Interchanging Idioms

I've decided to start posting some of my musical scores up here on the blog. For those that think I'm giving away the farm, posting costs me nothing and I doubt anyone is going to try and perform these works as they'd have to create their own parts. AND, if someone sees something they like and what's to talk to me about getting parts, I'm ahead of the game. Whim’s Sickle Waltz is a delightful, if slightly macabre, romp through the world of someone who really loves his job –the grim reaper. The main theme is a waltz, but each episode takes it somewhere new and slightly off rhythm, as if death has a set rhythm to it. Yet, even with the slight off nature of the music, there is a beauty. Does Whim find love in his dark waltz of death? Or is it just glimpses of beauty along his journey. Regardless of what he finds, there is always a return to the main theme and his waltzing through life (or death as the case may be). I'd love to have a artist create some

Grammy-nominated pianist’s fourth album for DG full of musical miniatures that are short, sweet and huge on impact On April 10th, Deutsche Grammophon releases pianist Yuja Wang’s fourth album, a release featuring small, solo works and encores. Fantasia follows her Grammy-nominated Rachmaninov album with Claudio Abbado and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. The album is a stunning variety of works by Scriabin, Schubert/Liszt, Debussy, Ravel, Albéniz, Saint-Saëns/Horowitz, Strauss/Cziffra, Dukas/Staub/Wang, Prokofiev, Scarlatti, Rachmaninov, Chopin and Art Tatum. After the heavier Transformation album (with works by Stravinsky, Scarlatti, Brahms and Ravel) and acclaimed Rachmaninov recordings, Yuja and Deutsche Grammophon agreed on this program of miniatures, a project of a radically different nature. “I love all the pieces here,” Yuja explains. “With these miniatures, I hope I can capture a mood or a scent – a hint of atmosphere. That’s all you can do with small pieces, create a vignette

Power, passion and melodious music fill the concert hall when dynamic virtuoso Hector Olivera performs the final organ recital of Pacific Symphony’s 2011-12 “Pedals and Pipes” series showcasing the majestic 4,322-piped William J. Gillespie Concert Organ. The Times Reporter describes an evening with Olivera as: “An event, a happening, a joyful celebration of the sheer power and pressure that a true virtuoso like Hector Olivera can unleash in a concert hall.” Born in Buenos Aires, Olivera began playing the pipe organ at age 3, and at age 5 played for the legendary Eva Perón. Since attending The Juilliard School of Music, his passionate and personal interpretations of both classical and popular music have earned him standing ovations around the world. Taking full advantage of the organ’s versatility, Olivera performs works by Bach, Clarke/Purcell, Franck, Liszt, a little improvisation and more for a one-night-only concert, Sunday, March 11, at 7 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Conc

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year in classical fashion with the Colorado Symphony & Mariachi Cobre! The dashing 12-piece Mariachi band is Walt Disney World’s great export, sporting three guitarists, two trumpet players and seven violinists who combine to deliver the warm, rich rhythms of Mexican folkloric music that will sweep your entire family into a spirit of celebration. Originally formed in 1971, they’ve shared the stage with such luminaries as Linda Ronstadt, Julio Iglesias and Carlos Santana. Tickets start at $19!

New Album dedicated to Schubert and Minimalism, featuring two Schubert symphonies paired with music by Erik Satie, Morton Feldman and Philip Glass to be released as an iTunes Exclusive on February 28, 2012, with SACD/CD Hybrid to Follow on April 3, 2012 "Talent For Punctuating Classics With Surprises...this ensemble has a formula, it is based on balancing new and unusual works with the most basic canonic classics." The New York Times “Few ensembles are as adept at mixing old music with new as this dynamic young Brooklyn orchestra.” New Yorker This spring, celebrated ensemble The Knights under the direction of Eric Jacobsen present “A Second of Silence,” a new album juxtaposing the works of Schubert with examples of minimalism from Satie, Feldman and Glass. The album will be released as an iTunes digital exclusive on February 28, 2012, with a wide release to all retailers on April 3, 2012. This release marks the ensemble’s second appearance on the Ancalagon label. Their fi

Celebrating Franz Liszt: Solo and Seldom Heard Four Hand Music will take place on Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 7:30 PM at Yamaha Piano Salon, 689 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, in New York City. This concert, featuring pianists Inna Faliks, Tanya Gabrielian, and Emma Tahmiziàn, is co-hosted by Pro Musicis and Yamaha Artist Services and will include Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes, transcriptions of symphonic poems, and the Dante Sonata. Tickets are $25 at the door for the concert and a post show reception. Reservations can be made by contacting Pro Musicis at 212-787-0993 or yasi@yamaha.com . This concert will be webcast live at www.yamaha.com . Called “adventurous” and “passionate” by The New Yorker and “poetic” by Time Out New York, Ukrainian-born pianist, Inna Faliks (www.innafaliks.com), has established herself as one of the most committed, exciting and poetic artists of her generation. “Sound of Verse,” her MSR Classics release of Boris Pasternak, Rachmaninoff and Ravel, garnered rav

