Podcast appearances and mentions of London Symphony

Composer, flutist, and educator talks about the new CD "Orchestrating The Wild" just released by the London Symphony of just her music. Actually we talk about a lot of other stuff too. Please join us. I'm sure you'll like it.https://www.sarahbassingthwaighte.org

JP Jofre is an Argentinian born 2x Grammy Nominated composer and Bandoneon player. His music has been recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra and by artists like Paquito d'Rivera. He's appeared as a performer at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the Beijing National Theatre.My featured song is “The Gift” my recent collaboration with Grammy winning arranger Michael Abene. Spotify link.---------------------------------------------The Follow Your Dream Podcast:Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!For more information and other episodes of the podcast click here. To subscribe to the podcast click here.To subscribe to our weekly Follow Your Dream Podcast email click here.To Rate and Review the podcast click here.—----------------------------------------Connect with JP:www.jpjofre.com—----------------------------------------ROBERT'S RECENT SINGLES:“ROUGH RIDER” is Robert's latest single. It's got a Cool, ‘60s, “Spaghetti Western”, Guitar-driven, Tremolo sounding, Ventures/Link Wray kind of vibe!CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL VIDEOCLICK HERE FOR ALL LINKS—--------------------------------“LOVELY GIRLIE” is a fun, Old School, rock/pop tune with 3-part harmony. It's been called “Supremely excellent!”, “Another Homerun for Robert!”, and “Love that Lovely Girlie!”Click HERE for All Links—----------------------------------“THE RICH ONES ALL STARS” is Robert's single featuring the following 8 World Class musicians: Billy Cobham (Drums), Randy Brecker (Flugelhorn), John Helliwell (Sax), Pat Coil (Piano), Peter Tiehuis (Guitar), Antonio Farao (Keys), Elliott Randall (Guitar) and David Amram (Pennywhistle).Click HERE for the Official VideoClick HERE for All Links—----------------------------------------“SOSTICE” is Robert's single with a rockin' Old School vibe. Called “Stunning!”, “A Gem!”, “Magnificent!” and “5 Stars!”.Click HERE for all links.—---------------------------------“THE GIFT” is Robert's ballad arranged by Grammy winning arranger Michael Abene and turned into a horn-driven Samba. Praised by David Amram, John Helliwell, Joe La Barbera, Tony Carey, Fay Claassen, Antonio Farao, Danny Gottlieb and Leslie Mandoki.Click HERE for all links.—-------------------------------------“LOU'S BLUES”. Robert's Jazz Fusion “Tone Poem”. Called “Fantastic! Great playing and production!” (Mark Egan - Pat Metheny Group/Elements) and “Digging it!” (Peter Erskine - Weather Report)!Click HERE for all links.—----------------------------------------Audio production:Jimmy RavenscroftKymera Films Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast:Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.comEmail Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com Follow Robert's band, Project Grand Slam, and his music:Website - www.projectgrandslam.comYouTubeSpotify MusicApple MusicEmail - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Episode Description:In today's episode, I want to take a moment to reflect on the life and impact of Deniis Wick—a name synonymous with excellence in the world of trombone. Denis was not only one of the greatest trombone players of his generation but also a teacher, mentor, and innovator who changed the lives of so many musicians, including mine.From his iconic mouthpieces to his legendary playing with the London Symphony Orchestra, Denis's influence is felt far and wide, both on stage and in the classroom. His dedication to the craft of teaching, his generosity, and his ability to inspire those around him are just a few of the many reasons we will never forget him.In this episode, I share some personal stories about Denis—how I first became aware of his work as a child, the powerful impact his playing had on me as a young musician, and the incredible generosity he showed as a teacher and mentor. I'll talk about the lasting influence he had on me and countless others, how his lessons extended far beyond the trombone, and why his legacy will live on in the music world for years to come.Denis was a guide, a role model, and a friend, and I hope this episode does justice to the remarkable life he led.Key Topics in This Episode: My first encounter with Denis Wick's mouthpieces and the lasting influence they had on me. Denis's powerful, unforgettable trombone playing, including his iconic performance of The Firebird with the London Symphony. His pioneering role in shaping modern European trombone teaching and the British trombone school. Personal anecdotes from my time studying and working with Denis, and how he mentored me both as a trombonist and as a teacher. Denis's approach to business, teaching, and life—how his enthusiasm and generosity influenced everything he did.

Mixing ceremonial pomp with pastoral splendor, this survey of British classics features Haydn's last and grandest symphonic statement, the London Symphony; exquisite gems by Elgar and Britten, and the soaring beauty of Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending with violinist Stella Chen, winner of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition and Gramophone's 2023 Young Artist of the Year. Marking the 150th anniversary of Ravel's birth, the program crosses the English Channel for the composer's beguiling Tzigane. CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen has withdrawn from his planned solo appearances in these performances due to rotator cuff tendinitis symptoms. Learn more: cso.org/performances/24-25/cso-classical/glover-and-english-classics

Hi everybody, my truly special Talk Music guest for this episode is ESTONIAN PIANIST KRISTJAN RANDALU, who exists among the most sought-after piano players of his generation, carrying the torch in both the improvised world of jazz and the traditional realm of classical music. Between creating his own original blend of contemporary jazz as a leader and collaborating with several generations of respected musicians, Randalu has brought his music to some of the world's most renowned jazz festivals and concert halls. The prestigious magazine Jazz Times describes Kristjan's playing as an “open invitation to an unnameable exotic land." At the same time, he is viewed as an esteemed interpreter of a broad spectrum of contemporary and classical music, performing alongside internationally acclaimed orchestras and conductors. We chat about how Kristjan was born in Estonia's capital Tallinn and how his family escaped Communist rule by relocating to Germany where he graduated from the Stuttgart Music University. Kristjan then went on to study at The Royal Academy of Music in London, followed by the Manhattan School of Music where he attained an additional master´s degree. We also delve into some of his most recent recordings including Sisu (awarded Jazz Album of the Year at the 2023 Estonian Music Awards) and Schumann's Dichterliebe (Berlin Classics, 2024) whereby Randalu has not only deepened his musical ties to the classical world, but presented a truly original recasting of one of the Romantic repertoire's cornerstones. We discuss his recordings with saxophonist Dave Liebman (Mussorgsky Pictures Revisited), Bodek Janke (Double Standard) and his album “Absence,” produced by Legendary owner of the ECM label, Manfred Eicher. Coming soon, his collaboration with Martin Kuuskmann (Schubert Voyage, release in March 2025 on Berlin Classics). Kristjan's list of musical partners include: Eivind Aarset, Mark Guiliana, Dieter llg, Marilyn Mazur, Nils Petter Molvaer, Claudio Puntin, Nguyen Le, Trygve Seim, Mathias Eick, Petros Klampanis, Dhafer Youssef, the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, the New Chamber Orchestra of Berlin, the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, the London Symphony, Dennis Russell Davies, Paavo Järvi, Kristjan Järvi and Maria Schneider.With a discography of over 50 albums under his belt (including a Grammy-nominated recording) and numerous awards to his name (including “Jazz Artist of the Year” and “Jazz Composer of the year” in Estonia), Randalu's prolific body of work continues to grow in breadth and quality. His unique voice is becoming internationally more and more important. This was for me a most interesting deep dive into an amazing musician and fellow Estonian! Whenever I can attend a performance you will always find me in the front row! Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809 - 1847) - Sinfonia n. 5 in re maggiore per orchestra "La Riforma", op. 107 (MWV N 15)Andante. Allegro con fuocoAllegro vivaceAndanteCorale: Ein' veste Burg ist unser Gott - Andante con moto (sol maggiore). Allegro vivace. Allegro maestosoOrchestra Sinfonica di LondraClaudio Abbado, direttore d'orchestra

Chad Wackerman's professional career began in 1978 with the Bill Watrous Refuge West Big Band. Since then he has amassed a remarkable body of work including a seven year association with Frank Zappa, with whom he toured the USA and Europe and recorded 27 albums including the London Symphony recordings. He has also recorded 8 albums and toured with guitar legend Allan Holdsworth, played on the ‘One Voice' album and video with Barbra Streisand, and recorded albums and toured with artists as diverse as James Taylor, Steve Vai, Andy Summers, Steven Wilson, Men At Work, Ed Mann, Albert Lee, Colin Hay, Dweezil Zappa, Pasqua/Holdsworth/Haslip/Wackerman Group, Terry Bozzio, Carl Verheyen, David Garfield,John Patitucci, Jennifer Batten, Joe Sample, Robbie Kreiger, Banned From Utopia and The World Drummers Ensemble (Bill Bruford, Luis Conte, Dou Dou Ndiaye Rose and Chad Wackerman) . As a band leader and composer Chad has five critically acclaimed CDs: ‘Forty Reasons', ‘The View', ‘Scream', ‘Legs Eleven' and his latest release, ‘Dreams Nightmares and Improvisations'. Chad has written music for the television show ‘The Dennis Miller Show', as well as composing music for Allan Holdsworth's ‘Secrets', ‘Wardenclyffe Tower' and ‘Sixteen Men of Tain' CDs. His trio has a performance DVD, ‘Hits Live'. In this episode, Chad talks about:    Working with Allan Holdsworth    The amazing story behind recording Allan's record “Road Games”    “Improvising at the highest level sounds like composition”    Interpreting charts efficiently    Auditioning for Frank Zappa    How to make a band sound better    Learning from Murray Spivack    Figuring out what's important for each gig and artist

This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpeter, Allen Vizzutti, is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass. You can also watch this interview on Youtube. About Allen: Equally at home in a multitude of musical idioms, Allen Vizzutti has visited 70 countries, Japan 49 times, and every state in the union to perform with a rainbow of artists and ensembles including Chick Corea, Doc; Severinsen, the NBC Tonight Show Band, the Airmen Of Note, the Army Blues and Army Symphony Orchestra, Chuck Mangione, Woody Herman, Japan's NHK Orchestra and the New Tokyo Philharmonic, the Budapest Radio Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Leipzig Wind Symphony, the Slovenian National Orchestra and the Kosei Wind Orchestra. Performing as a classical and a jazz artist, often in the same evening, he has appeared as guest soloist with symphony orchestras in Japan, Germany, St. Louis, Seattle, Rochester N.Y., Dallas, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Phoenix, Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle and Minnesota to name a few. Music lovers in Germany, Poland, England, Sweden, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Australia and the United States have heard his brilliant sound over the airwaves of national television. Allen's status as an artist has led to solo performances at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Newport Jazz Festival, Banff Center for the Performing Arts, Montreaux Jazz Festival, the Teton, Vail, Aspen and Breckenridge Music Festivals, the Charles Ives Center, Suntory Hall & Opera City Hall in Tokyo and Lincoln Center in New York City. From his home in Seattle Washington, Allen's current career activities embody an impressive schedule of recitals, concerts, recording and composing. His continued commitment to music education and the value of music in everyday life results in an extensive schedule of guest appearances throughout North America, South America, Europe, Japan, Australia, Asia and New Zealand. Allen's many recordings include “Ritzville” featuring Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke,(available at www. vizzutti.com and on iTunes). Other solo jazz recordings include “Trumpet Summit” and “Skyrocket” from Summit Records. Classical recordings currently available (DeHaske Classical Recordings), are “The Emerald Concerto and Other Gems”, with the Budapest Radio Orchestra, “Vizzutti Plays Vizzutti” and “Vizzutti and Soli On Tour”. His “High Class Brass”, (on iTunes), is a wonderfully unique classical and jazz blend co-produced, co-written and performed with fellow trumpet artist, composer and conductor, Jeff Tyzik along with a 90-piece studio orchestra. (on iTunes) Other outstanding Vizzutti recordings are “Baroque and Beyond”, (CBS/Sony), “The Carnival of Venus”, (Summit Records), and “A Trumpeter's Dream, (Ludwig Music Publishing). As Artist in Residence, Allen has taught at the Eastman School of Music, the University of North Texas, the University of South Carolina, the Banff Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas State University, Ohio State University, West Texas State University, the Skidmore Jazz Institute, and the Trompeten Akademie of Bremen Germany. His extensive treatise, “The Allen Vizzutti Trumpet Method” and his “New Concepts for Trumpet”, (Alfred Music Publishing), have become standards works for trumpet study worldwide. Many more of Allen's jazz and classical books, play along recordings, and student and recital compositions are published by DeHaske/Hal Leonard, BIM Switzerland, and Village Place Music. His writing includes solo pieces for piano, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trombone, tuba, and harp, chamber groups, wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, and symphony orchestra. Allen's love of expression through composition has led to premier performances by the LosAngeles Philharmonic, Budapest Radio Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic of London, the Nuremberg Symphony, Rochester Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony, London Symphony, the renowned Summit Brass, the Royal Philharmonic Brass and others. After the world premier of his “Emerald Concerto” with the Syracuse Symphony Allen's writing was described in review: “The Emerald Concerto sparkles!...a vivacious treatment which speaks well for both his dramatic instinct and technical prowess as a composer.” While growing up in Montana, Allen was taught by his father, a self taught musician and trumpet player, until he left home to attend the Eastman School of Music on full scholarship. There he earned the Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees, a Performer's Certificate, a chair in the Eastman Brass Quintet faculty ensemble, and the first Artist's Diploma ever awarded a wind player in Eastman's history. Allen has performed on over 150 motion picture sound tracks, (such as Back To The Futureand Star Trek), as well as countless TV shows, commercials and recordings with such artists as Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Neil Diamond, Chick Corea, the Commodores and Prince. His soaring sound can be heard on recent the movies, “Mirror, Mirror”, “Furry Vengeance”, “40 Days and 40 Nights”, “Unfaithfully Yours”, “Gridiron Gang”, “Scary Movie Four”, “The Hulk” and the “Medal of Honor”, “Gears of War”, “World of Warcraft” ,and “Halo” video games. More information is available at www.vizzutti.com  Allen Vizzutti is a Yamaha Performing Artist

