Max Bruch composed the Kol Nidre Op. 47, based upon the traditional melody from the Jewish High Holiday religious services.

Below you can hear a wonderful performance of it by Jacqueline du Pré, Cello and Gerald Moore, piano.

And here’s a warm wish for all those of you who are getting ready to celebrate these major Holidays for a healthy, happy New Year!

And here is the same music, as interpreted by Cellist Misha Maisky:

Max Bruch – Kol Nidre, Op. 47 (Maisky, Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra)

Tags: Kol Nidre, Jacueline DuPre, Maisky

This DVD is to be issued: Sept. 28, 2010

Andre Previn is one of the leading musicians of our day. The eighty-one year old pianist, conductor, and classical composer has not only received four Academy awards, but was also one of the most influential jazz musicians of the fifties and sixties.

“A Bridge Between Two Worlds” is a portrait of Previn’s fascinating musicianship and also looks candidly at his private life, including his relationship with his two ex-wives, Mia Farrow and Anne-Sophie Mutter. As a bonus, this release features two Mozart’s Piano Quartets K. 478 and K 493 with Andre Previn, and members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.
Participants include:

• André Previn
• Anne-Sophie Mutter
• Renée Fleming
• Mia Farrow
• Lukas Previn

Here is Andre Previn playing the Mozart Piano Quartet KV 493, 1st movement, Allegro

Tags: Andre Previn, Grammy Lifetime Award Winner 2010, Mozart’s Piano Quartets

There is also an open rehearsal on Sept. 29th in the morning…

This is a set of concerti, played by the greatest oboist of our era, Heinz Holliger. He performs with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in Bach and Telemann compositions; and with the I Musici group in Marcello, Sammartini and Albinoni. Holliger is technically outstanding and musically excellent  in his fine interpretation.

Heinz Holliger has made a huge contribution to the rediscovery of little known and neglected works for the instrument. In addition, as a composer, he has also been responsible for many new compositions for the oboe, and his repertoire ranges from the baroque as heard on these 3 CDs, through the classical era of Stamitz, Hummel, Mozart, and Bellini to the avant-garde where he has worked closely with Pierre Boulez. The earliest modern oboes appeared in the 1660s, and it had by this time adopted a more flexible and softer sound making it possible to play together with violins. Its popularity spread from France where these innovations to the instrument took place, to centers of musical excellence in Italy where composers such as Lotti, Marcello and Albinoni worked.

The Venetian musical scene inspired Bach to adapt Vivaldi concertos for the keyboard, and Marcello’s concertos may well have provided the inspiration for his own concertos BWV1053/5/9.

  The tracks on this fine recording are as follows:

Albinoni:
Concerto Op. 9 No. 8 for oboe & strings in G minor

Bach, J S:
Concerto in F major, BWV1053
Concerto in D minor, BWV1059
d’amore Concerto in A major, BWV1055

Benjamin, A:
Concerto in C minor for oboe and strings on themes of Domenico Cimarosa

Lotti:
Concerto for Oboe d’amore and Strings in A

Marcello, A:
Concerto in D Minor

Sammartini, G:
Conccerto for Oboe and Strings in D

Telemann:
Concerto in E minor
CONCERTO IN D MINOR
Concerto in C minor
Concerto in F minor
Concerto in D for oboe, strings and continuo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_Holliger

Here is Heinz Holliger in Mozart’s Oboe concerto:

Tags: Heinz Holliger, Oboe, Concerto

PASSION is a necessary ingredient in music! And when I hear a performance that is flat, and that does not connect with the audience, the reason is frequently that there is no passion on the part of the performer(s).

The opposite is true in the video below where pianist Stephen Hough is performing this masterpiece by Rachmaninoff. Just think about what a “warhorse” this is! From its inception, every pianist has played this concerto and tried to make some fresh, new, meaningful statement about this music. All one has to do is to listen to Mr. Hough to notice HIS passion about this music! And it is that quality that reigns – in the listener to experience something new and special!

The opening movement begins with the famous series of chords on the piano that build tension, eventually climaxing in the introduction of the main theme. In this first section, the orchestra carries the melody while the piano makes an accompaniment composed of arpeggios. After the statement of the long first theme, a quicker transition follows until the more lyrical second theme, is presented.