“A winning actor ... a beautiful musician”- Classical Review On the heels of his critically acclaimed debuts last fall at the Met (in Rodelinda ) and at Carnegie Hall, British countertenor Iestyn Davies – named 2010’s Royal Philharmonic Young Artist of the Year – makes his Lyric Opera debut in Chicago on February 29 in a new production of Handel’s Rinaldo . The Baroque master’s depiction of the First Crusade will be conducted by Harry Bicket and directed by Francisco Negrin. Davies, a rising star on the international music scene, and “One of the most glorious countertenor voices in the world today” (Independent, UK), sings the role of Eustazio. While in Chicago, Davies headlines three concerts, singing Handel with the Baroque Band under the direction of Harry Bicket. The concerts, on March 9, 10, and 14, are each at different venues. The Handel arias include “O Lord Whose Mercies,” “Their Land Brought Forth Frogs,” “Up the Dreadful Steep Ascending,” and “Sento amor” from Partenope.

"Smashing singing.” — The Independent on Pisaroni’s Argante at Glyndebourne Luca Pisaroni will make his Lyric Opera of Chicago debut as Argante in a new production of Handel’s Rinaldo (Feb 29-March 24), reprising a role that he played to acclaim at the UK’s Glyndebourne Festival last summer. In just his first performance as the treacherous Saracen king, the Telegraph declared that Pisaroni was “at the top of his game.” On March 10, the Italian bass-baritone will join his father-in-law, star-baritone Thomas Hampson, in a private performance benefiting Classical Action; it will be their first US appearance together. Pisaroni will also sing Schubert and Brahms in a recital as part of Lincoln Center’s “Art of the Song” series on March 25, appearing alongside tenor Michael Schade (and substituting for Thomas Quastoff, who recently announced his retirement from the concert stage). Pisaroni will join Schade for a similar program at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall on March 30. Pisaroni is

When Thomas Hampson made his American role debut as Verdi’s Macbeth in 2007, the San Francisco Chronicle pronounced his portrayal an “unqualified triumph,” marveling: “Just when there seemed to be no way for Thomas Hampson’s performance in the title role of Verdi’s Macbeth to get any more majestic or wrenching, it did.” Now for the first time the baritone brings this signature role to the Metropolitan Opera, giving the first of six performances on March 15, when the company revives Adrian Noble’s “stylistically eclectic, grimly effective and, at times, intriguingly playful production” ( New York Times ). Noble’s innovative staging, which sets Macbeth’s action in the years after the Second World War, is complemented by Mark Thompson’s set and costume design, with acclaimed Italian maestro Gianandrea Noseda on the podium. Joining Hampson on stage is German soprano Nadja Michael as Lady Macbeth, who sang the same role opposite him at Chicago’s Lyric Opera; the New York Review of Boo

“The hits keep coming at medici.tv.” — Alex Ross (The Rest Is Noise) This weekend, medici.tv offers two more must-see musical events live on the web. This afternoon, Friday February 24 at 2 pm, violinist Renaud Capuçon performs Henri Dutilleux’s gorgeous L’Arbre des songes (The Tree of Dreams), with conductor Tugan Sokhiev and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse. The Toulouse program also presents Tchaikovsky’s great “Pathétique” Symphony. On February 25 at 2:15 pm, medici.tv is especially proud to present the opera Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss, starring soprano Renée Fleming and conducted by Christian Thielemann, in a production from Baden-Baden, Germany. Premiered in the 1980s by the eminent violinist Isaac Stern (who commissioned the work), Dutilleux’s L'Arbre des songes is a rare classic among contemporary concertos. Scored for a large orchestra that includes a piano, cimbalom, and five percussionists, the work is a wonder of the imagination: from the co

A friend of mine, J.M. Gerraughty recently posted his completed string quartet on his blog: j.m. gerraughty, composer . I so liked the idea, I followed suit, with my recent foray into the genre. This is the 1st movement of the string quartet "Atmospheres." While the cloud forms have a seemingly regular form to them, they are anything but a regular shape. So, using the time signature 19/16, I allow the quartet to move through a variety of different ways of breaking up this irregular time into semi-regular beats creating a sense of movement, while propelling the listener forward. Genus Cumulonimbus Clouds of the genus cumulonimbus are generally dark grey near the bottom with a flat base. They also rise with extremely high tops. Developing frm Cumulus cloud formations, they occur when the airmass is unstable. Cumulonimbus clouds tend to produce thrunderstorms and are accompanied with strong winds at ground level. The piece is written entirely in 19/16 creating a sense