Send us a textWe're now on YouTube! Enjoy this episode with our new enhanced video content on our YouTube channel, please like and subscribe!!Join us for an inspiring conversation with the legendary trombonist Ian Bousfield as we navigate through the vibrant realm of trombone music. Ian shares his incredible journey in an engaging discussion on the transformative power of music in an unforgettable exploration of musical connections and experiences.Our discussion unfolds the unexpected bonds formed through podcasting, illustrating how stories and respectful discourse can bridge diverse backgrounds. Ian reflects on how podcasting became a therapeutic platform during COVID, offering a space to share opinions and connect with a global audience. The episode emphasizes the importance of understanding music within its cultural context, drawing parallels with wine tasting, and appreciating unique musical interpretations. Insights into the dynamics of conducting in different regions and the evolving definition of musical success provide a deeper understanding of the art form.Furthermore, Ian reveals the emotional depth and familial influences that shape a musician's legacy. He shares touching stories of nurturing resilience in children, balancing a demanding career with family life, and inspiring the next generation of musicians. Through candid anecdotes, Ian recounts pivotal career moments and the enduring friendships formed along the way, from the London Symphony Orchestra to the Vienna Philharmonic. This episode is a celebration of music's profound impact on personal and professional life, encapsulating the shared experiences that unite the global trombone community.Also introducing special features with Patreon: www.patreon.com/tromboneretreatLearn more about the Trombone Retreat and upcoming festival here: linktr.ee/tromboneretreat Hosted by Sebastian Vera - @js.vera (insta) and Nick Schwartz - @basstrombone444 (insta)Produced and edited by Sebastian VeraMusic: Firehorse: Mvt 1 - Trot by Steven Verhelst performed live by Brian Santero, Sebastian Vera and Nick SchwartzThank you to our season sponsor Houghton Horns: www.houghtonhorns.comSupport the show

In January 2025 Seattle Opera will present two concert performances of LES TROYENS À CARTHAGE, the second part (Acts 3, 4, & 5) of Berlioz's monumental masterpiece LES TROYENS. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces the music of Berlioz and this full-length program, sharing musical examples from recordings of Georges Thill singing French tenor arias; Les Troyens conducted by Colin Davis in 1969 (with the orchestra and chorus of Covent Garden and Jon Vickers); from 2000 (Davis conducting the London Symphony orchestra and chorus, Ben Heppner, Michelle DeYoung, and Sara Mingardo); and from 2017 (John Nelson conducts the Orchestre and Choeur philharmonique de Strasbourg, Joyce DiDonato, and Cyrille Dubois).

Today on The Rough Draft, we're joined by Mark Watters, a six-time Emmy Award-winning composer and conductor renowned for his work in film, television, video games, global tours such as Star Wars in Concert, and major events like the Olympics. Mark's career spans iconic Disney classics and collaborations with artists like John Legend, Mary Jo Blige, and Beyoncé. In addition, Mark serves as the Associate Professor of Contemporary Media & Film Composition and Director of the Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media at the prestigious Eastman University in New York. Join us today as we discuss his creative process, how to embrace technology while guarding authenticity, and the deeply emotional resonance of music across all content mediums. Guest BioMark Watters is a six-time Emmy Award winning composer and conductor whose diverse career spans over 400 television episodes, feature films, DVDs, video games, concert works and music for the theater. He holds the distinct honor of having served as music director and featured composer for two Olympics. First, in 1996 for the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta and again in 2002 for the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. For the '96 games, Mark composed the Emmy nominated song, "Faster, Higher, Stronger." Performed by opera legend, Jessye Norman and featuring lyrics by Grammy-nominated lyricist, Lorraine Feather, the song was the triumphant finale to the Opening Ceremonies. He has served as guest conductor for such orchestras as The Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Tokyo Philharmonic, The London Symphony, The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, The Detroit Symphony, The New York City Pops, The Baltimore Symphony and The Atlanta Symphony. In 2002, film score legend John Williams asked Mark to co-conduct the 74th Academy Awards. He has worked with such artists as Beyonce, Sting, Carrie Underwood, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Trisha Yearwood, Yo Yo Ma and Broadway star, Brian Stokes Mitchell.In addition to his composing and conducting career, Mark is an associate professor at the famed Eastman School of Music where he heads the Media Composition curriculum and is the director of the Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media.Additional Resourcesmarkwatters.comesm.rochester.edu/directory/watters-mark/Rate & SubscribeBe sure to subscribe to Rev's YouTube Channel in order to stay up to date with the latest episodes and to watch our video production of The Rough Draft.Follow Rev and The Rough Draft on Instagram, LinkedIn, and XThe Rough Draft is produced by Rev, and releases a new episode every two weeks on Thursday. Subscribe now to stay up to date with the newest episodes, and be sure to check out rev.com/podcast for more content.

