tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56073522013-05-19T12:07:13.638-05:00Something other than politics in Washington, D.C.Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.comBlogger5865125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-10305598712981303292013-05-19T12:05:00.001-05:002013-05-19T12:05:21.781-05:002013-05-19T12:05:21.781-05:00

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to online audio, online video, and other good things in Blogville and Beyond. (After clicking to an audio or video stream, press the "Play" button to start the broadcast.) From the Musikverein in Vienna (video embedded at right), Daniele Gatti leads a performance of Rossini's Petite Messe Solenelle with the Orchestre National de France

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-21928803759545441012013-05-19T10:46:00.000-05:002013-05-19T10:47:16.387-05:002013-05-19T10:47:16.387-05:00

There's a cool rain falling in New York City, at the Museum of Modern Art. The Rain Room, by Random International, is a field of falling water that pauses wherever a human body is detected: there may be no need to carry an umbrella again. Think of yourself as Moses. I don't know how many sensors it takes to run this project, but it's quite interesting and fun. The faster you walk, the more you

Mark Barryhttps://plus.google.com/101601546536498148699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-574627131978110562013-05-18T09:30:00.000-05:002013-05-18T09:53:20.176-05:002013-05-18T09:53:20.176-05:00

F.Mendelssohn-B., Organ Works Yuval Rabin (Braun/Mathis organ of St.Marzellus, CH) MDG Felix Mendelssohn B. was fond of organs and organ music and wrote idiomatically for the instrument. You just can’t hear it in his other compositions (think Bruckner, for contrast), and since you just about never hear Mendelssohn’s organ music in recital or concert either, that part of his output—limited

jflnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-23197785432817783612013-05-17T12:23:00.000-05:002013-05-17T12:23:30.717-05:002013-05-17T12:23:30.717-05:00

Soprano Angela Meade What would Ionarts be covering this summer if we had an unlimited travel budget? Here are our picks for the best performances of opera and classical music being presented by American summer festivals. CINCINNATI OPERA This may be the summer for my first visit to Cincinnati Opera, primarily because Angela Meade will be the Donna Anna in their production of Don Giovanni (

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-13030765681298857962013-05-16T09:26:00.001-05:002013-05-16T22:09:55.839-05:002013-05-16T22:09:55.839-05:00

Summer is at hand, meaning that the pickings get slimmer in the monthly concert agenda for local events. On the other hand, we will also have a summer festival preview coming up, with some of the performances outside of Washington we most want to hear. Composer James MacMillan ORCHESTRAS: Happily the National Symphony Orchestra is extending its season at the Kennedy Center through June, until

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-10092868634308781052013-05-15T07:37:00.001-05:002013-05-15T21:24:46.279-05:002013-05-15T21:24:46.279-05:00

Tamara Karsavina (first young lady), Vaslav Nijinsky (young man), and Ludmilla Schollar (second young lady) in Jeux, 1913 As you have doubtless heard by now, we are coming up on the 100th anniversary of the first performance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. The groundwork of that infamously riotous premiere was laid by the much less notorious debut of a ballet that was in many ways more

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-66800608494119881302013-05-14T08:59:00.000-05:002013-05-14T09:00:47.863-05:002013-05-14T09:00:47.863-05:00

Charles T. Downey, At Phillips, pianist Martina Filjak offers unexpected interpretations of familiar works Washington Post, May 14, 2013 Soler, Keyboard Sonatas 1-15, M. Filjak (Naxos, 2011) Martina Filjak offered some surprises during her recital Sunday afternoon at the Phillips Collection. The Croatian-born pianist gave sometimes unexpected interpretations of familiar works, paired with

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-42213228098907123862013-05-13T00:26:00.000-05:002013-05-13T00:26:00.024-05:002013-05-13T00:26:00.024-05:00

Emerson Quartet: Haydn, String Quartets Bartók, String QuartetsDavid Finckel has left the Emerson Quartet, with whom he has performed as cellist since 1979. The group gave their last performance with Finckel on Saturday evening, the conclusion of their Smithsonian Associates concert series at the National Museum of Natural History. As Finckel explained in brief remarks before the second half,

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-48730773360943535822013-05-12T14:12:00.000-05:002013-05-12T14:12:04.009-05:002013-05-12T14:12:04.009-05:00

