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Orchestre de la Francophonie, Photo: Michel Pinault

Review: Orchestre de la Francophonie (July 28)

By Kiersten van Vliet on 2 August 2016 Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Orchestral, Quebec Music, Romantic

For their 15th anniversary season, the Orchestre de la Francophonie participated in Les Concerts Populaires for a celebration of French music that placed foundational Quebec composers in a lineage extending from Ravel to Claude Champagne, Saint-Saëns to Pierre Mercure. The evening of July 28 marked the first Thursday of the season that was not interrupted by the Jeux du Québec, which increased competition for venues at the Parc Olympique from July 17 to 25. The concert, a veritable kaleidoscope – even with its French roots – began with a piece of the same name by Mercure, a constantly-shifting ternary form…

Franz Liszt

Daily News Roundup: 29 July 2016

By Kiersten van Vliet on 29 July 2016 Contemporary, Daily News Roundup, Opera, Romantic

+ This is one the world has been waiting for: Norman Lebrecht reviews the Minnesota Orchestra’s final disc of their Sibelius cycle. + Shanghai Opera brings Thunderstorm to London. Read a review by the Financial Times here. + A recent biography about Liszt by Oliver Hilmes might simply be unnecessary. Read a review of the book here. “The weight of biographical commentary on Liszt is simply colossal. People have been writing full-length accounts of him since he was in his early 20s, and touring 1830s Europe. The first biographies written with the declared aim of stripping away accumulated myths appeared…

Dan Tepfer

Daily News Roundup: 28 July 2016

By Kiersten van Vliet on 28 July 2016 Art Song, Chamber Music, Contemporary, Daily News Roundup, Dance, Piano

+ Jazz pianist Dan Tepfer will perform the Goldberg Variations with his own variations as part of the Cleveland International Piano Competition and Festival on July 31. + The National Ballet is taking on Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale for the first time in 26 years. + The most famous Finnish composer since Sibelius, Einojuhani Rautavaara, has died at the age of 87. + 13-year old boy soprano Aksel Rykkvin has released an album of arias by Mozart, Handel and Bach, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under conductor Nigel Short. + Read a review of the first round of…

American composer Steve Reich

Daily News Roundup: 25 July 2016

By Kiersten van Vliet on 25 July 2016 Chamber Music, Contemporary, Daily News Roundup, Opera, Piano

Today’s Daily News Roundup is celebrating Bösendorfer pianos, welcoming a new contributor, and learning how to dress properly for concerts. + Read a review of three performances from the Lincoln Center Festival that featured maverick-turned-music-hero Steve Reich. + The Guardian’s Juanjo Mena explores the seduction of the Alhambra and Andalucían influences on Alberto Ginastera’s works. + La Scena Musicale’s newest contributor Andrew Burn asks if it is a good time to be a cynic. “When I am given the opportunity to speak in front of a group of musicians, I usually conduct an exercise or two. One of my most though-provoking…

Susanna Eastburn

Daily News Roundup: 22 July 2016

By Kiersten van Vliet on 22 July 2016 Contemporary, Daily News Roundup, Musical Theatre, Opera, Piano

Today’s Daily News Roundup responds to the questions “Where have the great composers gone?” Plus presidential operas, Norman Lebrecht’s latest, and more. + Soap opera or operatic tragedy? Schmopera’s Jenna Douglas evaluates the hypothetical operas of the 2016 American Presidential election. + Susanna Eastburn, a chief executive of Sound and Music and a champion of new music, responds to Philip Clark’s editorial “Where have the great composers gone?” “It’s necessary to acknowledge that the world is different from even 10 years ago, let alone the 20th century. We underestimate the disruptive societal impact of digital technology. Most obviously, access to…

Valery Gergiev

Daily News Roundup: 20 July 2016

By Kiersten van Vliet on 20 July 2016 Contemporary, Daily News Roundup, Opera, Orchestral, Popular Music, Scena Jazz

Today’s Daily News Roundup is wondering where the great British composers went. Plus a new appointment to the NAC, reviews, and more. + Veteran arts manager Heather Gibson has been named the head of the Canadian music series NAC Presents. + Philip Clark asks in The Guardian, “Where have the great [British] composers gone?” “There’s nothing unassuming about the BBC Proms, which launched its 2016 season last week, but the playbill of modern composition on offer again raises questions about where all those composers with real cultural weight, and a corresponding degree of mainstream visibility, might have gone. With all due…

Siege of Leningrad

This Day in Music – 1942: Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony Debuts in America

By Weiyu Dang on 19 July 2016 Contemporary, Orchestral, This Day in Music

Perhaps one of the most idiosyncratic composers, Dmitry Shostakovich became a symbol of anti-totalitarianism and a bulwark against Axis powers. Symphony No. 7, considered by many to be his greatest work, was originally dedicated to the achievements of Vladimir Lenin, but later to the completion of Leningrad and the power of its people. With latent poignancy and impassioned melodies, the Symphony would become a powerful propaganda tool used both by the Americans and the Soviets to promote an allied resistance to the German encroachment. Though receiving mixed reviews in America for its bombast, the Symphony was a success after its debut…

Valérie Milot, 12 July 2016

Daily News Roundup: 13–15 July 2016

By Kiersten van Vliet on 15 July 2016 Classical Music, Contemporary, Daily News Roundup, Mainstream Jazz, Opera, Popular Music, Scena Jazz, Strings, Vocal Jazz

Here is your Daily News Roundup megapost for July 13 to 15. We apologize that the website experienced some turbulence during that period – we are working tirelessly to fix issues as they arise! + La Scena Musicale is launching its 2015–16 fundraising campaign. Learn what you can do to help here. + Read Norman Lebrecht’s weekly album review. This week he critiques a disc of Polish violin concertos performed by Piotr Plawner and the Kammersymphonie Berlin. “Piotr Plawner is a dexterous soloist and the Kammersymphonie Berlin offer decent accompaniment, but the interpretations are safe and somewhat anonymous. Compare the Panufnik…

Lebrecht Weekly – Polish Violin Concertos (Naxos)

By Norman Lebrecht on 15 July 2016 Contemporary, Lebrecht Weekly, Violin

There used to be a truth, universally acknowledged across the record industry, that you could put out unfamiliar music with a famous artist or popular music with an unheralded performer but never attempt what Donald Rumsfeld might have called the unknown unknowns. That fundamental truth was well and truly overturned by the rise of Naxos, which built its fortune on a catholic blend of neglected artists and untapped catalogue, often with salutary results. The present release is a case in point. None of these four concertos is much performed, even in Poland where there might be a streak of national…

Arnold Schoenberg

This Day in Music: 13 July 1951 – Death of Arnold Schoenberg

By Weiyu Dang on 13 July 2016 Chamber Music, Contemporary, This Day in Music

Known for his twelve-tone method, Arnold Schoenberg was an iconoclast in the classical music world of the early 20th century. His atonal works clashed against the traditional diatonic systems of harmony by taking chromaticism to an extreme extent, provoking both widespread love and dissent. His influence spread with his dedicated disciples Anton Webern and Alban Berg, who continued the atonal tradition. It has been criticized of Schoenberg that his music is more often defended than listened to. Aside from music, Schoenberg is also notable for his gifted painting ability, his fear of the number 13 (ironically born on September 13th…

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