What concerts are you looking forward to? (Part II)

[donaldopato]

An interesting world premiere: Avner Dorman's Concerto For Piano (Lost Souls)
Alon Goldstein, Piano, Michael Stern conducted the Kansas City Symphony:

http://donaldopato.blogspot.com/2009/11/kansas-city-symphony-avner-dorman-piano.html

[owlice]

Tonight, my son and I attended this (free!) concert, part of the 64th American Music Festival at the National Gallery of Art:

Richard Stoltzman, clarinetist
Yehudi Wyner, pianist

Foss, Dedication
Bernstein, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
Wyner, Commedia for Clarinet and Piano
Reich, New York Counterpoint for Clarinet and Tape
Carter, Gra
Wyner, three piano works not listed on the program
Carter, Pastorale
Gershwin, Three Preludes for Piano, adapted for clarinet and piano (arr. Jay Gach)

My son, currently home from college for Thanksgiving, likes Reich; that was the impetus for attending this concert. And it was great! Stoltzman talked about practicing this work when it was newly-written, illustrating how this sounded and his then-small-child's reaction ("Dad! The needle's stuck on the record!").

Throughout the concert, Wyner or Stoltzman made comments to the audience about the program.

The three piano works not listed on the program.... the first, written in Wyner's salad days, was inspired and influenced by Baroque music. The second, titled the equivalent of "Goodbye, Rome," was impressionistic. The third, a light-hearted, affectionate work called "Three-fingered Don," was written for composer Donald Martino on the occasion of his retirement. The title refers to Martino's pianistic endeavors when singing his own pop works; these endeavors were demonstrated for us by Wyner, which was cute.

The Gershwin adaptations worked very well. It was interesting to hear the contrast between the two Carter works, which were composed 52 years apart. The Reich was our favorite, and the audience was with us on this.

This series of (free!) concerts continues on Wednesday with the Enso String Quartet playing Jalbert Icefield Sonnets, Moravec Vince and Jan: 1945, Corigliano Snapshot circa 1909, and Reich Different Trains. The kid has this latter on his iPod, and you can bet he wants to attend!

Also in the series:
Corigliano Symphony #2 for String Orchestra
Lerdahl WAVES
Aikman Lines in Motion, a Concert Piece for Violin and Orchestra
Bolcom Nine New Bagatelles
Kirchner Piano Sonata #3
Bermel Funk Studies
Carter Piano Sonata

[karlhenning]

Lovely, owlice!  Wyner teaches (at the Longy school, I think), and we heard a piano-&-orchestra work of his premiered at Symphony a few seasons ago.  I didn't realize that he concertizes, as well!

[owlice]

Karl, he is 80, which really surprised me! I thought he might be in his mid-sixties; he's certainly in great shape for an 80-year-old. He concertizes very well; it was a pleasure to listen to him.

[Brahmsian]

Last night's Winnipeg Chamber Music Society concert:

Janacek - On the Overgrown Path (for solo piano)

Beethoven - String quartet No. 12 in E flat major, Op.127

A great, great night!  The Janacek piano piece was fascinating!  Also was a first listen.

I cannot properly describe how special it was to hear my first live performance of a late Beethoven string quartet.  An amazing experience! 

[Brahmsian]

Looking forward to both of these ballet concerts:

December 19-29, 2009

The Nutcracker

A Christmas holiday tradition in Winnipeg. 
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

March 10-14, 2010

Swan Lake

Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

[Lilas Pastia]

I'm going to see Nutcracker on December 19 too! With Les grands ballets canadiens and the Montreal Symphony (well, I assume it's them).

Tha will be my granddaughter's first 'real' musical experience (other than the Mozart for babies she goes to sleep with every night).

[bhodges]

Monday, the American Composers Orchestra, and haven't heard them in quite awhile.

American Composers Orchestra
Stefan Lano, Conductor
Curt Cacioppo, Voice and Percussion
Donal Fox, Piano
Colin Gee, Writer, Director, and Actor
Erin Gee, Vocalist
Huang Ruo, Vocalist

Charles Ives: Tone Roads No. 1
Curt Cacioppo: When the Orchard Dances Ceased (World Premiere)
Huang Ruo: Leaving Sao (NY Premiere)
Charles Ives: Tone Roads No. 3
Erin Gee: Mouthpiece XIII: Mathilde of Loci, Part 1 (World Premiere)
Donal Fox: Peace Out for Improvised Piano and Orchestra (World Premiere)

--Bruce

[owlice]

I attended the second concert of the 64th American Music Festival at the National Gallery of Art yesterday. The program was the Enso String Quartet playing Jalbert Icefield Sonnets, Moravec Vince and Jan: 1945, Corigliano Snapshot circa 1909, and Reich Different Trains.

The middle two works were each inspired by photographs. In the case of the Moravec, the photo was of his parents before they were married; for the Corigliano, the photo was one of his father as a small boy playing the violin while his father's older brother played the guitar. The photos were displayed on the screen behind the musicians during the works which inspired them.

Excellent music excellently played.

[karlhenning]

What I had actually been looking forward to this Saturday, was Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements.  But this has been The Season of Changes at Symphony Hall;  and the switches to this weekend's program actually make it an All-Chestnut Concert . . . though still well worthwhile:

Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
Stravinsky, The Firebird (1945 suite)
Brahms, Vn Cto (Joshua Bell)

[Brahmsian]

What I had actually been looking forward to this Saturday, was Stravinsky's Symphony in Three Movements.  But this has been The Season of Changes at Symphony Hall;  and the switches to this weekend's program actually make it an All-Chestnut Concert . . . though still well worthwhile:

Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
Stravinsky, The Firebird (1945 suite)
Brahms, Vn Cto (Joshua Bell)

That's a very nice line up, Karl!

