Top Ten Composers needing healthcare

Today's decision makes me think of composers and healthcare, so here goes a Top Ten list of who might have benefited from better healthcare in their day!

10. Robert Schumann
9. Frederic Chopin
8. Ludwig van Beethoven
7. Lili Boulanger
6. Bedrich Smetana
5. Hugo Wolf
4. Alban Berg
3. Vincenzo Bellini
2. Giovanni Pergolesi
and the number one composer who needed better healthcare is...
1. Jean Baptiste Lully

The prize

I was delighted to hear my friend Kevin Puts won this year's Pultizer in Music. I asked if he was the youngest, and he immediately said, "No, I'm 40! There have been younger, oh no, not me. Copland or someone." And it made me wonder WHO was the youngest.

Charles Wuorinen (and kitty)

Turns out, back in 1970, Charles Wuorinen was only 32 years old when he was awarded the prize (for Time's Encomium, an electronic composition written on commission from Nonesuch Records).
Next is Wynton Marsalis at age 36, and when they were 38, composers Gail Kubik (in 1952) and Aaron Jay Kernis (in 1998) were awarded the Pulitzer Prize.
There you have it.

Mad Men of Music 2

Continuing our Mad Men thread, the folks @ Sterling Cooper would have taken clients, wives and girlfriends over on the new Lincoln Center (where the NY Phil played at in 1962) and heard some remarkable music. [Many of the new pieces were commissioned for the opening of Lincoln Center!]
So without further ado, here are the ten concerts that the folks at Sterling Cooper would have gone to see and hear.

09/23/1962 SUN 9:00PM Philharmonic Hall

INAUGURAL CONCERT IN PHILHARMONIC HALL

Bernstein, Leonard

Farrell, Eileen Soprano
Verrett, Shirley Mezzo-Soprano
Vickers, Jon TenorBell, Donald Bass-baritone
Schola Cantorum of NY
Juilliard Chorus
Addison, Adele Soprano
Amara, Lucine Soprano
Chookasian, Lili Mezzo-Soprano
Tourel, Jennie Mezzo-Soprano
Bressler, Charles Tenor
Tucker, Richard Tenor
Flagello, Ezio Bass-baritone

London, George Bass-baritone

Columbus Boychoir

The Star Spangled Banner
Beethoven / Missa solemnis in D major, Op. 123 / Gloria
Copland (seen left) / Connotations WORLD PREMIERE

Intermission
Vaughan Williams / Serenade to Music
Mahler / Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major / Hymn: Veni, creator spiritus

10/18/1962 THU 8:30PM Philharmonic Hall
Bernstein, Leonard

Montealegre, Felicia (Lenny's wife) Speaker
Weaver, Fritz Narrator
Addison, Adele Soprano
Babikian, Virginia Soprano
Kleinman, Marlena Mezzo-Soprano
Simon, Joanna Mezzo-Soprano (seen right)
Choral Art Society

Honegger (70th bday)/ Rugby (Mouvement Symphonique No. 2)

Honegger / Pastorale d'été
Honegger / Pacific 231 (Symphonic Movement No. 1)
Intermission
Debussy (100th bday)/ Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien


11/29/1962 THU 8:30PM Philharmonic Hall
Barbirolli, John
Bachauer, Gina Piano (left)

Milhaud / Overture Philharmonique WORLD PREMIERE
Delius / Intermezzo from Fennimore and Gerda
Beethoven / Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Intermission
Brahms / Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

12/13/1962 THU 8:30PM Philharmonic HallMaazel, Lorin

Ferras, Christian Violin (right)
Mendelssohn / Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107, Reformation
Berg / Violin Concerto

Intermission
Beethoven / Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67

Jan 17, 18, 19, 1963
Bernstein, Leonard
Lhevinne, Rosina Piano
Juilliard String Quartet
Mennin / Concertato, Moby Dick

Chopin / Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra in E minor, Op. 11
Intermission
Martinu / Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra
Ravel / La Valse

Apr 04, 05, 06, 07, 1963
Schippers, Thomas
Arroyo, Martina Soprano (left)

Britten / Variations for String Orchestra on a Theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10
Barber / Andromache's Farewell, for Soprano and Orchestra WORLD PREMIERE: (COMMISSIONED BY THE NYP IN CELEBRATION OF ITS OPENING SEASON IN LINCOLN CENTER)
Intermission

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

Apr 11, 12, 13, 14, 1963Schippers, Thomas, Conductor & Organ
Meyer, Jeffrey Boy Soprano
Walter Baker Chorus
Little Church Around the Corner Boys' Choir
St. Paul's Boys' Choir

Wagner / Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg: Prelude
Mozart / Symphony No. 38 in D major, K.504, Prague
Intermission

Poulenc (seen right)/ Concerto in G minor for Organ, Strings and Timpani

Poulenc / Sept répons des ténèbres WORLD PREMIERE (COMMISSIONED BY THE NYP
IN CELEBRATION OF ITS OPENING SEASON IN
LINCOLN CENTER)

