It’s a little before 6 a.m. and I’m looking out from the balcony of a 10th floor apartment in Victoria, B.C., enjoying my Starbucks coffee. I love this time of day; it’s a fresh, new start and the world isn’t yet cluttered with traffic lights, deadlines, and the general “hurry-up” attitude of our society.
This is the time of day when I get most of my work done, learn the scores for the next concert, discover new repertoire, and listen to some of my favourites.
I hope that every single audience member leaves our concerts feeling uplifted and even perhaps a little anointed – that these emotions will filter through from the notes on the page to the hands and hearts of our musicians, and out through their instruments to touch everyone in the audience.
I’m out on the west coast visiting family, and thinking ahead to our 2011-2012 concert season. We’ve got leads on some amazing guest performers who will join the Kingston Symphony for a variety of concerts. But it’s difficult to think of next year when we still have some amazing concerts coming up in our current season.
As I mentioned in my last post, our February 6 concert Food for a Classical Soul will feature cellist Desmond Hoebig. He will be our soloist for Elgar’s Cello Concerto – full of the angst, despair, and disillusionment Elgar felt after the end of the War.
The program also includes an absolute favourite of mine – Brahms’ first symphony. This piece is as close to perfection as you can get. The composer spent 21 years completing this work, that’s almost 7,665 days of self-critical, meticulous perfectionism. Two decades of precise musicality put on paper. Almost 200,000 hours of painstaking composing to produce one of the most amazing symphonies ever written. He knowingly pays homage to Beethoven, and at the same time takes it to another level entirely, creating an entire world within the notes of the music. I get excited just thinking about it. I can’t wait for the Kingston Symphony to share this epic work.
The third piece on the February 6 program is a piece by Kingston’s own Marjan Mozetich. Calla Lilies was written in memory of his friends who died of AIDS. Not an easy topic to launch into, and yet Marjan managed to produce a wonderful tribute piece, melodically simple and harmonically austere.
Marjan is currently Adjunct Lecturer in Composition at Queen’s University. We are so lucky to have a composer of his stature and musical importance in our midst here in Kingston.
He has won numerous awards and his works have been featured on the most prominent stages of the world. He is a composer who maintains the integrity of classical music and yet writes pieces that are accessible to those making their way in our fast-paced world. His music is both traditional and modern at the same time – an amazing feat that should not go unnoticed.
In 2009, his composition Affairs of the Heart made it onto CBC Radio 2’s listener-selected list of top 49 Canadian songs that president-elect Barack Obama needed to hear. He’s on the list alongside the most varied selection of Canadian musicians, old and new. The list was compiled by Canadian listeners sending in their selections. It’s nice to know that a classical composer has “still got it” in a pop-culture world. We’re constantly bombarded with all sorts of genres of music, and classical certainly isn’t the No. 1 genre according to Billboard Magazine. And yet people are listening to Mozetich. That’s the mark of a fantastic composer.
What music resonates with you? I’d love to hear what pieces you are listening to currently, or what music has stuck with you throughout your life. It doesn’t matter what genre it is, I’d just like to know what you’re listening to and why you love it! Send me an e-mail at gfast@kingstonsymphony.on.ca.
For now, please check out my latest Youtube interview by
clicking here.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Quite the contrast
Broadway Beauties: two words that hold so many connotations and emotions. If you’re even the slightest musical theatre fan, then you absolutely cannot miss the next Kingston Symphony concert on Friday, January 21 or Saturday, January 22.
You’ve got two chances to see this great line up featuring songs from Wicked, A Chorus Line, Funny Girl, Sweet Charity, Cats… I can’t even list them all.
For this concert I’ll be handing the baton over to guest conductor Michael Reason, the co-creator of the Broadway Beauties show. Michael had a vision: he wanted to create a musical review that not only patched together a collection of songs, but held a plot line that would put songs from all these different stories together, driven by the music and lyrics alone with no dialogue.
He painstakingly reviewed material and helped select the songs to make up the show, making sure the final selections and placements helped the audience understand the underlying plot. Broadway Beauties also features new orchestrations and arrangements written for all of the songs. This show has been performed to stellar reviews in Hamilton, Calgary, and Toronto. Now it’s time for Kingston to get a taste of Broadway.
