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The Inspector Cometh
John Musto and Mark Campbell's fourth opera collaboration, The Inspector, takes the stage at Wolf Trap Opera on April 27, 29, and May 1. The comic opera moves Nicolai Gogol's "The Government Inspector" to 1930s Sicily, where a visitor is mistaken for an investigator from the Mussolini regime, sent to root out corruption. Which, in the crooked little town of Santa Schifezza, only breeds more.
The cast features Robert Orth, baritone; Sarah Larsen, mezzo; Anne-Carolyn Bird, soprano; Vale Rideout, tenor; and William Sharp, baritone. Leon Major directs; Glen Cortese conducts. REVIEW
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Premiere of the Opera Sumeida's Song by Mohammed Fairouz
Sumeida's Song, a 3-act opera by Mohammed Fairouz based on the play "Song of Death" by Tawfiq El-Hakim has its concert premiere on April 13 at the New York Society for Ethical Culture Concert Hall. Scott Dunn leads the Mimesis Orchestra and soloists Jo Ellen Miller, soprano; Rachel Calloway, mezzo; Robert Anthony Mack, tenor; and Randall Scarlata, baritone.
About the opera.
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Stunning New Lauridsen Recordings
The Singers - Minnesota Choral Artists, Matthew Culloton, artistic director, have released "Lauridsen - Mid-Winter Songs,", beautifully nuanced recordings of some of Lauridsen's best-known choral cycles.
Meanwhile Voce's Lauridsen recording "Sure on this Shining Night" has drawn this from the American Record Guide: "Performances are absolutely stunning. Voce sings with tender warmth, exquisite nuance, and endearing spirit. They've got everything it takes (and more) to perform Lauridsen to perfection."
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Three Grammy Awards for Michael Daugherty
The much-praised "Metropolis Symphony"/"Deus ex Machina" CD recorded by Giancarlo Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony won three Grammy Awards on February 13:
Best Orchestral Performance,
Best Contemporary Composition, and
Best Engineered Album, Classical
Our congratulations to the composer and all participants!
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Richard Wilson 70th Birthday: Opera at Vassar College, Symphony Space
Richard Wilson's 70th birthday will be celebrated in performances of his whimsical opera Æthelred The Unready at Vassar College (Jan. 22,23) and New York City's Symphony Space (Jan. 25). The cast includes Robert Osborne as Æthelred; Rachel Rosales, his nagging wife Emma; Mary Nessinger, James Ruff, and Christine Howlett. Drew Minter directs; Richard Wilson conducts. [Click on image for more.]
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El Gato con botas (Puss in Boots) in Gotham
The Gotham Chamber Opera under the musical direction of Neal Goren presents the U.S. premiere of Xavier Montsalvatge's opera El Gato con Botas in New York City's New Victory Theater, Oct. 2-10. Using an arrangement for 12 instrumentalists, the production features the ingenious puppetry of England's Blind Summit Theatre. Moises Kaufman, founder of the Tectonic Theater Project, directs.
Click on photo for reviews.
The 2007 revival of Montsalvatge's original full orchestra version met with rave reviews throughout Spain: "El Gato con Botas appeals to children's need for fantastic action and slapstick comedy while providing musical nourishment for discerning opera-lovers." More about the opera.
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An Unknown Gem in the Spotlight
Born in Spain, Julian Orbon (1925-1991) moved to Cuba and then came to New York, where he lived for many years. His orchestra work "Tres Versiones Sinfonicas" (Three Symphonic Versions) is a masterly tribute to sources of inspiration ranging from Perotin to 16th century Spain to Congolese rhythmic patterns. Gustavo Dudamel is reviving it this season in performances with the Vienna Philharmonic, including a Carnegie Hall concert on October 2. More about the work.
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3 Latin Grammy Nominations
Music by Miguel del Aguila and Tania Leon has been honored by Latin Grammy nominations. Aguila's CD "Salon Buenos Aires," Bridge Records CD 9302, is nominated for Best Classical Album and the piano quintet "Clocks" is nominated as Best Classical Contemporary Composition.
Also nominated in that category is "To and Fro" for voice and piano by Tania Leon, released on "Sonidos Cubanos," Innova CD 322.
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The Passenger Premieres in Bregenz: "A masterpiece"
Mieczyslaw Weinberg's opera The Passenger receives its staged premiere in four performances during this year's Bregenzer Festspiele. David Pountney directs; Teodor Currentzis leads the Vienna Symphony. The festival will also present a number of Weinberg's orchestra and chamber works and a symposium on the composer's life and works.
More Information on Festival events and
Reviews.
