Now that midnight hour is struck, I can now safely post the Tanglewood 2009 season listings, which have been embargoed until November 21.  read more »

Now that midnight hour is struck, I can now safely post the Tanglewood 2009 season listings, which have been embargoed until November 21.  read more »

Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult single-ticket prices are listed; senior, student, group and other discounts may be offered. SCOUTING REPORT * In/around Richmond: Steven Smith, next of the Richmond Symphonys music-director candidates, leads an all-Gershwin pops concert with pianist Norman Krieger, Nov. 8 at the Landmark Theater, and a Masterworks program of Barber, Stravinsky and Schubert with the Richmond Symphony Chorus, Nov. 14, 15 and 17 at three area churches. . . . The Hungarian Virtuosi chamber orchestra performs at Virginia Commonwealth University, Nov. 15. . . .  read more »

Der Ring des Nibelungen (complete). Bayreuth Festival 1980. Director: Patrice Chreau. Cast includes: Donald McIntyre (Wotan), Gwyneth Jones (Brnnhilde), Manfred Jung (Siegfried), Peter Hofmann (Siegmund). Conductor: Pierre Boulez. Further information here . Overview and general comments Whether by luck or foresight, the decision to hire French director Patrice Chreau was among the most important and courageous of Wolfgang Wagners entire tenure at the Bayreuth Festival .  read more »

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews: ISO hands pianist Chen the keys to Chopin piece Springfield State Journal Register - Springfield,IL,USA Preview of Illinois Symphony Orchestra performance featuring Chinese pianist (and "Crystal Award" winner (3rd prize) at the 2005 Van Cliburn Competition ) Sa Chen : With the ISO, she will perform Frederic Chopins Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor. Chen sees whats often called a light orchestral accompaniment as a dialogue between soloist and ensemble. Its sentimental, dramatic and operatic, and its, in many ways, like a conversation with a lot of musically folksy elements, Chen says of the Polish composers work. See all stories on this topic Warsaw city Chopin piano stunt Thenews.pl - Warsaw,Poland Could this be a late-breaking April 1 story?  read more »

Chopin News, Reviews, Previews, and Broadcasts: BBC dedicates weekend to Chopin BBC News - UK BBC Radio 3 announces a blockbuster weekend dedicated to Chopin (May 17-18, 2008, including the launch of "a dedicated website, launched as part of the Chopin weekend, will feature video piano lessons by pianist David Owen Norris, for those who want to try their hand at some of Chopin's more approachable pieces." BBC Radio 3 is to broadcast every note written by Frederic Chopin during a weekend dedicated to the Polish composer, who died in 1849 aged 39. The Chopin Experience, which runs on 17-18 May, follows similiar tributes by the station to Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and Tchaikovsky. The weekend will explore how Chopin revolutionised piano music, as well as his troubled personal life. The weekend will also include the most famous recordings of Chopin's work. His set of 24 Etudes will be aired in unbroken sequence featuring 24 different pianists. Piano lessons Dedicated programmes will look at the influence of Polish folk music on the composer - and how the composer continues to influence the Polish music scene.... See all stories on this topic Radio 3 announces weekend of Chopin The Press Association - Every note written by Polish composer Frederic Chopin is to be broadcast in a single weekend on Radio 3. The Chopin Experience follows a Beethoven week, ...  read more »

Valery Gergiev - Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Debussy. 1996. Rehearsal and performance. More information here. This DVD shows Valery Gergiev at his best (including his best looks), rehearsing Prokofievs Scythian Suite with the Rotterdam Philharmonics and subsequently conducting the work together with works by Stravinsky and Debussy in concert.  read more »

Chopin News, Reviews, and Previews: Concert review: Young Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz dazzles ... San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA A Bay Area reviewer isn't quite ready to hand the Chopin crown to the hot young Polish pianist.... His performance May 4 at Le Petit Trianon in San Jose, which concluded with the Preludes, the full two dozen, was very, very good: Blechacz has an awesome command of the keyboard, plays with a stunning ease. But he also seems to realize - I'm projecting here - that he needs to transcend his mechanics, to plumb the depths. So, at least on Sunday, amid the stream of jaw-dropping technique, he kept making these stabs at introspection. They didn't exactly seem premeditated; in fact, they were charming. But they didn't reach their marks. He needs seasoning, in other words. And it will be interesting to follow him the next few years, to see where his huge gifts and his intuition lead him. [...] After intermission came Chopin's Preludes, exquisite and familiar. In the first dozen, comprising Book I, Blechacz didn't get past what we already know about them. For instance, No. 4, the famous E minor "Largo," was all cliche: earnest melancholy. But before beginning Book II, he drew out a handkerchief and wiped off the keys. It wasn't meant as a symbolic gesture, yet, from that point on, his performance gained traction: pointillist bursts in No. 18, the F minor; anvil chords and brokenhearted lyricism in No. 20, the C minor; scary agitation in No. 22, the G minor. No. 24 in D minor, the closer, ran out of drama; Blechacz seemed tired. But he recovered for the last encore, Moszkowski's "La Jongleuse" ("The Lady Juggler"), a crazily difficult piece through which he flew with the greatest of ease. The amazing young man may as well have been pulling taffy.  read more »

An Exploration into rhythm in the music of Chip Michael Clark Note: Scores discussed in this article will be posted soon When I first began thinking about my music back in September 2007, I felt what I wanted to write about was what made my music unique, the quality that people describe as having a "Chip-ness" about it. Many of the composers I admire have a recognizable personality to their music. Dmitry Shostakovich has a Russian strength to his music (even though he was in and out of popularity with the Soviet Union throughout his life), his music embodies the aspirations of the people of his time . Aaron Copland is often described as the Dean of American composers . His blend of American folk tunes and modern music became known as the American Sound. Leonard Bernstein's use of cultural iconic themes and warring rhythms typify the social clash of the mid to late 20th century. These composers are all influences in my writing, but not the only ones. I grew up in the midst of the disco era, and began playing the trombone at the age of seven. This exposed me to a variety of different styles of music, from the Latin sounds of Gloria Estafan and the Miami Sound Machine, to the rhythmic jazz of Dave Brubeck. I played in concert band, jazz band and orchestra - everything from standard classical repertoire through arrangements of the Beatles. Taking influences from popular music styles is hardly unique. Michael Finnissy uses influences of jazz and Negro spirituals in his work . Philip Glass speaks about influences of rock on his brand of " music with repetitive structures ." Bartk used influences of Hungarian, Slovakian, Romanian and Bulgarian folk music; these are the forms of music he grew up with. It is no surprise that some of my own influences are found in the music I listened to and played as a child. So, what is it that makes my music mine?  read more »

Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult single-ticket prices are listed; senior, student, group and other discounts may be offered. SCOUTING REPORT * In Richmond: Pianist Pascal Rog in Chopin, Faur, Debussy and Ravel, March 1 at Virginia Commonwealth University. . . . The Richmond Symphony and Symphony Chorus in Bach, March 1 at the Prizery in South Boston and March 2 at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, and in Verdis Requiem, March 14, 15 and 17 at three Richmond area churches.  read more »