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Video of the Day – Franz-Paul Decker: In Memoriam

By Paul E. Robinson on 26 May 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

The German-born conductor Franz-Paul Decker died in Montreal on May 19 at the age of 90. He was music director of the Montreal Symphony from 1967 to 1975 and returned often thereafter as a guest conductor. Just last season he had been scheduled to appear with the MSO – the main work was Richard Strauss’ massive An Alpine Symphony – but was forced to cancel due to ill health.Decker held many conducting posts in Europe throughout his career and he also had a close association with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Decker was highly regarded for his performances of the German…

Video of the Day – The Art of Audio Restoration: Mark Obert-Thorn

By Paul E. Robinson on 17 May 2014 Video of the day

We live in a time of tremendous technological advances in recorded music. But at the same time, there is chaos and uncertainty in the way that recorded music is marketed. The big companies like Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Decca and RCA have shrunk to being shadows of what they were. People are not buying CDs in the volumes needed to keep these companies viable. Music-lovers are getting their music in other ways – largely from streaming.But let’s look at the bright side. All this new technology has provided us with the tools to go back to older recordings and make them…

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…

Video of the Day – Barenboim Launches a New Label

By Paul E. Robinson on 4 May 2014 Classical Music, Video of the day

Everyone knows by now that the classical music record business is a shadow of what it once was. The big companies have drastically reduced their operations in the face of the availability of product by other means, above all, streaming. One effect of all these cutbacks has been that few companies are now willing to sign exclusive or any other kind of contract with performers. Some artists have taken matters into their own hands and started their own labels. The latest to do so is Daniel Barenboim. He has just launched Peral, in association with Universal. It appears that Universal…

Video of the Day – Jansons Resigns from the Royal Concertgebouw

By Paul E. Robinson on 24 April 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

This past week Mariss Jansons, 71, announced his resignation from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, effective at the end of next season. Jansons has been the chief conductor of the RCO since 2004, and only the 6th chief conductor of this great orchestra in its long and illustrious history.Jansons has had major health problems since at least 1996 when he suffered a serious heart attack. In recent years he has cut back his long distance travel and limited his conducting to just a handful of orchestras, all of them in Europe.Jansons was born in Latvia but grew up in St. Petersburg…

Video of the Day – Peter Sellars discusses Bach’s St. Matthew Passion

By Paul E. Robinson on 14 April 2014 Baroque and Early, Video of the day

For Easter Week 2014 what better time to discuss Bach’s St. Matthew Passion. In recent years conductor Simon Rattle and director Peter Sellars have collaborated on performances of both the St. Matthew and the St. John Passions of Bach. What makes these performances fresh and original is the placement of the performers on stage and the interaction between them. Sellars and Rattle see these works as much more than oratorios but something less than operas. Whatever else one can say about them, it is clear that they are dramatic works. Purists will say that the drama is in the music…

Video of the Day – Van Zweden Gets a Call From the VPO

By Paul E. Robinson on 6 April 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

Last year Jaap van Zweden got a call from the Berlin Philharmonic to fill in for an ailing conductor. He did and made his debut with the BPO to great acclaim. And just last week, van Zweden got a call from another prestigious orchestra. This time it was the Vienna Philharmonic, and another conductor (Gustavo Dudamel) had fallen ill. Van Zweden made his debut with the VPO April 6 conducting the Bruckner Symphony No. 8.For several years now van Zweden has been a favorite guest conductor with the Chicago Symphony. In June this year he will lead three weeks of concerts devoted to…

Video of the Day – The Solti Archive

By Paul E. Robinson on 30 March 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

In 2011 Lady Solti donated her late husband’s scores and papers to Harvard University. The Sir Georg Solti Archive is now a treasure trove for scholars and young conductors interested in the legacy of one of the greatest conductors of the Twentieth Century.Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997) was born in Budapest and was trained as a pianist. But his talent for conducting soon emerged and after the war he began his career working in German opera houses. He came to the attention of Decca producer John Culshaw and was soon involved in the company’s project to record the first Ring cycle…

Video of the Day – Dudamel Conducts Revueltas

By Paul E. Robinson on 24 March 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

Gustavo Dudamel was recently in Canada conducting several concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. By most accounts these concerts devoted to symphonies by Corigliano and Tchaikovsky were hugely impressive. Meanwhile, in Austin, TX, in the aftermath of the annual SXSW Festival, the Austin Symphony presented a rare showing of the film Redes with music by Silvestre Revueltas. This fine Mexican composer died in 1940 at the age of 40, and it was a tragic loss. Revueltas was destined to be one of the major composers of his generation. Among his finest orchestral works is Sensemaya, a pounding, surging piece influenced by…

Video of the Day – Nelsons First Rehearsal with the Boston Symphony

By Paul E. Robinson on 19 March 2014 Orchestral, Video of the day

Latvian-born conductor Andris Nelsons seems to be everywhere these days, and everywhere he goes he leaves a positive impression. Here is a conductor who is technically brilliant and totally involved in the music he loves. On top of that, he is charismatic too. No wonder the Boston Symphony signed him up as their next music director. Just a week ago he was in Boston announcing the orchestra’s 2014-2015 season and conducting performances of Strauss’ Salome. A few days later he was in New York leading the Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. Then it is back to Birmingham, England where he…

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