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The Nashville Symphony After the Flood
Help the Nashville Symphony recover losses sustained in the recent flood by purchasing a digital download of Michael Daugherty's Metropolis Symphony, recorded on Naxos by the Symphony under the direction of Giancarlo Guerrero.
The recording, priced at $3.99, will be available through all major DSPs and online retailers, including iTunes, Amazon MP3, ArkivMusic.com, Classical Archives, and eMusic. Proceeds will go to the Symphony.
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Morten Lauridsen: Spring Activities
Morten Lauridsen's Spring is populated by performances with longtime champions and with ambitious recording projects by new advocates of his music.
Click on the photo for a full description.
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Mexico 2010: A Double Celebration
This year Mexico celebrates both the Bicentennial of its independence and the Centennial of the Mexican Revolution. Chicago, sister city of Mexico City, hosts an extensive celebration of Mexican culture and art, with classical music being presented by The Chicago Symphony, the Civic Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Grant Park Music Festival, Loyola University, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Click here for a complete list of our works by Mexican composers.
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"Shutter Island" features two works by Ingram Marshall
Ingram Marshall's "Fog Tropes" and "Alcatraz" can be heard in Martin Scorsese's film "Shutter Island," which took top box office honors on its opening weekend. The soundtrack CD, available on Rhino Records, can be found here.
Marshall's "September Canons" CD on New World Records (cover at left) has found many admirers, among them Molly Sheridan on New Music Box.
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Miguel del Aguila: "Salon Buenos Aires" CD on Bridge Records
Five chamber works that explore a new terrain between contemporary classical chamber music and Latin popular and folk styles, in bravura performances by Camerata San Antonio.
Review on NewMusicBox.
Available on Amazon
and iTunes.
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On View: a video of recent John Musto CD releases
Here is a short, fast-paced video tour of 4 recent recordings of John Musto's music: 2 operas, songs for voice and piano, and chamber music. For more about the recordings, see this page and scroll down.
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New on Naxos: Michael Daugherty's Metropolis Symphony
Naxos Records has just released Michael Daugherty's "Metropolis Symphony," recorded by Giancarlo Guerrero and the Nashville Symphony. This is the 40-minute symphony's 2nd recording, having first appeared on Argo Records in the 1990s.
On musicweb-international, Rob Barnett calls "Metropolis" "a big burly phantasmagoric romp of a symphony." (click on photo for complete review.)
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Kingdom Come at Cabrillo
Ingram Marshall's Kingdom Come for orchestra and tape was featured in the final 2009 performance by Marin Alsop and the Cabrillo Contemporary Music Festival Orchestra at Mission San Juan Bautista, CA, on August 16. Bay Area critics Joshua Kosman and Richard Scheinin both singled it out as one of the highlights of the weekend. (click on photo for reviews.)
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A Mark Morris Dance to Ives's Trio
The Mark Morris Dance Group premiered "Empire Garden" to Charles Ives's Piano Trio on August 5 and 6 at Tanglewood, with the illustrious trio of Colin Jacobsen, violin; Yo-Yo Ma, cello; and Emanuel Ax, piano. The Boston Globe wrote:
"'Empire Garden' was a joyous and visually gorgeous romp - fecund as insect life, seen under a child’s magnifying glass."
Performances in 09-10 will include those at New York's Mostly Mozart Festival, Cal Performances, and the Krannert Center.
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Bermel's "catchy and clever" work for Galway and many flutes
James Galway premiered Derek Bermel's "Swing Song" at Tanglewood on August 1 as part of a concert celebrating his 70th birthday.
In his Boston Globe review, Jeremy Eichler writes: "Bermel's piece is a high-energy romp fueled by Latin and Bulgarian rhythms with interlocking parts that skillfully engaged around 40 flutists ranging from BSO players to a chorus of very young students gathered around Galway." Leonard Slatkin conducted.
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Opera CD Release & Residency for John Musto
John Musto will be Composer-in-Residence at Mannes College The New School of Music in Manhattan for the 2009-10 year. Performances of his music at Mannes will include his Piano Concerto No. 2, with the composer as soloist.
Musto's first opera, Volpone (libretto, Mark Campbell) has just been released in a 2-CD set by Wolf Trap Records.
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John Musto's Improvisation and Fugue in Cliburn Competition
Pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, Gold Medal winner in the 2009 Cliburn Competition, performed John Musto's "Improvisation and Fugue" in his semifinal recital on May 31. Tsujii's performance won the Beverley Taylor Smith Award for the Best Performance of a New Work in the competition.
To view the performance, click here, select SEMIFINAL ARCHIVES and then TSUJII, NOBUYUKI.
