ISSUE 29, OCTOBER 2001 http://www.mvdaily.com/?0110
- CIVILISATION AND THE SAVAGE STATE
'Attending Opera North's new production of Janacek's ecological opera,
"Cunning Little Vixen", in the wake of recent calamitous events in
America proved, given humanity's apparent ability to learn by
experience, alarmingly pertinent since, bemused, we tend to turn to the
animal kingdom to rediscover what "life" is about. Janacek embarked
upon this opera in 1922, when the abysmal First World War was still raw
in people's memories ...'
Wilfrid Mellers writes about Annabelle Arden's magically imaginative
production for UK's Opera North :
http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2001/09/vixen1.htm?0110
Follow the links at the end of this feature to read more reviews,
including Malcolm Miller's report of the London premiere of John Adams'
'Naive and Sentimental Music'. We welcome Philip Lancaster to our
pages, writing about the 274th Three Choirs Festival, and Keith Bramich
reports on 'The Woman by the Sea' - a John McCabe premiere, given as
part of Japan 2001.
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Library Collections - The Gothenburg (Goeteborg) Collection.
38 Italian Baroque arias for soprano and continuo by Alessandro
Scarlatti, Alessandro Melani, Francesco Gasparini and Bernardo
Pasquini. These arias form a complete collection, a manuscript located
in the Gothenburg University Library in Sweden. Now for the first time
this collection is available in facsimile together with a new
engraving, easy to read and with the bass line beautifully realised for
harpsichord by Eilif Zachariassen. The soprano part is reproduced as in
the manuscript, without any changes. Very little is known about the
history of the manuscript, but it was given to the University in 1970
from a gymnasium founded in 1640 as the collection of the
'Hvitfeldtska Laeroverket'.
Check http://www.SheetMusicNow.com/?mv0110 to see what's new.
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- PROVOCATIVE THOUGHTS - DOWN TO EARTH
'There was a time when music was regarded as a mystery and its makers
the magicians appointed by the gods to be their voice to the people. In
some ancient communities, singing was a magical power to be reserved
only for special occasions. The composer was one whose uncanny
abilities were used to transcribe the sonic ambience of the heavens,
and the resulting music was that of the gods. Then, with a subtle
change, the composer claimed the craft as a personal achievement, and
it was put to the service of the gods. Anonymity was put aside as
composers grew arrogant.'
'Provocative Thoughts' is Patric Standford's new monthly series :
http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2001/09/ptearth.htm?0110
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- Advertisement
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- GOLDEN AGE
'New York in the 1920s was a cauldron of new ideas from which America's
maturity in serious music started to emerge. As in the nineteenth
century the American tour could be a profitable venture for visiting
celebrities - not only for popular figures but also for the bringers of
new ideas. Stravinsky and Bartok made their first visits in the 1920s
and by the end of the 1930s they, Hindemith and Schoenberg were all
living in the US. But immigration, with consequences for serious music
as well as the pop scene, had started well before that. Leo Ornstein
escaped from Jewish persecution in Russia, arrived in 1907 and was one
of the first.'
Peter Dickinson reviews two books on American music :
http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2001/09/golden1.htm?0110
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- AFTER TRAGEDY
'How strange that the American tragedy has coincided with a letter from
a reader sharply critical of the 'Last Night of the Proms', and of the
jingoistic nature of this outdated annual event, especially so soon
after a world catastrophe - and it is no use any reader coyly pointing
out that the disaster happened in New York. The world gets smaller by
the day.'
Editor Basil Ramsey writes in the midst of readers' letters about the
September terrorism in the USA :
http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2001/09/tragedy.htm?0110
Have your say - our 'After tragedy' page is still open for comments :
http://www.mvdaily.com/contact/?0110
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- AN INDISPENSABLE COLLECTION
'John Mark Ainsley sings the first seven songs of "Schwanengesang" (to
texts by Rellstab), and Anthony Rolfe Johnson the remaining seven (six
texts by Heine - Schubert's only Heine songs - and one by Seidl). This
slight, subtle differentiation of the poets by using different singing
voices is typical of the thoughtful and provocative care with which
Graham Johnson has approached the whole enterprise. Here, by this one
simple expedient, he makes you listen again, and more carefully perhaps
than you've ever done before.'
