Category: Quarter Notes

Quarter notes: Shangrow remembered

George Shangrow. Photo John Cornicello.

It’s been more than a week since we learned of George Shangrow’s untimely death. In that time the tributes for this Seattle original have been growing with each day. Orchestra Seattle’s website has been turned into a rolling memorial.

My favorite is from Kerry Fowler who wrote:

“I was a bit nervous the night before my audition for Orchestra Seattle, when I tuned in to KING-FM to hear the end of Beethoven’s Fifth. When it was over, I heard George announce, “Even after all these years, I still get tingles listening to that movement.” I thought, “Now that’s someone I want to play music with.” I wasn’t disappointed.”

On Saturday, the matriarch of Seattle’s critical class Melinda Bargreen, penned a tribute to Shangrow. It is well worth a read if you want a window into George’s essence as a person.

If you prefere to remember George in person, there is a memorial service scheduled for 2 PM August 22, 2010 at the University Christian Church which is open to the public.  I would suggest getting there early as more than 200 people have rsvp’d on the Facebook page for the event.

Quarter notes: summer edition

Summer is finally in full swing. Seattle is warming up. We are in the thick of the summer chamber festival. And, the new symphony seasons are still a few months away. Even though the number of classical performances have thinned out, it doesn’t mean there aren’t events worth mentioning or worth seeking out.

The biggest event after the chamber festival is Seattle Opera’s new production of Tristan und Isolde. Seattle’s a Wagner town and Speight Jenkins and company are back this summer with Wagner’s epic love story. Seattle Opers offers Tristan veterans and newcomers alike plenty of insightful information about the opera on the Seattle Opera website and You Tube. For instance, check out this video of Asher Fisch the conductor for the new production.

Local composer and Esoterics music director Eric Banks is on the rise nationally. The Esoterics have been invited to perform at 2011 ACDA conference in Chicago and Banks is in the thick of writing new commissions for performances at Alice Tully Hall and the Kennedy Center.

In other choral news, Robert Bode and Choral Arts have won the prestigious American Prize in choral performance. Pro Musica, another local favorite, snagged second place.

City Journal is out with a piece making a case for now being the golden age of classical music. There might be more music being made, of higher quality than ever before, but I am not sure if matters when our culture doesn’t seem as supportive of serious music as it used to be. More music doesn’t mean anything if people aren’t listening.

Quarter notes: happy birthday Mahler

Mikhail Pletnev

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 to celebrate Mahler’s birthday — The People’s Edition. From now until September people can visit a special web site and cast their vote for their favorite recording of each symphony from the Decca and DG catalog. The recordings with the most votes will be included in a special, limited edition box set in November.

Mikhail Pletnev was arrested in Thailand for allegedly raping a 14 year old boy. Pletnev claims the ordeal is a misunderstanding. Thai officials share a much different opinion.

Also in the NY Times, Seattle gets a mention in an article looking at the conductor youth movement that seems to be sweeping American orchestras lately.

Finally, Ludovic Morlot made remarks at his public roll out as music director designate of the SSO.  I recorded them on my Flip Camera and posted them here for you to see.  About two hundred people showed up for the event.  Based on the conversations I had with people in the crowd it seemed like a good number of the people in the audience were not subscribers but occasional SSO ticket buyers.  Nearly everyone I spoke to had no idea what to expect with Morlot.  A few were anxious to hear more French repertory.  Others hope he’ll bring Ligeti and Messiaen into the mix.  All were unanimous in their belief that his age alone will go a long way to freshening up the SSO.  The lack of preconceptions should bode well for Morlot as he starts to shape the 2011/2012 season — his first as music director.

Quarter notes: YNS edition

YNS

By now most people have heard the Philadelphia Orchestra has found a new music director. – YNS for short. He is a predictable choice given the youth movement afoot these days. Chicago bucked the trend by appointing Ricardo Muti. They are the only orchestra which ignored the orchestra group think these days (does that make the Muti choice revolutionary?) Maybe, before Dudamel, before Gilbert, and before the small army of sub-forty year olds took over a number orchestras in the UK the choice would have shocked or inspired. At best, Philadelphia has recruited the next big thing. At worst, the orchestra has found a music director for the next seven years.