Click here to place an order for Improvisation and Fugue.
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Premiere recordings of music by John Musto
The opera Later the Same Evening, with a libretto by Mark Campbell, is now available on Albany Records, as performed by the Manhattan School of Music Opera Theatre. A recording of the Musto/Campbell opera Volpone has been released on Wolf Trap Recordings.
Also newly released is John Musto -- Songs on Bridge Records, 19 songs performed by Amy Burton, soprano; Patrick Mason, baritone; with the composer and Michael Barrett at the piano.
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We Welcome Ingram Marshall
Peermusic Classical welcomes Ingram Marshall to our catalog. Marshall’s singular voice can be heard in more than 50 works that John Adams has called "dreamlike vistas, each with its own special mood and texture." One hears the influence of Indonesian music, a Sibelius-like introspection, and "hymnodic meditations" on the American past. The American Music Center’s NewMusicBox takes note.
Upcoming events include the premiere in New York City of a chamber work commissioned by Ensemble ACJW, a performance of Kingdom Come at the Cabrillo Festival, and a CD on New World Records.
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Derek Bermel: Voices CD released on BMOP/Sound
Four vividly contrasting orchestra works by Derek Bermel, performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and conducted by music director Gil Rose. Gramophone calls it "staggering eclecticism from a true musical renaissance man." Joshua Kosman writes in the San Francisco Chronicle: “In listening to the magnificent collection of orchestral pieces by the Brooklyn composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel, it’s difficult to know whether to be more knocked out by his stylistic versatility or his technical prowess. I’ll settle for both."
For more of these reviews, and for Allan Kozinn's review in the New York Times, click on the photo.
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Ives Vocal Marathon Concerts
185 songs by Charles Ives will be performed from January 29 to February 1 at Wesleyan University. Organized by Ives scholar, composer, pianist and educator Neely Bruce, the Marathon is the culmination of a four-year presentation of these songs in 14 major concerts and many smaller recitals.
For more information, click on the photo.
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"Eternal Light" CD features Lux Aeterna by Morten Lauridsen
The Sacramento Choral Society and Orchestra have self-released the CD "Eternal Light," pairing the Mozart Requiem with "Lux Aeterna." An interesting story here about the art and economics of this milestone for the SCSO.
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Librettist Mark Campbell online at Opera News
Mark Campbell talks about his collaborations with John Musto, and the art of writing comic opera, on the Opera News website. The Musto-Campbell opera "Later the Same Evening" takes the stage at the Manhattan School of Music in December.
Photo: Cory Weaver, 2008, from the premiere of "Later the Same Evening" at the Clarice Smith Center, Univ. of Maryland.
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Meridian Arts Ensemble on the air
On Sept. 2, the NPR program "All Things Considered" featured a story on the new CD "Timbrando" by the Meridian Arts Ensemble, featuring the brass quintet "Saoko" by Tania Leon.
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New Daugherty "Metropolis Symphony" recording
Fans of contemporary music fondly remember the great Argo series in the 1990s that gave us early orchestral recordings of young American composers, such as "Metropolis Symphony" by Michael Daugherty, recorded in 1997 by David Zinman and the Baltimore Symphony. The Nashville Symphony and its music director designate Giancarlo Guerrero will bring a new perspective to "Metropolis," recording it live this November for Naxos.
Photo: Lex (as in Lex Luthor), 1st movement of the Symphony.
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Lauridsen events on both coasts
Morten Lauridsen has been in residence at Westminster Choir College and Rowan University this spring, where many of his works have been performed. U.S.C.'s Thornton Symphony and Choral Artists present his Lux Aeterna on April 10, with Paul Salamunovich conducting. Then, it's back east for a choral workshop and Lauridsen Festival Concert on April 12, Immanuel Congregational Church, Hartford, CT.
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Leonard Rosenman, 1924-2008
We mourn the passing of Leonard Rosenman, who died in March at the age of 83. An Oscar-winner for his scores of the films “Barry Lyndon” and “Bound For Glory,” in his later years Rosenman concentrated on
concert works including a Violin Concerto performed by Elmar Oliveira and the American Composers Orchestra, and “Looking Back at Faded Chandeliers,” written for Leonard Stein’s Pierrot Project.
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"The alchemy of concerts is complex."
"How will players, soloists, conductor, program and audience all align? What combinations will work and what ideas will fly?" asks Andrew Patner in his review of a concert by the Chicago Sinfonietta conducted by Tania Leon, which featured two of her works.
Click on the photo for Patner's further thoughts.
