Concert Notes
Lyonel Feininger, Fugues
Lyonel Feininger, Fugues By Richard Wilson Written for the concert Bauhaus Bach, performed on Oct 21, 2011 at Carnegie Hall. I have chosen three of Feininger’s twelve fugues to arrange for full orchestra: one numbered IV, written in Weimar in 1921; one numbered III and subtitled “Gigue,” written in Weimar soon after; and “Fugue in…
Read MorePassover in Exile
Passover in Exile By Leon Botstein Written for the concert Passover in Exile, performed on April 21, 2011 at Carnegie Hall. It is not unusual for us to view the making of art as somehow discretionary and perhaps even decorative, distant from what is truly important in life. Our construction of what is of value…
Read MorePaul Dessau, Haggadah shel Pesach
Paul Dessau, Haggadah shel Pesach By Laura Silverberg Written for the concert Passover in Exile, performed on April 21, 2011 at Carnegie Hall. On the eve of Hitler’s rise to power, German-Jewish composer Paul Dessau was enjoying a successful career as a conductor and composer. While still a teenager, Dessau was a rehearsal pianist and…
Read MoreAmerican Harmonies: The Music of Walter Piston
American Harmonies: The Music of Walter Piston 03/29/2011 at 08:00 PM – Carnegie Hall Piston is a legendary figure, a largely self-taught “composer’s composer” who has had a profound impact on contemporary American music. Enjoy two of his award-winning symphonies as the teacher gets his night in the spotlight. Conductor’s Notes Maestro Leon Botstein explains…
Read MoreWalter Piston
Walter Piston By Carol J. Oja Written for the concert American Harmonies: The Music of Walter Piston, performed on March 29, 2011 at Carnegie Hall. There are few opportunities these days to hear live performances of the deeply felt, sonorously-shaped music of the New England composer Walter Piston. His colleague and contemporary Aaron Copland called…
Read MoreThe Context of Music: The Spanish Civil War
The Context of Music: The Spanish Civil War By Leon Botstein Written for the concert The Music of Spain: Composers of the Civil War, performed on Feb 25, 2011 at Carnegie Hall. The modern political history of Spain began formally with the declaration of the Second Republic of Spain (the so-called “first” republic was a…
Read MoreThe Music of Spain: Composers of the Civil War
The Music of Spain: Composers of the Civil War 02/25/2011 at 08:00 PM – Carnegie HallThe Spanish Civil War was a period of intense cultural activity that had a dramatic impact on its artists.Hear how the music changed with a pre-war symphonic poem, followed by works by composers who fled the country, but kept Spain…
Read MoreOn Behalf of Albéric Magnard
On Behalf of Albéric Magnard By Leon Botstein Written for the concert Bérénice, performed on Jan 20, 2011 at Carnegie Hall. The conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler defended his tendency to play particular works from the past over and over again, stating that as a musician he was not “a curious wanderer” or driven by “a scholarly…
Read MoreAlbéric Magnard, Bérénice
Albéric Magnard, Bérénice By Steven Huebner Written for the concert Bérénice, performed on Jan 20, 2011 at Carnegie Hall. “Noble melancholy” . . . Thus did Jean Racine describe the tone he sought to create in Bérénice (1670). In a preface to the play, Racine further explained his aesthetic predilections: uncomplicated plots, heroic characters, roiling passions. A…
Read MoreMusic and the Bible
Music and the Bible 11/02/2010 at 08:00 PM – Carnegie HallCommunal singing and sacred oratorios were a vital part of Europe’s religious resurgence in the 1800s. The two major works on this program are by Fanny Mendelssohn, Felix’s sister; and Louis Spohr, whose contemporaries found him as masterful as Beethoven and Mozart. Conductor’s Notes Maestro…
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