Peter Dale explores Schubert's final year, courtesy of Hyperion. Igor
Kipnis reviews Jorge Bolet's 'Rediscovered Liszt Recital' and in turn,
David Ponsford investigates Kipnis's own recordings of Bach Toccatas.
Mark Valencia attends an evening with Placido Domingo, courtesy of a
new DVD release.
Robert Anderson listens to Ginastera piano concertos, Patric Standford
spotlights a recital of songs by Rubbra and Vaughan Williams, and
Shirley Ratcliffe journeys into space, in the company of the Ionian
Singers.
Basil Ramsey, in Record Box, listens to the music of Elmer Bernstein,
Herbert Howells, Jonathan Willcocks, to Schubert lieder as sung by
Ian Bostridge for EMI Classics and to music inspired by animals and
their place in creation :
http://www.mvdaily.com/cdbrowse/?0110
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- THE NAME OF THE GAME
'I wonder how many months are invested in the marketing and advertising
campaigns of some of today's most successful consumer products? Imagine
the global marketing of a new, stunning "Parfum Pathetique", complete
with Gala Parisian soiree launch, a celebrity's face in association
with the product's every glossy advertisement, and prime TV spots
aiming at the Winter Solstice Marketing "Scherzo Furioso". Would all
this take as long to conceive and plan, capture and compose, as the
Symphony of the same name?'
Oboe d'Amore soloist Jennifer Paull meanders through the maze of
musical instrument names :
http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2001/09/namgame.htm?0110
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- MV3 - STANDARD FARE
'It seemed to me that we'd been on the byways, the dark paths and the
obscure ways for much of the time recently. And while I think (and hope
listeners and readers think) we found some gems, the standard
repertoire is standard for a very good reason: it's really good music.'
Gordon Rumson and Keith Bramich go in search of the immortal
masterpieces, with music by Beethoven, Bizet, Delibes, Liadov,
Marcello, Mozart, Offenbach, Ravel, Sibelius and Tchaikovsky :
http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2001/09/standard.htm?0110
Ask us to review your online music:
http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2001/01/mv3form.htm?0110
Site-seeing visits the Danish Online Research Music Library, the
Manchester Charivari, the Manila Vocal Ensemble, LondonNet Classical,
Organ Focus and the Arcos de Buenos Aires Tango Show :
http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2001/09/tango.htm?0110
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- CLASSICAL MUSIC NEWS
We mark the death of Isaac Stern.
Chenyin Li won the Scottish International Piano Competition. Giorgi
Jordania won the Vakhtang Jordania/New Millennium International
Conducting Competition.
Young composers are invited to submit works for the Composers'
Competition at Gaudeamus Music Week 2002, and ISCM World Music Days
2003 (also including opportunities for composers) will be hosted by
Slovenia.
http://www.mvdaily.com/news/?0110
Send us your classical music news:
http://www.mvdaily.com/contact/newsform.htm?0110
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- OCTOBER CONCERTS
New Zealand:
Opera New Zealand presents the NZ premiere of Verdi's Falstaff.
North America:
Two 'Brave New Works' concerts are devoted to the music of Leslie
Bassett. The Quintet of the Americas celebrate Karel Husa's 80th
birthday. Circle of Dance premieres work by choreographers Nancy Brier,
Carl Paris and Jennifer Weaver. Igor Kipnis makes his debut as a solo
piano recitalist. Sylvia Toran celebrates composers of Spanish and
South American ancestry.
Europe:
Warsaw Chamber Opera's year-long festival celebrating 400 years of
opera performances comes to an end, with a Polish Contemporary Opera
Festival.
Ukraine's Boyan Ensemble begins its 10th anniversary tour of the UK.
Wajahat Kahn and the Medici Quartet give the first London performance
of Kahn's 'Raag Desh and Quintet'. Also in London, various French
artists (all recording for the harmonia mundi, naive and Chant du
Monde labels) give UK debut concerts, and the Bekova Sisters play
Gubaidulina's 'Quasi Hoquetus'.
http://www.mvdaily.com/concerts/?0110
Add your own concerts :
http://www.mvdaily.com/contact/concform.htm?0110
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