New York Times (Free subscription) | 11/20/2009
The soprano Aprile Millo made her New York recital debut with an eclectic program of works by Donaudy, Wolf-Ferrari and Rachmaninoff at the Rose Theater on Tuesday.
San Fransisco Chronicle (Free subscription) | 11/08/2009
Rachmaninoff didn't always think big, but when he did, the results can be electrifying in the right hands - such as those of guest conductor Semyon Bychkov, who led the San Francisco Symphony over the weekend in superb performances of not one but two of the...
A Beast in a Jungle (Free subscription) | 11/07/2009
Semyon Bychkov led the San Francisco Symphony through Rachmaninoff's The Bells and Symphony No. 2 last night at Davies. I had the good fortune of bringing my friend GG to see the orchestra perform the first time and she really enjoyed it. It was a program that would satisfy both the newcomer and the regular visitor. Rachmaninoff is one of my favorite composers and this program immediately stood out...
Maya Reynolds (Free subscription) | 11/07/2009
Niccolò Paganini was a noted Italian pianist and composer. He wrote 24 "Caprices for Solo Violin" between 1802 and 1817. He is best remembered for his Caprice No. 24 which has been used as the basis for other works by many composers ranging from Brahms to Benny Goodman to Andrew Lloyd Webber. The most famous of these variations is "Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini" by Sergei...
Musical Assumptions (Free subscription) | 11/07/2009
“If there were a conservatory in Hell, and if one of its talented students were to compose a programme symphony based on the story of the Ten Plagues of Egypt, and if he were to compose a symphony like Mr. Rachmaninoff's, then he would have fulfilled his task brilliantly and would delight the inhabitants of Hell. To us this music leaves an evil impression with its broken rhythms, obscurity and...
San Antonio's Classical Oasis (Free subscription) | 11/02/2009
100 SIBELIUS SYMPHONY # 2 FINALE99 SAINT-SAENS SYMPHONY # 398 ROSSINSI WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE97 RODRIGO CONCIERTO DE ARANJUEZ 2ND MOVEMENT96 RACHMANINOFF RHAPSODY ON A THEME OF PAGANINI95 PUCCINI VISSI D'ARTE - TOSCA94 PROKOFIEV ROMEO AND JULIET SUITE93 MUSSORGSKY NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN92 MOZART SYMPHONY #4191 MOZART SYMPHONY #4090 MOZART MOTET AVE VERUM CORPUS89 MOZART Marriage
Cellomania (Free subscription) | 10/18/2009
Alexander Suleiman and Patricia Hoy gave us a fantastic concert last night. I particularly enjoyed Beethoven's Sonata #3 in A Major for Piano and Cello - the cello seems well suited for this one. I also enjoyed Rachmaninoff's Sonata in G Minor for Cello and Piano (and particularly the " Andante "), which gives full voice to both the piano and cello. Mr. Suleiman hails from Germany but currently...
I'll think of something later (Free subscription) | 10/10/2009
Yes, he has a long way to go. Sure, he's hedged around by inflexible self-interest groups and will be lucky if he pushes through a fraction of what he wants. But I do believe Obama genuinely wants it and I find it so dispiriting when I see American colleagues saying, oh, he's no different from a Republican leader. The Nobel Peace Prize is one in the eye for all that. Look at this for some disparate...
I'll think of something later (Free subscription) | 10/09/2009
They write Rachmaninoff according to the composer's preferred transliteration in the USA and Europe, I write Rachmaninov, but I couldn't get on better with the passionate souls of the Rachmaninoff Society. Some of these set-ups - mentioning no names - are peppered with fanatics who always know best and can't string a sentence together about their chosen hero in their hand-typed journals, but the RS...
Theme and Variations (Free subscription) | 10/04/2009
After listening to the lecture course mentioned below, the first thing I had to do was go out and buy Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. I had a copy somewhere on cassette, but could no longer play cassettes anywhere. I couldn't find a copy at the library or at Half-Price Books and so was forced to go to Barnes and Noble and buy a copy on some cheap label for $6. It's by the Orchestra "New Philharmony"...
Theme and Variations (Free subscription) | 10/04/2009
Just finished listening to The Teaching Company course "How to Listen to and Understand Great Music" which was lent to me by Robert. So naturally I'm on a classical music kick. I've been raiding the local libraries and Half-Price Bookstores to try and round out my classical music collection on CD. Fortunately, when Susan and I first got married in 1990 I joined the BMG Music Club and for...
AfriClassical (Free subscription) | 09/18/2009
["Michael Daugherty Metropolis Symphony"; Terrence Wilson, pianist; Nashville Symphony; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Naxos (2009)] Yesterday AfriClassical posted “Favorably reviewed for his Rachmaninoff 3, Terrence Wilson Has Naxos CD Coming September 29.” Rashida Black, Founder/Executive Director of The Myrtle Hart Society, told us The Winston-Salem Journal had reviewed a concert...
The Arts Blog (Free subscription) | 09/01/2009
Someone named “rmannion” has been posting videos on YouTube which show the score of a classical piece as it is performed by a famous pianist. Here is Sviatoslav Richter in 1971 performing Rachmaninoff’s Op. 32, No. 10 Prelude, as the music flips by. Why this? Well, it’s a good piece, and, for what it’s worth, it happens [...]
The Ambassador roams high and low (Free subscription) | 08/23/2009
The Merola Grand Finale was held Saturday night at the War Memorial Opera House for an enthusiastic audience. The 28 participants (called Merolini) performed solo and in various duets and trios. There was even the quintet from Die Meistersinger. With so many participants I won't detail every performance. All of the participants have a good evening, including especially nice work from the orchestra...
The Arts Blog (Free subscription) | 08/09/2009
CONCERT REVIEW: The conductor returns to Verizon Wireless to lead the Pacific Symphony and others in a memorable reading. Van Cliburn medalist performs Rachmaninoff. The Orange County Register, Aug. 9, 2009. photo: miguel vasconcellos related links: sisyphus with an ipod, or, music you really hate herbie hancock and lang lang team up at the hollywood bowl Post from: The [...]
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