STAFF FAVORITESPhilip Glass At 75: Listening With Heart, Not IntellectJanuary 31, 2012 omposer Philip Glass changed the landscape of American music. As a founder of minimalism, Glass came up with a new way to make music and, with it, brought a new audience to the concert halls. Tuesday is Glass' 75th birthday, and the music world is celebrating in a big way with performances and festivals around the globe — including the premiere of Glass' latest work at Carnegie Hall.
Q-and-A: Goofy classical musicians Igudesman & Joo to play Eisemann Center in Richardson Saturday January 24, 2012 If you could mix Mozart with Monty Python, the result might be something similar to the duo Igudesman & Joo. These classically trained musicians from Vienna -- Aleksey Igudesman on violin and Hyung-ki Joo on piano -- combine classical and contemporary music with musical and situational comedy.
20 (PLUS) QUESTIONS WITH: Sir Andrew Davis January 17, 2012 Sir Andrew Davis has been music director of the renowned Lyric Opera of Chicago since 2000. Between performances of The Magic Flute, Davis offers the latest installment of “20 (Plus) Questions.”
Newly bequeathed letter shows Beethoven’s misery January 12, 2012 A rare handwritten letter by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven complaining about illness and a lack of money has turned up at a northern German institute as part of a bequest, causing excitement among lovers of the musical genius.
Taiwan Garbage Trucks: Classical Music Accompanies Collection January 10, 2012 Although this has been going on for some time now, I wasn't aware until recently that the mundane task of taking out the trash in Taiwan is a community-based event that comes with a healthy dose of musical accompaniment. On the tightly packed East Asian island nation, garbage trucks, like ice cream vans, are equipped with speakers that play music -- popular tunes include Beethoven's "Für Elise" and Tekla Bądarzewska-Baranowska's "A Maiden's Prayer" -- alerting citizens that trash time est arrivé.
Ring My Bells: The 2011 Deceptive Cadence Holiday Puzzler December 22, 2011 Over the centuries, composers have slipped these tinkling little bells into their pieces — pieces that, by the way, often have nothing to do with the holidays. Below you will find six clips of music with sleigh bells. Click on a clip to listen, then drag it to the image of the composer who wrote it. Get them all right and feel the warmth of the holiday season swell in your chest. Get them wrong and notice winter's chill at the nape of your neck.
Anne Sofie von Otter: From Schubertiade to Symphony Orchestra December 15, 2011 Anne Sofie von Otter speaks with Johanna Keller about the Schubert song settings she is singing with Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic Dec. 28-30.
'The Artist': This is your brain on silent films December 08, 2011 If moviegoers find the sensory experience of watching the new silent film "The Artist" dramatically different from taking in the average 3-D blockbuster, it's not just in their heads--audiences are actually using the auditory parts of their brains to create their own soundtracks.
Robert Johnson And Pablo Casals' Game-Changers Turn 75 December 01, 2011 Nov. 23, 1936, was a good day for recorded music. Two men, an ocean apart, each stepped up to a microphone and began to play. One was a cello prodigy who had performed for the queen of Spain; the other was a guitar player in the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta. But on that day, Pablo Casals and Robert Johnson each made recordings that would change music history.
Yes: From total discord to sweet harmony November 22, 2011 Bonnie Greer's television run-in with Nick Griffin didn't just provoke feverish debate – it was also the catalyst for a new opera.
A Maltese Thanksgiving With Tenor Joseph Calleja November 21, 2011 We are now in the winter months in my home country of Malta, and we tend to steer away from the fish and seafood dishes that dominate our summers. This time of year we eat more red meats and delicious game. Below are three of my favorite mouthwatering dishes, with music pairings, and a few good wine suggestions, too.
Opera: The Early Adopter Of The Media World November 10, 2011 The Metropolitan Opera recently opened a new production of Siegfried, the third of the four operas in Wagner's Ring Cycle — in 3-D. You won't need special glasses to see the actors on stage. Instead, the background sets 3-D projections of forests and other illusions.
A View from the Bridge: Great Sorrows American Style October 20, 2011 When William Bolcom's opera A View from the Bridge premiered in Chicago in 1999, one critic described it as "Brooklyn verismo," invoking the emotive style popularized by Italian composers such as Puccini. And that pretty much hits the nail on the head.
Classical music gets carbonated October 18, 2011 He’s known as Carbon Baby and he’s the sturdy delight of cellist Shauna Rolston.
The Conversation: Michael Grandage October 13, 2011 Michael Grandage’s new production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni premieres Oct. 13, the first time the famed British director collaborates with Mariusz Kwiecien and James Levine. Grandage describes his approach to opera’s ultimate anti-hero.
The Mariinsky Orchestra Plays Tchaikovsky October 11, 2011 When conductor Valery Gergiev became chairman of the International Tchaikovsky Competition last year he promised to clean house, ridding it of corruption and favoritism while repackaging it for a 21st-century audience.
When Practice Alone Isn't Enough September 29, 2011 Noa Kageyama is in the business of bulletproofing, but his work does not involve Kevlar vests or polycarbonate. The performance psychologist runs a consultancy, ProMind Coaching, whose clients include Olympic athletes and CEOs. His mentor and business partner, Don Greene, is a former champion diver and Green Beret, whose specialties including teaching principles of sports psychology to SWAT team members. But the battlefield Mr. Kageyama is most interested in is the music world. On his blog, The Bulletproof Musician, he takes principles developed to toughen up tennis pros and uses them to help musicians cope with the intense pressure of solo performance. Last month, he joined the faculty of the Juilliard School.
One Orchestra, Two Maestros September 23, 2011 There is no single method of achieving result with an orchestra, and though many maestros through the centuries have been remembered for their bravura, Sir Colin Davis may well be remembered for an equally captivating reserve.
Sound And Silence: 'Remembering Sept. 11' At The Temple Of Dendur September 20, 2011 At the conclusion of the astonishing "Remembering September 11" concert, held by the Wordless Music Orchestra at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Temple of Dendur on the 10th anniversary of Sept. 11, the audience responded with utter eloquence: two minutes of astonished silence, followed by wild applause.
Mortals, Beware: Lully's 'Atys' September 09, 2011 Though it may not be obvious, the 1999 Hollywood hit Notting Hill, starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, addresses a dramatic theme that's been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years — and which also drives this week's opera, a 17th-century tragedy by Jean-Baptiste Lully.
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