There is a lot of furor over Golijov using music by Philip Glass in a commission for the Chicago Symphony. One of the comments suggests he struggles to meet commission deadlines. In a blog post defending Golijov, Glass Notes said, "other composers regularly don't meet deadlines on high profile commissions." WHAT??? Dallas Symphony recently gave a concert of James Newton Howard. Mr Howard was commissioned to write a new piece for the concert but other deadlines got in the way. While I appreciate a concert of Mr Howard's music has more audience appeal than my own. Mr Golijov also has name recognition that I do not. But I have NEVER missed a deadline --and I never intended on ever missing one. If I'm contracted for a piece, I consider that contract to be an obligation on my part. Just as much as I hate when an ensemble decides to not play one of my pieces at the last minute, not providing the music for a commission is just as frustrating. Last year,

The composer's new album features a cycle of memorial pieces Composer David Lang returns with a new recording of two separate works for solo piano: the title piece and a cycle of memorial works written for his friends titled memory pieces , both performed by Andrew Zolinsky. this was written by hand was a piece Lang had written after realizing he had not physically written a piece with pencil since purchasing a home computer in 1993. Lang had said in his liner notes that he wondered if "the means of writing had any effect on the writing itself", and to these ears, it did indeed. The piece's stark but colorful passages sound as if they are created with a more ragged, handwritten craftsmanship than a piece that one would expect to be put through any level of a new technology. Very high-ended, mostly childlike phrases are continued until the 7-minute mark when they are intervened by low-end chords that bring the piece to a much darker place and leave it there. Th

The London Symphony Orchestra’s LSO Live label is thrilled to release sixteen albums mastered specifically with iTunes in mind, delivering the music to listeners exactly the way the artists and recording engineers intended. The albums include Valery Gergiev’s new recording of Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, Sir Colin Davis conducting Holst’s The Planets, Bernard Haitink’s acclaimed Beethoven Symphony cycle and some of the best known titles in the LSO Live catalogue. These new recordings, Mastered for iTunes, use high-resolution sourced audio to provide fans with an incredibly rich listening experience. James Mallinson, producer for LSO Live states, ‘Mastered for iTunes is a clever way to use modern production techniques and technology to improve the experience for listeners. Bypassing the inadequacies of CD-quality masters and focusing on the way people listen to music today allows us to produce recordings which are far more natural.’ The pursuit of the best sound quality has alw

Colorado Symphony's MASTERWORKS SERIES Tchaikovsky 4 FRI 4/13 - 7:30 p.m. SAT 4/14 - 7:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall Andrew Litton, conductor Pascal Rogé, piano Tickets Start at $19 BRAHMS / Academic Festival Overture MOZART / Piano Concerto No. 21 TCHAIKOVSKY / Symphony No. 4 Opening this Litton conducted performance is Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture, described by Brahms as “a very boisterous potpourri of student songs.” Pianist Pascal Rogé is highlighted on Mozart’s famous piano concerto No. 21, featured in the 1967 Swedish film Elvira Madigan. The concert concludes with one of the most revered works in the repertoire, Tchaikovsky's 4th.

Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 and Double Concerto featuring Meyers on both parts Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers’ newest eOne recording, Air – The Bach Album, debuted this week at #1 on the Billboard Classical Charts. Released on Valentine’s Day, AIR has already proven a popular new release with critics and radio stations across the country. It has been prominently featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, an hour long SiriusXM Satellite Radio Symphony Hall show called “Be My Bach, Valentine”, in BBC Music Magazine, and has been chosen as a featured new release for WFMT Chicago and American Public Media among other outlets. AIR features the English Chamber Orchestra with Steven Mercurio conducting. The album includes Bach’s Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, the Double Concerto for Two Violins, and arrangements of Bach’s “Air”, “Largo” from the Harpsichord Concerto in f minor, and the Bach/Gounod “Ave Maria.” With this recording, Meyers became the first violinist to record both solo pa

President Barack Obama Will Deliver Remarks On Wednesday, February 22, Thomas Hampson will sing at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington, DC. President Barack Obama will deliver remarks at the event, which celebrates the beginning of construction of the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, art, history, and culture. Scheduled to open in 2015, the museum, designed by the Freelon Adjaye Bond/SmithGroup, will also be the first green building on the national mall. Thomas Hampson comments: "What a privilege it is to be singing for the groundbreaking of the new Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. Exploring every facet of our complex cultural history, which gives us a deeper understanding of civil rights in all of its manifestations, is both an honor and a responsibility. This museum will be a great national resource."

