Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Gotham Early Music Scene

Richard Arnell Rediscovered on WWFM

It’s been brought to my attention by Patrick Jonathan that tomorrow will mark the tenth anniversary of the passing of English composer Richard Arnell. While I am not in the habit of commemorating death anniversaries, I will make an exception in the case of this neglected and deserving composer of much attractive and inspirational music.

Join me today on The Classical Network, following today’s Noontime Concert, for a sampling of Arnell’s output. Just how much of it will be heard remains to be seen. I’ve pretty much got a clean slate from 1 to 4 p.m. EDT.

First, we’re off to midtown Manhattan for another concert presented under the auspices of Gotham Early Music Scene (or GEMS). Empire Viols will perform a program of transcriptions of organ trios by Johann Sebastian Bach and Bach pupil Johann Ludwig Krebs. The concert was given last June at Saint Bartholomew’s Church, 325 Park Avenue, as part of GEMS’ free Midtown Concerts series. Free concerts are held at St. Bart’s every Thursday at 1:15 p.m. This Thursday, Douglas Lundeen will perform a recital of French works composed for the piston-valve French horn. To find out more, visit gemsny.org.

Then stay tuned, as I dip into my arsenal of Arnell. I’ll be manning the cannons against the canon, from 12 to 4 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

If you’re interested, here’s a link to a conversation I had with Warren Cohen, music director of the MusicaNova Orchestra. Musica Nova is a really fascinating organization, based in Phoenix, AZ, that bills itself as presenting “the greatest music you’ve never heard – yet.” Cohen knew Arnell personally and gave the U.S. premieres of a number of his major works. The interview took place on the occasion of the composer’s centenary. The soundfile includes a Musica Nova performance of Arnell’s Symphony No. 5 – subtitled “The Gorilla!” – and Cohen’s beautiful arrangement for string orchestra, sanctioned by the composer, of the Elegy from Arnell’s String Quartet No. 3.

April 9, 2019
Fat Tuesday André Previn & GEMS Concerts

Fat Tuesday! Or Fasnacht Day, as my grandmother used to call it.

Fry yourself a big plate of doughnuts and belly up to the radio this afternoon for an amazing playlist of knock-out performances by the late André Previn. We’ll celebrate the absurdly talented Previn as conductor, pianist, AND composer. The salute will commence as the clock strikes 1.

First, on today’s Noontime Concert, soprano Amaranta Viera will join the Ensemble Leonarda for a program of readings and music, which will include works by Nicolas Bernier and Jean-Baptiste Lully. The concert – “He’s Just Not That Into You!” – is an examination of classic love stories gone wrong.

It’s another gem from Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS). GEMS presents free midday concerts every Thursday at 1:15 p.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Church, 325 Park Avenue, in New York City. For more information and an overview of other GEMS’ events, including evening and weekend performances, look online at gemsny.org.

DO-NUT miss it! Pour the coffees high and tune in today from 12 to 4 p.m. EST. I’ll be dunking like Gable and flashing my legs like Colbert – or Lully, for that matter – on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

March 5, 2019
Medieval Bestiary Music on The Classical Network

In the Middle Ages, a bestiary was a collection of descriptions and stories about animals, ranging from the mundane to the fantastical, from which moral and theological lessons were gleaned from the natural world. The symbols of the bestiary were likewise absorbed into the conventions of courtly love.

On today’s Noontime Concert on The Classical Network, the ensemble Marginalia will present “The Book of Beasts: A Medieval Bestiary,” musical evocations of the lion, the panther, the unicorn, the elephant, the phoenix, the pelican, and the dragon, from medieval sources.

The program, part of a free midday concert series presented by Gotham Early Music Scene (or GEMS), was given at Saint Bartholomew’s Church, 50th Street and Park Avenue, in New York City. Free concerts are held there every Thursday at 1:15 p.m.

