Interview
On Tuesday, February 6 at 11:00 am, Chicago Classical Music hosted a chat with Bill McGlaughlin, host of WFMT's Exploring Music. The chat was moderated by Steve Robinson, Senior Vice President for Radio at WFMT. Below is an edited transcript of the chat.
Steve Robinson (WFMT): Bill McGlaughlin is a distinguished conductor, composer and radio host. His radio series, St. Paul Sunday, has been heard throughout the U.S. for 25 years.
In 2003, the WFMT Radio Network convinced him to host a new series, Exploring Music. It’s now finishing it’s third year and is a smash hit. Exploring Music is a DAILY, one-hour program that each week explores a single theme.
It’s heard on WFMT every Monday to Friday at 7 p.m. and is also heard on 37 stations nationwide including five of the top 10 markets. As for as I’m concerned, no one can top Bill in the way he conveys his passion for music on the radio. He is aided on this endeavor by WFMT’s Noel Morrison and Jesse McQuarters. Bill can handle any question you can throw at him. So have at him!
Jesse McQuarters (WFMt): Good to "see" you, Bill!
Steve Robinson: Welcome back, Bill...how do you select the themes for Exploring Music?
Bill McGlaughlin: Necromancy. Tequila. Much prayer, even more listening.
Steve Robinson: lol! Seriously....
Bill McGlaughlin: Yeah, me mum warned me about playing the foo.
Steve Robinson: Do you throw darts at Groves and see where it lands?
Bill McGlaughlin: Okay, seriously. We first met at Steve's dining room table in Willamette.
I'd brought about two hundred composers names as potential topics, we added in things like Shakespeare and music, Nationalism, various forms of music, genres, so to speak — Mozart pf cti., Haydn symphonies, Beethoven
Beth Schenker: I didn't know that.
JJR: Well, Bill, have you seen the Thanksgiving Day Balloon sets for the new Magic Flute at the Met? And what's your take on them
Bill McGlaughlin: I did see Julie Taymore's production of Magic Flute at the Met about a year ago. I loved it, but I love the element of the child in Mozart anyway. A week or so ago I caught a little of the show on tv and found it less effecti
Bill McGlaughlin: Howdy, Noel, howze Larry?
JJR: I found the fiber glass lions a bit much. But you it's really not possible to go too far with Magic Flute.
Perusing your topics, why not share with us some songs still sung that first appear in Shakespeare, or Elizabethan songbooks.
Bill McGlaughlin: I agree. Back in 1991 I conducted a Magic Flute in San Antonio which was directed by a native American from Montana. William's conception of Tamino as a prince of another tribe, wandering into new territory and dealing with t
JJR: eg, Greensleeves sounds Elizabethan. But is it?
Bill McGlaughlin: I love the Shakespeare song idea. But sadly, I'm a bear of little brain. Send us a list.
I think Greensleaves is mid-sixteenth century, but that's only a wild guess.
JJR: I do recall Henry 8th is credited with Summer is a Comin In, but that isn't sung any more.
Gotta run. Nice talking with y'all.
Bill McGlaughlin: Pleasure.
BJ Lovescats: Where do you produce the show physically? what city, I mean . . .
Steve Robinson: I know that Noel, the producer, works here in Chicago and you do your work in New York at WQXR. How is it to work with a producer who is 1800 miles away?
Bill McGlaughlin: It's a great pleasure to work with Noel at any distance. We've been been squoze into little tiny spaces for the Wolf Trap series for years and have thrived. For some producers, 1800 miles isn't enough
Steve Robinson: How do you think classical music is faring on the radio these daze? From where I sit, things look good.
Bill McGlaughlin: It's a mix. The audience is fractured, compared to even 1980 or so, when I first put my foot in the waters. I do believe people are desperate for enaging, touching experiences and classical music can provide that brilliantly.
Drawing people inside the music seems the clue to me. Human beings are wired for delight when we figure something out.
Steve Robinson: You must find the listener response very gratifying, because the email is always over the top.
In my 40 years doing classical music radio I've never seen anything like it.
Bill McGlaughlin: That's true Steve. Our listeners are some of the most interesting, savvy, funny, intellectually curious people I know.
Steve Robinson: The letters range from a person who had never heard a string quartet before and wanted to know where to buy one to a listener who graduated from Juilliard and found your comments on Ravel to be enlightening!
ilenepatty: I think it's because Bill's demeanor is so infectious and engaging.
Noel (WFMT): Just to add intrigue to the 1,800 miles subject, I think our record would be far greater. I once had to produce a show from Disney World.
Bill McGlaughlin: I remember you're being on the phone from Disney World. I was really impressed with your concentration. I'd probably have dropped my cellphone during one of the rides.
SJMurray: I don't know if I'm a typical listener , but I enjoy the commentary.
Noel: One step behind... sorry. Here's a nice letter we got this week from a listener in Hawaii: Thanks so much for the Titanic ;-)effort involved
ilenepatty: Bill, is there anything you DON'T like??
Steve Robinson: Excellent question! (I hope he doesn't say, the executive producer...)
ilenepatty: lol
Bill McGlaughlin: Yes, there's plenty I don't like. I'm leaving out discussion of politics and the environment for the moment. One of the pleasures of working on Exploring Music is finding new wonderful pieces of music or coming to uunderstand familiar pieces in a new way. Given that a piece I may have heard a few times too often might be your favorite, I feel it's better to stick to the things I love.
ilenepatty: Good thing that the things you love are such a broad array!
Noel: Yes---for us, we're just sinking under the weight of all this wonderful email. It's very nice. Often as our work (on composers, in particular) progresses, I notice Bill's enthusiasm for that subject growing.
Bill McGlaughlin: But a packet of e-mail weighs so little and buoys us up.
Steve Robinson: Bill: you dodged the question! There must be a composer or two you can't stand.
Bill McGlaughlin: Boy, if you weren't my boss. And my friend, I'd duck again. There was a time when I'd played the Franck d minor too many times with uninspiring conductors. But you know, I've stayed away for a long enough time
Steve Robinson: (Note: Bill was a trombonist and performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, among others.)
Noel: I can think of a barn-burner that you don't like, Bill. I know another conductor who doesn't like it either. But, I wont tell if you wont tell.
Bill McGlaughlin: For some reason, I just thought of the week we did on Richard Strauss. I loved the early tone poems but by the time we got to Symphony Domestica, with Baby Strauss gurgling in his bath water, it was feeling too self-involved. No, self-satisfied in an unattractive way. But by the end of the week, listening to Metamorphosis and the Four Last Songs, I was a fan again.
Noel: Also, there was one composer whose life we considered... The more you got into it, the less you liked him... yes, it's Strauss.
That's not the barn-burner, though. I have a distinct Picture in mind of a piece you've heard one too many times.
ilenepatty: Staying in Germany through the war?
Bill McGlaughlin: Most Germans stayed in Germany through the war. Some villains, some heros, most of them sort of like the rest of humanity. Schoenberg was very understanding toward Strauss and said simply that artists are usually like children when it comes to politics. I believe Schoenberg was replying to Hindemith, who had taken a strong stand.
This rhythm is weird. And Noel, you know me very well. We were both typing about Strauss.
Noel: He was an old man by then. Weak, covering his own posterior, but a lot of people did worse things than that.
Steve Robinson: Well, it's almost noon, does anyone have a big question for Bill they've been waiting to ask???? Don't be shy.
Noel: Bill, you've done some wonderful discoveries, like when we thought we'd skip over the first hundred years of the symphony in one day.
Steve Burkholder: Bill, what other kinds of things do you work on in the (212)?
Bill McGlaughlin: Hi Steve Burkholder and thanks for helping get aboard with Firefox. I'm still doing the odd bit for MPR, some continuing work with Wolf Trap (Noel and Vic are my accomplices) and trying to work as a composer.
Most recently I've been working on a number of charts for a concert I'm giving with the Omaha Symphony next week. These feature Karrin Allyson and her rhythm section. She's up for a Grammy this weekend, by the way.
Steve Burkholder: Karrin Allyson = sublime!
Bill McGlaughlin: Steve B., you sure know how to talk to a fine jazz singing lady. I'll pass on the compliments. Go Steelers. And wait til next year you danged Indianopolites.
Noel: All right. Let's all send Karrin our best wishes.
Bill McGlaughlin: Boy, are we slackers! Looks as if we're out of time. I expect Bill Siegmund in the control room any time now.
Steve Burkholder: Great talking with you Bill!
ilenepatty: Thanks so much for doing this! I hope you do it again, and I'll try to have better questions!!
Steve Robinson: Thanks very much, Bill!!!!
Bill McGlaughlin: My pleasure
Noel: Until next time, Bill (five minutes from now).
Jesse McQuarters: Has anyone seen the outtakes web page for Exploring Music? If you go to exploringmusic.org, click on "Behind the microphone", and then on Bill's nose, it'll take you to a hidden outtakes page, top secret, of course :)
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On January 12, 2007, John Ryan of Music of the Baroque hosted an informal chat with the CCM Listening Group. Below is a transcript of the chat.
John Ryan (Music of the Baroque): Welcome to the listening group. Jonathan when are you doing Christoher Theofanidis' Here and Now in Pittsburgh?
