Showing posts with label classical music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label classical music. Show all posts

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Classical Music in Movies - Composers born in May


BRAHMS - May 7, 1833
The Boy (2016)
     Hungarian Dance No. 5
Phantom Thread (2017)
     Waltz No. 11 in B minor

FAURE - May 12, 1845
Captain American: Civil War (2016)
     Requiem, Op. 48: Pie Jesus

MASSENET - May 12, 1842
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
     Cherubin

SATIE - May 17, 1866
Call Me by Your Name (2017)
     Sonatine Bureaucratique
The Gift (2015)
     3 Gymnopedies: Gymnopedie No. 1
Mississippi Grind (2015)
     3 Gymnopedies: Gymnopedie No. 1

TCHAIKOVSKY - May 5, 1840
Birdman: or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2015)
     Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36: Andantino in modo di
          canzona 
     Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64: II. Andante cantabile, con
          alcuna licenza
Daddy's Home (2015)
     The Nutcracker: III. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies
La La Land (2016)
     1812 Overture, Op. 49
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar children (2016)
     Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23: I. Allegro non 
          troppo e molto maestoso
Zookeeper's Wife (2017)
     18 Morceaux, Op. 72. Passe lointain

WAGNER - May 22, 1813
Alien: Covenant (2017)
     Das Rheingold: Scene IV: Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla
The Gift (2015)
     Die Walkure: Hojotoho! Hojotoho! (The Valkryies), "Ride of the 
          Valkyries"



Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Opera Lectures - 2018

It's that time of year when we celebrate operatic music performed at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.  Our lectures are led by the Opera Lovers Lecture Corps.  Lectures are in the Multipurpose Room on Thursdays from 7-8:30 pm.


September 20 - La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini
Puccini's tale introduces us to young artists struggling to make ends meet in Paris's Latin Quarter.  Musetta drives her painter beau Marcello crazy with jealousy.  Frail Mimi and her poet Rodolf finally find love, but she dies tragically in the end.

October 4 - Idomeneo by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Shipwrecked, he gets safely to shore only after promising Neptune to sacrifice the first person he sees - but it's his son, Idamante.  As Idomeneo agonizes over the catastrophe facing him, Idamante woos one princess, the lovely Ilia, and is madly pursued by another, the jealous Elettra.


October 18 - Siegfried by Richard Wagner

The hero of the first part of the Nibelungenlied.  A prince of the Netherlands, Siegfried obtains a hoard of treasure by killing the dragon Fafner.  He marries Kriemhild, and helps Gunther to win Brunhilde before being killed by Hagen.




November 1 - Il Trovatore by Giuseppe Verdi


The troubadour Manrico and Count di Luna are bitter enemies who are both in love with Leonora: however, they do not know that they are brothers.  The story includes babies switched at birth, kidnapping, mistaken identity, poisoning, civil strife, witches burned at the stake, and a noblewoman who offers herself to a man she hates, to save the man she loves.



November 15 - Cendrillon by Jules Massenet
The story broadly follows the familiar version from pantomime.  The only significant change is a vision scene under the magic of the Fairy Godmother in which Cinderella runs away after the ball and meets Prince Charming in a magic forest.

































Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Leonard Bernstein - 1918-1990



This year marks the centenary celebration of Leonard Bernstein's birth.  He was born Louis Bernstein in Lawrence, Massachusetts on August 25, 2918 and died October 14, 1990 in New York City, New York at the age of 72.  He was a composer, conductor author, lecturer, and pianist.  According to music critic Donal Henahan, he was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history."


Bernstein was influenced by the composer Marc Blitzstein, conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos, composer Aaron Copland and conductor Fritz Reiner at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, who is said to have given Bernstein the only "A" grade he ever awarded.


In 1958, he began his tenure as conductor with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, after stepping in at the last moment for conductor Guido Cantelli, who died in an airplane crash.  At this time, he also began his series of fifty-three televised Young People's concerts for CBS.


Bernstein has been awarded Grammy Awards for Best Album for children, Best Orchestral Performance, Best Choral Performance, Best Opera Recording, Best Classical Vocal Performance, Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance, Best Classical Contemporary Composition, Best Classical Album, and Lifetime Achievement.  He also won a Tony Award for Best Musical.  He is a Gramophone Hall of Fame entrant, and a member of both the American Theater Hall of Fame, and the Television Hall of Fame.  In 2015 he was inducted into the Legacy Walk.  In 1990 he won the Japan Arts Association award for lifetime achievement.


