St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Leonard Slatkin returns to SLSO to conduct concert series featuring Gershwin
“I subscribe to the Duke Ellington line: ‘There are two kinds of music — good music and the other stuff,’” Leonard Slatkin says.
The idea that music is music and that genre constraints are … not meaningless, certainly, but at least not always helpful, informs the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts on Jan. 12, 13 and 21. For them, SLSO Conductor Laureate Slatkin will lead three different programs, each headlined by one of George Gershwin’s major orchestral works: a suite from “Porgy and Bess,” “An American in Paris” and “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Not incidentally, this year marks the 100th anniversary of “Rhapsody” and the 50th anniversary of the SLSO’s initial recordings of Gershwin’s orchestral pieces — with Slatkin on the podium, no less. Naxos Records recently remastered and reissued the records.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By Daniel Durchholz
“I subscribe to the Duke Ellington line: ‘There are two kinds of music — good music and the other stuff,’” Leonard Slatkin says.
The idea that music is music and that genre constraints are … not meaningless, certainly, but at least not always helpful, informs the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts on Jan. 12, 13 and 21. For them, SLSO Conductor Laureate Slatkin will lead three different programs, each headlined by one of George Gershwin’s major orchestral works: a suite from “Porgy and Bess,” “An American in Paris” and “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Not incidentally, this year marks the 100th anniversary of “Rhapsody” and the 50th anniversary of the SLSO’s initial recordings of Gershwin’s orchestral pieces — with Slatkin on the podium, no less. Naxos Records recently remastered and reissued the records.
Read more here.
The Today Show: National Children’s Chorus performs ‘The Christmas Song’ live!
The National Children’s Chorus, led by artistic director Luke McEndarfer, performs “The Christmas Song” live on TODAY as a part of the Citi Music Series.
The Today Show
The National Children’s Chorus, led by artistic director Luke McEndarfer, performs “The Christmas Song” live on TODAY as a part of the Citi Music Series.
Read more here.
Portland Tribune: All Classical Radio celebrates 40 years: Its gift is a big new office at KOIN Tower
The beauty of radio is that great music can come from anywhere. So, as is the case with All Classical Radio, why not broadcast from the center of all the action?
In likely July 2024, All Classical Radio, one of the top independent classical radio stations in the country, known as All Classical Portland before a recent branding change, will relocate to the KOIN Tower, 2225 S.W. Columbia St. It’ll be on the third floor with five studio and recording spaces, and a very large media arts center and community room. Blocks away are Keller Auditorium and Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Oregon Symphony’s home office and plenty of other Portland musical groups.
Suzanne Nance, president and CEO, beams with pride as she stands in the still-under-construction new home for All Classical Radio, donning a hard hat, a lot of enthusiasm and a big smile.
“This is a big deal,” she said — meaning it’s a big move and a big footprint at 15,000 square feet, where 28 employees will do their work, including 11 producers/on-air talent. At a time when media entities, stereotypically and in reality, downsize, All Classical Radio moves across the Willamette River from its location at the Hampton Opera Center on Southeast Caruthers Street and ponies up $10 million (thanks to a lot of donations) for a posh new space.
Portland Tribune
By Jason Vondersmith
The beauty of radio is that great music can come from anywhere. So, as is the case with All Classical Radio, why not broadcast from the center of all the action?
In likely July 2024, All Classical Radio, one of the top independent classical radio stations in the country, known as All Classical Portland before a recent branding change, will relocate to the KOIN Tower, 2225 S.W. Columbia St. It’ll be on the third floor with five studio and recording spaces, and a very large media arts center and community room. Blocks away are Keller Auditorium and Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Oregon Symphony’s home office and plenty of other Portland musical groups.
Suzanne Nance, president and CEO, beams with pride as she stands in the still-under-construction new home for All Classical Radio, donning a hard hat, a lot of enthusiasm and a big smile.
“This is a big deal,” she said — meaning it’s a big move and a big footprint at 15,000 square feet, where 28 employees will do their work, including 11 producers/on-air talent. At a time when media entities, stereotypically and in reality, downsize, All Classical Radio moves across the Willamette River from its location at the Hampton Opera Center on Southeast Caruthers Street and ponies up $10 million (thanks to a lot of donations) for a posh new space.
Read more here.