Below is a video of Stephen Hough, Talking about Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto:

And here is Rachmaninoff, himself, performing his own concerto #2 back in 1929:

Stephen Hough, Rachmaninoff, Concerto, Passion

Check out this great DVD:

Having dazzled opera audiences from St. Petersburg to Los Angeles as Lucia, Anna Netrebko triumphantly returns to the Metropolitan Opera in this astounding coloratura role.

Mariusz Kwiecien’s Enrico is the outstanding baritone

Performers are:

Anna Netrebko (Lucia)
Piotr Beczala (Edgardo)
Mariusz Kwiecien (Enrico)
Colin Lee (Arturo)
Ildar Abdrazakov (Raimondo)

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet, conducted by Marco Armiliato.
This Met performance of director Mary Zimmerman’s “imaginative staging . . . And nuanced portrayals” (Times) is an amazing example of music and theatricality.

Here is Ms. Netrebko in “Regnava nel silenzio” from Lucia di Lammermoor

And here is a fully staged production: Anna Netrebko “Regnava nel silenzio… Quando rapito in estasi” – Lucia di Lammermoor, MET 2009

Tags: Anna Netrebko, Lucia di Lammermoor, Metropolitan Opera

Here is yet another addition to the fine music available for the 200th anniversary of Schumann’s birth. Between 1844 and 1859 Robert Schumann lived in Dresden where he composed a third of his complete creative output.

This concert offers a wonderful opportunity for Daniel Harding and the Staatskapelle Dresden to introduce three of the most impressive but now too rarely performed works from Schumann’s Dresden period. These compositions are: Overture to Genoveva, Requiem für Mignon, and Nachtlied.

The Rhenish Symphony, composed by Schumann after leaving Dresden blends in perfectly with the other music on the program:

• Genoveva Overture
• Scherzo in G minor
• Abendmusik in B flat major
• Requiem Für Mignon, Op. 98b
• Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 97 ‘Rhenish’
• Nachtlied, Op. 96 No. 1

The performers are:

Markus Butter, baritone
Soloists of the Dresden Kreuzchor; MDR Rundfunkchor Leipzig; and the Staatskapelle Dresden, Daniel Harding conducting.

This is really fine music, performed by top notch musicians, and showing us the all too small creative  work of Schumann before his death at age 42.

Here is a video of Schumann’s Symphony No. 3 “Rhenish” with Michael Boder conducting the Berliner Philharmoniker:

I am always intrigued with the creative ideas of performing artists! In this case, pianist Shai Wosner gives us a CD where he interweaves the music of Schoenberg with that of Brahms. Let me explain:

On Shai Wosner’s new CD which was issued August 31, 2010, we get a recording of Brahms’ 7 Fantasies Op. 116. On tracks 6-18, following each work of Brahms is a performance of Schoenberg’s 6 Little Piano Pieces. How clever that is, as a study of two composers and their respective styles…

Johannes Brahms lived from 1833 to 1897, Schoenberg was born in 1874, when Brahms was 41 years old, and he lived on until 1951. As such, there was a long time period when these 2 composers were living in the same world and experiencing at least some of the same times as musicians. (Yes… later Schoenberg moved to the US, but Brahms never came to the US, unlike such giants as Mahler)

Tracks on this CD include:

• Schoenberg: Suite for Piano, Op. 25

• Then the Brahms/Schoenberg I described above

• And finally the Brahms Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, Op. 24

These compositions work well together, and Wosner’s fine playing suits this arrangement beautifully. The final selection, Brahms’ Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Handel, Op. 24, shows off Mr. Wosner’s fine pianistic capabilities, making this CD a really worthwhile recording.

Here is Shai Wosner, performing Schumann’s Carnaval:

Tags: Shai Wosner, Brahms, Schoenberg

I have heard Mikhail Pletnev as a solo pianist, as a performer of concerti, and as a conductor. And…. I admire him greatly as an inventive musician. While I may occasionally be surprised by his interpretation, I like musicians to take risks, vary from the usual and try to explore new ways that may bring the listener closer to what the composer intended.

The skill of Pletnev’s pianism is enormous; he displays astonishing precision, power and control of dynamics; he clearly knows exactly what he is doing and wants to do. Sometimes he will deliberately and ironically punctuate the music. On other occasions he might introduce sudden, emphatic riterdandos, as in the rondo of the “Emperor” concerto. These are precisely the methods that allow me to listen afresh to the music.

