Interchanging Idioms

7 March 2011, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm Sir Simon Rattle will conduct the London Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony at the Barbican on 7 March 2011. The work is performed alongside Messiaen’s Et Exspecto ressurectionem mortuorum .

Host of National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Scott Simon narrates Music director Marin Alsop leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a Greek myth for our times to be performed on Friday, January 14 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, January 16 at 3 p.m. at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall and Saturday, January 15 at 8 p.m. at The Music Center at Strathmore. Baltimore native Philip Glass and author Brian Greene have teamed up to present a multimedia recreation of Icarus at the Edge of Time , Greene’s board book for children. The host of National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition Scott Simon will narrate. Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Ceres and John Williams’ Star Wars Suite will also be performed. Icarus at the Edge of Time retells the classic Greek myth of Icarus in a futuristic context. The story illustrates an interstellar voyage of Icarus and his family, where the young boy is fated to live and die aboard a spaceship, and weaves a tale vividly demonstrating Einstein’s theory of relativity in rel

NYC (Feb 12-13) and Washington DC (Feb 16) “For anyone interested in Japan’s distinctive musical culture, Music From Japan has been a valuable resource since 1975.” — Allan Kozinn, New York Times Music From Japan and its Artistic Director, Naoyuki Miura, are thrilled to announce Festival 2011: a weekend of events in New York City’s Baruch Performing Arts Center (Feb 12 & 13, 2011), and a concert at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC (Feb 16). Now in its 36th season, the festival introduces the worlds of Japanese song and flutes, showcasing the talents of leading exponents of both art forms through traditional and contemporary music, including world premieres of two new Music From Japan commissions. In New York the festival is presented in two programs: “Flutes from the East and the West,” which explores the relationship between these two great musical cultures from multiple perspectives, and “Song from the Spirit of Japan,” which celebrates the nation’s enduring song-setting t

It's that time of year when the stores are decorated with holiday cheer and everyone is spending more time shopping than they are with their loved ones - all in some attempt to share a bit of joy in the world. If we don't spend enough money the merchants will complain it was a lean Christmas and the economy is stagnant. If we spend too much money, people get in trouble with their creditors in January and the news reports the economy is over extended. However, as the shoppers are out malls and shops pipe in Christmas tunes, smiles glow as crowds listen to local choirs singing carols or spare change fill the Salvation Army buckets as bell ringers all over the city toll for the less fortunate. Everywhere you go there is music, sounds of the season. At no other time is there more music piped into our worlds, filling the air. Take a moment (even a short one) and relish the sound of music. Understand the music you hear is a form of celebration and join in that celebration.

Act on your love for Opera Colorado - help us meet the $200,000 Challenge! DONATE NOW Current generosity, $85,225 of the Challenge has already been matched. We only have $114,775 to raise before the end of 2010! The Board leadership, working with an anonymous donor, has made a $200,000 challenge to the Opera Colorado family. Any contribution made by December 31, 2010, will be matched by this extraordinary fund. Coloradans have a passion for opera and for Opera Colorado - they show it each time they attend a performance, participate in an event, or make a contribution. It is this support that will raise the curtain on our upcoming productions of Rusalka , based on the original story of The Little Mermaid , and spring's production of Cinderella , Rossini's classic with a few twists on the Brothers Grimm.

CZECH POINT DENVER is a festival celebrating the Czech cultural arts scheduled for January and February 2011. A cooperative project led by Opera Colorado in conjunction with the company's February performances of the Dvořák opera Rusalka, the festival involves many Denver and Boulder-area non-profit arts and cultural organizations, the festival will include classical music, theatre, visual arts, film, and multimedia experiences. Learn more at CzechPointDenver.com A complete schedule of events is available at the Czech Point Denver website. The website also includes informative articles about the rich history of the Czech Republic as well as more about Opera Colorado's production of Rusalka. Like us on Facebook and get daily updates by reading our blog, Czech Mix. Opera Colorado will also offer special programs for students and educators in conjunction with Rusalka and Czech Point Denver. Additional information is available at OperaColorado.org/education .

Every day is a "Good Day" when you can hear Dianne Reeves While there are no concerts at Boettcher Hall until 12/29, the Colorado Symphony can still be a part of your Christmas Eve. Catch a re-broadcast of our Marvin Hamlisch conducted, 12/14 performance, A Jazz Christmas with Dianne Reeves, on Denver's KUVO, Jazz 89.3FM at 7:00 p.m.

