Month: March 2010

Exciting Ravel, robust Brahms at the SSO

By Philippa Kiraly

Russian conductor Vassily Sinaisky takes the podium this week for four concerts with the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall, the first of which was Thursday night. The well-designed program, not blockbusters but two big works by Brahms and Ravel, created a study in contrasts between the two. Written a short generation apart, the Brahms Double Concerto for violin and cello from 1887 and the complete ballet score of Ravel’s “Daphis and Chloe” from between 1910 and 1912 are alike only in their use of a big orchestra and their vitality and musical imagination.
Continue reading Exciting Ravel, robust Brahms at the SSO

Ferko discusses how he composed his Stabat Mater

Frank Ferko is in town for a performance of his Stabat Mater by Choral Arts. He participated in a Meet the Composer last night at Fare Start. I live blogged the Q&A (you can find the transcript by clicking on the Live Blog page) and at the beginning of the question period I took this short video of Ferko talking about what went into each stanza, why he skipped the second, and why the stanzas toward the end are shorter.  If your Saturday evening is empty, consider coming to St. James Cathedral at 8 pm to hear Choral Arts’ performance.

Frank Ferko explains how he composed his “Stabat Mater” from gatheringnote on Vimeo.

Sinaisky returns to Seattle with Brahms and Ravel

Conductor Vassily Sinaisky

It was couples only night Thursday at the Seattle Symphony. French and German. Ravel and Brahms. Cello and Violin. Daphnis and Chloe. Returning to the podium was the conductor Vassily Sinaisky.

With everyone wondering who will be the Seattle Symphony’s next music director, Sinaisky is undoubtedly at the top of the list for some people. The conductor is currently the head of the Malmo Symphony and the Chief Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Russian is eyeing an American Post as the next step in his career.

Continue reading Sinaisky returns to Seattle with Brahms and Ravel

OSSCS takes Torke, Strauss, and Bartok to Meany Hall

About once a year, Orchestra Seattle performs its “big orchestra” concert at the University of Washington’s Meany Hall. A few years ago, Benjamin Britten’s “War Requiem” was chosen for the concert. Last year, the orchestra was absent from the Meany Hall stage. This season, Orchestra Seattle returned to the University of Washington with a concert of music by Torke, Strauss, and Bartok.

For the first half, Shangrow programmed Michael Torke’s Saxaphone Concerto and Richard Strauss’ “Four Last Songs.” Eleanor Stallcop-Horrox sang the Strauss and Erik Ibsen-Nowak played the Torke as soloists. After the intermission, the orchestra took on Bela Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra.
Continue reading OSSCS takes Torke, Strauss, and Bartok to Meany Hall

Local pianist Dainius Vaicekonis presents Beethoven sonatas at UW

By Dana Wen

Some consider Beethoven’s thirty-two sonatas for piano to be the “New Testament” of piano literature. (The “Old Testament” is the forty-eight Preludes & Fugues of J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier). When viewed as a whole, the sonatas serve as a microcosm of Beethoven’s life, containing some of his finest musical ideas and enabling us to trace his development as a composer. These pieces play a role of biblical proportions in the world of piano repertoire and serve as one of the cornerstones of Western classical music. It’s no wonder these works have been so widely studied and discussed. Recently, the lecture-recital has become a popular method for pianists to share their ideas about the Beethoven piano sonatas. In the past few years, several notable and high-profile pianists have presented lecture-recitals on these works. In 2006, Andras Schiff gave an outstanding series of lectures on the entire cycle of Beethoven sonatas. Although the great Alfred Brendel retired from concert performance in 2008, he toured the United States last year to present his lecture-recital on musical character in the Beethoven sonatas.
Continue reading Local pianist Dainius Vaicekonis presents Beethoven sonatas at UW

On Bach’s birthday: the gift of Suites for Solo Cello

Not quite sure how to celebrate Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday this year? It’s coming up this weekend you know. And if somehow you’ve neglected to plan for the birth anniversary of this genius of Western Music, I understand the sense of guilt you carry. But really, there’s no need for panic or embarrassment. Here’s the solution.