The uplifting sound of the horn, particularly in an orchestral setting, is familiar to audiences worldwide – but how do you play this wonderful instrument? Charlotte Smith interviews former London Symphony, London Philharmonic and current Royal Opera House principal horn David Pyatt, who takes her through her first horn lesson.   This episode is sponsored by Bang & Olufsen.   Musical excerpts: Brahms Symphony No. 1 London Symphony Orchestra/Jonathan Pasternack Naxos 8.572448 (2011) https://www.naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.572448   Franz Strauss Nocturno for Horn and Piano, Op 7 from David Pyatt Recital David Pyatt (horn); Martin Jones (piano) Erato 9029534229 (1998) https://www.warnerclassics.com/release/recital-horn-works   Interview recorded at the Royal Academy of Music, London: https://www.ram.ac.uk Student horn loaned with kind permission by Paxman Musical Instruments, London: https://www.paxman.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kathleen Parlow was one of the most outstanding violinists at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1912, she was signed by the Columbia Record Company in New York, and her first records for the U.S. label were brought out alongside those of the legendary Eugene Ysaÿe. Listen to her fascinating story and how she took the world by storm. From her devastating looks to the intrigue her priceless instrument created. You will hear rare recordings of this prodigious player as we retell her life and try to understand why such an incredible talent has been so forgotten today. Brought to you by Biddulph recordings   TRANSCRIPT   Kathleen Parlow Part 1  Welcome to this very first episode of the Historical Strings Recording Podcast.  A show that gives you a chance to hear rare and early recordings of great masters and their stories.  Hello, my name is Linda Lespets. I'm a violin maker and restorer in Sydney, Australia, and I'm also the host of another podcast called ‘The Violin Chronicles',  a show about the lives of historically important violin makers and their instruments. But today we have a different podcast and telling this incredible story with me is my co-host Eric Wen. Hello, my name is Eric Wen, and I'm the producer at Biddulph Recordings, which is a label that focuses upon reissuing historic recordings, particularly those by famous string players of the past.  I also teach at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where I've been for the past 24 years. In this first episode, we will be looking at an incredibly talented violinist called Kathleen Parlow, who, in her time, took Europe and the world by storm, giving even Fritz Kreisler a run for his money in the popularity department. She was described in the media as being ‘One of the phenomena of the musical world' on par with Mischa Elman, or the ‘greatest lady violinist in the world', and ‘the girl with the golden bow'.  She was treated with superstar status wherever she went, which begs the question as to why she is so little known today? Well, join us to discover her incredible story, the events of her career and her violin. A violin which would eventually financially ruin one man and divide his family. We will take a closer look at high hat kicking breakdancers, militant fascists, scandalous theatre directors, impossible love, a score ripping composer, and all this revolving around one of the world's most expensive violins and the incredible means one man went to get it into his hot little hands and then give it away. This is the story of Kathleen Parlow.  And all of the pieces you will be hearing in this podcast are of Kathleen Parlow playing her violin. Kathleen Parlow was born into a modest family in Calgary on the Canadian prairies in 1890.  Her mother, Minnie, was a violinist. So, at a young age at four, she gave her daughter a violin and started teaching her. When she was six years old, the family, Kathleen, Minnie, and her father, Charlie, they moved to San Francisco where her talent was immediately recognized. And well, this is probably because of the, the mom. And she was having lessons with her cousin called Conrad Coward in San Francisco.  Very soon, still aged six, she gave her first recital in San Francisco.  So is six, is six a reasonable age for a child to give a recital? What do you think? It's extremely young. In fact, that is truly prodigious. I mean, people don't even begin the violin till six and that's an early beginning of an instrument. Most people start around seven or eight, but to begin much earlier and to even be playing a concert at the age of six. That's really quite phenomenal. So with her burgeoning talent, she now started having lessons with Henry Holmes, who was a pupil of Louis Spohr, the well-known German composer and violinist. And he's a conductor and who he's the man who apparently invented the chin rest.  So where would we be without the chin rest, really? He's attributed with inventing it.  Well, Spohr was a fine violinist, German violinist. He was also a quite prominent composer. He was quite a conservative composer. So, I believe he wasn't that fond of the music of Beethoven. In other words, there were people like Spohr, Von Weber, and they represented a much more conservative branch of the sort of German composition.  of the German composers. And basically, they looked upon Beethoven as such a wild revolutionary in his music, so daring that I think they were almost a little offended by it. So Spohr, if you could say, is primarily a kind of conservative, very well-schooled, excellent composer. He wrote many, many violin concertos, the most famous of which is No. 8 in A minor, which is written in the form of an operatic scene. Full of violin solo recitatives and arias for the violin. Oh, wow. Yeah, that's interesting. So they were, there was like very shocked by Beethoven. They were, apparently. Was he a contemporary of Beethoven? Because I, because sometimes you go back pretty quickly, don't you? Like the teacher of the teacher of and all of a sudden you're in like the Well, Spohr was born 14, he's 14 years younger than Beethoven. Oh, okay. So, he was born in 1784, but he lived a lot longer. He lived over 20 years longer than Beethoven. Oh, wow. And that's fascinating. So, Henry Holmes, Kathleen Parlow's teacher, was taught by this guy who would have known Beethoven? Yes, absolutely. And objected to Beethoven.  Was shocked by his music. Well, I mean, I think sort of the, you might say the more mature Beethoven or the more daring Beethoven. But I think, you know, I'm sure maybe some of Beethoven's early works were much more acceptable. They were more normative, so to speak. Oh, okay.  So Kathleen's in San Francisco and her parents' marriage is breaking down. Her father, Charlie, moves back to Calgary where he dies of tuberculosis the year after. But Kathleen, she rockets on and is becoming more and more well known. Her new teacher sees real talent in the girl, and this teacher, Henry Holmes, he has contacts to make things happen. And he helps arrange a tour for her and playing engagements in England. So for this to happen, Kathleen's mum, she's, she's I'm getting stage mum vibes. Yes.  Because she's still very, still very young. Oh, yeah. I mean, I can't believe she wasn't playing with dolls.  And this would have been a conversation between Minnie, Kathleen's mum, and the teacher. It probably wouldn't have been a conversation with her as a child. No, probably not.  You don't really choose much when you're six, seven. No, that's true. So the problem they have is that they have no money. So, so what do you do, Eric? You have no money, you have a prodigy. You exploit the prodigy by having them play and make an income for you, which is something that happens unfortunately to many, many talented musicians coming from, you might say, less well-off families. They end up becoming the breadwinner. All their focus gets put upon these, these kids. And so not only do they have the added burden of playing and making sure they keep up They're playing well, but they also have the burden of making sure that they play well enough to make an income so that their families can survive. I mean, that's a very familiar story, and it's a story that has more failures than winners, I'm afraid, because you do hear about the winners. You do hear about the Misha Elmans or the Yasha. Well, Heifetz is a little different because he had a more middle-class family, but you do hear of Oskar Shumsky, for example, who I know I knew personally, he says, don't believe that these violence that you hear about having normal childhood behind every great violence, there's always a mama or a papa. And I think he himself endured that kind of pressure, the pressure to somehow become. The breadwinner, or let's say the some, the pressure to become a great violinist, primarily because he would serve as the breadwinner for the family. Well, if you think about it, you could say that.  Violin playing in the early 20th century was very dominated by Russians, particularly Russian Jews. And one of the reasons for that was that in Russia, all the Jews were confined to an area known as the Pale of Settlement.  In other words, a designated area that they could live in, but they could not leave that particular area. And basically, some very gifted young students could get into university or could go into a conservatory, and one of the big examples was Misha Elman, and Misha Elman, you might say left the Pale of Settlement to go study with Leopold Auer in St Petersburg. And they had to get all sorts of permission to do that. Well, the success of Misha Elman, the global success, the international success, I think resonated so well. with the people in the ghetto that they sort of saw, wow, this is one of our boys and look what he's done. He's now playing for the crowned heads of Europe. So I think for them, they felt this was a way out. And if you think about it, the film, Fiddler on the Roof,  which is a famous musical and it was adapted as a famous film. And basically, that film, just the very title, talks about the Fiddler on the Roof. And the setting is in the Pale of Settlement, the Jewish ghetto in Russia. They're often subjected to random attacks by the Cossacks and all sorts of difficulties. But here, despite all that, you know they manage to survive. And of course the image of the Fiddler on the Roof. The violinist is exemplified, you might say, by Misha Elman, who literally grew up in the Russian ghetto. Yeah, and Misha Elman, he'll, he'll become, he He'll become important in our story, yeah. The money. This is not a problem. There is a wealthy admirer called Harriet Pullman, Carolan, in San Francisco. And she pays for Kathleen and her mother to take the trip to England. And in 1904, at the age of 14, Kathleen plays for King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace. And then in the next year in 1905, she and her mother, they come back to England. This tour marks the beginning of a life that she would lead for years to come of performing and playing. And so by the time she was 15, she was touring and playing with the London Symphony. And it was in a concert at the Wigmore Hall in London that she really shoots to fame.  So is the Wigmore Hall, is that, is that still today an important place to play? Oh, extremely so. It's funny because the Wigmore Hall was originally called the Bechstein Hall, and obviously during the wars, it became a much more the name was more neutralized to become less dramatic, and it became named after the street it's on, which is Wigmore Street. It was always a very important venue, but around the sort of 60s In the 70s it had declined a bit in its status because the South Bank had been built and so the Wigmore Hall was a little bit relegated to a sort of a little second class status. But in the past 20 years or so the Wigmore Hall has catapulted to  fame again and it's today one of the most distinguished halls. In London. All right. Okay. And this is, this is pre war. So it's, it would have been called? Bechstein. Okay. So it would have been called the Bechstein Hall when she played? Probably. Oh yeah, definitely. So the Bechstein Hall was, I think first opened in 1901 and it was built by the piano manufacturers, the German manufacturers Bechstein, hence the name. And after the First World War, I believe it was changed to a more neutral sounding, less Germanic name, and it adopted the name of the street that it's currently on, which is Wigmore Street. Incidentally, the first concert at Wigmore Hall was actually performed, was a violin and piano recital, performed by Eugene Ysaye and Federico Busoni.  And then one night in London, Kathleen and her mother went to another concert of another child prodigy called Mischa Elman. And he was, so he's the fiddler on the roof guy, and he was almost exactly the same age as Kathleen. He was just a few months there's just a few months difference between them. And she, she hears him playing this concert and she's, she's just blown away. Blown away, and after the concert, she and her mother decide that Kathleen, she just has to go and have lessons from the same teacher as this, as this, as Mischa. So the only thing, only little thing about Mischa Elman's teacher is that he is in Russia. And as far as anyone knows, no foreigners study in the St. Petersburg Conservatorium, but that is about to change. Definitely no ladies. So, Kathleen and her mother had arrived in England with 300 raised by their church in San Francisco and this was, it just wasn't enough to get them to Russia and to the conservatorium where the famed Leopold Auer was a professor, but get there they would because Kathleen's mum, Minnie, still had a few tricks up her sleeve. She went and petitioned the Canadian High Commissioner.  So she must have been, I feel like Minnie, she must have been very persuasive. Like there was nothing was getting in between, you know, her daughter and this career. Forceful, a task to be reckoned with, certainly. Yeah. She's like we'll get to England, we have no money. Not a problem. We're gonna, we're gonna get this teacher. He's in Russia. Not a problem. No foreigners. It, you know, it doesn't, it doesn't seem to be a problem for her, no girls. Not a problem. No foreigner has ever studied in this St. Petersburg conservatorium. Not daunted. They're off. They go. So to pay the cost travel, Minnie managed to get a loan from Lord Strathconia, the Canadian high commissioner.  And from there, mother and daughter travelled to Russia. And in October of 1906, Kathleen becomes the first foreigner to attend the St. Petersburg Conservatorium. And in her class are 45 Students and she's the only girl. And we have to remember this is pre-revolutionary Russia. So there's still the Tsar Nicholas the second at this point. Yeah. She's mixing in, in that set. So it's an interesting place to be as a musician. Cause you're frequenting the sort of the upper classes but you can come from, from nothing and arrive there. Her professor was the famed teacher, Leopold Auer, who had a knack of discovering talent. Leopold Auer was actually a Hungarian violinist, and he was trained in Vienna, and he also studied with Joachim.  And what happened was Russia has always had a sort of love for the violin, and they employed many people to teach at the conservatory, because they really embraced Western culture. They had A number of important French violinists come, but their big, you might say, catch was to get Vieuxtemps, Henri Vieuxtemps,  to teach for a number of years at, in St. Petersburg. And after Henry Vieuxtemps, they actually got Henry Wieniawski to teach at the conservatory. And when Wieniawski decided to go back to Europe, they employed Leopold Auer to take his place at St Petersburg. Right. So he's up there with the big names. Well, they were a little bit let down. I mean, that's what they were, I think, a little bit disappointed to replace Wieniawski with Leopold Auer because Wieniawski was such a major violinist. So he had initially a little rough time, but he was adored by Tchaikovsky and Tchaikovsky loved Auer's playing, dedicated a number of works for him, including the famous serenade melancholic, and wrote a lot number of ballet scores, which Leopold Auer played the solos for. But of course, they had a big rift when Tchaikovsky wrote his violin concerto for Auer, because Auer said it was unplayable.  And that really hurt Tchaikovsky's feelings. And it laid dormant for several years before another Russian violinist. Brodsky took it up, learned it, and. Premiered it in Europe first, and only after its success in Europe did he bring it back to Russia, where it became a big success, and Auer felt very bad about that, and in fact, just before Tchaikovsky died, a few months before Tchaikovsky died, story has it that Auer went to Tchaikovsky and apologized to Tchaikovsky for his initial mistrust of the concerto. In fact, by that time, Auer himself had actually performed the concerto, championed it, and taught it to many of his students.  Yeah, and we'll see in this story how sensitive composers are, and how easy it is to hurt their feelings and really create. Like a lot of emotional turmoil. That's coming up. So Auer, like he might not have been their first choice for replacing, but he did have a knack of finding star pupils. That is something that we see, that I see in the conservatorium. Every now and then you have a teacher who's very talented at finding talent. Absolutely. And I know in Australia you have one very distinguished teacher who I think now has been poached by the Menuhin School in, in England. Yes. And we're not going to talk about that. Yes, we won't.  Because it's Must be a sore point.  But we do see, we do see him every now and then when he comes back. So along with Elman and Efren Zimbalist, Parlow becomes one of Auer's star pupils and Auer was so taken with her playing that he often called her Elman in a skirt, which I think is supposed to be a compliment. And in Auer's biography, he writes, he says, “It was during this year that my first London pupil came to me, Kathleen Parlow, who has since become one of the first, if not the first, of women violinists”.  And that, he says that in his biography, My Long Life in Music.  So, Every year, Auer had a summer school in Kristiana, which is Oslo today. And Parlow spent her summers there and became a great favourite in Norway, which leads us to the next and perhaps one of the most marking events in her career and life. At 17, having spent a year at the conservatory in Russia, Kathleen begins to put on public performances she gives solo performances in both St. Petersburg and Helsinki. So these are two places she knows quite well by now. And these concerts were, they were very important as Kathleen's mother really had no money to support them. And so, with but you know, Minnie doesn't bother her, she just ploughs on. And so with the money from these concerts this would have to tide her over.  From letters that I've read, they were living in like this small apartment and then another friend writes, you know this other person, they've been saying you live in a tiny little place, but I'm not going to spread that rumor. And, and so it was a, it was a thing on the radar that they didn't have much money and they were scraping by and they were like frequenting people of much more wealthier than they were, so they were sort of on the fringes of society, but with her talent that was sort of pushing, people wanted to know her. So she makes her professional debut in Berlin and then began, she begins a tour of Germany and the Netherlands and Norway. And in Norway, she performs for the King Hakon and Queen Maud. Of whom she'll become a favorite. And, and her touring schedule was phenomenal. It was just like nonstop. So, yeah. For a 17-year-old that's, you know, she's going all over the world. And you were saying that Auer knew . Do Tchaikovsky do you think Auer, was he was giving her these pieces that did, that influenced him? Yes.  I mean, Tchaikovsky  wrote a number of violin, solo violin works before the concerto, the most famous of which is, of course, the Waltz Scherzo and the Serenade  Melancholique. One is a fast, virtuoso piece, the other is a slow, soulful piece. And I know that Auer was the dedicatee of certainly the Serenade Melancholique, which she did play. So, so Auer's giving her stuff from, you know, his friend Tchaikovsky to play. Now she's 17 and she's touring to support herself and her mother and she has an amazing teacher who probably understands her circumstances all too well because Auer growing up also found himself in her position, supporting his father in his youth with his playing. So she's studying in St. Petersburg, which is an incredible feat in itself. So she must have had quite a strong character and her mother, Minnie, also appears to be very ambitious for her daughter. We're talking about her mother being ambitious, but for Kathleen to, you know, she's her daughter, she, she must've had quite a strong wheel as well. Yes. Well, she certainly did.  