G.SchirmerJune / July / August ’06
257 Park Avenue South, 20th FloorNew York, NY 10010tel 212 254 2100fax 212 254 2013
News from G. Schirmer, Inc.and Associated Music Publishers, Inc.
Members of the Music Sales Groupwww.schirmer.com
“I love myjob at theChicagoSymphonyOrchestra.The CSO has strengthened andencouraged my ever continuing-search for deeper musicalunderstanding, sensitivity andgrace.” And so, Augusta ReadThomas bids thank you andfarewell to her orchestral home ofthe last nine years when, on 1 June,Daniel Barenboim joins the CSOfor the premiere of her doubleconcerto Astral Canticle. Thomasserved as the CSO’s MeadComposer in Residence since 1997,and Astral Canticle wascommissioned by the CSO fortheir concertmaster Robert Chenand principal flutist Mathieu
DuFour. The composer describes the 20-minute work as “a graceful chant-likecanticle...that weaves its way through the entire composition in one variationor another.”
Thomas reflects, “I learned something new every day at the CSO. I listened tocountless CDs and poured over innumerable scores of living composers. Forme, it has been a huge honor to work on the MusicNOW contemporary series:giving pre-concert lectures, hosting composers and interviewing them, studyingtheir music, sitting with them in rehearsals...I also composed eight works forthe CSO, everything from chamber ensembles to full orchestra...”
Also premiering this month is Prayer andCelebration, a chamber orchestra workcommissioned and performed by the Saint Paul’sSchool Orchestra in Concord, NH, of whichThomas is an alumna. Next month, the AmericanGuild of Organists Convention takes place inChicago, and offers up the first performance of Angel Tears and Earth Prayersfor organ and trumpet. Despite leaving Chicago, Thomas keeps a busyschedule with upcoming residencies, performances and new commissionsincluding works for the Dallas Symphony, Traces for pianist Lang Lang, and aviolin sonata for Rachel Barton Pine.
A Farewell and New BeginningsAstral Canticle 20'
Solo Violin and Flute;2+pic.3.3(bcl).2(cbn)/
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Prayer and Celebration 7'1111/0000/[opt.perc]/str *
(*ensemble members doubleon percussion or opt. extra per-
cussion players can be used)
Josh Gibson. Jackie Robinson. Henry Aaron.
These men are all Hall of Fame legends of America’s favorite “pastime.” Evenif you’re not a baseball fan, undoubtedly you’ve come across their namessomewhere...sometime. On 8 July, their legends are evoked again as thePittsburgh Symphony – joined by baritone Gregg Baker and conductor DanielMeyer – premieres Richard Danielpour’s orchestral song cycle Pastime. The22-minute piece is a co-commission with the Brooklyn Philharmonic andAtlanta Symphony and features texts based on the poetry of Michael S. Harper.The premiere celebrates Major League Baseball’s 2006 All-Star Game, whichthe city of Pittsburgh hosts on the 11th.
“I wrote Pastime as a tribute to baseball,” Danielpour declares. “I’ve lovedbaseball and been a New York Yankees fan my entire life.” As an adolescentduring the late 60s and early 70s, Danielpour could be found on the fieldduring spring training as a bat boy for the Atlanta Braves. He sat in the dugoutwith Henry Aaron. He met his Yankee idol Mickey Mantle. He also metBraves catcher Joe Torre, who to this day – even as the manager of the NewYork Yankees – is a friend of the composer.
But as much as Danielpour loved the sport, he noticed that off the field thingswere not quite right in the baseball world. The composer elaborates, “Pastimehonors three outstanding African-American players: Josh Gibson, JackieRobinson and Hank Aaron. I grew up during the Civil Rights Era. I often saw
America’s PastimeAtlanta Braves bat boy Richard Danielpour(age 12) shares a moment in the dugout withbaseball legend Henry Aaron, March 1968.
credit: courtesy Richard Danielpour
credit: Dan Rest
Augusta Read Thomas
continues on page 2
“Dada at the Movies”. That’s thename of pianist and George Antheilenthusiast Guy Livingston’s newone-man show which premieres inAmsterdam at the Holland Festivalon 9 June. “Dada at the Movies”features the first performance of anewly reconstructed score ofAntheil’s music which accompaniedfamed cinematographer Man Ray’s1923 film “Return to Reason”.Antheil performed the work at thefilm’s original screening.
“Dada at the Movies,” notesLivingston, “began when
[musicologist] Paul Lehrman approached me for help reconstructing the score.The film is an abstract, Dadaist, fast-paced court-metrage by Man Ray. Themusical task was to re-constitute George Antheil’s original music (also fast-paced and hectic) from sketches andnotebooks.” “Dada at the Movies” includestwo additional films that highlight Antheil’smusic: Charles Sheeler’s “Manhatta” and“Rhythmus 21” by Eggeling and Richter.
