Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Happy Holidays!
I recently spoke with two of the King's Singers at WITF while on their US Tour, they performed at the Majestic in Gettysburg.They'll be back to celebrate their 40th Anniversary in 2008, and going to be in Annville, PA, so keep an eye out. But for now, enjoy this interview!
Interview [MP3 file]
Monday, December 17, 2007
Hi Mom!
Thanks to the over 25,000 folks who have stopped by ClassicallyHip!
And for new arts tv, check out what the Boston Pops are up to:
http://www.bostonpops.tv/
And for new arts tv, check out what the Boston Pops are up to:
http://www.bostonpops.tv/
Classical Clare
I'm on today and tomorrow from 9am to 3pm, if you're in the Harrisburg area, be sure to tune in to 89.5 FM. It's all Clare all the time, h00t!
Happy World Atonality Day
Just in time for World Atonality Day, ClassicallyHip Productions presents Copying Penderecki.
Tubist Phillip Black (left) portrays the Polish Composer Krzysztof Penderecki (above) in the new music movie about the decision to title an avant garde work with the 
help of a woman, played by Roxanna Panufnik (right), who previously scored music for Ed Harris (below) as a deaf musician/emotional abstract artist who drips paint and violently attacks Viggo Mortensen.
The story is loosely based and orchestrated with basses.
Think of Walk Hard meets the Schoenberg Code.
Copying Penderecki also stars Tom Hanks as Arnold Schoenberg's ghost, who warns Penderecki about the highest possible note.
F Murray Abraham portrays a Polish communist leader attempting to poison Penderecki and take his Threnody as his own.
Nastassia Kinski is Penderecki's young lover who's father objects to their relationship.
Judy Davis also appears as the cigar smoking poetess who is inspired by Penderecki's music.
Jonathan Pryce and Sarah Wynter 
are a troubled Vienese couple who influence Penderecki, but not as much as Bruckner does. 
Robert Powell has a smaller role as Pryce's twin brother and Georgina Hale plays Sarah Wynter's twin sister - both rather dreamy and metaphorical.
Stranger yet is an appearance of Wierd Al as a tv programmer who invites Penderecki to a new show on Channel 62, Polish Idol, where each week contestants play and sing cluster chords.
Catch Copying Penderecki at a computer near you!
You also might enjoy this Harry Potter/Partch spoof...
Tubist Phillip Black (left) portrays the Polish Composer Krzysztof Penderecki (above) in the new music movie about the decision to title an avant garde work with the 
help of a woman, played by Roxanna Panufnik (right), who previously scored music for Ed Harris (below) as a deaf musician/emotional abstract artist who drips paint and violently attacks Viggo Mortensen.The story is loosely based and orchestrated with basses.
Think of Walk Hard meets the Schoenberg Code. Copying Penderecki also stars Tom Hanks as Arnold Schoenberg's ghost, who warns Penderecki about the highest possible note. F Murray Abraham portrays a Polish communist leader attempting to poison Penderecki and take his Threnody as his own.Nastassia Kinski is Penderecki's young lover who's father objects to their relationship.
Judy Davis also appears as the cigar smoking poetess who is inspired by Penderecki's music. Jonathan Pryce and Sarah Wynter are a troubled Vienese couple who influence Penderecki, but not as much as Bruckner does. Robert Powell has a smaller role as Pryce's twin brother and Georgina Hale plays Sarah Wynter's twin sister - both rather dreamy and metaphorical.Stranger yet is an appearance of Wierd Al as a tv programmer who invites Penderecki to a new show on Channel 62, Polish Idol, where each week contestants play and sing cluster chords.
Catch Copying Penderecki at a computer near you!You also might enjoy this Harry Potter/Partch spoof...
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Interviews
I was blessed with three interviews this week in Manhattan! I talked with Helene Grimaud 
and Alex Ross already, and meet up with Jose Serebrier this afternoon.
I am also hearing Helene tonight at the Met Museum in Brahms & Schumann chamber music, after hearing her in Ravel's Concerto last night @ Lincoln Center.
Friday, December 14, 2007
St. Louis Holiday video
The York Symphony Orchestra director is also in St. Louis and has shared this wonderful video, which you might see on NBC quite soon!