I wish we knew more about her because maybe she was very subservient, you know, we have no idea. Maybe she didn't have, I mean, it's a speculation, of course. Yeah. We do have like hundreds of letters from Kathleen and there's a lot between her and Auer, and there's a real sort of paternal, he really sort of  cared for her like a daughter almost and she looked up to him like a father and he was always very correct about it, you know, he would always write the letter to her. To Minnie, her mother the correspondents, it was, and it was always very, everything was very above board, but a very, they were very close. Kathleen later says that after expenses, her Berlin debut netted her exactly 10 pounds.  She didn't know it at the time, but this was an indication of what her future would be like, and she would be sort of financially in a precarious state most of her life, and she would so her routine was she studies with Auer every summer in order to prepare, like they were preparing her repertoire for the next season of touring. So now she has a tour  in 1908, so she's still 17, almost 18. It's in Norway, and to understand just a little bit of the political climate in the country, We can see that Norway, only three years earlier, had become independent of Sweden and had basically become its own country. So there's this this great sense of nationalism and pride in being Norwegian. And they have a newly minted king, King Hakon, who she's played for, and his queen, who was, He was in fact a Danish prince. And then when Norway, the Norwegian parliament asked him if he would like to become the king of Norway when they had their independence. And he said, why not? As part of this great sense of nationalism Norwegian musicians, composers, writers, and poets, they were celebrated and became superstars. And, oh gosh, yes, We can sort of understand. Poets have sort of dropped off the list, but back then poets, they were a big deal.  So you add to this a young, fresh faced, talented Canadian girl who knows and understands their country. She arrives in Oslo to play in the National Theatre, where Norway's very own Johan Halvorsen who's conductor and composer and violinist, he's conducting the country's largest professional orchestra. And that night for Kathleen's concert, she plays Brahms and some of  Halvorsen's compositions and the two, Kathleen Parloe and Halvorsen, they would go on to become quite good friends and Halvorsen regarded her very highly in saying, he said that her playing was superior almost to all the other famous soloists who made guest appearances in the city. So, I mean, a lot of people went through Oslo, so that was, you know, high praise.  And Kathleen quickly Becomes a admirer of his and she would become a driving factor in him finishing his violin concerto that he'd been dithering over for a very long time.  And this is Kathleen playing one of Halvorsen's compositions. It's not his concerto, it's Mosaic No. 4. So back to the theatre. And it was a magical night with the romantic music of Brahms to make you fall in love. And everyone did, just some more than others. And to finish off, there's music from their very own Johan Halvorsen to celebrate you know, a Norwegian talent. So Kathleen plays her heart out and when the concert ended, the crowd goes wild and the 17 year old soaks up the thunderous applause. She's holding on tight to her violin as she bows to adoring fans. Tonight she is the darling of Oslo.  In the uproarious crowd stands a man unable to take his eyes off this young woman. Her playing has moved him and her talent is unbelievable.  This man makes a decision that will change both their lives forever. So, Einar Bjornsson had fallen head over heels for the 17 year old Canadian there and then. She would turn 18 in a few months. And in that moment, he decided to give her the most beautiful gift she would ever receive.  So, who is Einar Bjornsson?  So what we were saying, poets, poets are less of a, you know, a hot shot today, but Einar was the son of a very, very famous poet. A Norwegian businessman and son of one of the most prominent public figures of the day, Bjørnstan Bjørnsson. He was a poet, a dramatist, a novelist, a journalist, an editor, a public speaker, and a theatre director. Five years earlier, in 1903, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, and one of his poems, called ‘Yes, We Love This Land', was put to music and is the Norwegian national anthem up to this day. So, you could say he was kind of famous in these parts, and his personality alone would have easily filled. A concert hall, that one in Oslo.  Einar's father here, we're talking about Einar's father, he's the poet. Einar himself doesn't appear to have written any poetry. And this, so this situation could have been just fine the whole infatuation, love at first sight thing, except for a few things that put a spanner in the works. To begin with, Einar Björnsson is somewhat older than the youthful Kathleen he's 26 years older.  Then her, in fact, and for a 17 year old, that is a big age gap. So he's 45, but that aside, there is a problem that he's also married and has two children. His daughter is actually almost the same age as Kathleen she's 16, but he doesn't really seem to  see that. All he can see is this violinist and her talent. And he's been just, he's besotted and he's going to make a grand gesture. So obviously, one way to support the arts is to, what patrons do is they will buy, a lovely instrument and lend it to someone. So that's your normal affair. Obviously, one way to show his devotion to her is to find her a better violin. Hers is absolutely not good enough for someone of her talent. And he has to find her something amazing because she is amazing. He's determined to give her the most wonderful gift she has ever received.  So he goes out and he's a businessman. And so he goes to his businessman contacts. And Kathleen would have spoken to her entourage. I imagine, and I now finally finds a violin worthy of Kathleen's virtuosity, and it happens to be one of the most expensive violins on the market in 1908, and it's a 1735 Giuseppe Guarneri Del Gesu violin. It had previously belonged to great violinists  such as Giovanni Battista Viotti and Pierre Baillot. So just to clarify in the violin making world Antonio Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesù are the two top makers. If you're comparing two instruments, if one was owned by no one not anyone that you know. And then another one was owned by Viotti and Pierre Baillot . The one that's owned by Viotti and Pierre Baillot is probably going to be worth more. Yeah. So Viotti, he was just huge. He had a lot of instruments. I think he did a little bit of teaching and dealing on the side, Viotti. Like with the number of instruments named after him, or he just went through a lot of instruments. So she buys this violin, and it's not all smooth sailing to get the violin. Because she, there's this, there's a big correspondence between her and Auer, and we see that actually there's this letter where it says from Auer saying, I saw Hamming very cross.  He says that the violin is compromised if he takes it back. So at one point, I think she may have changed her mind about this violin, but Hamming the dealer was not okay with this. All the I'm just trying to read his writing, it's not that easy. All the papers brought the news That Kathleen bought it so the newspapers have already, so the, you've got Hamming, that's annoyed, the papers have already said they've bought this violin and he could not, it says he could not sell it soon and repeat the sale, waiting till he finds something equal to the Guarneri. He showed me a Strad, indeed wonderful, asking 60, 000 livres, which must be pounds, right?  A nice fellow, isn't he?  And now, goodbye, write to me.  Love, Auer.  They do end up getting the violin. They, they don't get the 60, 000 Strad that Hamming Gets all upset about and offers, which I think he might have been exaggerating the price just to make him calm down about and to keep the del Gesu. Then Einar gives this to Kathleen. So this is a very kind of strange situation because normally you don't, you don't actually give, the patrons don't actually give their instrument to the No, absolutely. That's a remarkable gift. Just in terms of, I mean, the gesture is very magnanimous, but in terms of financial, there's just a financial cost or value of the gift is quite enormous. And  so really after only knowing her for a month, Einar transfers this money into her account and she travels, Kathleen travels to Germany to the Hamming workshop and purchases her del Gesu violin for two thousand pounds  and in today's money  according to an inflation calculator, that is three hundred thousand pounds. Almost four hundred thousand US dollars. More than half a million Australian dollars, which at the time was a lot for a violin as well. So we're not I mean, I, today you'd be kind of happy to buy a Del Gesu for half a million, but then it was, it'd be a bargain. So, it's interesting this, like, he buys this, this young violinist this very expensive present and it's a, and it's a grey area and it's fraught with debate ethically, really. And I feel like today musicians find themselves sometimes in this position where they're sort of indebted to the, to a benefactor. It's almost feudal. I I feel cause at the same time you're very happy that they're lending it to you, but got to keep an eye on if it's a healthy relationship to. To get the money he had to get, you know, half a million pounds pretty quickly. If you remember, Ina's father was a very famous poet who'd won a Nobel Prize in literature and part of the prize is that you win a large sum of money. And so, what does Einar do? He goes and asks Dad. So he asks, he borrows, he borrows most of the money actually. Goodness knows how he convinced him, but you know, he's a businessman. And also for the remaining, he's married, remember, and he's married to, actually, to an heiress, and he takes a bunch of her, her dowry money and transfers this to essentially a teenager he met a month ago. The purchase of this incredibly expensive violin attracted, it attracted the attention of the press internationally, but journalists It's never really questioned the fact that this, this gift was given to a young woman by a, by an established family man. So everyone was just like, Oh, isn't it amazing? Because normally in this circumstance, people don't often give the instrument. You buy it as an investment and you'll lend it to someone. I think I've heard of like very few, very few cases of things being gifted, but actually normally your standard practice is to, to lend it to people. And most people playing on strads, that's, that's what it is, someone's lent it to them. How would you feel about someone giving a 300, 000 instrument to your daughter, who's a teenager? Well, I'd be, I mean, I'd just hate the sort of obligation that would involve, because On one hand, it is a very wonderful gift if it is a gift, but you almost expect that  there is some expectation in return, don't you? Yeah. It's like he's bought her almost.  Kind of.  So, Einar, as, as I mentioned, he's, he's from a well known Norwegian family. They're very patriotic. His father's writings really established a sense of pride and meaning to what it was to be Norwegian. And he was. Like his father was this beloved figure in the country and he was quite frankly a hard act to follow. But his children gave it a good shot.  You have Einar was one of five children. His father Bjornstein Bjornsson was the poet and public figure. He worked in a theatre. His mother was an actress when he'd met her. Which is a little bit risque also for the time. So they're a bit more of sort of an acting bohemian theatre family. His older brother Bjorn Bjornsson, just to be complicated here, his brother's called Bjorn Bjornsson.  And not to be confused with Bjornstein Bjornsson, his father. So he was a stage actor and a theatre director.  Like his dad. He was a playwright and he was the first theatre director of the National Theatre. And that was the big theatre in Oslo where Kathleen played. He was also quite busy in his personal life, because his first wife was Jenny Bjornsson. I mean, another Bjornsson. Boarding house owner. So he married her for four years. So this is Einars older brother. He married her for four years, then he divorced her, then he married an opera singer. Called Gina Oselio for 16 years, but then he, they, they got divorced, and then he married in 1909 Aileen Bendix, who was actually Jewish, and that's an important point, that she was Jewish, because at this time, things are kind of soon things will start heating up in Europe. And then he was, then there was Einar's younger brother called Erling Bjørnson, and he was a farmer and a politician for the Norwegian Far Right Party. So he was extreme right. Bit of a fascist. The other brother. So he was elected to the parliament of Norway and he was very active during World War II. So his two brothers have very, like, polarized opinions. Einar himself, he was a passive member of the far right party, but during the war years at that time that was the only party that people were allowed to be part of, so you can't, it's hard to tell his political leanings from that. Then he has a younger sister.  Bergliot Bjornson, and she was a singer and a mezzo soprano, and she was married to a left wing politician Sigurd Ibsen, who was, he was the son of a playwright, and he becomes the Norwegian Prime Minister, so he plays a central role in Norway getting its independence. He met Einar's sister because he's a big patriot. Einar's father is a big patriot and that's how they were kind of family friends. It's not bad, you know, having your husband as the prime minister. Then he has another little sister called Dagny Bjornson and she was 19 when she marries a German publisher called Albert Langdon and so they're sort of like leftish as well. So Einar, he marries the sister of Albert Langdon. So they have this joint brother sister wedding. On the same day, the Bjornson brothers sisters marry the Langdon brothers sisters. But, the important thing to know is that the Langdons are very, very wealthy. They're orphans and they, they've inherited a lot of money. And so, but then Dagny, she ends up leaving her husband. Goes to Paris and works at another newspaper. And this is all in the, you know, the early 1900s.  So she had this amazing life and then and then she marries another man, a French literate called Georges Sartreau well he comes also from a very wealthy family. Then you have Einar, who's a businessman, and he marries Elizabeth and they have two children, and his life is like not that remarkable. I think the most exciting thing he does is fall in love with Kathleen, I suppose, and sort of runs after her and her violin. From Kathleen's diaries, we can see the day after this concert in Oslo on the 10th of January, it's written 10th January, Mr Bjornson, 11;30am She meets with him the day after skiing and tobogganing with the Bjornsons. She has a concert the next day, but the day after that it's dinner with the Bjornsons, then another concert. And then she plays for the King. Then she goes to dinner with the Bjornsons. So this is just an excerpt from her diary for those weeks. And the next day, it's just Mr. Bjornson. That's just her meeting him not with the family. And maybe this is where he says, you know, I'll get you a violin. Maybe that was that meeting. And then on the 28th of February, she's in Germany and, and he's there. Einar is there. He goes to see her. Then on the 6th of March, she's in Amsterdam and in her diaries, you know, Mr Bjornson, he's there. He's kind of like, I don't know if this is creepy. He's following her around and then, and it's around about this time that he buys the violin for her. So she finishes her tour and she goes back to England and a month later in her diary, who rocks up?  I know, he's there.  In England, and she's still only 17 there. It's like he's kind of shadowing her a bit. Yes, it's that next level patronage.  And then there's the, the aesthetic at the time, the, the pre-Raphaelite willowy type woman, which she fits perfectly into. And Kathleen, if you, if you see Kathleen, it's kind of like. John William Waterhouse, his paintings. There's women in these long flowy robes with flowers in their hair and long willowy postures and, they're often like, you know, they're flopping about on something like a chair or there's this one holding this pot of basil. And there's that famous painting, The Lady of Shalott, where you've got this woman float, is she, is she dead? She's floating in the water with her hair and, and all this fabric and flowers and.  In a promotional article, there was this quote from a review in the Evening Sun. “Kathleen Parlow, tall, straight, slim, and swaying as the white birch sapling of her native Canada, but a spring vision, but a spring vision all in pink from her French heels to her fiddle chin rest and crowned with parted chestnut hair of a deeper auburn than any Stradivarius violin made an astonishing impression of masterful ease”. I don't know if men were described like this, but they loved her. She's like a white birch.  Well she's very slender, she had beautiful long hair she was very thin, very fragile, and I think she sort of exemplified this pre Raphaelite beauty basically and that was so enchanting to have someone who  was almost from another world playing the violin divinely. I think she must have cut an incredibly attractive image  for the day. Absolutely. Yeah. And then she would have been like playing these like incredible romantic pieces. It would be juxtaposed with her playing. Yeah. And yeah. Yes. So she was this real William Waterhouse figure with her violin.  So she's lithe and willowy, and she has her touring schedule, which was phenomenal. She, so she tours England, Finland, Belgium, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway. Just to name a few. It just kind of stopped after that. It was just never ending. And you have to remember it's the beginning of the 20th century,  and traveling, it's not like it is today. It was much more. Uncomfortable. I mean, it's incredible. You see one day she's in one country, the next day in another country. So this must have been quite fatiguing. And she's just playing night after night. Her mother, Minnie, she's her, she's, they're quite close. She's, and often like with these, with prodigies, often their parents. They're best friends, like they're the only constant in their life. So in the summers, she returns to Oslo every year for the summer school hour that's helping her for the next concerts. She spends quite a lot of time with Halverson, going to lunches and teas and rehearsals with him. You can see this in her diaries.  But is this, is this kind of the life of a musician as well? Like you have to, you have to go to a lot of teas and lunches with people to please patrons and so on. Yes, I think you do because musicians don't normally have much money and so to ingratiate themselves to patrons and sponsors they really had to coax them into help Yeah, because she's living this life sort of beyond her means, going to the theater, going to concerts and things, and sort of a balancing act. Back in Norway, and a week after she turns 18, there's an entry in her diary, play for Mr. Bjornson, and the next month her entries, they change slightly, and she'll now just call him E. B. For Einar Bjornson and the entries will say things like E. B. arriving and then often like a week later It's E. B. leaving and in her diaries, it's intermittently always though he'll be there for a week wherever she is often in England or and every few months He'll just pop up, you know in London in Germany in the Netherlands And he just always happens to be happens to be there and what's interesting is she has these hundreds of letters archived Of her writing to friends, to family, to her pianist. And it's really interesting that there's zero letters to Einar. There's no correspondence between them, which I think is maybe on purpose, they may be, they have to have been removed because she just writes letters to everyone, but we don't have these, any letters from them, so it just leaves things up to speculation. This brings us to the end of part one in the story of Kathleen Parlow. I would encourage you to keep listening to the music of Kathleen. To do this, Biddulph Recordings have released two CDs that you can listen to on Apple Music, Spotify, or any other major streaming service. You can also buy the double CD of her recordings if you prefer the uncompressed version. I hope you have enjoyed her story so far, but stick around for part two to find out what will happen with her career, the violin, the man who gave it to her, and the mystery behind a missing concerto that Kathleen would, in part, help solve after her death.  Goodbye for now.   ​ 