(Sorry, but the section on James Garlick has been redacted.)

More contributor news. Did you read Michael Upchurch’s Seattle Times piece on the Toy Box Trio? No? Then ! Keep it up Dana and Harlan.

Did anyone notice Terry Teachout’s piece in the this past weekend? He wonders whether we even need regional orchestras in the digital age. With definitive recordings of just about every piece of standard repertory just a click away, why would anyone go hear a middle of the road performance of the same repertory with a local orchestra? It is an interesting thought experiment. I get hung up on what defines a regional orchestra. The Seattle Symphony is certainly a regional orchestra. So is the Oregon Symphony. Neither have the stature of America’s Big Five, or Big Seven if you include LA and San Francisco and both cater to audiences which stretch beyond the urban centers of Seattle and Portland. Maybe the answer isn’t to allow orchestras to die, or to load a season with pops concerts, but to reexamine the role and mission of the orchestra in the community?  Playing the same old music doesn’t seem to be cutting it anymore.

Quarter notes: Decoration Day edition

Stephen Rogers Radcliffe is adding the Thalia Symphony to his orchestra responsibilities. Radcliffe is currently music director for the Seattle Youth Symphony. Perhaps you remember his fine Mahler 2 from last weekend? Radcliffe takes over for Eric Hanson who will conduct a final concert with the Thalia June 3, 2010 at the First Free Methodist Church.

Out in New York City, Gyorgy Ligeti’s opera about the end of the world (sort of) . Alan Gilbert and the NY Phil seem headed in the right direction.

The LA Ring — a production plagued with controversies — finally . I consider myself a Wagnerite (of the non-obsessive sort) and LA’s Ring looks baffling to me. On the other hand, the looks promising — traditional, modern, with a bunch of Met flash. Love it.

The You Tube version of the trailer is now disabled. I imagine because the Met folks thought it makes more sense to drive people to the website. This is too bad because a video can’t go viral if it can’t be embedded, shared, liked, and all of the other ways media is promoted these days.

Quarter notes

The local Odeonquartet departs for Russia today for two concerts, one of which will include the Russian premiere of Phillip Glass’ Fifth String Quartet. Heather Bentley, the group’s violist, will be blogging from the tour. Check back for Heather’s road report.

Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Philharmonic have found critics outside of LA less generous in their assessments. and whether it even matters.

In case you missed it over the weekend, the about the search for Gerard Schwarz’s replacement. There weren’t any revelations in the piece, most of the qualities sought in the new music director are obvious.  Nancy Evans says some of the requirements of the search committee are,”The musical ability of the person, the ability to conduct and the ability to understand music, to know music, know instruments. All those features of the orchestra.”

The SSO isn’t just looking for a new music director, they are also looking for a new executive director too. Earlier this year, Thomas Phillion announced he would step down at the end of his contract in June. Without much fanfare,Phillion stepped down a lot earlier than June and is now the head of

Quarter notes

My write up of last week’s Music of Remembrance concert and the premiere of Vedem is up at the .  I’ve generally liked the Music of Remembrance concerts I’ve attended.  This one didn’t do it for me.

A couple of events this weekend to check out: and the .  The SYSO dives into Mahler’s Second Symphony while the American String Project gives three concerts of string quartets and other chamber works, arranged for string orchestra.

From last week, an article which asks an important question: ?  Should it matter if he is?  Later today I will be posting a video interview with Christian Knapp (the former associate conductor and guest conductor this week of the SSO) where this subject came up.

Quarter notes

James Levine. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.

The Boston Symphony contemplates for calling in sick to work.

The Atlanta Symphony , and he doesn’t have orchestra biz experience.

Courtesy of , the Oregon Symphony’s Carlos Kalmar gets called up to in Chicago next week.

What will Kalmer conduct while he is in Chicago?  None other than Mason Bates’ Music From Underground Spaces.