September 2nd, 2008 · < mtheo & renée >
- Hugo Wolf: Abschied (Farewell) (1888)
- Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Bar / Svjatoslaw Richter pf (Deutsche Grammophon 2530 584)
- Lou Harrison: Concerto for pipa with string orchestra (1997)
- Wu Man pipa / The New Professionals Orchestra / Rebecca Miller cond (Mode 140)
- Joaquin Nin-Culmell: Tonadas, volume 1, nos. 1-8 (1956)
- Maria Luisa Cantos pf (Marco Polo 8.223534)
- Joaquin Nin-Culmell: Tonadas, volume 2, nos. 22, 24 (1956)
- Alicia de Larrocha pf (London CS 6677)
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August 26th, 2008 · < Renée >
- Somei Satoh: From the depth of silence (2001)
- Janácek Philharmonic / Petr Kotik cond (Mode 135)
- Somei Satoh: Burning meditation (1993)
- Janácek Philharmonic / Thomas Buckner Bar / Petr Kotik cond (Mode 135)
- John Adams: Gnarly buttons (1996)
- Michael Collins cl / London Sinfonietta / John Adams cond (Nonesuch 79465)
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July 15th, 2008 · < Renée >
- Benjamin Britten: Young Apollo, Op. 16 (1939)
- I Musici de Montréal / Yuri Turovsky cond (Chandos 241-2)
- Henryk Górecki: Harpsichord concerto, Op. 40 (1980)
- I Musici de Montréal / Yuri Turovsky cond (Chandos 9590)
- Benjamin Britten: Variations on a theme of Frank Bridge, Op. 10 (1937)
- English Chamber Orchestra / Benjamin Britten cond (London 417 509-2)
- Samuel Barber: Ballade, Op. 46 (1977)
- John Browning pf (MHS 513597L)
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June 10th, 2008 · < Renée >
- Vincent Persichetti: The hollow men (1944)
- Anthony Plog tpt / Hans-Ola Ericsson org (BIS-CD-565)
- Elie Siegmeister: On this ground (1972)
- Kenneth Boulton pf (Naxos 8.559020)
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli (1555)
- Pro Cantione Antique / Bruno Turner cond (MHS 416608T)
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June 1st, 2008 · < Q >
St-François d’Assise
Opera in three Acts and eight Scenes
Libretto and Music by Olivier Messiaen
A New Production of the Nederlandse Opera
Première Performance of 1 June 2008
Het Musiktheater, Amsterdam
Musical Direction: Ingo Metzmacher
Director: Pierre Audi
Sets and Lighting: Jean Kalman
Costumes Angelo Figus
Video: Ervan Huon
Dramaturge: Klaus Bertisch
Choral Director: Martin Wright
Resident Orchestra and Choir of the Nederlandse Opera
L’ange: Camilla Tilling
Saint François: Rod Gilfry
Le lépreux: Hubert Delamboye
Frère Léon: Henk Neven
Frère Massée: Tom Randle
Frère Élie: Donald Kaasch
Frère Bernard: Armand Arapian
Frère Sylvestre: Jan Willem Baljet
Frère Rufin: André Morsch
an account by KEN QUANDT
The saints have shown us many ways to live a perfect life. Yet somehow the lesson we tend to come away with is that the saints are special, rather than their lives. We know they would not have it this way, that they want us to know and to use what they have learned in our own lives rather than idolize them; and we know this because this is what their lives and actions always teach us. Therefore we need to be told their lives over and over again. Saint Francis is a perfect case. As we come to know him, we are stunned by his humility – not because we wish we were less proud, but because his humility, as it is described by the stories of his life, is so credible.