SynopsisLate in 1941, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky was living in Hollywood — at 1260 N. Wetherly Drive, to be precise.Notoriously unflappable, and eminently practical when it came to commissions, Stravinsky apparently did not even bat an eye when he received a phone call from choreographer Georges Balanchine with an offer from Barnum's Circus to write a short musical work for a ballet involving elephants. Again, to be precise, for Barnum's star elephant ballerina, Modoc, who would be accompanied by 50 other elephants and dancers, all in tutus.“For what?” Stravinsky said.“For elephants,” Balanchine said.“How many?” Stravinsky countered.“A lot,” Balanchine replied.“How old?” Stravinsky asked.“Young,” Balanchine assured.”Well, if they're young, I accept,” Stravinsky concluded.Stravinsky's work, Circus Polka, had its debut at Madison Square Garden in New York by the Barnum Circus and was performed by what Stravinsky once called Barnum's “respectable quadrupeds” some 400 times. Stravinsky then arranged his Circus Polka for symphony orchestra and conducted the premiere of that version (minus the elephants) with the Boston Symphony in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on today's date in 1944.Music Played in Today's ProgramIgor Stravinsky (1882-1971) Circus Polka; London Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. RCA 68865

SynopsisOn today's date in 1918, the Metropolitan Opera in New York offered the world premiere performance of not one, not two, but three new operas by Giacomo Puccini.The three one-act operas are collectively billed as Il Trittico, or The Triptych. In order of their presentation at the Met, the triptych consisted of Il Tabarro (The Cloak), a rather sordid tale of passion and murder, followed by a sentimental tear-jerker titled Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica, after its Romantic heroine), and, for a comic finale, Gianni Schicchi, titled after the resourceful hero of its comic plot.Musical America reported a warm welcome for the three new Puccini operas, but did find Il Tabarro “in the main, black and brutal.” In that journal's opinion, the hit of the evening was the comic opera, Gianni Schicci. In particular, one brief soprano aria from that opera so pleased the first-night audience that it had to be encored.Over time, this little aria, “O Mio Babbino Caro,” has become one of Puccini's greatest hits and has even cropped up in the soundtracks of movies such as A Room With a View and G.I. Jane.Music Played in Today's ProgramGiacomo Puccini (1858-1924) Gianni Schicchi; Angela Gheorghiu, soprano; London Symphony; Antonio Pappano, cond. EMI 56587

SynopsisIn 1834, the great violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini acquired a new Stradivarius viola. He approached 30-year-old French composer Hector Berlioz and commissioned him to write a viola concerto.What Berlioz came up with, however, was a Romantic program symphony with a prominent part for solo viola, Harold in Italy, inspired by Byron's narrative poem “Childe Harold.” Paganini was disappointed. “That is not what I want,” he said. “I am silent a great deal too long. I must be playing the whole time.”And so, when Harold in Italy was first performed, at the Paris Conservatory on today's date in 1834, it was an old classmate of Berlioz's, Chrétien Urhan, who was the soloist, not the superstar Paganini. The audience seemed to like the “Pilgrims' March” movement of the symphony, which was encored, but otherwise the performance was one train wreck after another.Four years later, however, Berlioz had the last laugh when Paganini, hearing the music he commissioned at a better performed concert, rose from the audience, mounted the stage and publicly declared Berlioz a genius, and, two days later, presented the stunned Berlioz with a check for 20,000 francs.Music Played in Today's ProgramHector Berlioz (1803-1869) Harold in Italy; Nobuko Imai, viola; London Symphony; Colin Davis, cond. Philips 416 431

André J. Thomas is an Associate Artist with the London Symphony Orchestra.Thomas is Professor Emeritus of Music at Florida State University. He was visiting Professor of Choral Conducting at Yale University from 2020-2022. He also served as faculty member at the University of Texas, Austin.Dr. Thomas received his degrees from Friends University (B.A.), Northwestern University (M. M.), and The University of Illinois (D.M.A). He is in demand as a choral adjudicator, clinician, and director of Honor/All-State Choirs throughout North America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Australia, and Africa Dr. Thomas has conducted choirs at the state, division, and national conventions of the Music Educators National Conference (NAFME) and the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA). His international conducting credits are extensive. They include conductor/clinician for the International Federation of Choral Musicians' summer residency of the World Youth Choir in the Republic of China and the Philippines. He was also the conductor of the World Youth Choir's winter residency in Europe and a premier performance by an American choir (Florida State University Singers) in Vietnam.He is a highly respected guest conductor who has led numerous prestigious orchestras and choirs around the world, including the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in England, the Berlin Radio Choir and the North German Radio Choir in Germany, the Netherlands Radio Choir, The Bulgarian Radio Choir and Orchestra, the Seoul Metropolitan Chorus, Ansan City Choir, Jeju Provincial Seogwipo Chorale in South Korea, the Charlotte Symphony, China's People's Liberation Orchestra, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony. He also served as the Artistic Director of the Tallahassee Community Chorus for 31 seasons.Thomas has also distinguished himself as a composer/arranger. Hinshaw Music Company, Mark Foster Music Company, Fitzsimons Music Company, Lawson Gould, Earthsongs, Choristers Guild, and Heritage Music Company publish his compositions and arrangements. Dr. Thomas has produced two instructional videos—What They See Is What You Get on choral conducting, with Rodney Eichenberger, and Body, Mind, Spirit, Voice on adolescent voices, with Anton Armstrong. His recent book, Way Over in Beulah Lan': Understanding and Performing the Negro Spiritual, has quickly become a significant source in this area of study.Various musical organizations have recognized Thomas. The African Diaspora Sacred Music honored Dr. Thomas as a Living Legend. In 2011, Chorus America recognized Thomas' dedication to and accomplishments in the choral arts, presenting him with its Distinguished Service Award. In March 2017, ACDA presented Thomas with its highest honor, the Robert Shaw Award, and in November of 2017, NCCO (National Collegiate Choral Organization) presented Thomas with its Lifetime Achievement Award. In January 2019, he was inducted into the Florida Music Educator's Hall of Fame. In 2022 he was presented with the Award of Excellence from the Southern Region of ACDA. Yale University School of Music presented Thomas with the Samuel Simons Sanford Medal, the most prestigious honor conferred by the Yale School of Music.He is a past president of the Florida ACDA, a past president of the Southern Division of ACDA, and the current  Past President of the National ACDA.To get in touch with André, you can email him at athomas@acda.org or find him on Facebook (@andre.thomas.52).Choir Fam wants to hear from you! Check out the Minisode Intro Part 2 episode from May 22, 2023, to hear how to share your story with us.Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our

In addition to their new jobs, Will and Carlos have had experiences performing with other major orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, and the London Symphony. Our talk then turns to the future, with Will talking about his work with the Vennture Mouthpiece company, and Carlos about training to become an Alexander Technique teacher.

SynopsisEven during the bombing of London by the German Air Force, the London Blitz of World War Two, the BBC Proms Concerts continued.True, in 1941 a German incendiary bomb did destroy the long-time home of the Proms, Queen's Hall on Langham Place, but, not to be deterred, the Proms simply moved to the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington.Wartime Proms programs included this printed notice: “In the event of an Air Raid Warning the audience will be informed immediately, so that those who wish to take shelter either in the building or in public shelters outside, may do so, The concert will then continue.”Talk about pluck!In 1944, the British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams completed a new oboe concerto to be premiered at a Proms concert, but a German V-1 rocket that landed dangerously near the Albert Hall led to an early end to that Proms season, since the V-1 rockets, unlike the German bombers, didn't allow enough warning time to clear the hall.So, on today's date in 1944, the new Vaughan Williams concerto was premiered not in London, but in Liverpool, with soloist Leon Goossens and Malcolm Sargent conducting the Liverpool Philharmonic.Music Played in Today's ProgramRalph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) Oboe Concerto in A minor David Theodore, oboe; London Symphony; Bryden Thomson, cond. Chandos 8594

Trombonist Carlos Jiménez Fernández and Trumpeter William Leathers have already had exceptional lives as musicians, even though they just recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Juilliard. They already have great jobs as principal players (Will with the Nashville Symphony and Carlos with the New York City Ballet) and have also performed with groups such as the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and London Symphony. It was a joy to speak with them about their journey at this early stage of their career.In Part 1, we begin our conversation by talking about how Will and Carlos got to Juilliard. Will started a GoFundMe project in Canada, raising over $70,000 to help pay for his tuition, and Carlos was able to get a scholarship. I ask about their audition to get into the school (an audition where very few people are accepted) and then we talk about their studies with their main teachers, Joe Alessi for Carlos and Chris Martin and Ray Mase for Will.

Listen to this episode with Katy Jones, Principal Trombone of the Hallé Orchestra. We chat some about her life and background through becoming a pharmacist to principal trombone of major symphony orchestras in the UK. We go into great detail about the breathing technique, Buteyko. If you want to learn more about this take a listen and also visit her website with many details and resources about Buteyko Breathing and courses she has to offer on the topic. https://katyjonestrombone.co.uk/ 

SynopsisOn today's date in 1948, at a Proms concert at the Royal Albert Hall, the London Symphony gave the premiere performance of the Serenade in G Major by the British composer Ernest John Moeran. Moeran was born in 1894 in London, but Ireland became his adopted home and musical inspiration during the last decades of his life.Moeran was fascinated by folksongs, and his method of collecting them was to sit in a country pub and wait until an old man started singing. He would note down the song and ask for more. In the 1920s, Moeran became drinking companion of another British composer, music critic, and fellow folk song aficionado Peter Warlock, a talented but rather notorious character who was the model for the outrageously Bohemian composer depicted in Anthony Powell's string of novels collectively titled A Dance to the Music of Time.Warlock's most famous work was his Capriol Suite, an affectionate reworking of Renaissance tunes, and Moeran's Serenade, similar in tone, was perhaps a tribute to his old boon companion. Moeran's 1948 Serenade proved to be last major work, as he died suddenly two years later, at 55, in his beloved Ireland.Music Played in Today's ProgramE. J. Moeran (1894 - 1950) Serenade in G Northern Sinfonietta of England;Richard Hickox, cond. EMI 74991-2

Grammy-Nominated composer, producer, and remixer Sebastian Arocha Morton is one of today's most eclectic and innovative musicians in the LA scene. He's composed and produced for award-winning films including Iron Man 2, Houdini, Robocop, The Spongebob Movie, Little Miss Sunshine, Disney's "Iron Man Experience" and "World of Color". Additional credits include video games such as EA's Madden 2019, and Primetime TV Hits "Young Sheldon”, "The Orville", “Mr. Robot", Tyler Perry's “Alex Cross”, among many others.  Sebastian's work (under the moniker ROCAsound) also includes collaborations with artists such as Sting on the Billboard #1 track “Never Coming Home”, Mary J.Blige, Seal, Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, Rick James, Kaskade, Santana, Counting Crows, and eclectic drum programming and production sessions with the London Symphony for David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto's iconic “Scent of Magnolia”. Not to mention many other credits and artist collaborations... Follow ROCAsound below: www.instagram.com/rocasound www.rocasound.com en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Arocha_Morton Join the newsletter to get early episode access + free Ableton Live downloads: ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.liveproducersonline.com/newsletter