Jonathan Mayes (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra): At the May 4/5 concert.
John Ryan: Is it the American in Paris program?
Jonathan Mayes: Yes, the American in Paris Program - although obviously the Theofanids 'Here and Now' is the bigger part of the program...
John Ryan: Bartok anyone?
Jonathan Mayes: Yeah, Bartok
John Ryan: I'm always surprised at how nonchalant the opening is. It almost sounds like an improvisation.
Susan Platz (Music of the Baroque): Yes, John! I agree! Also, at first I thought I was going crazy because the pizzicatto sounded like a lute! (that could just be me, though...)
Steve Burkholder: Is this an earlier work? It sounds a little less turbulent.
John Ryan: I'm not sure when it was written, I think I read that it was later.
John Ryan: Lute - I can see that.
Susan Platz: yeah, just that first little part.
Jonathan Mayes: It's actually quite late on, around 1940 I think which is surprising - but then, it's so very different from other Bartok - probably because of the Benny Goodman collaboration
John Ryan: I'm listening to the Benny Goodman/Bartok recording now. a pretty good recording.
Steve Burkholder: Did B.G. play the premiere?
John Ryan: I think he did play the premier, and, keep the rights for a few years so he was the only one who could play it.
Susan Platz: Speaking of turbulence, though, I did find the majority of the work to evoke unsettling vibes. I wish I could pinpoint the harmonic reasons for this... can someone less rusty with music theory enlighten me?
Jonathan Mayes: hmmm...Susan, difficult question - but I think it's the odd combination of the Bartok folk-theme style and the jazz influences, so what you've got is all of these augmented chords but played in a way that isn't typical of jazz.
Steve Burkholder: I think the harmonic reasons are that he wrote atonally and superimposed those folk tunes over chords that didn't fit in the formal sense. CSO just had a great presentation of Miraculous Mandarin where they illustrated some of this before the playing the whole piece.
Jonathan Mayes: Ah, Steve's answer is much better! I wish I'd heard that!
Susan Platz: I see. Both of those observations are great, thank you!
John Ryan: Speaking of American in Paris, did the last mvt remind anyone of the Gershwin? I was listening while doing the dishes one night and swore I heard an urban beep-beep, beep-beep.
John Ryan: Steve, a bit off topic, but how was the presentation?
Steve Burkholder: The presentation was fantastic! They're doing the same treatment with Rite at the end of the month.
I never put it together that Bartok and his contemporaries grew up in such a desolate time. According to the presentation, he was living in a place where murders in the street were a way of life. Lots of filth and noise from factories and machines. That's why I'm surprised at how much lighter Contrasts is.
John Ryan: Then it leaves that idea, but for a moment I thought of American in Paris.
Steve Burkholder: Yes - love the street sounds in that piece!
Jonathan Mayes: Wow - great contenxtual observation. You've got to wonder how detached Bartok was when writing Contrasts then. I mean, the rest of his later music is so much moodier
John Ryan: Steve, did you know Contrasts before this? I remember it from 10 or 15 years ago and thought it was a difficult piece...now, it sounds so much - like you said, lighter
Steve Burkholder: No, I heard it the first time this week. To me, it also sounds much more mature which makes sense. It sounds more "round" or complete in a way.
John Ryan: This is going to be on a program with his 6th string quartet. I wonder how it'll sound beside that.
Susan Platz: Did Bartok use folk melodies that his audiences would have recognized in Contrasts or themes that were reminiscent of folk-ish stuff?
Jonathan Mayes: Good question Susan.
John Ryan: Susan, that is a GREAT question. I know he collected tunes, but I dont' know if his public would have recognized them, like we'd recognize Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Steve Burkholder: So, they might be in there but they're not like "jimmy crack corn" or something like that :)
Jonathan Mayes: Just looking in Grove, in case!
Susan Platz: Ah, OK.
Jonathan Mayes: Ha!
Susan Platz: Haha, Jimmy Crack Corn :-)
John Ryan: Jimmy Crack Corn - cracks me up!!
Susan Platz: Oh yes, please do consult your Grove! Google can only get me so far...
Steve Burkholder: I was just listening to the last movement and it really does sound like American in Paris! Just through that Bartok filter.
Susan Platz: ah, I did find something, actually.
Steve Burkholder: Nice link Susan.
Susan Platz: enjoy!
John Ryan: Not to stop Bartoking, but let's move on the H&N.
Susan Platz: Haha, enough Bartoking.
John Ryan: I think that most works have an "entry" movement. It's the movement that grabs me and becomes a sort of anchor. For Instance, I remember the firest time I heard Beethoven's 7th sym. The 2nd mvt grabbed me and I kept returning to the work and gradually got to know all of it.
Jonathan Mayes: Hmm - interesting concept like the slow movement of Mahler 1 for me
Jonathan Mayes: So which is it in the Theofanidis?
John Ryan: For this one it was the Blessings movement
Steve Burkholder: I agree with you John. I've been listening to Mvmt VI a lot since you mentioned it the other day.
John Ryan: I actually pulled off the road to hear it again
Steve Burkholder: Goosebumps. Just ethereal stuff.
Susan Platz: Yes! I'm totally with you on Mvt. VI
John Ryan: ...then I found myself listening to the mvt before and the one after and rounding out the whole thing that way
Jonathan Mayes: Agreed wholeheartedly
Steve Burkholder: I see what you mean - I do that a lot myself! It might have been the same for me with Beeth's 7th.
Jonathan Mayes: You know, it's especially true of a work like this where you have so many movements...
Susan Platz: This might be an obvious observation, but I found I appreciated the music *so* much more after I read the text! That Rumi. What a guy.
John Ryan: Ditto - another thing I loved about this was the poetry
Jonathan Mayes: Yeah, it's interesting that he used Rumi - we talked about that quite a bit, and Chris is quite taken with him.
Steve Burkholder: To me, this is a giant love song. Is that what the lyrics indicate?
Susan Platz: Yes, I agree that it reads like a giant love song! But, interestingly, these words were directed to his friend Shams of Tabriz, with whom he had an intense spiritual, teacher/student relationship (right?).
Jonathan Mayes: The lyrics are definitely a love song with the interesting 'sermon-like' interjections of the tenor...
Jonathan Mayes: exactly right Susan
Steve Burkholder: Ahhh - interesting! Divine love. iTunes downloads can only take one so far...
Jonathan Mayes: Although I'd still say that they express love
Susan Platz: Definitely, divine love
John Ryan: A qestion about the 3 kinds of women: one is a tresure - (is that the womean you marry and is all yours?), the second who is half yours, or the third who is not yours at all?
Steve Burkholder: Funny - I'm just coming to that movement on my 'phones.
Susan Platz: Yeah... I really can't piece together what he means about the 3 kinds of women.
Steve Burkholder: Faith, Hope, Charity? Wild guess.
Susan Platz: The text is so interesting... some is so lofty and, to me, inaccessible; but at the same time, some texts are so easy to relate to! (e.g. Insomnia)
John Ryan: Steve, you're cracking me up.
Steve Burkholder: I like texts like that that give you something to chew on and explore as your life goes on. With a musical backdrop.
Susan Platz: I agree Steve
Steve Burkholder: I mean a musical backdrop that gives some insight into the meaning of the words. A context or setting to solve the puzzle.
Jonathan Mayes: So true Steve - it's really not at all obvious - but the music is appealing enough to warrant multiple listenings...
Interestingly from our end, we had a premiere last season of another work written on text by Rumi, completely different, similar text (although in the original Persian), but musically it couldn't have been more disimilar.
Susan Platz: Wow! In Persian! That must have been a beast for the singers to learn!
Steve Burkholder: Who was the composer?
John Ryan: what was it? who was it by?
Jonathan Mayes: Wow - got your attention! It was by a local composer (well, he's originally from Iran) Reza Vali. Michelle DeYoung sang it did an amazing job
Steve Burkholder: Interesting - I studied at Duquense and played some new pieces by an Iranian student. He was working with David Stock, I believe. [ed: it was indeed Reza Vali]
Jonathan Mayes: ha! I wonder if there's a connection
Steve Burkholder: Now that I'm thinking about Rumi, I'm hearing some middle-eastern melodies in there! Just got to mvmt. XII. Intense percussion and unique perspectives on composition.
Jonathan Mayes: I LOVE that movement XII it's the one movement that's sexual...in ilk.
Susan Platz: Yes, definitely middle-eastern sounding in many parts
Steve Burkholder: Yes - XII is just great! Urgency of love. Regional percussion in there. Doumbeks and finger cymbals.
Jonathan Mayes: and all of that tension!
John Ryan: interesting - this is the only duet
Jonathan Mayes: Right - I asked Chris about that - he said the text just led to that outcome
Susan Platz: Speaking of sexuality (sort of), I was really struck by the soprano-tenor duets, esp. in Mvt. XII, The Urgency of Love. I marvel at their perfectly matched inflections... I wonder if that's indicated in the score? Those speech-like inflections?
Jonathan Mayes: Makes sense, I guess, but what's even more interesting is that they're singing in octaves
Steve Burkholder: I noticed that too. Kind of opera-ish at that point.
Susan Platz: yeah!