Other Antheil news includes the release of“Bad Boy Made Good”, a new 2-volumeDVD produced by Other Minds. This award-winning documentary by Ron Frank tells thestory of Antheil’s life and his most notoriouspiece Ballet mécanique. The film has screened
at American andEuropean festivals and is currently being shown in ashorter version on PBS. The DVD set includes the uncut“Bad Boy Made Good” documentary; a complete videoof the first modern staged performance; the FernandLeger/Dudley Murphy film “Ballet mécanique” presentedfor the first time with Paul Lehrman’s realization ofAntheil’s original score; and interviews with Antheil’sfamily and friends. To purchase a DVD, visitwww.otherminds.org.
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Antheil’s Dada
Daniel CatánFlorencia en el Amazonas 120'
Standing ovations honored a stage piecewhose shock effect is as big as theunquestionable quality of itscomposition – the Heidelberg Theaterexperienced a worthy perpetuation inthe area of opera... Besides thecolorfulness of the orchestral score, suchwonderful choral parts and soloistensembles have not been written for along time...
Matthias Roth, Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung
Review
European PremiereOpera in Two Acts
Spanish libretto by Marcela Fuentes-Berain2S, Mz, T, 2Bar, B; SATB
2(2pic).22+bcl.2(cbn)/3221.timp.4perc/hp.pf/str(4.4.4.4.3)
Michael Beyer, stage directorLarissa Krokhina, soprano
Heidelberg Theatre/Zur29 April 2006; Heidelberg Theatre,
Heidelberg, Germany
credit: courtesy Heidelberg Theatre
credit: courtesy Guy Livingston
Guy Livingston performs a scenefrom “Dada at the Movies”
Ballet mécanique was also ahighlight of the NationalGallery of Art’s recent Dadaexpo in Washington, DC. Theshow ran from Marchthrough May, and showcaseda daily excerpt that featuredMIDI player pianos accompa-nied by robots created byEric Singer of LEMUR (theLeague of Electronic MusicalUrban Robots).
that not all players were treated alike because of the color of their skin. Thisdisturbed me. The discomfort stayed with me as I grew older, and understoodmore of baseball’s history while also observing the tide of great social andethical changes that were at the forefront of that era.
“Gibson was an outstanding player in the Negro leagues, but for obviousreasons and ill health, he never made it to ‘the show’. Yet, only a few monthsafter Gibson’s death, Robinson took those first very important, yet verydifficult steps that led to integrated baseball. And Aaron endured voluminoushate mail and death threats as he approached the inevitable: surpassing BabeRuth’s career home-run record. While Pastime honors these heroes of baseball,the work also addresses the evolution of human rights in America through thelives of these extraordinary men.”
America’s Pastimecontinued from page 1
Florencia en el Amazonas
According to the AmericanSymphony Orchestra League’sstatistics, Mozart’s 250th birthdayanniversary dominated concertprograms this season. However,Joan Tower’s Made in America –her groundbreaking commissionsponsored by the FordFoundation, ASOL and Meet theComposer – is the mostperformed contemporary work ofthe 2005-2006 season. Thedistinction is defined as a workcomposed within the last 25 years,and with two more seasons tofollow, Made in America is oncourse to break some records.
Other G. Schirmer/AMP composers to make the most performed list are JohnAdams, Samuel Barber, and Aaron Jay Kernis.
In response to the appearance of The New York Times Book Review’s topnovels of the last 25 years, Greg Stepanich of The Palm Beach Post named JohnCorigliano’s Symphony No. 1 as the top American composition for the sameperiod.
A Towering Feat
credit: Noah Sheldon
Here’s a look at EmperorChin’s costume – designed byEmi Wada – for theMetropolitan Opera’sDecember 2006 premiere ofTan Dun’s opera The FirstEmperor. Wada is an award-winning costumer whosedesigns have won an Oscar forAkiro Kurasawa’s Ran and anOscar-nomination for thewardrobe of The House ofFlying Daggers, a film directedby Zhang Yimou who alsodirects The First Emperor.
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Gabriela Lena FrankRequiem for a Magical America: El Día de los Muertos
...it was off to a foreign land for “El Día delos Muertos”, an expansive piecechoreographed by Kansas University facultymembers Muriel Cohan and Patrick Suzeauin honor of the annual commemoration ofthe dead in Latin-American communities.The prodigious work – set to an originalscore by frequent KU collaborator GabrielaLena Frank and performed live by the KUWind Ensemble – re-enacted the holiday’s time-honored components ...