Following the broadcast, stick around, as we’ll continue with an afternoon of zoological and cryptozoological wonders, including Peter Schickele’s “Bestiary,” Jennifer Higdon’s “An Exaltation of Larks,” Lucas Richman: Conductor/Composer’s “Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant” – and, okay, Camille Saint-Saëns’ “The Carnival of the Animals,” among others.

Take a walk on the wild side, this afternoon from 12 to 4:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

January 15, 2019
Les Barocudas Baroque Concert NYC

On February 15, three musicians stand at the ready on the steps of St. Bart’s. The caption to the photo, posted on the group’s Facebook page, reads, “We are here! NYC! Less than 1 hour before the concert. Be here or be lame!!!” I can only reiterate.

I hope you’ll tune in for today’s Noontime Concert on The Classical Network for the Baroque stylings of Les Barocudas. The Montreal-based trio describes itself thusly:

“Les Barocudas est un groupe de musique ancienne sur instruments d’époque composé de 3 jeunes musiciens qui cherchent simplement à débrider leur créativité.”

Ou en anglais: “Les Barocudas is an old-time group of period instrument performers composed of 3 young musicians who simply want to unleash their creativity.”

And judging from their promotional material, that they certainly do.

Even their name, presumably, is a cryptozoological hybrid of the Italian “barocco” and the toothy “barracuda.”

The ensemble, made up of Marie Nadeau-Tremblay, baroque violon, Ryan Gallagher, viola da gamba, and Nathan Mondry, harpsichord and voice, will present a program titled “Anonymous and Friends,” with music by Giovanni Battista Fontana, Johann Heinrich Schmelzer, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Claudio Monteverdi, Nathan Mondry, and Jehan Chardavoine.

To get you in the mood, check out some of the group’s entertaining videos, including a Georges Méliès-style dramatization of a sonata by Schmelzer. Search under “video/audio” at the ensemble’s website, http://www.lesbarocudas.com.

The concert was given at St. Bartholomew’s Church, 50th Street and Park Avenue, in Midtown Manhattan, yet another presented by Gotham Early Music Scene, or GEMS. GEMS is a non-profit corporation that supports and promotes artists and organizations in New York City devoted to Early Music. The free lunchtime series is offered at St. Bart’s on Thursdays at 1:15 p.m. To learn more about these midday events and other GEMS concerts, visit gemsny.org.

Immediately following today’s noontime broadcast, stick around for Canadian-born violinist Lara St. John and one of her Bach performances. Then we’ll be on with the afternoon and, among other highlights, the Symphony No. 5, “The Gorilla,” by Richard Arnell.

Join me in a paradise of barracudas and gorillas, from 12 to 4 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

October 2, 2018
Baroque & Sea Music on The Classical Network

AAAaaAaAaaaRRRRgh!

We’ll bust open a sea chest full of Baroque treasures on today’s Noontime Concert on The Classical Network. Harpsichordist Elena Zamolodchikova and violinist Natalie Kress will perform music by Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber, William Byrd, Girolamo Frescobaldi, and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer.

The program was presented on December 7, 2017 at St. Bartholomew’s Church, 50th Street and Park Avenue, in Midtown Manhattan, where free lunchtime concerts are held every Thursday at 1:15 p.m. The 2017-2018 schedule has run its course, but concerts will resume in the fall.

Today’s broadcast is made possible in part by Gotham Early Music Scene, or GEMS. GEMS is a non-profit corporation that supports and promotes artists and organizations in New York City devoted to early music – music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods. For more information and updates to GEMS’ events calendar, look online at gemsny.org.

Then we bid farewell to landlocked humidity and strike out for the high seas. We’ll feel the spray in our faces and the wind in our hair, courtesy of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “A Sea Symphony,” Georg Philipp Telemann’s “Water Music” (written in celebration of the centennial of the Hamburg Admiralty), and Anton Rubinstein’s “Ocean” Symphony.

Start queuing up now for your mermaid tattoos. It’s anchors aweigh, from 12 to 4 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

August 7, 2018

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