Apr 25, 26, 27, 28, 1963Hindemith, Paul
Heiller, Anton Organ

Weber / Euryanthe Overture
Hindemith / Concerto for Organ WORLD PREMIERE (COMMISSIONED BY THE NYP IN
CELEBRATION OF ITS OPENING SEASON IN LINCOLN CENTER)
Intermission
Reger / Variations and Fugue on a Merry Theme of Johann Adolph Hiller, Op.
100

May 16, 17, 18, 19, 1963
Bernstein, Leonard
Stern, Isaac Violin

Mozart / Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K.550
Mozart / Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K.219, Turkish
Intermission
Henze / Symphony No. 5 WORLD PREMIERE (COMMISSIONED BY THE NYP IN
CELEBRATION OF ITS OPENING SEASON IN LINCOLN CENTER)Debussy / Ibéria

Promenade / May 31, Jun 01, 02, 1963
Kostelanetz, Andre

Sills, Beverly Soprano (left)
VIENNA NIGHT
Mozart / Le Nozze di Figaro Overture

Mozart / Symphony No. 24 in B-flat major, K.173dA
Mozart / Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, K.384 / Martern aller Arten
Mozart / Exsultate, jubilate, K.158a (K.165) / Alleluja (Allegro)
Strauss / Straussiana
Strauss / Fruhlingsstimmen (Voices of Spring), Op. 410
Strauss / Perpetuum mobile, Op. 257

Strauss / Pizzicato Polka
Strauss / Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, Op. 214
Strauss / An der schönen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op.
314
Intermission
Strauss / Der Rosenkavalier/ Waltzes
Korngold / Die tote Stadt / Marietta's Lied
Lehár / The Land of Smiles / Yours is My
Heart Alone
Strauss / Die Fledermaus / Klänge der Heimat (Csárdás)

Lehár / The Merry Widow: Suite

With the ROBERT HERGET DANCERS:
BETTY LOW, NIRA PAAZ, TAD TADLOCK, TOM MIXON, EDWARD VERSO

Ten concerts that Mad Men would have caught with new music in New York City...I also imagine since the Philharmonic was starting to play @ Lincoln Center, they would have had dessert & a drink afterwards on the upper west side.
Season 3 Mad Men concerts still to come!

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.

Amazing Anne-Sophie

It's no secret that one of my favorite violinists is Anne-Sophie Mutter. I first got an LP of her Mozart Concerti when I was a teenager, and was learning the G major Concerto. She was a real inspiration and I still talk to my friend who gave me the disc, and say thanks (you rock Elin!)

Much later down the road I would have every cd, laserdisc(!), dvd, download, and in the 90s, I even had a fan site about her with pictures and information (as well as the internet's only site for the music of Andzrej Panufnik at the time, see part of it here from the WayBack Machine, ah geocities!)
I've seen her several times perform live, from Beethoven to Berg, and it is always exciting.

I've also had tapes, cds and mp3s of interviews with her, from various radio stations and networks - one of my favorites is a discussion with Robert Siegel on NPR's All Things Considered. So when I was offered a chance by Amanda Ameer at Universal to talk with Anne-Sophie I jumped at it! It was afternoon in Germany and early one Wednesday morning in San Antonio when we spoke.

Take a listen to our phone conversation: mp3 file

The discussion is mostly around Sofia Gubaidulina, a composer who wrote In Tempus Praesens for Anne-Sophie last year. Of course, we also talked about the Bach that is on the new cd, as well as other composers.
The cd is out on October 7th, in a deluxe set, and as a regular release, as well as a download at DG Webshop. Get it in any version, you'll love it and be sure to see her on tour!

Composers nodding

But when will they make Carter, Corigliano, Zwillich and of course for Soho the dog, Mahler & Strauss?!

http://www.greatcomposerbobbleheads.com/

I would like to buy a Roxanna Panufnik and Steven Stucky...

Six Secret Fears

Recently there have been several comments about self criticism creating music, and even Yahoo has had features about "secret fears."

I thought I'd share after the hundreds of interviews I've conducted with composers, the top six fears of composition.

#6. Cleftomania, the fear that you'll steal the attention of the ensemble from having written the wrong notes in tenor clef for upper register cello or wrong notes in viola clef (although only Paul Hindemith would really know if the notes were right or if the violists were just missing them!)

#5. Hollandtosis, the fear that Bernard Holland will review the world premiere or NY premiere of your composition.

#4. Influtenza, the fear that flute choirs will continually commission you for flute choir works - often with bass flute candenzas.

#3. Scorrevolephrenia, the continous flowing or gliding of musical ideas, often found in great American composers born on December 11th, 1908.

#2. inNANESity, the fear that Richard Nanes will write more works, or that your composition will sound like Richard Nanes. (Related to Jenkinsdice or the sounds of Karl Jenkins)

and the #1 secret fear of composers: Chronic Fugue Syndrome, the fear that you will write too fugually OR wind up in one of John's silly blog posts.

Composers suffering from the above symptoms show consult an ASCAP, AMC, ACF or BMI professional immediately as well as book a taping on Dr. Philharmonic (seen right).

I'm sure there are more fears and diseases (let's leave Schubertian VDs out of it, too Spitzer-esque) that composers suffer - leave your fears/suggestions in the comments!

