DOCSLIB.ORG

Classic – Jazz – Avantgarde Munich Music Metropolis

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Classic – Jazz – Avantgarde Munich Music Metropolis Page 1 Classic – Jazz – Avantgarde Munich Music Metropolis (March 1, 2017) In Munich, music lovers have the opportunity to listen to high-class soloists from all over the world every day. People are accustomed to enjoying musical luxury. In addition to top orchestras, also other ensembles guarantee thrilling programs. Munich and music – A close and long-lasting relationship Of the many famous names with a link to the city, let us just name a few: Orlando di Lasso (1532 - 1594), one of the most versatile and prolific composers of the late Renaissance, spent several successful decades in Munich as court conductor. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) almost became a Munich resident – he applied for a position as court conductor, but there was no “vacancy”. Nonetheless, his desire to establish himself in the city by the Isar – where his “Idomeneo” premiered in 1781 – clearly shows that Munich was already a sought-after location for top-ranking musicians over 200 years ago. Several of Richard Wagner‘s (1813 – 1883) magnificent productions (among others “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” - 1868 and “Tristan und Isolde” - 1865) celebrated their premiere here. Richard Strauss (1864 – 1949), composer of the opera “Der Rosenkavalier”, was born in Munich. Three star conductors for three prestigious orchestras Munich audiences are proud of what their city has to offer as a music Mecca – for example, three first-rate ensembles performing under the baton of three world- Contact: Department of Labor and Economic Development München Tourismus, Trade & Media Relations Sendlinger Str. 1, 80331 München, Tel.: +49 89 233- Email: [email protected], www.simply-munich.com Page 2 renowned conductors. This is competition at its best, all the more exciting because of the proximity of the contenders. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with its chief conductor Mariss Jansons, the Munich Philharmonic with Valerie Gergiev , also chief conductor, and the Bavarian State Orchestra (the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera) with chief conductor - as of September 1, 2013 - Kirill Petrenko. The Bavarian State Orchestra, today an internationally celebrated opera ensemble, has an exceptionally long history which goes back to the 16th century. In 1563, the aforementioned composer Orlando di Lasso was named music director at the court of Duke Albrecht V and therefore director of the court orchestra. When Elector Palatine Karl Theodor succeeded to the throne of Bavaria in 1778, he took 33 members of the Mannheim court orchestra with him to Munich. The musicians, who were renowned in Europe for their virtuosity and unconventional range, joined the Munich court ensemble. Mariss Jansons, Lorin Maazel and Kirill Petrenko - are the latest newcomers in an impressive line of conductors who have left their mark on important milestones in Munich’s musical history: Hans von Bülow, Hermann Levi, Hans Knappertsbusch, Bruno Walter, Sir Georg Solti, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Zubin Mehta, Carlos Kleiber, Rafael Kubelik, Christian Thielemann, Kent Nagano and last but not least Sergiu Celibidache, who in 18 years – between 1979 and 1996 – turned the Munich Philharmonic into one of the best orchestras of the world. His successor was James Levine. Also worth a mention is the celebrated Bavarian State Ballet, which saw Igor Zelensky take over as director for the 2016/2017 season. Munich Chamber Orchestra and Munich Symphonic Orchestra Another ensemble that has achieved international recognition over the last few years is the Munich Chamber Orchestra. In the 1990s, the orchestra acquired a new and dynamic profile under the artistic direction of Christoph Poppen. The daring and imaginative program between classical and modern keeps setting standards today. The Contact: Department of Labor and Economic Development München Tourismus, Trade & Media Relations Sendlinger Str. 1, 80331 München, Tel.: +49 89 233- Email: [email protected], www.simply-munich.com Page 3 German Music Publishers’ Association has several times presented the Munich Chamber Orchestra with the award for the best concert program of the season. Composers such as Wolfgang Rihm, Jörg Widmann and Iannis Xenakis have written commissioned works for the ensemble. At the start of the 2016/2017 season, Clemens Schuldt took over as principal conductor from Alexander Liebreich. The Munich Symphonic Orchestra – formerly the orchestra of composer and conductor Kurt Graunke and now under the baton of Kevin John Edusei with Philippe Entremont as honorary conductor and the Munich Radio Orchestra also have an important role to play in Munich’s music scene. The Munich Symphonic Orchestra has recorded film scores for German and international productions, and performs classical symphonic works in its concert series. The Munich Radio Orchestra, under the direction of Ulf Schirmer