John Ryan: I love the line - the way you make love is the way god will be with you.
Jonathan Mayes: YES! Their octaves are really intense/effective.
Steve Burkholder: Wow! Rumi is like the Persian Shakespeare in a way. Lines crafted to last and be relevant for eternities.
Steve Burkholder: Just finished the piece - I love how it opens up in a HUGE way towards the end.
Jonathan Mayes: you see why we can't wait to hear it live here?
John Ryan: We're getting to the end of our time. How about Fri Feb 9th, same time?
Susan Platz: wow! time flies
Jonathan Mayes: that works for me
Steve Burkholder: What are the performance dates in Pittsburgh for the piece, again?
Jonathan Mayes: May 4&5
Jonathan Mayes: I'm hoping to make it to Chicago for the Bartok now too. What are those dates?
Steve Burkholder: Where is the Bartok playing?
John Ryan: Bartok is with the Chicago Chamber Musicians with Bartok string quartet #6, Kurtag Hommage to Schuman, and Kodaly duo.
Steve Burkholder: What should we discuss next time?
Jonathan Mayes: Good question!
Jonathan Mayes: Perhaps a suggestion from Steve and one from Susan?
John Ryan: no problem. let's throw some ideas
Steve Burkholder: Maybe a chamber piece and larger, symphonic piece again?
John Ryan: The Bartok is on March 18 & 19
Susan Platz: Well, I'll tell you right now that I'm completely biased towards early vocal music. What about a few Gesualdo madrigals?
Steve Burkholder: Susan, that's a great idea.
Jonathan Mayes: Oooh Susan I love that suggestion
John Ryan: Susan, anything specific?
Susan Platz: oh goody! haha, i though you'd veto it
Jonathan Mayes: alright!
Steve Burkholder: I've got one - Fog Tropes by Ingram Marshall.
John Ryan: Steve, I've never heard of it. I'd say let's do it with some Gesualdo.
Susan Platz: (i'm looking up some madrigals now... i'm not sure which ones to pick)
Jonathan Mayes: Ok - can you post them John? I have to run
Susan Platz: Yeah, can we do that?
Steve Burkholder: Oh yeah - we've struck the hour! Nice Chat!
Steve Burkholder: Fog Tropes can be found on "American Elegies" on Elektra. I believe there's some Terry Riley and John Adams on there too.
Susan Platz: Thanks everyone! That was lovely
John Ryan: Great, I'll post. see you all on the 9th...found the marshall on iTunes. Bye everyone, thanks for a great meeting!
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On January 8, 2007, Maestro Paul Freeman of the Chicago Sinfonietta joined us to discuss the Sinfonietta's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute. This is a transcript of that conversation.
Jim Hirsch (Chicago Sinfonietta): Good morning. Welcome to Maestro Paul Freeman
Paul Freeman: Good Morning!
Jim Hirsch: Maestro, we are less than a week away from the Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. concert. What is this week like for you?
Paul Freeman: Good morning, Jim, great to chat with you. Well, it is very intense in preparation for different segments of the program as we are using in addition to orchestra, chorus, soloists and narrator.
Steve Burkholder: Maestro, were you drawn to Chicago for musical reasons?
Paul Freeman: Yes. Before becoming founder of Chicago Sinfonietta, I had the pleasure of conducting three or four times during the early Grant Park series. This influenced my decision.
Jim Hirsch: You are known for your commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in classical music. How are things now as compared to when you started your career?
Paul Freeman: Diversity has become the focus of many aspects of our society. While things are better in classical music than they were when I started, we still have a long way to go.
Steve Burkholder: I watched the Chicago Sinfonietta video last night and I like the story of why you founded the group. Did you meet with any resistance at the time?
Paul Freeman: In general, everyone has been very cooperative, there has also been a need for financial support and this remains today.
Cheri Chappelle: Good morning, Maestro.
Paul Freeman: Hello, Cheri.
Cheri Chappelle: Diversity is also generational. What is being done to secure the future by attracting a younger audience?
Paul Freeman: Through programming and special educational projects in cooperation with public and private institutions.
Cheri Chappelle: That sounds great. Thank you.
Jim Hirsch: You also are the Music Director of the Prague Orchestra. What is similar or different between your two orchestras?
Paul Freeman: Perhaps I should site some examples. Chicago Sinfonietta uses between 50-60 musicians for concerts. The CNSO uses between 85-105 musicians for our concerts. Therefore much of the music is different as played by the two groups.
Some of the unusual works we have performed and commissioned which have been a great interest especially to a younger audience are, Concertino for Cellphone and Symphony Orchestra, Concerto for Steel Drums and Orchestra, works for rock group and symphony orchestra, Concertino for Bagpipes and Orchestra, Concertino for Maracas and Symphony Orchestra.
In this weeks MLK concert we are performing gospel music for a chorus of 200 and orchestra. We use multimedia, including video and dance.
Steve Burkholder: Have there been any "cross-over" projects with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Music - groups like Art Ensemble of Chicago?
Paul Freeman: While we have worked with people involved with that group, we shall explore this collaboration. Our Adler Chamber Series includes a performances on April 27th led by one of our flutists Nicole Mitchell.
Steve Burkholder: Sounds like a great concert!
Paul Freeman: Yes. The will perform "Close Encounters of a Jazz kind" combining jazz, art and poetry to express our connection to the cosmos.
Jim Hirsch: The Sinfonietta is known for innovative programming as noted above. How did this philosophy evolve?
Paul Freeman: I have always felt that the combination of various art forms can in many ways enhance the introduction to and appreciation of classical music. While I have worked with several groups using this technique, Chicago Sinfonietta provides a fertile arena for these wonderful combinations.
Jim Palermo: Has your Czech orchestra been open to this type of approach, programmatically, I mean?
Paul Freeman: Yes. Two weeks ago we performed the European premiere of David Baker’s Cellphone Concertino, which was played in its world premiere for the Chicago Sinfonietta last October. While the CNSO (Czech National Symphony Orchestra) is not as adventuresome as the Chicago Sinfonietta, it is one of the more adventuresome orchestras of Europe.
Jim Palermo: How has the response been over there?
Paul Freeman: The CNSO audiences have been very very responsive. By the way, the Chicago Sinfonietta has made 7 European tours and 13 CDs. Because of the economic differences, CNSO has made over 75 CDs since my Music Directorship over the last 10 years. We shall tour 16 cities in the UK starting May 7.
Steve Burkholder: Are you a commuter or do you split residency depending on the season?
Paul Freeman: During the 1980's, I was music director of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra in Canada. So my family and I sustained our principal residence in Victoria. I commute to Chicago and Prague. I have been fortunate to work and live in three great cities each different.
Jim Hirsch: We have just a few minutes left. Any final questions before we thank Maestro Freeman?
Paul Freeman: I would like to take this opportunity to invite all of your members and their friends to the forthcoming Martin Luther King Salute concert, of CS, which will take place at Dominican Un. Jan. 14th at 2:30pm. Or the Monday evening performance
Jim Hirsch: Thank you for joining us Maestro Freeman, and thanks to our guests. Don't forget that Maestro Freeman will conduct two performances with the Chicago Sinfonietta this Sunday and Monday in River Forest and at Orchestra Hall.
Paul Freeman: It has been a pleasure to chat with you. I wish all a happy and prosperous New Year!
Steve Burkholder: Thank you for chatting, Maestro.
Cheri Chappelle: Thank you and the same to you Maestro.
Jim Palermo (Grant Park Music Festival): Great session. Thanks for making time for us.
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Daniel Barenboim's West-Eastern Divan Orchestra Performs at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance at Millennium Park December 17. Egyptian-born Chicagoan Mina Zikri, a DePaul music school graduate, takes us behind the scenes.
Written by Ellen Pritsker
In 1999, when 22-year-old Egyptian violinist Mina Zikri left Cairo for Weimar, Germany, to join the violin section of Daniel Barenboim's newly formed Arab-Israeli West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, he embarked upon a musical journey led him to Chicago and a promising conducting career.
Barenboim, an Argentinian-born Israeli, steps to the podium on December 17 at 2 p.m. at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance at Millennium Park, leading the 78-member youth orchestra that he co-founded with the late Palestinian author Edward Said, because both men believed that music could overcome divergent viewpoints and help connect various cultures. The program will include Beethoven's Leonora Overture, Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat and Brahms' Symphony No. 1.
The concert-part of the Divan's three-city touchdown in the U.S. in 2006, was made possible when Chicago's Apollo Chorus, originally scheduled for the matinee slot, graciously agreed to move up its December 17 performance of Handel Messiah to 7 p.m. After Barenboim and his orchestra play at the Harris, they fly to Manhattan for concerts at the United Nations and at Carnegie Hall.
Their harmonious performance-musically and interpersonally-emerges from Barenboim's focus and commitment to the idea of an orchestra that overcomes barriers for both performers and audiences. When the Divan began, many of the young Arab and Israeli musicians harbored strong prejudices against one another. But Mina, who had been performing since age 8, had studied at music camp in America as a teenager and already recognized that Israelis were “not demons, but fellow-musicians and friends."