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Mexico's Chavez and Revueltas celebrated in
Library of Congress events
From March 11 -16, the Library of Congress investigates the relationship between Carlos Chavez and Silvestre Revueltas, Mexico's two greatest composers of the 20th century, in the series Two Faces of Mexican Music.
Concerts and symposia, and a showing of the film Redes with Revueltas's compelling score, will be presented. Performers include the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Camerata Interamericana, and soprano Eugenia Leon with the Post-Classical Ensemble.
More
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Musto & Campbell’s Bastianello
Composer John Musto and librettist Mark Campbell’s comic one-act opera Bastianello premiered at the hands of the New York Festival of Song on March 11 and 13 in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and on the 15th at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. This is the 3rd collaboration between Musto and Campbell, following the full-length operas Volpone and Later the Same Evening.
William Bolcom’s Lucretia (libretto also by Campbell) shared the bill.
REVIEW
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Miguel del Aguila Violin Concerto Premieres
On January 18-20, Guillermo Figueroa (left) performs the violin solo part in the premiere performances of Miguel del Aguila's Violin Concerto. Anne Manson leads the New Mexico Symphony.
The 5-movement work extends del Aguila's residency with the New Mexico Symphony that began with the creation and premiere of his opera "Time and Again Barelas."
Click on photo for more about the concerto.
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Morten Lauridsen Awarded
2007 National Medal of Arts
We congratulate Morten Lauridsen on receiving the 2007 National Medal of Arts. The award, given at a White House ceremony on November 15, cites Lauridsen's "radiant choral works combining musical power, beauty and spiritual depth that have thrilled audiences worldwide.”
We are proud to publish Morten Lauridsen's timeless music and delighted that his achievement has been so honored.
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"Vital" New John Musto/
Mark Campbell Opera
John Musto and Mark Campbell’s new opera “Later the Same Evening”, inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper, premiered on November 15-18 to glowing reviews. The opera was performed by the Maryland Opera Studio at the University of Maryland’s Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center under the direction of Leon Major. [Click on photo for more info and the rave review in the Washington Post.]
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Premiere Recording:
Ned Rorem's Piano Concerto No. 2
Composed for Julius Katchen in 1951, Ned Rorem's Second Piano Concerto was hailed at its premiere in 1954 but lay dormant for over 50 years. Brian Mulligan takes the solo part and Jose Serebrier leads the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in this premiere recording on Naxos, coupled with Rorem's Cello Concerto.
The CD is an Editor's Choice in the December 2007 Gramophone, which calls it "irresistible."
For more information and reviews, click on the photo.
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November Performance Highlights
Arturo Marquez: Danzon No. 2, Simon Bolivar Youth Symphony, U.S. Tour -- Los Angeles, Nov. 2; San Francisco, Nov. 4; Boston, Nov. 7; New York, Nov. 12
Silvestre Revueltas: Homenaje a Federico Garcia Lorca, St. Louis Symphony, Nov. 2, 3, 4
Lou Harrison : Elegiac Symphony, Univ. of California Santa Cruz, Nov. 9, 10
Derek Bermel : Dust Dances, New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert, Nov. 10
Miguel del Aguila : Woodwind Quintet No. 2, Quintet of the Americas, Greenwich House Music School, NYC, Nov. 12
Charles Ives: Decoration Day, Thanksgiving and Forefathers' Day, San Francisco Symphony, Nov. 14-17
Morten Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna,San Francisco Choral Society, Nov. 17, 18
Silvestre Revueltas: La Noche de los Mayas, Philadelphia Orchestra, Nov. 23, 24
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Michael Daugherty's Symphonic Band Music: Coming Soon to a School Near You
Daugherty's vivid works for band figure in the Fall programming of universities and schools around the country. The University of Miami Wind Ensemble, Gary Green director, presents Daugherty’s Desi, Bells for Stokowski, and Red Cape Tango on October 28.
Click on photo for more performances
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October Performance Highlights
Miguel del Aguila: Conga-Line in Hell, chamber orchestra, Stamford Symphony, 10/6, 7; Conga, orchestra, Plymouth (Mich.) Symphony, 10/6
Michael Daugherty: Lex, orchestra, Portland Symphony, 10/27-30; Red Cape Tango, Wake Forest University, 10/31, 11/28
Charles Ives: Decoration Day,Toronto Symphony, 10/1, 13, 14;Symphony No. 2, Columbus Symphony, 10/25, 26, 31
Jerome Kitzke : Mad Coyote Madly Sings,chamber ensemble, Michigan State Univ., 10/1
Arturo Marquez : Danzon No. 2, Houston Symphony, 10/27
Jose Pablo Moncayo: Huapango, Atlanta Symphony, 10/6, 16, 17, 11/20, 12/4
Chevalier de Saint Georges (1745-1799) : Symphony No. 1, Dayton Symphony, 10/14, 12/9
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Volpone at Wolf Trap
John Musto and Mark Campbell's comic opera Volpone has been revived at the Barns at Wolf Trap, where the comic opera was premiered in 2004. Tom Huizinga writes in the Washington Post that the opera adds "even more wit, a rhyming text and music that sparkles" to Ben Jonson's 400 year old play. "...the words and music interlock ingeniously, often in hilarious combinations between several characters.