The New Year begins with Conductor Laureate Marin Alsop leading the Colorado Symphony in Brahms' hyper rhythmic Hungarian Dances; living composer Michael Daugherty's Time Machine for three conductors and orchestra and Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2, whose slow movement was used in the 1970s pop hit, "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again." MASTERWORKS SERIES Marin Alsop Conducts Rachmaninof f January 7 - 7:30 p.m. January 8 - 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall Marin Alsop , conductor laureate Mihaela Cesa-Goj e, Taki Concordia Conducting Fellow Kelly Corcoran , guest conductor BRAHMS / Hungarian Dances DAUGHERTY / Time Machine for three conductors and orchestra RACHMANINOFF / Symphony No. 2 Purchase tickets online or at the Box Office: 303.623.7876

Long synonymous with creative programming, eighth blackbird headlines its 2010-11 season with the launch of “PowerFUL/LESS”: two contrasting yet equally compelling programs that present the cases for and against Stravinsky’s incendiary claim that “music is, by its very nature, essentially powerless to express anything at all.” The sextet’s hometown audiences in Chicago will be the first to have the chance to hear both programs, which juxtapose the music of Corigliano, Rzewski, and John Luther Adams in “PowerFUL” (Jan 22) with works by Bach and Reich in “PowerLESS” (Feb 5), at the city’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA). This being the fourth consecutive season that eighth blackbird presents a special series in its hometown, the concerts will be preceded by a live preview performance and discussion on Chicago’s classical station, WFMT, on January 17. The “PowerFUL” program on January 22 is inspired by a quote by the novelist Chinua Achebe – “Art for art’s sake is just another piece

New York Times’ Daniel J. Wakin Teaches New Online Course For those who want to discover classical music or who enjoy it but aren’t sure why, The New York Times presents “How to Listen to Classical Music,” a delightful three-week course designed to help students recognize elements unique to classical music and identify favorite musicians and composers. Not a music theory course, not a music history course, this is a joyful listening tour led by The New York Times’ classical music reporter Daniel J. Wakin. The course will include a “symphony” of topics, including: An overview of the orchestra repertory and other types of music The individual instruments and sections of an orchestra The role of the conductor (with a guest conductor in live class session) Concert traditions and how to get the most pleasure from a concert Wakin’s “moments of bliss” in classical music “How to Listen to Classical Music” will run from February 23 to March 15, 2011. To register for this new online cour

NY Premiere on Feb 15th “Hilary Hahn gives a characteristically brilliant performance, mixing clarity, sensitivity, and energy. ... [Higdon’s] concerto itself is a knockout – a canny, evocative, and exciting score that marks a major addition to the repertoire.” — Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle The Curtis Institute of Music presents the New York premiere of Jennifer Higdon’s Violin Concerto , winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music, at Carnegie Hall on February 15, 2011. The concerto’s dedicatee, Curtis alumna and two-time Grammy Award-winner Hilary Hahn (’99), will perform the work, which was co-commissioned from Higdon, a faculty member and alumna, by Curtis in collaboration with several major American orchestras. The concert by the Curtis Symphony Orchestra also includes Hindemith’s Konzertmusik for brass and strings and Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony. Juanjo Mena, chief conductor designate of the BBC Philharmonic, will lead the performance. Now holder of the Curtis

There is a call for Classical Music to change they way they do things. Beyond the numerous posts here on Interchanging Idioms, there are a host of other classical music writers/bloggers who are calling for changing and detailing what that change should look like. Greg Sandow has a blog, Sandow: Greg Sandow on the future of classical music which continually discusses this topic. He's writing a book on the subject and often posts his work in progress. However, his most recent pos t talks about the Cleveland Orchestra (often held up as one of the success stories in the orchestral world). In the following quote he highlights what I consider to be a major failing of modern orchestras --a lack of understanding on how to reach a younger audience. All the plans I've seen outlined are about making access easier -- cheaper (or free) tickets, transportation to concerts. Well, they're also going out into community locations, even bars, to make people aware of the orchestra. B