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to online audio, online video, and other good things in Blogville and Beyond. (After clicking to an audio or video stream, press the "Play" button to start the broadcast.) From last month, John Eliot Gardiner leads a performance of Bach's B Minor Mass, with English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir at Royal Albert Hall. [

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-88694537001761859122013-05-11T09:30:00.000-05:002013-05-18T09:53:54.213-05:002013-05-18T09:53:54.213-05:00

J.S.Bach, Orchestral Suites M.Huggett / Ensemble Sonnerie / G.X.Ruiz Avie Monica Hugget is one of the baroque music scene’s most cherished pioneer-veterans, co-founder of the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra with Ton Koopman and founding member of the Academy of Ancient Music, she also worked with Trevor Pinnock and his English Concert and has led Toronto based Tafelmusik. She is currently the

jflnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-88811909559705098322013-05-10T10:12:00.000-05:002013-05-10T10:12:17.842-05:002013-05-10T10:12:17.842-05:00

Truth be told, I love a good vampire movie: Nosferatu, Frank Langella as Dracula, Fright Night, Guillermo del Toro's Cronos, the Swedish Let the Right One In -- excellent examples have come in lots of different forms. That predilection means that I can also enjoy a truly bad vampire movie, and that is where Kiss of the Damned, the new feature from Xan Cassavetes, comes in. This is the first

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-40262160524029247812013-05-09T15:18:00.002-05:002013-05-09T15:19:43.379-05:002013-05-09T15:19:43.379-05:00

Britten, Songs, I. Bostridge, A. Pappano, X. Yang (released on May 21, 2013) EMI 4334302 | 70'15" As noted earlier this week, the Britten centenary is yielding some welcome recordings of the composer's lesser-known works. Add to the list this disc of Britten's songs performed by tenor Ian Bostridge, who has the optimal type of voice for much of Britten's writing. Britten wrote most of these

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-83620382901009773922013-05-08T15:55:00.000-05:002013-05-08T15:56:22.239-05:002013-05-08T15:56:22.239-05:00

Handel, Giove in Argo, A. Hallenberg, K. Gauvin, A. Z. Giustiniani, Il Complesso Barocco, A. Curtis (released on April 9, 2013) Virgin 50999 72311622 | 156'50" Previously: Berenice | Alcina | Ezio The Handel opera revival continues apace, with the latest work rediscovered being Giove in Argo, first performed at the King's Theater in London on May 1, 1739. The less said about the libretto, a

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-36809201301366407622013-05-07T18:46:00.000-05:002013-05-07T18:46:01.755-05:002013-05-07T18:46:01.755-05:00

Britten, The Rape of Lucretia, I. Bostridge, S. Gritton, A. Kirchschlager, Aldeburgh Festival, O. Knussen (released on February 5, 2013) Virgin 50999 60267221 | 105'33" On November 22nd this year -- St. Cecilia's Day -- Benjamin Britten would have celebrated his 100th birthday. Composer anniversaries are mostly for powering the engines of publicity, but if good performances and recordings come

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-44103557540801867522013-05-06T15:49:00.000-05:002013-05-06T15:49:17.158-05:002013-05-06T15:49:17.158-05:00

Charles T. Downey, Meredith Monk’s ‘On Behalf of Nature’ at Clarice Smith Center Washington Post, May 6, 2013 Monk, Impermanence (ECM, 2008) [READ REVIEW]If nature were to rise up and speak in defense of itself, its voice might sound like a Meredith Monk theater piece. That was the goal of Monk’s new work, “On Behalf of Nature,” presented at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-43835826960637806422013-05-05T20:34:00.000-05:002013-05-05T20:34:53.410-05:002013-05-05T20:34:53.410-05:00

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to online audio, online video, and other good things in Blogville and Beyond. (After clicking to an audio or video stream, press the "Play" button to start the broadcast.) Watch the production of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande from Brussels, directed by Pierre Audi and conducted by Ludovic Morlot, with sets by Anish Kapoor and a cast

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-75928635653185636472013-05-04T10:21:00.000-05:002013-05-13T00:31:54.755-05:002013-05-13T00:31:54.755-05:00

Schnittke, Viola Concerto, D. A. Carpenter, Philharmonia Orchestra, C. Eschenbach (Ondine, 2009) Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5, Philadelphia Orchestra, C. Eschenbach (Ondine, 2008) Christoph Eschenbach is taking the National Symphony Orchestra to Carnegie Hall next weekend, with a program of Russian music in tribute to the ensemble's venerated former music director, Mstislav Rostropovich. The