"When we first came together, many of us had grown up in an atmosphere of racial hatred against Arabs or Israelis," Mina said recently. "But Barenboim and Said-and now Said's widow, Miriam--started a Divan tradition of holding regular group discussions where hostilities and prejudices are aired and reconciliation can occur," he added.
Mina observes that at this point, his fellow-musicians' hostilities are more apt to be about personal animosities and 'normal human interaction,' rather than political disagreements. "We talk, we socialize and flirt in Hebrew or Arabic and we grow to understand one another," he added.
The West-Eastern Divan's 2006 tour was impacted by fallout from last summer's military confrontation between Israel and Lebanon. Some Arab members of the orchestra suggested a boycott to protest Israel's policies, which upset Mina because he believes West-Eastern Divan is "not about staying away, but about letting the music override personal feelings and serve as a universal language of healing."
Barenboim inspires orchestra members with his dedication and focus on excellence. Mina explains that many star conductors are either "arrogant" or "self-absorbed." But Barenboim is "enormously generous" with his time and talent, expecting the same 100% from his performers that he gives to them and the Divan.
When Barenboim, then principal conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, began rehearsals with his young musicians in Weimar in the summer of 1999, his friend Cliff Colnot, conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the DePaul Symphony Orchestra, joined him from Chicago. The two men learned about Mina'a longtime dream of studying at DePaul's acclaimed school of music, and made it possible for the young violinist to move to Chicago and attend DePaul that fall.
Mina has since earned both a BA and MA in Music and a Performer's Certificate from DePaul. He has performed with the Civic Orchestra for five years-three of them as a regular orchestra member-and has founded and conducts his own orchestra-the Oistrakh Symphony-composed of local performers from DePaul, Northwestern and Roosevelt universities.
Mina Zikri recently learned he is one of 12 finalists in the prestigious international Gustav Mahler Competition for Conductors, to be held in Bavaria in April, 2007. (There were over 200 entrants from 40 countries.) His budding career is blossoming.
But Daniel Barenboim remains his hero and greatest teacher. When Mina Zikri joins his fellow-members of the West-Eastern Divan to perform Hayden, Brahms, Beethoven, Wagner or Mozart, he is absorbing every gesture from the podium and basking in the honor of performing with the master.
West-Eastern Divan Orchestra performs at Harris Theater for Music and Dance at Millennium Park, 205 East Randolph, sun., Dec. 17, 2:00 p.m., tickets $52 to $98, call 312 334 7777 or visit the Harris Theater website, www.harristheaterchicago.org.
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Mark-Anthony Turnage joined CCM for a lively chat on October 20. Below is a transcript of the chat.
Jim Fahey (Chicago Symphony Orchestra): Hi, this is Jim Fahey, moderator of today's chat. Mark is here and just settling down to the keyboard.
Mark-Anthony Turnage: Hi.
Jim Fahey: Hi, Mark. Welcome to Chicago. How's your visit to Chicago been so far?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: Amazing. I've spent too much money.
Matt Greenberg: Hi Mark-have you spent much time in Chicago before?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I think this is the sixth time I've been, so yes, I have. Almost as much as I've been to New York.
Jim Fahey: We have a really exciting program for Monday's MusicNOW concert, can you tell us about it?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: The MusicNOW program has a very old piece of mine, Kai, which is for cello and large ensemble. It's very jazzy. There's a short piece by Hans Werner Henze for high voice and eight players. It's very intense and beautiful. There's also a piece by my compatriot Jonathan Harvey.
Jim Fahey: Can you tell us a little more about Kai?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I originally wrote an opera based on the life of Charles Mingus which had, possibly, one of the worst librettos ever written. I abandoned it because it didn't work, and I extracted about 20 minutes, and that's why Kai has Mingus references. The cello part is very lyrical. It soars above a very jazzy ensemble which includes 2 saxes, bass guitar and a drum set.
Jim Fahey: Katinka Kleijn is the soloist in Kai. How much interaction have you had with her?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I haven't had so much interaction with Katinka, but I didn't need much, because she plays it so incredibly well. She got the spirit and the mood of the piece immediately. In fact, I only had to ask her to slow down one thing, which is a Charlie Parker quote.
Julia Starzyk (Chicago Symphony Orchestra): I had the opportunity to hear your composition From All Sides on Tuesday evening, and I was really blown away. Have you ever composed a piece for dance before?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I haven't composed a piece for dance before-this is the very first one. I'm 46, so it's sort of unusual for a composer whose written two and a half operas-so I've written quite a bit for theatre but not for dance. So it's sort of strange to have been given this opportunity by the CSO. There have been a couple of possible collaborations, but the music wasn't liked very much, whereas Jorma Elo is very musical, so I'm very excited.
James Fahey: From All Sides will be performed with Hubbard Street and the CSO in January. What was it like to work with Jorma Elo?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: It's really separate in some ways. When I spoke with Jorma, he gave me timings in sections. He'd say two minutes fast, four minutes romantic, five-minute finale, etc., and that was my brief. He started choreographing it in early December. He does his own thing, really. I can't dance, so I don't know much about it. It's going to be a complete surprise for me
Jim Fahey: When you start to write and face the blank page, how do you start?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: To start off with, I feel depressed, and it takes quite a while to lift yourself of this worry. Sometimes I improvise and I store ideas. Sometimes I have ideas- sketches-stored up for a while, things I can use in the future. I think, “Well, maybe that will fit into a piece in the future.” I probably write the first couple of minutes without really knowing the piece, and then I start imposing some structure. I find when I get to the halfway point it's much easier, and you don't want it to end, so it's really the first week that's hard. If it's a good feeling, it tends to flow.
Jim Fahey: You've mentioned to me that you really enjoy the arranging process. Can you elaborate on that?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: The great thing about arranging is you don't have to come up with the tunes, and you can really relax and have fun. Sometimes when I worked on Scorched, I did it as relaxation while I was writing an opera. The early process I described about working on a new composition-the angst of it isn't there.
What I try to do is get to the essence of the tune, and I often completely change the mood of the piece, like Bill Evans did. So, I quite often will make a slow tune fast and vice versa. Also I feel that there are some fabulous arrangers in the world, many of them American. When I am asked to arrange, I'm asked almost to give a European slant on it. I think they're asking for something that's a bit more hybrid, because I come from contemporary classical music, so called.
Matt Greenberg: What's involved with being a "composer-in -residence"? Is there a typical day-in-the-life?
Marc Van Bree (Chicago Symphony Orchestra): How much different is being a composer-in-residence from being a "non-resident" composer? And, as a follow-up, why did you decide on Chicago?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: There's not really a typical day. There are very intense periods I'm going to spend in Chicago, which involve meeting everyone in the orchestra, the staff, teaching at universities, working with school kids.
But the actual composition is done, obviously, mostly in the UK where I live. But of course, all my main pieces in the next two years are for Chicago, and so I'm constantly thinking for Chicago, even though I'm not always present, and there are lots of e-mails, correspondence, with people like Cliff Colnot for MusicNOW. So it becomes a very intense relationship, which I like, because I like to belong.
I know a lot about the history of the Chicago Symphony, being an avid record collector-not CDs. I had many recordings from Fritz Reiner to Georg Solti, and a lot of my education about orchestral music comes from listening to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, so it was really nice when I came here the first time in 1994 to realize it was a really nice city as well. Not all great orchestras have great cities.
Jim Fahey: You've worked with our new Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink as well, correct?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: Yes, absolutely. I wrote a piece called Some Days for mezzo soprano and small chamber orchestra which Haitink did in London in 1990, I think it was. He took it around to the States and then recorded it with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Decca in 1994. I feel very honored, actually, that he did my piece, because he doesn't do so much new music, although he is fantastic at it, and we just got on very well. What I noticed is that he has huge respect for players, and there was none of the conductor-“maestro”-attitude, just a genuine love for the players, and that filters through to composers.
robapple: You've mentioned Evans, Mingus, and Parker. Do you have particular favorite jazz players and have any influenced your composing?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I suppose the most influential jazz player on my writing is Miles Davis. I'm a Miles Davis geek. I love pretty much everything that he ever was involved in. I'm very lucky to have collaborated with a few of his ex-sidemen, like John Scofield and Dave Holland.
I regard jazz as a major art form and I take it very seriously, and I think these players are as important as any other music over the last 100 years. They mean a lot to me. Being a big fan, especially in my teens, I never thought I would actually collaborate with these guys, so I'm still pinching myself.
I pretty much like all periods of jazz, from Bix Beiderbecke to Brad Mehldau. To be honest, I prefer small group jazz, apart from Gil Evans and some of the bigger Mingus big bands.
piano88: Just curious what was a highlight for you at the Risor Kammermusikkfest in Norway this summer?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: The whole festival in Norway was a highlight. The best music festival I've ever been involved in. It's a stunning location and great audience. It was a real privilege to work with Leif Ove Andsnes.
Lori M (Chicago Symphony Orchestra): Would you share a bit about how you came to feature the sound of the cello in our work, Kai?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: In Kai, the cello is my favorite string instrument, and the string instrument I felt closest to, although I haven't played it. I am a big fan of the cello repertoire and funny enough, I've just married a cellist. It's probably the melancholic side of the cello that initially attracted me. This affected me from when I was a youngster listening to Bach cello suites and I now regret that I never learned the instrument.