On New Year's Eve, Spend "A Night in Vienna" with the Colorado Symphony Let the beautiful artistry of the Colorado Symphony and the music Strauss, Liszt, Chopin and more transport you to the ballrooms of Vienna. It's time to plan that New Year's Eve "escape" you've always dreamed of – but for this beautiful journey, no passport is required! On Friday, December 31, let the Colorado Symphony and associate conductor Scott O'Neil sweep you away to revel in "A Night in Vienna" and the music that made Vienna's ballrooms famous. Concertgoers at this special New Year's Eve concert will enjoy the music of the "Waltz King," Johann Strauss Jr., including "Kaiser-Walzer (Emperor Waltzes)," "Radetzky March," "Unter Donner und Blitz (Thunder and Lightning Polka)," "On the Beautiful Blue Danube," and of course, the Overture to the quintessential Viennese opera, "Die Fledermaus." A

Orchestra Celebrates 100th Season with Distinctive Artistic Events and Innovative Education and Media Initiative The San Francisco Symphony will celebrate its Centennial in 2011-12 and today announced highlights for the Orchestra’s milestone year. Presenting an ambitious season of concerts, programs, and events, expanded education programs and Centennial media initiatives, the Orchestra’s 100th season celebrates the American orchestra and its vibrant role within its community as an artistic leader and civic institution. Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas and the SF Symphony will break new ground with a two-week American Mavericks Festival both in San Francisco and touring the country; an unprecedented presentation of the most distinguished major American orchestras in one series, in one season; unique concerts and heritage events celebrating the period of the Symphony’s founding; artist and composer residencies featuring world premiere commissions; expanded music education progr

Recently I wrote " How do classical music organizations attract a younger audience " and today the Kyle MacMillan in the Taipei Times wrote: "Can classical rise from the dead?" . Much of what Mr MacMillan is saying is along the same lines --"coolness might rest in the eye of the beholder, but an undeniable consensus coalesces around certain classic notions of what is cool and what is not." We need to find new ways to market classical music, take more risks and approach the youth of today in the same manner as other successful entertainers. Classical Music is cool and has a lot to offer. We don't tend to market it that way. The result is a general drop in attendance. Michael Tilson Thomas and the YouTube Symphony II is in the throws of the final phase of auditions. The success of the first YouTube Symphony is evident with more than half of their live audience under the age of 30. Musicians from 26 different countries are vying for a shot with t

Yevgeny Sudbin performs the Fourth and Fifth (Emperor) Concertos; Osmo Vänskä conducts; Album available in stores and at minnesotaorchestra.org The Swedish label BIS Records has released the first recording of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Beethoven piano concertos series, featuring the composer’s final two piano concertos, the Fourth and Fifth (Emperor), conducted by Music Director Osmo Vänskä and featuring Russian soloist Yevgeny Sudbin at the keyboard. The disc, the newest chapter of the highly-acclaimed collaboration between BIS , Mr. Vänskä and the Orchestra, is now available through the Orchestra’s website at minnesotaorchestra.org. It will also be available in stores and as a download on major internet music sites. Mr. Vänskä, Mr. Sudbin and the Orchestra recorded the concertos at Minneapolis ’ Orchestra Hall in sessions during January 2009 and June 2010. The BIS team, led by producer Rob Suff, recorded the album as a Super Audio CD (SACD), using surround sound recording techn

As music lovers enter the final lap of their holiday shopping marathon, EMI Classics and Virgin Classics offer some high-profile releases that are perfect recommendations for last minute gifts. Opera and vocal enthusiasts have multiple offerings to choose from, including an all-star performance of Rossini’s Stabat Mater conducted by Antonio Pappano and featuring Anna Netrebko, Joyce DiDonato, Lawrence Brownlee, and Ildebrando D’Arcangelo on EMI Classics; French superstar countertenor Philippe Jaroussky singing opera arias by Antonio Caldara on Virgin Classics; and Luc Bondy’s controversial season-opening production from 2009-10 of Puccini’s Tosca from New York’s Metropolitan Opera, with Finnish soprano Karita Mattila in the title role, also on Virgin Classics. Other highlights this month include Chinese guitarist Xuefei Yang playing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez , and The Very Best of Nigel Kennedy , both on EMI Classics.

