Live music-making is a rare bird in time of COVID. All the more reason to celebrate a recital by the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo today on The Classical Network, on a special Noontime Concert, coming to you live from Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Black Box Theatre, adjacent to the WWFM studios.
Michael Newman and Laura Oltman will perform music from their new album devoted to works of renowned Cuban composer Leo Brouwer – including a selection from “The Book of Imaginary Beings,” a piece commissioned by Raritan River Music and written specifically for them. “The Book of Imaginary Beings” is also the name of the album, now available on the MusicMasters label.
Also on the program will be Brouwer’s “Música Incidental Campesina” and two selections from “Beatlerianas” – “She’s Leaving Home” and “Fool on the Hill.” In addition, the duo will perform music by Enrique Granados, Isaac Albéniz, Manuel de Falla, Paul Moravec, and Jay Ungar (the popular “Ashokan Farewell”). The concert will be broadcast at 12 p.m. EDT.
Newman and Oltman, longtime friends of the station, are founders and artistic directors of the Raritan River Music Festival, which last month marked its 31st season (this year, executed totally online). They are also founders and artistic directors of the New York Guitar Seminar at Mannes. The duo will celebrate its 30th year as ensemble-in-residence at Mannes College of Music this season.
Please remember that we are coming up on the end of our fiscal year. If you enjoy the music, please do what you can to renew your membership, become a new member, or make an additional gift before June 30. Our survival, and to what degree we are able to rebuild, depends to large extent on the dedication and generosity of our listener-members.
I think we can all use a touch of normalcy and a sense of stability. Enjoy the concert, and thank you for your support of WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org!