Steve Burkholder (Chicago Classical Music): What was your axe growing up? Also, do you compose on the piano?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: My axe was the piano. I had delusions of being a concert pianist, but I quickly realized there were many people better than me. I also played the flute very badly, and the alto saxophone even worse than that. I do write at the piano for about 75% of the time.
Jim Fahey: Speaking of young musicians. I know that working with young musicians is an important part of your residency here. Can you discuss your work with the Merit Music Program?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I went into Merit last time I was here in May. I was deeply impressed with the program they have there. I'm very excited about working with the students. They are coming to a rehearsal of Kai and then next week I'm going in to work with the composers. We haven't done anything yet.
Bohumil: I loved your “meteorite” for the new Planets CD. How did Sir Rattle approach you to do the project?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I've worked with Sir Simon since 1990, when I was composer in residence with the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in the UK, so we've collaborated many times. At the beginning of his tenure as the principal conductor, he programmed a piece of mine with the Berlin Philharmonic called Blood on the Floor, and he asked me at the beginning of the first rehearsal whether I wanted to write an Asteroid for the orchestra. I didn't really expect to get a Berlin Phil commission and certainly not at the beginning of a rehearsal. He also told me the other composers involved and it was a nice mixture.
Jim Fahey: Can you tell a little more about the Planets project?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: It's called Ceres, which was one of the first asteroids to be discovered. I was inspired by the Bill Bryson book, A Brief History of Almost Everything, where he talks about an asteroid hitting the earth. So my piece is about this possibility and the devastation thereafter. So a very happy piece!
Jim Fahey: Who are some of the other composers on the project?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: The other composers involved were Kaaja Saariaho, Matthias Pintshcer, and Brett Dean.
Jim Fahey: Who were your teachers or your influences when you started to compose?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: My teacher from the age of 15 was Oliver Knussen, who is an amazing teacher and influence on me. Then I studied at Tanglewood in the U.S. with Gunther Schuller and Hans Werner Henze. Henze has been a particular influence on me for my career and also my attitude towards work.
Jim Fahey: Have you had much interaction with Osvaldo Golijov?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I met him here in May for the first time, which is surprising because we have many mutual friends and should have probably met years ago. We've had a bit of interaction but we want to do more, in fact we want to share a MusicNOW concert in the next season. Although we're very different composers, there are certain fundamental things we share.
Jim Fahey: After this residency, when will you be back in Chicago?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I'll be back in January for the premiere of From All Sides and the MusicNOW concert.
Jim Fahey: Where does the title, From All Sides come from?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: It's not a quote, but it sounds like it, or a title of a book or anything. It's called that because the players surround the audience at certain points, so the sound is hitting you from all sides.
Jim Fahey: Are there any questions from others in the chatbox?
Matt Greenberg: I'm curious if you've written many choral works, or do you think you will, in addition to your operas and orchestral pieces?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I've not written many choral works. I recently wrote a piece for the Berlin Radio Choir and the Berlin Phil called A Relic of Memory. I also wrote a piece for the CBSO in the early 90s called Leaving, which is now withdrawn. I find it very hard to write for chorus. It doesn't come naturally to me. One thing I have done very recently is write a series of carols, one of which is for the famous Nine Lessons in King's College Cambridge. It'll be performed there on Christmas Eve this year. So I do get asked quite a lot, but it takes me a long time to write the pieces.
Marc Van Bree: Your sound is obviously very different from Osvaldo Golijov's, but through the MusicNOW collaboration, is there any chance of mutual influence on each other's work?
Sean Hopp (Chicago Symphony Orchestra): I've heard that "3 screaming popes" was partially inspired by the Bacon painting. If so, was this a conscious effort to translate the piece into music, or just raw inspiration?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: It's just raw inspiration. There are four outbursts toward the end of the piece, but they aren't really screams, as such. I used Spanish dances, which are partially hidden, because the pope paintings by Bacon are based on paintings by Velázquez. So it was a lot of levels of inspiration that inspired the piece.
piano88: Have you had occasion to meet or familiarize yourself with the new works of Todd Machover of MIT, with hyperscore?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: Regarding Todd Machover, I know his work from IRCAM in Paris. Because of the electro-acoustic element, those composers tend to be separated from composers like me. It's a different world.
Bohumil: I may be asking you to generalize a bit, but do you find that the players in the major orchestras like performing new works by contemporary composers?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: I think it's very varied-how the players feel. Obviously some composers write against instruments, which probably doesn't go down well with orchestras. But I think, even though they might not like the pieces necessarily, if you have an ability to orchestrate, there's usually some respect. I find it really helpful if you have a few friends dotted around the orchestra. Sometimes they can influence some of the players around them who are being negative.
Steve Burkholder: You mentioned that you use the piano 75% of the time to compose. What is the other 25%? Any computer/MIDI use?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: The 25% away from the piano is mainly at a desk, but I do use Sibelius to make the fair copy.
Lori M: When composing, do you ever imagine a space (an ideal space?) in which your work might be performed?
Mark-Anthony Turnage: Well, there are certain concert halls that are wonderful. But these days I really like concerts especially for chamber music in art galleries, because I like the space. At the moment, that's almost my favorite venue, but for orchestra, something that isn't too reverberant-because I write a lot of notes.
Jim Fahey: Well, on that note, thanks to all for joining us today. Mark, we're very excited about your residency with the CSO and look forward to hearing your works.
Mark-Anthony Turnage: Thanks. Great pleasure to be in Chicago, and the weather's got better.
piano88: Keep up the good work(s)! Thanks for your creativity.
Marc Van Bree: Cheers, Mark! And go Gunners!
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Carlos Kalmar participated in a live chat on October 11. Below is the edited transcript of the chat.
Jim Palermo (Grant Park Music Festival): Carlos is here, ready to go. What are you up to these days?
Carlos Kalmar: I'm in Oregon working with the Oregon Symphony.
Jim Palermo: What big projects are you involved with?
Carlos Kalmar: I'm conducting Szymanowsky with Jenny Koh, then next week Mozart with Robert Levin.
Jim Palermo: Carlos recorded Szymanowsky with Jenny and the Grant Park Orchestra on the Cedille label.
Jim Hirsch (Chicago Sinfonietta): Carlos, welcome. How do you like Pritzker Pavilion? What works well and what, if anything is challenging about the venue?
Carlos Kalmar: Hi Jim. I think the Pritzker is the most amazing outdoor facility in the world!
Jim Hirsch: In what ways?
Carlos Kalmar: Challenging is the traffic that goes nearby, and the air and water show during rehearsals at the end of the season.
John Ryan (Music of the Baroque): Greetings. I've enjoyed your concerts with Grant Park. Do you program differently for a free festival like Grant Park than a traditional ticketed season?
Carlos Kalmar: Yes, programming is different. The Festival is free, so I do not feel the pressure of having to sell tickets. More adventurous!
Jim Palermo: What is Bob Levin up to?
Carlos Kalmar: With Bob Levin we do a concert same style as when Mozart was alive. The order of the pieces is unusual.
Rosalind: Hi, from The Sage Gateshead, England. So that's why you divide up the Mozart symphony into 2 halves?
Carlos Kalmar: First three movements from a symphony, then Un sourire by Messiaen, then Robert plays a concerto, then he improvises, and at the end we play the fourth movement of the symphony.
MusicLover: Do you get a lot of pressure to stick with the standard rep, and if so, will you continue to mix it up?
Carlos Kalmar: The pressure in GPMF is not big. Our programs are very innovative, we can take risks. Where else could you mix Mozart Requiem with Tibetan Chant??
MusicLover: Indeed--how was the overall response from the audience for the Mozart/Tibetan monk concert?
Carlos Kalmar: I think they loved it. Especially the last night, when we worked it differently, so the "intermissions" between monks and us didn't disturb the flow of the evening.
Rosalind: Any big highlights for Grant Park next season you can reveal?
Carlos Kalmar: GP programs are in progress. Yes we have big projects, but nothing is for sure yet, so I can't reveal anything, because we might change our mind.
Jim Palermo: Good answer, Carlos. Very diplomatic.
Carlos Kalmar: Smile.
Jim Hirsch: Yes, but let's finally break some news on ccm.org, okay?
Carlos Kalmar: We can do that when we are sure what will happen. We don't create programs in a week (wish!!!!)
MusicLover: How about some hints--ballet? theatre? jazz? We won't hold you to it...!
Carlos Kalmar: The reason why our programming is good is because we invest so much time and energy, and we revisit our ideas all the time...
Ballet yes - I think the collaboration with Joffrey last time was amazing, we all had a lot of fun and the audience loved it.
Jazz is hard because there is not so much crossover stuff to choose from.
And we have already worked with actors. In January I'm working in Baltimore on Elgar's Falstaff, interspersed with actors. If it works, I might bring that to Chicago.
Rebecca Levy (Grant Park Music Festival): Hi Carlos. What is the rehearsal schedule like in Oregon? Do you prefer having more time to rehearse or do you like the more intense time frame at GPMF?
Carlos Kalmar: Hi Reba, the rehearsal schedule is kind of the standard that every orchestra has in the country. Nobody in the world is a fast as GPMF Orchestra. They are genius.
