Classic Ross Amico

Category: Daily Dispatch

Mendelssohn’s Elijah Still Thrills After 170 Years

170 years after its premiere, Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio “Elijah” retains its popularity. A smash in Victorian England when it was first performed, on Aug. 26, 1846, this tale of the travails and triumph of the Old Testament prophet remains a favorite of singers and audiences alike.

Elijah will once again ride his chariot of fire into heaven this Sunday at 7 p.m., as Jason Tramm leads the Great Auditorium Choir and Adelphi Orchestra in this season’s “Sacred Masterworks” offering. Soloists will include soprano Monica Rose Ziglar, mezzo-soprano Martha Bartz, and tenor Ronald Naldi. Bass-baritone Justin Beck will sing the title role.

“At Ocean Grove, we have a history of doing these large masterworks since the early 1900s,” says Tramm, who is also artistic director of the MidAtlantic Opera Company. “It’s a wonderful legacy. We have a very large chorus for this event, about 140 singers, and a 50-piece orchestra. I think that anyone who comes is going to be delighted.”

The Great Auditorium at Ocean Grove is the largest enclosed auditorium in New Jersey. Its barrel-vaulted, wooden ceiling is a practical throwback to the days before amplification. In its original layout, the hall had close to 10,000 seats, reflective of its mission as a facility for camp meetings.

“Music is such an integral part of Ocean Grove’s DNA,” Tramm says. “It’s quite a tradition, founded in 1869. It’s a unique place, a historical place. A lot of great musicians have been here and performed here, from John Philip Sousa to Enrico Caruso. I think those ghosts are still there. I think that the wonderful acoustic and the unique environment make it a really special place to go see music.”

Read more about “Elijah” on this, its 170th anniversary, in my article in today’s Trenton Times:

http://www.nj.com/times-entertainment/index.ssf/2016/08/classical_music_great_auditori.html

August 26, 2016
Leonard Bernstein Birthday Salute on WPRB

Our birthday salute to Leonard Bernstein is underway!

Featured highlights this morning will include that dark horse among great American symphonies, the “Symphony for Classical Orchestra,” by Harold Shapero (now playing), a powerhouse recording from Lenny’s later years of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad,” and a concert broadcast of his debut with the New York Philharmonic, from 1943. Bernstein was a brash (and severely hungover) 25 year-old at the time. We’ll get to hear that around 8:00 this morning. Bernstein was perhaps the greatest of American conductors, but he was touched by genius in so many areas – as composer, pianist, and teacher among them. Ideally we’ll have time for representative recordings of those, as well.

I hope you’ll be on hand, from 6 to 11 EDT, on WPRB 103.3 FM or at wprb.com. We’ll try not to get ash on the keyboard, on Classic Ross Amico.

August 25, 2016
Bernstein’s 1943 Debut on WPRB

Don’t miss it! Playing right now: the original CBS radio broadcast of Leonard Bernstein’s legendary 1943 debut with the New York Philharmonic. We’re remembering Bernstein on his birthday until 11 a.m. EDT, on WPRB 103.3 FM and at wprb.com.

PHOTO: Bernstein in a hair-raising performance from 1946

August 25, 2016
Remembering Stephen Paulus Music

Today is the birthday of American composer Stephen Paulus. Though he made much of his career in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, Paulus was born in Summit, NJ, in 1949. He served as composer-in-residence with both the Minnesota Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. He was particularly noted for his choral and vocal works, including the second and best-known of his 11 operas, “The Postman Always Rings Twice.” Paulus died on Oct. 19, 2014, nearly 16 months after suffering a debilitating stroke.

We’ll celebrate this beloved voice in American music today in the 6:00 hour, as we listen to a Grammy Award-winning recording of his “Prayers and Remembrances,” featuring True Concord Voices & Orchestra. The work was recognized earlier this year in the category of Best Contemporary Classical Composition. Since Paulus had already passed, the award was accepted by his wife and his two sons. “Prayers and Remembrances” was written to mark the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. I hope you will join me for this moving and beautiful music.

I’ll also be playing something from a new album I received only this week (“Wind Concerti,” BCM+D Records) featuring contemporary American woodwind concertos, performed by the Temple University Wind Symphony with members of the The Philadelphia Orchestra and faculty from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance. The 2-CD set, which features music by Anthony Plog, Joel Puckett, Jay Krush, Jennifer Higdon, David Maslanka, and Adam Silverman, is a delight, and I can’t wait to share some of it with you.

Join me for American music and more today, Wednesday, between 4 and 7 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and at wwfm.org.

Stephen Paulus Music

August 24, 2016
Bernstein Conducts Rózsa Rare 1943 Broadcast

Leonard Bernstein conducts Miklós Rózsa? No way. YES, WAY!

On November 14, 1943, a 25 year-old Bernstein strode onto the podium to replace an ailing Bruno Walter – without rehearsal – for what became his New York Philharmonic debut. The rest, as they say, is history. On the program was Robert Schumann’s “Manfred Overture,” Richard Strauss’ “Don Quixote” and Miklós Rózsa’s “Theme, Variations and Finale.” The concert was broadcast nationwide. The New York Philharmonic issued the CBS transmission on CD in 1996. To my knowledge, this is the only document of Bernstein conducting Rózsa, who is best known for his film scores – especially that for “Ben-Hur,” but in 1943, Rózsa was chin-deep in his film noir phase.

You’ll be able to enjoy this historic concert broadcast and much more, as I salute Bernstein on his birthday anniversary, tomorrow morning from 6 to 11 EDT, on WPRB 103.3 FM and at wprb.com. We’ll go loony for Lenny, on Classic Ross Amico.

August 24, 2016

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