Testimony

There's a discussion and brewhaha going on with the great Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Here's the latest about "Testimony": The Shostakovich Wars.

This is part of the movie, Testimony:


Here is one of Shostakovich's landmark works, the String Quartet #8


We've also joked that young Shostakovich


resembles Harry Potter:

Classical Funny bone

Are you a fan of classical music AND comedy? Tell too many viola jokes? WQXR may be looking for you!

Check out their 2011 comedy contest: http://www.wqxr.org/articles/wqxr-features/2011/aug/29/wqxr-classical-comedy-contest/

Entries are due 10/10/2011.

Robert Klein shared this video to announce the contest:

Now that the rules are safely out the Window!

Music has been described as living math; there are plenty of rules and more importantly, conventions that make for a pleasant listening experience. But what happens when a musician wants to go where music hasn't gone before and break into new territory? In the old days this is where the "Fantasy" came in, like dream sequences in a film, just about anything can happen here and usually does.

On the Piano this Sunday Randy Anderson traces the fantasy/ phantasie/ fantasia/ fancy from the 16th century to the 20th and you will be surprised at the growing freedom composers used in these "fantastic" works.

The Piano, heard Sunday afternoons at 5 on KPAC & KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

Stars, Stripes, Symphony

This weekend continues the San Antonio Symphony broadcasts...with the Second Piano Concerto by Peter Tchaikovsky and soloist Freddy Kempf. The audience loved his First Concerto and they went wild after the Second Concerto as well! This is what Freddy played as an encore:

The dude

Lots going on these days with Gustavo Dudamel. He has a new release with the Gothenburg Symphony that we love. Here he is rehearsing Nielsen:


In October, you can see him, Janine Jansen and the LA Phil at Cinemark Theaters performing Mendelssohn! Here is Janine in another live performance of Mendelssohn:


Internationally acclaimed conductor Gustavo Dudamel continues to share his magnetic enthusiasm for music with audiences of all ages around the world. As he begins his twelfth year as Music Director of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, in fall 2010, he enters his second season as Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and his fourth season with the Gothenburg Symphony. Armed with unparalleled passion, energy and artistic excellence, Dudamel is dedicated to leading these orchestras, as well as to increasing his commitment to opera.
Coming from a background where being involved in music from a young age was a life changing experience, Gustavo Dudamel is devoted to investing in classical music as an engine of social change. The message of his ongoing work in Venezuela through El Sistema, which influences hundreds of thousands of children each year, is being carried now into the United States through Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA). This program for children targets underserved Los Angeles communities and continues to grow and expand under Dudamel’s leadership and that of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He is also involved in advising on pilot programs in Gothenburg, Sweden and Raploch, Scotland.

Greatest violist ever

Today is the birthday of William Primrose, in Glasglow, Scotland. Here is a great example of his artistry:


Do you have a favorite violist? viola joke?

Have you seen this?


And Pinchas Zukerman has quite a video that they have edited!


Enjoy these viola jokes which have been around for a while:
http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/jokes/viola.html

Birthdays

Today is the anniversary of Claude Debussy's birth, back in 1862.
Here is a piano roll of Debussy himself:


Philippe Entremont plays Debussy in NYC:



It is also the birthday of violinist Maud Powell in 1868. She was an American violinist who gained international acclaim for her skill and virtuosity. Powell was born in Peru, Illinois. She was the first American violinist to achieve international rank. Several foundations as well as a musical festival were founded in her honor to continue musical education.
Powell was a niece of the American Civil War hero and explorer of the Grand Canyon, John Wesley Powell.
She recorded extensively for the Victor Talking Machine Company and collected recordings of her performances from 1904-1917 are available.
Recently (in 2007), American violinist Rachel Barton Pine released a CD of music transcribed by, commissioned by or dedicated to Maud Powell.

Here are a few of her arrangements:

Chopin's Preludes ³

There are so many ways of playing music that even little differences are noticeable, but what happens when one can hear three separate generations playing the same music?