Click on the photo for the complete review.
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Coming Together
Michael J. Maccaferri and Nicholas Photinos of eighth blackbird perform Derek Bermel's Coming Together at the Bang on a Can Marathon, Sunday, June 3 in New York City.
"Fanfare" wrote that Coming Together, recorded on the New World Records CD "Soul Garden", is a keening of two voices, truly human and something beyond at the same time, funny and eerie."
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At the Summer Festivals
Aspen Music Festival
July 6 - Charles Ives: Ragtime Dances; Silvestre Revueltas: Ocho por Radio
July 13 - Silvestre Revueltas: La Noche de los Mayas
July 14 - Michael Daugherty: Jackie's Song
Caramoor International Music Festival
July 12 - The Jupiter String Quaret performs the world premiere of John Musto's String Quartet
San Francisco Conservatory Chamber Winds
July 21 - Chamber Mix performs the world premiere of Eric Lindsay's mixed quartet The One Best System
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Prize for Weinberg CD
This new Haenssler Classic CD featuring Mieczyslaw Weinberg's Violin Sonatas Nos. 3 and 4 has been awarded the coveted "Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik." The works are performed by Kolja Blacher, violin, and Jascha Nemtsov, piano. The review on Klassik.com sounds a common theme of recent Weinberg recordings:
"The barely known compositions of Weinberg prove valuable additions to the repertoire, in view of which one can only ask why they have thus far remained nearly undiscovered."
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In the Press: Morten Lauridsen's "Absolutely Radiant" Lux Aeterna
"But it was Morten Lauridsen's 'Lux Aeterna' that stole the show. Built on liturgical texts that all have to do with light, this 1997 work is absolutely radiant -- even exalting -- with a kind of rapturous joy running through it. Scribner led a lyrical, delicately nuanced performance that was not only stunningly beautiful, but had the rare and unmistakable ring of truth in every note."
-- Stephen Brookes, Washington Post, May 8, on the Washington Choral Arts Society, Norman Scribner conducting.
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Jacob ter Veldhuis @ The Whitney
The Whitney Museum in New York City presents Grab It! The Music of JacobTV, a 3-day profile of Jacob ter Veldhuis' remarkable music. Performers include the PRISM saxophone quartet, Miro Dance Theater, the New Century Quartet, and Elektric Kompany.
The festival offers a sneak preview of RAINBOW, a 2CD+DVD box of ter Veldhius's orchestral music, the first of 3 JacobTV box sets coming out this year on Holland's Basta Records.
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Tania León Portrait Concert
On May 9, the New York City ensemble Continuum presents seven works by Tania León, including a world premiere, at the Americas Society. Click on the photo for all details.
Continuum has championed León's music for many years, and this concert caps a spring full of performances for the composer.
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Grammy Nomination
The Chamber Symphony No. 1 of Mieczyslaw Weinberg (also known as Moishei Vainberg) has received a Grammy nomination, as recorded by Yuri Bashment and the Moscow Soloists.
More on the Onyx recording here.
RCA Red Seal has released a chamber music recording of Weinberg's music. More about "On the Threshold of Hope".
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Premiere Recordings
Morten Lauridsen: Nocturnes, the 2nd all-Lauridsen CD on Hyperion performed by Polyphony and the
Britten Sinfonia conducted by Stephen Layton.
John Marks writes in the Feb. 2007 Stereophile: “I hold these truths to be self-evident: 1) Rainer Maria Rilke was a genius. 2) Morten Lauridsen is a genius. 3) Lauridsen’s a cappella setting of Rilke’s “Contre Qui, Rose” is one of the most singularly beautiful pieces of vocal music in the history of Western Civilization. 4) Polyphony’s new Hyperion recording of “Contre Qui, Rose” is a Record To Die For.
Musicweb International Review; Lauridsen discography
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Fall 2006 Premieres
10/22 -- World Premiere of Morten Lauridsen’s Chanson Eloignee by the Pacific Chorale, in Orange County’s new Segerstrom Hall.