For more than 20 years the cello playing community in Seattle and across Washington State has hosted a Bach birthday bash like no other. The party is open to all. It’s a casual affair that doesn’t cost any money. You can drop in at any time and leave when you need to. And instead of bringing the gifts, you receive them.
Continue reading On Bach’s birthday: the gift of Suites for Solo Cello

TODAY: TGN live blog’s Frank Ferko “Meet the Composer” reception


TGN is launching another live blog event. This time, I will be live blogging from the Choral Arts’ Meet the Composer reception with composer Frank Ferko starting at 6:30 pm this Friday at Fare Start.  Attending the Meet to Composer reception with Mr. Ferko is a good opportunity to meet and interact with one of the country’s foremost choral composers.  However, if you can’t attend, follow the live blog by checking back with this post or visiting the Live Blog page.

Choral Arts is presenting Ferko’s austere Stabat Mater this weekend at St. James’ Cathedral.
Continue reading TODAY: TGN live blog’s Frank Ferko “Meet the Composer” reception

Hesperion XXI: intriguing as always

By R. M. Campbell

It was founded in 1974, as Hesperion XX, by Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras as well as Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith. The latter two have since left the quartet leaving Savall and Figueras as founding members. On this current tour are two excellent and well-established musicians — Pierre Hamon (ney, gaita and flute) and Dimitri Psonis (oud, santur and morisca), from France and Greece, respectively. The name was also altered to Hesperion XXI accommodate the 21st century. Other than those changes, the group remains the same, exploring with uncommon intelligence and thoroughness music of Europe particularly, and a subsection of that, the Iberian peninsula, as well as the Middle East and Far East. A few examples: the “Golden Age of Spain,” “Madrigals of Monteverdi” and the Creole Villancicos of Latin America.”

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Why I donated to Challenge 2010…

The back and forth this weekend over Challenge 2010 on this blog and elsewhere got me thinking.  After years of going hearing the SSO as a private person and writer, I have never donated to the Annual Fund.  I’ve been a subscriber and bought individual tickets.  And, I think I am one of the rare music writers in this town that buys tickets from time to time.  I  justify buying tickets because I believe in classical music and live classical music especially.

I can point to any number of reasons why I have never individually given to the Annual Fund (no one has ever asked me to donate etc.)  As I reflected, the reasons I came up with for not giving weren’t persuasive.  Arguing with myself, I sounded like a person trying to avoid doing more when doing more was within my grasp.

Ultimately, I concluded that I value the work of the SSO and if I value the SSO and its contribution to Seattle, I should be part of making it even better.

I might quibble with how the Challenge 2010 fund was seeded by musicians.  You can see an earlier post for the details; I am not going to rehash them here.  You can decide for yourself whether the musician donation is as advertised.  Even if you don’t like how it came about (I don’t) it isn’t a good reason not to donate to the Annual Fund and it doesn’t diminish the need for significant fundraising if the orchestra is going to reach the next level of excellence.

The SSOPO donated, Jack and Becky Benaroya donated, and board members are donating too.  Readers of this blog should do the same.  It is our orchestra and we should all support it at a level comfortable for our personal and family budget.

I couldn’t come up with a good reason for not donating, but I came up with 10 good reasons why I should donate.  So, I donated.  I called this morning and made a contribution.

Think about why you go to the SSO week after week, year after year.  How has the SSO enriched your life and community?  What are the concerts you remember most? Who are the artists that have taken a bow on the Benaroya Stage you admire most?

When you come up with a reason call the Annual Fund office (206. 215.4832) and make a contribution.  Richard can process your donation (he processed mine).  Or, you can donate online.  When you donate, I’d like to know your reason – post a comment or send me an email and I will share them.

You can read my reasons for donating after the jump.

Continue reading Why I donated to Challenge 2010…