For many the name Mahler conjures (among other) images, one of sprawling orchestras. The Rembrandt Chamber Players’ Mahler Project, which culminates in a fast-approaching concert at the Merit School of Music’s Gottlieb Hall, has served to emend such associations via its annual performances of, you guessed it, “chamber” versions of Mahler masterworks. Rembrandt promises to show again that Mahler’s music does not necessarily call for 100+ performers on a stage the size of a small island nation in its March 23rd performance of Das Lied von der Erde, conducted by Jane Glover.

Our good friend Drew McManus sent me an invitation to list the four holiday songs/pieces I enjoy the most and the least, the four holiday concerts (live) I enjoyed the most and the least, and the four holiday CDs in I enjoy the most and least at his website Adaptistration. 

Anyone who has read my posts here knows that I love making lists, and I signed right on to Drew’s wonderful site and left my choices.  But why should I have all the fun?  I invite all of you to visit Adaptistration and give your 2 cents worth. Rather than actually follow Drew’s suggestions, I added my favorite holiday movies to my list and took a few swipes at various artists along the way – all in good fun (and good cheer, of course!). 

Ah, technology!  It seems that the National Symphony Orchestra’s conductor, Emil de Cou, has prepared real-time program notes to Beethoven’s Sixth that will be beamed via Twitter to people sitting on the lawn of Wolf Trap on July 30. According to an NSO press release, “The messages will begin during intermission and provide facts about Beethoven’s life and work. Once the concert begins, the tweets will be sent at specific points in the score, becoming streaming program notes that mark musical signposts depicting Beethoven’s symphonic tribute to a day in the country.”
 

Norman Pellegrini, long-time program director for WFMT radio, passed away early this morning.

Norm helped to launch the Chicago Chamber Musicians at the inception of the organization in the mid-1980s, recognizing immediately the quality of the founding artists, their unique vision and the potential for such an organization in Chicago.  He started by putting the artists on the air at WFMT on a monthly basis, and his fierce intelligence and keen passion were fodder for the seminal discussions and work that helped to build CCM in the early years.  Since that time, he has been an Honorary Director for CCM. 

Fast Company is one of my favorite magazines.  This month’s cover article is about their list of the 100 most creative people in business.  As you can imagine, the list is full of people from Apple, Facebook, Pixar, and other well-known tech companies. 
It got me thinking about who a list of the most creative people in classical music might include.  I really admire Debra Borda of the LA Philharmonic for hiring Gustavo Dudamel and blogged about it in February of 2008, and I’ve always been a fan of Daniel Bernard Roumain.  Recently, Michael Tilson Thomas’ work with the YouTube Symphony has gotten a lot of buzz.