His works include ballets, operas, musicals, incidental music and other theatre, film scores, orchestral, choral, chamber music, vocal music, and pianos music. Among his noteworthy are
On the Town (1944), Trouble in Tahiti (1952),
On the Waterfront (1954) Candide (1956), West Side Story (1957), MASS (1971) and A Quiet Place (1983). 


Friday, November 3, 2017

Opera Lecture Series II - Fall/Winter

Glenview Public Library Opera Lecture
Given by the Opera Lovers Lecture Corps
Thursdays 7:00-8:30 pm




Turandot by Giacomo Puccini (November 30) (Community Room East)
The story is set in China and involves Prince Calaf, who falls in love with the cold Princess Turandot. To obtain permission to marry her, a suitor has to solve three riddles; any wrong answer results in death. Calaf passes the test, but Turandot still refuses to marry him.

I Puritani by Vincenzo Bellini (January 18) (Multipurpose Room)
I Puritani takes place in 17th-century England, in which a passionate couple find themselves caught up in a conflict between opposing political factions.

Cosi Fan Tutte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (February 8) (Multipurpose Room)
Subtitled “The School for Lovers,” it starts out with a cynical philosopher’s (Alfonso) bet with two of his friends (Ferrando and Guglielmo) that their fiances (Dorabella and Fiordiligi) can’t remain faithful for 24 hours.

Faust by Charles Gounod (February 22) (Multipurpose Room)
Bored with life, the aging philosopher Faust would give anything to be young again. Enter the devil’s disciple with the answer to his prayers. He falls in love with the innocent Marguerite, with disastrous consequences.



Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Glenview Public Library - Opera Lectures (Winter)


Our winter opera lectures are again being given by the Opera Lovers Lecture Corps.  All our lectures are held on Thursdays in the Multipurpose Room from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

December 1 - The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflote) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Figaro, the count’s valet, and Susanna, the countess’ maid, are desperate to marry – but the count has designs on Susanna himself.

January 12 - Norma by Vincenzo Bellini

This tale involves a Druid priestess and the leader of the Roman invasion of ancient Gaul.  Their forbidden love and illegitimate children, plus his affair with a younger priestess, create all kinds of complications.

February 2 - Carmen by Georges Bizet

A hapless corporal, Don Jose gives up everything – fiancée, regiment, and honor – to be with Carmen, but his passion turns deadly when she jilts him for a glamorous toreador, Escamillo.  In the end, Carmen is killed by Don Jose






February 16 - Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Ilyich Tchikovsky



Meet Eugene Onegin – a self-indulgent St. Petersburg playboy.  He tarries with the sweet country girl Tatyana, then rebuffs her when she pours out her passion; he looks for sport with the fiancée of his best friend, and then kills him in a duel.  Years pass. Onegin meets Tatyana again, but she reject him.  Onegin is left alone.
y

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Gramophone Hall of Fame - 2016

The following artists have been chosen to join the Gramophone Hall of Fame for the year 2016 because of their influence on the classical music recording industry.

Friedrich Gulda (Pianist)
Born on May 16, 1930 in Vienna, Austria.
Died on January 27, 2000 Steinbach am Attersee, Austria.
Guilda worked in both classical and jazz music.

Gundula Janowitz (Soprano)
Born on August 2, 1937 in Berlin, Germany.
Grew up in Granz, Austria and became a naturalized Austrian.
She is a lyric soprano singer of opera, oratorios and concert recitals.

Dame Emma Kirkby (Soprano)
Born on February 26, 1949 in Camberley, Surry, England, UK.
She is an English soprano who specializes in early music.  She was appointed Dame in 2007.

Gustav Leonhardt (Harpsichordist and Conductor)
Born on May 30, 1928 in 's-Graveland, North Holland.
Died on January 16, 2012 in Amsterdam.
He was a renowned keyboard player, conductor, musicologist, teach and editor.  He was instrumental in the movement to perform music on period instruments.

Yevgeny Mravinsky (Conductor)
Born in 1903.
Died in 1988.
He conducted the Leningrad Philharmonic from 1938-88.

