Interchanging Idioms

Returning to the opera house where she sang her sensational Cleopatra in Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Danielle performs the title role in Monteverdi’s great opera of lust and power, in Robert Carsen’s modern-dress staging. De Niese is perfectly cast as the beautiful and seductive Poppea who ruthlessly grabs power as Nero’s lover but, in this production, is doomed from the moment of her coronation at the end of the opera. De Niese’s performance is vocally and dramatically powerful, perfectly complemented by Alice Coote as Nero. The two are supported by an outstanding cast, together with period-performance star Emmanuelle Haïm conducting the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. “Wonderfully lucid and unflinching staging... the wonder of conductor Emmanuelle Haïm’s work here with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is the way she illuminates the play of Monteverdi’s expressive vocal lines with the harmony beneath” – The Independent, London

I think I have found my new favorite violinist! It is a joy to discover new artists, particularly young artists like Caroline Goulding who are so very versatile while proving to be virtuoso at the same time. In Caroline’s instance, what impressed me the most was her virtuoso ability across such a diverse range of violin styles. Her soon to be released CD Caroline Goulding covers a wide variety of styles from Klezmer styles of Fritz Kreisler’s Gypsy Caprice through the sliding jazz styles in selections from George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and into Celtic fiddle with Johnny Cope . Caroline does them all with such finesse you’d never know she hadn’t been steeped in each style dozens of years. However, she’s only 16, so she hasn’t had that luxury. She must achieve her mastery of all these sundry styles through a magic wand (or magic bow as the case may be). The CD begins with a selection of four Fritz Kreisler melodies. Each has its own character, but all are steeped with a s...

with Kammerphilharmonie Bremen London Symphony Orchestra and Paavo Järvi Janine Jansen to perform with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra on US tour from October 2nd-8th NEW YORK, NY – On September 29th, Decca will release a new recording featuring violinist Janine Jansen fulfilling a long-held ambition to record Benjamin Britten's Violin Concerto alongside the most monumental of all violin works, the Beethoven Violin Concerto. Janine Jansen regularly thrills audiences with both her startlingly fresh interpretations of repertoire staples and remarkable takes on lesser-known works. The Times of London recently put it succinctly that "Whenever a violin repertory piece needs revitalizing, there’s one simple solution. Hire Janine Jansen to play it." Janine records these concerti with two different orchestras to fully explore two very different sound worlds: the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen for the Beethoven and the London Symphony Orchestra for Britten. Paavo Järvi conduct...

I love libraries. They are treasure troves of mystery and wonder. While walking through the Denver Library today, looking for a score for Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique , I stubbled across a book entitled The Symphonies of Havergal Brian (Volume One Symphonies 1 to 12) by Malcolm MacDonald ISBN 0-8008-7527-3 (1973) . Having never heard of Havergal Brian before, I was intrigued. So I opened up the front cover and read a bit about Mr Brian. It seems he wrote 32 symphonies during his life (1876-1972) and yet is relatively unknown. Wow, 32 symphonies! Shostakovich (one of my heros) was considered a great symphonist and he only wrote 15 - but then again, he is remembered. Numerous other composers never got past nine as if that was the magic number and to attempt anything more was to demand too much of the muses. So, who was the unknown composer and why are there two books covering his symphonies and yet no real discussion of him in music history classes? Well, the second part...

I will attempt to discover a new composer or list of works every week (or so) and write about them here. The first "Discovery" is about William Havergal Brian , a 20th century composer who is unfortunately, relatively unknown. I hope you will enjoy discovering these new composers as much as I will. There is a lot of music out there and so much of it tends to get ignored. Well, no longer, not if I have anything to say about it.

Maestro James Levine, Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is the subject of the Metropolitan Opera Guild’s first public event of the new season. “Met Legends: James Levine” takes place at New York ’s Alice Tully Hall on Tuesday, September 15 at 7:30pm. The “Maestro of the Met” himself will be the guest of honor, on stage with the Guild’s Paul Gruber to watch rare video clips and to discuss his life and unrivaled career. Exclusive video footage will be shown, including a new video biography of the Maestro that incorporates rare footage of the young James Levine with his family. Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City Program tickets: $45 for Guild members and Met patrons $75 for others $150 (members and nonmembers) for priority seating followed by artist’s reception with champagne and dessert For more information and to order tickets by phone, call (212) 769-7009. “Met Legends – James Levine” is only the first of four major p...

Concert includes Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite Robert Spano leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in John Adams’ Violin Concerto featuring Leila Josefowicz on Thursday, October 29 at 8:00 p.m. and Friday, October 30, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Thursday and Friday’s performances will also include Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Stravinsky’s 1919 Suite from The Firebird . Saturday’s Casual Concert Series on Saturday, October 31 at 11 a.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall will only include Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite and John Adams’ Violin Concerto. The BSO will present an Off the Cuff performance of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade on Saturday, October 31 at 7:00 p.m. at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Composed just over a decade ago in 1993, John Adams wrote what is now one of the most frequently performed of all contemporary concertos—his Violin Concerto. Featured in this demanding work is Leila Josef...