since 2006, has attracted a new audience thanks to its exciting crossover projects with jazz musicians such as Abdullah Ibrahim and Bobby McFerrin, and is constantly experimenting with its repertoire. Bavarian Broadcasting calls it “Munich’s most amazing orchestra”. A music theater paradise with provocative tones Mystery writer Donna Leon is known for traveling often to Munich to attend opera performances. She loves the music of Georg Friedrich Händel and has enjoyed the many productions of his works by the Bavarian State Opera. Sir Peter Jonas, who was general director from 1993 to 2006, established the theater’s reputation as a location offering Wagner, Verdi and Mozart highlights but also surprising audiences with unconventional productions. Jonas favored baroque opera and garish/witty settings, and enjoyed creative partnerships with stage directors like David Alden and Martin Duncan combined with the musical fire of baroque specialist Ivor Bolton. Nikolaus Bachler from the Vienna Burgtheater is now at the head of the Bavaria State Opera. Like his predecessor, he relies on the best, working with stage directors such as Christoph Loy, and dares to provoke the public, as for example with Christian Stückl’s Contact: Department of Labor and Economic Development München Tourismus, Trade & Media Relations Sendlinger Str. 1, 80331 München, Tel.: +49 89 233- Email: [email protected], www.simply-munich.com Page 4 production of “Palestrina”, the opera by the controversial composer Hans Pfitzner, which premiered in 1917. The Bavarian State Opera seats 2,100 spectators. With 2,500 square meters of stage area, the theater has the third largest opera stage in Europe after the Opéra Bastille in Paris and the Teatr Wielki in Warsaw. Each year in July, the Munich Opera Festival features spectacular premieres and the main current productions with an all-star cast. The city’s other music theater is the State Theater on the Gärtnerplatz. Opened in 1865 as “Actien-Volkstheater” and subsequently purchased by King Ludwig II, the theater has an appeal all its own. Here, light operas and operettas are part of a lively tradition and are performed in German. Josef Ernst Köpplinger is the new manager and the chief conductor is Marco Comin. Musicals are also often part of the repertoire, which is enhanced by unconventional programs such as the premiere of “Quake” by the Armenian composer Awet Terterjan, a moving and highly modern opera based on a story by Kleist (under the artistic direction of Klaus Schultz). The historical building is presently being renovated. Therefore the ensemble performs at several temporary venues, such as the Reithalle, the Alte Kongresshalle, the Akademietheater or the Cuvilliéstheater. It is scheduled to reopen fully in autumn 2017. Both Munich opera houses have also given high-profile guest performances in Prinzregententheater. Inaugurated in 1901, the art nouveau building was beautifully renovated at the instigation of August Everding and reopened in 1995. It now houses the Bavarian Theatre Academy and is a highly sought-after venue with an auditorium built on the model of the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth. Musical avant-garde – At home in Munich Created in 1988, the Münchener Biennale –International Festival of New Music Theater has set many an aesthetic standard in the world of opera. The composer Hans Werner Henze, who initiated the festival, was its director until 1996, when the composer and artistic director Peter Ruzicka took over. The Münchener Biennale ranks among Munich’s avant-garde flagships. In 2012 premieres of the operas “L'Absence” Contact: Department of Labor and Economic Development München Tourismus, Trade & Media Relations Sendlinger Str. 1, 80331 München, Tel.: +49 89 233- Email: [email protected], www.simply-munich.com Page 5 by Sarah Nemtsov, “Mama Dolorosa” by Eunyoung Kim and “Wasser” by Arnulf Herrmann received international recognition. From 2016 the two composers Daniel Ott and Manos Tsangaris will be the artistic directors the Biennale. Happy New Ears Munich: a city with open ears. In addition to the Music Theater Biennale, other series have also prevailed, such as the avant-garde program “Musica Viva” (produced by Bavarian Broadcasting) which was founded by the composer Karl Amadeus Hartmann after World War II as well as an alternative forum for young composers called “ADEvantgarde”, which has in the course of the years attracted increasing attention as safeguard for unusual music. The Musica Viva series has turned into a magnet for audiences since 1996 under the direction of Udo Zimmermann; in 2011 the renowned musicologist Winrich Hopp has assumed the artistic direction. The festival owes
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Parsifal and Canada: a Documentary Study