Eugene Ormandy (Conductor)
Born Jeno Blau on November 18, 1899 in Budapest, Austria-Hungry.
Died on March 12, 1985 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He was a conductor and violinist who became the music director and conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra for 44 years.  The Philadelphia Orchestra had three gold records and won two Grammy Awards during his time with them.

Anne Sofie von Otter (Mezzo-Soprano)
Born on May 9, 1955 in Stockholm, Sweden.
She made her professional operatic debut in 1983 at the Basel Opera, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1985, La Scale in 1987 and Metropolitan Opera in December 1988.  Her recording of Grieg songs won the 1993 Gramophone Record of the Year.

Trevor Pinnock (Harpsichordist and Conductor)
Born on December 16, 1946 in England.
He was associated with The English Concert, former artistic director of Canada's National Arts Centre Orchestra and founded The Classical Band in New York.  He won a Gramophone Award for his recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos with the European Brandenburg Ensemble.

Grigory Sokolov (Pianist)
Born in 1950 in St. Petersburg, Russia.
He won the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition.

Jon Vickers (Tenor)
Born Jonathan Stewart Vickers on October 29, 1926 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Died on July 10, 2015 in Ontario, Canada.
In 1960 he joined the Metropolitan Opera.  In 1968 he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada and received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in 1998.

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Local Classical Music Concerts - January 17-23



Winter is upon us, but no time like the present to enjoy all the beautiful classical musical around us.



Sunday, January 17

Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lopez: Bel Canto
(2:00 pm) Civic Opera House, Chicago

Music Institute of Chicago - Chamber Music Fall Concert
(2:00 pm) Nichols Concert Hall, Evanston

Northbrook Symphony Orchestra
(4:00 pm) Sheely Center, Glenbrook North High School, Northbrook

Winter Chamber Music Festival - Ashkenasi-Liu-Taylor Trio
(7:30 pm) Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Evanston

Monday, January 18

Chicago Sinfonietta - Martin Luther King Tribute
(7:30 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Wednesday, January 20

Baroque Band - Garry Clarke, conductor
(7:30 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Friday, January 22

Winter Chamber Music Festival - Jupiter String Quartet
(7:30 pm) Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

Saturday, January 23

Lyric Opera of Chicago - Verdi: Nabucco 
(7:30 pm) Civic Opera House, Chicago

Paul O'Dette, lutenist (7:30 pm) Galvin Recital Hall, Evanston

Lake Forest Symphony - Vladimir Kulenovic, conductor/Netanel Draiblate, violinist
(8:00 pm) Lumber Center for the Performing Arts, Grayslake

Friday, January 8, 2016

Local Classical Music Concerts (January 10-17, 2016)

What better way to enjoy the cold weather than to attend a music concert.  Enjoy!


Sunday, January 10
Newberry Consort - Le Roman de Faulvel (3:00 pm) - Alice Millar Chapel, Evanston

Winter Chamber Music Festival - Dover Quartet (7:30 pm) - Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Evanston


Wednesday, January 13
Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lopez: Bel Canto (7:30 pm) - Civic Opera House, Chicago

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Pinchas Zukerman, conductor and violinist (7:30 pm) - Harris
Theater, Chicago

Friday, January 15
Baroque Band - Garry Clarke, conductor (7:30 pm) - Music Institute, Evanston

Beyond the Aria - Danielle de Niese, soprano, Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor, Bradley Smoak, bass, Craig Terry, pianist (7:30 pm) - Pritzker Pavillon Stage, Chicago

Winter Chamber Music Festival (7:30 pm) - Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Evanston


Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Local Classical Music Concerts (January 3-9 2016)




The Classical music scene kicks off the New Year with a wonderful selection of music.



Sunday, January 3

Mabel Kwan, piano/clavichord (8:30 pm) Constellation, Chicago

Tuesday, January 5

Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lopez: Bel Canto (7:30 pm) Civic Opera House, Chicago

Wednesday, January 6

Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Afterwork Masterworks - Jonathan Nott, conductor/Johannes Moser, cello (6:30 pm) - Symphony Center, Chicago

Julliard Orchestra - Itzhak Perlman, conductor (7:30 pm) Harris Theater, Chicago

Thursday, January 7

Chicago Symphony Orchestre - Afterwork Masterworks - Jonathan Nott, conductor/Johannes Moser, cello (8:00 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Friday, January 8

Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Afterwork Masterworks - Jonathan Nott, conductor/Johannes Moser, cello (1:30 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Lincoln String Quartet - Winter Chamber Music Festival (7:30 pm) Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Evanston

Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lopez: Bel Canto (2:00 pm) Civic Opera House, Chicago

Newberry Consort - Le Roman de Fauvel (8:00 pm) Newberry Library, Chicago

Saturday, January 9

Chicago Symphony Orchestra - Afterwork Masterworks - Jonathan Nott, conductor/Johannes Moser, cello (8:00 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Lyric Opera Orchestra - Placido Domingo & Ana Martinez with Sir Andrew Davis (7:30 pm) Civic Opera House, Chicago

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Local Classical Music Events - December 20-29




Celebrate the joyous holiday season by attending a local classical music event.



Sunday, December 20

Apollo Chorus - Handel's Messiah (2:00 pm) Harris Theater, Chicago

Chicago Symphony Orchestra (3:00 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Music of the Baroque - Holiday Brass and Choral Concert (3:00 pm) Divine Word Chapel, Northbrook

Monday, December 21

Merry Merry Chicago with the Von Trapps (3:00 pm) Chicago Symphony Center, Chicago

Do-It-Yourself Messiah (7:00 pm) Harris Theater, Chicago

Tuesday, December 22

Merry Merry Chicago with the Von Trapps (3:00 pm) Chicago Symphony Center, Chicago

Do-It-Yourself Messiah (7:00 pm) Harris Theater, Chicago

Wednesday, December 23

Naria Kim & Evan Solomon (12:15 pm) Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago

Merry Merry Chicago with the Von Trapps (3:00 pm) Chicago Symphony Center, Chicago

Friday, December 11, 2015

Local Classical Music Events (December 13-19)





Get into the holiday spirit by attending a local classical music concert.


Sunday, December 13
Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lehar: The Merry Widow (2:00 pm) Civic Opera House, Chicago

Glenview Concert Band - Holiday Concert (3:00 pm) Glenbrook South High School, Glenview

Monday, December 14
Renee Fleming sings music of Patricia Barber (7:30 pm) Harris Theater, Chicago

Tuesday, December 15
Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus - Messiah (7:30 pm) Harris Theater, Chicago

Wednesday, December 16
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass (8:00 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Friday, December 17
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (7:30 pm) Harris Theater, Chicago

Chicago Symphony Orchestra (8:00 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Saturday, December 18
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1:30 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Music of the Baroque - Holiday Brass and Choral Concert (8:00 pm) St. Michael's Church, Old Town, Chicago

Sunday, December 19
Music of the Baroque - Holiday Brass and Choral Concert (3:00 pm) Divine Word Chapel, Northbrook

Lake Forest Symphony - "Sounds of the Season" (4:00 pm) Lumber Center, Grayslake

Apollo Chorus - Messiah (7:00 pm) - Harris Theater, Chicago

Glenview Concert Band - Toys for Tots Holiday Concert (7:00 pm) Glenview Community Church, Glenview

Chicago Symphony Orchestra (8:00 pm) Symphony Center, Chicago

Chicago a cappella - Holiday Program (8:00 pm) Nicols Concert Hall, Evanston

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Local Classical Music Events (December 6-December 12, 2015)




Here are some classical music events happening in Chicago and the northern suburbs for the upcoming week - December 6-December 12.

December 6
CSO Chamber/Oberon Ensemble (2:00 pm) - Fullerton Hall, Art Institute of Chicago

William Ferris Chorale - Christmas Concert (2:30 pm) - Madonna della Strada Chapel, Loyola University

Chicago a cappella - Holiday Program (3:30 pm) - St. Clement Church, Deming Place, Chicago

December 7
Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lopez: Bel Canto (7:30 pm) - Civic Opera House, Chicago

December 10
Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lopez: Bel Canto (7:30 pm) - Civic Opera House, Chicago

Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Chicago Symphony Chorus - Handel: Messiah (8:00 pm) - Symphony Center, Chicago

Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lehar: The Merry Widow (2:00 pm) - Civic Opera House, Chicago

Chicago Master Singers/Ars Viva strings - Traditional carols (7:30 pm) - Divine Word Chapel, Techny

December 12
Lyric Opera of Chicago - Lopez: Bel Canto (7:30 pm) - Civic Opera House, Chicago

William Ferris Choral - Christmas concert (7:30 pm) - Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Chicago

Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Chicago Symphony Chorus - Handel: Messiah (8:00 pm) - Symphony Center, Chicago


Sunday, November 29, 2015

Local Classical Music Events (November 29-December 5, 2015)






Be sure to check out these classical music events in the Chicago area for the upcoming week.

