I realize that not many people may read this blog as of yet, but if you do, I would like to extend an offer to you!
If you have a question about music in general, a specific song or instrument, or a specific topic that you would like to know more about, please post a comment with such information and I will do my best to address them and give you all the information that I am qualified to give!!
Hope to hear from you!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
A Wave of Warmth for the NY Philharmonic
The NY Philharmonic has performed its concert in Pyongyang, North Korea. The article in the NY Times is very interesting and informative.
It seems that the concert was well-received by the North Korean people. The final song, "Arirang", a North Korean folksong brought many tears to the Korean audience and the members of the Philharmonic.
As a musician in this country, it is encouraging to see this response from the people of Korea. As I've stated before, classical music is a universal language and can say a lot by itself.
It seems that the concert was well-received by the North Korean people. The final song, "Arirang", a North Korean folksong brought many tears to the Korean audience and the members of the Philharmonic.
As a musician in this country, it is encouraging to see this response from the people of Korea. As I've stated before, classical music is a universal language and can say a lot by itself.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
New header graphic
I just used Photoshop Elements to create a quick, little simple graphic for the blog header. It is simple, yet aesthetically interesting, in my opinion.
Monday, February 25, 2008
NY Times: 'China and the Philharmonic, in Harmony'
A reader sent me a link to this article in the New York Times which I found very interesting. I had already commented earlier about the controversial decision of the NY Philharmonic to play a concert in Pyongyang, North Korea shortly. This article give an update on the NY Phil's tour of Asia.
It sounds like there is much cultural education and sharing occurring and it is good to see that between two nations who have traditionally not gotten along very well.
It sounds like there is much cultural education and sharing occurring and it is good to see that between two nations who have traditionally not gotten along very well.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
CSO Concert Review (2/22): Elgar, Britten, Saint-Saens
I went last evening, amidst the ice and snow, to hear the Columbus Symphony play the concert aforementioned on this blog.
The Elgar was played well. The rolling melodies were well placed and well played. At times, the transitions seemed a bit confused, but the structure of the piece overall was well executed.
The Britten Serenade was quite fine. The horn player, Gene Standley, played well. The opening of the piece is considered some of the most difficult written for natural horn (a horn consisting of pure tubing...no valves and notes are "approximated" by the movement of the right hand inside the bell of the horn). The high passages in movements two and three were spectacular. The entrance came out of nowhere in the highest extremes of the horn's register. The singer seemed to struggle a bit with pronunciation and diction. Dynamics could have been exaggerated by the singer a bit more as well.
The Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 'Organ' was a great, thunderous conclusion to the concert. The organ playing was good and the conductor seemed to be most familiar and comfortable with this piece. I appreciated his strict enforcement of the soft dynamics during all of the pieces, but especially on the Saint-Saens.
Overall, the concert was spectacular and well-received by the audience! Bravo to our fine musicians of the CSO! For more about the CSO, see the blog Proud Supporters of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
The Elgar was played well. The rolling melodies were well placed and well played. At times, the transitions seemed a bit confused, but the structure of the piece overall was well executed.
The Britten Serenade was quite fine. The horn player, Gene Standley, played well. The opening of the piece is considered some of the most difficult written for natural horn (a horn consisting of pure tubing...no valves and notes are "approximated" by the movement of the right hand inside the bell of the horn). The high passages in movements two and three were spectacular. The entrance came out of nowhere in the highest extremes of the horn's register. The singer seemed to struggle a bit with pronunciation and diction. Dynamics could have been exaggerated by the singer a bit more as well.
The Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 'Organ' was a great, thunderous conclusion to the concert. The organ playing was good and the conductor seemed to be most familiar and comfortable with this piece. I appreciated his strict enforcement of the soft dynamics during all of the pieces, but especially on the Saint-Saens.
Overall, the concert was spectacular and well-received by the audience! Bravo to our fine musicians of the CSO! For more about the CSO, see the blog Proud Supporters of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.
"Another Good One Gone"
Another great conductor of a past era in European orchestral history, Gunter Wand, has passed into the history books. Click to read the Guardian's obituary page.
This man had a reputation for fiery and angry outbursts, yet he was renowned for his conducting of Bruckner and Schubert. He was mainly known for his conducting in England and Germany, but he is best known here for his recordings with the Chicago Symphony.
As John Drummond, the author, puts it, "Despite the challenge of his unpredictable temperament, few conductors of our time have come closer to a deep understanding of either Schubert or Bruckner. Putting up with the insults was almost always worth it in the end."
This man had a reputation for fiery and angry outbursts, yet he was renowned for his conducting of Bruckner and Schubert. He was mainly known for his conducting in England and Germany, but he is best known here for his recordings with the Chicago Symphony.
As John Drummond, the author, puts it, "Despite the challenge of his unpredictable temperament, few conductors of our time have come closer to a deep understanding of either Schubert or Bruckner. Putting up with the insults was almost always worth it in the end."
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