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Video of the Day – James Sommerville: Hornist, Athlete and Conductor

By Paul E. Robinson on 9 April 2013 Orchestral, Video of the day

Talk about busy! How does one person manage to hold down the position of principal horn of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and yet find time to be conductor and music director of the Hamilton Philharmonic? He is also a faculty member at the New England Conservatory. James Sommerville is not only talented but thrives on making the most of his time. And did I mention that he takes physical fitness very seriously too? Ever considered competing in a triathlon? This is an Olympic sport that is actually three sports combined: running, swimming and cycling – at the highest level. This is what James…

This week in Montréal: April 8 – 14

By La Scena Musicale Team on 8 April 2013 Chamber Music, Choral, Orchestral, This Week in Montreal, Violin

Virtuosos at the Chapelle Bon-PasteurOn April 8, Jonathan Crow and Andrew Wan, first violins at the OSM and TSO, recount the 20th- and 21st-century history of the violin duo. On April 12, the Ensemble Transmission invite percussionist François Rivalland for an evening of Aperghis, in which three young upcoming musicians will participate. www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/chapellebonpasteur – Renée BanvilleOpera de Montreal’s Atelier Lyric Performs a Menotti Double BillFor its annual production, the Atelier Lyric at the Opera de Montreal presents two one-act operas by Gian Carlo Menotti: The Old Maid and the Thief and Amahl and the Night Visitors. Musical direction is provided…

Video of the Day – Billy Mayerl: a Light Music Master

By Paul E. Robinson on 1 April 2013 Contemporary, Piano, Video of the day

Billy Mayerl (1902-1959) was an English pianist and composer, well-known for his contributions in the field of light music. His specialty may have been “light music” but he was a master. He appeared as piano soloist in the first UK performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in 1925. He wrote some memorable songs including “Marigold” which he plays in this video. He was also tremendously inventive at the keyboard, as you will also see in this video.Paul E. Robinson

Video of the Day – Karajan, Eschenbach and Frantz Play Mozart

By Paul E. Robinson on 26 March 2013 Classical, Piano, Video of the day

Herbert von Karajan was one of the most renowned conductors of his generation, but he started his career as a pianist and returned to the keyboard from time to time in later years. He was especially fond of playing harpsichord in performances of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. With two younger colleagues – Christoph Eschenbach and Justus Frantz – he also made a specialty of Mozart’s Concerto for Three Pianos and Orchestra. In this performance recorded in 1971 Eschenbach took the first part, Frantz the second and Karajan the third. At the time both Eschenbach and Frantz had major careers as soloists…

Maestro Peter Bay/ASO: Heroic, Soaring Sibelius Second!

By Paul E. Robinson on 22 March 2013 Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Orchestral

by Paul E. RobinsonMaestro Peter Bay (photo by Marita)Beethoven: Leonore No. 2 OvertureGinastera: Harp Concerto Op. 25Sibelius: Symphony No. 2Yolanda Kondonassis, harpAustin Symphony/Peter BayAustin, TexasLong CenterMarch 8, 2013It’s not often that one hears a harp soloist with a symphony orchestra. There are good reasons for that; most importantly, it is not a fair fight. The harp by nature can produce only a modest amount of sound, and is easily drowned out by even the smallest orchestra. The sound a harp makes is produced by the fingerpicking of strings and even a player with strong fingers can do only so much.…

Video of the Day – Bychkov Conducts Shostakovich

By Paul E. Robinson on 18 March 2013 Contemporary, Orchestral, Video of the day

This is some of the most terrifying music ever written; the scherzo from the Symphony No. 8 by Shostakovich. Here is a performance that is exemplary in every respect, not least of all, as a master class in conducting. Semyon Bychkov not only understands this music like few others but he knows how to get an orchestra to play it magnificently. The tempo is fast and the character of the music is intense and savage. Yet Bychkov is intense but incredibly controlled in his demeanor and gestures. Much of the time he is using little more than his right wrist…

Video of the Day – The Art of Andres Segovia

By Paul E. Robinson on 12 March 2013 Strings, Video of the day

One of the greatest musical experiences of my life was seeing Andres Segovia (1893-1987) sitting alone on the stage of Massey Hall in Toronto, playing to a packed house. The sound of an unamplified classical guitar is very small but it filled the hall that night, and every note was a miracle of musicianship and artistry. No one before or since made the guitar sound so expressive. But more than that Segovia conveyed to his listeners the very soul of music. It was unforgettable.In this video you can see Segovia in his prime and marvel at the artistry. How did he…

A Tale of Two Cities/ A Tale of Two Orchestras

By Paul E. Robinson on 11 March 2013 Classical, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Opera, Orchestral

Paul E. Robinson Vivaldi: Concerto in C major for Recorder, Strings and Continuo RV 444 Vivaldi: Concerto in C major for Recorder, Strings and Continuo RV 443 Mahler: Symphony No. 6 in A minor Erik Bosgraaf, recorder Dallas Symphony Orchestra/Jaap van Zweden Meyerson Symphony Center Dallas, Texas March 1, 2013 It was an interesting weekend. On Friday night, I heard the Dallas Symphony under its music director Jaap van Zweden performing Mahler’s massive Sixth Symphony at the Meyerson SymphonyCenter in preparation for its European tour. The next day I drove 250 miles down I-45 to hear a concert performance of…

Video of the Day – Van Cliburn: In Memoriam

By Paul E. Robinson on 5 March 2013 Piano, Video of the day

Music-lovers around the world mourned the loss last week of Van Cliburn (1934-2013), one of the giants among Twentieth Century pianists. Cliburn astonished the world of music when he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, at the age of 23. He then went on to become a legend in his own time. And that became part of the problem. The real Van Cliburn was continually faced with living up to the legendary Van Cliburn. In 1978 he withdrew from public performance. After some years in retirement he returned to concertizing but he now lacked the confidence of…

Dallas Symphony Raises its Game for 1st European Tour with Maestro Jaap van Zweden!

By Paul E. Robinson on 26 February 2013 La Scena Spotlight, Newswire, Orchestral

by Paul E. RobinsonWagner: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and LiebestodBeethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major Op. 19Stucky: August 4, 1964: ElegyStrauss: Der Rosenkavalier: SuiteAnton Nel, pianoDallas Symphony Orchestra/Jaap van ZwedenMeyerson Symphony CenterDallas, TexasFebruary 22, 2013For five years now, Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden has been working steadily to build the Dallas Symphony (DSO) into a world-class orchestra. Critical reaction in Dallas has been consistently glowing and when conductor and orchestra were featured at the League of American Orchestras Conference in Dallas last year, the reaction from the ‘movers and shakers’ in the industry was ecstatic.Now comes the…

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