Classic Ross Amico

Category: Daily Dispatch

WPRB’s Ross Amico Celebrates David Diamond

And now, for my next trick…

If you tune in tomorrow morning to WPRB 103.3 FM, you may encounter music by the following: George Antheil, Paul Ben-Haim, Boris Blacher, Percy Grainger, Joseph Holbrooke, Gordon Jacob, Gustav Mahler, Bohuslav Martinu, Gian Carlo Menotti, Carl Orff, Ottorino Respighi, George Rochberg, Jacob Weinberg, and Henryk Wieniawski – but I’m not sure, since I’m such a poor planner. However, they’re all in the box and ready to go, along with much else!

You will definitely hear David Diamond, since July 9th marks the 100th anniversary of his birth (though I see a couple of my colleagues have already played my favorite pieces, including the eternally fresh “Rounds for String Orchestra”).

Adrienne Sirken will drop by around 10:00 to tell us about the The Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium and International Piano Festival. There’s a full week of amazing music-making ahead, including appearances in Princeton by pianist Ilya Itin; tenor Alex Richardson, cellist Sophie Shao, and pianist Thomas Bagwell; the remarkable monk-pianist Father Seán Duggan; young artist Wei Luo; jazz legend Dick Hyman; and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman with Yehudi Wyner. Find out more right now at http://www.golandskyinstitute.org.

Hopefully it will be worth setting your alarm (and mine). Join me tomorrow morning, from 6 to 11 ET, at WPRB 103.3 FM or wprb.com.

When classes are out, Classic Ross Amico is in.

PHOTO: Nothing up my sleeve… PRESTO!

July 8, 2015
Mahler & Menotti: A Tale of Two Birthdays

Okay, today is the birthday anniversary of the seething Austrian genius Gustav Mahler (1860-1911), who declared on a walk with Sibelius that “the symphony must be like the world; it must embrace everything” and confided to his wife, “My time will come.” We all know about him.

It is also the birthday of Italian-American Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007), a prolific composer of opera and the recipient of two Pulitzer Prizes (for “The Consul,” in 1950, and “The Saint of Bleecker Street,” in 1955); yet somehow Menotti is basically remembered for his one-act Christmas opera, “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” written for NBC in 1951.

“Amahl,” broadcast live on Christmas Eve, was the first opera commissioned for television. The composer continued to work on the score until perilously close to air time. In fact, his partner, Samuel Barber, had to be brought in to help complete the orchestrations. Despite the time crunch, the opera was a ratings smash, and for the next 15 years “Amahl” became a Christmas broadcast tradition.

Chet Allen, who originated the role of Amahl, was a chorister with the Columbus Boychoir, which was founded in Columbus, OH, in 1937. By the time of the opera’s telecast, the choir had relocated to Princeton, NJ. In 1980, the group would be renamed The American Boychoir. Since the opera fell a few minutes short of the top of the hour, the choir was brought on to perform carols appropriate for the season.

Though he wrote the work for television, Menotti shrewdly realized its potential for the stage. Allen would reprise the role of Amahl at the New York City Opera in 1952. Since then, “Amahl” has enjoyed a robust history of professional and community performances.

Menotti will always be remembered as an opera composer (in his day, he was regarded as the heir of Puccini, admiringly by some, derisively by others), but his concert works are certainly worthy of interest. Join me on WPRB 103.3 FM, or at wprb.com, this Thursday morning between 6 and 11 ET to hear Menotti’s Piano Concerto from 1945, in a 1961 performance by the great Earl Wild.

In the meantime, for you lovers of licorice, “This is my box”:

PHOTO: Menotti (right) and friend

July 7, 2015
My Classical Radio Debut WRTI Philadelphia

Okay! I got the call.

Supposedly I will be covering at least part of the 10-to-2 shift tomorrow on WRTI. This will be my live classical radio debut in Philadelphia. Of course, it’s a request shift, so there are bound to be lots of moving parts. I may not be around for the whole thing, or I’ll be sitting off-mic for some of it (it’s been suggested that it will be a training run), but I just wanted to put it out there for you, my legions of expectant Facebook followers.

WRTI can be heard locally at 90.1 FM, or online at wrti.org.

Here’s a link to the request form: http://wrti.org/programs/your-request

July 7, 2015
Princeton’s Mega Music Events and Gemma New’s Triumph

Apologies if any of you were stuck sitting in a cubicle somewhere hoping for a few seconds of escapism courtesy of Classic Ross Amico. Unfortunately, I was up to my eyeballs trying to figure out how to synthesize all the abundant material for a newspaper article about two mega-events coming up in Princeton, beginning this weekend: the Golandsky Institute International Piano Festival, and the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute, a workshop for young composers, with JoAnn Falletta and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.

The reminders from my editors that they were expecting an article from me began to arrive around 4:00, four hours past deadline. I uploaded the last of the photos around 6. All in a day’s work.

Speaking of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, belated congratulations to Gemma New, associate conductor of the NJSO, who has been named music director of Ontario’s Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra. New, 28, is also founder/director of the Baltimore-based new music collective, the LUNAR ensemble.

Apparently, the announcement was made back in May, but you know how it is when you’re working. You’ll find the press release here:

http://hpo.org/gemma-new-music-director/

At least this article was published by the CBC only three days ago:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/news/gemma-new-of-hamilton-philharmonic-is-1-of-continent-s-few-female-conductors-1.3137925

July 6, 2015
Philadelphia Orchestra on WRTI Today

Tune in this afternoon to WRTI for the first of my Philadelphia Orchestra interviews. As part of the intermission features on this week’s concert broadcast, conductor-in-residence Cristian Măcelaru, born in Romania, will talk about his great composer-compatriots George Ensecu and György Ligeti.

Ligeti, born in Transylvania, will be represented by his rarely-heard “Concert românesc” (hear Măcelaru talk about the interesting use of the horns in the piece). Măcelaru concludes the concert with a roof-raising performance of Enescu’s “Romanian Rhapsody No. 1.” He comments that it has always been his dream to perform the work with The Philadelphia Orchestra.

Sarah Chang will be the soloist in Dvořák’s Violin Concerto. The program will also include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1.

The broadcast begins at 1 ET. Listen in the Philadelphia area at 90.1 FM, search for additional frequencies at wrti.org, or avail yourself of the station’s internet streaming.

Other commitments this afternoon? Listen to the interview (already posted) here:

http://wrti.org/post/philadelphia-orchestra-concert-wrti-sarah-chang-soloist-sunday-july-5-1-pm

Also on the website: Susan Lewis’ interview with Sarah Chang. Gregg Whiteside is the producer and host of the Philadelphia Orchestra broadcasts.

July 5, 2015

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