Romantic - my/maSCENA

Worthy Sibelius Tribute in Austin, Texas

By Paul E. Robinson on 12 February 2015 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonPeter Bay and the Austin Symphony Orchestra (ASO) in the Long CenterDukas: Fanfare for La Péri (1912)Glazunov: Wedding March Op. 21 (1889)Sibelius: Violin Concerto in D minor Op. 47 (1903)Sibelius: Symphony No. 1 in E minor Op. 39 (1899)Karen Gomyo, violinAustin Symphony Orchestra (ASO)/Peter BayLong Center for the Performing ArtsAustin, TexasFebruary 7, 2015Composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1857)This is going to be a big year for Finnish composer Jean Sibelius; born in 1865, 2015 is the 150th anniversary of his birth. Orchestras everywhere will be playing his music and there will surely be a plethora of new recordings. Conductor…

Le Festival de Lanaudière du 8 juillet au 10 août

By Justin Bernard on 8 July 2014 Classical, La Scena Online, Orchestral, Piano, Romantic, Strings

par Justin BernardPour cette 37e édition, le pianiste Alain Lefèvre, ambassadeur artistique du festival, fera le concert d’ouverture. Au programme, une œuvre de Bach transcrite par Liszt, une sonate de Haydn et une autre de Rachmaninov, les 24 préludes de Chopin et La Valse de Ravel. 8 juillet.Pour souligner le 150e anniversaire de naissance de Richard Strauss, trois des œuvres du compositeur seront interprétées : le poème symphonique Don Quichotte avec solistes, accompagnés par l’Orchestre du Festival, que l’on pourra entendre dans un autre poème symphonique, Don Juan, et dans la suite orchestrale extraite du Chevalier à la rose. À la…

Video of the Day – Grande Symphonie funebre et triomphale

By Paul E. Robinson on 10 May 2014 Orchestral, Romantic, Video of the day

Berlioz was one of the most innovative orchestrators in the history of music. He had a genius for combining instruments to produce unusual sonorities, and for using individual instruments in original ways. In 1840 he wrote a piece for a brass band of 200 players to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the revolution of 1830. The first performance was given by a huge band marching through the streets of Paris and the sound must have been astonishing. And it still is! A few years later the composer added a chorus to the final movement Apotheosis.Performances of this Grande symphonie funebre…

Guardian Editor Rusbridger Plays Chopin

By Paul E. Robinson on 20 April 2014 La Scena Online, Piano, Romantic

See video here.The power of music is undeniable. So many millions have been inspired by it, consumed by it, consoled by it, etc. Many more have marched off to war to the sound of it, been called into battle by the fanfares of a bugle, or played to eternal rest by the mournful sound of that same bugle.If one has been introduced to music at an early age it often remains a joy and a wonder one’s whole life, no matter what else has transpired. Alan Rusbridger is a typical case. He is a man who studied piano and clarinet when he…

Bay/ASO and Jonathan Biss: Under the Influence

By Paul E. Robinson on 12 February 2014 Concert Reviews, Orchestral, Piano, Romantic, Violin

by Paul E. RobinsonVaughan Williams: The Lark AscendingSchumann: Piano Concerto in a minor Op. 54Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major Op. 73Jessica Mathaes, violinJonathan Biss, pianoAustin Symphony Orchestra/Peter BayLong Center for the Performing ArtsAustin, TXFebruary 8, 2014I have been spending a lot of time lately with Jonathan Biss – not the man himself, but his website. Mr. Biss is a 33-year-old American pianist of great distinction who also writes well about music. Biss has been particularly eloquent on the subjects of Beethoven and Schumann. He is recording all the Beethoven sonatas and has written a book (Beethoven’s Shadow) about…

Uniworld River Cruise: Unexpected “European Jewels”

By Paul E. Robinson on 12 February 2014 Concert Reviews, Opera, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonCLASSICAL TRAVELSRiver Cruise along the Main, the Rhine and the DanubeAugust 2013This past August, Marita and I thoroughly enjoyed the “European Jewels” Uniworld River Cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest. We were not expecting a concentration of musical events on this excursion; rather, we thought it would give us a view of Europe from a new perspective (i.e., docking within walking distance of towns and cities) – and it did, but to our delight, there was glorious music on this cruise as well, often in unexpected places. Up until about 20 years ago, this particular river cruise would not…

Yannick Nézet-Séguin et les grands hommes

By Brigitte Objois on 11 February 2014 Orchestral, Romantic

par Brigitte ObjoisCe dimanche 9 février, à la Maison symphonique, l’Orchestre Métropolitain, sous la direction de Yannick Nézet-Séguin, présentait Métamorphoses et le concerto pour cor no. 2 de Strauss ainsi que la 3ème symphonie « Eroica » de Beethoven.Métamorphoses, œuvre pour 23 instruments à cordes, fut écrite dans une Allemagne dévastée par la guerre et la défaite, puisqu’elle sera achevée en avril 1945. La mention « In Memoriam » de la main de Strauss en marge des dernières mesures, serait un hommage à Beethoven et sa 3ème symphonie dont le compositeur a repris le thème de la marche funèbre du…

Too Many "f"s in DSO/van Zweden New World Symphony?

By Paul E. Robinson on 5 February 2014 Contemporary, Orchestral, Romantic

by Paul E. RobinsonScott Cantrell is the distinguished long-time classical music critic of the Dallas Morning News. He recently wrote an article titled “Let’s go easier on those fortissimos” (January 31, 2014) in which he criticized Jaap van Zweden and the Dallas Symphony (DSO) for excessive volume in music by Brahms (Piano Concerto No. 2/Symphony No. 4) and Dvorak (New World Symphony). I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Cantrell’s general point that volume levels in music performance have become excessive. Much of the blame for this phenomenon must go to technology; electronically amplified instruments can produce literally ear-splitting volume. With respect…

Video of the Day – Abbado Conducts Mendelssohn

By Paul E. Robinson on 13 January 2014 Orchestral, Romantic, Video of the day

Claudio Abbado has been in the news lately for his ill health. He has not conducted a concert since last September and his future schedule is very uncertain. In recent years he has drastically cut back his conducting activities due to serious intestinal issues. His main activity has been to lead the Lucerne Festival Orchestra in August every year, give a few concerts and make recordings with Orchestra Mozart, and appear annually with the Berlin Philharmonic.Now comes word that Orchestra Mozart has suspended operations. Both Orchestra Mozart and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra were created expressly for Abbado and would probably…

Elgar Conducts Elgar The Complete Recordings 1914-1925

By Paul E. Robinson on 5 January 2014 CD and Book Reviews, Orchestral, Romantic, Strings

Elgar Conducts Elgar The Complete Recordings 1914-1925, Elgar: Symphony No. 2/Violin Concerto (Marie Hall)/Cello Concerto (Beatrice Harrison)/Sea Pictures (Leila Megane)/Cockaigne Overture/In the South Overture, etc. Symphony Orchestra/Royal Albert Hall Orchestra/Sir Edward Elgar Producer & Transfer/Restoration Engineer: Lani Spahr Music & Arts CD-1257(4)(296 m 2 s)For collectors this is a gold mine of historic recordings. For music lovers – not so much. These are recordings from the acoustical era, and Elgar went on to make much better-sounding recordings of nearly all the same pieces using the electrical microphone. Frankly, ploughing through many of these performances is almost painful. Given the primitive…

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