Concert features professional singers; talented students from Chapman University; plus costumes, props and projected scenery The captivating fairy tale opera, “Hansel and Gretel,” comes to life in full orchestral and vocal color for Pacific Symphony’s Family Musical Mornings’ unique production of Humperdinck’s beloved opera, created just for kids. Kicking off the Symphony’s new opera-vocal initiative—which includes a production of Puccini’s “La Bohème” this April and “Tosca” in February 2013—this 45-minute performance includes original narration and dialogue to introduce children to the beautiful and powerful instrument, the voice. Led by Assistant Conductor Maxim Eshkenazy, the orchestra and singers tell the familiar Brothers Grimm story of two siblings who venture into a magical forest to find a gingerbread house made of candy. But, beware! A wicked witch wants to turn them into a snack! Staged with costumes, props and scenery projected on the big screen. Presented by Farmers and Mer

Friday, February 24th the Lamont Flute Ensemble will perform a collection of new works at Hamilton Hall in the Newman Center, Denver. One of these works, Found Waves is my composition written specifically for this performance and this hall. Found Waves is for five flutists positioned about the hall, one on stage with the other four in the four corners of the room. The parts played in the four corners are elements that function as a single line flowing around the room, while the center flute plays a melody. Yet, there are also times when the music slowly shifts from one side (or front to back) and the center flute adds to the slow panning of the sound. The concept of the piece wasn't difficult. I took a page from electro-acoustic music and the placement of sound in the room. However, creating musical lines that were playable was something else entirely. On page 7 of the score (mm 22) accent occur in the parts, but not at the same time for the various players. This creates a

THE LSO AND VALERY GERGIEV GIVE A FREE CONCERT IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE ON 12 MAY BMW and the London Symphony Orchestra announce today a new long-term partnership, BMW LSO OPEN AIR CLASSICS, which will bring outstanding music performed in the open air – free for everyone in an informal atmosphere. The first in a groundbreaking series of annual concerts will be conducted in Trafalgar Square by Principal Conductor of the LSO, Valery Gergiev, on Saturday 12 May at 6.30 pm. Large screens will be mounted on either side of the stage to allow the audience to witness the concert close up. The programme will feature works by Igor Stravinsky including the highly popular Firebird Suite and The Rite of Spring. 100 young musicians from LSO Discovery, the Orchestra’s award-winning music education and community programme, will play alongside the LSO players and perform The Lite of Spring, an interpretation of Stravinsky’s work by Gareth Glyn. LSO animateur Paul Rissmann will present the concert and guide

Continued Learning for people in all stages of their life Building on The Times’s decades of active involvement in education, The New York Times Knowledge Network offers a wide range of distinctive adult and continuing education opportunities, including online courses, programs and Webcasts. Some of our programs are offered directly by The Times, while others are presented in collaboration with universities, colleges and other educational institutions. Students in our online continuing education classes benefit from the expertise and experience provided by the faculty of renowned educational institutions, and from the full resources of The New York Times. Some courses are supplemented by The Times’ articles and multimedia. Others have The New York Times’ editors or reporters as guest speakers or instructors, sharing their timely insights and informed perspectives. In areas ranging from art to business, writing to politics, journalism to science, online programs from The New York T

GIVES STUDENTS DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF COMPOSER AND HIS “NEW WORLD SYMPHONY” Thanks to a generous (and rare) grant from the National Endowment of Humanities (NEH), Pacific Symphony is about to dive into an exciting new education initiative—“Dvořák and America”—led by Music Director Carl St.Clair and developed by New York-based author/scholar and Pacific Symphony artistic advisor, Joseph Horowitz. The project links symphonic performance with humanities content to provide in-depth exploration to deepen students’ understanding and connection to Dvořák’s “New World Symphony.” The project is also an extension of the Symphony’s innovative “Music Unwound” series, which endeavors to contextualize music to provide deeper emotional and intellectual engagement of the audience. While “Music Unwound,” now in its third year, has previously targeted adults, this latest incarnation targets for the first time a younger segment and includes Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra (PSYO), plus hundreds of Irvi