November 29
Chicago a cappella - Holiday Program (4:00 p.m.) - Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, Chicago

Chicago Symphony Orchestra (3:00 p.m.) - Symphony Center, Chicago

Music of the Baroque - Judas Maccabaeus (3:00 p.m.) - North Shore Center, Skokie

Orion Ensemble (7:30 p.m.) - Nichols Concert Hall, Music Institute, Evanston

November 30
Music of the Baroque - Judas Maccabaeus (7:30 p.m.) - Harris Theater, Chicago

December 1
Chanticleer (7:30 p.m.) - Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago

Niles Metropolitan Chorus (7:00 p.m.) Messiah - St. John Brebeuf Church, Niles

December 2
Chanticleer (7:30 p.m.) - Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago

Sylvie Courvoisier & Mark Feldman (7:30 p.m.) - Constellation, Chicago

David Kaplan  (12:15 p.m.) - Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago

Lyric Opera's Bel Canto (6:00 p.m.) - Civic Opera House, Chicago

December 3
Lyric Opera's The Merry Widow (7:30 p.m.) - Civic Opera House, Chicago





Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Local Classical Music Events (November 22-November 28, 2015)

Here are some classical music events happening in Chicago in the upcoming week:

November 22
Musicians from the Chicago Philharmonic (12:00 pm) - City Winery (Chicago)

November 23
Bella Voce/Callipygian Players (Messiah) (7:00 pm) - Fourth Presbyterian Church (Chicago)

Lyric Opera's The Merry Widow (7:30 pm) - Civic Opera House (Chicago)

Musicians from the Chicago Symphony with Samuel Adams and Elizabeth Ogonek
(7:00 pm) - Harris Theater for Music and Dance (Chicago)

November 25
Amit Peled & Stefan Petrov (12:15 pm) - Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center (Chicago)

Lyric Opera's The Merry Widow (7:30 pm) - Civic Opera House (Chicago)

Vienna Boys Choir (3:00 pm) - Symphony Center (Chicago)

November 28
Chicago Symphony Orchestra (8:00 pm) - Symphony Center (Chicago)

Lyric Opera's The Merry Widow (7:30 pm) - Civic Opera House (Chicago)

Vienna Boys Choir (3:00 pm) - Symphony Center (Chicago)



Thursday, May 7, 2015

Spring Into Music

When we think of spring many images come into our minds - birds, blooming trees and flowers, warm breezes, sun, grass, new beginnings.  Many composers have written spring-inspired classical music.

The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires  - CD CHAMBER PIAZZOLA, A.
Annelies - CD CHORAL WHITBOURN, J.
The Four Seasons - CD CONCERTO VIVALDI, A.
Copland - CD ORCHESTRAL COPLAND, A.
Music of America - CD ORCHESTRAL COP
English Spring - CD ORCHESTRAL ENG
Springtime in the Park  - CD ORCHESTRAL SPR
Spring - CD ORCHESTRAL SPRING
CD ORCHESTRAL STRAVINSKY, I.
The Rite of Spring - CD ORCHESTRAL STRAVINSKY, I.
Kreutzer; Spring Violin Sonatas - CD VIOLIN BEETHOVEN, L.
Romances - CD VOCAL RAC


Thursday, June 20, 2013

Gramophone Hall of Fame - 2013


Gramophone Hall of Fame celebrates those performers, producers, engineers and label executives whose contributions to classical music recording have proved the most influential and inspiring.

Alban Berg Quartet (String Ensemble)
Amadeus Quartet (String Ensemble)
Leif Ove Andsnes (Piano)
Maurice Andre (Trumpet)
Vladimir Ashkenazy (Pianist)

Karl Bohm (Conductor)
Adrian Boult (Conductor)
Julian Bream (Guitar)

Montserrat Caballe (Singer)
Sergiu Celibidache (Conductor)
Bernard Coutaz (Record Executive)

Colin Davis (Conductor)
Gustavo Dudamel (Conductor)

Renee Fleming (Singer)

Fred Gaisberg (Record Producer)
James Galway (Flute)
Emil Gilels (Piano)
Carlo Maria Giulini (Conductor)