Blogcritics: Concert Review (NYC): Curtis on Tour – Chamber Music by Mozart, Sibelius and More from Some of Curtis Institute’s Finest
Even as the Curtis Institute of Music launches its own record label, the venerable conservatory has not neglected its long-running Curtis on Tour chamber music project. Seven fine Curtis student musicians and two noted professionals joined forces at 92Y in New York City on Dec. 3, performing music by 20th-century composers Erwin Schulhoff and Ernst von Dohnányi as well as Mozart and Sibelius. The music was a lively mix of periods and styles, and a testament to the high quality of Curtis’s programs
Blogcritics
Jon Sobel
Even as the Curtis Institute of Music launches its own record label, the venerable conservatory has not neglected its long-running Curtis on Tour chamber music project. Seven fine Curtis student musicians and two noted professionals joined forces at 92Y in New York City on Dec. 3, performing music by 20th-century composers Erwin Schulhoff and Ernst von Dohnányi as well as Mozart and Sibelius. The music was a lively mix of periods and styles, and a testament to the high quality of Curtis’s programs.
Read more here.
The New York Times: What to Do in New York City in December
What’s the link between the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died in June, and the early-20th-century titans Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Darius Milhaud? A mutual flair for the theatrical, which is reflected in the title of Parlando’s concert on Sunday: “Melodrama.”
While all three artists wrote operas, this chamber orchestra will focus on some smaller yet substantial works: Milhaud’s “Le Bœuf sur le toit,” Saariaho’s “Graal théâtre” (featuring the violinist Geneva Lewis), and Korngold’s “Much Ado About Nothing” Suite. By giving short spoken introductions to each piece from the stage, the orchestra’s conductor and founder, Ian Niederhoffer, makes good on its motto: “Every concert tells a story.” But smart, unusual programming on this level fosters a gripping narrative of its own, too.
The New York Times
What’s the link between the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died in June, and the early-20th-century titans Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Darius Milhaud? A mutual flair for the theatrical, which is reflected in the title of Parlando’s concert on Sunday: “Melodrama.”
While all three artists wrote operas, this chamber orchestra will focus on some smaller yet substantial works: Milhaud’s “Le Bœuf sur le toit,” Saariaho’s “Graal théâtre” (featuring the violinist Geneva Lewis), and Korngold’s “Much Ado About Nothing” Suite. By giving short spoken introductions to each piece from the stage, the orchestra’s conductor and founder, Ian Niederhoffer, makes good on its motto: “Every concert tells a story.” But smart, unusual programming on this level fosters a gripping narrative of its own, too.
I Care If You Listen: 5 Questions to Alistair Coleman (composer)
Alistair Coleman is taking the classical music world by storm with his vibrant and compelling compositions. Whether writing for string quartet, orchestra and voice, or soloists of all kinds, Coleman channels a capricious and organic musical energy.
Coleman was recently named the 2023 Young Concert Artists Composer in Residence, a highly competitive three-year position that provides $18,000 for three new commissions for YCA artists past and present. Coleman often composes music in dialogue with other media, such as poetry and visual art. Moonshot, for string quartet (2019), is a dramatic and poignant response to three “date paintings” by visual artist On Kawara, which mark the launch, landing, and celebration of Apollo 11’s voyage. Coleman turned to the abandoned designs of illustrious architect Frank Lloyd Wright to create Broadacre City, for flute and string quartet (2022), which opens with an explosion of activity that slowly grinds down until mere vestiges remain. For Gold Girl/Dark Doves (2023), premiered by soprano Ashley Marie Robillard and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Coleman set text by Federico García Lorca, replete with haunting symbolism.
I Care If You Listen
By Tristan McKay
Alistair Coleman is taking the classical music world by storm with his vibrant and compelling compositions. Whether writing for string quartet, orchestra and voice, or soloists of all kinds, Coleman channels a capricious and organic musical energy.
Coleman was recently named the 2023 Young Concert Artists Composer in Residence, a highly competitive three-year position that provides $18,000 for three new commissions for YCA artists past and present. Coleman often composes music in dialogue with other media, such as poetry and visual art. Moonshot, for string quartet (2019), is a dramatic and poignant response to three “date paintings” by visual artist On Kawara, which mark the launch, landing, and celebration of Apollo 11’s voyage. Coleman turned to the abandoned designs of illustrious architect Frank Lloyd Wright to create Broadacre City, for flute and string quartet (2022), which opens with an explosion of activity that slowly grinds down until mere vestiges remain. For Gold Girl/Dark Doves (2023), premiered by soprano Ashley Marie Robillard and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Coleman set text by Federico García Lorca, replete with haunting symbolism.
Read more here.
Pianist Magazine: Getting to Know: Karen LeFrak
A native New Yorker, composer and author Karen LeFrak has created vibrant, moving musical scores that have been presented in prestigious concert halls across the globe. She chats to Pianist about how and why she composes, her latest Christmas album, plus she shares some advice for budding composers and pianists...
1. Congratulations on more than 28 million streams on Spotify and Apple Music! What does this milestone mean to you? How does it feel to resonate with such a breadth of listeners?