On the Piano this Sunday we hear performances spanning one-hundred years with performaers playing the evocative preludes of Frederic Chopin. Going back to a pianist active in the 19th century, Ferruccio Busoni, who was not one to be shy concerning his approach to other composers music, joins us courtesy of a 1920's piano roll, then there is the great-all-rounder, Claudio Arrau and his beautiful touch as recorded by Philips and to bring us to today's generation, the young French-Canadian pianist Jean-Francois Latour. All are playing the memorable preludes of Chopin and be warned, the differences are not subtle.

Hear the rest of Chopin's Preludes Op. 28 this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC & KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

Less than 99 bottles!

What a great way to use root beer bottles, and such editing! Do you think Wolfgang would approve?

What is it about Ravel?

Another orchestra has unraveled Bolero in a flash mob!



Just over a week ago we shared THIS group playing Ravel in a train station!

Top Ten Back to School Classics

Getting ready for another semester? Cooling off was never more fun than these back to school classics:

10. Romberg The Student Prince listen

9. Corigliano Etude Fantasy listen [etude=study]

8. Schoenberg Erwatung (Expectation) listen [2nd Viennese School]

7. Waldteufel Estudiantina Valse (Band of Students) listen

6. Carmina Burana (original latin texts, song of morals) listen

5. Ravel L'Enfant et les sortileges: Arthimetic Song listen

4. Bach Anna Magdalena Notebook listen

3. Barber School for Scandal Overture listen

2. Brahms Academic Festival Overture listen

and the #1 back to school classical song?

Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony #55 "Schoolmaster!" listen

What are some of your back to school favorites? Let us know on facebook or in the comments section below.

Play in Fredericksburg

A new season is starting in Fredericksburg for the community orchestra program. From the founder and conductor Theresa Britt:
Important Dates
Aug 26 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Sept 9 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Sept 23 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Oct 14 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Oct 21 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Oct 28 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Oct 29 - Concert 2 p.m.
Nov 4 - Art Walk Performance
Nov 18 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Dec 2 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Dec 9 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Dec 16 - Rehearsal 6:30 p.m.
Carol concert TBA

Upcoming Events
We will begin rehearsal for our October 29 concert and a performance at the Art Walk on November 4.

music AVAILABLE AUG 19
Music will be available for pick up on August 19, 2011. There will be a box to sign out music outside my house at 603 Bell St.
OCTOBER 29 PROGRAM
Our theme is Gypsies and Lullabies! Our program includes:
Ashokan Farewell - Unger
Mission Song - Gazda
Hungarian Dance#5 - Brahms
Midnight Tango - Pordon
Can Can - Offenbach

Ensemble Enrollment
If you know of any new members, please have them contact Theresa by e-mail or phone. 806-549-2483 or theresa.britt@yahoo.com

Sharing music

How do you share music or learn about new pieces? Obviously, you can listen to KPAC & KTXI for all the great classical music...but just recently Spotify was released in the US and we see lots of friends sharing playlists. Check out Troy Peter's spotify playlist and its usefulness for YOSA, http://open.spotify.com/user/troypeters
Pandora has been a longtime favorite for many. What do you use and why? What are your favorites?

Bach plus seven

We thought you would enjoy this take on Bach's Prelude from the Cello Suite #1:

Chopin's Preludes ³

There are so many ways of playing music that even little differences are noticeable, but what happens when one can hear three separate generations playing the same music?

On the Piano this Sunday hear three different generations playing the evocative preludes of Frederic Chopin. Going back to a pianist active in the 19th century, Ferruccio Busoni, who was not one to be shy concerning his approach to other composers music, joins us courtesy of a 1920's piano roll, then there is the great-all-rounder, Claudio Arrau and his beautiful touch as recorded by Philips and to bring us one of today's generation, the young French-Canadian pianist Jean-Francois Latour. All are playing the memorable preludes of Chopin and be warned, the differences are not subtle.