The three soloists for the evening – June Crowley, Louise St. Cyr, and Amy Wallis – are all great singers and actresses. Coming from three different corners of the musical-theatre world in Canada, these women are sure to blow the audience away with their interpretations of these songs. There’s so much in this program, I can’t even begin to describe it!
So come escape to Broadway for a few hours; experience the drama and wonderful music that spans several decades of the greatest stage in the world.
Our February 6 concert, Food for a Classical Soul, is exactly the opposite of Broadway. It will feature cellist Desmond Hoebig, whom I’ve known for quite a while, and who’s so hard to put into words. To put him in perspective, he has studied at the Julliard School of Music, won first prize at several music competitions worldwide, been a guest soloist with orchestras throughout North America as well as in Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Japan and currently is professor at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, TX. I could go on and on and on.
Desmond will join the Kingston Symphony for Elgar’s Cello Concerto in e minor. This concerto is Elgar’s last notable work. He composed it following the First World War, when his music was considered "out of fashion" with the concert-goers. It wasn’t until almost 50 years later that this piece gained popularity, and is still today a well-known best-seller.
As I mentioned this piece is the complete contradiction of Broadway. It represents the angst, despair, and disillusionment Elgar felt after the end of the War, and is his introspective look at death and mortality – a big change from the optimism Elgar expressed in his previous works.
This poignant and moving piece will be played along-side Mozetich’s Calla Lilies and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in c minor. It’s a fabulously rich program that’s food for any soul, but particularly those who have a thirst for classical music.
Be sure to check out the line-up of concerts in the coming months, which includes a classical variety show with CBC’s Tom Allen, a tribute to Hollywood soundtracks, and a couple others you won’t want to miss.
Happy New Year, Auld Lang Syne, and all the rest!
You’ve got two chances to see this great line up featuring songs from Wicked, A Chorus Line, Funny Girl, Sweet Charity, Cats… I can’t even list them all.
For this concert I’ll be handing the baton over to guest conductor Michael Reason, the co-creator of the Broadway Beauties show. Michael had a vision: he wanted to create a musical review that not only patched together a collection of songs, but held a plot line that would put songs from all these different stories together, driven by the music and lyrics alone with no dialogue.
He painstakingly reviewed material and helped select the songs to make up the show, making sure the final selections and placements helped the audience understand the underlying plot. Broadway Beauties also features new orchestrations and arrangements written for all of the songs. This show has been performed to stellar reviews in Hamilton, Calgary, and Toronto. Now it’s time for Kingston to get a taste of Broadway.
The three soloists for the evening – June Crowley, Louise St. Cyr, and Amy Wallis – are all great singers and actresses. Coming from three different corners of the musical-theatre world in Canada, these women are sure to blow the audience away with their interpretations of these songs. There’s so much in this program, I can’t even begin to describe it!
So come escape to Broadway for a few hours; experience the drama and wonderful music that spans several decades of the greatest stage in the world.
Our February 6 concert, Food for a Classical Soul, is exactly the opposite of Broadway. It will feature cellist Desmond Hoebig, whom I’ve known for quite a while, and who’s so hard to put into words. To put him in perspective, he has studied at the Julliard School of Music, won first prize at several music competitions worldwide, been a guest soloist with orchestras throughout North America as well as in Germany, Spain, Portugal, and Japan and currently is professor at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, TX. I could go on and on and on.
Desmond will join the Kingston Symphony for Elgar’s Cello Concerto in e minor. This concerto is Elgar’s last notable work. He composed it following the First World War, when his music was considered "out of fashion" with the concert-goers. It wasn’t until almost 50 years later that this piece gained popularity, and is still today a well-known best-seller.
As I mentioned this piece is the complete contradiction of Broadway. It represents the angst, despair, and disillusionment Elgar felt after the end of the War, and is his introspective look at death and mortality – a big change from the optimism Elgar expressed in his previous works.
This poignant and moving piece will be played along-side Mozetich’s Calla Lilies and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in c minor. It’s a fabulously rich program that’s food for any soul, but particularly those who have a thirst for classical music.
Be sure to check out the line-up of concerts in the coming months, which includes a classical variety show with CBC’s Tom Allen, a tribute to Hollywood soundtracks, and a couple others you won’t want to miss.