A true story of military combat, love, friendship and heroism culminating with the devastating terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center San Francisco Opera today announced details of Heart of a Soldier , a new opera by composer Christopher Theofanidis with a libretto by Donna DiNovelli, starring baritone Thomas Hampson, tenor William Burden and soprano Melody Moore. Commissioned by San Francisco Opera, Heart of a Soldier is based on the critically acclaimed non-fiction book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James B. Stewart and the life stories of Susan Rescorla, Rick Rescorla and Daniel J. Hill. The announcement was made at a press conference by San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley and members of the opera’s creative team, including Christopher Theofanidis, Donna DiNovelli, Patrick Summers, Francesca Zambello, James B. Stewart and Susan Rescorla. Heart of a Soldier will premiere on Saturday, September 10, 2011—the eve of the tenth anniversa

Gil Shaham’s Concerto Engagements Include Mozart with San Francisco Symphony and Tilson Thomas This Winter Gil Shaham’s winter line-up – featuring high-profile orchestral collaborations, intimate solo recitals, and repertoire ranging from the time-honored to the 20th-century – typifies the versatility and dedication that help make him “one of the era’s star fiddlers” ( Los Angeles Times ). Four dates playing Mozart’s Fifth (“Turkish”) Concerto with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony headline Shaham’s winter season (Dec 8-11). In the New Year, he also resumes two longterm projects: his all-Bach solo recitals, and his exploration of the “Violin Concertos of the 1930s,” with upcoming performances of Bartók’s Second at the Seattle Symphony and Walton’s Concerto with orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic. Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 in A, “Turkish” – the last concerto the composer would write for the instrument – is a favorite of Shaham’s. In October, he per

"A little bluegrass, a little rock-n-roll, a little scat, a turn at tango. How does "Galactic Diamonds" offer such a genre-bending sound? - try the diversity of the players” - Aural States The Steve Hudson Chamber Ensemble (www.SteveHudsonMusic.com), led by composer Steve Hudson - piano/melodica, and featuring Zach Brock – violin, Jody Redhage - cello/voice, and Martin Urbach - cajon/percussion, plays two CD release events for their newly released album “Galactic Diamonds” – on Saturday, December 18th, 7:30pm, at Mo Fiddles (www.mofiddles.com), 4260 Town Center Way, Livingston, NJ (Admission is $15, (973) 994-1083 for more information) and on Sunday, December 19th from 7:30-9:30 pm, at Miles Café (www.milescafe.com), 212 E. 52nd St. 3Fl. (b/2nd & 3rd Ave. - E/V train to 53rd St./Lexington, 6 train to 51st St.), New York, NY ($10 admission with $10 drink/food minimum).

James Conlon, LA Opera’s Music Director, was honored with two awards in Los Angeles over the weekend. On Friday, December 10, the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music presented Mr. Conlon with the prestigious Thornton Legacy Award at the 24th Annual Charles Dickens Dinner, a black-tie fundraising gala for the school held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel. The award recognizes Mr. Conlon’s outstanding career and deep commitment to fostering the next generation of musical artists. The Thornton School of Music also inaugurated the Maestro James Conlon Music Scholarship, awarded to student Marina Harris, a mezzo-soprano. Founded in 1884, the Thornton School of Music is the oldest continuously operating cultural institution in Southern California and one of the oldest music schools in the country. On Sunday, December 12, after conducting LA Opera’s final performance of Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin, James Conlon was presented with the inaugural Sherwin Sloan Tribute Awar

Carnegie Hall, London Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, WQXR, and WFMT Join Current Site Partners Gramophone and BBC Music Magazine Ariama.com, the groundbreaking new online classical music store from Sony Music Entertainment, today announces that it is joining forces with a number of leading names in classical music performance and radio to improve the ways classical listeners in the US can discover and purchase music on the web. Carnegie Hall, the nation’s foremost presenter of classical music, London Symphony Orchestra and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, leaders on the global and national stages, as well as both Classical 105.9 WQXR in New York and WFMT and the WFMT Radio Network, two of the pre-eminent names in classical broadcasting, will curate and promote special programming and features on Ariama.com. Through a series of strategic partnerships with Ariama, they will each have their own dedicated areas within Ariama.com to spotlight artists, recommend performances

The Mahler anniversary celebrations continue with performances of his Fifth and Sixth symphonies and Vladimir Jurowski conducts Das klagende Lied with soloists including Christianne Stotijn and Christopher Purves. Our Principal Guest Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin makes his season début with two concerts - the second of which includes Fauré's well-loved Requiem with soloists Sally Matthews and Gerald Finley. Click here for full details for our concerts in January and beyond Friday 14 January 2011 Syzmanowski Violin Concerto No. 2 Mahler Symphony No. 6 Jaap van Zweden conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin Wednesday 19 January 2011 Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) Mahler Symphony No. 5 Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Nicholas Angelich piano Saturday 22 January 2011 Franck Symphony in D minor Fauré Requiem Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Sally Matthews soprano Gerald Finley baritone London Philharmonic Choir Wednesday 26 January 2011 Peter Eötvös Sh

