Browsing: Classical Music

The world of music is celebrating the 200th anniversary of Wagner’s birth with performances everywhere. But I doubt that there will be any performances of Siegfried’s Funeral March from Goetterdaemmerung to match the one on this video. This performance was given by the London Philharmonic conducted by Klaus Tennstedt in Tokyo in 1988. It is remarkable for its breadth and nobility. And the members of the LPO respond to Tennstedt as if their lives depended on it. At one point there is a loud crash. It could have been one of the musicians falling off his (or her) chair.Tennstedt spent most…

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It was just a few months ago that pianist Van Cliburn passed away, but his piano competition continues without him. This year’s edition began in Ft. Worth this past Friday and will continue until June 9.Earlier this year a 5-member jury travelled the world listening to no fewer than 133 possible competitors and narrowed the field down to 30. In the First Round currently under way in Ft. Worth each of the 30 pianists will present two 45-minute recitals, and then the field will be reduced to 12 semi-finalists for the next round. Each of the pianists will play a 60-minute recital, including…

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Montreal Chamber Music Festival (MCMF/FMCM)The musical festival season opens with the MCMF. The 18th editition takes place from May 9 to June 1 at St. George’s Anglican Church. True to tradition, artistic director Denis Brott spares us no surprises. Performers include the Emerson and Fine Arts Quartets, the Swingle Singers, and pianists Jean-Philippe Collard and Oliver Jones, to name a few. This year’s four-hour marathon is dedicated to Tchaikovsky. www.festivalmontreal.org- Renée BanvilleArthur Honegger’s Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher Closes the 2012-13 Season at the OSMConductor Kent Nagano closes the OSM’s season with Arthur Honegger’s lyric mystery Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher (Joan…

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Festival de Musique de Chambre de Montréal (FMCM) La saison des festivals de musique d’été s’ouvre avec le FMCM, dont la 18e édition se déroule jusqu’au 1er juin à l’église anglicane Saint-Georges. Fidèle à la tradition, le directeur artistique Denis Brott ne nous ménage pas les surprises. On pourra entendre entre autres les quatuors Emerson et Fine Arts, les Swingle Singers, le pianiste Jean-Philippe Collard et Oliver Jones. Le marathon de quatre heures est consacré cette année à Tchaïkovski. www.festivalmontreal.org – Renée BanvilleJeanne d’Arc au bûcher d’Arthur Honegger pour clôturer la saison 2012-2013 de l’OSM Le chef Kent Nagano clôturera…

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by Paul E. RobinsonWAGNERLohengrin: Prelude to Act ILohengrin: Prelude to Act IIIDie Meistersinger: Prelude to Act I Die Walküre: Act I (complete)Heidi Melton , soprano (Sieglinde)Clifton Forbis, tenor (Siegmund)Eric Owens, bass (Hunding)Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Jaap van ZwedenMeyerson Symphony CenterDallas, TexasMay 19, 2013Since Wagner’s greatness as a composer has long been indisputable, and his music, to this day, is frequently played, we don’t need a special celebration of the 200th anniversary of his birth to be reminded who he is or what his music sounds like; that said, it would certainly make sense to spend some time considering what makes this man…

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The long wait is finally over. The Boston Symphony has a new music director: 34-year old Latvian conductor Andris Nelsons. He succeeds James Levine who resigned several years ago after a series of illnesses that made it impossible for him to continue. Coincidentally, Levine mad a long-awaited return to the podium last week conducting the MET Orchestra.Nelsons is one of the hottest conductors around these days with every major orchestra vying for his services. Nelsons has already conducted the Boston Symphony and the players found him to be absolutely what they were looking for: a fine musician with a rare gift…

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Montreal Chamber Music Festival (MCMF/FMCM)The musical festival season opens with the MCMF. The 18th edition takes place from May 9 to June 1 at St. George’s Anglican Church. True to tradition, artistic director Denis Brott spares us no surprises. Performers include the Emerson and Fine Arts Quartets, the Swingle Singers, and pianists Jean-Philippe Collard and Oliver Jones, to name a few. This year’s four-hour marathon is dedicated to Tchaikovsky. www.festivalmontreal.org- Renée Banville Jules Massenet’s Manon at the Opéra de MontréalFor the final production of the 2012-13 season, the Opéra de Montréal presents Jules Massenet’s Manon. After an acclaimed performance of the…

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After more than 30 years of distinguished music-making, the Aldeburgh Connection has decided to pack it in. This month it will give its final concert. The organization was created by pianists and life partners Stephen Ralls and Bruce Ubukata, and presented most of its concerts at Walter Hall at the University of Toronto. The “Aldeburgh Connection” relates to the close relationship the organization always had with the Aldeburgh Festival and its founders Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. Ralls worked at the festival as a rehearsal pianist for Britten’s opera Death in Venice, and both Ralls and Ubukata were frequent visitors…

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Festival de Musique de Chambre de Montréal (FMCM) La saison des festivals de musique d’été s’ouvre avec le FMCM, dont la 18e édition se déroule jusqu’au 1er juin à l’église anglicane Saint-Georges. Fidèle à la tradition, le directeur artistique Denis Brott ne nous ménage pas les surprises. On pourra entendre entre autres les quatuors Emerson et Fine Arts, les Swingle Singers, le pianiste Jean-Philippe Collard et Oliver Jones. Le marathon de quatre heures est consacré cette année à Tchaïkovski. www.festivalmontreal.org- Renée BanvilleConcert prestige Le CMIM annonce un prestigieux concert réunissant le violoniste Maxim Vengerov, le violoncelliste Stéphane Tétreault et le…

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Montreal Chamber Music Festival (MCMF/FMCM)The musical festival season opens with the MCMF. The 18th editition takes place from May 9 to June 1 at St. George’s Anglican Church. True to tradition, artistic director Denis Brott spares us no surprises. Performers include the Emerson and Fine Arts Quartets, the Swingle Singers, and pianists Jean-Philippe Collard and Oliver Jones, to name a few. This year’s four-hour marathon is dedicated to Tchaikovsky. www.festivalmontreal.org- Renée BanvilleConcert PrestigeThe MIMC has announced a prestigious concert bringing together violinist Maxim Vengerov, cellist Stéphane Tétrault, and pianist Serhiy Salov, 2004 grand prize winner of the MIMC. Accompanied by…

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