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Tag: Clipper Erickson

Rediscovering R. Nathaniel Dett in Ewing NJ

R. Nathaniel Dett was born in what is now Niagara Falls, Ontario, the grandson of refugees who fled slavery on the Underground Railroad. He became an important figure in American music of his time, but it’s not until comparatively recently that we’ve had more opportunities to hear much beyond “Juba,” the concluding movement of one of his piano suites, “In the Bottoms,” once championed by Percy Grainger and others.

“In the Bottoms” will be featured on an upcoming concert by Clipper Erickson, piano and friends, to be held at 1867 Sanctuary in Ewing, NJ, on Sunday, January 15, at 3 p.m. Erickson, a world authority on the music of Dett, and the first to record all his keyboard works, will be joined by violinist Lenuta Atanasiu and cellist George Atanasiu.

Also on the program will be “Lamento,” by Ukrainian composer Bohdana Frolyak, written in remembrance of the the 1932-33 famine; a world premiere, “La petite phrase retrouvée,” by Italian composer Alberto Caprioli, commemorating French writer Marcel Proust; and the Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op. 1, No. 1, by Beethoven. In addition to his most famous music, Dett’s “Ramah,” a rarely-heard work for violin and piano, will also be performed.

The concert can be enjoyed in person or via livestream. You’ll find more information here:

https://mailchi.mp/38212c7a1c34/music-for-the-soul-is-now-on-youtube-13770610?fbclid=IwAR0T-9ZLYD4GFlKaLRLrzyFhGjatII1fP1MA03iSKqoeLPdD2Wcar9x4SDA

1867 Sanctuary is located at 101 Scotch Rd. in Ewing Township.

Here’s a clip of Clipper playing Dett’s “Barcarolle,” also from “In the Bottoms,” at the venue:

January 4, 2023
Weekend Online Classical Music Events

Another weekend, and even as we continue to anticipate the reopening of our concert halls and a return to normalcy, there are plenty of online musical events to sustain us. Here are just a few of them.

Tonight at 7:30 pm EST, celebrate Early Music Month with the Philadelphia-based ensemble Piffaro, The Renaissance Band. The program, “The Musical World of Don Quixote,” will include works from 16th and 17th century Spain. The concert will be available for on-demand access for the period of a week. For more information, visit https://www.piffaro.org/

Continuing on a Latin theme, The Philadelphia Orchestra is offering Rodion Shchedrin’s “Carmen Fantasy,” a reimagining of Georges Bizet’s classic melodies for strings and percussion, in a performance featuring special guests, Brian Sanders’ JUNK. The semi-staged presentation will be enhanced by JUNK’s unique blend of choreography and physical theater. The concert is being offered on-demand through Thursday. To learn more, look online at philorch.org.

On Sunday at 3 pm EST, Clipper Erickson will present the next of his “Music for the Soul” concerts. Titled “Chopin in Context: The Women Before and After,” the program will position music by the Romantic keyboard master as part of a continuum that will also include works by Cécile Chaminde and Maria Szymanowska. For tickets and information, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chopin-in-context-the-women-before-and-after-music-for-the-soul-tickets-141160046499

Also on Sunday, at 4 pm EST, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra will offer a late afternoon of music for strings by Puccini and Respighi. In addition, guest harpist Alexander Boldachev will play works by Smetana and Piazzolla, along with some of his own improvisations. The concert will be made available on-demand for PSO ticket-holders for a period of a week. To learn more, visit princetonsymphony.org.

On Wednesday, the PSO will post the last of a four-part series of videos devoted to Bach’s “The Musical Offering.” The work is performed by PSO musicians, with Assistant Conductor Nell Flanders providing the fascinating introductory material for each segment. The series is being offered free, with Segments 1 through 3 already posted at the PSO website, again princetonsymphony.org. Enjoy them at your leisure.

Have a great, musically-nourishing weekend. We’ll be out of this soon. Keep dreaming the impossible dream!

March 5, 2021
Live Music Today WWFM Classical Network

It’s a refreshing change of pace to be able to enjoy any live music these days. All the more reason to savor two special events, which will take place at Mercer County Community College’s Black Box Theatre and will be shared today over WWFM The Classical Network.

First, pianist Clipper Erickson will perform works by R. Nathaniel Dett, Beethoven, and Laurie Altman, at 12:00 EDT.