Suzeau and 21 student dancers chased away evil spirits with frenetic movementsbacked by startling percussion, mourned lost loved ones, paid homage to villagefolk dances and invoked the humor often present amid the somberness of Day ofthe Dead observances...and the Wind Ensemble, especially its percussion section,exhibited impressive endurance and skill throughout Frank’s difficult composition.
Mindie Paget, Lawrence Journal-World (Kansas)
Review
World PremiereMuriel Cohan and Patrick Suzeau,
choregraphers4(2pic)+afl.3(ca).6+Ebcl+bcl.ssx+asx+
tsx+barsx+bsx.2+cbn/4.3+3Ctpt.3.1/6perc/pf/db [opt. dancers]
Kansas University Wind Ensembleand Dance Company/Lynch
21 April 2006; Lawrence, KS
Billy Joel is known as a master of pops lyrics, harmonies and rhythm; butlately, he’s returned to his classical roots with a number of original pieces forsolo piano. Pianist Jeffrey Biegel admired Joel’s mastery of the medium andthought the “Piano Man’s” works are a perfect fit for the concert hall. So, on 24June, Biegel premieres Billy Joel’s Symphonic Fantasies for Piano and Orchestra,as Stuart Malina conducts the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra (Greensboro,NC). Biegel, along with orchestrator Phillip Keveren, developed this work usingfour of Joel’s classical piano works. Malina’s ties to Joel include a 2003 TonyAward for best orchestration for the score of “Movin’ Out”, Twyla Tharp’sdance musical based on Joel’s pop songs. Biegel observes, “You can hear echoesof the past in it, but in a new way. If you like Rachmaninoff, Chopin orSchumann, you will like this.” Malina conducts the work again next season forthe Harrisburg Symphony’s (PA) season-opening concert on 7 October.
Billy Joel in the Concert Hall
Costume sketch for The First Emperorcredit: courtesy Metropolitan Opera
For its 20th anniversary season, the Joe Goode Performance Company (SanFrancisco) takes to the stage on 2 June to present the world premiere ofMichael Tilson Thomas’s dance theater piece Stay Together. Offered as thecompany’s season highlight, the 30-minute experimental collaboration featuresGoode’s choreography and is comprised of Tilson Thomas’s music and lyrics,centering on the song “Stay Together”. Stay Together is the first time TilsonThomas has composed music for a dance ensemble.
Over the years, Tilson Thomas attended several of Goode’s performances andbecame intrigued by the choreographer’s fusion of text, song, multi-media andhigh-velocity movement. When the two began work on this new piece, theyselected one of MTT’s theater songs “Stay Together,” the composer’s “mordanthomage to a bygone era of pop.” Though the song is the central musicalelement of the dance, it is a touchstone for other musical purposes of Goode’snarrative. Goode comments, “Our efforts, thus far, have resulted in a newmusic and movement sections that are inspired by a tiny gesture in the originalcomposition or a fragment of the original lyrics. Of course, for me, just thetitle alone offers endless possibilities of how we stay together in a society thatdogmatically emphasizes the new.” A national tour of Stay Together is plannedfor next season.
Stay Together with MTT Sneak Peek!
Requiem for a Magical America: El Día de los Muertos
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1 Adams (AMP) The Chairman Dances: Foxtrot for OrchestraLutoslawski (CH)Concerto for Orchestra Festival Institute at Round Top
1 Tower (AMP) Made in AmericaStow Symphony Orchestra; Stow, OH
4 Thomas (GS) Angel Tears and Earth Prayers HHHAmerican Guild of Organists Conference
9 Danielpour (AMP) Pastime HHHPittsburgh, PA
11 Dorman (GS) String Quartet No. 2 HHFrank (GS)Canto di Harawi HHFestival dei Due Mondi; Spoleto, Italy
19 Davies (CH) A Little Birthday Music HHHBBC Proms
28 Thomas (GS) Chanting to Paradise HHTokyo, Japan
29 Glass (DUN) LIFE: A Journey Through Time HHHCabrillo Music Festival
1 Sheng (GS) String Quartet No. 3Saratoga Chamber Music Festival
5 Sheng (GS) The PhoenixSaratoga Chamber Music Festival
11 Adams (AMP) HarmonielehreBBC Proms
11 Lang (RP) WorkSanta Fe Chamber Music Festival
12 Tower (AMP) Made in AmericaSunriver Music Festival; Sunriver, OR
13 Salonen (CH) L.A. VariationsCabrillo Music Festival
29 Henze (CH) Five Messages for the Queen of ShebaBBC Proms
July
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On 10 June,JohnCorigliano’sCircusMaximusreceives itsEuropean pre-miere at theLarvik Schoolof Music inNorway.