    Parsifal and Canada: A Documentary Study The Canadian Opera Company is preparing to stage Parsifal in Toronto for the first time in 115 years; seven performances are planned for the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts from September 25 to October 18, 2020. Restrictions on public gatherings imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic have placed the production in jeopardy. Wagnerians have so far suffered the cancellation of the COC’s Flying Dutchman, Chicago Lyric Opera’s Ring cycle and the entire Bayreuth Festival for 2020. It will be a hard blow if the COC Parsifal follows in the footsteps of a projected performance of Parsifal in Montreal over 100 years ago. Quinlan Opera Company from England, which mounted a series of 20 operas in Montreal in the spring of 1914 (including a complete Ring cycle), announced plans to return in the fall of 1914 for another feast of opera, including Parsifal. But World War One intervened, the Parsifal production was cancelled, and the Quinlan company went out of business. Let us hope that history does not repeat itself.1 While we await news of whether the COC production will be mounted, it is an opportune time to reflect on Parsifal and its various resonances in Canadian music history. This article will consider three aspects of Parsifal and Canada: 1) a performance history, including both excerpts and complete presentations; 2) remarks on some Canadian singers who have sung Parsifal roles; and 3) Canadian scholarship on Parsifal. NB: The indication [DS] refers the reader to sources that are reproduced in the documentation portfolio that accompanies this article.
    [Show full text]
  • MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL Recordings of the Year 2018 This
    MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL Recordings Of The Year 2018 This is the fifteenth year that MusicWeb International has asked its reviewing team to nominate their recordings of the year. Reviewers are not restricted to discs they had reviewed, but the choices must have been reviewed on MWI in the last 12 months (December 2017-November 2018). The 130 selections have come from 25 members of the team and 70 different labels, the choices reflecting as usual, the great diversity of music and sources - I say that every year, but still the spread of choices surprises and pleases me. Of the selections, 8 have received two nominations: Mahler and Strauss with Sergiu Celibidache on the Munich Phil choral music by Pavel Chesnokov on Reference Recordings Shostakovich symphonies with Andris Nelsons on DG The Gluepot Connection from the Londinium Choir on Somm The John Adams Edition on the Berlin Phil’s own label Historic recordings of Carlo Zecchi on APR Pärt symphonies on ECM works for two pianos by Stravinsky on Hyperion Chandos was this year’s leading label with 11 nominations, significantly more than any other label. MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL RECORDING OF THE YEAR In this twelve month period, we published more than 2400 reviews. There is no easy or entirely satisfactory way of choosing one above all others as our Recording of the Year, but this year the choice was a little easier than usual. Pavel CHESNOKOV Teach Me Thy Statutes - PaTRAM Institute Male Choir/Vladimir Gorbik rec. 2016 REFERENCE RECORDINGS FR-727 SACD The most significant anniversary of 2018 was that of the centenary of the death of Claude Debussy, and while there were fine recordings of his music, none stood as deserving of this accolade as much as the choral works of Pavel Chesnokov.
    [Show full text]
  • LIVE from LINCOLN CENTER December 31, 2002, 8:00 P.M. on PBS New York Philharmonic All-Gershwin New Year's Eve Concert
    LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER December 31, 2002, 8:00 p.m. on PBS New York Philharmonic All-Gershwin New Year's Eve Concert Lorin Maazel, an icon among present-day conductors, will make his long anticipated Live From Lincoln Center debut conducting the New York Philharmonic’s gala New Year’s Eve concert on Tuesday evening, December 31. Maazel began his tenure as the Philharmonic’s new Music Director in September, and already has put his stamp of authority on the playing of the orchestra. Indeed he and the Philharmonic were rapturously received wherever they performed on a recent tour of the Far East.Lorin Maazel, an icon among present-day conductors, will make his long anticipated Live From Lincoln Center debut conducting the New York Philharmonic’s gala New Year’s Eve concert on Tuesday evening, December 31. Maazel began his tenure as the Philharmonic’s new Music Director in September, and already has put his stamp of authority on the playing of the orchestra. Indeed he and the Philharmonic were rapturously received wherever they performed on a recent tour of the Far East. Celebrating the New Year with music is nothing new for Maazel: he holds the modern record for most appearances as conductor of the celebrated New Year’s Day concerts in Vienna by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. There, of course, the fare is made up mostly of music by the waltzing Johann Strauss family, father and sons. For his New Year’s Eve concert with the New York Philharmonic Maazel has chosen quintessentially American music by the composer considered by many to be America’s closest equivalent to the Strausses, George Gershwin.