Karen Ryan: Hi Carlos - So you'll be in Baltimore in January - where else will you be conducting this season?
Carlos Kalmar: LA next month, Madrid in December, Lahti in November, Amsterdam in March, Dallas in April and Kansas as well, San Francisco Symphony in February
Rosalind: But nothing in England sadly?!
Carlos Kalmar: Ireland probably next season, and I'm talking to RSNO as well
mfouche (Grant Park Music Festival): Hi Carlos - How do you like the open aspect the outdoor GPMF rehearsals?
Jim Hirsch: What do you do to stay cool on the really hot, humid nights? Do they give you a stream of cool air from somewhere?
Carlos Kalmar: Air conditioning is a great invention.
Rosalind: Does the new GPMF acoustical system help to cancel out traffic noise? That was the most frustrating thing with the old venue I guess.
Carlos Kalmar: Traffic noise can't be cancelled. But the venue is placed differently, that helps already, and the system is so brilliant that you often forget Lake Shore Drive.
MusicLover: On an entirely different subject, it seems as though the word is getting out to the public about GPMF, undoubtedly because of the new facility at Millennium Park. However, there are plenty of people in the Chicago area who still don't know.
Carlos Kalmar: Yes, but the word is out there. I think we'll see an amazing development happening very fast. Chicagoans love the Park.
Karen Ryan: You mentioned Jenny Koh performing in Oregon this season - which other Chicago artists do you particularly enjoy working with?
Carlos Kalmar: I like so many artists...gosh! It doesn't really matter, where they come from. Problem is, you can't work with them all the time. I just worked with Valentina Lisitsa, whom we have seen in Chicago so often!
Jim Palermo: What's the most difficult thing about being a conductor today?
Carlos Kalmar: The motivation of musicians is tricky. You have to bring 90 very different personalities along. And they really know their stuff.
MusicLover: Aside from word of mouth, are there any new and innovative ideas to advertise the free concerts?
Carlos Kalmar: Well, I think the web is a great tool for ads. And I remember seeing stuff about GPMF on the public transportation system as well, radio...
Tony Macaluso: Are there any pieces that you've conducted in the Park that you think took on a different feeling because of being done in that space? (As an audience member, the Adams' On the Transmigration of Souls' the summer before last was one that took on a different feeling from being done in the heart of the city...)
Carlos Kalmar: I think the Transmigration is the perfect example for something that sounds different because of the venue. I've conducted it twice since.
Needless to say that the Transmigration is heartbreaking no matter where you play it. But in Chicago it was special. Natural street noise, skyscrapers....
MusicLover: Yes, and the moon rising over the lake as the orchestra played...
Jim Palermo: BTW, the composer John Adams told me that several friends called him right after the performance to say how moved they were.
Rebecca Levy: I'm getting chills just thinking about it!
Carlos Kalmar: The good news, as far as I'm concerned, is that it wasn't the only time when we experienced something amazing altogether. Remember the Dvorak (Stabat Mater) at the end of last season....
Jim Palermo: Does the Oregon Symphony do out of the box advertising for its concerts? If so, what?
Rosalind: How about the occasional live webcast of a GPMF concert - is there musician agreement for that in place?
Carlos Kalmar: No we don't do that. But we are currently exploring what we could do to change our way of marketing. I think that you have to reinvent that all the time
mfouche: Carlos - Maggy here - do you see a difference between GPMF audiences and the Oregon audiences?
Carlos Kalmar: The wonderful thing about Chicago audience is that I think that since we are at the Pritzker the audience is changing on a daily basis.
There is the core of people, but you see folks as well, with kids, that probably have never attended before. It was magic.
Rosalind: Can you tell us about any future recording plans for the GP Orchestra?
Carlos Kalmar: I'm so happy that in GP we could work with so many living composers, Adams, Kernis, Corigliano, Harbison. And they all love us.
We have started 2 new recordings side by side last season. One is featuring Jennifer Larmore, it might be called "Queens", we recorded Berlioz and Barber already. The other is music by Aaron Jay Kernis
Rosalind: That sounds seriously cool!
Carlos Kalmar: It is. We recorded Barber's Andromache’s Farewell, that piece (great!!!) has not been recorded since the premiere in the 60s.
MusicLover: Symphony in Waves sounded amazing, was it difficult?
Carlos Kalmar: The hardest piece we ever played. The rhythm was so hard, musicians said it was like boot camp. But in the end we loved it.
Rosalind: Well all the recordings up til now have received rave reviews over this side of the Pond! Can't wait to hear them.
Carlos Kalmar: Yes, and it's wonderful to see that we have done so many, considering how often we get together.
MusicLover: Can't wait for the recording...when will it be released?
Jim Hirsch: Carlos, I have to leave for a meeting. Thanks so much for spending an hour with us on ccm.org!
Carlos Kalmar: Bye Jim
Carlos Kalmar: The recording will be released in 08. We'll finish recording next summer, then we'll 'process' the results
Jim Palermo: We still have 8 minutes if there are still other questions.
Rosalind: Any dream pieces you would like to do in Grant Park, money no object...!
MusicLover: Any dream artists you'd like to invite to GPMF?
Carlos Kalmar: Missa Solemnis would be nice. Dvorak Requiem... Mahler. But what I also look forward is the stuff that is brand new to me.
Carlos Kalmar: Well, I would love to see some singers there. If we could get Renee Fleming, and Bryn Terfel, that would be a dream...
Let’s not forget that we already work with some great people...
Hilary Hahn would be nice. And Yo-Yo.
And if I get very very ambitious....Simon Rattle, Maris Janssons...
Tony Macaluso: Question about the Latin programs, especially Misa Criolla & Cantata Criolla. Did you use any particular techniques in getting the orchestra oriented to those pieces?
Carlos Kalmar: Not really. They are understanding, talented musicians. The 'tricky' part was the Cantata. So I sang the rhythm for them. Great laughs.
Jim Palermo: OK, just one or two more questions before we have to sign off...
John Ryan: Carlos, I've enjoyed reading along. I look forward to next summer. Thank you.
Carlos Kalmar: Thanks John
Rosalind: I have to go look after the Chilingirian Quartet... great idea, this chat - you should all do it again nearer the next GP.
Carlos Kalmar: Bye Rosalind.
Rosalind: Bye Carlos.
MusicLover: Time for me to go...thank you for visiting us online. Bravo to the "dream team" of Jim, Carlos, Christopher and all of the staff at GPMF!
Jim Palermo: OK. Thanks to you all for signing on and participating. Carlos, you were great. Thanks for taking time to be with us.
Rebecca Levy: Thanks Carlos!
mfouche: Goodbye all. Carlos, I really enjoyed this.
Karen Ryan: Thanks Carlos!
Carlos Kalmar: Thanks everybody, chat next time!!!
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On October 4, Jane Glover joined CCM members for a rare live chat. This is an edited transcript of that conversation.
John Ryan: Hi, I'm John Ryan from Music of the Baroque. I'll be moderating our chat with our Music Director, Jane Glover. She's joining us from Berkeley where she is working with Philharmonia Baroque and the Mark Morris Dance Group in a production of Purcell's King Arthur. How did this collabaoration on King Arthur come about?
Jane Glover: This is a co-production between English National Opera, MMDG and PBO. I did the production in London this summer, and am doing it now in Berkeley. It's glorious!
Jim Palermo (Grant Park Music Festival): Welcome Maestra! We all kow you as an early music conductor. What big rep do you love doing? What would a dream concert hold for you?
Jane Glover: Well - almost everything! (I don't really do Wagner..) As I think you know, my main loves are Mozart and Britten. And I have a great affection for the big choral stuff too.
Jim Palermo: Can you tell us about the German production you were just in?
Jane Glover: I was just at the Staatsoper in Berlin, doing Cosi fan tutte, in a crazy fun production by Doris Dorrie.
Jim Palermo: What was so crazy?
Jane Glover: It was set in the 1970s, and full of hippie references, with dope-smoking and so on. And the singers were great, and the orchestra out of this world! Perhaps I mean hippy...
Jim Hirsch (Chicago Sinfonietta): What will you be doing this season in Chicago that excites you?
Jane Glover: Well, everything with MOB! I am looking forward to the concerts at the end of this month, though with bittersweetness as our beloved Elliott Golub will retire. And then I am really excited about doing Monteverdi's ULISSE with COT [Chicago Opera Theater], and my great colleague Diane Paulus. I have spent much of the summer working on my new edition of the Monteverdi
Jim Palermo: Getting back to a few lines ago, what big choral rep would you like to do that you haven't already explored?
Jane Glover: I have done most of it actually, but there are a couple of the big Elgars still to come my way. And I have to confess I haven't done Gurrelieder.
Eli Maor: Dear Ms. Glover I was wondering if J.S. Bach or Handel ever used trombones in theirr scoring? I'm not aware of any work by them using trombones, and I was wondering why they shunned it? After all, it was a readily available instrument.
Jane Glover: Hi Eli - are you a trombonist?
Eli Maor: No, I am a mathematician!
Jane Glover: I can't think of any use either. They came into their own (after the Renaissance) in church music in the early 18th century - largely to keep the choir in tune. You will notice in that in Haydn and Mozart masses, the trombones double the choral lines.
