Articles & Reviews
Submitted by Guest on Wed, 01/23/2008 - 2:40pm.
by Lee Ann Leung
Impressionistic composer Debussy was once accused of violating the
“laws of music” because of his use of unconventional harmonic
relationships. He focused particularly on the overall feel and emotive
qualities of his compositions. In his work, Prelude to an Afternoon of
a Faun, the lack of clearly defined themes, successions of seventh
chords (mm 48-9), and parallel fifths (m 102) show that Debussy values
transparency and sonority over “correct” voice-leading. Even Camille
Saint-Saëns said he could make no sense of the work. A professor at
the Paris Conservatory commented on Debussy’s parallel chords as
“theoretically absurd” to which Debussy replied, “there is no theory.
Pleasure is the law.”
Debussy opens his work with the sound of the flute – what can be interpreted as the instrument of the faun.
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Soprano Jessica Rivera will be in Chicago for three months, making her debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in November in Poulenc's Gloria, and going cross-town to appear in Lyric Opera's production of Doctor Atomic in December and January. She returns to perform with the CSO in Golijov's Ainadamar in February. She talks about her Fall/Winter residence in Chicago, her tourist plans, and playing two roles in Ainadamar.
On taking up residence in Chicago I would highly encourage Chicago music lovers to experience all the amazing works that the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has to offer! I am especially proud to share in the return of Poulenc's Gloria to the repertoire as well as introduce Chicago to Ainadamar. In the Gloria, I personally hope the listener will hear the presence of God - His majesty and mystery. I think that is what Poulenc was striving for when he wrote this work. It reminds me very much of his Dialogues of the Carmelites, another intensely personal faith journey for Poulenc.
In addition to my work with the CSO, I make my debut with Lyric Opera of Chicago as Kitty Oppenheimer in John Adams's Doctor Atomic. It is rare for an artist to have the privilege of being ‘in residence' in a city with as distinguished a reputation for music as Chicago, and to perform both with the Orchestra and the opera, to debut in the Gloria, one of my favorite works, and to introduce Chicago music lovers to two new operas by two of the most enterprising composers of our time.
As a visitor to the city, I would like to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Home, get tickets to a taping of Oprah, do some Christmas shopping on the Magnificent Mile, and spend some time with my cousin and his wife who live in Deerfield, and also introduce them to the CSO and Lyric Opera.
Golijov's Ainadamar: the gift that keeps on giving! Ainadamar has been a great gift! Not only did it give me the opportunity to work with
Osvaldo Golijov, Dawn Upshaw, and Kelley O'Connor, but it also started a wonderful relationship with director Peter Sellars. Peter really reshaped the libretto for the revised premiere with the Santa Fe Opera in 2005, introducing my character, Nuria, who is Margarita Xirgu's student and protégé. Peter encouraged Osvaldo to write several new scenes between Margarita and Nuria. Because Osvaldo knew my voice so well already, his new music resulted in some beautifully poignant dramatic moments that employ the best parts of my voice. A singer can't really ask for anything better than that!
Then came the recording with Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and ASO Women's chorus. It was my first commercial recording and my first time working with the ASO, which, among other wonderful things, resulted in my first GRAMMY. During this season, I will perform in five different productions or concert productions of the work. Ainadamar seems to be the gift that keeps on giving!
Performing two roles in Ainadamar With the CSO, I will perform the role of Nuria in the performances on February 7, 9, and 12, and the role of Margarita in the performance on February 8. Nuria is the student and protégé of Margarita Xirgu, the famous Spanish actress who championed the plays of Federico García Lorca's and performed many of his leading ladies, including Mariana Piñeda. Historically speaking, Nuria is a fictional character; however, she represents Margarita's legacy left through the students she taught at the acting school she began in Uruguay. Nuria helps Margarita see that although Lorca died before his time, as did Mariana Pineda, his legacy lived on through Margarita and will continue to do so through Nuria.
The role of Nuria comes very naturally to me. I can relate to her as my ‘student' days are not that far behind me at this point. At the end of the opera, Margarita dies, leaving Nuria to carry on her legacy and create one of her own. I could relate very much to this experience, since the summer before my first performances as Nuria, my first voice teacher and mentor, Joyce Fizzolio, passed away. I had known her since I was eight years old and her passing was devastating to me. I was encouraged by the memory of her intense pride in me and the knowledge that I could move forward with all that she had taught me and establish my own path and eventually become the teacher. This is something I did sooner that I expected when I assumed the role of Margarita Xirgu for the first time this past summer at the Colorado Music Festival in Boulder with Michael Christie. The role of Margarita is more demanding vocally and dramatically and at first I had my reservations. But, having had a great mentor and example in Dawn Upshaw, I was able to assume the role and create my own Margarita.