    [Show full text]
  • A Music Documentary with the Deutsches Symphonie
    UNITEL and CLASSICA present Kent naganoconducts Classical Masterpieces A Music Documentary bruckner with the mozart Deutsches beethoven Symphonie- strauss Orchester schumann Berlin brahms Kent nagano conducts Classical Masterpieces The main element of each episode is the live recording of a concert from the Berlin Philharmonie. The works presented in this documentary series are: Anton Bruckner ix great composers, six landmark symphonies, a top Symphony No. 8 in C minor WAB 108 (approx. 80') Sorchestra and its star conductor – these are the components of an extraordinary classical-music television event. Shot in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart High Definition, it takes a bold and innovative approach to the Symphony No. 41 in C major K. 551 “Jupiter“ (approx. 29') recording of classical music. Boom and tracking shots, quick Ludwig van Beethoven cuts, remote-controlled cameras – stylistic means previously Symphony No. 3 in E flat major op. 55 “Eroica“ (approx. 48') used chiefly for pop music recordings give the programs an up-to-the-minute look and feel. A team of more than 30 Richard Strauss specialists makes sure that viewers enjoy a truly cinematic An Alpine Symphony op. 64 (approx. 42') experience. Robert Schumann The programs also go new ways by featuring entertaining, Symphony No. 3 in E flat major op. 97 “Rhenish“ (approx. 31') historically founded animated sequences illustrating episodes Johannes Brahms from the lives of the composers. Backstage interviews with Symphony No. 4 in E minor op. 98 (approx. 40') the musicians and excerpts from their rehearsals let us share in the spirit of their music-making. Conductor Kent Nagano also relates what is of special importance to him in each work, Conductor Kent Nagano and offers fascinating insights on the origin and context of the Orchestra Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester work in question.
    [Show full text]
  • Michael Volle Baritone
    Michael Volle Baritone Michael Volle has established himself as Michael Volle dedicates also a great part of one of the leading baritones, receiving the his career to lied recitals and to concert important German Theatre Award "Faust" commitments with the world's finest and awarded "Singer of the Year" by the orchestras and with important conductors opera magazine "Opernwelt". He studied such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, with Josef Metternich and Rudolf Piernay. Maurizio Pollini, Seiji Ozawa, Charles Dutoit, Riccardo Muti, Franz Welser-Möst, Antonio His first permanent engagements were at Pappano, Philippe Jordan, Valerij Gergiev, Mannheim, Bonn, Düsseldorf and Cologne. Kent Nagano, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Mariss From 1999 until 2007 Michael Volle was a Jansons, Thomas Hengelbrock, Philippe member of the ensemble of the Zurich Opera Herreweghe, James Conlon, James Levine. House where he sang various roles in new productions, including Beckmesser Die Alongside TV appearances on ARTE, Michael Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Eugene Volle has recorded CD and DVD releases for Onegin , Golaud Pelléas et Mélisande, the EMI, Harmonia Mundi, Arthaus, Naxos Marcello La Bohème, Count Le Nozze di and Philipps labels, including a film Figaro and Barak Die Frau ohne Schatten production of Der Freischütz in 2009. (2009), Wolfram Tannhäuser (2011) and Michael Volle is recipient of the important Hans Sachs Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg German Theatre Award "Faust" and "Singer (2012). of the Year" by the opera magazine "Opernwelt" (in 2008 and 2014). Since
    [Show full text]
  • LEON BOTSTEIN, Conductor