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Second Helpings SeriesFrank (GS) Cuatro Bosquejos Pre-Incaicos HHH
Elizabeth Mann, flute;Daire FitzGerald, celloSt. Luke's ChamberEnsembleNew York City(June 4: Beacon, NY)
Holland FestivalSaariaho (CH) Vent nocturne HHH
Garth Knox, violaBilhuis, Netherlands
Dorman (GS)Violin SonataJoanna Frankel, violin;Lydia Brown, pianoSpoleto Festival USACharleston, SC
Danielpour (AMP) Celestial NightShostakovich (GSR) Symphony No. 10New Jersey YouthSymphony/Kumar BahlMurray Hill, NJ
Gordon (RP) WeatherBang On A Can FestivalNew York City
Ruders (WH) Four Dances in OneMovementLand’s End ChamberOrchestra/LowryCalgary, AB, Canada
June in BuffaloThomas (GS) Carillon SkyStefan Haeussler, violinJune in Buffalo ensemble/James AveryBuffalo, NY
Creston (GS) Concertino for MarimbaUniversity of CaliforniaSanta Barbara
Shostakovich (GSR) Piano Trio No. 2; StringQuartet Nos. 7, 8, 11;Sonata for Cello andPiano; Three FantasticDances for Piano(June 8 - 11)Pennsylvania BalletCompanyPhiladelphia, PA
Adams (AMP)Shaker LoopsConservatoire DebussyCorbeille Essonnes,France
Ellington / arr. byMorton Gould (EMI) Solitude(June 9, 10)National Arts Centre/Jack EverlyOttawa, ON, Canada
Ojai Music FestivalFalla (CH) Concerto for Harpsichord;Amor Brujo (SecondVersion)Atlanta SymphonyOrchestra/Robert SpanoOjai, CA
Stravinsky (GS) Concerto in E flat,"Dumbarton Oaks"Boston Symphony/James Levine
Rockport Chamber MusicFestivalLang (RP) Revolutionary Etudes HHH
New Century SaxophoneQuartetRockport, ME
Corigliano (GS) Circus Maximus(Symphony No. 3 for LargeWind Ensemble) HH
Larvik School ofMusic/LyseboLarvik, Norway
Made in America Tower (AMP) Made in America(June 11)Juneau Symphony Juneau, AK
Glass (DUN) Symphony No. 3Saariaho (CH) Nymphéa ReflectionSpoleto FestivalUSA/John KennedyCharleston, SC
Stravinsky (CH) Suites 1 and 2 for SmallOrchestraSimon Sinfonietta/Stephen SimonWashington, DC
Dorman (GS) Udacrep AkubradPercaDuJerusalem Music CenterIsrael
Ellington (GS) The Best of the SacredConcertsCityFestWilmington, DE
Tower (AMP) Purple RhapsodyPaul Neubauer, violaOK Mozart InternationalFestivalBartlesville, OK
Wolfe (RP) Cruel SisterEnsemble ResonanzHamburg, Germany
Thomas (GS) Pulsar (Version for Viola)HHH
Carol Rodland, violaNew EnglandConservatory of Music,Boston, MA
Corigliano (GS) Concerto for Violin andOrchestra 'The Red Violin'(June 16, 17)Joshua Bell, violinBaltimore SymphonyOrchestra/Marin Alsop
Gubaidulina (GSR) The Deceitful Face ofHope and Despair HH
(June 16)Sharon Bezaly, flute;Osaka Symphony/Junichi HirokamiOsaka, Japan
Imbrie (MAL)Symphony No. 2 H
Riverside Symphony/George RothmanNew York City
Schnittke (GSR) (K)ein Sommernacht-straum (Not afterShakespeare)Shostakovich (GSR) Symphony No. 10(June 17)Texas Music Festival atUniversity Of Houston
Tower (AMP) For the UncommonWoman (#4) for OrchestraOK Mozart InternationalFestival/GuillermoFigueroaBartlesville, OK
Adams (AMP) The Chairman Dances:Foxtrot for OrchestraGreater Boston YouthSymphony Orchestra/Federico Cortese
Arnold (PAT) Tam O’Shanter OvertureKennett SymphonyOrchestra/MaryWoodmansee GreenKennett Square, PA
Glass (DUN) CompanyUnited States MarineBand/Michael ColburnWashington, DC
Shostakovich (GSR) Suite for Jazz OrchestraNo. 1Hot Springs MusicFestivalHot Springs NationalPark, AR
Rockport Chamber MusicFestivalHarbison (AMP) Abu Ghraib HHH
Rhonda Rider, cello; David Deveau, pianoRockport, MA
Husa (AMP) FrammentiKarel Paukert, organNational Cathedral,Washington, DC
Schnittke (GSR) Moz-Art à la HaydnCincinnati ChamberOrchestra/Mischa SantoraCincinnati, OH
Shostakovich (GSR) Festive Overture in AMajor, Op. 96Sewanee Summer MusicCenter/James PaulSewanee, TN
Tower (AMP) DNA HH
Con Brio EnsembleJena, Germany
Aspen Music FestivalShostakovich (GSR) Piano QuintetPiano Sonata No. 2Vladimir Feltsman, pianoAspen, CO