Bernard Haitink (Conductor)
Thomas Hampson (Singer)
Klaus Heymann (Record Executive)
Heinz Holliger (Oboe, Conductor & Composer)

Steven Isserlis (Cello)
Mariss Jansons (Conductor)

Wilhelm Kempff (Piano)
The King's Singers (Vocal Ensemble)
Rafael Kubelik (Conductor)

James Levine (Conductor)
Goddard Lieberson (Record Executive)

Yo-Yo Ma (Cello)
Charles Mackerras (Conductor)
Wynton Marsalis (Trumpet and Composer)
Albrecht Mayer (Oboe)
Zubin Mehta (Conductor)
Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (Piano)
Anne-Sophie Mutter (Violin)

Anna Netrebko (Singer)

Emmanuel Pahud (Flute)
Leontyne Price (Singer)

Sergey Rachmaninov (Piano)
Jean-Pierre Rampal (Flute)

Jordi Savall (Viola, Conductor and Composer)
Andres Segovia (Guitar)
George Szell (Conductor)

The Tallis Scholars (Vocal Ensemble)
Bryn Terfel (Singer)

Bruno Walter (Conductor)
Keenneth Wilkinson (Recording Engineer)
John Williams (Guitar)
Fritz Wunderlich (Singer)

More information about these artists can be found in the June edition of Gramophone.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Gramophone Hall of Fame - 2012

As Gramophone approaches its 90th birthday in April 2013, the following  musicians, producers, engineers and executives were chosen  for their talent, vision and genius - making the classical music industry what it is today.
Claudio Abbado - Conductor*
Marta Argerich - Pianist
Claudio Arrau - Pianist
Dame Janet Baker - Mezzo-soprano
Sir John Barbirolli - Conductor
Daniel Barenboim - Pianist and conductor
Cecilia Bartoli - Mezzo-soprano
Beaux Arts Trio - Piano trio
Sir Thomas Beecham - Conductor
Leonard Bernstein - Conductor and pianist*
Pierre Boulez - Conductor and composer
Dennis Brain - Horn player
Alfred Brendel - Pianist
Maria Callas - Soprano*
Enrico Caruso - Tenor
Pablo Casals - Cellist and conductor
John Culshaw - Producer
Joyce Didonato - Mezzo-soprano
Placido Domingo - Tenor and conductor
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - Baritone and conductor
Wilhelm Furtwangler - Conductor*
Glenn Gould - Pianist
Jascha Heifetz - Violinist
Herbert Von Karajan - Conductor*
Carlos Kleiber - Conductor
Otto Klemperer - Conductor
Lang Lang - Pianist
Walter Legge - Producer
Yehudi Menuhin - Violinist and conductor
Birgit Nilsson - Soprano
David Oistrakh - Violinist
Murray Perahia - Pianist and conductor
Itzhak Perlman - Violinist
Ted Perry - Record label founder
Maurizio Pollini - Pianist
Sir Simon Rattle - Conductor
Mstislav Rostropovich - Cellist and conductor
Sir Georg Solti - Conductor
Takacs Quartet - String quartet
Arturo Toscanini - Conductor

* Top Quintet

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

American Classical Music Hall of Fame


 The Chicago Symphony Orchestra began in 1891 under Theodore Thomas.  It is one of today's leading orchestras and has performed in many of the music capitals of the world.  The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has earned 62 Grammy Awards.

Georg Solti (1912-1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic composer.  He has received 31 Grammy Awards as conductor and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.  He is best known for leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 1969-91.  He is one of the leading conductors in the second half of the 20th century.

John Corigliano (1938-     ) has received the Pulitzer Prize in Music in 2001 for his Symphony No. 2; the Academy Award for his score to the 1999 film The Red Violin, four Grammy awards (including 3 for Best Contemporary Composition) and the Grawemeyer Award for his Symphony No. 1.  Some notable works are seven Concerti, three Symphonies, and his 1991 opera The Ghosts of Versailles (commissioned by The Metropolitan Opera).  He is a member of the American academy of Arts and Letters and serves on the faculty of the Julliard school.

Gregor Piatigorsky (1903-1976) was born on April 17, 1903 in Ekaterinoslav, Ukraine.  He began playing the cello at the age of seven.  By the age of 15, he was principal cellist of the Bolshoi Opera Orchestra and a member of the "Beethoven String Quartet."