    Thursday Evening, November 14, 2019, at 7:00 Isaac Stern Auditorium / Ronald O. Perelman Stage presents LEON BOTSTEIN, Conductor Performance #141: Season 5, Concert 12 ARTHUR HONEGGER Rugby (1928) (1891–1955) OTHMAR SCHOECK Lebendig begraben (Buried Alive), Op. 40 (1886–1957) (1926) MICHAEL NAGY, Baritone Intermission DIMITRI MITROPOULOS Concerto Grosso (1929) (1896–1960) Largo Allegro—Largo Chorale: Largo Allegro IGOR STRAVINSKY Divertimento, Symphonic Suite from the (1882–1971) Ballet The Fairy’s Kiss (1928, 1931, rev. ’32, ’34, ’49) Danses suisses (“Swiss Dances”) Scherzo Pas de deux a. Adagio b. Variation c. Coda This evening’s concert will run approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes including one 20-minute intermission. PLEASE SWITCH OFF YOUR CELL PHONES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES. Notes ON THE MUSIC – TON’S KADEN HENDERSON ON ARTHUR HONEGGER’S RUGBY MATT DINE MATT Full Contact Music Honegger’s second tone poem, entitled Rugby, which we will be hearing today, was composed in 1928. Although it bears the name Rugby, the composer himself insisted that this work was not programmatic in a traditional sense. Despite what Honegger may have said, it takes little imagination to find oneself in the middle of the pitch dodging tack- les left and right from the very first note. Immediately from the downbeat it is apparent that Honegger is not alluding to two-hand-touch rugby, but rather the sport in its full contact, “hold no pris- oners” variety. The very first notes from The Composer the strings hit the audience like a ton of When thinking about the great orches- bricks as the cascading strings sweep us tral tone poems in our repertoire, the into a musical dogpile.
    [Show full text]
  • TFO Tour 2017
    Tongyeong Festival Orchestra European Tour 2017 Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Isang Yun (1917-1995) 23 September to 2 October 2017 Program Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau du Couperin Isang Yun: Violin Concerto No. 3 (1992) Isang Yun: Harmonia (1974) Maurice Ravel: Ma Mère l´oye (Ballett) Clara Jumi Kang Violin Tongyeong Festival Orchestra Heinz Holliger Conductor Inquiries: Tongyeong International Music Foundation www.timf.org [email protected] Tongyeong Festival Orchestra Following the example of Lucerne, Switzerland, Tongyeong Festival Orchestra (TFO) was created to enhance the musical spectrum of the Tongyeong International Music Festival, and to serve as an artistic ambassador for Tongyeong City, a UNESCO Creative City of Music. Since the festival’s first edition in 2002, TIMF has been striving to assemble highly qualified musicians in order to build its own ensemble. In 2011, then Alexander Liebreich initiated a collaboration of musicians from Ensemble TIMF with the Munich Chamber Orchestra, thus for the first time building a truly international Festival Orchestra. From then on, the group was assembled annually, performing at home and abroad. At the opening of the new Tongyeong Concert Hall in 2014, TFO was again led by Alexander Liebreich and included musicians from Ensemble TIMF, Polish National Radio Orchestra of Katowice, and from major international symphony orchestras, such as NDR Hamburg, Munich Philharmonic, Kremerata Baltica, Osaka Philharmonic, Melbourne Symphony and Sydney Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, TFO truly became a musical centerpiece of the Tongyeong International Music Festival. Following the festival theme „Voyages“, the orchestra went abroad to play in Japan and China. Performing together with violinist Gidon Kremer and German conductor Christoph Poppen, the orchestra consisted of musicians mainly from Korea, Japan and China to create a musical bridge between the three countries.