Happy New Year, Auld Lang Syne, and all the rest!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Kingston Symphony's Candlelight Christmas concert is just around the corner. There are so many Christmas concerts this time of year, but I truly believe this one will stand out because we’ve chosen the best of the best – the favourites in beautiful classical arrangements. The program also features my all-time favourite carol, In the Bleak Midwinter.
Candlelight Christmas, taking place at St. George's Cathedral December 21 and 22, will also include the opportunity for audience members to join in and sing along to the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah and traditional Carols such as Hark the Herald Angels Sing and the First Nowell.
We will also perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. What does Beethoven have to do with Christmas you ask? Absolutely nothing. But this piece is a Christmas gift to myself. I chose this piece as a treat for myself, and a treat for the audience.
Queen’s University student Molly Luhta will be soprano soloist for the concert. Luhta, who is in fourth year and majoring in vocal performance, is the 2010 Queen’s University Aria competition winner. She will perform O Holy Night and Ave Maria as well as excerpts from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.
I think Christmas is a time of year that allows people to really connect, and music is what ties that connection together.
A little bird dropped this off in my e-mail this afternoon, and because it mentions me I thought I'd pass it along...
'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the hall,
The musicians rehearsed... they were having a ball!
The tickets were printed and numbered with care,
But when December 21 and 22 come, will an audience be there?
"Don't worry," said the Maestro. "The tickets will sell."
"Candlelight will be the best concert this year, I can tell."
So the horns with their bells and violins with their bows,
Perfected the carols that everyone knows.
Then out in the lobby there arose such a clatter,
But everyone knew there was nothing the matter.
Away from the box office tickets flew like a flash,
Smiling patrons paying with credit cards and cash.
They bought symphony gift certificates and CDs, too.
Perfect gifts for music lovers, old and new.
Then what to the Maestro's eyes should appear?
A concert hall full of people... but sorry, no reindeer.
With his little baton, so lively and quick,
The Maestro kept time, tick, tock, tock, tick.
Quicker than Beethoven the symphony played,
The musicians all smiled at the joy they'd made.
"Now percussion, now winds, now brass, now strings!
Let's play this allegro, let's make sure it rings!"
"Orchestra and choir, just follow my cue,
Let's make these old songs sound youthful and new!"
The audience pondered the music they heard,
Thought of life without a symphony, oh how absurd.
So they reached into their pockets, donations to make,
These would count for the 2010 tax year, make no mistake.
The Choral Society sang songs of the season,
The orchestra played with passion and reason.
Then the Maestro exclaimed so the audience could hear,
"Merry Christmas to all, thanks for a great year!"
P.S. Here's a link to the latest Word from the Maestro video:
Candlelight Christmas
Candlelight Christmas, taking place at St. George's Cathedral December 21 and 22, will also include the opportunity for audience members to join in and sing along to the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah and traditional Carols such as Hark the Herald Angels Sing and the First Nowell.
We will also perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1. What does Beethoven have to do with Christmas you ask? Absolutely nothing. But this piece is a Christmas gift to myself. I chose this piece as a treat for myself, and a treat for the audience.
Queen’s University student Molly Luhta will be soprano soloist for the concert. Luhta, who is in fourth year and majoring in vocal performance, is the 2010 Queen’s University Aria competition winner. She will perform O Holy Night and Ave Maria as well as excerpts from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.
I think Christmas is a time of year that allows people to really connect, and music is what ties that connection together.
A little bird dropped this off in my e-mail this afternoon, and because it mentions me I thought I'd pass it along...
'Twas the week before Christmas and all through the hall,
The musicians rehearsed... they were having a ball!
The tickets were printed and numbered with care,
But when December 21 and 22 come, will an audience be there?
"Don't worry," said the Maestro. "The tickets will sell."
"Candlelight will be the best concert this year, I can tell."
So the horns with their bells and violins with their bows,
Perfected the carols that everyone knows.
Then out in the lobby there arose such a clatter,
But everyone knew there was nothing the matter.
Away from the box office tickets flew like a flash,
Smiling patrons paying with credit cards and cash.
They bought symphony gift certificates and CDs, too.
Perfect gifts for music lovers, old and new.