Christian Gansch and the excellent Russian National Orchestra stay connected with him in these performances and play beautifully. The live sound is outstanding, and I particular enjoyed the rich, sound of the Blüthner grand piano that Pletnev prefers.

For me these performances provide a freshness, inventiveness, and different flavors that provide new insight into Beethoven’s masterpieces.

Here is Conductor Christian Gansch, Soloist Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National orchestra performing the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73; 3rd movement – Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo.

For many of you, the details of the life of Mozart are likely tied up in the movie “Amadeus”. While this was a great show, there were also some liberties taken, as far as accuracies with facts are concerned. Now you have an opportunity to watch a fine new study of the life of this musical genius via this DVD.

IN SEARCH OF MOZART is the first feature-length documentary on Mozart’s life. Produced with the world’s leading orchestras and musicians, told through a 25,000 mile journey along every route Mozart followed, this story takes us to the heart of his genius.

In Search of Mozart traces the composer’s life through his music and his extensive correspondence. Over 80 works are featured in chronological order, revealing striking parallels between the music and Mozart’s own experiences. Throughout, it is the music that takes our attention, with the rest of Mozart’s life fitting around it.

This is a fine documentary that gives a clear account of Mozart’s genius, and the social and political contexts of the times in which he lived., The narration and the off-screen actors are all excellently done. The film is entertaining and enlightening; it is good for a general audience and for a person who has previously studied Mozart’s life.

Mixing musical performances with authoritative interviews with musicians and historians, the filmmaker explores the life and times of Mozart and brings the viewer into the present and provides, I believe, answers as to why Mozart’s music lives on for us today. This is the best documentary on Mozart yet produced. The musicians and performers are some of the world’s very best. The film is well done and gives a real understanding of Mozart, his life and times. The musical excerpts are exceptional.

Here is an interview with Phil Grabsky, the Director of this film:

And here is the section from Mozart’s Opera Don Giovanni:

The Piano Concerto #4 of Ludwig van Beethoven is the absolute favorite piece of music of countless numbers of musicians and music lovers. And much has been written in the form of analysis and commentary to understand why this masterpiece gained this position among so many people.

For me, the following comes to mind:

1. Originality: Most other concerti of the time, including many loved pieces by such giants as Mozart and Haydn, begin with an orchestral introduction. In this concerto, the piano starts right off, without an introduction. And at once, Beethoven sets the serious, spiritual mood for the entire composition.

2. The second movement is like an Opera recitative in its dialog between the piano soloist and the orchestra. And what a dialog it is! The listener may supply his own words, or just hear the dialog as an abstract conversation. Again, as in the opening movement, a highly original approach.

3. The lyricism, and the melodic aspects of this composition require a musician who has amassed the technical, musical, and phrasing expertise to recreate the entire “story” of this concerto. There are pianists who decide that they would rather not attempt it at all, leaving this “shrine” to the piano masters who have come before…

Through the magic of audio/visual recording, here is a comparison of several pianists and the way each has decided to begin the opening notes of this concerto. Be warned that the fidelity of the older recordings is quite poor; but you still get an idea of how each artist approached this piece. If you wish, share with other readers your own personal favorite, even though it is frustrating to try to select a favorite based on a few notes, rather than hearing the entire composition. (Comment area below)

I really don’t like being limited to hearing the first 8 bars; but it’s only fair for me to say that I have two favorites:

o Aimard: I like the style and the lyricism and the seeming preparation for what I know follows these few notes.

o Gilels: Because of the precision and seeming aggressiveness of his interpretation

Now here’s the video showing 10 different pianists and their way of beginning the Beethoven Piano Concerto #4:

Now that you’ve made your selection, here, to reduce the frustration, is 10 minutes worth of Beethoven’s 4th, as performed by Claudio Arrau!

And finally here’s the young Murray Perahia playing 7 minutes of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto in G major, op.58

Enter your comments below:

Tags: piano, concerto #4, beethoven

Schubert: Moments Musicaux

Not all fine musicians have the interest, capability, desire, or the dedication to pass – on their abilities to younger people, who want to have a career in music. My sense from this recording is that Andras Schiff is an exception!

Watch and listen to the video below: Note the patience, the sensitivity, and the commitment he shows to help the young student achieve an ever more wonderful interpretation. No subtle detail is skipped over; and when there is an improvement in one area, he moves immediately to another suggestion that can make the student so much more effective.

For me, this was inspiring!  Tell me what you think of the following video at the comment area below the video.