CAGE 100: THE BOOTLEG SERIES ISSUED MARCH 27 ON CANTALOUPE CAGE-THEMED PROGRAM IN CAMBRIDGE, TORONTO, + AUSTIN, ARRIVING AT ZANKEL HALL ON MARCH 26 No leading ensemble better embodies the fearless, trailblazing spirit of John Cage than Sō Percussion. In honor of Cage’s centenary year, Sō Percussion is touring a program titled We Are All Going in Different Directions to Cambridge (MA), Toronto, and Austin, culminating in an appearance at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall on Monday, March 26 (7:30 pm), as part of the American Mavericks series. Along with classic Cage scores like Credo in Us, Imaginary Landscape #1, and Third Construction, We Are All Going in Different Directions features original compositions by the group, plus contributions by electronic artists Matmos, Cenk Ergün, and Dan Deacon. Matmos, Ergün, and violist Beth Meyers (janus trio and QQQ) will perform with the quartet. Program details and tour dates follow. Given Cage’s use of indeterminacy in this program, every concert

Critically acclaimed Steinway Concert Artist Lara Downes is redefining the solo recital format with visionary, cutting-edge performances at prestigious concert venues worldwide. Lauded by NPR as "a delightful artist with a unique blend of musicianship and showmanship" and praised by the Washington Post for her stunning performances "rendered with drama and nuance," Lara presents the piano repertoire - from iconic favorites to newly commissioned works - in new ways that bridge musical tastes, genres and audiences. Lara's recent forays into social media and connecting with audiences include a Twitter feed, streaming her most recent album on Facebook, and now a blog discussing the passions, projects, plans and issues that are intrinsically unique to the lives of professional pianists. Inaugural interviews with Simone Dinnerstein, jazz pianist Dan Tepfer and critic Tim Page set the stage for a continuing series of intimate conversations with her friends and collea

Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s upcoming appearances with the orchestras of Cleveland and Chicago were originally scheduled to be directed by Pierre Boulez. However, the conductor has been obliged to withdraw for medical reasons, and Aimard’s repertoire at the Cleveland Orchestra (Feb 16–18) has been changed accordingly. He will now lead the orchestra from the keyboard in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat (K. 456), as well as performing Schoenberg’s Op. 11 pieces for solo piano. At the Chicago Symphony, Aimard’s programs will remain as originally announced. He will perform the Schoenberg Piano Concerto with his frequent collaborator, Jonathan Nott (March 1–4), and Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire with Romanian conductor Cristian Macelaru (Feb 24–28).

THE CREATIVE & THE GREAT Joshua Roman, Cello Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra Michael Butterman, Music Director Saturday, Feb. 25 - 7:30 PM Macky Auditorium, CU Campus Sunday, Feb. 26 - 3 PM St. Luke's Methodist Church, Highlands Ranch* SHOSTAKOVICH: Jazz Suite No. 1 GULDA: Cello Concerto SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 9, "The Great" *The Feb. 26 concert in Highlands Ranch will feature pianist Peter Mathys, winner of our Young Artists Concerto Competition, performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, 1st movement, in place of soloist Joshua Roman. 6:30 PM - FREE Pre-Concert Talk - Cellist Joshua Roman will be interviewed by Keith Waters, CU Associate Professor of Music Theory specializing in jazz history and improvisation Tickets start at $13; Students $5! You can also order by phone: 303-449-1343, ext. 2 (generally M-F, 10-6).

Taught by Veteran Hollywood Orchestrator Scott Smalley Los Angeles - May 12-13, 2012 Learn the exact orchestration techniques that top film composers like Jerry Goldsmith, Danny Elfman and others use to get the biggest, best sound from live orchestras with these live courses from veteran Hollywood orchestrator Scott Smalley. I have taken this course and HIGHLY recommend it for any composers interested in writing for larger voices. If you're a composer who writes for live orchestra, you need to know what Scott Smalley has taught over 2,500 film and television composers from across the world. Through the intense, detailed study of the music of Jerry Goldsmith and others, top Hollywood film music orchestrator Scott Smalley ("Batman," "Mission: Impossible," "The Insider") demonstrates why some Hollywood scores sound so good, and what you as a composer can do to make your scores sound bigger and better. Enroll in these live courses if you: * are a comp

STARRING ANGELA MEADE, MARCELLO GIORDANI, DMITRI HVOROSTOVSKY AND FERRUCCIO FURLANETTO SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 25 at 12:55 p.m. ET/9:55 a.m. PT THE MET: LIVE IN HD ERNANI Running time: Approximately 210 minutes, including two intermissions Host: Joyce DiDonato For more information: metopera.org/hdlive Four extraordinary singers star in Verdi’s Ernani. American soprano Angela Meade, whose victory in the Met’s National Council Auditions was chronicled in the 2008 documentary film The Audition, takes the role of the noblewoman Elvira in her first Live in HD appearance. Marcello Giordani, star of the Live in HD transmissions of Manon Lescaut, La Damnation de Faust, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Simon Boccanegra, and La Fanciulla del West, sings the title role of the noble bandit who loves Elvira. Dmitri Hvorostovsky adds a new role to his distinguished repertory as Don Carlo, a royal suitor for Elvira’s hand, and Ferruccio Furlanetto is da Silva, a wealthy relative with his own designs o