SynopsisThese days, when “Modern Music” is on the program, a sizeable chunk of the concert hall audience might start nervously looking for the nearest exit—but that wasn't always the case.On today's date in 1882, a 21-year old American composer and pianist named Edward MacDowell took the stage in Zurich, Switzerland, to perform his “Modern Suite” for piano at the 19th annual conference of the General Society of German Musicians, a showcase for new music whose programs were arranged by none other than Franz Liszt.Liszt had met MacDowell earlier that year, and when MacDowell sent him the music for his “Modern Suite” for solo piano, Liszt asked the young composer to play it himself at the Society's conference in Zurich.The success of his First “Modern Suite” lead to the creation of a Second, and both were published a year later by the Leipzig firm of Breitkopf & Hærtel. These two suites were the first works of MacDowell to appear in print, and launched his career as one of the major American composers of the late 19th century.Music Played in Today's ProgramEdward MacDowell (1860 - 1908) First Modern Suite, Op. 10 James Barbagallo, piano Naxos 8.559011On This DayBirths1836 - Brazilian opera composer Antonio Carlo Gomes, in CampinasDeaths1937 - American composer George Gershwin, age 38, in Hollywood, following an operation on a cystic brain tumorPremieres1882 - MacDowell: "Modern Suite" No. 1 for Piano, in Zurich, with composer as soloist1921 - Gershwin: musical revue, "George White's Scandals of 1921," at the Liberty Theater in New York City1996 - James MacMillan: "The World's Ransoming" (English horn Concerto), at the Barbican in London, by soloist Christine Pendrill with the London Symphony, Kent Nagano conducting2003 - Peter Maxwell Davies: "Naxos Quartet" No. 2, at the Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham (UK), as part of the Cheltenham International Festival by the Maggini Quartet;Others1798 - In the nation's capital of Philadelphia, President John Adams signed an Act of Congress establishing the United States Marine Band (The original "32 drummers and fifers" assisted in recruiting and entertained residents)1885 - First concert of the Boston "Promenade" Orchestra (later dubbed the Boston "Pops") at the old Music Hall in Boston; Adolf Neuendorff conducts;1922 - Opening concert of the Hollywood Bowl, with German conductor Alfred Hertz at the podium1940 - Leonard Bernstein's first appearance as conductor of a professional orchestra, leading a performance of Wagner's Act I Prelude to "Die Meistersinger" with the Boston Pops at an open-air Esplanade Concert1998 - "The President's Own" U.S. Marine Band, America's oldest professional musical organization, marks its 200th anniversary Links and Resources On composer Edward MacDowell On the MacDowell Colony

Many young musicians dream of making a comfortable living as a solo artist playing recitals, appearing with orchestras, selling CDs. Frederick Moyer has been doing that for 40 years, making a living entirely on performances and record sales. The last teaching job he had was in 1983. What makes Fred particularly interesting to speak to on the subject of solo careers is that you probably have never heard of him! It is one thing to build a career out of a huge splashy success that puts you on the map. Fred has done it without ever having a major New York manager, or a recording on a major label.  Since 1994, when he started keeping track, he has played over 7000 concerts. He has sold over 50,000 classical and jazz CDs, has played in 44 countries, and in such far-flung venues as Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Sydney Opera House, Windsor Castle, Carnegie Recital Hall, Tanglewood, and the Kennedy Center, and has appeared as piano soloist with most of the major orchestras of the United States as well as many orchestras of Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and Australia.  An avid computer programmer, he often incorporates technology into his concerts and owns patents for music-related inventions including the MoyerCam which allows everyone in the audience to see the pianist's hands during a concert. He performs note-for-note transcriptions of such jazz pianists as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and Erroll Garner, bringing this great American music onto classical music stages. In 2009, he and Dr. Paul Green unveiled two unknown piano works by Robert Schumann. Many composers have written for Moyer, including David Ott whose Second Piano Concerto Moyer recorded with the London Symphony. Other composers include Pulitzer Prize winners George Walker and Ned Rorem. Find Frederick at his website, look at his cool CAMERA, check out his recordings. This episode is brought to you today by Happiest Musician Coaching. You are amazing, and I believe in you. What are you trying to create?  What do you need your career to be and do for you? What are you not seeing that you need to do and work on?  I love these conversations and supporting musicians like you. For a limited time, I'm offering a free 30-minute call to get you some clarity around your next steps, and see how I might help you get unstuck!  Thanks for joining me on Crushing Classical!  Theme music and audio editing by DreamVance. You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode! I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!

Synopsis On today's date in 1904, the London Symphony gave its first concert at the old Queen's Hall in London. Founded as a musician-run ensemble, along co-operative lines, back then all its players shared the profits at the end of each season. So, from the start, the LSO had to be entrepreneurial: it made some of the first acoustic recordings of major orchestral works, and in the era of silent movies, played in a London theater pit for major films of the day. By the 1930s, they were recording musical scores for early British sound films as well. One famous film score venture occurred in 1946, for a British movie entitled The Instruments of the Orchestra, in which the LSO itself played a starring role, performing Benjamin Britten's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra -- a work specially-composed for the film. But the LSO's best-known film score recording dates from 1977. It was then that the LSO that recorded the John Williams score for the first of the Star Wars movies. The score became an instant classic, and the LSO became the “go-to” orchestra for John Williams film scores, including Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Harry Potter. Speaking of “titanically” successful films, in 1912, the LSO arranged a North American tour and was booked to sail on a brand-new ocean liner named the Titanic. At the last minute, their tour schedule had to be changed, and – fortunately -- they sailed on a liner named the Baltic instead! Music Played in Today's Program Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976) Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra London Symphony; Benjamin Britten, conductor. London/Decca CD 417 509 John Williams (b. 1932) “Star Wars” Main Title London Symphony; John Williams, conductor. RSO CD 6641-679 (and other CD reissues)

What's up Amy? Featuring surprise guest Gareth Davies, Principal Flute, London Symphony. Plus updates on Trio Virado, Brevard Music Center and AP's summer reading list.

Synopsis On today's date in 1865, the hottest ticket in Paris was for the premiere of Giacomo Meyerbeer's long-awaited grand opera L'Africaine, or The African Maid, at the Paris Opera. And when I say “long-awaited,” I mean long-awaited! Meyerbeer had begun work on “L'Africaine” some 25 years earlier. It had become a standing joke in the French press to rib Meyerbeer about the “imminent” completion of his opera. There were many reasons for the delay. Meyerbeer was a slow-worker, a perfectionist; he was sidelined by ill-health; he was waiting for better singers, more sympathetic management at the Opera, etc. etc. Opera fans back then must have given up hope Meyerbeer would ever finish L'Africaine, but – surprise! – he did and the work was slotted for production at the Paris Opera. At that point, ironically, Meyerbeer died, and his widow entrusted another composer to supervise the rehearsals for its 1865 premiere. Meyerbeer's operas were the 19th century equivalent of the sweeping costume epic movies of Cecil B. DeMille. In L'Africaine, the hero is the explorer Vasco da Gama, and one of the opera's more spectacular stage effects involved a Portuguese ship running aground on an exotic reef and being taken over by a swarm of natives. Music Played in Today's Program Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791 – 1864) O paradis, from L'Africaine Ben Heppner, tenor; London Symphony; Myung-Whun Chung, conductor. DG 471 372

Dara Ó Briain has toured the world as a stand-up comedian, and hosted the BBC's satirical series Mock the Week for 17 years. A science graduate with a love of astronomy, he co-presented the BBC series Stargazing Live with Professor Brian Cox, and is a regular guest on television quizzes and panel shows. Dara grew up in Bray, County Wicklow and attended Irish language schools, playing for the Gaelic football and hurling teams. He studied mathematical physics at University College Dublin where he took part in debating competitions and discovered a flair for getting laughs from an audience. In 2001 he moved to the UK and, alongside performing at comedy gigs, he started appearing on television shows including Never Mind the Buzzcocks and Have I Got News For You. His love of mathematics came to the fore when he presented the game show School of Hard Sums and he has gone on to write popular science books for children. Dara continues to perform stand-up and, when he's not touring what he calls his conversational and whimsical style of comedy, he lives in London with his wife and three children. DISC ONE: Kiss - Prince & The Revolution DISC TWO: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626: No 1, Introitus and Kyrie - Requiem and Kyrie. Composed by Mozart and performed by London Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony chorus, conducted by Sir Colin Davis DISC THREE: Glanfaidh Mé - Kíla DISC FOUR: Groove is in the Heart - Deee-Lite DISC FIVE: Cuba Libre - Gloria Estefan DISC SIX: All About My Girl - Jimmy McGriff DISC SEVEN: Piazza, New York Catcher - Belle and Sebastian DISC EIGHT: Adagio for Strings. Composed by Samuel Barber and performed by Berliner Symphoniker, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle BOOK CHOICE: The Feynman Lectures on Physics by Richard Feynman LUXURY ITEM: Astrophotography equipment CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Groove is in the Heart - Deee-Lite Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Paula McGinley

durée : 00:28:19 - Actualités de l'orchestre - par : Christian Merlin - Les décès du corniste Daniel Bourgue et du violoniste André Siwy, la nomination de deux premiers violons au London Symphony et la prise de position du Philharmonique d'Israël dans la vie politique du pays sont au programme du jour. - réalisé par : Marie Grout

Synopsis Some special music had its premiere at Harvard University (in Cambridge, Massachusetts) on today's date in 1980. It was commissioned to honor the memory of Walter Piston, who had taught composition at Harvard for a number of years, and it was one of his students, the American harpsichordist and organist Daniel Pinkham, who composed it. Pinkham had exceptional teachers. He studied harpsichord with Wanda Landowska, organ with E. Power Biggs and, in addition to Piston, Pinkham studied composition with Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, and Arthur Honegger. But Pinkham credits another familiar name for his most important musical epiphany. In 1939, while still a teenager, Pinkham heard one of the first American concerts given by the Trapp Family, whose sentimentalized story is familiar from "The Sound of Music." The Trapp Family's usual ensemble, which combined Renaissance and Baroque instruments like recorders and gambas with the bright and clear voices of young children, spoke to the young Pinkham as no music had before, becoming "a part of my way of looking at things," as he put it later. Since then, Pinkham has composed everything from symphonies to electronic music. His choral and organ works are especially admired, and in 1990, he was named "Composer of the Year" by the American Guild of Organists. Music Played in Today's Program Daniel Pinkham (1923 - 2006) Serenades Maurice Murphy, trumpet; London Symphony; James Sedares, conductor. Koch International 7179

Synopsis Famous composers have been, on occasion, famous performers as well. Think of Bach on the organ, or Rachmaninoff on the piano. And if Mozart's father is to be believed, young Wolfgang could have Europe's finest violinist – if he had only practiced more. But how many famous composers can you name who played the bassoon? Well, the British composer Edward Elgar, for one. As a young musician in Worcester, played the bassoon in a wind quintet. While never becoming famous as a bassoonist, Elgar's love for and understanding of the instrument is evident in all his major orchestral works, and he counted one skilled player among his friends: this was Edwin F. James, the principal bassoonist of the London Symphony in Elgar's day. In 1910, while working on his big, extroverted, almost 50-minute violin concerto, Elgar tossed off a smaller, much shorter, and far more introverted work for bassoon and orchestra as a gift for James. Since Elgar was working on both pieces at the same time, if you're familiar with Elgar's Violin Concerto, Op. 61, you can't help but notice a familial resemblance to his 6-minute Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra, Op. 62. The Romance was first performed by Edwin F. James at a Herefordshire Orchestral Society concert conducted by the Elgar on today's date in 1911. Music Played in Today's Program Elgar (1857-1934) Romance for Bassoon and Orchestra, Op. 62 Graham Salvage, bassoon; Halle Orchestra; Mark Elder, conductor. Halle Elgar Edition HLL-7505

Synopsis In Rochester, New York, on today's date in 1957, there was a concert at the Eastman School of Music, conducted by the school's famous director Howard Hanson, showcasing new works composed by Eastman graduate students.  Included on the program was a brand-new “Trombone Concerto” by George Walker.Back then, Walker was better known as a remarkable pianist. He was a graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, after all, a student of Rudolf Serkin, and a quite impressive recording exists from his Eastman days of Walker as soloist in the Brahms Second Piano Concerto.  But for Walker, as an African-American, a successful career as a concert pianist in a still-segregated America was not possible – it would be 10 years before Andre Watts broke that taboo, remember, so Walker opted for a musical career as a composer and educator, and proved remarkably accomplished at both.  Walker's early “Trombone Concerto” was a hit from the start. “The composer evidently had a soloist of superior ability in mind in writing this difficult and complex work,” wrote a reviewer at the premiere. “It is music of sound and fury, with lots of dissonance and imaginative drive. Soloist and composer shared in prolonged applause.” Music Played in Today's Program George Walker (1922-2018): Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra (Denis Wick, trombone; London Symphony; Paul Freeman, conductor.) in Sony Black Composers Series CD set 19075862152

Vitaliy Katsenelson joins Devin Patrick Hughes on One Symphony. He was born in Murmansk, USSR, and immigrated to the United States with his family in 1991. Vitaliy became CEO of Investment Management Associates in 2012 and has written two books on investing and for publications including Financial Times, Barron's, Institutional Investor and Foreign Policy. Vitaliy's articles can also be found at ContrarianEdge.com and on the Intellectual Investor Podcast.   Soul in the Game is a book of inspiring stories and hard-won lessons on how to live a meaningful life.  Drawing from the lives of classical composers, ancient Stoics, and contemporary thinkers, Katsenelson weaves together a tapestry of practical wisdom that has helped him overcome his greatest challenges: in work, family, identity, health – and in dealing with success, failure, and more.   Part autobiography, part philosophy, part creativity manual, Soul in the Game is a unique and vulnerable exploration of what works, and what doesn't, in the attempt to shape a fulfilling and happy life.   Thank you for joining us for on One Symphony.  Thanks to Vitaliy Katsenelson for sharing his wealth of knowledge, you can check out Soul in the Game where you get your books and myfavoriteclassical.com. Thank you to all amazing performers featured on today's show: Valentina Lisitsa, Michael Francis and the London Symphony, Roger Norrington and the London Classical Players, Valery Gergiev and the Vienna Philharmonic, Yevgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, Lang Lang, Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony, Bernd Glemser, Antoni Wit, and the Polish National Radio Symphony.   You can learn more about Vitaliy at https://contrarianedge.com/. You can always find more info at OneSymphony.org including a virtual tip jar if you'd like to support the show. Please feel free to rate, review, or share the show! Until next time, thank you for being part of the music!