Sibelius (WH) Symphony No.7Montreal Symphony/Jean-Francois RivestMontreal, QC, Canada
Dorman (GS) Udacrep AkubradPercaDuKeshet Ayalon Hall, Israel
Rockport Chamber MusicFestivalShostakovich (GSR) String Quartet No. 8String Quartet No. 11St. Petersburg StringQuartetRockport, ME
Sheng (GS) Concerto for Orchestra:Zodiac Tales(June 24)Philadelphia Orchestra/Christoph Eschenbach
Grofe (EMI) Mississippi Suite (A ToneJourney)Allegro OrchestralAssociation/William StuberWayzata, MN
Ellington (GS) The Best of the SacredConcertsReading UniversityUnited Kingdom
Scott / arr. by RobertWendel (MS) Powerhouse(June 24 - 7/1)Fort Wayne Philharmonic/Edvard Tchivzhel &Bradley ThachukFort Wayne, IN
Harbison (AMP) AbrahamMendelssohn ChoirPittsburgh Symphony/Gilbert LevinePittsburgh, PA
Tyzik (GS) Fantasy on AmericanThemesColumbus SymphonyOrchestra/P.S. WilsonColumbus, OH
Lindberg (CH) Grand DuoBritten-Pears Orchestra/Oliver KnussenAldeburgh, England
Tanglewood FestivalAbrahamsen (WH) Concerto for PianoDavid Kaplan, piano Tanglewood FestivalMusic Center/Nikolas FinckLenox, MA
G. Schirmer Selected Performances June ’06
Shostakovich (GSR) Galop from MoscowCheremuskhiNashville Symphony/Albert-George Schram
Shostakovich (GSR) Unfinished Quartet HH
James Buswell and JosephSilverstein, violins; JamesDunham, viola; RonaldLeonard, celloSarasota Music FestivalSarasota, FLViolin Concerto No. 1Violin Concerto No. 15(June 10)Maxim Vengerov, violinChicago Symphony/Daniel Barenboim
Lang (RP) Stick FigurePacific North-West BalletSeattle, WAInternational Festival ofArts and IdeasWorkSuzanne Bocanegro,video installation; Real Quiet TrioNew Haven, CT
Bainbridge (CH) Auden Settings HHH
Andrew Kennedy, tenor;Christopher Glyn, pianoAldeburgh, England
Shostakovich (GSR) Symphony No. 11 in Gminor, “The Year 1905” Northwest MahlerFestival/Girsch. AlexeiSeattle, WA
Barber (GS) Canzonetta, For Oboe AndString OrchestraJohn Anderson, oboeOrchestra of St.Bartholomew/Charles TurnerEngland
Nordentoft (WH) New Generation ArtistsCommission HHH
Trio OndineAldeburgh, England
Schoenberg (GS) Chamber Symphony No. 2Fairmont State College/John AshtonFairmont, WV
Gould (G&C) Spirituals for Strings (&Harp)Prokofiev (GSR) Peter and the WolfBachanalia/BeilinaNew York, NY
Wyner (AMP) Dances of AtonementBrigitte Sulem, violin;Yehudi Wyner, pianoChagall Museum, Nice,France
Shostakovich (GSR) Concerto for Cello No. 1Summer MusicFestival/Scott YooColorado Springs, CO
Schoenberg (GS) Ode to NapoleonBirminghamContemporary MusicGroupSuffolk, United Kingdom
Maxwell Davies (CH) Mavis in Las Vegas(June 21)Toronto Symphony/McGeeganToronto, ON, Canada
Gordon (RP) Light is CallingFilm by Bill MorrisonPeregrine ArtsPhiladelphia, PA
June in BuffaloThomas (GS) Six EtudesStephen Gosling, pianoBuffalo, NY
Arnold (NOV) Homage to the QueenRoyal Ballet/BarryWordsworthCovent Garden, London,England
June in BuffaloThomas (GS) Bubble: Rainbow - (spiritlevel)June in Buffalo ensembleBuffalo, NY
Dorman (GS) Udacrep AkubradPercaDuThe JerusalemFoundationSan Francisco, CA
Lieberson (AMP) Neruda Songs(June 26)Lorraine Hunt Lieberson,mezzo-sopranoBoston Symphony/James Levine
Aspen Music FestivalShostakovich (GSR) String Quartet No. 8Aspen Festival Orchestra/David ZinmanAspen, CO
Cornell UniversitySummer FestivalHusa (AMP) Sonata for Violin andPianoHessova-Wiesner DuoIthaca, NY
Made in America Tower (AMP) Made in AmericaConcerto for OrchestraTamborNashville Symphony/SlatkinNashville, TN
Aspen Music FestivalShostakovich (GSR) Violin Concerto No. 1Jinjoo Cho, violin; Aspen Sinfonia/Michael SternAspen, CO
Thomas (GS) Astral Canticle HHH
(June 2, 3)Robert Chen, violin;Mathieu Dufour, flute;Chicago Symphony/Daniel Barenboim
Frank (GS) Canto de Harawi:AmadeosoCascade Music Festival/Brian ConnellyHouston, TX