Escape into the world of classic Hollywood movies and Broadway legends; enjoy celebrated songs from musicals such as "Shall We Dance," "Top Hat," "West Side Story," "Babes in Arms" and "Music in the Air" Artists: Colorado Symphony Orchestra Scott O’Neil, resident conductor Joan Hess and Kirby Ward Performance: Friday, February 24 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets: On sale now On a night that would make Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers proud, the Colorado Symphony Pops Series presents Steppin' Out, a salute to the music that made Hollywood and Broadway legends. On Friday, February 24, Steppin' Out takes concertgoers on a journey back in time to the Golden Age of the Hollywood musical, then forward in time to the Great White Way and the Big Band Era as dancers and singers accompany the Colorado Symphony. Led by resident co

LOS ANGELES CHAMBER ORCHESTRA’S BAROQUE CONVERSATIONS SERIES EXPLORES THE ART OF BAROQUE DANCE LACO Principal Keyboard Patricia Mabee Hosts the Program, Which Features John Schneiderman, Baroque Guitar; Baroque Dancers Linda Tomko and Jill Chardoff; Tereza Stanislav, Violin; Sarah Thornblade, Violin; Roland Kato, Viola; Victoria Miskolczy, Viola; Armen Ksajikian, Cello Thursday, February 16, 7 pm, at Zipper Concert Hall, Downtown Los Angeles Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) trips the light fantastic at the season’s second “Baroque Conversations” concert, which explores the art of Baroque dance, its links to the court of Louis XIV and its intriguing social and political implications, on Thursday, February 16, 7 pm, at Zipper Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. LACO Principal Keyboard Patricia Mabee, who celebrates 35 years with LACO this season, hosts the evening, featuring renowned baroque guitar John Schneiderman and Baroque dancers/historians Linda Tomko and Jill Char

LA PHIL’S "SOUNDS ABOUT TOWN" SERIES PRESENTS JAMES CONLON CONDUCTING LOS ANGELES CHILDREN’S CHORUS AND AMERICAN YOUTH SYMPHONY IN WORLD PREMIERE BY ICELANDIC COMPOSER DANÍEL BJARNASON AS PART OF SHAKESPEARE-THEMED PROGRAM Sunday, March 4, 2012, 7:30 PM at Walt Disney Concert Hall Other Featured Works Include Willcocks’ The Glories of Shakespeare and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet The LA Phil’s prestigious Sounds About Town series continues with a Shakespeare-themed program featuring renowned conductor James Conlon conducting two of the country’s leading youth ensembles – the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC) and the American Youth Symphony (AYS) – in the world premiere of The isle is full of noises… by Icelandic composer Daníel Bjarnason based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest and co-commissioned by LACC and AYS on Sunday, March 4, 2012, 7:30 pm, at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The ensembles also perform Sir David Willcocks’ The Glories of Shakespeare, which draws on text

www.dso.org/live Program Information Leonard Slatkin, conductor Emanuel Ax, piano MOZART Piano Concerto No. 22 MAHLER Symphony No. 5

American Composers Orchestra’s Second Digital Download Album Emerging Composers Series: Vol. 1 World Premiere Recordings by Kati Agócs, Michael Gatonska, Fang Man, Clint Needham, and Gregory Spears American Composers Orchestra (ACO) announces the February 14 release of its second digital download album, Emerging Composers Series: Vol. 1. Following the March 2011 release of the orchestra’s inaugural digital album (Playing It UNsafe), this new album features world premiere recordings of music by rising-star composers performed between 2006 and 2009 as part of Orchestra Underground, ACO’s cutting-edge orchestral series at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall. By making available never-before-recorded orchestral music, ACO goes beyond the concert hall, reaching new listeners and gaining greater exposure and visibility for the young composers it showcases in this series. ACO will release two additional digital albums this spring – an album of new works for extended instruments with the orchestra, an

Major American recital tour this March with dates in Miami, Washington, Detroit, Cincinnati and New York “Stunning debut….Grosvenor’s playing exudes joy and spontaneity, seeming to release rather than to interpret the music…At 19, Grosvenor is already a pianist of uncommon distinction.” BBC Music Magazine On February 28, 2012, the Decca debut album from Benjamin Grosvenor will be released. Grosvenor is the first British pianist to sign to Decca Classics since Moura Lympany and Clifford Curzon over half century ago. The self-titled album is a personal choice of virtuoso solo piano music, built around Chopin’s four Scherzi and Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit, and including Chopin Nocturnes and shorter pieces by Liszt – sequenced to trace the development of pianistic virtuosity through these three great masters. The 19 year-old Grosvenor first rose to prominence when he won the piano section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2004 at the age of just 11 – the youngest ever finalist in th