    [Show full text]
  • City-Map-2017.Pdf
    3 New Town Hall 11 Hofbräuhaus The Kunstareal (art quarter) Our Service Practical Tips Located in walking distance to one another, the rich variety contained in the museums and galleries in immediate proximity to world-renowned München Tourismus offers a wide range of services – personal and Arrival universities and cultural institutions in the art quarter is a unique multilingual – to help you plan and enjoy your stay with various By plane: Franz-Josef-Strauß Airport MUC. Transfer to the City by trea­­sure. Cultural experience is embedded in a vivacious urban space offers for leisure time, art and culture, relaxation and enjoyment S-Bahn S1, S8 (travel time about 40 min). Airport bus to main train featuring hip catering and terrific parks. In the Alte Pinakothek 1 , in the best Munich way. station (travel time about 45 min). Taxi. Neue Pinakothek 2 and Pinakothek der Moderne 3 , Museum By railroad: Munich Hauptbahnhof, Ostbahnhof, Pasing Brandhorst 4 and the Egpytian Museum 5 as well as in the art By car: A8, A9, A92, A95, A96. Since 2008 there has been a low-emission galleries around Königsplatz 6 – the Municipal Gallery in Lenbach- Information about Munich/ zone in Munich. It covers the downtown area within the “Mittlerer Ring” haus 7 , the State Collections of Antiques 8 , the Glyptothek 9 and Hotel Reservation but not the ring itself. Access is only granted to vehicles displaying the the Documentation Center for the History of National Socialism 10 appropriate emission-control sticker valid all over Germany. – a unique range of art, culture and knowledge from more than 5,000 Mon-Fr 9am-5pm Phone +49 89 233-96500 www.muenchen.de/umweltzone 9 Church of Our Lady 6 Viktualienmarkt 6 Königsplatz years of human history can be explored.
    [Show full text]
  • 21-Asis Aktualios Muzikos Festivalis GAIDA 21Th Contemporary Music Festival
    GAIDA 21-asis aktualios muzikos festivalis GAIDA 21th Contemporary Music festival 2011 m. spalio 21–29 d., Vilnius 21–29 October, 2011, Vilnius Festivalio viešbutis Globėjai: 21-asis tarptautinis šiuolaikinės muzikos festivalis GAIDA 21th International Contemporary Music Festival Pagrindiniai informaciniai rėmėjai: MINIMAL | MAXIMAL • Festivalio tema – minimalizmas ir maksimalizmas muzikoje: bandymas Informaciniai rėmėjai: pažvelgti į skirtingus muzikos polius • Vienos didžiausių šiuolaikinės muzikos asmenybių platesnis kūrybos pristatymas – portretas: kompozitorius vizionierius Iannis Xenakis • Pirmą kartą Lietuvoje – iškiliausio XX a. pabaigos lenkų simfoninio kūrinio, Henryko Mikołajaus Góreckio III simfonijos, atlikimas • Dėmesys tikriems šiuolaikinės muzikos atlikimo lyderiams iš Prancūzijos, Vokietijos ir Italijos Partneriai ir rėmėjai: • Intriguojantys audiovizualiniai projektai – originalios skirtingų menų sąveikos ir netikėti sprendimai • Keletas potėpių M. K. Čiurlioniui, pažymint kompozitoriaus 100-ąsias mirties metines • Naujų kūrinių užsakymai ir geriausi Lietuvos bei užsienio atlikėjai: simfoniniai orkestrai, ansambliai, solistai Festivalis GAIDA yra europinio naujosios muzikos kūrybos ir sklaidos tinklo Réseau Varése, remiamo Europos Komisijos programos Kultūra, narys. The GAIDA Festival is a member of the Réseau Varése, European network Rengėjai: for the creation and promotion of new music, subsidized by the Culture Programme of the European Commission. TURINYS / CONTENT Programa / Programme.......................................................................................2
    [Show full text]
  • Berliner Philharmoniker
    Berliner Philharmoniker Sir Simon Rattle Artistic Director November 12–13, 2016 Hill Auditorium Ann Arbor CONTENT Concert I Saturday, November 12, 8:00 pm 3 Concert II Sunday, November 13, 4:00 pm 15 Artists 31 Berliner Philharmoniker Concert I Sir Simon Rattle Artistic Director Saturday Evening, November 12, 2016 at 8:00 Hill Auditorium Ann Arbor 14th Performance of the 138th Annual Season 138th Annual Choral Union Series This evening’s presenting sponsor is the Eugene and Emily Grant Family Foundation. This evening’s supporting sponsor is the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. This evening’s performance is funded in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Media partnership provided by WGTE 91.3 FM and WRCJ 90.9 FM. The Steinway piano used in this evening’s performance is made possible by William and Mary Palmer. Special thanks to Tom Thompson of Tom Thompson Flowers, Ann Arbor, for his generous contribution of lobby floral art for this evening’s performance. Special thanks to Bill Lutes for speaking at this evening’s Prelude Dinner. Special thanks to Journeys International, sponsor of this evening’s Prelude Dinner. Special thanks to Aaron Dworkin, Melody Racine, Emily Avers, Paul Feeny, Jeffrey Lyman, Danielle Belen, Kenneth Kiesler, Nancy Ambrose King, Richard Aaron, and the U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance for their support and participation in events surrounding this weekend’s performances. Deutsche Bank is proud to support the Berliner Philharmoniker. Please visit the Digital Concert Hall of the Berliner Philharmoniker at www.digitalconcerthall.com.
