Oh the irony

I've watched all of two football games this year, both playoff games. Yet, I've won my fantasy football league on Yahoo!

Now, I enjoy and follow hockey much more than any other sport, and this year I'm #12 and #6 in those leagues. Go figure. Maybe I'll do better after the allstar break.

(Note the 2002 championship for hockey - and a 3rd place too! That 2003 2nd place should note it was a hard championship league from winning 2002!)

Now and ahead

There's a great question and answer going on over at maestro Stuart Malina's blog, check it out here.

Tomorrow night, from 8 to 10pm, I'll be performing with Paul Zavinsky & Zach Baldwin-Way ay Eckel's Drug Store in Mechanicsburg - it's the debut of Zach's new mandolin, come on over and check it out - have some coffee or ice cream and maybe even dance a bit!

Saturday morning I catch some of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia with Gerard Schwarz and have an interview with the maestro (read my previous review of the COoP here); then head back to York to catch the hilarious Paula Poundstone, and have her record some spots for WITF. (listen to my interview with Paula here)

Sunday I was going to go to Merkin Hall to hear Trio Soloisti & Friends, but I have to car shop, no way of getting around it anymore!

Voice of the Violinist

Take a peek and hear my interview with Joshua Bell on the New Releases Blog from WITF.
I spoke with him yesterday morning briefly. He'll be in Philadelphia on February 7th at the Kimmel Center. Enjoy!

So this is how they start

[rumors that is!]
Anyone else a bit curious to two seemingly unrelated cancellations?

First, there's Renee Fleming not appearing this week with the NY Philharmonic in their Toscanini Tribute...

and Thomas Quasthoff not appearing this week with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Mahler's Kindertotenlieder...

Hmmmm...

Just kidding, I know nothing of a tryst with Quasthoff and Fleming, but it's a bummer, they have such amazing voices.

Hmmm, what WOULD their children sound like?

Fantastic Fiddle

Violinist Janine Jansen has just released her Mendelssohn/Bruch concerti recording here in the US. It's fantastic to say the least. It also features her playing viola, yes you read that right, VIOLA, on a rarity, Bruch's Romance.

Take a listen to part of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto cadenza with Janine and her lovely Strad: mp3 file

It's also awesome that she is performing these and other works around the world. In this neck of the woods, she'll be in Washington DC in February, Philadelphia in April and NYC in May and September. See the rest of her schedule here. And buy the new recording here (a portion benefits WITF).

Inner views of a new cd

Take a look and listen - my latest entries for WITF blogs, here for New Releases
and here for the Composing Thoughts.

You'll catch some great vibes from the Callisto Ensemble and composer Augusta "Gusty" Read Thomas. Enjoy.

Done Dun

You can catch a brand new opera today, from the Met, with the composer Tan Dun conducting. Hear the First Emperor on the radio, or in a theater!
Read more about it on Dr. Dick's blog here.

My friend Joyce is excited to be on screen soon in March in the Barber of Seville!

Friday Food

My friend Derek tagged me for - a food meme! (slightly altered) I love to eat and eat to love…oh wait…uhm, anyway, I’m always looking for great food when on trips. Here are some of the faves!
Favorite food: NY Strip.

Favorite overall fast-food restaurant: In-n-Out Burger

Favorite Irish Pub: Mr. Dennehy’s

Favorite sit-down seafood restaurant: McCormick & Schmick’s

Favorite steak house: It’s a tie! Macelleria in NYC and Bob’s Steak and Chop Shop in Dallas

Favorite deli: Black Forest Bakery & Henk's European Deli

Favorite burger joint: Burger Bar Mandalay Place

Favorite sports bar: Hooter’s in Madison, WI

Favorite ice cream joint: Another Tie! Culver’s Frozen Custard & Luv it Frozen Custard

Favorite sit-down Thai restaurant: Aqua

Favorite pizza: Brother's Pizza

Favorite fast-food restaurant located in a city other than your hometown: The Pantry (LA)

Favorite sit-down restaurant located in a city other than your hometown: Pastis (NYC)

Sit-down restaurant you would miss most if you moved away: Cafe Fresco/Al-med

Fast-food restaurant you would miss most if you moved away: Zembie's

Out-of-business fast-food restaurant that you miss from your hometown: McDowells (oh wait that's from Coming to America)

Out-of-business sit-down restaurant that you miss from your hometown: BacHaus

Favorite donut shop: Druber’s Donut & Coffee & & & & &

Favorite romantic eating atmosphere: Nobu

Restaurant you are itchin’ to try: Luke's Diner (pre-season seven of Gilmore Girls)

One memorable eating out memory: Well, Derek has mentioned the Applebee's crowd - there are too many to list; I'll do a separate blog entry on dining out - promise!

Favorite Cigar Bar: The Library in Dallas; Hudson Bar & Books in NYC; atf is Old Town Cigars in Wichita.