( more » » » )
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May 20th, 2008 · < Renée >
- Laurie Anderson: Walking and falling (1982)
- Laurie Anderson voc and etronics (WB3674-2, Big science)
- Laurie Anderson: Born, never asked (1982)
- Laurie Anderson voc and etronics (WB3674-2, Big science)
- Béla Bartók: Nos. 124, 146 from Mikrokosmos (1926-1939)
- Béla Bartók pf (Pearl GEMM CD 9166)
- Franz Liszt: Sursum corda, from Années de perlerinage, vol. 3, no. 7 (1877)
- Béla Bartók, pf (Pearl GEMM CD 9166)
- George Crumb: Lux aeterna (1971)
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- Jan DeGaetani Mz / The Penn Contemporary Players / Richard Wernick cond (Bridge 9127)
- Maurice Ravel: Concerto for the left hand (1930)
- Michel Béroff pf / London Symphony Orchestra / Claudio Abbado cond (Deutsche Grammophon 423 665-2)
- John Dowland: Come again (1597)
- Sting (Gordon Sumner) voc / Edin Karamazov lu (Deutsche Grammophon (B0007220-02, Songs from the labyrinth)
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May 13th, 2008 · < Renée >
- Brian Eno: 2/1 (1978)
- Brian Eno etronics (Polydor AMB 001, Ambient 1: music for airports)
- Jennifer Higdon: Impressions (2003)
- Cypress String Quartet (Cecily Ward vn / Tom Stone vn / Ethan Filner va / Jennifer Kloetzel vc) (Naxos 8.559298)
- Sergei Prokofiev: Sonata no. 3 in A minor, Op. 28 (From old notebooks, 1907-1917)
- Sergei Prokofiev pf (Naxos 8.554270)
- Kent Kennan: Night soliloquy (1930)
- Immanuel Davis fl / Stephen Gosling pf (Overdressed Late Guy Productions OLGD-245CD)
- Roger Waters: Eclipse (1973)
- Pink Floyd (David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Richard Wright) (Capitol SHVL 804, Dark side of the moon)
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March 18th, 2008 · < Renée >
- Osvaldo Golijov: Oración lucimí
- Matt Haimovitz vc / John McLaughlin gtr (Oxingale 800658200728, Goulash!)
- Ned Rorem: Cello concerto (2002)
- Wen-Sinn Yang vc / Royal Scottish National Orchestra / José Serebrier cond (Naxos 8.559315)
- Zoltán Kodály: Cello sonata, op. 4 (1910)
- Elemér Lavotha vc / Kerstin Aberg pf (BIS-CD-172)
- Bob Dylan: All along the watchtower (1967)
- Tom Landa and the Paperboys (Red House Records 154, A nod to Bob)
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March 18th, 2008 · < Q >
Parsifal
a stage-consecrating festival play in three acts
Music and Libretto by Richard Wagner
Paris Opera at Bastille
Performance of 17 March 2008
Musical Direction: Hartmut Hänchen
Mise en Scène: Krzysztof “Buy-a vowel” Warlikowski
Sets and Costumes: Malgorzata Szczesniak
Lighting: Felice Ross
Video: Denis Gueguin
Director: Miron Hakenbeck
Choral Director: Winfried Maczewski
A New Production
Gurnemanz: Franz Joseph Selig
Kundry: Waltraud Meier
Amfortas: Alexander Marco-Buhrmester
Parsifal: Stig Anderson (for Christopher Ventris)
Titurel: Victor von Halem
Orchestra and Choruses of the Paris Opera
an account by KEN QUANDT
Like the Grail, this is an opera that only feeds the watcher who delights in the good. As such it should be less popular than it is, but the music is so beautiful it will never disappear from the repertoire. Thus, it presents a challenge to music lovers and opera lovers: Find the good.
( more » » » )
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March 11th, 2008 · < Renée >
- Arthur Honegger: Danse de la chevre (Dance of the goat) (1921)
- Laurel Zucker fl (Cantilena Records, Inflorescence - music for solo flute)
- Arthur Honegger: Horace victorieux - symphonie mimeé pour orchestre (1921)
- Michel Plasson cond / Orchestre du Capitole de Toulose (Deutsche Grammophone D135384)
- Alfred Schnittke: String quartet no. 3 (1983)
- Kronos Quartet (David Harrington vn, John Sherba vn / Hank Dutt va / Joan Jeanrenaud vc) (Nonesuch 79500-2)
- Johann Sebastian Bach: Prelude and fugue no. 5 in D major BWV 874, from The well-tempered clavier, book 2 (1722)
- Angela Hewitt pf (Hyperion CDS4429/4)
- Laurel Zucker: Homage to Jimi Hendrix (2002)
- Laurel Zucker fl (Cantilena Records, Inflorescence - music for solo flute
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