Beverly Hills, CA – Forty-one songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 83rd Academy Awards®, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today. The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film and song title: "Alice" from "Alice in Wonderland" "Forever One Love" from "Black Tulip" "Freedom Song" from "Black Tulip" "Bound to You" from "Burlesque" "Welcome to Burlesque" from "Burlesque" "You Haven’t Seen the Last of Me" from "Burlesque" "There’s a Place for Us" from "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" "Coming Home" from "Country Strong" "Me and Tennessee" from "Country Strong" "Despicable Me" from "D

Both Available at www.medici.tv World-renowned American violinist Joshua Bell performed Tchaikovsky’s unabashedly romantic Violin Concerto in D at the annual Nobel Prize Concert, held on December 8 at the Stockholm Konzerthuset. That concert was recorded live and will be available for free streaming beginning Friday, December 10 at www.medici.tv. Sakari Oramo conducts the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra in a program that features Sibelius’s craggy, majestic Symphony No. 5. The 2010 Nobel Prize Concert will also be available for 60 days of free streaming-on-demand at www.medici.tv. Soon after, Bell will be featured on another program at www.medici.tv, once again playing a great masterpiece for violin and orchestra. The concert on December 17 from the Cité de la Musique in Paris will be webcast live (and available soon after for video-on-demand streaming) and features Bell performing Mendelssohn’s Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 – complete with Bell’s own cadenza, written for

Thomas Hampson’s decades-long championing of the music of Gustav Mahler reaches new heights in the coming weeks with the release of his new recording with the Wiener Virtuosen of Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn on Deutsche Grammophon (Dec 21). Music-lovers worldwide will have the chance to preview the new release when it is available for streaming in its entirety as part of NPR Music’s popular “First Listen” series (Dec 13-21, at www.npr.org/series/98679384/first-listen). Soon after, Hampson heads to New York to sing the composer’s Kindertotenlieder in three concerts with the New York Philharmonic under the direction of Alan Gilbert (Jan 6-8). While in New York, Hampson will perform and discuss songs by Mahler – as well as music by Schubert, Schumann, and some American composers – in a front of a live studio audience at the the Jerome L. Greene Performance Space at WQXR (Jan 10). This will be broadcast live at 7pm on Classical 105.9 FM WQXR and www.wqxr.org and available as a live

Videos From 336 Finalists from 46 Countries Are Posted on www.YouTube.com/Symphony Let the voting begin . . . YouTube™ invites the public to choose their favorite audition videos of musicians hoping to perform in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011. Now, with 336 finalists selected from Finland to New Zealand, Austria to Vietnam, it's time for YouTube users to cast their votes for those they think should play in the online collaborative orchestra's March concerts at Australia's famous Sydney Opera House. During the next five days, the YouTube community is invited to go to youtube.com/symphony and help decide which of these talented musicians will be packing up their trombones, violas, timpani or other instruments to head for the Sydney Opera House on March 14-20, 2011 to perform in concerts that will have a global audience. YouTube users, who can vote once per video, once a day until 23:59 EST on December 17, will help conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, the YouTube Sym

A book for anyone who listens to music Bridge of Waves is the latest book by W.A. Matheiu, written by a musician for anyone who listens. It is a journey in re-discovering music and the effects music has on us as humans. While there are numerous books on the topic, ranging from everything about how the synapses of the brain fire while listening to music to the psychological responses of patients undergoing music therapy, Bridge of Waves is more a journey along the lines of Illusions by Richard Bach. Bridge of Waves isn't a story, but it does take the reader on a journey, exploring what music is and the effect it has on the world. As an educated musician there are parts of the book where Matheiu is explaining the physics of music in laymen terms. Still, the way he describes them and the little exercises he has the reader explore are eye opening, as if looking out the window in your home and seeing the vista in a whole new light. It's not a quick read, even though th

