S4M tix

Single tickets go on sale for the 2013 Spring For Music Festival today, August 27, at www.carnegiehall.org. By pricing all single tickets at $25 dollars, selling seats on a first-come/first-serve basis, and accepting orchestras on the basis of adventurous programming, Spring For Music continues to redefine the classical music experience. The festival invites New York and hometown fans alike to come hear North America's most ambitious orchestras prove themselves at one of the world's most famous concert halls. This year's festival features the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Albany Symphony Orchestra (which also participated in the 2011 festival), the Buffalo Philh armonic Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony (also appeared in 2011), the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra. The festival runs from May 6, 2013 to May 11, 2013.
Spring For Music firmly believes that great ideas and great concert programs come from open dialogue and creative collaboration. To further this conversation, Spring For Music created two web initiatives in addition to their concert activities: The Fantasy Program and the Arts Blogger Challenge.


Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Monday, May 6, 2013 
        Marin Alsop, music director
                JOHN ADAMS: Shaker Loops
                JENNIFER HIGDON: Concerto 4-3
                        Time for Three, string trio
                SERGEI PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 4 (1947 version)
Albany Symphony Orchestra
May 7, 2013
        David Alan Miller, music director
                JOHN HARBISON: Suite from The Great Gatsby
                GEORGE GERSHWIN: Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra
                        Kevin Cole, piano
                MORTON GOULD: Symphony No. 3
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
May 8, 2013
        JoAnna Falletta, music director
                GIYA KANCHELI: "Morning Prayers" from Life Without Christmas
                REINHOLD GLIÈRE: Symphony No. 3, "Ilya Muromets"
Oregon Symphony
May 9, 2013
        Carlos Kalmar, music director
                NARONG PRANGCHAROEN: Phenomenon
                 KURT WEILL: Seven Deadly Sins
                        Storm Large, vocalist
                ARNOLD SCHOENBERG: Accompaniment to a Film Scene
                FRANZ SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 8, "Unfinished"
                    MAURICE RAVEL: La Valse
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
May 10, 2013
        Leonard Slatkin, music director
                CHARLES IVES: Symphony No. 1
                CHARLES IVES: Symphony No. 2
                CHARLES IVES: Symphony No. 3
                CHARLES IVES: Symphony No. 4
National Symphony Orchestra
May 11, 2013
        Christoph Eschenbach, music director
                ALFRED SCHNITTKE: Symphony No. 6
                SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 5

The Big Cultural Apple

“New York has long been considered the cultural capital of America. Is it still? If not, where?”

View from the old WNYC bathroom

The simple answer is yes. "The Muppets took"? Manhattan. "How do you get to _______ Hall? joke" - Carnegie (deli too, there is no Disney Deli [of fame anyway!]) is the answer...and The Horowitz Nail wasn't in the Kennedy Center or Sydney Opera House (although I am sure they were accommodating if and when the famed pianist had played there).
New York City happens to have a lot of great musicians, writers, dancers, chefs, performers, etc. Certainly in the past Vienna and Leipzig were musical capitals for a long time, and I might even argue that the Berlin Philharmonic may be the greatest orchestra on earth, but dollar to donuts - bagels if you will - New York is America's cultural capital.
I've written about some of my time in NYC, and certainly interviewed quite a few folks there. I love it, and have to admit I am a bit biased. When Paris, je t'aime came out, I said, you know, that last clip is how I feel about New York! Woody Allen of course did a great job in this clip:

John in "Upstate Manhattan" Inwood

I have lived in NYC for two short stints - in college I took a break and stayed 3 months in midtown Manhattan and split a sublet, and more recently in late 2007/early 2008, renting a room in what I called "Upstate Manhattan" - Inwood is the official title. (See me at a famous corner there on the right side of this column.)
I treasure my time there and look forward to returning again and again, perhaps one of these days to actually reside.

I will play devil's advocate for just a second and say that with the internet, and technology, having a geographical "cultural" capital is a bit old fashioned. Europe has a cool project where the city changes every year, and with equality in funding from the NEA and NEH, there are cities just as worthy as NYC to be called the cultural capital - San Francisco, Chicago, LA are easily part of this fabric!
(This is my first entry for the Spring4Music Blogger Challenge!)

Mad Men of Music - Season One

Mad Men begins in the early 1960s at the “Sterling Cooper advertising agency” on New York City's Madison Avenue. The show centers on Don Draper, a high-level advertising creative director, and the people in his life in/out of the office. It also depicts the changing social mores of 1960s America.

So any good ad man like Don, Bertram or Roger would have gone to the New York Philharmonic besides the cool clubs and restaurants we see them on the show.