AWOL
I'm always bummed when there isn't a posting by Molly Sheridan on Fridays, one of many great things from the American Music Center's New Music Box. (or as it kinda looks by what is supposed to be an unsmiley face, I'm mustached when there isn't a post)When the Friday Informer does return, no doubt she'll include Dr. Dick's latest writing on Bach, fugues and cars - too clever and funny!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Upcoming Organ in the new year
From David S. Messner:
Peter Lea-Cox, an English organist, will give a recital, beginning at 7:30 on Friday, October 10, 2008 at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Harrisburg, PA. Margaret and I have heard one of his recitals. He opened with English Baroque music, including Handel, Greene, Thomas Arne, etc., then transitioned smoothly into elegant English Romantic Period music, such as Elgar, Howells, Finzi, Stanton, Ireland, and the like.
Margaret and I thoroughly enjoyed his recital on a small but (as always) distinguished Taylor and Boody tracker pipe organ. He's so ingenious with registrations, that he made this small instrument sound like a considerably larger instrument with more tonal resources than the instrument actually has. He is professionally deeply interested in English Baroque music, and plays it extraordinarily well.
We really would like to get a big turnout for his recital. So, tell your friends and invite them to put it on their MS Outlook calendars, and then as the date approaches, give them a bit of friendly harrassment to remind them.
Peter Lea-Cox, an English organist, will give a recital, beginning at 7:30 on Friday, October 10, 2008 at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Harrisburg, PA. Margaret and I have heard one of his recitals. He opened with English Baroque music, including Handel, Greene, Thomas Arne, etc., then transitioned smoothly into elegant English Romantic Period music, such as Elgar, Howells, Finzi, Stanton, Ireland, and the like.
Margaret and I thoroughly enjoyed his recital on a small but (as always) distinguished Taylor and Boody tracker pipe organ. He's so ingenious with registrations, that he made this small instrument sound like a considerably larger instrument with more tonal resources than the instrument actually has. He is professionally deeply interested in English Baroque music, and plays it extraordinarily well.
We really would like to get a big turnout for his recital. So, tell your friends and invite them to put it on their MS Outlook calendars, and then as the date approaches, give them a bit of friendly harrassment to remind them.
Holiday spirit
Thought I'd share some posts from holidays past, sort of a Dickens-esque haunting if you will, for your enjoyment!Christmas Quiz (with answers!) - very popular from 2006
LV Brass Band playing and singing "Baby its cold outside." from 2005
(Thanks Pete for the Christmas tree pic!)
Marketing
This is cute, via Yahoo:
Hotel chain offers free rooms for Marys and Josephs at Christmas
A hotel chain Tuesday said it was offering couples called Joseph and Mary in Britain, Ireland and Spain free accommodation this Christmas on proof of marriage and name.
Hotel chain Travelodge said husbands and wives matching their criteria would get a night's stay on the house, but with more home comforts than the humble stable of the Christian Nativity story.
The offer, appropriately, runs between Christmas Eve (December 24) to Twelfth Night (January 5, 2008).
"The phrase 'no room at the inn' is something that resonates with us in the hotel business," said Travelodge operations director Jason Cotta.
"Therefore this year we have decided to evoke the true spirit of Christmas and invite Mary and Joseph couples as our guests."
A Travelodge spokeswoman told AFP couples will have to be married and provide proof of identity and register their names at a special e-mail address.
Hotel chain offers free rooms for Marys and Josephs at Christmas
A hotel chain Tuesday said it was offering couples called Joseph and Mary in Britain, Ireland and Spain free accommodation this Christmas on proof of marriage and name.
Hotel chain Travelodge said husbands and wives matching their criteria would get a night's stay on the house, but with more home comforts than the humble stable of the Christian Nativity story.
The offer, appropriately, runs between Christmas Eve (December 24) to Twelfth Night (January 5, 2008).
"The phrase 'no room at the inn' is something that resonates with us in the hotel business," said Travelodge operations director Jason Cotta.
"Therefore this year we have decided to evoke the true spirit of Christmas and invite Mary and Joseph couples as our guests."
A Travelodge spokeswoman told AFP couples will have to be married and provide proof of identity and register their names at a special e-mail address.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Friday, December 07, 2007
Nine minutes
A great way to spend nine minutes, this is a hoot, especially if you're a Bill Murray fan. Its a new short, Fact Checkers Unit.
R.I.P., Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007)
Stockhausen always made a strong impression on me, and I'm sorry to hear of his passing. My friends and I in college would listen to Gesang de Jungelinge over and over. Most recently I downloaded Gruppen from the DG Webshop and enjoyed the Harmonia Mundi release of Stimmung out this fall. Several of the days from Licht are also among my favorites despite the odd views of the man, Stockhausen's music was excellent and creative.