Baltimore Bound

“Composers in Conversation”
www.baltimoresymphony.org
Wednesday, September 26, 2007—John Adams
Wednesday, October 10, 2007—Tan Dun
Wednesday, October 17, 2007—HK Gruber
Wednesday, November 28, 2007—Aaron Jay Kernis
Wednesday, January 30, 2008—Mark O’Connor
Wednesday, February 6, 2008—Steven Mackey
Wednesday, March 5, 2008—Christopher Rouse
Wednesday, April 2, 2008—James MacMillan
Wednesday, April 16, 2008—John Corigliano
Wednesday, May 14, 2008—Thomas Adès
Wednesday, June 18, 2008—Joan Tower

Dinner

I had the most charming dinner with new friends last week in Ithaca (at Zaza's Cucina). I left immediately from work, and it being Friday the 13th, had quite an adventure driving, but made it barely in time for the reservations.
The company was exquisite, the food plentiful and tasty, and the wine numerous and succulent! Here are the bottles we enjoyed:

2000 Vieux Télégraph Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Crau (France)

2003 Domaine la Barroche Chateauneuf-du-Pape (France)

2002 Finca Sandoval (93% Syrah, 7% Mourvedre) (Spain)

2003 Arietta Variation One (60% Merlot, 40% Syrah) (California)
2003 Clarendon Hills Grenache Old Vines Romas Vineyard (Australia)

2003 Clarendon Hills Syrah Liandra Vineyard (Australia)

It's hard to name a favorite, although the Finca and Arietta were superb and our host, an amazing composer and brilliant man, had a "bad" bottle of Clarendon Grenache, so it would have ended the supper, had it been in top shape.
Afterwards, we joined our host at his apartment for cigars and scotch.

Five Things about OSL's Chamber Players

I attended the "Unbound" concert at the Chelsea Art Museum Saturday afternoon of the Notable Women Festival with the Orchestra of St. Luke's Chamber Players.


1. This series is very delightful, and while I couldn't attend the first concert, I made sure to make this one as well as next week! Joan Tower, the "host, conceiver, & curator" of the festival has assembled great music in a wonderful space. All of the composers were present, each spoke before their piece and hung out afterwards for questions and tasty treats.



2. The program began with the outstanding soprano Tony Arnold. She's as great live as she is recorded - and it was awesome to know the Tania Leon work she sang, Singin' Sepia has been recorded by Bridge Records. Look for it this fall, it's an engaging work with brilliant word painting and just the right bit of fun.


3. Joan's Night Field (String Quartet #1) was next and remains one of my favorites. She was quite eloquent addressing the idea of chamber music and this first foray into the quartet world. Skip 13 years and not only is Joan in residence with the OSL, she'll be featured later this summer at La Jolla and this season with the CMS Lincoln Center. (Remember her new work for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra?)


4. Jennifer Higdon could set the phone book to music and I'd come hear it, and I bet she'd do an amazing job with it! Her Piano Trio is a nice blend of passion, charm and wit - besides winning "best of show" (my own award for this blog entry!) in this art museum where she could point out the "Pale Yellow" depicted in the first movement and the "Fiery Red" in the paintings behind and beside the piano!


5. Libby Larsen rounded out the program with her 2001 Piano Trio. It was written for the Angelfire Festival and as she explained, it's the festival where musicians go to relax from playing at festivals. It was extremely well woven and the perfect ending for the program.

The festival continues next weekend with "Unleashed." Catch it if you can, you'll be happy you did!

Is your neighbor a composer?

As we’re coming to a close on the first year of weekly Composing Thoughts shows, don’t miss an episode of composers from Central PA:
http://composingthoughts.blogspot.com/2007/06/central-pa-composers-2.html
We’ll highlight Patrick Long, David Little and James Brody who all create or have composed here in the midstate.

And our season finale next Sunday features the futuristic and far reaching sounds of DBR (Daniel Bernard Roumain) – with a doctorate from Michigan and a mix of hiphop certainly flavor this episode including collaborations with DJ Spooky and Philip Glass; conversations including Ockeghem, Beethoven, Shostakovich & Iraq; and a tribute to Rosa Parks, his fifth string quartet: Klap Ur Handz.

Enjoy it, Sunday night at 7pm on WITF-FM.

Two days, Four composers

Great to be in NYC last Friday and Monday...
Caught up with Daron Hagen (seen left with moi), Sebastian Currier, DBR (Daniel Bernard Roumain) and Richard Danielpour.
They'll all be featured on Composing Thoughts.

Poetic

The latest Danse Macabre is now out, see it here. While it focuses on poetry, my friend Adam managed to include me with a fun reworking of a composer interview I did - enjoy!

Don't Walk, Run!

Get your tickets for the Baltimore Symphony's 2007-2008 season. It's the first full season with Marin Alsop as director, and get this, eleven, yes, 11 living composers will be on hand talking about their music and in some cases conducting it!
Check it out here.

Oh, and Marin is conducting the world premiere with the Pittsburgh Symphony of John Corigliano's Percussion Concerto with Evelyn Glennie next year too.