They would have taken clients, wives and girlfriends over on 57th Street to Carnegie Hall (where the NY Phil played at in 1960) and heard some remarkable music. [Many of the concerts listed here were recorded by the Philharmonic for CBS (now Sony) Masterworks.]

So without further ado, here are the ten concerts that the folks at Sterling Cooper would have gone to see and hear.

Mad Men of Music! Season One

The first concert would have been a no brainer, help out the NYP Musicians' Pension fund with conductor Leonard Bernstein and soloist Issac Stern. The gala was on September 27, 1960 and was quite a program:

Bernstein : Candide Overture

Roy Harris: Symphony No. 3

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

Intermission

Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61

Then in October (13-16) the Philharmonic celebrated the 50th birthdays of William

Schuman and Samuel Barber! Bernstein was joined by Aaron Rosand in this program:

Schuman: Symphony No. 3

Barber: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14

Intermission

Schumann: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Rhenish, Op. 97

Also later in October 1960 (20-23) they would have caught a world premiere by Lukas

Foss. Bernstein was joined by Leonard Rose, Lukas Foss and his Improv Chamber Ensemble Ensemble in this program:

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll

Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129

Intermission

Foss: Time Cycle, for Soprano and Orchestra

Mendelssohn: Overture to Ruy Blas, Op. 95

No doubt before the agency staff took time out to have some turkey, they would have been at this concert in November 1960 with Aaron Copland and concertmaster John Corigliano, Sr.:

Gluck: Iphigénie in Aulis Overture

Franchetti : Largo for Strings, in memoriam

Dvorak: Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53

Intermission

Copland: Symphonic Ode

Copland: El Salón México

In December, the weather outside might have been frightful (there were several airline

accidents that winter the area), but the ad men would have warmed up to the Second Viennese School with Hans Rosbaud and pianist Rudolf Firkusny:

Schoenberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16

Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6

Hindemith: Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 38

Intermission

Brahms: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15

Early in 1961, Duck and Freddy would have recovered from any New Year's festivities and might have taken the gals to hear Morton Gould play one of his own works, conducted by Paul Paray:

Rossini: La scala di seta (The Silken Ladder) Overture

Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43

Intermission

Gould: Dialogues for Piano and String Orchestra

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust (The Damnation of Faust), Op. 24 / Ballet Des Sylphes / Menuet de Follets (Minuet of the Will-o'-the-Wisps) / Rakoczy March (Hungarian March)

Liszt: Les Préludes

No doubt everyone would have wanted to catch the hot red head soprano Beverly

Sills (gotta see Bubbles!) when she joined Andre Kostalanetz in early February 1961:

Chabrier: España, Rhapsody for Orchestra

Falla: El Sombrero de Tres Picos (The Three-Cornered Hat) / PART II

Granados: Goyescas / Interlude / The Maja and the Nighting

ale, Rosario (aria)

Rossini: Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Una voce poco fa, Rosina (cavatina)

Intermission

Albéniz: Excerpts for Orchestra, from Iberia / Fête-Dieu à Séville

Marquina: España Cani

Ponce: Estrellita (Little Star)

Lara: Granada

Traditional: La Morena di mi Copla

Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34

Benjamin: Jamaican Rhumba

Traditional: La Bamba de Vera Cruz

Falla: La vida breve, Spanish Dance No. 1

In March 1961, The gals would have been interested in Glenn Gould, and no doubt the guys would have been happy to hear soprano Marni Nixon. Bernstein also had some great new works on the program too:

Boulez: Pli selon pli: Improvisations sur Mallarmé / Une dentelle s'abolit US PREMIERE

Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta

Intermission

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58

Thrills were to be had with the April 1961 program that would have made the Sterling Cooper staff give a standing ovation to Lorin Hollander who joined Leonard Bernstein in this program:

Chávez: Sinfonía india (Symphony No. 2)

Khachaturian: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

Intermission

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 in B-flat major,

Op. 100

Father Gill and Peggy might have been soothed and shocked by the program in mid April (Easter was April 17, these concerts were April 13-16) with soloist Zino Francescatti, guest conductor

Seiji Ozawa and Leonard Bernstein:

Mayuzumi: Bacchanale

Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, Op. 77

Intermission

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of

Spring)

Ten concerts that Mad Men would have caught with new music in New York City...I also imagine since the

Philharmonic was playing at Carnegie Hall, they might have stopped at The Russian Tea Room. In 1955, the restaurant was purchased by Sidney Kaye, who, in 1967, left the restaurant to his widow, Faith Stewart-Gordon. No doubt Sterling Cooper Agency had a booth, and were known by name when they came in with a client or date.