And here is Schiff, helping another student:

The San Francisco Opera will be presenting Mozart’s masterpiece during September and October, 2010. I hope to attend one of these performances… And I’ll post a review after I attend.

In the role of Susanna will be soprano Danielle de Niese; I have reviewed one of her CD’s earlier in this blog.

SF Opera Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducts this perfectly cast production with glamorous soprano Ellie Dehn as the Countess, and former Adler Fellow Lucas Meachem as her philandering husband.

Performance dates at the San Francisco Opera are:

• Tue Sep 21 2010 8pm
• Thu Sep 23 2010 7:30pm
• Sat Sep 25 2010 8pm
• Thu Sep 30 2010 7:30pm
• Sun Oct 3 2010 2pm

• Tue Oct 5 2010 7:30pm

• Sun Oct 10 2010 2pm
• Sat Oct 16 2010 8pm
• Fri Oct 22 2010 8pm

For further details, click HERE.

And below is a brief taste of Danielle de Niese, performing Mozart:

For those readers in California, here’s a great event for you to consider:

Pianist Paul Lewis received admiration and praise for his poetic and beautiful interpretations of the Beethoven piano sonatas. His subsequent recordings of the five Beethoven piano concerti also won unanimous praise. Now Mr. Lewis turns his focus to Franz Schubert as part of the opening of a major two-year project exploring the great composer’s piano works.

Like other instrumentalists, Paul Lewis has to put up with the “YP” label for a while (Meaning “Young Pianist”). However, if you’ve heard him play, you’ll realize that you are listening to a major artist, and you’ll quickly drop that unfortunate label…

We have an opportunity to hear Paul Lewis as part of the Cal Performances series in Berkeley in February of next year. You can read more about Mr. Lewis in a Post I did earlier this year regarding one of his recordings.

Below are details for his upcoming concert:

Program:

Franz Schubert:

• Sonata in C Major, D. 840

• Drei Klavierstücke

• Sonata in D Major, D. 850

Date:

Sun, Feb 20, 3 pm; University of California /Berkeley; Hertz Hall

General Questions: tickets calperfs.berkeley.edu

Ticket Office: 510.642.9988

Here is a video of Mr. Lewis, performing the first movement of the Beethoven piano concerto # 4. Enjoy!

Schuman was President of The Juilliard School from 1945 to 1961 and of Lincoln Center from 1962 to 1968. He was not only instrumental in shaping how America benefited from the performing arts, but he was also an amazing composer.

Now, Naxos celebrated the 100th anniversary of William Schuman’s birth, by issuing a CD that features his symphonies. Gerard Schwartz directs the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

The CD was released: July 27, 2010

Schuman’s symphonies date from between 1941 and 1976. Some of the symphonies, such as numbers 3, 5, and 7, have been recorded frequently by conductors including Leonard Bernstein and Eugene Ormandy. Others have been performed and recorded only rarely. His symphonies as a group constitute a major accomplishment. This recording may bring them the attention that they deserve.

Like any composer, Schuman changed as a creative artist over time, but listening to this CD shows that his works have some common characteristics. They are strongly rhythmic and have a distinctive orchestration which makes great use of brass and percussion. The music is occasionally dissonant, but it remains tonal for the most part. Most importantly, the symphonies are clearly the work of an American composer in their directness, boldness and basic optimism.

This CD also includes several of Schuman’s shorter orchestral compositions, including his famous “New England Triptich: Three Pieces for Orchestra after William Billings” (1956) and his arrangement of Charles Ives’ “Variations on America” (1964).

I find Schuman’s music frequently quite moving. This is particularly the case in his 3rd symphony. Listen to that sad and beautiful opening, as played by the violas in this tragic music as you can hear in the recording below.

Here is the recording of the first part of William Schuman’s Symphony #3, as performed under the direction of Leonard Bernstein: (Painting shown on the video must be by American artist Edward Hopper!)

This is another wonderful recording by Evgeny Kissin, just issued 12 July 2010, in this case his first recording as pianist-conductor. Kissin, who is well known for his playing of Brahms, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, reminds us that Mozart’s concerti can withstand both bold playing, and also slower, thoughtful interpretation in the tender areas of the music.

The choice of the dark D minor concerto K466, with cadenzas by Beethoven, and Mozart’s last concerto in B flat K595, suits Kissin’s boldness and individuality. I liked Kissin’s playing of these two concerti, with strong support from the Kremerata Baltica orchestra.