Then what to the Maestro's eyes should appear?
A concert hall full of people... but sorry, no reindeer.
With his little baton, so lively and quick,
The Maestro kept time, tick, tock, tock, tick.
Quicker than Beethoven the symphony played,
The musicians all smiled at the joy they'd made.
"Now percussion, now winds, now brass, now strings!
Let's play this allegro, let's make sure it rings!"
"Orchestra and choir, just follow my cue,
Let's make these old songs sound youthful and new!"
The audience pondered the music they heard,
Thought of life without a symphony, oh how absurd.
So they reached into their pockets, donations to make,
These would count for the 2010 tax year, make no mistake.
The Choral Society sang songs of the season,
The orchestra played with passion and reason.
Then the Maestro exclaimed so the audience could hear,
"Merry Christmas to all, thanks for a great year!"
P.S. Here's a link to the latest Word from the Maestro video:
Candlelight Christmas
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Here’s a little Messiah trivia to get you excited…
Did you know that the first performance of Messiah was presented in Dublin Ireland on April 13, 1742, as a benefit for people in a debtors’ prison? It raised enough money to free 142 men from the jail. The Kingston Symphony and the Kingston Choral Society are teaming up to perform this famous oratorio on December 5 – but don’t worry, we won’t be freeing anyone from the Kingston Penitentiary.
Handel was almost going to land in debtors’ prison himself right up until the Messiah premiered. He shouldered a lot of negative comments on the work, as people were upset that sacred texts were being put to secular music. But the Messiah eventually triumphed, as did Handel, and he never once accepted any money for any performance of the work.
When the version we’re familiar with today premiered in 1754, the money garnered went to benefit and orphanage, The Foundling Hospital, in London.
I always get excited about the Messiah. Its one of those works that never gets old, especially around this time of year. I think it’s because there’s just so much in this work. It’s unbelievable to me that it took Handel only 24 days to complete the Messiah – what a phenomenal task!
One of the things that always stands out to me is the “word painting” aspect of this oratorio. Word painting is said to enhance the text based on its musical treatment. In the tenor aria “Ev’ry Valley Shall Be Exalted” a single syllable of the word “exalted” is written with forty-six ascending notes. That’s a lot of notes!
For our performance of the Messiah, we’ll have with us guest soloists Tracy Smith Bessette, Marion Newman, James McLean, and Kingston native Geoffrey Sirett. Both Tracy and Marion have sung with us before.
Tracy has performed with the Opéra National de Paris, and has sung in the Messiah all over the world – including performances in France and Spain. We’re lucky to have her here in Kingston.
This will be Marion’s second time performing with us. She’s a vivacious scene-stealer whose distinct voice will captivate you. What’s amazing about Marion is that she started her performance career not as a vocalist, but as a pianist. At the age of 16 she performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 488 in A Major with the Victoria Symphony. She has been featured on CBC radio several times, and is the recipient of a Career Development Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. She is a high-calibre performer who lifts the Canadian classical music scene to the next level.
When the Messiah premiered more than 250 years ago, there was so much excitement surrounding it that organizers feared the concert hall would be over capacity. Men were asked to leave their “dress swords” at home and women were asked to not wear hoop skirts.
You can wear whatever you like to our concert on December 5 (well, maybe leave your sword at home). And just like the concert halls were in the 1700s, the Kingston Gospel Temple will be general admission for this performance. Get in the spirit of the season! Buy your tickets soon before they sell out!
Don't forget to check out my latest YouTube video interview here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfLf7MsndjA
Thanks for reading.
Did you know that the first performance of Messiah was presented in Dublin Ireland on April 13, 1742, as a benefit for people in a debtors’ prison? It raised enough money to free 142 men from the jail. The Kingston Symphony and the Kingston Choral Society are teaming up to perform this famous oratorio on December 5 – but don’t worry, we won’t be freeing anyone from the Kingston Penitentiary.
Handel was almost going to land in debtors’ prison himself right up until the Messiah premiered. He shouldered a lot of negative comments on the work, as people were upset that sacred texts were being put to secular music. But the Messiah eventually triumphed, as did Handel, and he never once accepted any money for any performance of the work.
When the version we’re familiar with today premiered in 1754, the money garnered went to benefit and orphanage, The Foundling Hospital, in London.