Stay tuned for Mad Men of Music, Season Two...and coming up in August 2009, the third Season of Mad Men will have another list of concerts with new music!!!!

In the meantime, enjoy this original and mad composer, Peter Maxwell Davies - and one of the Eight Songs for a Mad King!

Concerts were compiled from the NY Philharmonic website.

Orpheus Answers

Enter to win tickets to the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and pick up their new recording of Mozart Piano Concerti - it rocks!

Question 1: Orpheus' latest recording on EMI Classics, set for release in October 2008, features which young pianist?
Jonathan Biss

Question 2: Orpheus' newest member musician, trumpeter Louis Hanzlik, holds degrees from which two colleges? (2 answers)
University of Iowa and the Juilliard School

Question 3: What foundation is the official tour and radio broadcast sponsor of Orpheus?
MetLife Foundation

Question 4: What five European countries will Orpheus tour in February 2009? (5 answers)
Italy, Germany, Luxemborg, Austria, Slovenia

Question 5: Which piece, premiering on the October 16th performance at Carnegie Hall, is inspired by one of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos and titled after a major landmark in Germany? Brandenburg Gate by Paul Moravec

Send the answers to: MARKETING@ORPHEUSNYC.ORG
All entries with completely correct answers will be entered in a drawing to be held on October 6, 2008.

Two Bs

I caught the second of Adele Anthony's Bach Sonatas and Partitas last night at Gretna Music in Elizabethtown. It was delightful with the G minor Sonata, B minor Partita and the C major Sonata. Anthony was much more in control than her November performance, and showed talent and musicality beyond her years. Especially dazzling were her tempos in the 1st Partita.
Also, major highlights for me were the fugues in both sonatas, both well thought out and melodic lines clearly and cleanly presented.
I had fun giving the preconcert talk, and laid out the scores for the audience to see across 12 stands at the back of the room - it was nice to see people take a look before, at intermission and after the performance.

Today, I heard the Orchestra of St. Luke's in music by Thomas Ades and Beethoven, with soloist Helene Grimaud and conductor Xian Zhang. It was also a breathtaking concert - with a perfect rendition of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. Grimaud performs with depth and conviction (and despite a cellphone ring in one of the most sensitive portions of the first movement) with incredible dynamics. I melted with the precision of the last movement, which was not only clean but touching. My friend and coworker Cary who came along said he could barely sit still hearing such awesome playing.
The Ades was disappointing, a tribute to Couperin that was unmoving and quite static. Beethoven's 4th Symphony was put through its paces and showed lots of flair and excitement. Again, a very precise and uptempo take on a true classic.

Another highlight was meeting up with friend and composer Steve Stucky for lunch at a good Thai restaurant beforehand. aLater, Cary and I caught a quick cup of coffee and tiramisu after the concert and had an easy trip home, hearing part of Superbowl XLII on am radio.

A super Sunday indeed.

While waiting Sunday

Enjoying a cigar before the 2nd Viennese School concert with the Met Chamber Ensemble, I saw the Fort Worth Symphony loading up their equipment from their concert.
My Sunday night was wonderful, with out of this world playing by all involved. I still think eighth blackbird owns Pierrot Lunaire, but this reading was wonderful in its own ways as well, just not the staged virtuosity and complexity that 8bb gives.
The pairing of chamber works by Berg, Webern and Schoenberg was brilliant with Levine, either directing or playing - he was sublime and completely in his element.

Five Things about Orchestra of St. Luke's

I heard the Orchestra of St. Luke's with Roberto Abbado and violinist Joshua Bell Sunday afternoon at Carnegie Hall.

1. The program began with a new reworking of Joan Tower's String Quartet, In Memory for string orchestra. It certainly plays on the strengths of St. Luke's, with plenty of delicate passages along with powerful lines, all played musically in this new setting. If history repeats itself, Joan will win the Pulitzer Prize for Music with it, ala John Corigliano's Second Symphony/String Quartet. In Memory is certainly deserving!

2. Josh Bell then played a rousing Barber Violin Concerto. It was just right, not too fast, not too slow, nice balances and beautifully phrased.

3. After intermission came the world premiere of Jay Greenberg's Violin Concerto. It's a one movement work that has brilliant orchestra colors. In fact, the orchestral part is far more engaging than the violin part. Greenberg, a fifteen year old composer, has made great levels of improvement from his Fifth Symphony and String Quintet. The Violin Concerto is much more of an individual voice and has much promise, I've heard rumors of more orchestral and concerti commissions - hear hear!

4. The program finished on a high note, Haydn's Symphony #93. This "London" Symphony also showed off the OSL to it's musical strengths: long, well crafted phrases, spot on ensemble and good humor (kudos to the bassoons and timpani!) Hearing Haydn with the Orchestra of St. Luke's is a hallmark of Western Civilization. In a word, divine.