This is so exciting! I am honoured that so many people want to hear my music! When I started composing very late in life, I never thought in a million years that I’d find myself in this position. I am grateful.
Pianist Magazine
By Ellie Palmer
A native New Yorker, composer and author Karen LeFrak has created vibrant, moving musical scores that have been presented in prestigious concert halls across the globe. She chats to Pianist about how and why she composes, her latest Christmas album, plus she shares some advice for budding composers and pianists...
1. Congratulations on more than 28 million streams on Spotify and Apple Music! What does this milestone mean to you? How does it feel to resonate with such a breadth of listeners?
This is so exciting! I am honoured that so many people want to hear my music! When I started composing very late in life, I never thought in a million years that I’d find myself in this position. I am grateful.
Read more here.
The New York Times: An Oratorio About Shanghai’s Jews Opens in China at a Difficult Time
“Émigré,” a new oratorio about Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany for Shanghai in the late 1930s, begins with a song by two brothers, Josef and Otto, as their steamship approaches a Chinese harbor.
“Shanghai, beacon of light on a silent shore,” they sing. “Shanghai, answer these desperate cries.”
The emigration of thousands of Central European and Eastern European Jews to China in the late 1930s and early 1940s — and their survival of the Holocaust — is one of World War II’s most dramatic but little-known chapters.
In “Émigré,” a 90-minute oratorio that premiered this month in Shanghai and will come to the New York Philharmonic in February 2024, the stories of these refugees and their attempts to build new lives in war-torn China are front and center.
The New York Times
By Keith Bradsher and Javier C. Hernández
“Émigré,” a new oratorio about Jewish refugees who fled Nazi Germany for Shanghai in the late 1930s, begins with a song by two brothers, Josef and Otto, as their steamship approaches a Chinese harbor.
“Shanghai, beacon of light on a silent shore,” they sing. “Shanghai, answer these desperate cries.”
The emigration of thousands of Central European and Eastern European Jews to China in the late 1930s and early 1940s — and their survival of the Holocaust — is one of World War II’s most dramatic but little-known chapters.
In “Émigré,” a 90-minute oratorio that premiered this month in Shanghai and will come to the New York Philharmonic in February 2024, the stories of these refugees and their attempts to build new lives in war-torn China are front and center.
Read more here.
BBC Music Matters: with Anthony McGill
Tom Service talks to Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinettist with the New York Philharmonic, as he commences his tenure as Artist-in-Residence at Milton Court in London. They discuss his recent performances of Anthony Davis’ powerful and operatic work for clarinet and orchestra, You Have the Right to Remain Silent, and his Grammy nominated album, American Stories, on which he collaborated with the Pacifica Quartet.
BBC Music Matters
Tom Service talks to Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinettist with the New York Philharmonic, as he commences his tenure as Artist-in-Residence at Milton Court in London. They discuss his recent performances of Anthony Davis’ powerful and operatic work for clarinet and orchestra, You Have the Right to Remain Silent, and his Grammy nominated album, American Stories, on which he collaborated with the Pacifica Quartet.
Listen here.
South China Morning Post: Review | Young violin soloist captivates in Arvo Pärt work with Hong Kong string ensemble, veteran piano soloist doesn’t spare the horses in Grieg concerto
Variety is the spice of life. When a new ensemble emerges and offers something beyond the customary “meat-and-two-veg” billing (a symphony preceded by an overture and concerto) of the flagship orchestras, it adds richness to the music scene.
The Musicus Soloists of Hong Kong, an ensemble launched in 2022 by the Musicus Society and its founder, acclaimed cellist Trey Lee, should be commended both for their selection of repertoire and their performance at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall on November 21.
The young players chose an unusual programme, including rarely aired gems by Grieg and Sibelius, and offered a glimpse into Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s world of “holy minimalism”, before performing Grieg’s revered Piano Concerto with a strings-only accompaniment directed from the keyboard by award-winning French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie.
South China Morning Post
By Christopher Halls
Variety is the spice of life. When a new ensemble emerges and offers something beyond the customary “meat-and-two-veg” billing (a symphony preceded by an overture and concerto) of the flagship orchestras, it adds richness to the music scene.
The Musicus Soloists of Hong Kong, an ensemble launched in 2022 by the Musicus Society and its founder, acclaimed cellist Trey Lee, should be commended both for their selection of repertoire and their performance at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall on November 21.
The young players chose an unusual programme, including rarely aired gems by Grieg and Sibelius, and offered a glimpse into Estonian composer Arvo Pärt’s world of “holy minimalism”, before performing Grieg’s revered Piano Concerto with a strings-only accompaniment directed from the keyboard by award-winning French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie.
Read more here.