11/5,7,9,10 -- World Premiere of Eric Lindsay's string quartet "Hopkin and the Wired Night," Del Sol quartet, S.F. Bay Area.
11/14-18 -- World Premiere of Tania Leon’s Reflections, at Harlem Stage’s new Gatehouse venue, on an all-Leon chamber music program.
11/16-18 -- World Premiere of Derek Bermel’s The Migration Series for jazz big band and orchestra: Jazz at Lincoln Center meets the American Composers Orchestra. The Rose Theater, Lincoln Center.
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2006 American Academy of Arts & Letters Awards
Derek Bermel is a recipient of the Academy Award in Music, which honors outstanding artistic achievement and acknowledges the composer who has arrived at his or her own voice.
John Musto will receive the Wladimir and Rhoda Lakond Award, given to a mid-career composer of demonstrated talent.
Scott Wheeler will share the Benjamin H. Danks Award with Marta Ptaszynksa, given to an exceptional composer of ensemble works.
Congratulations to all!
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SNAPSHOT: 9/15/05
“With the opening bars of Silvestre Revueltas' "La Noche de los Mayas," the party sitting next to me put aside its just-opened giant bag of Cheetos and forgot about it until intermission. Once into this arresting depiction of a night of the Maya's revelry and enchantment, once the percussion department's battery of drums got to beating and a conch shell called the Maya to carousing, the crowd clapped and whooped.”
-- Mark Swed, in the Los Angeles Times, on Gustavo Dudamel's conducting debut at the Hollywood Bowl. More on Silvestre Revueltas.
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John Musto at Caramoor
Since October, John Musto has been composer-in-residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. Events include three chamber concerts heavily featuring Musto's music and the premiere of his Piano Concerto No. 1, with Musto as soloist. More information. The 2006 Caramoor International Festival of Music opens with Musto's Overture to "Pope Joan"
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Derek Bermel: Residency and Premieres
July 12-18, 2005: Derek Bermel will be Composer-in-Residence at the Fontana Arts festival in Kalamazoo Michigan. His residency will feature the world premiere of Oct Up for double quartet and percussion. Performers include the Pacifica Quartet, an additional quartet comprised of students, and Bermel himself on percussion.
Also, on July 10, Derek Bermel was at the Tanglewood Music Center for the premiere of his In Tangle, a fanfare for 10 brass players and percussion.
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Remembering David Diamond
David Diamond, whose music Leonard Bernstein called "a vital branch in the stream of American music" died on June 13 at the age of 89.
Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony spurred a revival in performances and recordings of Diamond's music in the 1990s. Their recordings Diamond's orchestral works are available on Delos and Naxos. Click here for Daniel Wakin's obituary in the New York Times.
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Tania León holds residencies in New York and Virginia
On May 20 at 7 PM, Aaron Davis Hall in Harlem will host a performance workshop with Tania León to kick off her extended residency with the hall. She is one of four artists commissioned to create works for the Fall of 2006 to inaugurate The Gatehouse, the hall’s new performance space.
From April 25 - May 8, 2005, Ms. León was a guest composer at the Virginia Arts Festival's John Duffy Composers Institute. Alongside iconic American composers John Corigliano and Billy Taylor, Ms. León was a mentor to young composers, and presented a lecture, "Incorporating Afro-Cuban Rhythms into Compositions.
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Jerome Kitzke and Michael Daugherty featured in Present Music's tour of China
As part of its tour of China in May 2005, Milwaukee-based Present Music performed Jerome Kitzke's Haunted America and Michael Daugherty's Sinatra Shag at the Shanghai and Beijing Conservatories.
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Ian Krouse's "Lorca, Child of the Moon" premieres at UCLA
Ian Krouse has been writing music to the words of Federico Garcia Lorca for some 20 years, much of it in collaboration with the Bilingual Foundation for the Arts of Los Angeles. His 3 Act opera “Lorca, Child of the Moon,” will premiere at UCLA’s Freud Playhouse March 17-20, 2005. The direction is by Margarita Galban, the choreography by Mari Sandoval. Jonathan Stockhammer conducts, assisted by Daniel Cummings.
Click on the photo for more about the opera and the production.
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2004 Grammy Winner
The winner in the Best Vocal Performance category of the 2004 Grammy Awards is Ives: Songs
Susan Graham, mezzo soprano and Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano, recorded on Warner Classics 2564 60297-2
For a complete list of Charles Ives's songs and much more on Ives, see the website of the Charles Ives Society
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Premiere of "Democracy: An American Comedy" by Scott Wheeler
In the Washington National Opera's first commission in 10 years, Scott Wheeler and librettist Romulus Linney explore
the personal and political passions of the U.S. Grant administration, taking the novels of Henry Adams as their point of departure. Democracy: An American Comedy takes a contemporary look at an age-old dilemma—how can love and power coexist?