Hear part one of this Chopin-fest this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC & KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

Join CCSA

Children's Chorus of San Antonio is hosting an open rehearsal and demonstration session for all interested families! If you would like to know what it's like to sing with CCSA, they invite you to join them this coming Friday afternoon at Northern Hills UMC, 3703 N Loop 1604 East.
Meet the directors and other interested young artists, enjoy singing, movement and good times.
Information on joining the CCSA will be available at this event.
If you are interested in attending, please let them know! You may click here to respond online, call them at 210.826.3447

Viola-matic

San Antonio violist Matthew Diekman is a talented guy and besides playing the viola, is quite a videographer. He also has a sense of humor. His latest creation is here:



You might also like the original Viola-Matic:


Find out more about carbon fiber instruments here: http://www.luisandclark.com/

Monday rise and shine

Thought you might enjoy this recent impromptu performance in Copenhagen:

Mark celebrates 50

Mark O'Connor was born fifty years ago today! He is an American bluegrass, jazz, country and classical violinist fiddler, composer and music teacher. O'Connor's music is wide-ranging, critically acclaimed, and he has received numerous awards for both his playing and his composition. As a teenager he won national string instrument championships for his virtuoso playing of the guitar and mandolin as well as on the fiddle. His mentors include Texas old-time fiddler Benny Thomasson who taught O'Connor to fiddle as a teenager, French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli with whom O'Connor toured as a teenager and guitarist Chet Atkins.

You also might enjoy hearing an interview with O'Connor and host John Clare here.

Liszt & the Ladies

Sounds like a sketch on Saturday Night Live doesn't it? Franz Liszt's father Adam said the something like the following near the end of his life, "I fear for Franz and the influence women would have on him". Liszt's first love was so powerful that when the girl's father forbid the relationship, the pianist was reported in the Paris newspapers to have died. If it were not for the women in Liszt's life we wouldn't have the music we hear on the Piano this Sunday.

On the program this week new recordings of Liszt with two very different women pianists. Fuzjiko Hemming plays the 1st Concerto and Au bord d'une Source and the young Armenian pianist Nareh Arghamanyan offers a knock-out reading of Liszt's great Sonata in b minor.

Hear it all on the Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

Mozart at UIW

Mozart Festival Texas continues this weekend. On tap are chamber works by the Salzburg master with David Renner, pianist and Richard Kilmer, violinist.

Next weekend it's an orchestral program with Rick Rowley, piano soloist and Terence Frazor, conducting Mozart's Piano Concerto #9 and the Symphony #36 "Linz".

Concerts are this Saturday, August 6 and next, August 13, 2011 starting at 8:00 p.m, Our Lady's Chapel, 4301 Broadway, San Antonio.
Tickets cost $5 Students, $20 Adults and can be purchased at the door or in advance at the Music Department of University of the Incarnate Word; or by calling 210-829-3855.

Listen to an interview with Terence Frazor here.

Composer Emmy

Congratulations to composer Jerod Tate, who has won an Emmy Award for his work in the documentary "The Science of Composing."
This documentary featured Jerod's residency with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, where he taught composition to seven world-renown research scientists. At the end of the residency, his students' compositions were performed at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art by members of the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.
Watch the documentary here: http://www.oeta.tv/video/914.html

Change up

There's alot of talk these days about the future of Classical music and about orchestras. Enjoy this most recent article about Detroit cars and arts:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7c280d2c-b79c-11e0-8523-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz1Tsu9PmVM

Mario di Fiore played the cello in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for half a century. His father was an Italian immigrant, who arrived in America in 1922, and secured work at US Rubber, making tyres for the rapidly expanding motor industry. “I saw a golden age,” says Di Fiore, who retired last month. “It’s very painful to see what Detroit has gone through. I feel a sense of mourning for what the city and the orchestra used to be.”
As Henry Ford changed American life with his Model T, Detroit grew, its population reaching nearly 2m. Automobile money built ornately finished skyscrapers, supported gentlemen’s clubs and vast department stores, and helped fund great cultural institutions, such as the orchestra. Now the city’s industrial decline makes it a benchmark for US urban failure, its population almost halved in a decade, whole streets of houses standing empty and abandoned.

Voices of new releases

There are several new releases I am looking at and downloading after returning from some time off. Murray Perahia, Hilary Hahn, and Gustavo Dudamel have some interesting releases I cannot wait to hear.
I also saw this article from yesterday:
Hayley Westenra: classical music's fallen star
She was signed to Universal at 12 and four years later launched the fastest-selling classical debut album of all time. But behind the angelic facade, her life was far from perfect.
You can read more here. I also have some Mozart to catch up on, as well as a new Beethoven album from Alice Sara Ott. Anything you are excited about lately?
-Host John Clare