On Tuesday, December 14, 2010, Orange Mountain Music releasef composer Lisa Bielawa’s Chance Encounter , featuring acclaimed soprano Susan Narucki and The Knights chamber orchestra, and produced by Grammy Award-winning engineer Adam Abeshouse. Chance Encounter comprises songs and arias constructed of speech overheard by Bielawa and Narucki in transient public spaces. These spaces included airports around the world, sidewalks and streets, parks and cafes, and public transportation. The 35-minute piece is written for Narucki and a migrating ensemble of 12 instruments, and is meant to be performed in a public place. A project of Creative Capital, Chance Encounter has captivated audiences in Manhattan parks, at New York's Whitney Museum, outside the Zaha Hadid-designed MAXXI museum in Rome, on the banks of the Tiber River, in Vancouver, and at the Venice Architectural Biennale. Bielawa explains, “In 2006, I began carrying a notebook with me everywhere, jotting down utterances that

On Monday 20 December a merry band of musicians from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, along with Julian Rowlands on bandoneón, will play chamber works by Debussy, Bax, Vaughan Williams, Puccini and Piazzolla in the glorious acoustics of London's Wigmore Hall - just the tonic after a busy day Christmas shopping or in the office! Book Now! Tickets £12 - £26 London Philharmonic Orchestra Box Office 020 7840 4242 (Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm) Wigmore Hall Box Office 020 7935 2141 (Daily, 10am-5pm)

Sir Mark Elder's Elgar 30 January, Barbican Hall, 7.30pm The London Symphony Orchestra will perform Elgar’s oratorio The Kingdom with Sir Mark Elder on 30 January in the Barbican Hall. They are joined by soloists Cheryl Barker, Sarah Connolly, Stuart Skelton and Iain Paterson and the London Symphony Chorus. Mark Elder is widely-regarded as one of our great Elgar conductors.

Uchida is, simply, Uchida – an elegant, deeply musical interpreter who strikes an inspired balance of head and heart in everything she plays – Chicago Tribune More than fifteen years since her last recording of works by Schumann , Dame Mitsuko Uchida returns to the composer for her all-new recording, to be released on Decca on January 11, 2011. The recording, in a deluxe package prestige edition, features Davidsbündlertänze op.6 and Fantasie in C major, op.17 as well as a bonus disc of Uchida speaking with James Jolly about Schumann and demonstrating on the piano. Mitsuko Uchida’s last recording of Schumann (on Philips and featuring Carnaval and Kreisleriana) was released just over 15 years ago and went on to receive considerable critical and popular acclaim. Returning to Schumann once again, Uchida records both works for the first time. Written after Schumann was reconnected with his beloved, Clara – whose father determined she should never marry him – the Davidsbündlertänz

On Wednesday, December 15 at 10:30 a.m., the Kennedy Krieger Institute—a nationally renowned children’s rehabilitation hospital—will be visited by Santa and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra musicians and receive hundreds of toys generously donated by the musicians of the BSO. Now in its fifth year, the BSO Toy Drive is one of the highlights of the holiday season for the patients and staff of the Institute. As in past years, a chamber brass ensemble will serenade those in attendance with holiday music. At about 10:45 a.m., an oboe-playing Santa will make his appearance accompanied by a selection of the hundreds of toys that have been collected. After the musicians leave, all remaining toys will be left at Kennedy Krieger so future patients can enjoy the donation.

For twelve consecutive seasons Colorado crowds have smiled, cheered, and danced in the aisles to this R&B, jazz, and gospel reworking of Handel's Messiah. Sold-out audiences are still swinging to Too Hot To Handel. Come experience what everyone is still talking about. Too Hot To Handel 12/17 - 7:30 p.m. 12/18 - 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall Marin Alsop, conductor laureate Cynthia Reneé Saffron, soprano Vaneese Thomas, mezzo-soprano Thomas Young, tenor Clifford Carter, piano Bob Christianson, organ Clint De Ganon, drums Colorado Symphony Chorus / Duain Wolfe, director Tickets for Too Hot to Handel and our Holiday Series are available online at www.coloradosymphony.org or call the box office at 303.623.7876.

Colorado Symphony Performs their 27th Colorado Christmas to a Greatful Crowd This was not your typical stuffy orchestral concert of classical music, where the audience sat in silence with the musicians playing some masterpiece technically perfect with polite applause at the end. No, there was singing and dancing, standing ovations, audience participation and copious amounts of laughter throughout the hall. This was a typical Colorado Christmas, one of joy and holiday spirit. Scott O'Neil conducted the concert with his flair for connecting with the audience. The Colorado Symphony is extremely fortunate to have such a talent, effusive associate conductor. It's one thing to conduct a concert of diverse pieces ranging from traditional Christmas favorite like "Joy to the World" or variations of the classics like Ellington's swing rendition of "Sugar Rum Cherry" as well as classic pieces from Handel to Vaughn-Williams. But O'Neil's real talent