Premiere: Jan. 28 and 30, 2005, Lisner Auditorium, George Washington University.
More about the opera; review
Washington Post article about the premiere production
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eighth blackbird premieres Derek Bermel's Tied Shifts
Starting in Columbus, Ohio on January 29, 2005, eighth blackbird is giving a number of performances of the newly commissioned work, with subsequent concerts in Toronto, San Francisco, Amsterdam, and at the Tanglewood Music Festival . Click on heading for a review.
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Miguel del Aguila Receives Music Alive Extended Residency Grant
Miguel del Aguila has been selected for the inaugural season of Music Alive Extended Residencies. del Aguila will write a major work for the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, to be premiered in April 2006.
More.
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New York's Miller Theatre Presents "Composer Portrait" of Tania Leon
On November 6, the MOSAIC Ensemble and guest performers present an evening of music by Tania León at Columbia University's Miller Theatre. Works range from A la Par, a duo for piano and percussion, to the large ensemble Indígena (“Native”) which will be conducted by the composer. The concert features the New York premiere of Azulejos, commissioned by MOSAIC in collaboration with choreographer Donald Byrd.
For tickets: www.millertheatre.com
More on Tania León
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Mieczyslaw Weinberg -- Selected Works, New to our Catalog
Seven orchestral works and some twenty chamber works are now represented by Peermusic Classical. Born in Poland, Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919-1996) emigrated to the USSR during the Second World War, and became a great friend and colleague of Dmitrii Shostakovich.
Olympia Records has released 16 all-Weinberg CDs in recent years. Two of Weinberg's works were performed at the 2004 Bard Music Festival's "Shostakovich and His World".
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“SAY WHAT?” Where Music and the Spoken Word Meet
Pianist Andrew Russo directs and performs in a three-concert event on September 24 at New York City’s Cutting Room that explores late 20th and early 21st century music with spoken text. Composers include Derek Bermel (world premiere), Jacob Ter Veldhuis, and Jerome Kitzke.
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All-Morten Lauridsen Concert, Carnegie Hall
On Sunday, June 13, 2:00 pm, Timothy Sharp leads the New England Symphonic Ensemble in a program comprising Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna, O Magnum Mysterium, Madrigali, Mid-Winter Songs, and Les Chansons des Roses. Participating choruses come from North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia, Colorado, and Hawaii.
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Michael Daugherty: A Retrospective of his Published Works
Michael Daugherty, one of his generation's most frequently performed and commissioned composers, turned 50 on April 28. Our webpage on his published works reveals a vast musical statement on what it means to grow up in the baby boomer generation:
His music reflects on the civil rights movement, JFK and Jackie O, fantasizes on the comic-book myth of Superman, chronicles the highpoints of rock-and-roll and the “afterlife” of Elvis Presley, tunes in “I Love Lucy,” keeps an eye out for UFOs, and takes family trips to Las Vegas and Niagara Falls when folks dressed up to fly.
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Qu Xiao-song's opera chamber opera "The Test" premieres in Munich and Berlin
The story of The Test is adapted from the traditional Chinese tale "Cleaving the Coffin," in which a husband tests his wife's loyalty in a most dramatic way. Libretto by Wu Lan and Qu Xiao-song.
After performances at the Munich Biennale on May 13,15,16, the opera travels to Contemporary Opera Berlin for performances at the Hebbel am Ufer theatre on May 20-23.
More at Peermusic Europe's website.
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Paradiso: The Music of Jacob Ter Veldhuis
Peermusic Classical is pleased to announce its representation of ensemble works by Dutch composer Jacob Ter Veldhuis, including the video oratorio Paradiso, recently released by Chandos on CD and DVD.
On June 3 and 5, 2005, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will present the world premiere of ...NOW... for orchestra and video imagery by Jaap Drupsteen as part of the Holland Festival.
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Premiere of John Musto's comic opera "Volpone" at Wolf Trap
On March 10, John Musto's comic opera Volpone premiered at the Barns at Wolf Trap. In his Washington Post review, Joseph McLellan calls the opera "a masterpiece." Michael Barrett conducted the premiere; Leon Major directed. The opera was commissioned by the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.
See librettist Mark Campbell's notes on updating Ben Jonson's 1607 play. For more on the opera and the production, visit
Wolf Trap's website
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Tania León: Premieres, Performances on the Horizon
Concerts, March to June, in New York, Los Angeles, the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, and inclusion in a Smithsonian Exhibit National Tour make for a busy Spring.