    [Show full text]
  • The Blake Collection in Memory of Nancy M
    The Blake Collection In Memory of Nancy M. Blake BELLINI’S NORMA featuring CECILIA BARTOLI This tragic opera is set in Roman-occupied, first-century Gaul, features a title character, who although a Druid priestess, is in many ways a modern woman. Norma has secretly taken the Roman proconsul Pollione as her lover and had two children with him. Political and personal crises arise when the locals turn against the occupiers and Pollione turns to a new paramour. Norma “is a role with emotions ranging from haughty and demanding, to desperately passionate, to vengeful and defiant. And the singer must convey all of this while confronting some of the most vocally challenging music ever composed. And if that weren't intimidating enough for any singer, Norma and its composer have become almost synonymous with the specific and notoriously torturous style of opera known as bel canto — literally, ‘beautiful singing’” (“Love Among the Druids: Bellini's Norma,” NPR World of Opera, May 16, 2008). And Bartoli, one of the greatest living opera divas, is up to the challenges the role brings. (New York Public Radio’s WQXR’s “OperaVore” declared that “Bartoli is Fierce and Mercurial in Bellini's Norma,” Marion Lignana Rosenberg, June 09, 2013.) If you’re already a fan of this opera, you’ve no doubt heard a recording spotlighting the great soprano Maria Callas (and we have such a recording, too), but as the notes with the Bartoli recording point out, “The role of Norma was written for Giuditta Pasta, who sang what today’s listeners would consider to be mezzo-soprano roles,” making Bartoli more appropriate than Callas as Norma.
    [Show full text]
  • ARSC Journal, Vol.21, No
    Sound Recording Reviews Wagner: Parsifal (excerpts). Berlin State Opera Chorus and Orchestra (a) Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra (b), cond. Karl Muck. Opal 837/8 (LP; mono). Prelude (a: December 11, 1927); Act 1-Transformation & Grail Scenes (b: July/ August, 1927); Act 2-Flower Maidens' Scene (b: July/August, 1927); Act 3 (a: with G. Pistor, C. Bronsgeest, L. Hofmann; slightly abridged; October 10-11and13-14, 1928). Karl Muck conducted Parsifal at every Bayreuth Festival from 1901 to 1930. His immediate predecessor was Franz Fischer, the Munich conductor who had alternated with Hermann Levi during the premiere season of 1882 under Wagner's own supervi­ sion. And Muck's retirement, soon after Cosima and Siegfried Wagner died, brought another changing of the guard; Wilhelm Furtwangler came to the Green Hill for the next festival, at which Parsifal was controversially assigned to Arturo Toscanini. It is difficult if not impossible to tell how far Muck's interpretation of Parsifal reflected traditions originating with Wagner himself. Muck's act-by-act timings from 1901 mostly fall within the range defined in 1882 by Levi and Fischer, but Act 1 was decidedly slower-1:56, compared with Levi's 1:47 and Fischer's 1:50. Muck's timing is closer to that of Felix Mottl, who had been a musical assistant in 1882, and of Hans Knappertsbusch in his first and slowest Bayreuth Parsifal. But in later summers Muck speeded up to the more "normal" timings of 1:50 and 1:47, and the extensive recordings he made in 1927-8, now republished by Opal, show that he could be not only "sehr langsam" but also "bewegt," according to the score's requirements.
    [Show full text]