The Gathering Note

Posts Tagged ‘Olivier Messiaen’

The Esoterics are back this Sunday with the same program as the Carter/Messiaen concert canceled last month because of snow.  Even though Elliott Carter and Olivier Messiaen’s centenary has come and gone, this is still a concert worth checking out.  Of the pieces on the program, Messiaen’s Cinq Rechants is for me the programs main draw.  People who have sung the Rechants confess it is one of the hardest but most rewarding pieces in the choral repertoire.

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Gerard Schwarz decided not to seek a contract extension this year, but that didn't stop him from tackling Mahler's 8th Symphony.

With 2008 slipping away in a few days, James Bash and I take turns highlighting the top five classical music performances in Portland and Seattle.

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Everyone is doing Carter this time of year. The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra did an homage to the 100 year old American composer the other day.  So did the Boston Symphony.  Locally, the Esoterics are celebrating two centenaries – Carter and Messiaen’s.  From what I can tell, the Esoterics are the only group in Seattle intentionally paying tribute to Elliott Carter’s centenary.

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Next week is a busy one for classical music lovers. Think of it as a final explosion of music before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays inundate us all with the sounds of the season and winter inspired concerts. There is so much going on this is the first post of two covering next week’s events.

This Saturday, Music Northwest concludes their cycle of Beethoven piano sonatas with performances of the Op. 109, 110, and 111.

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Joseph Adam, St. James Cathedral’s organist, is the driving force behind the complete cycle of Olivier Messiaen’s organ music being played at St. James and St. Mark’s Cathedral this year.  The cycle commemorates the 100 year anniversary of the composer’s birth.  Messiaen’s organ music is among the composer’s most personal, reflective, and difficult music.

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“Are you fans of Olivier Messiaen’s music?”  Someone asked.

“We don’t know, we’ve never heard him before,” the woman with stringy gray hair and, and saucer glasses replied.

“It’s weird music, but I hope you like it.”

And so it went as people mingled, chatted at hushed volumes, and waited for St. James organists Joseph Adam and Clint Kraus to begin the first recital in a planned series of all Olivier Messiaen’s complete organ music to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the composer’s birth.

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The Seattle Symphony kicks off the 2008-2009 season with a preview concert on Friday, gala concert on Saturday, and a Day of Music on Sunday – whew!  Lots of music will be emanating from Benaroya Hall this weekend.

On the 16th, Orchestra Seattle begins its season with a gala performance also at Benaroya Hall.  Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto and Brahm’s Academic Festival Overture should provide plenty of edge-of-seat moments for the audience.

Finally, next Friday, the 19th, St. James organists Joseph Adam and Clint Kraus play the first concert in a series of concerts devoted to the complete organ music of Olivier Messiaen.