The CD tracks are:

• 1.Piano Concerto No.20 In D Minor K466: I. Allegro
  2. Piano Concerto No.20 In D Minor K466: II. Romanze
  3. Piano Concerto No.20 In D Minor K466: III. Rondo
  4. Piano Concerto No.27 In B Flat Major K595: I. Allegro
  5. Piano Concerto No.27 In B Flat Major K595: II. Larghetto
  6. Piano Concerto No.27 In B Flat Major K595: III. Allegro

Evgeny Kissin won the 2009 Grammy® Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra for his recording of Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos.2 & 3 with the Philharmonia Orchestra, led by Vladimir Ashkenazy.

For me, these performances were very satisfying. Kissin’s music has a bit more of a “bite”, and he makes it delightful, highly musical, and totally exciting.

Here’s a wonderful video of Kissin performing Mozart’s piano concerto #27, the last concerto that Mozart composed. Listen to that wonderful lyricism, precise technique, and delightful phrasing that is absolutely on top of this performers abilities!

Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker have recorded the complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms live in a series of concerts from the Philharmonie in Berlin. The recording was released October 6, 2009; there are 3 CD’s of the four symphonies in this album.

This is a major recording of music that is central to the tradition of this 127-year-old orchestra, and is bound to be as important as Rattle’s earlier recording of the complete Beethoven symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic. The combination of the excellent sound and musicianship of the Berliner Philharmoniker, and the approach that has characterized Rattle’s music-making over the past thirty years is likely to result in a set of recordings that will challenge and refresh this well-known and cherished repertoire.

The second symphony is one of my great favorites. Sir Simon gives us music that is tender and lyrical but not excessively so. The challenge with this music is that the slow movement can sound very like the first movement. These are really two flowing pastoral movements in a row, and the conductor has to provide some contrast in feeling. Rattle is effective in making the Adagio non Troppo sufficiently brooding and melancholy where he can, so that the feeling – for me – was just excellent.

Yes… this is familiar music; however, if your library needs a set of fine, thoughtful, sensitive interpretations of these four masterpieces, there is every reason to give this outstanding album your serious consideration.

Here is a video of a portion of Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 with Simon Rattle and the Berliner Philharmoniker:

Tags:  Brahms, Sir Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic, Symphony

Elīna Garanča’s new album – ‘Habanera’ – is full of the summer sounds from Spain! The disc is based around gypsies, with arias from Bizet’s Carmen mixed with various Spanish songs and a few other selections with a gypsy or Spanish flavor.

‘Habanera’ is a fine CD album which shows off the seductive voice of Elina Garanča to the fulest. The repertoire is a mixture of well-known and virtually unknown songs. You can hear a lot of flamenco influence throughout this disc and the accompaniments vary between full orchestra, small ensemble and guitar. The Spanish songs by composers such as Emanuel de Falla and Montsalvatge are also particularly enjoyable. Ms. Garanča’s appearance, acting, and singing are particularly well-suited for her temperament.

Carmen is one of the most famous operas of all time, and there have been some great Carmen’s in the past, but I’m pleased to say that Garanča is right up there with the best. She sings with a seductive and alluring tone, and her technique is superb.

Tenor Roberto Alagna also makes an excellent Don José for Elina. He seems to enjoy this role, and he sings with both power and refinement.

With gorgeous pieces eliciting every strength Elîna Garanca boasts as a musician, Habanera’s instrumental accompaniments – whether RAI’s full orchestra, small ensemble or guitar – add to the very sultry atmosphere.

Conductor Karel Mark Chichon contributes taut yet sensitive leadership that enhances the charm and variety of Elîna Garanca’s selections.

Here is Ms. Garanča in two exciting video’s:

Pinchas Zukerman has been an admired performer, conductor, and teacher for many years. I have had the pleasure of hearing him in live performances with the New York Philharmonic, and I have also enjoyed his playing, good humor, and fine musicianship in chamber music groups that included his friends, Yitzhak Perlman, Jacqueline DuPre, Zubin Mehta, and many others.