I always get excited about the Messiah. Its one of those works that never gets old, especially around this time of year. I think it’s because there’s just so much in this work. It’s unbelievable to me that it took Handel only 24 days to complete the Messiah – what a phenomenal task!
One of the things that always stands out to me is the “word painting” aspect of this oratorio. Word painting is said to enhance the text based on its musical treatment. In the tenor aria “Ev’ry Valley Shall Be Exalted” a single syllable of the word “exalted” is written with forty-six ascending notes. That’s a lot of notes!
For our performance of the Messiah, we’ll have with us guest soloists Tracy Smith Bessette, Marion Newman, James McLean, and Kingston native Geoffrey Sirett. Both Tracy and Marion have sung with us before.
Tracy has performed with the Opéra National de Paris, and has sung in the Messiah all over the world – including performances in France and Spain. We’re lucky to have her here in Kingston.
This will be Marion’s second time performing with us. She’s a vivacious scene-stealer whose distinct voice will captivate you. What’s amazing about Marion is that she started her performance career not as a vocalist, but as a pianist. At the age of 16 she performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 488 in A Major with the Victoria Symphony. She has been featured on CBC radio several times, and is the recipient of a Career Development Grant from the Canada Council for the Arts. She is a high-calibre performer who lifts the Canadian classical music scene to the next level.
When the Messiah premiered more than 250 years ago, there was so much excitement surrounding it that organizers feared the concert hall would be over capacity. Men were asked to leave their “dress swords” at home and women were asked to not wear hoop skirts.
You can wear whatever you like to our concert on December 5 (well, maybe leave your sword at home). And just like the concert halls were in the 1700s, the Kingston Gospel Temple will be general admission for this performance. Get in the spirit of the season! Buy your tickets soon before they sell out!
Don't forget to check out my latest YouTube video interview here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfLf7MsndjA
Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Smetana...oh my!
I can’t wait for this weekend’s concert. And that’s an understatement. We’ve got some tremendous performances lined up this season, but A Romantic Journey is definitely one of the ones I’m most looking forward to. It features Smetana’s Overture to the Bartered Bride, Dvorak’s New World Symphony, and Tchaikovsky’s ever-popular violin concerto.
This concert is an absolute knockout. The orchestra’s going to kill me for programming these three pieces in one performance – but I hope you will enjoy it. It is full of inspiration, sentiment, and satisfaction.
Everyone experiences music differently, but it’s always my wish that we can share the emotions of the music with the audience. Music covers all the complexities of emotion, and especially all the complexities of love – tenderness, passion, and subsequently hurt and loss.
A highlight of A Romantic Journey will be Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto, written in 1878. Tchaikovsky knew all about love and passion in his own way, a sad way really, and he poured all of that into this concerto. As a result, this particular piece is easily one of the most technically difficult concertos ever written.
Andréa Tyniec will join us for this well-known score. I stumbled upon a video of her playing the concerto on YouTube, and I made it my mission to bring her to Kingston.
She is a fabulously talented musician – I guarantee you’ll want to see her tackle this ridiculously challenging piece. To perform this concerto you need endurance, and you need to be balanced – you have to have as much sensitivity as you have strength. Andréa has all of it, and she presents it with both poise and passion.
Andréa plays on a violin constructed by Januarius Gagliano in 1747. She won the opportunity to play on this instrument from the Instrument Bank of the Canada Council for the Arts. Every three years, musicians from across Canada compete intensely in front of a jury of professional musicians who decide which competitor will have the opportunity to develop their craft on an antique instrument. The winners choose the instrument they would like to use in order of their placement in the competition.
This violin was around for more than a hundred years before Tchaikovsky wrote his violin concerto, so to hear this piece coming from an almost 300-year-old instrument adds even more fascination. There’s so much history there. And to know that a young musician who is passionate about the classical music industry is carrying on this tradition and history is a fantastic thing.
Music is so central to my core – it’s how I relate to the world. This concert is, I hope, a chance for the audience to connect with the orchestra and with the world around them. The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto is responsible for luring many people into the world of classical music. I hope that this concert will be no exception, and that everyone in the audience – whether they are long-time classical fanatics or newbies to the world of the classics – will be affected to their very core.
