Interview

Grimsley sings Kurwenal again in Seattle Opera’s new production of Tristan

July 31, 2010

By Philippa Kiraly It was Speight Jenkins, general director of Seattle Opera who persuaded bass-baritone Greer Grimsley that he should sing Wagner. That was for the 1994 production of “Lohengrin,” and Grimsley has sung in nearly every Wagner production here since. Talking with him as he prepares to sing Kurwenal in “Tristan and Isolde” which [...]

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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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Meet the musicians: Simon Trpceski

June 11, 2010

Macedonian pianist Simon Trpceski has got to be one of the busiest musicians I have had the pleasure of talking with. He is in Seattle performing a total of five concerts with the SSO.  Earlier in the week he joined musicians from the SSO in a chamber music concert honoring the 200th birthday of Robert [...]

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Questioning the conductors: Vassily Sinaisky

March 21, 2010

My series of interviews with the guest conductors taking the SSO podium continues with Vassily Sinaisky. Sinaisky wrapped up a series of four concerts with the SSO this weekend that paired Brahms’ Double Concerto for cello and violin and Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloe.” This program is a departure, of sorts, for Sinaisky. In his previous [...]

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Shmidt discusses Kurtag’s Kafka Fragments

February 23, 2010

Here is my second interview with Mikhail Shmidt.  In this video Shmidt talks about Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag’s “Kafka Fragments,” a piece he will perform this Saturday as part of Icebreaker V.  “Kafka Fragments” is no ordinary piece; it is one of Kurtag’s most important works and one of his most difficult.  People describe it [...]

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Mikhail Shmidt discusses Icebreaker V: Love and War

February 21, 2010

Starting Friday, the Seattle Chamber Players embark on their fifth Icebreaker festival – “Love and War.” While other Icebreakers have focused on American, Russian, and Baltic contemporary music, the latest festival centers on Western Europe. Mikhail Shmidt, one of SCP’s founding members spoke with me about the festival. You can watch and hear Shmidt’s thoughts [...]

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Lisa Daltirus gets to the heart of Verdi’s Leonora

January 14, 2010

In Verdi’s three most popular operas – La Traviata, Rigoletto, and Il Trovatore – the heroine suffers a tragic fate.  In Traviata, Violetta loses love, gets sick, and dies just after one final encounter with her beau.  Gilda, the heroine in Rigoletto, decides to sacrifice her own life to spare that of the Duke’s – [...]

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Questioning the conductors: Kurt Masur

January 7, 2010

The legendary Kurt Masur is in Seattle this week to lead the SSO in three concerts of Mozart’s 40th Symphony and Anton Bruckner’s 4th Symphony.  Masur is now well over 80 years old, but he continues to maintain schedules as busy as conductor’s half his age.  When he is finished in Seattle, he will get [...]

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Questioning the conductors: Gary Thor Wedow

December 18, 2009

Gary Thor Wedow sat down with TGN to talk about his run of Messiah performances with the Seattle Symphony this weekend. Wedow is an active early music and opera conductor whose reputation continues to grow.  He has conducted both the Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Opera in recent years. This past fall, Wedow led the New York [...]

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Questioning Gary Thor Wedow

December 11, 2009

I’ll be doing a video interview with Gary Thor Wedow Monday. Wedow is in town to conduct the Messiah with the Seattle Symphony. Wedow has conducted the Seattle Symphony before and the Seattle Opera, but I suspect most people are unfamiliar with him as a conductor. Wedow is an active opera conductor and proponent of [...]

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Questioning the conductors: Christopher Seaman

December 3, 2009

I talked with conductor Christopher Seaman yesterday.  Seaman is in town guest conducting the Seattle Symphony in a series of concerts titled “Festive Holiday Encores.”  Just as the name implies, the program is essentially one classical music hit after another.  Popular pieces by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky Korsakov, Dukas, etc. will fill Benaroya Hall this weekend.  [...]

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Breakfast with Paul Taub

November 12, 2009

This Saturday, acclaimed local flutist Paul Taub is celebtrating 30 years in Seattle with an anniversary concert at Cornish College.  Seattle audiences know Paul well through his work with the Seattle Chamber Players, his solo flue recitals, and through his work as a Cornish faculty member.  I was lucky to be able to sit down [...]

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Astor Piazzolla’s Four Season’s of Buenos Aires; Q&A with violinist James Garlick

October 8, 2009

The Northwest Sinfonietta returns to action this week with a program that features eight seasons — Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.”  James Garlick — friend of the Gathering Note, frequent concertmaster with the Sinfonietta, and occasional contributor — took a few moments to talk about Piazzolla’s “Seasons.”  Garlick is soloing [...]

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TGN’s Zach Carstensen talks with Midori

June 14, 2009

Zach Carstensen: How were you introduced to the violin? Midori: My mother is a violinist; her teaching and practicing filled our home with music, marvelous sounds that were very intriguing to a toddler’s ears. In the nature of children wanting to imitate their parents, I asked for a violin around age 3 and my mother [...]

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Jennifer Higdon chats about life as a composer

May 13, 2009

The Third Angle New Music Ensemble will play several works by Jennifer Higdon in its upcoming concert this Friday at 7:30 pm at the Old Church in downtown Portland. Higdon’s music has been much in demand by vocal and instrumental ensembles, and she has garnered a couple of Grammys as well. I talked with Higdon [...]

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Composer John Paul talks about writing new music for rediscovered silent film

May 6, 2009

Composer John Paul, who heads the music department at Marylhurst University, has written a score for the silent film “City Girl,” which will be shown at the Oregon Sesquicentennial Film Festival. The festival will show 10 films in ten days and ” John Paul’s score will accompany “City Girl” at 7 pm on May 8 [...]

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