Eli Maor: Thanks a lot - I appreciate your patience with my rather narrow question.
Jane Glover: Can anyone else out there think of trombones in Bach or Handel?
Jim Palermo: Weren't they used to conjure religious connotations through the classical era?
Jane Glover: Yes yes yes. See Don Giovanni!
Tony Macaluso: Since joining MOB, have you had any particular surprises in terms of the perception Chicago audiences have of Baroque music? Especially audiences that might be new to the repertoire?
Jane Glover: Hi Tony actually I think our audience has been quite receptive to "new" repertory ideas. But I am very very aware that our core rep is the Baroque (whatever that is...)
ropamod: Fern, I can't believe that you haven't asked Jane about Jane's plans to run!
Jane Glover: I haven't been running yet this morning in California (2 hours behind you) but will sooooon!
Fern: I was going to save us all the embarrassment but here goes Jane, shall I schedule a 5K run on October 29th? A fun Halloween run!
Jane Glover: Fern - hi! Are you serious?
Fern: Of course. I keep up with my running only so I can keep up with you. Let's do it.
Jim Palermo: Count me in. I am a runner, too. I'll buy breakfast afterwards!
Jim Hirsch: Me too, especially if Jim P is buying!
Jane Glover: Fern - isn't 29th the day of the concert But, well, why not! Let's do it! Any other takers?? JOHN????
susan712: haha! how I wish I ran...
Jane Glover: Fern, at this rate you are going to have to get us all matching t-shirts...
Fern: I'll start working on it right now.
DonnaW: this is my first time in this chat; it appears all of you know one another; is the 5K run open to any of us out here?
John Ryan: Donna, definitely, as a matter of fact I'd appreciate some company at the back of the pack!
Fern: I have to leave but I have all your names and I'll be planning the 1029 run. Keep up the training. Jane, can't wait to see you in a few weeks.
Jane Glover: Fern - keep at John! He owes me...
Jim Palermo: I loved the Tippet a few seasons ago and the baroque tie in was cool. Why were people so reactionary?
Jane Glover: Were they reactionary? Maybe I am shielded from the bad reactions.
Jim Palermo: I thought people complained that the Tippet wasn't Baroque....
Jane Glover: I do believe that both audiences and indeed musicians benefit hugely from the juxtaposition of old and new it's an extremely satisfying diet.
Jim Palermo: Jane. shallow question!! Is buying concert black difficult for women conductors?
Jane Glover: Nice question Jim! Actually, I rather enjoy that aspect of retail therapy. And, to be honest, will be heading into San Francisco this morning to do just that!
Rebecca Levy (Grant Park Music Festival): Has MOB performed works by Zelenka?
Jane Glover: Hi Rebecca no Zelenka in my time, I confess. Any particular requests?
John Ryan: Rebecca, I just checked our performance history. It appears we've never performed Zelenka.
Rebecca Levy: I know that I've played one of his masses, but I can't remember exactly which one. He was my favorite baroque composer to play, as a bassoonist.
Jane Glover: I will look again at Zelenka thanks for the suggestion.
Jim Hirsch: I have to leave Jane. Thanks for joining us this morning and participating in this chat. Fun to meet you, virtually.
Jane Glover: Bye Jim. Thanks for being here too.
susan712: I should know this, but I'll ask anyway is the MOB orchestra going to perform on period instruments for King Arthur, or will you get other musicians to play it?
Jane Glover: Hi Susan. We will be using period instruments, and will largely therefore be difefrent players from our regulars, though you will recognise some (like David Schrader, of course).
susan712: Ahh yes. Cool.
Jane Glover: The period players will be those who played our Monteverdi programme two years ago, plus others of course. And the concertmaster will be the great Elizabeth Blumenstock.
susan712: Excellent - thanks for the info.
Ashley G: Ms. Glover, do you feel the early music scene has changed since you first started conducting?
Jane Glover: Hallo Ashley well yes. (I am so old!) The period playing has become absolutely wonderful. In the 70s when I started it was not so great, and got a bad reputation. But there has been so much activity in the last 30 years, and the repertory has been rediscovered, really. And we have all learned so much.
And then of course there has been the rise and rise of the countertenor. When I started there was just James Bowman, really. And now look... Good countertenors are growing on trees. And as a result, Handel operas are now in the rep of every opera house on the planet. Hooray!
And the result of all this period playing is that the modern instruments bands, like us at MOB, have changed our sounds significantly.
Jim Palermo: So true...
Jim Palermo: I think it has also forced "modern" orchestras to learn how to play with much more flexibility and range of expression.
Jane Glover: Same point, yes, Jim! Articulation, texture, line, colour....
Jim Palermo: Also weight of sound, transparency and forward motion
John Ryan: Okay, we've got about 5 minutes left to wrap, any final questions?
Jane Glover: Are you running then, John??
John Ryan: Arrrgh, yes, only if someone will keep me compnay back there!
Jim Palermo: John, we'll tow you along....
Jim Palermo: Jane, any aspirations for the future we should know about? Any more formal associations or lots of guest conducting?
Jane Glover: Jim - lots of guesting. Big aspirations Peter Grimes! And the one Mozart opera I have never done, La Clemenza di Tito.
Jim Palermo: Grimes, Grimes, Grimes.... Love to hear both of those....Brian [Dickie of COT]......????
Jane Glover: Indeed! I have been trying to get BD to do Tito!
Jim Palermo: BRIAN - TITUS, PER FAVORE
Jim Palermo: Thanks, Jane, for a most entertaining session. And to you John for organizing the event.
John Ryan: Thank you Jane. We're looking forward to seeing you in Chicago in just a couple weeks. And thank you to everyone who's participated. Please stop backstage and say hi.
Jane Glover: Bye all. I'm off to train for John's Big Run.
Jim Palermo: Bye, bye....Get those running shoes warmed up.
John Ryan: Forgive the marketing plug, but concerts are at 7:30 on Oct 29th (Evanston) & 30th (Harris Theater). For ticket information, please visit http://www.baroque.org/ or call (312) 551-1414.
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On June 28 Yo-Yo Ma joined CCM members for a rare live chat. This is an edited transcript of that conversation. Participants are identified on first reference by organization, when provided.
Jim Fahey (Chicago Symphony Orchestra): Hi, this is Jim Fahey moderator of today's chat with Yo-Yo Ma […] Welcome Yo-Yo. We’re happy to have you with us in Chicago for the past few days. Your performance of Osvaldo Golijov’s new cello concerto, “Azul,” at Ravinia on Sunday night was amazing. What was it like to bring this new piece to life?
Yo-Yo Ma: It was a joy to work with such a passionate composer. While Osvaldo has very specific ideas and concepts, he also encourages the musicians to be free to experiment and improvise within the composition. Osvaldo possesses a great fertile imagination and "Azul" seems to incorporate the many styles of music that form Golijov's background.
Azn_Violinist: Out of curiosity, what age did you start playing the cello?
Yo-Yo Ma: Thanks for your question! I was four when I started playing the cello.
Christopher Slavik (Chicago Symphony Orchestra): I didn't hear you at Ravinia on Sunday. Did you improvise in “Azul”?
Yo-Yo Ma: Yes, I did improvise in "Azul."
Jwieland: Have you forgotten your cello since the famous NYC cab incident?
Yo-Yo Ma: No, I haven't forgotten my cello since that fateful day - turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks.
archie: Were you forced into it at such a young age? Or was it completely your choice?
Yo-Yo Ma: I first started playing the violin, but I wasn't any good at it. Then, one day I saw a double bass, and it was so big, and I was four, so that was incredibly exciting to me. I wanted to play the bass, so my parents and I compromise
QuébeC: Do you consider yourself a "cross-over" artist?
Yo-Yo Ma: I don't really think about music in categories. I think categories work really well in a record store, but most people I know are interested in a variety of music, and that's how I am too.
isabelle: How did you approach learning this work?
bwc: Are any universities considering supporting the [Silk Road] project?
Yo-Yo Ma: The Silk Road Project has ongoing relationships with the Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard University. Here in Chicago, one of our Ensemble members, DaXun Zhang, teaches at Northwestern, and we'll be doing some activities at the University of Chicago in November. One of the things I love about Silk Road Chicago is that it's a year long, so that allows time for our work with universities to evolve.
lilysteel: what one composition do you find yourself drawn to over and over again?
Yo-Yo Ma: Composition I find myself drawn to: the first piece I learned was the Prelude to Bach's first Suite. My father taught me the Prelude two measures a day.
bwc: Is anyone adapting the material to be used as a basis for college or high school courses?
Yo-Yo Ma: Thanks for the question on the Silk Road Project and high school and college students! The Stanford Program on Inter-Cultural Education is creating a curriculum for 6th to 10th graders. I spent yesterday with a group of CPS teachers, who gave SPICE some great feedback. The curriculum will launch in the Chicago Public Schools this fall.
bwc: Thank you - I think the best opportunity may be using the material as a base for students of different nationalities around the world to study the subject(s) together online
QuébeC: What is the "best" summer music festival in your opinion (besides Ravinia of course).