Synopsis Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto was first performed on today's date in 1881. The premiere took place in Vienna with Adolf Brodsky the violin soloist and the Vienna Philharmonic led by Hans Richter. It was not a big hit. The next day, the conservative Viennese critic Eduard Hanslick wrote: "The violin is no longer played: it is tugged about, torn, beaten black and blue." According to Hanslick, the concerto's finale (quote): "transports us to the brutal and wretched jollity of a Russian festival. We see gross and savage faces, hear crude curses, and smell the booze... Tchaikovsky's Concerto confronts us for the first time with the hideous idea that there may be musical compositions whose stink one can hear." Ouch! Tchaikovsky's score survived the bad review, but a more recent American work suffered a far unkinder cut. The original film score for the 1968 blockbuster movie, "2001: A Space Odyssey" was written by Alex North, who was born in Chester, Pennsylvania on today's date in 1910. Director Stanley Kubrick hired North to write the music for "2001," but Kubrick ultimately decided to use pre-recorded classical and contemporary music instead. When North attended the New York premiere of "2001," he was devastated that not one minute of the music he had written was included in the final edit. Believe it or not, no one had informed him in advance! Music Played in Today's Program Peter Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Violin Concerto, Op. 35 Itzhak Perlman, violin; London Symphony; Alfred Wallenstein, conductor. Chesky 12 Alex North (1910-1991) Unused "Opening Theme," for 2001: A Space Odyssey National Philharmonic; Jerry Goldsmith, conductor. Varese Sarabande 66225

The holidays are a great time to catch up on all our favorite movies, and many of these films wouldn't enjoy the popularity they do without their amazing soundtracks! Today on One Symphony, we want to share with you some of our Holiday Film Score favorites! Join conductor Devin Patrick Hughes as he explores some classical films scores including Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas from Meet Me in St. Louis, Gremlins by Jerry Goldsmith, Home Alone by John Williams, and Danny Elfman's Nightmare Before Christmas. Along the way we explore how these mammoth scores were influences by composers and works like Aaron Copland, Hector Berlioz, Tchaikovsky, Kurt Weill, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Franz Schubert, and many more!  Thank you to all the amazing performers and record labels who made this episode possible including Danny Elfman, Disney, Judy Garland, UMG Recordings, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Geffen Records, the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Silva Screen Records, Warner Brothers, Orchestra of the Marinsky Theatre and Valery Gergiev, Universal Music, Atlanta Symphony and Louis Lane, Alessio Randon and Naxos, the Boston Symphony and Charles Munch, Valentina Lisitsa, Michael Francis and the London Symphony, Ute Lemper, Jeff Cohen and the RIAS Sinfonietta Berlin, with John Mauceri on Decca, Everest Records, Katherine O'Hara, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Daniel Barenboim, and Mel Torme. You can always find more info at OneSymphony.org including a virtual tip jar if you'd like to lend your support to the podcast. Please feel free to rate, review, or share the show! Until next time, thank you for being part of the music!

Synopsis The modern Hungarian city we know as Budapest is really three older settlements merged into one: Buda, on the west bank of the Danube, was the royal seat of the medieval Hungarian kings; Obuda, just to the north, was an ancient Roman provincial capital; and Pest, is a newer city situated on the east bank of the Danube. These three became the modern-day city Budapest in 1873. In 1923, to celebrate modern Budapest's 50th anniversary, the Hungarian government commissioned two of its greatest composers, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, to compose orchestral pieces which both premiered on today's date that year. Bartók's contribution was a lively “Dance Suite,” with themes reminiscent of Hungarian folk melodies, although no actual folksongs are quoted. It's one of his most genial and upbeat orchestral scores. Kodály's contribution was his Psalmus Hungaricus for tenor, chorus and orchestra, a free setting of a 16th century Hungarian translation of Psalm 55, in which the Psalmist pleads for deliverance from his persecutors. That Psalm had a special political resonance for Zoltán Kodály, who had fallen out of favor with the right-wing Hungarian regime then in power. Despite its melancholy tone, Psalmus Hungaricus was an instant hit in Hungary and elsewhere, and helped established Kodály's international reputation as one of his country's greatest composers. Music Played in Today's Program Béla Bartók (1881-1945) Dance Suite Philharmonia Hungarica; Antal Dorati, cond. Mercury 432 017 Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) Psalmus hungaricus, Op. 13 Lajos Kozma, tenor; Brighton Festival Chorus; London Symphony; István Kertész, cond. London 443 488

Synopsis On today's date in 1862, Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Forza del Destino or The Force of Destiny had its premiere at the Imperial Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Verdi and his wife, Giuseppina, were present for the opening night. We're not sure what the outdoor temperature was in St. Petersburg that November evening, but it was something that the Verdis carefully considered before agreeing to attend. Responding to a friend's letter describing a Russian winter, Giuseppina wrote: “If I were not afraid of committing forgery, I would alter that imposing figure of 22 below zero which will make Verdi open his eyes wide in fright… As for myself, I took refuge under the stove… In any case, I shall try and persuade him to expose his nose to the danger of freezing in Russia.” Perhaps in artistic compensation, the story of Forza is set in sultry Spain—and after the premiere in St. Petersburg, the Verdis did indeed set off for warmer climates of Rome and Madrid, where the new opera was to have its next performances. In the early years of the 20th century, La Forza del Destino—like most of Verdi's works—was seldom staged, but in the 1920s it was successfully revived, and its overture has become a concert hall favorite. Music Played in Today's Program Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) Overture and Act II excerpt, from La Forza del Destino John Alldis Choir; London Symphony; James Levine, conductor. RCA/BMG 39502

Synopsis On this day in 1919, Edward Elgar conducted the London Symphony in the premiere performance of his new Cello Concerto, with Felix Salmond as soloist. What should have been a joyous occasion turned out to be a frustrating one — there simply wasn't enough time to rehearse properly, and the premiere was a near-fiasco. Puzzled, the less-than-full house in Queen's Hall gave Elgar a polite ovation but left shaking their heads. Mrs. Elgar blamed the conductor, Albert Coates, who hogged all the orchestra's rehearsal time working over the two pieces HE was to conduct on the same program as Elgar's new Concerto, for which Coates would hand off the baton to Elgar. In her diary for October 26th she writes, “Poor Felix Salmond in a state of suspense and nerves — wretched hurried rehearsal — an insult to Elgar from that brutal, selfish, ill-mannered bounder, Coates.” After the botched premiere of the new Concerto, critic Ernest Newman reported: “Never, in all probability, has so great an orchestra made so lamentable a public exhibition of itself.” Despite this rough beginning, Elgar's Cello Concerto has gone on to become one of the composer's best-loved works worldwide, and has proven to be a favorite with the great cellists of our time, including the late British cellist, Jacqueline du Pré. Music Played in Today's Program Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934) Cello Concerto, Op. 85 Jacqueline du Pré, cello; Philadephia Orchestra; Daniel Barenboim, cond. Sony 60789

Synopsis On this day in 1904, in Cologne, Germany, Gustav Mahler conducted the first performance of his Fifth Symphony. It was not a success. Applause was light, with loud hissing from some in the audience. Even Mahler's wife, Alma, complained so much about the orchestration that Mahler kept tinkering with the score until the last year of his life. Despite this inauspicious beginning, Mahler's Fifth has become a popular showpiece for virtuoso orchestras and its slow movement, marked Adagietto -- supposedly Mahler's musical love to Alma -- has become one of Mahler's best-loved pieces. The American composer Jerome Moross also had a symphony premiered on today's date. The year was 1943, Moross was 30 years old, and Sir Thomas Beecham conducted its premiere performance with the Seattle Symphony. Unlike Mahler, Moross wrote only ONE symphony, and the American hobo tune inspired the slow movement of his “The Midnight Special.” Jerome Moross is best known his work in Hollywood. His 1958 score for “The Big Country” was nominated for an Academy Award. Moross also wrote the music for “Wagon Train,” a popular TV Western. As Moross once said: “a composer must reflect his landscape and mine is the landscape of America. I don't do it consciously, it is simply the only way I can write.” Music Played in Today's Program Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Symphony No. 5 Chicago Symphony; Claudio Abbado, cond. DG 427 254 Jerome Moross (1913-1983) Symphony No. 1 London Symphony; JoAnn Falletta, cond. Koch 7188

Synopsis Today's date marks the original Columbus Day, honoring the Italian explorer who for decades was described as the man who “discovered America.” In recent years Native American leaders have pointed out that indigenous peoples had been living on the continent for thousands of years, and Columbus didn't “discover” anything — in fact, he didn't even know where he was, which is why he called the people he found here “Indians.” Some historians now think that Viking explorers from Scandinavia arrived in America long before Columbus – and others suggest the Chinese arrived before those Europeans. Even so, it's Columbus who has a national holiday (now always observed on the closest Monday in October), and concert music written to celebrate it. For example, there's a “Columbus Suite” by Victor Herbert, originally commissioned for the 1893 Chicago World Fair to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Columbus voyage, but not actually premiered until 1903. A much more recent “Columbus-inspired” work, and much more elegiac in tone, is by the Native American composer James DeMars. It's titled: “Premonitions of Christopher Columbus” and is scored for Native American flute, African drum, and chamber orchestra. In this work, DeMars blends sounds of the various ethnic traditions that would come to make up modern America. Music Played in Today's Program Victor Herbert (1859-1924) Columbus Suite Slovak Radio Symphony; Keith Brion, cond. Naxos 8.559027 James DeMars (b. 1952) Premonitions of Christopher Columbus Tos Ensemble with R. Carlos Nakai, Native American flute Canyon 7014 On This Day Births 1686 - German composer and lutenist Silvius Leopold Weiss, in Breslau; 1713 - Baptismal date of German composer Johann Ludwig Krebs, in Butterstedt, Weimar; 1872 - English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, in Down Ampney, Gloucestershire; 1880 - English-born Canadian composer and organist Healey Willan, in London; Deaths 1692 - Italian composer Giovanni Battista Vitali, in Bologna, age 60; Premieres 1910 - Vaughan Williams: "A Sea Symphony" (after Walt Whitman) at the Leeds Festival; 1924 - Mahler: Symphony No.10 (1st and 3rd movements only), arranged by Ernest Krenek (with additional retouching by Alexander von Zemlinksy and Franz Schalk), by Vienna Philharmonic, Franz Schalk conducting; The American premiere of these two movements was give on Dec. 6, 1949, by the Erie (Pa.) Philharmonic conducted by the composer's nephew, the Austro-American conductor Fritz Mahler (1901-1973); The English musicologist Deryck Cooke prepared the first performing edition of Mahler's entire Tenth Symphony which received its first performance on August 13, 1964, by the London Symphony conducted by Berthold Goldschmidt; Since then, Cooke has revised his arrangement, and several other musicologists have prepared their own rival performing editions of Mahler's surviving notation for this symphony; 1931 - Rachmaninoff: “Variations on a Theme of Corelli (La Folia)” for solo piano, in Montréal (Canada), by the composer; 1951 - Bizet: opera "Ivan le Terrible" (posthumously), in Bordeaux; 1951 - Dessau: opera "Die Verurteilung des Lukullus" (The Trial of Lucullus) (2nd version), in East Berlin at the Deutsche Staatsoper; 1961 - Douglas Moore: opera "The Wings of the Dove" (after the novel by Henry James), in New York; 1971 - Andrew Lloyd Webber: rock musical "Jesus Christ Superstar," in New York City; A choral version of this musical was performed in Kansas City, Kan. On May 15, 1971, and a touring company was launched to present the musical on July 12, 1971; Prior to any staged presentations, the work was first released as a double LP record album in October of 1970; 1984 - Olly Wilson: "Siinfonia," by the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa conducting; 1984 - Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: "Celebration" for orchestra, by the Indianapolis Symphony, John Nelson conducting; 1997 - Sallinen: "Overture Solennel," in Monaco by the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, James DePreist conducting; 1998 - Philip Glass: opera "The Voyage," at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Bruce Ferden conducting; 2000 - Rautavaara: Harp Concerto, in Minneapolis with harpist Kathy Kienzle and the Minnesota Orchestra, Omso Vänskä conducting; Others 1739 - Handel completes in London his Concerto Grosso in Bb, Op. 6, no. 7 (Gregorian date: Oct. 23). Links and Resources On Columbus Day On Victor Herbert On James DeMars