Last month, Gilmore Artist Kirill Gerstein wowed audiences and critics alike with multiple performances of all four Rachmaninoff piano concertos, as artist-in-residence of the Houston Symphony’s “RachFest” – a special three-week celebration of the composer’s music. Of this extraordinary musical feat the Houston Chronicle reported, “Gerstein scored a knockout,” and the Houston Culture Map confirmed, “Piano god Kirill Gerstein rocked the Rachs.” As for festival-goers, the Chronicle described the “five-minute ovation” that greeted Gerstein’s final program, a response that the Culture Map considered not merely “Southern hospitality,” but something “different, genuine, and heartfelt.” Rachmaninoff has long been a signature composer for the Russian-born pianist. “I usually don't admit to having a favorite composer,” he told the Chronicle, “but in the case of Rachmaninoff, I must say that I truly enjoy playing his music. I have loved it since childhood. It’s a part of my Russian herita

Sir Antonio Pappano conducts the London Symphony Orchestra on 15 February in Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. Composed in 1943, the work consists of five movements, with the fourth movement Intermezzo parodying the march theme from Shostakovich’s Seventh (‘Leningrad’) Symphony. The concert opens with Rachmaninov’s symphonic poem Isle of the Dead, inspired by a painting of a coffin crossing dark waters by Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin. Violinist Leonidas Kavakos joins the orchestra to perform Korngold’s Violin Concerto, composed using themes from Korngold’s Hollywood film scores. There will be a free pre-concert performance of Rachmaninov’s Preludes Op 23 by Guildhall School pianist Ashley Fripp. Wednesday 15 February 7.30pm, Barbican Hall RACHMANINOV Isle of the Dead KORNGOLD Violin Concerto BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra Sir Antonio Pappano conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin London Symphony Orchestra Tickets: £10-£35

Four performances: Saturday, March 24, 2012 at 7:30 pm Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 7:30 pm Friday, March 30, 2012 at 7:30 pm Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 2:00 pm Where: All performances take place at The Ellie Caulkins Opera House at the Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis Streets in downtown Denver. Tickets: $20, $50, $70, $95, $150 Tickets available online at OperaColorado.org or by phone at 800.982.ARTS Special discounts for groups of 10 or more: 303.468.2030 Opera Colorado announces the Rocky Mountain regional premiere Florencia en el Amazonas , the first Spanish language opera in the company's history. The opera was created in homage to the work of Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia-Márquez and tells of an opera singer's epic journey on the Amazon River to find her lost love. The company has scheduled four performances at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, March 24 through April 1. The opera will be performed in Spanish with English and Spanish electroni

Plus, two premieres by Grammy-winning composer Michael Daugherty (one featuring Grammy-winning organist Paul Jacobs) and Barber’s “Adagio for Strings Passion, premieres and the pursuit of perfection entwine as Pacific Symphony welcomes remarkable Israeli virtuoso Vadim Gluzman for Tchaikovsky’s heartrending Violin Concerto. Gluzman, “one of the world’s top violinists” according to The Morning Call, delivers the rich beauty, graceful lyricism and show-stopping cadenzas of the concerto on the 1680 “ex-Leopold Auer” Stradivarius, the same violin that inspired its creation. Led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, the concert opens with the world premiere of award-winning composer Michael Daugherty’s “The Gospel According to Sister Aimee,” written for organ, brass and percussion and performed on the William J. Gillespie Concert Organ by world-renowned organist and Symphony favorite Paul Jacobs, who also performs a postlude. Following Daugherty’s new work is one of the most popular and frequ

Music Director Jeffrey Kahane serves as musical “tour guide” for Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra's annual “Discover” concert on Saturday, February 25, 2012, 8 pm, at Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, which this season features a special one-night-only exploration of Bach’s Magnificat, a pinnacle of choral literature. Performing with the Orchestra are The University of Southern California Thornton Chamber Singers, the school’s premier choir, directed by Jo-Michael Scheibe, and five exceptional young soloists: Charlotte Dobbs, soprano, Zanaida Robles, soprano, Janelle DeStefano, mezzo soprano, Ben Bliss, tenor, and Daniel Armstrong, baritone. Providing the audience with a deeper understanding and appreciation of this seminal masterwork, Kahane begins the evening by illustrating the intricacies of Bach's first oratorio and how the composition illuminates the text, which is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke. After intermission, the Orchestra, soloists and chorus perform the f