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Five Grammy Nominations for Composer/Conductor José Serebrier
Serebrier's Symphony No. 3 is among the nominees for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. And at a tender age: recorded immediately following its composition, the work has not yet had its concert performance premiere.
Serebrier will be competing against himself in the Best Orchestral Performance category, in which the Symphony No. 3 is joined by his performance of Ned Rorem's Three Symphonies (see below). Both recordings are on Naxos.
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Tania León premiere in Berlin
Duende ("Spirit"), for baritone and 8 percussion -- Caribbean and African drummers and European percussionists -- was commissioned by Berlin's Fest der Kontinente for a September 27, 2003 concert celebrating György Ligeti's 80th birthday. The baritone was Kevin Deas, who performed in the premiere of León's opera Scourge of Hyacinths. More
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Ned Rorem: Birthday Tributes
In celebration of Rorem's 80th birthday on October 23, 2003, Naxos has released a CD of his three symphonies, written in the period 1950-1958. Peermusic Classical publishes the First Symphony. Reviews
Rorem's opera "A Childhood Miracle" and choral work "From an Unkown Past" were performed at New York's Merkin Concert Hall on October 27 as part of the Magic Circle Opera's American Masters Arts Festival Biennial.
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Nicolas Bacri's Symphony No. 6 is Masterprize Finalist
French composer Bacri (b. 1961) is published by Peermusic Classical in Hamburg. Recent works receiving numerous performances include his Trumpet Concerto and Sinfonietta for strings.
More on Bacri
More on Masterprize
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Revueltas + film = Redes
On May 1, Washington DC's new Post Classical Ensemble conducted by Angel Gil-Ordoñez gave the East Coast premiere of the 1936 film Redes with live orchestral music by Silvestre Revueltas. Review
"Redes" has been performed live with film by Mexico City's National Symphony, Enrique Diemecke conducing, the Santa Barbara Symphony, Gisele Ben-Dor conducting, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting.
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"Ives + 50" commemoration
May 2004 marks the 50th anniversary of Charles Ives''s death. See suggestions on programming for the anniversary, and also Jan Swafford''s essay "A Question is Better than an Answer," commissioned for the occasion.
Anchor event -- The New York Philharmonic''s Charles Ives: An American Original,
May 11-29, 2004.
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Ives -- Special Events
The Ives Vocal Marathon, organized by Neely Bruce, kicks off on October 19 at Wesleyan University and continues at venues in Connecticut and New York until July 4. Complete performance details
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3-Day Ives Fest at the New World Symphony
Michael Tilson Thomas leads an in-depth look at Ives, culminating in a performance of the Holidays Symphony, February 19-21.
More
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Key Performances, Fall 2006
10/17-18 -- Tania Leon is guest composer of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s New Music Festival. David Wiley conducts the C.I.M. orchestra in Bata and Horizons.
10/28 -- Radio broadcast: Tania Leon discusses polyrhythmia with Sara Fishko on NPR's Studio 360.
11/3 -- Derek Bermel's Thracian Echoes, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Gil Rose conducting. BMOP is recording an all-Bermel CD.
11/5,11 -- Michael Daugherty's Red Cape Tango, Pittsburgh Youth Symphony
11/17 -- "Symphonic Mexico," American Symphony Orchestra. Works by Revueltas (Redes, La Noche de los Mayas) and Ponce (Violin Concerto). Leon Botstein conducts; Avery Fisher Hall, New York City.
11/24 -- All-Morten Lauridsen concert, Carnegie Hall New England Symphonic Ensemble, Timothy Sharp, conductor.
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Mohammed Fairouz in the Media
Interviews and features provide insights into recent works by Mohammed Fairouz,
BBC/PRI's "The World" featured a story on "Poems and Prayers", Mohammed Fairouz's Symphony No. 3, which premiered in New York City's Miller Theatre Lee.
In "Three Poetic Traditions Inspire a Mideast Symphony" on NPR's All Things Considered Weekend, Fairouz discusses the in Tahrir for clarinet and orchestra.
"Cross-Cultural Counterpoint," an extensive interview on The American Music Center's New Music Box looks at
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Alan Hovhaness Centennial Concert in Benaroya Hall
A concert celebrating the centennial of composer Alan Hovhaness will take place on March 8 in Seattle's Benaroya Hall, home of the Seattle Symphony.
Some of this prolific composer's best-loved works will be heard, performed by Lake Union Civic Orchestra and the Central Washington University Orchestra and Chorus. Click on the photo for a press release.
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