“an utterly distinctive voice in the forest of Bach interpretation” – The New York Times Pianist Simone Dinnerstein will release her first album on Sony Classical, Bach: A Strange Beauty , in January 2011. The new release, which is Dinnerstein’s first orchestral disc, sees the pianist return to Bach, this time combining three transcriptions of his Chorale Preludes with one of his English Suites and two of his Keyboard Concerti. Interchanging Idioms reviewed her concert in Denver of the Bach Goldberg Variations: "held the audience enwrapt for nearly an hour and a half, working her way meticulously through the 32 variations originally published in 1741. Her grace and fluidity throughout the program were ever present, but it was her mastery of shifts in style and interpretation that really held the audience captive. Simone Dinnerstein’s special affinity to the music of Bach was cemented when her self-funded recording of his Goldberg Variations took the US Billboard charts by

LSO Principal Conductor Valery Gergiev explores Tchaikovsky’s symphonies with the Orchestra from 18 & 23 January 2011 with performances of the First Symphony ‘Winter Daydreams’, performed alongside Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No 2, with soloist Sergey Khachatryan. Gergiev will return to conduct the Second Symphony ‘Little Russian’ on 23 & 24 March, alongside Shchedrin’s Lithuanian Saga and Shostkovich’s Violin Concerto No 1 with Leonidas Kavakos. On 12 & 15 May, pianist Yefim Bronfman joins Gergiev and the LSO to perform the Shostakovich Concerto for Trumpet, Piano and Strings, and the composer’s Second Piano Concerto. Tchaikovsky’s Third Symphony ‘Polish’ completes the programme. Gergiev will continue his survey of Tchaikovsky Symphonies in the Orchestra’s 2011/12 season.

Sony Classical is pleased to announce the release of the original motion picture soundtrack of Black Swan , featuring an original score by Clint Mansell. Black Swan opened December 1 in the U.S., and is one of the most highly anticipated films of the fall. Black Swan , a psychological thriller by visionary director Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler, Requiem for a Dream) is set in the world of New York City ballet. The film opened the 2010 Venice Film Festival, was part of the Official Selection of the 2010 Toronto Film Festival, was closing night of the 2010 AFI Film Festival and is receiving rave reviews in addition to four 2011 Independent Spirit Award nominations. The score for Black Swan is by frequent Aronofsky collaborator Clint Mansell ( The Fountain , Requiem for a Dream , The Wrestler ) and contains extracts of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Challenged when creating this score, Mansell mused, “How do you expose something new and exhilarating, born out of the original work, that

Original Score Composed By Grammy Award Winner David Arnold Return to the magic and wonder of C.S. Lewis' beloved world via the fantastic Narnian ship, the Dawn Treader. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is composed by Grammy® Award winner David Arnold (Independence Day, Casino Royale) is available from Sony Classical. The film arrives in theaters everywhere on December 10. Arnold’s score follows the hugely successful soundtracks from the two previous entries in The Chronicles of Narnia motion picture franchise: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian . Incorporated in Arnold’s stirring new score are the beloved themes from the earlier films composed by Harry Gregson-Williams. David Arnold has scored numerous films and is best known for composing the music for five James Bond films: Casino Royale , Tomorrow Never Dies , The World is Not Enough , Die

On Wednesday, December 15, at 8 p.m., Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart will lead the 27th annual “A Company Christmas at Pops,” one of the BSO’s most important annual fundraising events. Tony award-winner Jane Krakowski of NBC’s “30 Rock” will headline the concert, which will also feature “American Idol” finalist Melinda Doolittle on the first half of the program. (Photo Credit: Michael Lutch) This year’s holiday fundraiser has already raised more than its $900,000 goal to benefit the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras, and represents support from nearly 100 New England companies. William F. Achtmeyer of The Parthenon Group and Richard F. Connolly, Jr., of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney are co-chairs of this event. The doors open at 6:00 p.m. for a festive pre-concert reception, followed by a gourmet boxed dinner and the concert in the hall. “A Company Christmas at Pops” is part of the Holiday Pops season, which takes place December 8-December 26, at Symphony Hall. “A

Bravo Receives National Endowment for the Arts, Access to Artistic Excellence Award The Bravo Vail Valley Music Festival was awarded $12,500 from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) with a 2011 grant award: Access to Artistic Excellence. The grant will support Bravo's 2011 efforts to expand and diversify music opportunities and education programs including community outreach concerts, open rehearsals, public workshops, the Young Professionals-in-Residence, and the Music Matters education programs. This is Bravo's eighth year as a recipient of an award from the NEA. "We are honored to receive this level of recognition and support from the NEA," says John Giovando, executive director of the Bravo Festival. "This grant is an investment in Bravo and the Vail Valley as the funds will support our mission to foster family and community unity through increasing awareness and appreciation for classical music and the arts." A total of four Colorado Fest

Decca Classics is proud to announce the renewal of its longstanding exclusive recording contract with the great Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly. Projects under discussion in the new five-year agreement include a new cycle of Brahms symphonies to be toured throughout Europe in 2013, the Konzertmusik by Hindemith and the Verdi Requiem . Decca has also signed a new agreement with the Gewandhausorchester where Chailly has been Kapellmeister since 2005. Paul Moseley, General Manager of Decca Classics, said: “Maestro Chailly has been an important part of the Decca family for a very long time but renewing with him is genuinely rejuvenating for all of us. Every project he takes on is re-conceived from first principles and his partnership with the great Leipzig orchestra is recognized worldwide as simply electrifying. We can’t wait for his Beethoven cycle and realizing our other new plans together over the coming years.” Riccardo Chailly said: “Over nearly 30 years together I always f

Music Director Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra today unveiled plans for their ninth season together—the final season at Orchestra Hall before the venue’s $45 million renovation takes place. Highlights of the season include a two-week “Bravo Brahms” series spotlighting an array of the composer’s symphonies, concertos and choral works; performances of Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera Hansel and Gretel marking the centennial of the Orchestra’s Young People’s Concert series; appearances by acclaimed guest soloists including violinists Midori and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, pianists Stephen Hough and Peter Serkin and soprano Deborah Voigt; a concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall and a five-city Florida tour; a recording of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 with soloist Yevgeny Sudbin; and the launch of the Common Chords outreach project including week-long festivals in Grand Rapids and Willmar, Minnesota. In addition, the Orchestra is now announcing a major multi-year initiative to record

With each live webcast at www.medici.tv , more music lovers around the world learn how to experience superlative classical music and opera performances in the comfort and intimacy of their own homes. Now, as the holiday season shifts into high gear, three remarkable – and free-of-charge! – musical offerings provide a glimpse of the riches available at www.medici.tv: Giorgio Strehler’s legendary production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro from the Opéra National de Paris (available for streaming through Dec 31); Serge Baudo conducting Berlioz’s l uminous oratorio, L’enfance du Christ (The Childhood of Christ), which will be webcast live from the Auditorium de Lyon on December 16 (and available afterwards for streaming on demand); and a complete cycle of Mahler’s nine symphonies conducted by Christoph Eschenbach (available until June 2011). Giorgio Strehler’s production of Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro debuted 37 years ago in Paris. The current revival of the production – filmed by Do

Previously I've spoken on thinking about the under 30 crowd as the audience to attract, and how the concert experience needs to be more like what this younger audience is familiar with and wants in terms of live entertainment. In the first in this series I mentioned types of artists pop concerts could bring in to attract a younger audience. Now let's talk about changing the concept of the pops concert. What about Rap Artists? Numerous rappers use classical-like themes as backing for their vocals, why not bring this live to the stage? Terry Riley's "In C" is popular with chamber ensembles, but not the only way to create a dynamic ensemble performance. What if this piece (or something like it) was performed with the conductor making the choices as to when sections moved, rather than leaving it up to the individual. The Playground in Denver does a performance called "sound painting" where the conductor guides the ensemble through the perform

The 53rd Annual Grammys will take place on February 13, 2011 on CBS at 8pm ET. Best Score Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series or other visual media. Alice In Wonderland - Danny Elfman, composer - [Walt Disney Records] Avatar - James Horner, composer - [Fox Music/Atlantic Records] Inception - Hans Zimmer, composer - [Reprise/WaterTower Music] Sherlock Holmes - Hans Zimmer, composer - [WaterTower Music] Toy Story 3 - Randy Newman, composer - [Walt Disney Records] Best Instrumental Compositio n - A Composer’s Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. Singles or Tracks only. Aurora - Patrick Williams, composer (Patrick Williams The Big Band) Battle Circle - Gerald Clayton, composer (Clayton Brothers) Box Of Cannoli - Tim Hagans, compose