Mr. Zukerman is coming to Berkeley to give 2 concerts in February, 2011. Make your plans now, since the program is delightful, as follows:

Feb 12, 2011: At 8 PM

• Mozart: Divertimento for String Trio in E-flat Major, K. 563
• Brahms: Piano Quintet in F Minor

Feb 13, 2011: At 3 PM

• Brahms: Sonatensatz from F-A-E Sonata
• Mozart: Duo in G Major, K. 423
• Schumann: Fantasiestücke
• Brahms Piano Quartet No. 2

The performing group includes:

• Pinchas Zukerman, violin;
• Jessica Linnebach, violin;
• Jethro Marks, viola;
• Amanda Forsyth, cello;
• Angela Cheng, piano

Concerts at: Zellerbach Hall, at UC/Berkeley

Here are the Zukerman Chamber players performing:

Beethoven: Presto from String Quintet in C Major, Op. 29 “Storm”

For those of you who are in Austria, or close by, here is a concert for you:

Violinist Hillary Hahn will give a concert with the Mahler Youth Orchestra. Here are the details:

• Brahms: Violin concerto Op. 77
• Hindemith: Symphony “Mathis der Maler”

Enjoy, and share with our readers how you enjoyed it; make your comments below…

Des Knaben Wunderhorn (”The Youth’s Magic Horn”) is a collection of old German poems and folk songs published in the early 1800s. Gustav Mahler used eight of these in his symphonies, and he chose 13 (often changing the text for his own purposes) for this collection of songs. These elaborately orchestrated songs speak of love, life in the military, comedic episodes, mysticism, and sometimes several of these topics.

Thomas Quasthoff and Anne Sophie von Otter have beautiful voices, and clearly a solid understanding of these poems. They also have great vocal technique and diction, and they express the changing moods of the songs very effectively. Their performance is sensitive, and nicely phrased. The accompaniment by Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic is crisp and balanced, and the sound is excellent.

Here are a few of the song titles and the respective performer as presented on this CD:

• Trost im Unglück

• Verlor’ne Müh

• Der Schildwache Nachtlied

• Das irdische Leben

• Lied des Verfolgten im Turm

• Wer hat dies Liedlein erdacht?

• Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt

• Lobes hohen Verstandes

• Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen

• Der Tamboursg’sell

Here is Thomas Hampson, explaining to us more of the origin of these songs:

And here is Brigitte Fassbaender singing “Where the Beautiful Trumpets Sound” from Mahler’s “Des Knaben Wunderhorn”: (9th song from the list, above)

Tags: Mahler, Knaben Wunderhorn, Quasthoff, von Otter, Abbado, songs

These terrific artists met as students and quickly found a shared voice in the string quartet repertoire, moving them to the highest level of chamber music performance.

The Jerusalem Quartet members are:
• Alexander Pavlovsky – 1st violin
• Sergei Bresler – 2nd violin
• Amichai Grosz – viola
• Kyril Zlotnikov – cello

“The Jerusalem Quartet reaches a standard that few predecessors have achieved”
…..(The Strad Magazine)

Berkeley Program:

Mozart: Quartet in D Major, K. 575 • Janáček: Quartet No. 1 • Brahms: Quartet No. 1 in C Minor

Date: Friday, Oct 15, 2010 at 8 pm

Venue: First Congregational Church in Berkeley

Tickets may be purchased here:

Listen to the fine playing of the Jerusalem Quartet as they perform Alexander Borodin’s Quartet #2.

(BTW: I believe that the cellist performs on a Cello that was played previously by the great Jacqueline DuPre!)

This CD will be released 8/31/2010

This CD combines four works for cello and orchestra, and all of these were arranged at his personal request by an arranger of his choice. The quiet mood of Steven Isserlis’ latest disc may be partly explained by the dedication: “In loving and grateful memory” of his wife, Pauline, who died in June.

The opening piece is an arrangement of a suite that Debussy composed at the age of 19. Arranger Sally Beamish used this piece as the opening movement, and she went on to construct orchestral arrangements of four other Debussy works from the same period, including the piano pieces “Rêverie” and “Danse Bohémienne”.

The two Ravel compositions which follow were arranged by Steven Isserlis’ friend, the violinist Richard Tognetti, in order to supplement the concert program for a tour that the two were to make with Tognetti’s own Australian Chamber Orchestra.

Also on this CD is Vladimir Blok’s orchestration of Prokofiev’s Concertino which was left incomplete when the composer died. The disc closes with Christopher Palmer’s orchestration of Ernest Bloch’s “From Jewish Life”.

Throughout the program Isserlis receives the expert support of the Tapiola Sinfonietta led by conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy.