20th Anniversary ofPremiereDavis (GS) X: The Life and Times ofMalcolm X(June 2 - 4, 6, 7, 9 - 11)Michael Mohammen,stage director; OaklandOpera Theatre/Deirdre McClureOakland, CA
Catán (GS) O pardon me, thou bleed-ing peace of earth HHH
(June 3)Classical Ensemble of theGay Men's Chorus of LosAngeles(June 4: Long Beach, CA)
O’Regan (NOV) Heart of Darkness (excerpt)(June 3)American Opera ProjectsBrooklyn, NY
Thomas (GS) Prayer and Celebration forchamber orchestra HHH
St. Paul's SchoolOrchestra/David SeatonConcord, NH
Adams (AMP) Harmonielehre (forOrchestra)(June 20, 26)Mannheim SymphonyMannheim, Germany
Grant Park Music FestivalChicago, IL
June 21Chávez (GS) Sinfonia India (Symphony No. 2)Guarnieri (AMP) Dansa Brasileira; Dansa Negra; Dansa SelvagemShaw (MS) Concerto for ClarinetPaquito D’Rivera, clarinetCarlos Kalmar, conductor
July 5Arnold (PAT) Four Scottish Dances, Op. 59Christopher Bell, conductor
July 29Diamond (GS) Symphony No.4 (reduced orchestration)Greg Vajda, conductor
August 4, 5Kernis (AMP) Symphony In WavesCarlos Kalmar, conductor
La Jolla Music FestivalLa Jolla, CA
August 6Kirchner (AMP) String Quartet No. 4 HHH
Orion String Quartet
August 7Sheng (GS) Fantasies for Violin and PianoCho-Liang Lin, violin; André-Michel Schub, pianoTan Dun (GS) Elegy: Snow in JuneFelix Fan, cello; David Cossin and Steven Schick,percussion
August 13Shostakovich (GSR) Piano Trio No. 2Cho-Liang Lin, violin; Gary Hoffman, cello; JonKimura Parker, piano
August 15Shostakovich (GSR) Piano QuintetGil Shaham, violin; Adele Anthony, viola; CarterBrey, cello; Yefim Bronfman, piano
credit: Christian Steiner
Corigliano (GS) Fern Hill (vers. for Harp,Piano, Str. & Chorus)North Dakota StateUniversity/Bruce SouthardFargo, NDThe Mannheim RocketTivoli SymphonyDenmark
Gordon (RP) Yo Shakespeare [largeversion]Dankmeyer DanceCompanyLong Island City, NY
Revueltas (GS) Sensemayá(June 30 - 7/2)Israel PhilharmonicOrchestra/GustavoDudamelTel Aviv, Israel
Bravo! Vail Valley MusicFestivalCorigliano (GS) The Red Violin: Chaconnefor Violin and OrchestraAnne Akiko Meyers, violinRochester Philharmonic/Christopher SeamanVail, CO
Menotti (GS) The Medium(July 1)Puget Sound Opera/James WaltersKenmore, WA
Chamber Music NorthwestFestivalPortland, OH
July 1Kernis (AMP) Mozart en RouteOpus One Piano Quartet mem-bers
July 10, 11Tower (AMP) Duo for Flute and Clarinet HHH
Tara Helen O'Connor, flute; DavidShifrin, clarinet
Shostakovich (GSR)July 20Concertino for Two Pianos; Suitein F-Sharp for Two Pianos;"Tarantella" for Two Pianos fromThe Gadfly; "Waltz and Polka" forTwo Pianos from The Golden AgeAnne-Marie McDermott andAndré-Michel Schub, pianos
July 21-23String Quartets Nos. 1 - 9Emerson String Quartet
July 24, 25Seven Romances on Poems byBlokLauren Skuce, soprano; PhilipSetzer, violin; Fred Sherry, cello;Orion Weiss, piano
Aspen Music FestivalAspen, CO
June 26Weir (CH) Musicians WrestleEverywhereAspen ContemporaryEnsemble/SydneyHodkinson
July 4Schuman (AMP) American Festival OvertureAACA Conducting Academy
July 12Harbison (AMP) Canonical AmericanSongbookAspen ConcertOrchestra/Sean NewhouseSheng (GS) Fantasies for Violin andPianoCho-Liang Lin, violin;André-Michel Schub, piano
July 29Tower (AMP) CopperwaveAmerican Brass Quintet
August 1Schuller (AMP) Grand Concerto forPercussion and KeyboardsAspen PercussionEnsemble/Jonathan Haas
August 4Schnittke (GSR) Moz-Art à la HaydnHilary Hahn, violinAspen ChamberSymphony/John Nelson
August 15Arutiunian / arr. by T.Dokschizer (GSR)Concerto for E-flat Majorfor Trumpet and OrchestraAACA Conducting Academy
Ballerinas EricaCornejo (left) andCarmen Corella(right) portray the“famous” step-sisters in SergeiProkofiev’sCinderella, as theAmerican BalletTheatre presentsits first perform-ances of JamesKudelka’s chore-ography at theMetropolitanOpera House atLincoln Center.