2007 State of Indian Nations Address

Native Voice One is pleased to bring you the 2007 State of Indian Nations Address, live from the National Press Club on Thursday January 25, 2007 at 12:00 - 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Similar to past year's broadcasts, this will be a live feed from the event. The hour will be moderated by NCAI Executive Director Jacklyn Johnson, and a question and answer session will follow the speech.
The Address will be carried live on stations across the country (check your local station listings) and on the NV1 live stream (www.nv1.org)
National Congress of the American Indian Joe Garcia (Ohkay Owingeh), President of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) - the nation's oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization -- will deliver the fifth annual "State of Indian Nations" address in Washington, D.C.
The address is planned not only as a response to President Bush's State of the Union address, which will take place on January 23, but also as a forum for relaying to the President, the American public and Indian Nations the general state of America's Indian nations. Themes will include: economic development; trust reform; the protection of American Indian tribal sovereignty; homeland security; and the many other issues currently facing Indian nations.

Conductor Interview

JoAnn Falletta

I recently spoke with conductor JoAnn Falletta while she was in Pennsylvania conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. We crossed paths in Wichita a few years back and had a delightful conversation, and she's really done amazing musical work, so it was nice to have another chat: from her poetry, commissioning new works, her start in conducting and much more.

Here's some of our conversation at the Union League of Philadelphia lounge.

Part 1 (opening) Talking about the role of a music director in the 21st century [mp3 file]

Part 2 (closing) Talking about career goals [mp3 file]

Keep an ear out for more of the interview on WITF-FM.

{photo of John and JoAnn by John Clare; conducting montage photo from JoAnnFalletta dot com}

Now available

Let your literary 2007 begin with...
Danse Macabre 4
The Music Issue
featuring essays, poetry, and humour by
* Felicia Florine Campbell
* Adam Henry Carriere
* John Clare
* Robert David Michael Cerello
* Bob Priest
* Elizabeth I. Riseden
now available at
www.thedansemacabre.blogspot.com

Interview posted

Take a look at the Composing Thoughts site to hear and see my interview with bassist Harold Robinson about John Harbison's Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra.
You can read my review about it here.

5 Things about the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia

I heard violinist Cho-Liang "Jimmy" Lin with conductor JoAnn Falletta and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia Sunday afternoon in the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater.

1. The concert was perfectly planned and programmed. As Falletta spoke to the audience beforehand, there were three pieces that looked back in history (including Vaughan-Williams' Tallis Fantasy), and two gems for the violin. Overheard while she was talking and at intermission was how graceful and brilliant JoAnn is.

2. Ellen Taaffe Zwilich's Concerto Grosso started the program, looking back at Handel. The orchestra caught the lyric and angular sides of this work and kept things very fresh.

3. Jimmy Lin played beautifully in Dvorak's Romance (with wonderful solos from the principal clarinetist Doris Hall-Gulati) and gave great brilliance to Mozart's 2nd Violin Concerto. As he said in the Classical Chat afterwards, Mozart wrote three better concerti after the 2nd (and far more performed than the others) - you wouldn't have guessed he felt that way by hearing him. I asked at the end of the chat if there were more composer anniversaries they were looking forward to in 2007, and Jimmy zinged me, saying he was going to celebrate Mozart's 251st birthday this year - touche!

4. Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite (keeping the theme of looking back, in this case to Pergolesi) is so charming, and certainly came across from the great music making of the COoP. Especially impressive was the bass section, just two of them, really nailing their parts.

5. JoAnn Falletta is such a delight, both on cd and in performance. She gives the musicians what they need musically, and she lets the audience enjoy some ballet too. The energy levels and joy she exudes is infectious for all involved. I'm looking forward to hearing her and one of her regular posts, in Buffalo this June.

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia has several more concerts ahead, including a performance with guest conductor Gerard Schwarz later this month.

Also keep an ear out here for my interview with JoAnn.

5 Things about the Philadelphia Orchestra

I heard the east coast premiere of John Harbison's Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra Friday night. It was a really wonderful concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

1. The program started with Wagner's Tristan und Isolde Prelude. It was my first time to see Marin Alsop in person, I've enjoyed her recordings and videos. She really is the embodiment of Leonard Bernstein - yet more. The Wagner was very musical, exciting and different, which I appreciate from standard repertoire. The orchestra was responsive and passionate.

2. It's hard to say exactly what I like best about Harbison's new bass concerto. No not for that reason, but because there are some many amazing things about it: it's exciting - it's brilliantly set up for the soloist, not only well balanced virtuoso and lyric playing - but the bass is never covered up in heavy orchestrations. There are also lovely solos in the parts for the concertmaster, two members of the bass section and of course, normal woodwind solos. My favorite instrument makes an appearance in the last movement - the flexitone!
As for the performance, Harold Robinson nailed the work. And he was almost always in the stratosphere, leaning across the bass. He also went from a lyric classical style to hip jazz licks with ease wherever Harbsion called for it in the piece. Marin Alsop was less balletic with the work, seeming to lose the keyboard player in the last movement, but otherwise had a exciting work that the audience adored.

3. Aaron Copland's Third Symphony is very special to me. I can actually remember the very first time I heard it - on the radio at age 16. I immediately got a record of it (yes, an LP - of Mata and the DSO) and ended up collecting many others too. I was supposed to hear it the summer of 2000 in Dallas live and didn't make it, so this was the first chance I could hear it in person. I wasn't disappointed.