Paula Tsurutani is a Chicago-based freelance writer.
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The Chicago Philharmonic has been presenting concerts at Pick Staiger Hall on the Northwestern campus for the past 17 years. It takes a lot of effort to keep presenting quality concerts year after year. Sometimes I wonder if it’s all worth it. Ticket sales don’t begin to cover the cost of our concerts so we are constantly looking for additional income or for ways to trim costs.
The long hours of volunteering as board president and the onerous duty of asking others to contribute both time and money can take a toll. I begin to wonder sometimes about how much we all have to contribute to make such beautiful music. Usually my cloud lifts quickly, especially when we have a great concert like our most recent one.
But several weeks before our November concert, I was feeling a little weighed down… and then the doorbell rang. Two neighbor boys were selling Christmas wreaths. They live a little more than a block away, and we didn’t know them. Jean greeted them at the door. I was upstairs practicing. The older of the two brothers became distracted from his sales pitch. “What instrument is that?” he questioned. Jean told him I play the bassoon and play at Lyric Opera and with the Chicago Philharmonic. With great animation he explained that he studied the cello with one of our Philharmonic cellists.Jean (who plays flute in the orchestra) invited Brian, James, and their family to the November 12th concert.
Two weeks ago they returned with our wreath and, to our delight, told us how much they enjoyed the concert. They plan to come to our concert in March and bring their older sister who plays the piano, to hear Angela Cheng.But the thing I treasure most is the thank you letter Brian sent me. He said, “We all enjoyed the concert very, very much (his emphasis). The Sibelius Concerto was very lively, and sometimes we don’t get that in classical music [in our school orchestra].” After telling me what they were playing in his orchestra, he went on, “It must be fun to be a professional musician. It’s very enjoyable to hear your orchestra play…. It’s nice having you as neighbors.” He signed it, “Your New Friend, Brian.”
It took an 11 year-old to remind me why so many work so hard for the Chicago Philharmonic. A youngster had made me remember how important music can be for all ages, but especially our youth. Earlier this fall, Augustin Hadelich, our young violin soloist in the Prokofiev Concerto last fall, won the Indianapolis Violin Competition. This is a world-class competition – his career will skyrocket. Can anyone doubt that Krista Stewart, the sixteen year-old who appeared with us in our last concert, will be far behind?
The impact of everyone’s efforts, whether contributor or volunteer, is felt in so many important ways, and in many ways we may never fully understand. The thanks come when you look into the eyes of some very important people like Brian, James, Augustin, and Krista. So much is at stake.
James T. Berkenstock
President/Principal Bassoon
Chicago Philharmonic
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THE NEXT HILARY HAHN? Two years ago, we were having a rehearsal of the Chicago Philharmonic at Northwestern University. Following the rehearsal our Concertmaster, David Perry, came up to me and asked if I had a few minutes. He then explained that he had a student who was about to rehearse next door with the Midwest Young Artists Orchestra. (I should mention that David is one of the country’s finest violinists.
He is first violin in the famed Pro Arte Quartet; is concertmaster of the Aspen Music Festival; and appears regularly with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.) His student was one of the winners of the MYA concerto competition and would be appearing in concert with them the next day at Pick-Staiger.
David thought that this young high school student was someone I should hear. We stepped into the concert hall and immediately came upon his student at the back of the auditorium. She was waiting for one of her colleagues, who was to appear on the same program, as he finished rehearsing onstage with the orchestra. David introduced me; she was a cute and quite shy fourteen year-old who was obviously nervous as she awaited her turn to rehearse. David and I listened to the young man who was playing while his student quietly paced back and forth silently fingering a few passages.
Within a few moments it was her turn. The conductor motioned to her and she strode onto the stage. The orchestra began the Sibelius Violin Concerto and this young lady seemed to be transformed. As she listened to the orchestra from her solo position standing next to the conductor, a calm, collected demeanor came over her.
She raised the violin and began to play.From the first note it was obvious that this was a huge talent. She didn’t just play the notes, she played the music, and she did it with such a sense of understanding and passionate commitment. This shy youngster I had been standing next to a few moments before now commanded the stage, physically and musically. Her lush gorgeous tone soared out over the orchestra.