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) trips the light fantastic at the season’s second “Baroque Conversations” concert, which explores the art of Baroque dance, its links to the court of Louis XIV and its intriguing social and political implications, on Thursday, February 16, 7 pm, at Zipper Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. LACO Principal Keyboard Patricia Mabee, who celebrates 35 years with LACO this season, hosts the evening, featuring renowned baroque guitar John Schneiderman and Baroque dancers/historians Linda Tomko and Jill Chardoff. Also featured are LACO principals Tereza Stanislav, assistant concertmaster; Sarah Thornblade, associate principal violin II; Roland Kato, principal viola; Victoria Miskolczy, associate principal viola; and Armen Ksajikian, associate principal cello. In signature LACO style, the artists share their insights into the music and dances from the stage and invite questions from the audience about the program, which includes Vivaldi’s Trio Sonata

Classical Action: Performing Arts Against AIDS opens its 2012 Michael Palm Series of intimate house concerts on Friday, February 10, presenting violinist and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Leila Josefowicz in recital with pianist John Novacek. Held in the Tribeca loft apartment of supporters Simon Yates and Kevin Roon, who have generously hosted the Michael Palm Series since 2010, the concert marks the duo’s fourth collaboration for Classical Action as well as its debut as part of the New York City-based salon series named after the charity’s late benefactor. Music making begins at 7:30pm, with wine and hors d’oeuvres served starting at 6:30pm. Tickets for all concerts in the Michael Palm Series can be purchased online at www.classicalaction.org or by calling Classical Action at (212) 997-7717. Josefowicz comes to the Michael Palm series hot off a string of stellar performances of violin concertos by living composers: Steven Mackey’s Beautiful Passing – written for Josefowicz i

Los Angeles Master Chorale continues the season with Bruckner’s full-scale choral masterpiece Mass in E minor on Sunday, February 12, 2012, 7 pm, at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The concert marks the first time any of Bruckner’s major choral works have been performed in Disney Hall. To complement the expressive and poignant masterwork, Music Director Grant Gershon also conducts Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, a contrasting but equally compelling piece filled with both ritual and fireworks, and Brucker’s motet Os Justi. Bruckner, born to Austrian peasants and a musical protégé from an early age, completed the Mass in E minor for eight-part chorus and wind orchestra in 1866. It is a work that illustrates more than any of his others the composer’s unique style – a mix of romantic fully Brucknerian harmony with blending and contrasting vocal and instrumental textures, and the restrained and austere power of Renaissance polyphony. “It is one of my favorite Bruckner pieces and is such a

THE MENDELSSOHN AND TCHAIKOVSKY VIOLIN CONCERTOS Sony Classical is pleased to announce the release of Ray Chen’s first concerto recording on the label with the two Romantic masterpieces that have played a significant role in the young artist’s career to date. His interpretation of the Mendelssohn E minor Violin Concerto led to his triumph at the 2008 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists. The following year the violinist’s insightful performance of the Tchaikovsky Concerto secured him first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. For his second Sony release available on February 7, Ray Chen is joined by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of its musical director Daniel Harding. Ray Chen brings a fresh interpretation to these cornerstones of the violin repertoire and he finds kindred spirits in Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra. “Music is teamwork,” says Ray Chen, and he explains his choice of these works f

Special performances scheduled at Powell Hall February 8 and February 10 The first takes place Wednesday, February 8 at 7pm. The free On Stage at Powell event highlights traces the story of music from Africa to North America. The performance is a MetLife Music Without Boundaries event, and received additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Symphony’s annual Lift Every Voice concert takes place Friday, February 10 at 7pm. The performance features the orchestra, the Symphony’s IN UNISON® Chorus and St. Louis’s own Jenifer Lewis as featured vocal soloist. Lewis, whose vast career includes appearances in The Preacher’s Wife , Disney’s The Princess and the Fro g and Broadway’s Hairspray , is from Kinloch and a graduate of Webster University. The evening will be a celebration of African-American culture and tradition which has enriched the lives of people here in St. Louis, across our country and around the world. Tickets still remain for the Lift Every Vo

One of the most beloved and celebrated musical ambassadors of our time, soprano Renée Fleming will perform an unforgettable One-Night-Only with The Colorado Symphony! Renée Fleming captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice, consummate artistry and compelling stage presence. Known as ‘the people’s diva’ and named the number one female singer in 2010, she continues to grace the world’s greatest opera stages and concert halls, now extending her reach to include other musical forms and media. Over the past few seasons, Ms. Fleming has hosted a wide variety of television and radio broadcasts, including the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series in movie theaters and Live From Lincoln Center on PBS. Tickets available online .