Then Rob Kapilow will present an all-new “What Makes It Great?” playing and deconstructing music by Beethoven, Sondheim, and composers of the Great American Songbook, at 8:00 EDT.

Enjoy a sense of connection, with genuine live performances, presented in real-time. The seating is in your living room, today on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

July 24, 2020
RVW Birthday Dett Celebration & De Palma Scores

Tomorrow is the birthday of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Tune in this afternoon to The Classical Network to hear selections from a new CD issued on Dutton Vocalion Records that features what is billed as the world premiere recording of RVW’s incidental music to a radio presentation of Shakespeare’s “Richard II.”

Also, we’ll celebrate the anniversary of the birth of R. Nathaniel Dett. Dett was born in what is now Niagara Falls, Ontario. His grandfather was an escaped slave who found freedom on the Underground Railroad. Dett became an important figure in the American music of his time. Yet he is remembered today, if at all, for a lone piano suite, “In the Bottoms,” or perhaps only for its two-minute concluding dance, “Juba,” which was championed by Percy Grainger, among others.

Clipper Erickson, piano, was the first to record all of Dett’s keyboard works. His performances have been collected on an album titled “My Cup Runneth Over,” on Navona Records, a division of PARMA Recordings.

If you find this music attractive, you can hear more by joining Clipper, soprano Rochelle Ellis, and the Westminster Jubilee Sings, at Westminster Choir College’s Bristol Chapel, tonight at 7:30, for an R. Nathaniel Dett birthday blow-out. Get there early, at 6:45, to attend a pre-concert talk.

Back to radio: Coming up at 6:00 this evening, it’s music from the suspense, horror, and crime thrillers of director Brian De Palma, on “Picture Perfect” – music for the movies. We’ll hear selections by Bernard Herrmann, John Williams, Pino Donaggio, and Ennio Morricone.

The week ends strong, from 4 to 7 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

October 11, 2019
Sounds of Light and Shade New Music Concerts

So what exactly do light and shade sound like? Network for New Music would have us know.

Join me for today’s Noontime Concert on The Classical Network as we listen to pieces by contemporary composers Ingrid Arauco, Anna Weesner, Morton Feldman, Joan Tower, Pierre Jalbert, and Augusta Read Thomas, most of them presented under the unifying theme of “The Sounds of Light and Shade.”

Network for New Music’s mission is to perform a great diversity of new musical works of the highest quality by both established and emerging composers; to strengthen the new music community in the Philadelphia region; and to build support for new music by engaging in artistic and institutional collaborations, as well as educational activities. Now in its 34th year, Network for New Music has commissioned 147 works from leading composers.

The organization’s next program, “Millennial Music,” will be presented twice: this Sunday at 3 p.m. at the University of Pennsylvania’s Rose Hall, 3340 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, and Monday at 7:30 p.m. at Stockton University’s Campus Center Theatre, 101 Vera King Farris Drive, in Galloway, NJ. For more information and a complete schedule, look online at networkfornewmusic.org.

Featured prominently on today’s broadcast, as well as on the upcoming concerts, will be Clipper Erickson, piano. Erickson is arguably the world’s foremost champion of the music of R. Nathaniel Dett.

Dett was born in what is now Niagara Falls, Ontario. The grandson of a former slave who found freedom on the Underground Railroad, he became an important figure in the American music of his time. Yet if he is remembered at all, it is probably for his piano suite, “In the Bottoms,” or perhaps only its concluding dance, “Juba,” which was championed by Percy Grainger and others.

Erickson was the first to record Dett’s complete piano works. We’ll sample some of them following today’s concert, from a 2-CD set, “My Cup Runneth Over,” issued on Navona Records, PARMA Recordings.

Then it’s music in celebration of the Great Emancipator, on this, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. Stick around for Robert Russell Bennett’s “Abraham Lincoln: A Likeness in Symphony Form,” Jennifer Higdon’s “Dooryard Bloom,” Roy Harris’ Symphony No. 6 “Gettysburg,” and of course Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” in a live concert recording featuring Marian Anderson as narrator and the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by the composer.

Our 16th president will take precedence, this Tuesday afternoon from 12 to 4 p.m. EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

PHOTOS: Lincoln light and shade

February 12, 2019

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