5. I must point out what a joy Roberto Abbado is on the podium. He gives his all for the music. And it was evident in every piece, how much he loved the music, and the result was wonderful. As the World Series names an MVP, Sunday afternoon would have surely named Abbado for OSL.

OSL will be back @ Carnegie with Helene Grimaud with music by Beethoven and Ades - don't miss it!

Five Things about the NY Pops

I heard the New York Pops Friday evening with Pip Clarke, Michael Feinstein and maestro Stuart Malina at Carnegie Hall.

1. The night began with a patron leading the National Anthem. Stuart Malina joked it was his first student to conduct at Carnegie Hall. It set the mood for a great evening of music and fun.

2. Next up a stirring tribute to the chairman of the NY Pops board, who passed away recently. They played his favorite piece, the Roumanian Rhapsody #1 by Georges Enescu. Bravo!

3. The program continued with the evening's theme, movie music. Tempos were bright and also included some arrangements by Skitch Henderson.

4. Pip Clarke played Korngold's Violin Concerto, which uses themes from movie scores like Anthony Adverse and Captains Courageous. Things didn't gel well, with the oddest interpretation I think I've heard - especially puzzling was Clarke's over the top spiccato which neither worked musically or sonically. I wish more care had been taken with transitions.

5. After intermission, Michael Feinstein entertained, dazzled and tickled the ivories, and sang his heart out. Especially touching a song by Henry Mancini dedicated to Mrs. Mancini who was there, and great banter to introduce the songs. Malina and the Pops were always spot on with Feinstein and by the end of the night you wanted more.

The audience was electric Friday night, with high school students, Harrisburg supporters for Malina and a wide range of ages.

In the Maestro Suite

At Carnegie Hall with Stuart Malina, and a bust of Toscanini.

Around the room are photos and autographs of Szell, Bernstein, maestros galore!

A Five Things coming soon (when I get back to Hburg!)

Happy St. Patty's Day

Enjoy an interview of mine with Ireland's (and the rest of the world!) favorite flutist, Sir James Galway for St. Patrick's Day.

Part 1 [mp3 file]
Part 2 [mp3 file]
Part 3 [mp3 file]

I'll be in NYC this weekend, and keep an eye out for a review at Carnegie's Zankel Hall of Chris Thile.

5 Things about Cellist Efe Baltacigil

The "Distinctive Debut" at Carnegie Hall of Cellist Efe Baltacigil and Pianist Anna Polonsky was Friday night at Weill Recital Hall.


1. The program consisted of four sonatas ranging almost 200 years in music (1741 for the Bach and 1936 for the Saygun) and certainly each were treated with stylistic skill by both performers.


2. Efe uses the cello for a wide range of colors and emotions - I'm stunned as a fellow string player at his wide palette. I'm less thrilled with his way too audible breaths - mind you the audience was a bit noisy with coughing and sniffles too. But seriously at one point early on, I thought there was something wrong with his bow, when I realized, no that is his breath. (Some fine tennis players too make a bit too much noise when returning a serve [think Maria Sharapova] and you get over it...)



3. The choice of an encore - which the audience clearly wanted - was quite touching, the Andante movement of the Bach sonata in memory of a past professor at Curtis, Edward Aldwell. Aldwell was well respected for his scholarship of Bach and this was spot on.



4. Anna Polonsky was stunning and near perfect in the recital - especially moving was the Fantasia of Franck's sonata.



5. Most revealing was the musicality Baltacigil exuded in Ahmet Saygun's Sonata, opus 12. It's not a well known or great work, but in the hands of Efe and Anna, it sparkled like a diamond - with moments of pure joy and passion. I'd liken this particular work to a "Turkish" Debussy.



I'm looking forward to another recital this spring at Carnegie's Weill Hall when Joyce DiDonato makes her debut in Great Singers in Weill: Evenings of Song. You'll remember Joyce is a WSU grad and we had way too much fun in school. It's Thursday March 1st, 2007. One not to miss!

Small world

So another run in in front of Carnegie Hall - yes - in a city of 8.2 million, I suprisingly run into an old school chum.
John Hagstrom is the principal 2nd trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Turns out they (the CSO) were in the main hall while I was in Weill hearing Efe and Anna.
Out front I hear someone say "See you John." and I turn around and see a somewhat familiar silhoutte, so I say, "John Hagstrom?"
And he turns around. We exchanged quick greetings and biz cards.
Small world.

You'll no doubt remember this posting from the spring when I was recognized by a model...or this quite recent bump into a radio friend.