I had guessed there would be some missed notes - and mainly from the brass - since there are so many demands made by Copland. That wasn't the case though. Actually the funniest part of the evening came from an early entrance of the contrabassoon, insert your own junior high school joke here. There are also incredibly high parts written for the string section, and the sections "all rose" to the occassion! The bass section shown in their initial entrance and also in the third movement.

All in all, the Philadelphia Orchestra went to stellar heights with this concert. Any talk about their problems, should take a close listen, and as in many things in life, don't base things on one hearing. Performances vary, but the magic that the orchestra delivers is usually legendary.

4. Marin Alsop was a delight to watch. She led with grace and an amazing sense of line. And she was all about the music. Baltimore is lucky to get her as a Music Director.

5. Several things struck me about the audience. First, they adored their own principal bass, and were very warm (and Hal deserved it!); secondly, it was interesting to see the reception that Marin enjoyed from them - there was lots of talk about her, and there were four curtain calls after the Copland. I thought they should have encored Grainger's Sussex Mummer's Carol since the Mummers Parade was Saturday morning.

You can catch this concert again this evening and Tuesday night. Also coming up is Thomas Quasthoff singing Mahler with the orchestra later this month!

happy NEW MUSIC year

Well, it's the 4th of January, 2007 and so far I've interviewed Augusta Read Thomas on the phone; had lunch with Robert Moran; and interviewed John Harbison. What an awesome start!

Of course, I don't think this pace will continue; but it certainly will have quite a few highlights!!!

[photo of myself & John Harbison backstage at the Kimmel Center by Andrew Gena]

Interview with Paula

I was thrilled to cover Paula Poundstone's upcoming appearance in York, PA (find out more here at the Strand Capitol website) for WITF's ArtBeat. It will air Friday January 12th before her show on January 20th.

I had set my dvr to record her special a month or two ago when I saw it listed, and when I was emceeing the York Symphony saw the ad for her appearance - so it was logical to pitch it for a story. There's also a great tie in, since she is a frequent panelist on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

So before I left on vacation, we had a chance to chat on the phone. I also picked up her new book that day and read the hilarious chapter on Beethoven. On my holiday vacation I finished the book, it's brilliant and funny.

Here's our conversation:

Part 1 On her live show [mp3 file]

Part 2 On her costume [mp3 file]

Part 3 On the idea of the new book [mp3 file]

Part 4 On Math and WWDTM [mp3 file]

Part 5 On Writing [mp3 file]

Tune in to WITF to hear ArtBeat Friday January 12th; and see her show in York on the 20th of January - the Bravo special is also repeated, check your local listings.

You can also see her tour schedule here. (She'll be back in PA in February!)

Vacation, Part Deux

The train ride from Chicago to Omaha was also quite easy and relaxing.

Here I am smoking a cigar while in front of the Citibank building in Chicago on my layover.

I also got some snaps of fave buildings/companies that I enjoy, including the Lyric Opera:

And of the Sears Tower (in the morning on the way out and at night on the way back):

While home I had a nice break from everything and time to enjoy with family. That included quite a bit of cooking - I made Curry in a Hurry from memory ala Rachael Ray; as well as some steaks, tuna & rice; and the old Grilled PB&J. Mostly it was nice to talk and catch up with my folks.

Holidaze 2006

Looking back at my trip home -as Terry would say, Smalltown, USA, mine's now in Nebraska as my folks have moved from Kansas- was just swell. It was nice to take some time off from both the violin and from radio for a week.
I did alot of cooking and helped around the house as best I could.
The travel itself was quite easy. I watched season five of Alias - almost the entire series but one on the trip there! I had bought a portable dvd player for my trip (I had broken it in on a previous NYC train trip) and specifically gotten the fifth season of Alias (I stopped watching it when I was bummed by plot lines - but ended up watching the few final episodes on TV last year) for this trip home.
On the way back I indulged in some of Buck Rogers in the 24th Century (ah, Erin Gray) and read Paula Poundstone's new book.

My first stop was in Pittsburgh. I walked up to an Irish pub and enjoyed a bowl of soup and some fish and chips. There were some good decorations for the holidays, including a large manger scene in front of US Steel corp and even the trees in front of the train station had nice lights.

My trip to Chicago was easy overnight, and quite restful. The lounge car was cool too, and I grabbed a diet coke to wake up.

In Chicago I walked around quite a bit, enjoying sites and buildings as well as some last minute Christmas shopping. Of course, I had a yummy breakfast and took time out for a cigar.

They do say

a sense of humor is an attraction...and there you go, Nikki Cox marrying Jay Mohr...read about it here.
Still catching up on emails, this blog and dvr programs. Oh, and interview transcribing...ugh. Good to be home again and to be busy.
Oh, and to top it off, a Bond Marathon on Encore, 007 in '07. Goldfinger is on right now.

Should auld...

Wonderful time last night in Hummelstown at Al Med. Thanks to everyone who came out and what a blast afterwards!
Also check out the Fly Magazine story about Paul, he's featured this month.
More about the holidays soon...happy NEW MUSIC year!