[karlhenning]

As long as Bell does more than just phone it in; let's hope!

[stingo]

Heard a marvelous performance of Mahler's 7th by the Philadelphia Orchestra, with Christoph Eschenbach at the podium. I'd buy it if they release it as a download or on CD.

[Franco]

Heard this last night

Stravinsky -  Symphony of Psalms
Dominick Argento -  Le Tombeau d'Edgar Poe
Rachmaninoff -  The Bells, Op. 35

Nashville Symphony
Giancarlo Guerrero, Conductor
Nashville Symphony Chorus
George Mabry, Chorus Director
Twyla Robinson, Soprano
Bryan Griffin, Tenor
Darren K. Stokes, Bass-baritone

The Symphony of Psalms is the reason I bought tickets to this concert - and it was splendidly sung and played by the Nashville groups.  The only distraction to me were the supertitles, but since I did not notice them until they were over half way through, I guess one could say they were unobtrusive.

The Argento piece, taken from an opera, was interesting.  He is a composer with whom I am unfamiliar, and I may sample more of his operatic output based on what I heard last night.  The tenor sang well, and again, the Nashville orchestra acquitted itself nicely.

The Rachmaninoff piece bored me, and I almost left before the end. 

My wife had an appointment just before the concert and we had planned on getting to the hall separately, but she still had not arrived by 20 minutes into the Rachmaninoff piece - I was beginning to get worried.  She eventually sat down about five minutes after I had the urge to leave - but told me she had been mugged on the way over.

She had left her car at the place she'd had the appointment and decided to walk the four blocks to the symphony hall - and some jerk came up and pushed her down and tried to grab her purse.

She fought him off and came away shaken up and but thankfully with only a skinned knee and hand.  I felt terrible for her, especially since it was her birthday.  We went home and had some wine and I gave her many hugs and we decided no more separate cars to the symphony.

[Brahmsian]

My wife had an appointment just before the concert and we had planned on getting to the hall separately, but she still had not arrived by 20 minutes into the Rachmaninoff piece - I was beginning to get worried.  She eventually sat down about five minutes after I had the urge to leave - but told me she had been mugged on the way over.

She had left her car at the place she'd had the appointment and decided to walk the four blocks to the symphony hall - and some jerk came up and pushed her down and tried to grab her purse.

She fought him off and came away shaken up and but thankfully with only a skinned knee and hand.  I felt terrible for her, especially since it was her birthday.  We went home and had some wine and I gave her many hugs and we decided no more separate cars to the symphony.

Oh my!  I'm very happy to hear your wife is OK.  Hope she gave him a good kick in the nuts!

[Franco]

Oh my!  I'm very happy to hear your wife is OK.  Hope she gave him a good kick in the nuts!

Yes she did.   

Thanks for your comments.

[owlice]

Yes she did.   

Good for her!!!

Quite a memorable birthday, though not in the right direction.

~~~

I will probably not make it to this concert, though would look forward to it if I could go!

Jens Elvekjaer, pianist

Haydn, Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. XVI:49
Webern, Variations for Piano, op. 27
Ravel, From Miroirs:  Oiseaux tristes and Une Barque sur l'océan
Schumann, Carnaval

This had been advertised with Sorensen on the program, too; don't know what happened. This concert is on Sunday evening.

The reason I probably won't make it to that concert is that I'm going to a Messiah singalong that starts at 3 PM. And likely out to dinner after that, so I'll have fun, but it won't be with Elvekjaer.

[bhodges]

On Monday, this:

Stephen Beus, piano
Stefan Jackiw, violin    

Tchaikovsky: String Quartet in Bb Major (1865)
Anton Arensky:  Piano Trio in D Minor Op. 32 (1894)
Ernő Dohnányi:  Sextet in C Major  (1935)

--Bruce

[bhodges]

And December 20, this has potential to be awesome.  Stephanie Blythe is quite amazing, and I don't recall ever hearing the Sea Pictures live. 

Carnegie Hall
The MET Orchestra
James Levine, Music Director and Conductor
Stephanie Blythe, Mezzo-Soprano

Elgar: Sea Pictures, Op. 37
Mahler: Symphony No. 5

But before that, just decided to go to this one next Tuesday:

Paula Cooper Gallery
S.E.M. Ensemble
Timetable Percussion
Petr Kotik, conductor

Christian Wolff:[ i]Flutist (and) Percussionists[/i] (2003) N.Y. Premiere
Christian Wolff: For John / Material (2007) N.Y. Premiere
Christian Wolff, special guest
Petr Kotik: 3, 6 & 10 for John Cage (2009)  (First public performance)
Performed by TimeTable Percussion
Lejaren Hiller: String Quartet No. 5 (1962)
J.S. Bach: Sonata No. 1 in B-Minor for flute and continuo (circa 1720)

--Bruce

[Bogey]

Noël Nouvelet

BCOC (Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado) joins forces with St. Martin's Chamber Choir (Timothy Krueger, director) for a special Christmas presentation of Marc-Antoine Charpentier's engaging Messe de Minuit pour Noel (Christmas Midnight Mass), plus Corelli's popular Christmas Concerto and French Noel arrangements from the 18th century.

* Friday, December 18, 7:30 pm, St. John's Episcopal Cathedral, 1350 Washington St, Denver

The Baroque Chamber Orchestra of Colorado is a greater Denver-based period instrument orchestra in its fifth concert season.

Venue: