Enjoy Jeu de Timbres? Need some more Steven Stucky in your life? Well, you’re in luck! On Sunday, October 18 at 3pm, the Cornell Wind Ensembles will be performing two of Stucky’s works: Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble, and Hue and Cry. As an informal birthday tribute to Stucky, the concert may feature some surprises.
Here’s something that should have been thought of years ago. The concert will feature program notes and images projected onto a screen above the ensembles. As Johnston Turner explained to me, “We write these elaborate program notes and then turn out the lights so people can’t read them!” And I couldn’t agree more!
The Concerto for Percussion and Wind Ensemble, was commissioned by ex-students of Donald Hunsberger, as a retirement gift for his nearly forty years as director of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. The piece calls for a massive collection of solo instruments. Timbral groupings represent various movements. For example, the third movement uses only keyboard instruments (glockenspiel, marimba, xylophone), while the fourth places instruments with resonating metallic timbres, such as gongs and Japanese temple bells, against a bass drum. The fourth movement bears the name, “To the victims of September 11, 2001”, a title given after the movement was finished. Taken from Stucky’s personal website:
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Archive for October, 2009
CUWinds To Feature Works By Stucky
Happy 60th Birthday to Steven Stucky from SoundPostNews!
Could Montreal pick up where NY left off in Cuba?
Dolla dolla bills y’all
Could the Montreal Symphony Orchestra cash in on the recent turn of events in New York? Arthur Kaptainis, of the Montreal Gazette, is certainly seeing the upside to the cancellation of the New York Philharmonic’s planned trip to Cuba. In case you missed it, Alan Gilbert and the NY Phil (and more specifically the 150 patrons who “donated” their way onto the guest list), cancelled their tour of the US-boycotted country after they were denied their travel permits by the US Treasury Department. Get the full story here
Kaptainis has done all but purchase plane tickets for the MSO to pick up where New York left off. In his article titled “Just picture it: The MSO in sunny Cuba”, he goes into more detail about an idea which he already presented in March of 2008. It seems all too perfect that the Canadian based orchestra is primarily government funded, has an American music director in Kent Nagano, and let’s not forget the fact that in regards to trade relations with Cuba, Canada is second only to the Netherlands.
Did I mention the fact that Canada sends more tourists to Cuba than any other country in the world?
With a three week hold in their schedule mid-winter, it is believable that the MSO could pick up the pieces of a broken puzzle from New York. For the original article, click the link to the Gazette’s online archive.
“Just picture it: The MSO in sunny Cuba”
Hahn-Bin Gives Debut Violin Recital
Very Fashion Forward
Hahn-Bin, last year’s winner of the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, gave his debut recital at Zankel Hall last Thursday featuring an eclectic assortment from the violin repertoire. Known only by his first name, Hahn-Bin and his haircut have studied with violinist Itzhak Perlman for the past 10 years. His recital program included standards by Kreisler, Chopin, and Mozart, with contemporary selections by Schnittke, Cage, Lutoslawski, and Penderecki.
According to reviewer Allan Kozinn, the contextual jumps between each piece were somewhat jarring, but one could not deny the “distinct characterizations Hahn-Bin brought to each score.” He continued to compliment both his “rich, varied tone and his technical facility.”
For the complete review read the NY Times article on one of the newest up-and-coming violinists.
Guardian Writer Says Conductors Are Overpaid And Not Needed
Several People Not Pleased
A recent article by Phillippa Ibbotson of the Guardian (UK) about the growing salaries of classical conductors has been catching significant buzz. The topic, which has been discussed since before Normal Lebrecht published “The Maestro Myth,” (a book chronicling the shady practices sometimes taken by conductors and their agents to perpetuate ever-increasing salaries), Ibbotson attempts to tackle the issue with what can only be explained as naivety and a lack of facts.
AUTHOR’S DISCLAIMER: In general, I try to avoid sounding upset displeased pissed off angry in my writing. However, after speaking with many of my colleagues, and taking several cool off breaks, I decided to give this article what I feel is a proper response. If you would like to read the original article then hit the link after the jump. Big thanks to the extensive comment thread at the Guardian for some good laughs!
While attempting to compare the conductor to the instrumentalists of an ensemble, Ibbotson’s argument rapidly turns into an attack on the maestro’s importance in a symphony orchestra. What started as the simple question “are conductors overpaid?” quickly turned into “are they even needed?” She even goes as far as to cite Bruce Forsyth’s recent acceptance of a pay-cut as an example for conductors to follow. Yes, that’s the same Forsyth that hosted The Price Is Right and Strictly Come Dancing, the comparison is beyond me. Let’s get right to some of the finer points of Ibbotson’s article:
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WQXR Makes Debut Broadcast on 105.9
With Message Recorded 72 Years Ago
Fans who tuned into WQXR at its new address, 105.9, at 8:00pm today were greeted by a message recorded over 70 years ago by WQXR co-founder Elliott M. Sanger. The recording expressed WQXR’s commitment to bring classical music to a widespread audience, and to maintain its listeners’ satisfaction. WQXR and its new parent company, WNYC, wished to reaffirm that mission, and have already made good on their promise by broadcasting the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra live from Carnegie Hall.
To recap briefly: WNYC, a member of National Public Radio, bought the rights to WQXR from the New York Times Company, and has transplanted the station to 105.9FM from 96.3FM. The new ownership brings new programming and a new website. The site (which seems to be down currently) has information about WQXR, as well as access to four different internet radio streams. 93.9 (NPR), their AM classical station, 105.9 (now WQXR), and Q2. Q2 is the new internet-only radio stream that will broadcast music geared toward a more niche oriented listener base. This includes contemporary music, and some chamber and vocal music. Read up on the details on our previous articles. Otherwise click ahead for info about tonight’s performance.
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Plasson Takes Post with CNSO
Cannot speak Chinese, commences solfege review
French conductor Michel Plasson has been named the music director of the China National Symphony Orchestra. The China National Symphony Orcherstra has been without a conductor since Muhai Tang (now conductor of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra) left the ensemble in 2001. So what’s the big deal?
This act marks the first time a Chinese orchestra has taken on a foreign music director. The CNSO is funded by the Chinese government. Plasson’s French background would make it impossible very difficult to gain approval for a salary, as directorship roles in government funded programs tend to be more than slightly political in origin (China is not the only country who is guilty of this). According to Musical America, Plasson’s paychecks will be taken care of by a private sponsor.
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Utah Symphony Members Donate Own Pay
Polygon Shaped State Has Difficulty Cutting Corners
In response to the economic hardship facing the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera organization, Utah Symphony members have agreed to forgo four weeks’ salary, 50 percent of their matched pension payment, and the entirety of their contracted 5 percent annual raise. All together, members will see their income decrease by 19 percent—a donation totaling $1.3 million.
While this will inevitably cause some belts to tighten, members fear what might have happened without the agreement. The measure follows similar actions last year, which brought the budget down to $17 million from $19 million—apparently not enough to avoid trouble. CEO of Utah Symphony | Utah Opera Melia Tourangeau took a 10 percent pay cut, and several administrative positions were eliminated along with matched pension contributions.
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Video: Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Wieniawski on Accordion
Kid Tears it Up
The first video shows an impressive accordion transcription of “Summer,” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. While it may not require a critical review, I encourage you to enjoy this impressive and entertaining performance.
The other two videos are even more impressive, and have have been around the internet for about a year. They include the final movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto (both solo and orchestra parts), and Wieniawski’s Scherzo and Tarantelle for violin and piano.
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