credit: Marty Sohl, courtesyAmerican Ballet Theatre
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Avner DormanWorld Premiere recordingAzerbaijani Dance; MomentsMusicaux; Piano Sonatas Nos. 1 – 3; Prelude No. 1Eliran Avni, pianoNaxos CD 8579001
In its debut week, Dorman’s discentered Billboard Magazine’s top100 list of classical releases.
John HarbisonThe RewakingBenita Valente, sopranoThe Juilliard String QuartetBridge Records CD 9192
New CDs
credit: Maarit Kytöharju
Erik Bergman
Erik Bergman died on 24 April 24 at the age of 94. Bergman – one of thebest-known 20th-century Finnish composers outside of his native country– was a leader of Finnish modernism and served as a model for subsequentgenerations of Finnish composers who followed the medium. In the 1950s,he developed a style rich in color that often used aleatoric techniques, andwas filled with multi-level ambiguities. He was widely known as a choralconductor until he retired from conducting in 1978, and his early output,mainly choral music, covered a remarkable range of expression frommischievous to the mystical. He later created an outpouring of highlyregarded orchestral and instrumental works. In 1995 his first opera TheSinging Tree had its premiere at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki,having won the prestigious Nordic Music Prize the preceding year. The lastwork of his 60-year career was his Fantasia for Trombone and Orchestra,which was completed in 2003.
In Memoriam:Erik Bergman 1911-2006
Dmitri Shostakovich “Fragments Vol. 1”String Quartets Nos. 1 – 7Piano Quintet in G MinorPrelude and Fugue in C MinorPrelude and Fugue in Db MajorThe Alexander String QuartetFoghorn Classics CD 1988
Boris TchaikovskyPiano ConcertoOlga Solovieva, pianoClarinet ConcertoAnton Preschepa, clarinetSigns of the ZodiacYana Ivanilova, sopranoRussian Academy of MusicChamber Orchestra/MynbaevNaxos CD8557727
Just in time for your summer listening pleasure,here are four new recordings of Russian music.
New Sounds
Soloist Sharon Bezaly continues to championGubaidulina’s flute concerto The Deceitful Face ofHope and Despair, as she presents the Japanesepremiere on 15 - 16 June with the Osaka Symphony.
Though she celebrated her actual birthday back inApril, come July, HRH Queen Elizabeth II may behumming A Little Birthday Music.
A collaboration between Maxwell Davies (whoserves as Master of the Queen’s Music) andAndrew Motion (Britain’s Poet Laureate), A LittleBirthday Music is the BBC Proms major commission to mark the Queen’sbirthday. The massive work requires the forces of 250 young singers, a fanfareteam from the Scots Guards Band, and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, allconducted by the new music director Jiøí Bìlohlávek. The work premieres onthe 19th at Royal Albert Hall.
A Little Birthday Musiccredit: John Batten
A Little Birthday Music 20'Children’s choir
2+afl.2.2+bcl.2+cbn/2220/timp.2perc/[org]/str/
ceremonial trumpets andtrombones (min. 4 of each)
Dmitri Shostakovich Chamber Symphony op. 110aGyorgy SviridovChamber Symphony op. 14(World Premiere Recording)Moishei Vainberg Chamber Symphony No. 1, op. 145Moscow Soloists/BashmetOnyx Classics CD 4007
Sofia GubaidulinaWorld Premiere RecordingThe Deceitful Face of Hope andof DespairSharon Bezaly, fluteSieben WorteTorleif Thedéen, celloGothenburg Symphony/Venzago BIS SACD 1449
Peter Maxwell Davies
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Thea MusgraveRemembering Harriet 55'
Thea Musgrave’s Remembering Harriet [is] a tributeto Harriet Tubman drawn from Musgrave’s 1985opera Harriet, the Woman Called Moses...Musgrave’s work is an effective advertisement forher opera about Tubman and the UndergroundRailroad. The arias, ensembles and choruses, linkedhere by a concise narration, are dramatic and emotional, and the story, with itsepisodes of abuse, flight, rescue and pursuit, is eminently stageworthy.Musgrave ties it all together with an appealingly warm, eclectic score thatoccasionally quotes from spirituals.
