Bliss

July 16, 2010

Without a doubt, hearing new musicians perform is the best part of the Seattle Chamber Music Society festival. We might be hearing them for the first time, but others, especially the musicians in the festival and Toby Saks are already familiar with their talents.  Over the years, Saks has plucked players out of the musical [...]

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Must hear Martin, Kodaly and Dvorak at Wednesday’s SCMS concert

July 15, 2010

In an alternate (maybe even perfect) universe unfamiliar composers and works would be cat nip for curious ears looking to expand their musical horizons. Dissonances would pleasantly shake listeners. We’d tap our toes to awkward rhythms and take pleasure in sorting out difficult melodies. Seats would be filled. People would be turned away at the [...]

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Borodin and Ravel start week two of the SCMS summer festival; Armstrong returns to the piano

July 13, 2010

The second week of the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s summer festival began with Andrew Armstrong’s return to the piano. An infection caused by a bug bite or some other intruder sidelined the pianist, putting him in the hospital even. Although Armstrong was missed by the loyal festival attendees, other pianists, including the incomparable Craig Sheppard, [...]

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Gilbert & Sullivan classic better than ever

July 12, 2010

By Philippa Kiraly I’ve seen Gilbert & Sullivan’s “H. M. S. Pinafore” a dozen or more times, and each time I find myself enjoying it as much as ever, finding heretofore unnoticed sentiments as pertinent today as 132 years ago, and seeing different performers discovering new angles to their roles and bringing them to prominence. [...]

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Quarter notes: happy birthday Mahler

July 11, 2010

I’m a few days late (Mahler was born on July 7th), but 2010 is the 150th birthday for Gustav Mahler. Complete Mahler cycles have been popping up in abundance over the last few months. Both Universal Classics and EMI have released “complete” box sets. But, from Universal Classics, comes one of the most creative ways [...]

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SCMS Summer Festival at Benaroya: Mendelssohn’s Octet and Grieg’s Cello Sonata

July 10, 2010

By Philippa Kiraly It seemed odd to go to Benaroya Hall, specifically the smaller Nordstrom Recital Hall, for a Seattle Chamber Music Society Summer Festival concert but, well, we will get used to it. The Society was no longer allowed to use the Lakeside campus with its lovely grounds and peaceful ambience, but it also [...]

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Questioning the conductors: Meet Morlot!

July 9, 2010

Our conductor interviews end with the person chosen to lead the SSO to new artistic heights and performance excellend — Ludovic Morlot. Morlot was one of the few conductors I didn’t meet. I was in New York when he was here last fall and when he returned in the spring, an exploding volcano in Iceland [...]

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Meet Morlot!

July 9, 2010

The SSO’s music director designate meets the public for the first time at 11:30 am today outside of Benaroya Hall int he Garden of Remembrance.

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Music of Romantic era dominates festival on second night

July 8, 2010

By R.M. Campbell The inaugural season of the Seattle Chamber Music Festival in its new home — Nordstrom Recital Hall — has gotten off to a splendid beginning. The first concert Monday night was a major success, even with the absence of pianist Andrew Armstrong because of an infection in his leg. The second concert, [...]

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SCMS Summer Festival opens new season in new hall

July 6, 2010

By R.M. Campbell The Seattle Chamber Music Festival, which opened its 29th season Monday night, has a long, distinguished history. For nearly all of its 28 years, it has been located at the Lakeside School. The New England-style prep school informed the festival a few years ago that it was claiming summer usage of its [...]

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Quarter notes: SCMS edition

July 5, 2010

Update: SCMS is putting a limited number of rush tickets on sale for $25 30 minutes before tonight’s performance.  On the program is Debussy’s Piano Trio, Barber’s String Quartet (with its famous adagio), and Brahms’ Op. 8 Piano Trio.  With the sun lost behind the clouds this summer, let chamber music brighten your day. Although [...]

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“H. M. S. Pinafore:” Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society’s July offering

July 1, 2010

By Philippa Kiraly For all of us Gilbert & Sullivan fans, it’s time to get ready to enjoy the annual offering of comic opera by Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society. Like the happy arrival of June strawberries each year, this regular dose of absurd plots, witty words, and irresistible music is worth celebrating. This year, [...]

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Measuring Morlot

June 29, 2010

The Seattle Symphony has a new music director and his name is Ludovic Morlot. The announcement came over my iPhone in an email during a meeting late this afternoon.  I scrolled and skimmed my way through its contents and began to count the hours until I could sit in front of a computer to write. [...]

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It’s official…

June 29, 2010

36 year old Ludovic Morlot will be the Seattle Symphony’s next music director starting in 2011. More details to come. In the meantime, you can get a Morlot refresher here and here. Dan Wakin has a good piece in the NY Times too.

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The last word on Leonard Bernstein this season…

June 28, 2010

“I have rarely met a composer who is so faithfully mirrored in his music; the man is the music. We are all familiar with the attributes generally ascribed to his compositions: vitality, optimism, enthusiasm, long lyrical line, rhythmic impetuosity, bristling counterpoint, brilliant textures, dynamic tension. But what is not so often remarked is what I [...]

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Glitter and be gay

June 28, 2010

By Philippa Kiraly Seattle Men’s Chorus celebrated the end of its 30th anniversary year with a gala concert this past weekend at McCaw Hall. Together with its seven-year-old sister group, Seattle Women’s Chorus, it used the opportunity to enhance the occasion with a grand finale to the city’s three-month long tribute to Leonard Bernstein, joining [...]

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Bernstein and Schuman close out SSO season, Bernstein festival, highlighting Schwarz’s legacy

June 27, 2010

To close the Seattle Symphony’s current season, Schwarz assembled a program of Leonard Bernstein and William Schuman works. This season finale also closes out the Seattle Celebrates Bernstein festival — a city wide effort to honor the 20th anniversary of Bernstein’s death. Personal struggle has been a theme in season finales over the last few [...]

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Recording round up

June 25, 2010

Two innovative new releases highlight the course of classical music in the 21st Century: Cortical Songs (Nonclassical) by the duo John Matthias and Nick Ryan and Provenance (Innova) cellist, Maya Beiser’s new album. Both albums underscore a growing desire by musicians and composers to avoid confining forms, formats, and labels. Both releases come right up [...]

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The Onyx Chamber Players end their season with Haydn and Mendelssohn at Town Hall

June 23, 2010

By Dana Wen One of the great joys of chamber music is the conversation that unfolds between the musicians on stage. Each performer is given a chance to contribute to the musical dialogue in a very prominent way. In such an intimate environment, the personality of each musician inevitably emerges. Sometimes the going gets rough, [...]

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Barber’s songs take center stage at the Good Shepherd Center

June 23, 2010

In this, the Barber anniversary year, mezzo-soprano Janna Wachter paid homage to the creative partnership of Samuel Barber and his long time partner Gian Carlo Menotti with a recital of songs, piano works, and chamber operas by the two composers. Wachter’s Saturday evening tribute concert on June 19th was a first for the season. With [...]

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