Yo-Yo Ma: There are so many wonderful summer festivals! Tanglewood, of course, is close to my heart. It's always a pleasure to be out in Aspen, or to be at Saratoga, and I love the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
mjackson: Do you ever sign CDs at any of your concerts?
Yo-Yo Ma: Sure, sometimes.
archie: Who do you feel is the greatest conductor you have ever played with?
Yo-Yo Ma: Greatest conductor: Wow. I've learned so much from so many different people, it's really hard to choose one. I don't really think in those terms. I think a great conductor is someone who gets the best work from everyone involved in performing a piece and makes everyone feel they are working toward something greater than themselves.
isabelle: Thanks so much for doing the Silk Road project. What do you think the future of music is?
Yo-Yo Ma: Future of music: As far as I know, there is no society that does not have music. I think music of any time period is a reflection of the state of the culture at that time.
Marc van Bree (Chicago Symphony Orchestra): You recently appeared before a House Committee appealing to relax visa requirements for artists; how important do you think it is for artists to advocate their positions in cultural policy? Specifically concerning international and cross-cultural policies?
Yo-Yo Ma: Marc, thanks for your question. I think that all societies have political, economic and cultural engines. I think the best thing is when all three engines are running strongly and independently. Sometimes, though one of the engines can inadvertently have a negative impact on another one of the engines. When that happens, I think it's important to correct that, and I testified before Congress because they thought I could bring a point of view, from the cultural realm, that would illuminate their work in the political realm.
QuébeC: I don't see music "adoucir les moeurs" anywhere. Do you?
Yo-Yo Ma: QuebeC, I think there is as much infinite variety in music as there is in people. Keep looking!
Munch24: I am a 17-year-old cellist, and I just wanted to comment that your dedication to music has inspired me ever since I started. I have to go, it was an honor to read your responses.
DFRosenthal: Mr. Ma, you were discussing what makes a conductor great. Do any specific conductors come to mind?
Yo-Yo Ma: Daniel Barenboim once told me that to do anything in the expressive arts, you have to start from the inside. Another great conductor, Donald Runnicles, has a fearless imagination, is extremely sensitive to his surroundings, and is a consummate musician. Another great conductor, Miguel Harth-Bedoya: Miguel absorbs an unbelievable amount of information quickly. He's deeply involved in looking at the Inca trails, and I can't wait to see what he discovers.
mjackson: Thank you for the opportunity to chat. Yo-Yo Ma you are an inspiration to my 7-year-old cellist. Thank you.
Yo-Yo Ma: mjackson, Say hi to your cellist for me!
Jo Ann Bondi: Is genius innate or can true talent be developed over time and with practice?
Yo-Yo Ma: Jo Ann, that's a hard question to answer in 100 words! I actually dislike the word genius, because rather than measuring ability on a continuum it separates people into a category. I believe that the ability to make sustained leaps in abstraction is what people define as genius, but people who can't make those leaps also have flashes of genius. In music, I think it's all about content, communication and reception. No one is good at all three. For me, the challenge is to know what my weaknesses are and plug away at them.
Jo Ann Bondi: Fair enough, then is talent innate or can it be developed with practice?
Yo-Yo Ma: Both.
Jo Ann Bondi: Thank you for graciously giving of your time. You have opened up the world of music to so many!
Yo-Yo Ma: Thanks, Jo Ann. I don't know if I answered your question, but hopefully that's food for more thought.
Azn_Violinist: Yo-Yo Ma, congratulations on your win of Denmarks Music prize!!!!!!
Yo-Yo Ma: Azn_Violinist, thank you very much!
isabelle: Which musics -- other than the western classical tradition -- currently influence or interest you the most?
bwc: What did you think about the recent NYTimes article on the overstated demise of classical music?
Jim Hirsch (Chicago Sinfonietta): Mr. Ma, any thoughts about the field in general? Things that are good - things that need to be improved?
Yo-Yo Ma: I know we've had a couple of questions about the field of classical music, so I'm going to try to address that. I think there are many different kinds of classical music, and it's a constantly evolving field. Lots of musicians around the world are now writing music that I think of as world classical music. Osvaldo Golijov is a great example of that. Classical composers have always taken inspiration from the world around them - Bach did that, Dvorak did that, you can probably think of 100 others - but today it happens in a different way. I think it's really exciting to be part of a field that is evolving so quickly and in such interesting directions.
isabelle: Wow, world classical music is a great term. Thanks so much for sharing your ideas with us! I think it's great that you're helping to expand the repertoire and, most likely, broaden the public, too.
Jim Fahey: Why did you pick Chicago for this project? What are you hoping will occur here?
Yo-Yo Ma: I love Chicago! This city has such a can-do spirit, and it's a city that contains the whole world within its boundaries. Chicago is also a city with great leaders - Mayor Daley, Cultural Commissioner Lois Weisberg, Deborah Card at the CSO, and Jim Cuno at the AIC are all people who embrace big vision and know how to get things done.
DFRosenthal: Do you feel that despite the evolution that the performance venue we know as the concert hall will still thrive?
Yo-Yo Ma: I think that acoustic spaces will always be one of the treasured ways of listening to live music.
Paul Westermann: Silk Road Cooking is a cookbook with dishes that originated along that ancient network of trade routes. Do you personally feel there is a relationship between your diet and performing at a high level?
Yo-Yo Ma: Paul, what an interesting question! I've never really thought about it. I tend not to eat too much before performances because it makes me fall asleep, so maybe it's not about what you eat, but when you eat.
isabelle: How is RISD involved in the Silk Road project?
Yo-Yo Ma: isabelle, check out www.silkroadproject.org!
Jo Ann Bondi: As far as I know earlier performers rarely left the realm of "pure" classical movement, is your departure part of a redefinition of classical or a personal venture?
Yo-Yo Ma: Jo Ann, Robert Harth once told me that today, no one grows up listening to one kind of music. I certainly find that in my conversations with members of the Silk Road Ensemble. I think that we're all just responding to the world we live in.
mora4: Hello Mr. Ma, when will you come to Mexico?
Azn_Violinist: What inspired you to play the Cello?
Yo-Yo Ma: I was lucky to have many teachers who went out of their way to help me. In school, my 8th grade teacher Miss Davids wouldn't let me get away with anything, and she opened my mind to the larger world of literature. In college, Luise Vosgerchian gave me the tools to decode a piece of music. Leonard Rose, my great cello teacher, was infinitely patient with me and knew when it was time for me to try to interpret a piece on my own. Leon Kirchner set the imaginative bar incredibly high. The list of great teachers goes on and on.
Jim Fahey: We only have a few more minutes, so sorry we can't take more questions.
Jim Hirsch: Thanks Yo-Yo Ma for chatting today!
bwc: thank you, thank you, thank you
lilysteel: thanks so much for sharing your heart with us today!
isabelle: Thanks for everything.
Azn_Violinist: Thanks! I have an exam coming up and I’ll keep you in mind!
mora4: Mr. Ma, I play the cello thanks to you, I'll go see you play the Dvorak all the way from Mexico City, hope you play a lot of encores!! Thank you!
Yo-Yo Ma: Thank you all for spending this time with me today, and thanks for your great questions! I had a great time, and I hope you did too. See you around Chicago!
DFRosenthal: We look forward to seeing you in September, Mr. Ma. In the meantime, safe travels, and enjoy what the remainder of summer has to offer!
Jim Fahey: Thanks to all for joining us today. I would encourage you all to check out silkroadchicago.org to check out the great things that Yo-Yo has inspired in Chicago.
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On July 12, 2006 former Chicago Sun-Times music critic Wynne Delacoma joined CCM members for an hour-long live chat. This is an edited transcript of that conversation. Participants are identified on first reference by organization, when provided.
Jim Hirsch (Chicago Sinfonietta): Welcome to today's chat with former Sun-Times classical music critic Wynne Delacoma. Thanks for joining us, Wynne. I am the moderator of today's chat and would ask you to allow Wynne to answer the questions before sending add another question along. Wynne, can you tell us how you first got involved in classical music and journalism?
Wynne Delacoma: It was a matter of two interests colliding. I had always played piano as a youngster and taken ballet lessons. But I wasn't interested in performing or teaching.
Journalism called, but after a few years covering school board meetings and city hall, I realized I could combine journalism and my love of the arts. I went back to school for a masters in music history and literature and eventually started writing criticism.
erikaw1572 (Chicago Sinfonietta): So education played a part in your interest?
Wynne Delacoma: Definitely. I thought it was really important to have some academic background in the field I was writing about.
Jim Hirsch: What changes have you seen in the classical music field in the last 15 years?
Wynne Delacoma: In Chicago, the changes have been vast. But it's a matter of a music scene that was only starting to expand reallly, really taking off.
So many groups have 20th anniversaries coming up, or 25th or 30th anniversaries. Fifteen years ago, there was no guarantee that groups like Chicago Chamber Musicians and the Chicago Sinfonietta would survive to age 20.
The audience has expanded far beyond Lyric Opera and the CSO. It's similar, I think, to Chicago's theater audiences being interested in small theaters outside the downtown mainstream. Part of it is willing audiences, but obviously some of Chicago's finest musicians were looking for new challenges. Members of the CSO and Lyric were looking for chamber music possi