David and I listened enthralled as she completed the first movement. We then stepped out into the lobby, and I asked David where this kind of talent and ability comes from. He told me she had an older brother who had just won the concerto competition at Juilliard on violin, suggesting that she had something of a role model.
However, she was not some carbon copy. Her poise and presence seemed to radiate “star in the making.” I asked David when we should think about asking her to appear with the Chicago Philharmonic. “I would give her another two years,” he said. “She still has a few things she is working on.”
We’ll, it is now two years later. David says she is ready, and I can’t wait.She will be appearing with the Chicago Philharmonic on Sunday, November 12, at 7:00 PM at Pick Staiger Hall on Northwestern’s Evanston campus. She will be playing the Sibelius concerto on a program that includes the Brahms Second Symphony with Hungarian conductor András Déak. By the way, her name is Krista Stewart.
You might want to write that down so you can remember when you first heard it. I think you will be hearing it a lot more of her in the near future. And while you’re at it, why not make reservations to hear her Chicago debut with a professional orchestra, Sunday, Nov. 12? You’ll be glad you did.
Written By James Berkenstock, President, The Chicago Philharmonic
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Submitted by bluebeam on Tue, 05/09/2006 - 1:21pm.
Radio stations have come a long way since the days of pirate radio broadcasts from ships on the ocean seas. The ascendancy of disc jockeys in the 1980s brought a more human image to the radio station, and today we are witnessing an explosion in the number of radio stations thanks to the internet.
With AM and FM frequencies jammed with stations, and governments giving licenses to the radio stations it accepts, it was only natural that with the increase in broadband internet, the web was the next step for radio. Nowadays, anyone can broadcast, with the advent of the podcast, but people will always turn to radio stations for their music. There are unlimited opportunities for internet radio broadcasters.
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Submitted by thespis on Wed, 02/08/2006 - 9:04pm.
by Paulette McDaniels
In honor of the upcoming Oscars, I'd like to examine the role of classical music in the movies.
The film industry we see today was to a large extent established by European immigrants: Adolph Zukor, who arrived from Hungary at age 16; Harry Warner, born in Poland; and Carl Laemmle from Germany, another teenage immigrant -- to name just a few.
These men established studios that still bear their mark, from Laemmle's Universal Studios to Zukor's Paramount. They were entrepreneurs with a very hands-on attitude, controlling every aspect of the film-making process, including the music.
What we now call classical music (does anyone have a definitive definition of classical music?) was in Europe a part of the overall culture, so it's not too surprising that the films of people like Marcus Loew and William Fox used Beethoven, Verdi, Schubert and Prokofiev, four composers particularly popular in the 1930s.
Understandable, you might think, in what we today would call an "Art Film," but here are some of the titles that used Verdi's music: Monkey Business, Moonlight Murder and Blackmailer.
Beethoven doesn't fare much better. His titles include Murder, Life is a Dog (not to be confused with My LIfe as a Dog), Dishonored, and The Black Cat, and this was only the early 1930s.
And classical wasn't just for adult movies. Up until the early 60s, The Lone Ranger, Alfred Hitchcock and Bugs Bunny brought us the "William Tell Overture," "Danse Macabre" and "Ride of the Valkyries." Walt Disney capitalized on the popularity of classical music, making it the foundation of his film Fantasia.
Today there are, at a very conservative estimate, some 1,640 movie titles using over 173 composers. (Visit Bohemian Opera for a comprehensive list of films featuring classical music.) Some of the titles include Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, Choral, 4th mvt. "Ode to Joy"); Any Given Sunday: Donizetti Finale scene from the opera La Fille du Régiment and Mussorgsky's "The Great Gate of Kiev" ("Pictures at an Exhibition"); A Very Brady Sequel: Mendelssohn's Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream, as well as Telemann's Concerto in F major for recorder, strings and continuo; Spy Kids 2: Villa-Lobos' Aria (Cantilena) from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5.
Which brings us back to the Oscars. See if you know which films nominated for an Academy Award this year use the following:
- "Un di, felice," prelude to Act One of La Traviata
- "Mal reggendo all'aspro assalto" from the opera IIl Trovatore
- Ligeti Requiem for Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Two Mixed Choirs & Orchestra
- "Also Sprach Zarathustra" ("Ode to the Sun")
Who knows, maybe on March 5 an Oscar winner will get up and say, "I'd like to thank a very dear, dead composer ..."
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Paulette McDaniels is an actor/writer who works in theatre and film. She is also the grandmother of Freddy and Paige. She has lived in the Middle East and Europe, and she would like to thank Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and the Lone Ranger for igniting a life-long love of classical music.
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