Allan Kozinn, New York Times
Review
World premiereSoprano, Contralto, Baritone;
Narrator; SATB22(ca).22(cbn)/3330/
timp.2perc/hp.pf/str
New PublicationsAvner DormanPsalm 67SSAATTBB and organOctavo 50486099 $2.95
Augusta Read ThomasAngel Tears and Earth Prayersfor organ and trumpet in C(also contains part in Bb to be performedby any Bb instrument)Score and Part 50486250 $10.95
Joan TowerDNAfor percussion quintetScore and Parts 50485617 $35.00
Dale WarlandShaker Dance SongSATB accompaniedOctavo 50486092 $1.70Wexford CarolSATB accompaniedOctavo 50486222 $1.70
The Tribeca Film Festival (New York City) premiered a new film by BillMorrison titled “The Highwater Trilogy.” Morrison’s new 31-minute filmfeatures a score comprised of Michael Gordon’s “What We Build Last” andDavid Lang’s “Before I Enter” from the multi-media stage work Shelter, andalso includes Lang’s How to Pray. Morrison has also previously collaboratedwith Gordon on the concert works Decasia and Gotham.
Movie News
credit: courtesy Bill Morrison
Still from “The Highwater Trilogy”
Joan TowerIn Memory 12'
...An elegy for a deceased friend and for victims of9/11, Tower's string quartet follows a clear-cutmusical and emotional trajectory. Fast, choppy,restless music (echoing that of the Shostakovich EighthString Quartet) expresses pain and anger; slower, more lyrical music speaks ofconsolation. The two musics are integrated with a seamlessness...
John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
Review
Augusta Read ThomasCarillon Sky 7'
“Gusty” Thomas signed off [as curator] on theMusicNOW series...with a generous programthat included the world premiere [of] her ownCarillon Sky (2005)...Baird Dodge dispatchedthe piece beautifully as...the featured violin soloin Carillon Sky, Thomas’ “thank-you” to theentire CSO family. The title suggests the imageof a sky full of pealing bells and chirping birds.The violin shifts expressive character like a musical chameleon, nestling in thedelicate scoring for 13 instruments before improvising a cadenza.
The music was engrossing...
John von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
Review
World PremiereViolin;
1(pic).1.1.0/0.1(ptpt).1[=atbn].0/hp.pf/2perc/2vn.2vlc[=va]
Baird Dodge, violinMusicNOW Ensemble/Knussen
3 April 2006; MusicNOW,Chicago, IL
str4tetMusicNOW Ensemble
8 May 2006; Chicago, IL
G. Schirmer, Inc.Associated Music Publishers, Inc.257 Park Avenue South, 20th FloorNew York, NY 10010
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John CoriglianoSonata for Violin and Piano
...The highlight of theevening was JohnCorigliano’s prize-winning 1963 Sonatafor Violin and Piano.Far too rarely heard,the sonata is a tour defource for the violin, and in Pine’s hands itsurged to life – a complex and infinitelyfascinating work whose Andantinocontains some of the loveliest and mostdelicate music written in the past half-century.
Stephen Brookes, Washington Post
Review
Rachel Barton Pine,violin; Matthew
Hagle, piano26 March 2006;National Gallery,Washington, DC
Excerpt from Richard Danielpour’s orchestral song cycle Pastime, featuring texts byMichael S. Harper. World premiere: 8 July 2006. Gregg Baker, baritone. PittsburghSymphony led by Daniel Meyer. Co-commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony, BrooklynPhilharmonic and Atlanta Symphony in celebration of the 2006 Major League Ballball All-Star Game on 10 July. Copyright © 2006. Associated Music Publishers (BMI). New York,NY. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
Avner DormanString Quartet No. 2, “Mirage”
...Mr. Dorman writesin an eclectic,essentially neo-Romantic style thatcombines strikingmelodies, free dissonance and occasionaleffects (tapping on the instruments forexample) to create picturesque textures.
The outer movements of his StringQuartet No. 2, “Mirage” (2004), evokethe Israeli desert, with a “Prayer for theInnocents” as the haunting slowmovement between them. The score’smost arresting moments are in its finale,“Ruchot,” in which hard-drivencounterpoint and rapid bowing, offset bycalmer moments, describe the changeabledesert winds.
Allan Kozinn, New York Times
Review
Jerusalem Quartet29 April 2006; 92nd Street Y,New York City