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-54353540491186578872013-05-04T09:30:00.000-05:002013-05-04T09:30:00.792-05:002013-05-04T09:30:00.792-05:00

The Versatile Viol Scottish & Irish Music Tina Chancey & members of Hesperus Golden Apple This 2007 release is for all practical purposes a self-published CD; a tribute to Violist Tina Chancey’s (recorder-playing) husband Scott Reiss who took his life days after contributing to five of the 16 Scottish and Irish early folk songs here. In a technical sense, it’s a ‘vanity release’, except

jflnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-54587757157955490822013-05-03T14:57:00.000-05:002013-05-03T14:57:05.155-05:002013-05-03T14:57:05.155-05:00

Charles T. Downey, At the Kennedy Center, Opera Lafayette performs Charpentier’s ‘Actéon’ Washington Post, May 4, 2013 M.-A. Charpentier, Actéon, A. Sheehan, Boston Early Music Festival, P. O'Dette, S. Stubbs (cpo, 2010)The vengeful gods of ancient Greece devised devilishly clever punishments. The hunter Actaeon found that out when he glimpsed Artemis bathing in a pool. The goddess, her

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-51353710043309066502013-05-02T16:01:00.000-05:002013-05-02T21:56:51.968-05:002013-05-02T21:56:51.968-05:00

Hilary Hahn: A Portrait (excerpts of Korngold concerto) (DG, 2007) Bruckner, Symphony No. 7, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, Y. Nézet-Séguin (Atma, 2007) The Philadelphia Orchestra has survived the past few years of financial and leadership crises, but not without some damage to that venerable institution's reputation. Hopes are high that the tenure of the orchestra's new music director,

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-41407759602699689452013-05-01T16:51:00.002-05:002013-05-01T16:51:53.603-05:002013-05-01T16:51:53.603-05:00

Charles T. Downey, At Kennedy Center, pianist Andrew Tyson makes debut solo recital Washington Post, May 2, 2013 Scriabin, Sonata No. 3 (inter alia), E. KissinWhat does it take for a young performer to distinguish himself in the world of classical music? One way is to win a competition, which Andrew Tyson did by taking first prize in the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 2011.

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-86169555191462100282013-04-30T23:44:00.000-05:002013-05-16T09:27:09.604-05:002013-05-16T09:27:09.604-05:00

Last month | Next monthClassical Month in Washington is a monthly feature. If there are concerts you would like to see included on our schedule, send your suggestions by e-mail (ionarts at gmail dot com). Happy listening! June 1, 2013 (Sat) 2 pm Markus Groh, piano WPAS Kennedy Center Terrace Theater June 1, 2013 (Sat) 7:30 pm National Chamber Ensemble With Carlos Rodriguez, piano Rosslyn

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-57767161332648895962013-04-30T10:03:00.000-05:002013-04-30T10:03:08.690-05:002013-04-30T10:03:08.690-05:00

Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden led the National Symphony Orchestra on Saturday evening in a program of Wagenaar, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky. Van Zweden, who is Music Director of the Dallas Symphony, violently jerked the musical leash of the hundred-plus musical personalities to establish leadership in the beginning of Johan Wagenaar’s Overture to Cyrano de Bergerac. His abusive gestures during

Michael Lodicohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04689017729693889908noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-87163652227369858672013-04-29T05:53:00.000-05:002013-04-29T05:53:44.787-05:002013-04-29T05:53:44.787-05:00

Debussy / Szymanowski, Sonata, R. Blechacz (DG, 2012) Rafał Blechacz's first visit to Washington, in 2010, confirmed the Polish pianist's gift for the music of Chopin. The jury and audience at the 2005 Chopin Competition in Warsaw were so impressed with his ability to play Chopin that he swept every prize, an achievement so remarkable that the jury decided not to award a second prize.

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5607352.post-6062722348227732922013-04-28T11:25:00.000-05:002013-04-28T11:26:48.935-05:002013-04-28T11:26:48.935-05:00

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to online audio, online video, and other good things in Blogville and Beyond. (After clicking to an audio or video stream, press the "Play" button to start the broadcast.) The French premiere of Gerald Barry's new opera The Importance of Being Earnest, recorded last month in Nancy, plus a performance of Viktor Ullmann's one-act opera Der

Charles T. Downeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14978821617871429169noreply@blogger.com0