The Met has lost one of its great mezzos. Rosalind Elias died yesterday at the age of 90. Over 35 seasons, Elias assumed 50 roles. In all, she sang at the Met 687 times. She made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim’s “Follies” as recently as 2011.
As Carmen:
As Zerlina:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6uOHHgoa5c
As Erika in Samuel Barber’s “Vanessa”
In “Follies”:
Elias singing at 83!
2-part interview on “Classic Talk”
How much Western-style classical music composed in the East ever makes it to the West? Not much, unfortunately. Happily, some record companies dare to venture where concert programmers won’t.
This Sunday night on “The Lost Chord,” we’ll hear selections from Naxos’ “Japanese Classics Series,” including Kiyoshige Koyama’s variations on a woodcutter’s song, “Kobiki-Uta” (1957), Qunihico Hashimoto’s symphonic suite “Heavenly Maiden and Fisherman” (1933), and Komei Abe’s neoclassical Symphony No. 1 (1957).
Armchair travelers, your passage is paid! Music brings us all closer. Expand your horizons, with “Nippon Notes from Naxos,” this Sunday night at 10:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network.
It just works out that way sometimes. Two titans at the top of their respective fields born on the same day. Think Rachmaninoff and Busoni (April 1). Or Kreisler and Heifetz (February 2).
On Thursday, May 7, The Classical Network will honor the dual birthdays of Johannes Brahms (born in 1833) and Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky (born in 1840), by assembling special request hours in their honor.
Have a favorite piece of music by either of these composers? Want to hear a cherished performance? Submit your requests ASAP on the WWFM Facebook page or by email at info@wwfm.org. This will give us time to hunt down the music and put it into production. The earlier you file your request, the greater the likelihood that we’ll be able to get it on air.
Also, we hope that you will renew your membership, perhaps become a member for the very first time, or make an extra gift. Any of these options would assist us greatly during this rocky time.
Celebrate Brahms. Revel in Tchaikovsky. And thank you for your support of WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.
Brahms & Tchaik: We few, we happy few, we bearded brothers…
Spring into music! Welcome May with a celebration of its sights and sounds, anniversaries and inspirations, and rituals and namesakes, in an all-new Classic Ross Amico crossword. To fill it out, simply follow the link and select “solve online” at the bottom of the page:
https://www.armoredpenguin.com/crossword/Data/2020.05/0305/03054400.876.html
Once you feel you’ve exhausted the puzzle, you’ll find the solutions when clicking on “Answer Key PDF.”
The first concert of this year’s Raritan River Music Festival will feature the Argus Quartet. The ensemble will present works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Christopher Theofanidis, including the New Jersey premiere of Theofanidis’ “Conference of the Birds.”
Raritan events will be streamed FREE this year, Saturdays in May at 7:30 p.m. Of course, your donation is always welcome. More information and a complete schedule available at the festival’s homepage, http://www.RaritanRiverMusic.org.
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