There will be two special performances of A Romantic Journey on Saturday, November 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 21 at 2:30 p.m. at the Kingston Gospel Temple, 2295 Princess Street. Tickets will be available at the door.
This concert is an absolute knockout. The orchestra’s going to kill me for programming these three pieces in one performance – but I hope you will enjoy it. It is full of inspiration, sentiment, and satisfaction.
Everyone experiences music differently, but it’s always my wish that we can share the emotions of the music with the audience. Music covers all the complexities of emotion, and especially all the complexities of love – tenderness, passion, and subsequently hurt and loss.
A highlight of A Romantic Journey will be Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s violin concerto, written in 1878. Tchaikovsky knew all about love and passion in his own way, a sad way really, and he poured all of that into this concerto. As a result, this particular piece is easily one of the most technically difficult concertos ever written.
Andréa Tyniec will join us for this well-known score. I stumbled upon a video of her playing the concerto on YouTube, and I made it my mission to bring her to Kingston.
She is a fabulously talented musician – I guarantee you’ll want to see her tackle this ridiculously challenging piece. To perform this concerto you need endurance, and you need to be balanced – you have to have as much sensitivity as you have strength. Andréa has all of it, and she presents it with both poise and passion.
Andréa plays on a violin constructed by Januarius Gagliano in 1747. She won the opportunity to play on this instrument from the Instrument Bank of the Canada Council for the Arts. Every three years, musicians from across Canada compete intensely in front of a jury of professional musicians who decide which competitor will have the opportunity to develop their craft on an antique instrument. The winners choose the instrument they would like to use in order of their placement in the competition.
This violin was around for more than a hundred years before Tchaikovsky wrote his violin concerto, so to hear this piece coming from an almost 300-year-old instrument adds even more fascination. There’s so much history there. And to know that a young musician who is passionate about the classical music industry is carrying on this tradition and history is a fantastic thing.
Music is so central to my core – it’s how I relate to the world. This concert is, I hope, a chance for the audience to connect with the orchestra and with the world around them. The Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto is responsible for luring many people into the world of classical music. I hope that this concert will be no exception, and that everyone in the audience – whether they are long-time classical fanatics or newbies to the world of the classics – will be affected to their very core.
There will be two special performances of A Romantic Journey on Saturday, November 20 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, November 21 at 2:30 p.m. at the Kingston Gospel Temple, 2295 Princess Street. Tickets will be available at the door.
Monday, October 18, 2010
The lazy, hazy days of summer are officially gone and the busy fall season is well underway. As you pull out sweaters and scarves and start spending your free time keeping warm next to the fire, we hope you consider spending some time with the symphony -- we promise to warm up your soul with plenty of great music.
We had our first -- very successful -- concert on Sunday, October 3, and there are two great concerts just around the corner on Friday, October 22 and Sunday, October 31 (not to mention the rest of our stellar season). Both will be filled with passion and excitement – in very different ways.
Coming up this Friday night is Gettin’ Dizzy: A Tribute to the Swingin’ Trumpet. Mike Herriott is a fabulous trumpet player who is sure to get your toes tapping and bring back some great memories with tunes like Johnny’s Theme (the theme from the Johnny Carson Show), Harry James’ And the Angels Sing and Stardust, and many more from some of the greatest jazz musicians.
I think a highlight of the evening might just be when we take on the famous Flight of the Bumblebee – and to see Mike play lead trumpet for this one will be truly astonishing.
We can’t get Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Mile Davis, and Doc Severinsen on the stage together – but this is pretty close. And Mike will do these jazz greats more than justice with his skill and passion for this music. It’s going to be a fast-paced trip down a swingin’ memory lane, and I can’t wait.
Just this morning I spoke to early morning host Jack Thompson on 102.7 The Lake about this concert and you can hear just how excited I am when you hear this interview. Click here to listen to it!
On Sunday, October 31 our musicians will be full of passion once again, but in a completely different vein. Fire & Passion will feature Rimsky-Korsakov’s gypsy-inspired Capriccio Espagnol, Grieg’s Piano Concerto, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.
Stravinsky wrote The Firebird, a ballet, in 1910, based on Russian folk tales. It is at times dark and brooding and at times diatonic and somewhat plain. It features glissando harmonics in the strings; this is said to be Stravinsky's attempt to outdo Rimsky-Korsakov in orchestral effects. (You can be the judge as we are featuring both on October 31.)
