering his epic and ill-fated journey to the underworld. The Orpheus legend has served many a composer with dramatic grist – from Monteverdi to Stravinsky – and, at first, I shied away from such an association: How obvious could one be?” said Marshall. “But as I worked on the piece, many musical memories flooded my composer's head and I succumbed to the idea that it would be about Memory itself within the framework of the demi-god's somewhat clouded recollections … the quotes and references to composers whose music has entered my memory bank are intended as affectionate homage."


Orphic Prelude

Friday, April 13, 2007

Tonight, we'll pave the way for tomorrow's broadcast of Ingram Marshall's new piece Orphic Memories with some of his other works, including "Entrada" and "Dark Waters."

Setting triskaidekaphobia aside, we'll also mark American composer Frederic Rzewksi's 69th birthday with his "De profundis" for piano (featuring the composer at the keyboard). Favorites by Mozart, Haydn and Schubert round out the evening, as well as a sampling of secular motets by Medieval French master Guillaume de Machaut.


Requiem á la carte

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Gabriel Fauré wrote his famous Requiem Mass in D Minor on a lark, assembling it piece by piece in between other projects. As the work took shape over the years, the composer found various venues in which to test it out. The ultimate venue, of course, proved to be Fauré's own funeral in 1924. We'll hear it tonight in a wonderful recording from the English Chamber Orchestra, featuring soloists Arleen Augér and Benjamin Luxon.


The Swiss Watchmaker

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Maurice Ravel wrote music that was so intricate and detailed that it took him years of working with his publishers to correct errors in his printed scores. His meticulous nature was famously noted by Igor Stravinsky, who gave Ravel the nickname "The Swiss Watchmaker" (Ravel's father was in fact Swiss). Tonight, the Alban Berg Quartet performs one of Ravel's early masterworks, the String Quartet in F Major.


The Reclusive Maestro

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Conductor Carlos Kleiber was famous for the dedication and detail he brought to his performances, but was also notoriously disdainful of public life. Abandoning the commercial avenues of classical music, Kleiber's appearances became more and more rare towards the end of his career—which only enhanced his status as a living legend. The reclusive maestro left behind only a handful of glorious recordings; tonight we'll hear one of the best, his interpretation of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic.


Those Crazy Critics

Monday, April 09, 2007

Sergei Prokofiev frequently battled critics throughout his career, but no exchange was more satisfying than when his Scythian Suite had its Moscow premiere in 1916. One prominent critic published a scathing review—the only problem was, the performance never happened. It was cancelled due to the lack of enough musicians (most of whom were off fighting the First World War). Eventually, of course, the Suite and its raw, savage-sounding music made its way to the concert hall, providing the composer with one of his early triumphs (we'll hear it tonight from Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra).


Happy Easter!

Sunday, April 08, 2007

Tonight's program will feature a bevy of Easter-inspired works from off the beaten track. We'll begin with American composer Roy Harris's "Easter Motet," and continue with Francois Couperin's "Motet for Easter Day." From there, we will explore Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade," Daniel Rye's Easter-themed "Folk Songs and Dances," and Eric Ewazen's "Down a River of Time."


Scots and Cellos

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Multifaceted Scottish composer and musician Robin Williamson composed his song "Poem on His Birthday" to a poem by Dylan Thomas, one of many such compositions. Tonight we will hear the composer as both vocalist and instrumental accompanist in this intriguing work.

Also tonight, we continue our annual series of Concerts from the Frick Collection with a concert by cellist Ralph Kirshbaum and pianist Peter Jablonski. Together they will perform three favorite cello sonatas by Debussy, Prokofiev and Shostakovich and a Vocalise by Rachmaninoff.


The other John Williams

Friday, April 06, 2007

Although not a household name like John Williams the American film composer, John Williams the Australian guitarist and composer has a long list of accomplishments to his name. Williams recently wrote and recorded an unusual disc of African-inspired guitar duets, from which we'll hear three selections. John Williams and John Etheridge play at Zankel Hall on Saturday, April 14th at 7:30pm.

Also on the program this evening, we'll hear major works from some favorite British composers, Benjamin Britten and Ralph Vaughan Williams among them. In addition, we'll hear piano works by Brahms and a choral piece by Heitor Villa-Lobos.


Hymnodic Delays

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Ingram Marshall modeled his digitally processed vocal piece "Hymnodic Delays" after old New England Psalm tunes, re-casting them in contemporary terms. His musical architecture, however, also echoes the techniques of the past—creating a work that sounds at once familiar yet completely modern. We'll hear it tonight from the ensemble it was written for, Paul Hillier's Theater of Voices.


Patriarch of American Music

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Elliot Carter has stood at the forefront of American classical music since the Second World War; his innovations have only been outshined by the influence he's had on generations of other composers. Tonight we'll glimpse the early stages of Carter's own musical development with his First Symphony, which had its premiere sixty years ago.


Paul Revere's Ride

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Composer David del Tredici has often brought focus to contemporary issues through the prism of classical literature. One work he has revisited musically throughout his career is Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland"; tonight we'll hear another example with Del Tredici's setting of Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride" — inspired by his memories of the morning of September 11, 2001.


Chrysalid Requiem

Monday, April 02, 2007

Composer Toby Twining has his musical roots in Country-swing, Gospel, Rock, and Jazz— all of which he draws on in experimental ways to create works of breathtaking intricacy and beauty. Tonight we'll hear his deeply passionate (and personal) choral work, "Chrysalid Requiem."


April Fools!

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Tonight we will journey through a series of musical "jokes" in honor of this most jocular of holidays. Among the compositions we will hear tonight are Billy Mayerl's "April's Fool," Peter Schickele's "Variations on a Joke," Mozart's "A Musical Joke," Derek Bermel's "Theme and Absurdities," Johann Strauss II's "Practical Joke Polka," and Rossini's "Duetto buffo di due gatti." April Fools!