Ralph Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 2 "A London Symphony": Scherzo Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Kees Bakels, conductor More info about today's track: Naxos 8.550734 Courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc. Subscribe You can subscribe to this podcast in Apple Podcasts, or by using the Daily Download podcast RSS feed. Purchase this recording Amazon

Synopsis Two or three days after his death on July 28, 1750, the final rites were held in Leipzig, in St. John's Church, for Johann Sebastian Bach, considered by many the greatest composer who ever lived. Bach was buried in the churchyard of St. John's. In 1894, his remains were discovered during excavations and were reburied inside. Although not unappreciated in his lifetime, and not completely forgotten for nearly a century as myth would have it (Mozart and Beethoven both revered him), it's true that Bach's real stature was not fully recognized by the wider public until Felix Mendelssohn's famous revival performance of Bach's “St. Matthew Passion” in Berlin in 1829. And since Mendelssohn's 19th century revival, Bach's Passion settings and cantatas have been staged as operas or ballets in the 20th and 21st. His music has survived arrangements for solo piano, full symphony orchestra, Moog synthesizer, authentic “period” instruments, Japanese koto orchestra, shakuhachi flute, and the various jazz stylings of the Swingle Singers and the late pianist of the Modern Jazz Quartet, John Lewis. However it was adapted or altered by the passing fashion or fads of the day, Bach's music continues to touch whoever plays it or listens to it. Music Played in Today's Program J. S. Bach (1685-1750) – St. Matthew Passion (SW German Madrigal Chorus; Wolfgang Gönnenwein, cond.) EMI Classics 79544 J. S. Bach (1685-1750) (arr. Chris Brubeck) – Variations on Themes by Bach (Joel Brown, guitar; London Symphony; Joel Revzen, cond.) Koch International 7485

Synopsis Playing in a marching band isn't always as easy as it looks. Imagine the predicament in which Berlioz found himself on today's date in 1840, conducting 210 musicians under a broiling noonday sun as they slowly progressed to the Place de Bastille. To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the French “July” Revolution of 1830, a memorial column had been erected on the spot where the Bastille once stood, and the remains of fallen revolutionary heroes were being transferred to a cenotaph at the foot of the column, accompanied by Berlioz's specially commissioned “Funeral and Triumphal Symphony,” composed for massed military bands. Berlioz himself, in full military uniform and conducting with a saber, led the solemn procession that hot July day. In a letter to his father, Berlioz wrote: “The old know-it-alls were claiming that I'd never manage to have my symphony performed on the march and that my 210 musicians wouldn't stay together for even 20 bars. So I placed the trumpets and drums in front so that I could give them the beat while walking backwards. I planned it so that in the opening bars these instruments play by themselves, so they could be heard by the rest of the band. The symphony's march and finale were played six times, on the march, with an ensemble and effect that were truly extraordinary.” Music Played in Today's Program Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) – Symphonie funebre et triomphale (London Symphony; Sir Colin Davis, cond.) Philips 416 283

Synopsis In the summer of 1824, the fifteen-year-old Mendelssohn spent a holiday with his father in the fashionable spa town of Bad Doberan, on the Baltic coast near Rostock. Writing home to his family in Berlin he confessed that, although he was "comfortably lodged… with friendly people, a decent piano, [and a] pretty view... so far I have not written a note." That would change, however, as Mendelssohn befriended musicians employed by the local Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, whose court ensemble was a wind-band. For them, the young Mendelssohn composed a Nocturno, scored for the classical octet of double winds, plus a flute, trumpet, and an odd brass instrument called a “Como Inglese di Basso," roughly similar in shape to a bassoon, but with a cup mouthpiece and both open and keyed holes. Mendelssohn described it in a letter he wrote on today's date in 1824 as "a large brass instrument with a fine, deep tone, that looks like a watering can or a stirrup pump." Music for that original 1824 Nocturno has not survived, but eventually Mendelssohn reworked and enlarged the piece, adding new music, and much later, in 1838, expanded the scoring to a full wind ensemble and published the result as his Overture for Winds, Op. 24. Music Played in Today's Program Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) – Overture for Winds, Op. 24 (London Symphony; Claudio Abbado, cond.) DG 423 104

Synopsis Many composers have produced works inspired by their deep religious faith: in the 18th century, the sacred music of the devout Lutheran church musician Johann Sebastian Bach being a notable example. Even in our more secular age, this is sometimes the case. The contemporary Scottish composer James MacMillan's works have explicit Christian themes, and, like Franz Liszt in the 19th century, MacMillan has even taken minor religious orders in the Roman Catholic Church. On commission from the London Symphony, MacMillan wrote three interrelated orchestral works, two concertos and a symphony, all based on the Passion and Resurrection story. The first of these, entitled “The World's Ransoming,” for English horn and orchestra, focused on Maundy Thursday of Holy Week, and was premiered at the Barbican Center in London on today's date in 1996. Of this piece, MacMillan wrote, “'The World's Ransoming' includes musical references to [traditional liturgical] plainsongs for that day, as well as a Bach chorale … which I have heard sung in the eucharistic procession … The title of the piece comes from St. Thomas Aquinas's [Latin] hymn ‘Pange Lingua'.” An English translation of part of the Aquinas hymn reads: Sing, my tongue, the Savior's glory, Of His Flesh, the mystery sing; Destined, for the world's ransom, From a virgin's womb to spring. Music Played in Today's Program James MacMillan (b. 1959) – The World's Ransoming (Christine Pendrill, English horn; BBC Scottish Symphony; Osmo Vänskä, cond.) BIS 989

Synopsis In the 13th century, St. Thomas Aquinas penned a Latin hymn in praise of the holy sacrament of the last supper in which bread and wine are mystically changed into the body and blood of Christ. Aquinas's text begins, “Pange lingua, gloriosi” or “Sing, my tongue, the Savior's Glory.” Aquinas's words have been set to a melody much older than his text, possibly derived from a Roman marching song or an even earlier Hebrew chant. On May 21, 1983, this ancient text and tune underwent yet another transformation at the hands of the American composer and jazzman Dave Brubeck, when his “Pange Lingua Variations” for chorus, jazz ensemble and orchestra had its premiere at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento, California. In Brubeck's setting, each stanza is sung first in original Gregorian chant style, followed by a variation. Brubeck said, “I searched for the meaning of each stanza, and tried to convey that thought musically, so that each variation is a miniature meditation.” The third variation, taking its cue from the music's possible origin as a Roman marching tune, is given an appropriately martial treatment by both the chorus and jazz ensemble. While jazz fans associate Dave Brubeck with the sophisticated jazz he developed in the 50s and 60s, many church musicians also know him as the composer of many oratorios on sacred themes, which often incorporate jazz elements into their scoring. Music Played in Today's Program Dave Brubeck (1920 - 2012) — "Pange Lingua" Variations (Brubeck Quartet; London Voices; London Symphony; Russell Gloyd, cond.) Telarc 80621

Synopsis We tend to think of the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak as a 19th century composer – but he lived a few years into the 20th and one of his major works, his opera “Rusalka,” had its premiere in Prague on today's date in 1901. We also think of Dvorak as primarily a composer of symphonies and chamber works, but forget that in his final years, Dvorak devoted himself chiefly to opera – and for reasons that might surprise us today. In a 1904 interview, given just two months before his death, Dvorak said:  “Over the past five years I have written nothing but operas. I wanted to devote all my powers, as long as the dear Lord gives me health, to the creation of opera … because I consider opera to be the most suitable medium for the Czech nation and the widest audience, whereas if I compose a symphony I might have to wait years before it is performed.” Dvorak was gratified that his opera “Rusalka” was a big success at its 1901 premiere and would subsequently become one of his most popular works with Czech audiences, but ironically, outside Czech-speaking lands, most of his other operas, unlike his symphonies, are rarely performed. Music Played in Today's Program Antonin Dvořák (1841–1904) — O Silver Moon, fr Rusalka (Renée Fleming, soprano; London Symphony; Sir Georg Solti, cond.) London 455 760 On This Day Births 1732 - Austrian composer Franz Joseph Haydn, in Rohrau; 1872 - Russian ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev, in Gruzino, Novgorod district (Julian date: Mar. 19); Deaths 1880 - Polish composer and violinist Henryk Wieniawski, age 44, in Moscow; 1901 - British composer Sir John Stainer, age 60, in Verona, Italy; Premieres 1723 - Handel: Concerto in F (HWV 331) (Julian date: March 20); 1739 - Handel: Organ Concerto in A (HWV 296a) (Julian date: March 20); 1745 - Rameau: opera-ballet, "Platée," at Versailles; 1784 - Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 16 in D, K. 451, in Vienna, with composer as soloist; 1794 - Haydn: Symphony No. 100 ("Military"), conducted by the composer on his 62nd birthday, at the Hanover-Square Concert Rooms in London; 1841 - R. Schumann: Symphony No. 1 ("Spring"), by Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Felix Mendelssohn conducting; 1901 - Dvorák: opera "Rusalka," in Prague at the National Theater; 1913 - Webern: "Six Pieces" for orchestra, in Vienna; 1932 - Chávez: ballet "Horsepower," in Philadelphia; 1947 - Ulysses Kay: "Short Overture," in New York City; 1949 - William Grant Still: opera "Troubled Island," in New York City; 1951 - R. Strauss: "Munich Waltz," posthumously in Vienna; This music was originally written for the 1939 film; 1961 - Françaix: "L'Horloge de Flore," by oboist John de Lancie, and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting; 2001 - Peter Lieberson: Piano Quintet, at Carnegie Hall, by pianist Peter Serkin with the Orion String Quartet; Others 1837 - Franz Liszt and Sigismond Thalberg, the two reigning virtuosi of their day, perform a sort of pianistic "duel" at a benefit concert in aid of Italian refuguees at the Parisian salon of Princess Cristina Belgiojso-Trivulzio. Links and Resources On Antonin Dvořák Video of Renee Fleming singing "Song to the Moon," from "Rusalka"

Synopsis In the winter of 1807, a group of music-loving Viennese, frustrated that their chances to hear orchestral and symphonic music seemed rather sporadic, decided to sponsor a series of symphonic concerts themselves. Their organization was called, simply “The Concert of Music Lovers,” with performing forces made up – as a Viennese newspaper put it – of “the best local amateurs, with a few wind instruments only: French horns, trumpets, etc., drafted from Viennese theaters.” And the audience, according to the same source, comprising “exclusively the nobility of the town, foreigners of note, and selected cognoscenti.” Twenty concerts were staged in all, most of them in a large hall of the Vienna University. The final concert in the series occurred on today's date in 1808: a performance of Haydn's oratorio “The Creation.” The work was sung in Italian, and the conductor on that occasion was the famous Italian composer Antonio Salieri. Haydn was living in a suburb of Vienna at the time and arrived in Prince Ezterhazy's coach. Haydn was carried into the hall on an armchair lifted high so that all could see him. The orchestra played a fanfare and shouts of “Long live Haydn!” rang from the audience – which included Ludwig van Beethoven. Music Played in Today's Program Franz Josef Haydn (1732 - 1808) — The Creation (English Baroque Soloists; John Eliot Gardiner, cond.) Archiv 449 217 On This Day Births 1851 - French composer Vincent d'Indy, in Paris; 1892 - American composer and arranger Ferde Grofé, in New York; Deaths 1757 - possible death date for the Bohemian-born composer and violinist Johann (Jan) Wenzel (Waczlaw /Václav) Anton (Antonin/Antonín) Stamitz, age 39, in Mannheim; He was buried in Mannheim on March 30; 1975 - British composer Sir Arthur Bliss, age 83, in London; Premieres 1745 - Handel: oratorio "Belshazzar," at the King's Theater in London (Gregorian date: April 7); 1897 - Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 1, in St. Petersburg, conducted by Alexander Glazunov (Julian date: Mar. 15); 1914 - Vaughan Williams: original version of Symphony No. 2 ("A London Symphony"), at Queen's Hall in London; 1917 - Puccini: opera "La Rondine" (The Swallow), in Monte-Carlo at the Opéra du Casino; 1925 - Edward Joseph Collins: Piano Concerto No. 1 in Eb, by the Chicago Symphony, Frederick Stock conducting and the composer as soloist; 1960 - Mayuzumi: "Mandala-Symphonie," in Tokyo; 1984 - Andrew Lloyd Webber: musical "Starlight Express," in London; 2001 - Kevin Volans: String Quartet No. 6, in London, by the Vanbrugh Quartet; Others 1808 - Franz Joseph Haydn makes his last public appearance at a performance of his oratorio "The Creation" in Vienna in honor of the composer's approaching 76th birthday; Beethoven and Salieri attend the performance and greet Haydn. Links and Resources On Haydn