The Firebird Suite continues into an orchestral tour-de-force with a strong rhythmic pulse and ferocious almost demonic notes and builds to a great climax that I’m sure will inspire everyone in the audience. Actually, I guarantee it.
Here’s a random trivia fact: The Beastie Boys sampled Firebird in the song Electrify on the album Hello Nasty. Even punk kids are rocking out to it.
The Firebird celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and is still one of the most referenced and reproduced piece in classical music.
We’ve got jazz and swing, American and Russian, popular and not-so-well-known. We’ve got a bit of everything coming up. We’ve got anything you could want!
Be sure to have a listen to Mike Herriott in action by clicking here.
And don't forget to check out the Symphony's Youtube video series featuring yours truly! The latest video (click here) is a bit of foreshadowing for this Friday's concert, and we'll post a new one shortly that will highlight the people and pieces to be featured in Fire & Passion.
See you this Friday! (I’ll be the one at the podium holding the baton!)
We had our first -- very successful -- concert on Sunday, October 3, and there are two great concerts just around the corner on Friday, October 22 and Sunday, October 31 (not to mention the rest of our stellar season). Both will be filled with passion and excitement – in very different ways.
Coming up this Friday night is Gettin’ Dizzy: A Tribute to the Swingin’ Trumpet. Mike Herriott is a fabulous trumpet player who is sure to get your toes tapping and bring back some great memories with tunes like Johnny’s Theme (the theme from the Johnny Carson Show), Harry James’ And the Angels Sing and Stardust, and many more from some of the greatest jazz musicians.
I think a highlight of the evening might just be when we take on the famous Flight of the Bumblebee – and to see Mike play lead trumpet for this one will be truly astonishing.
We can’t get Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Mile Davis, and Doc Severinsen on the stage together – but this is pretty close. And Mike will do these jazz greats more than justice with his skill and passion for this music. It’s going to be a fast-paced trip down a swingin’ memory lane, and I can’t wait.
Just this morning I spoke to early morning host Jack Thompson on 102.7 The Lake about this concert and you can hear just how excited I am when you hear this interview. Click here to listen to it!
On Sunday, October 31 our musicians will be full of passion once again, but in a completely different vein. Fire & Passion will feature Rimsky-Korsakov’s gypsy-inspired Capriccio Espagnol, Grieg’s Piano Concerto, and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite.
Stravinsky wrote The Firebird, a ballet, in 1910, based on Russian folk tales. It is at times dark and brooding and at times diatonic and somewhat plain. It features glissando harmonics in the strings; this is said to be Stravinsky's attempt to outdo Rimsky-Korsakov in orchestral effects. (You can be the judge as we are featuring both on October 31.)
The Firebird Suite continues into an orchestral tour-de-force with a strong rhythmic pulse and ferocious almost demonic notes and builds to a great climax that I’m sure will inspire everyone in the audience. Actually, I guarantee it.
Here’s a random trivia fact: The Beastie Boys sampled Firebird in the song Electrify on the album Hello Nasty. Even punk kids are rocking out to it.
The Firebird celebrates its 100th anniversary this year and is still one of the most referenced and reproduced piece in classical music.
We’ve got jazz and swing, American and Russian, popular and not-so-well-known. We’ve got a bit of everything coming up. We’ve got anything you could want!
Be sure to have a listen to Mike Herriott in action by clicking here.
And don't forget to check out the Symphony's Youtube video series featuring yours truly! The latest video (click here) is a bit of foreshadowing for this Friday's concert, and we'll post a new one shortly that will highlight the people and pieces to be featured in Fire & Passion.
See you this Friday! (I’ll be the one at the podium holding the baton!)
Friday, September 24, 2010
My first podcast!
This past week I sat down with Michael Morreale to talk about the concerts we have coming up in 2010. Check out my first podcast below. We will be providing similar interviews about each Masterworks Series concert, which we will post online at least a week before the performance.
I'd love your feedback. Please let me know what you think.
Have a good weekend,
Glen
I'd love your feedback. Please let me know what you think.
Have a good weekend,
Glen
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