Here is Mr. Isserlis performing the “Song of the Birds”:

Tags: Isserlis, Debussy, Ravel, Revisions, Tognetti, Cello, Tapiola Sinfonietta

I first saw an announcement of a concert of this amazing artist many years ago, just as I was leaving a concert while in London. I had never heard of him then; and… I got to know his artistry very fast very soon thereafter.

Well… Mr. Terfel is coming to give a concert in Berkeley! And his accompanist is the equally amazing Malcom Martineau, piano

Go… if you’re able…

• Saturday, November 20th, 2010, Zellerbach Hall, 8 PM

The breadth of Mr. Terfel’s artistry is especially apparent when heard in the revealing setting of a vocal recital. While his program has not yet been announced, I hope we’ll hear Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Mahler, and Strauss. But hey… any music given to us by this artist is a gift!

“Vocally prodigious and interpretatively outstanding…brilliantly effective” (The Guardian, London)

Check it out, and buy tickets here:

Here is Terfel in: ”Shenandoah”

This CD is a collection of Russian arias by composers such as Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev. Anna Netrebko is a Russian-born singer, with an enjoyable voice, and excellent musical phrasing; she present this music in a style that is clearly very natural to her. The CD contains a program of some of the most beautiful arias and songs in the Russian repertoire. This CD seems like a deeply personal recording, made in the opera house where she first found stardom, St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre, and conducted by Anna’s mentor and friend who has supported her from the start: Valery Gergiev.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Netrebko

Anna Netrebko’s love of the Russian repertoire is apparent with every note she sings on this CD. She is supported by Maestro Valery Gergiev, himself a lover of vocal music and a tremendous exponent of Russian opera. Netrebko, Gergiev, and the musicians of the Orchestra of the Marinsky Theatre have created something very special in this CD.

I particularly enjoyed the Rachmaninov songs. They are settings of poems by Pushkin, and they are very beautiful. There are also four arias of Rimsky-Korsakov, including one from “The Tale of Tsar Sultan”, two from “The Snow Maiden”, and one from “The Tsar’s Bride”.

Here is Anna Netrebko singing music by non-Russian composers:

First, music by Franz Lehar:

And next… Anna Netrebko sings “Quando m’en vo” from La Boheme:

Tags: Netrebko, Gergiev, Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev

Fuzjko Hemming was born in Berlin to a Japanese pianist mother and a Swedish father. When Fuzjko was a child, her family relocated to Tokyo, and by the age of 10, she was taking lessons from Leonid Kreutzer. She made her concert debut at 17, and she won numerous prestigious competitions and prizes. Her musicianship was praised for her extraordinary interpretations of the music of Chopin, Liszt, and Schumann.

So… Let’s hear some of her wonderful playing. Notice the deep expressiveness, the feeling that she puts into seemingly every note! What a sensitive musician she is! I truly enjoy the fine interpretation of both compositions that are captured for you below. Enjoy them fully! And feel free to express your own views at the bottom of this Post.

Here is Ms. Hemming performing the Consolation no.3 of Franz LISZT

And here she is playing Schumann’s “Spring Night”:

Tags: Hemming, Schumann, Liszt, Japanese pianist

Johann Sebastian Bach composed Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin that are the hallmark of a performer’s expertise. When played, these compositions expose the performer’s capabilities for all to hear. They are seemingly transparent: One cannot hide anything. You either know these, or you fall short. The performer’s style, musical feeling, phrasing, maturity, and technical expertise are all quite apparent.

For more than 300 years, violinists have struggled with all of these solo sonatas, and none is more challenging that the Bach Chaconne, BWV 1004.

Musical taste varies widely and it is a very personal thing. I will post below several current and past performers, all playing the same piece. You decide on the performance that you find most meaningful. Do let me know by entering your favorite in the comment field at the bottom of this post. (Thanks!)

1. Here is Viktoria Mullova:

2. Here is Henryk Szeryng:

3. And now, let’s hear Hilary Hahn:

4. And then the legendary Jascha Heifetz:

5. Next, Yitzhak Perlman performs the same composition:

6. And now, Nathan Milstein:

7. And last, but not least, Julia Fischer:

Yes… comparisons are tough, because recording has improved a lot since the “old days”. Sorry… Try to focus on other factors that you find more important.

Who, in your view, provides the performance that is most meaningful to you? Let me know, below…