After playing in the Warsaw Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic, he traveled throughout the world playing solo cello.  He collaborated with Igor Stravinsky, sergei Prokofiev, Paul Hindemith and William Walton.  He was the cellist in the "Million Dollar Trio" which included violinist Jascha Heifetz and pianist Arthur Rubinstein.

Chorus America is the advocacy, research, and leadership development organization that advances the choral field.

Charles Wadsworth performs with his "Charles Wadsworth and Friends" programs.  He founded the chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 1969 and brought chamber music international popularity.    Mr. Wadsworth instituted the Society's commissioning program which included works from Boulez, Barber, Menotti, Bolcom, Corigliano, Lieberson, berio, Foss, Crumb, Corea, Harbison and Bernstein.

He was the piano collaborator for Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey, Shirley Verrett, Frederica von stade, Kathleen Battle, Jessye Norman and Beverly Sills.





Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Lyric Opera of Chicago 2011-2012

When you think of opera what comes to mind? 'Opera is an art form consisting of a dramatic stage performance set to music.' ... or, as George Bernard Shaw put it: '{Opera is when} a tenor and soprano want to make love, but are prevented from doing so by a baritone.'

All operas have interesting facts beyond their stories. Take for instance, Offenbach wanted to write one serious opera, The Tales of Hoffmann, before he died. Unfortunately, he never got to see the show; he died during rehearsals. "Someone else finished the rehearsals, doing major restructuring, omitting an act, and generally messing with the thing." (Opera for Dummies)


Lucia di Lammermoor is based on a novel called The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott. The first names have all be Italianized, but the last names remain Scottish. Australian soprano Nellie Melba inserted a lengthy cadenza with solo flute.

Boris Gudunov is Mussorgsky's only completed opera in about ten attempts. Mussorgsky stated, "Her's what I would like: that my characters speak on stage as living people speak.

Ariadne auf Naxos is a comic opera about a serious opera being presented in a rich guy's house. This opera was designed as a thank-you note, a mini-mini-opera for the producer of the composer's previous opera.

Come hear the stories, music and more in the Multipurpose room, given by a docent from the Chicago Lyric Opera Lecture Corps on Thursdays from 7-8:30 pm. You can register online or by calling the Reader Services Desk at 847-729-7500.

The Tales of Offmann by Jacques Offenbach - September 22

Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti - October 6

Boris Godunov by Modest Mussorgsky - October 27

Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss - November 3

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Chicago Symphony Orchestra - 75 years at Ravinia


The Chicago Symphony orchestra celebrates its 75th anniversary at the Ravinia Festival this year from July 7 through August 14.

The program this year fills everyone's taste in music and features such artists as Deborah Voigt, Patricia Racette, Bryn Terfel, Yo-Yo Ma and The 5 Browns.

The orchestra's first concert on July 7 celebrates the 200th anniversary of Franz Liszt with Lang Lang performing his works on piano. On July 8 Andre Watts was also perform on piano. The conductor for both concerts will be Ravinia's past music director Christoph Eschenbach. Both are at 8 p.m.

Deborah Voigt, soprano, will sing arias by Wagner and Richard Strauss, including music from "Tannhouser," "Die Walkure," "Elektra," and "Salome." Music from "Sigfried's Rhine Journey" from "Gotterdammerung" and "Dance of the Seven Veils" from "Salome" will also be performed. This program is July 9 at 7:30 p.m.

If you enjoy listening Rachmaninoff, then come and hear the composer's "Vesna" ("Spring") cantas and Romanovsky playing "Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini on July 21 at 8 p.m.

On July 30 at 7:40 p.m. Maestro Conlon will conduct the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a concert version of Puccini's "Tosca," sung by Patricia Racette in the title role and Bryn Terfel as the evil Scarpia.

Well-known cellist Yo-Yo Ma will play Tchaikovsky's "Andante Cantabile" and "Variations on a Rococo Theme" with Conlon on August 8 at 8 p.m.

The 5 Browns, siblings and Juilliard graduates will play various keyboard works and will present "The Edge of the World" for five pianos and orchestra by Nico Muhly. This is a world premier and a Ravinia commission.

Finally, on August 18 and 19 at 7:30 p.m., the orchestra, under the conductor Ludwig Wicki, will play Howard Shore's score for "Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring."

A special display featuring music being performed this season at Ravinia will be in the Audiovisual Room.