News of his death via The Rest is Noise.
Stockhausen always made a strong impression on me, and I'm sorry to hear of his passing. My friends and I in college would listen to Gesang de Jungelinge over and over. Most recently I downloaded Gruppen from the DG Webshop and enjoyed the Harmonia Mundi release of Stimmung out this fall. Several of the days from Licht are also among my favorites despite the odd views of the man, Stockhausen's music was excellent and creative.
News of his death via The Rest is Noise.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Recognition/Relaxation
I enjoyed a good cigar and a drink with my friend Ernesto tonight in Lancaster. We'll often meetup after he has finished teaching and grab dinner, or a drink. Tonight we got a snack and order an appropriate drink to accompany some cigars I picked up to celebrate his new cd, Artistico. We had gone to a reception Sunday after his recital, but tonight it was just us - time to catch up and just be ourselves.
These La Flor Domincanas were beautiful, a perferido classic shape (like you see in cartoons, that look a little like a flying saucer) called Mystico. They were tasty and delightfully mild. As the night progressed we finished our soup and had a fruit and cheese plate, again, a delightful accompaniment with the cigars.
As I ordered some coffee, and I admit, lit another cigar, I asked for the check. Our waitress came by and took my credit card. As she left and went to the register, we heard, "OMG! John Clare. Like classical music, John Clare. I listen, OMG! I'm waiting on John Clare!"
Ernesto immediately started laughing, he always likes to introduce me as the famous radio host and here he was, hearing a waitress exclaim it to the entire restaurant. I smiled back and turned to her. "Yeah, that's me."
It was her turn to blush as she realized we all heard it. Later she was telling friends of hers at another table and motioning to us. It was a hoot. We talked about some shows, fundraising and how we both are enjoying WXPN increasing their signal in the midstate - good music and competition are good things I believe.
It was fun to have a "spotlight" moment - actually earlier Tuesday a very good patron of WITF came by the Public Media Center and waved to me in the booth (read Dr. Dick's adventures in MCR from Tuesday here) and I went out and spoke to her. The sweetest thing she told me and one of our Development staff was how much she enjoyed seeing me at all the area concerts - which I said I'd see her at more soon.
All in all, a really nice day today, and made me remember similar moments in Philadelphia and a couple at Carnegie Hall!
These La Flor Domincanas were beautiful, a perferido classic shape (like you see in cartoons, that look a little like a flying saucer) called Mystico. They were tasty and delightfully mild. As the night progressed we finished our soup and had a fruit and cheese plate, again, a delightful accompaniment with the cigars.
As I ordered some coffee, and I admit, lit another cigar, I asked for the check. Our waitress came by and took my credit card. As she left and went to the register, we heard, "OMG! John Clare. Like classical music, John Clare. I listen, OMG! I'm waiting on John Clare!"
Ernesto immediately started laughing, he always likes to introduce me as the famous radio host and here he was, hearing a waitress exclaim it to the entire restaurant. I smiled back and turned to her. "Yeah, that's me."
It was her turn to blush as she realized we all heard it. Later she was telling friends of hers at another table and motioning to us. It was a hoot. We talked about some shows, fundraising and how we both are enjoying WXPN increasing their signal in the midstate - good music and competition are good things I believe.
It was fun to have a "spotlight" moment - actually earlier Tuesday a very good patron of WITF came by the Public Media Center and waved to me in the booth (read Dr. Dick's adventures in MCR from Tuesday here) and I went out and spoke to her. The sweetest thing she told me and one of our Development staff was how much she enjoyed seeing me at all the area concerts - which I said I'd see her at more soon.
All in all, a really nice day today, and made me remember similar moments in Philadelphia and a couple at Carnegie Hall!
Sunday, December 02, 2007
Travelin'
I'm at a Starbucks in Baltimore, just down from And Die Musik, where I'll emcee/interview Ernesto Tamayo in concert - looking forward! Tuesday you can hear his latest album, Artistico on WITF, as well as video of Ernesto in the studio playing live!Last night was the Local 213 Apreciation/Holiday dinner - a fun time was had by all.
I'm very happy that the snow/sleet/ice that was predicted was just rain, making the trip down much easier today. I had time to go to Trader Joe's and get some of my favorites and some presents for friends/family.
(Photos of John in Baltimore enjoying a cigar near the city monument and by a instrumental music store.)Saturday, December 01, 2007
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