Classic Ross Amico

Category: Daily Dispatch

Accordionist Robert McMahan on WPRB Radio

At 9:00, we’ll take a break from our celebration of the 80th birthday of Vladimir Ashkenazy to welcome accordionist and composer Robert Young McMahan to the studio. McMahan, who is on the faculty of The College of New Jersey, is one of the foremost authorities on his instrument. He is on the governing board of the American Accordionists’ Association, which will hold its annual festival at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village, from July 12 to July 16. Tune in to learn more, or look online at http://www.ameraccord.com. The AAA has commissioned prominent contemporary composers to write for the accordion for over 65 years. McMahan will share some of his insights and recordings.

Then, at 10:00, we’ll be back to Ashkenazy, with music by Sergei Rachmaninoff and André Previn. Between now and then, we’ll have recordings of Ashkenazy performing works by César Franck, Igor Stravinsky, Boris Blacher and Einojuhani Rautavaara. Plenty of unusual and inspiring music to come until 11 a.m. EDT, on WPRB 103.3 FM and wprb.com.

July 6, 2017
Ashkenazy at 80 A WPRB Birthday Salute

July 6 marks the 80th birthday of Vladimir Ashkenazy. Who hasn’t heard his Rachmaninoff, his Beethoven, his Chopin? It’s been done.

Then, the more I thought about it, I started to remember his cherishable recording, as conductor, of César Franck’s “Psyché.” And his disc of rarely-heard orchestral works by Boris Blacher. And his album of two-piano music by Igor Stravinsky, recorded with Andrei Gavrilov. And his Robert & Clara Schumann lieder recordings with Barbara Bonney. And his solo turns in André Previn’s Piano Concerto and Einojuhani Rautavaara’s “Gift of Dreams.” And I thought, okay, I guess I really do have the justification and the means to put together a truly compelling show.

I hope you’ll join tomorrow morning on WPRB as I salute Ashkenazy at 80.

We’ll also have a visit from accordionist Robert Young McMahan. McMahan, who is on the faculty of The College of New Jersey, is one of the foremost authorities on his instrument. He is on the governing board of the American Accordionists’ Association, which will hold its annual festival at the Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village, from July 12 to July 16. Tune in tomorrow to learn more, or look online at http://www.ameraccord.com. The AAA has commissioned prominent American composers to write for the accordion for over 65 years. McMahan will share some of his insights and recordings in the 9:00 hour.

It will be Ashkenazy in concord with the accordion, this Thursday morning from 6 to 11 EDT, on WPRB 103.3 FM and wprb.com. We’ll be tickling the keys, in whatever form, on Classic Ross Amico.

July 5, 2017
Marlboro Music Chamber Series on WWFM

During the final hour of my shift this evening on WWFM, I’ll be previewing a special series that will commence next Wednesday, featuring chamber music performances from Marlboro Music.

Marlboro Music is the noted Vermont retreat, where the world’s most acclaimed and most promising artists come together for inspired music-making. The festival can be enjoyed over five weekends, from mid-July to mid-August. This year’s festival will be held from July 15 to August 13, on the campus of Marlboro College. You can find out more about Marlboro Music at marlboromusic.org.

This week, we’ll hear commercially issued recordings of performances from Marlboro, including Samuel Barber’s “Summer Music,” with Marlboro wind players, captured in 1981, and Franz Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 100, D. 929, featuring Marlboro co-founders Adolf Busch, Herman Busch and Rudolf Serkin, recorded in 1951.

Future weeks will bring privileged access to the Marlboro archives, which include many, many performances never before heard beyond the confines of the festival, all of them featuring chamber music luminaries and stars of tomorrow.

Join me for “Music from Marlboro” beginning next Wednesday, July 12, at 6 p.m. EDT. The preview will air this evening at 6, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

PHOTO: Marlboro founders Marcel Moyse, Louis Moyse, Rudolf Serkin, Blanche Moyse, Adolf Busch, Herman Busch (with cellist Nathan Chaikin second from left)

July 5, 2017
Charles Ives Fourth of July Patriotic Music

Happy Fourth, everyone!

Charles Ives’ “The Fourth of July:”

His program note:

“It’s a boy’s ‘4th—no historical orations—no patriotic grandiloquences by ‘grown-ups’—no program in his yard! But he knows what he’s celebrating—better than most of the county politicians. And he goes at it in his own way, with a patriotism nearer kin to nature than jingoism. His festivities start in quiet of the midnight before, and grow raucous with the sun. Everybody knows what it’s like—if everybody doesn’t—Cannon on the Green, Village Band on Main Street, fire crackers, shanks mixed on cornets, strings around big toes, torpedoes, Church bells, lost finger, fifes, clam-chowder, a prize-fight, drum-corps, burnt shins, parades (in and out of step), saloons all closed (more drunks than usual), baseball game (Danbury All-Stars vs Beaver Brook Boys), pistols, mobbed umpire, Red, White, and Blue runaway horse,—and the day ends with the sky-rocket over the Church-steeple, just after the annual explosion sets the Town-Hall on fire. All this is not in the music,—not now.”

More about it:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92196531

Be careful out there!

July 4, 2017
Classical Music Honors America and Birthdays

As you complete your training for tomorrow’s hot dog eating contest and three-legged race, consider joining me on The Classical Network as we get a jump on Independence Day with Elie Siegmeister’s “American Sonata” and Peter Schickele’s String Quartet No. 1, “American Dreams.” We’ll also hear the Symphony No. 3, “American,” by Trenton’s own George Antheil.

In addition, we’ll celebrate the birthdays today of Leoš Janáček, Philippe Gaubert, Carlos Kleiber, Ruth Crawford Seeger and George M. Cohan.

I’m a Yankee Doodle Dandy (mostly), from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

July 3, 2017

Tag Cloud

RECENT POSTS