Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Leo Brouwer

Newman Oltman Premiere Brouwer’s “Looking Glass”

On the final concert of this year’s New York Guitar Festival, the Newman and Oltman Guitar Duo will present the world premiere of a new work written for them by arguably Cuba’s most venerable living composer, Leo Brouwer. “Through the Looking Glass” will be streamed today at 4:00 EDT. As the title suggests, the piece is inspired by Lewis Carroll.

The festival is presented each year by the Mannes School of the Music – The New School. The programming of this year’s concerts has been curated to honor the legacy of legendary guitarist Julian Bream.

Michael Newman and Laura Oltman, who make their home in Warren County, New Jersey, are artistic directors of the Raritan River Music Festival. The duo has been ensemble-in-residence at Mannes for 34 years. Between them, they’ve also held teaching positions and residencies at Princeton University, Lafayette College, and the College of New Jersey. Newman has been on the guitar and chamber music faculty of Mannes since 1979.

Previously, Brouwer composed for them a work titled “El Libro de los Seres Imaginarios” (“The Book of Imaginary Beings”), for which they hold exclusive performance rights. The piece has been recorded and released on the MusicMasters label. I am proud to say, I hosted the duo in the WWFM studios in 2019 for the world broadcast premiere of selections from the work, performed live.

Music and interview are still posted on Soundcloud. Some of the information may be outdated, but the music is timeless. Listen, and then tune in to the world premiere of “Through the Looking Glass,” AT THE LINK ABOVE, THIS AFTERNOON AT 4 PM!

July 20, 2021
NJ Outdoor Concert Newman Oltman Guitar Duo

It’s heartening to note that local musicians have been going the extra mile to find solutions to the puzzle of what to do about live performance during a time of pandemic. Last week, while taking steps to ensure that everyone would be safe, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra and the New Jersey Capital Philharmonic Orchestra both tossed their hats into the ring with outdoor, socially-distanced events.

This weekend, the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo will join the Hunterdon Symphony for a live concert at Rosemont Valley Farm in Stockton, NJ. The outdoor presentation will take place on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The program will include a Concerto in B-Flat Major by George Frideric Handel and the “Cavatina” by Stanley Myers, popularized by the film “The Deerhunter.” Both performances will be given under the direction of conductor Lawrence Kursay.

The duo will also perform “Música Incidental Campesina,” by the renowned Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, and Brouwer’s arrangement of Lennon & McCartney songs, “Beatlerianas: The Fool on the Hill.” Additional selections will be presented by ensembles of musicians drawn from the orchestra.

Admission is $20 per vehicle, cash or check, payable to “HMA” (Hunterdon Musical Arts). Audience members may choose to remain in their cars and listen to the performance streamed on an FM radio band or use their own chairs and blankets to sit outside, while observing social distancing. Masks are required at all times.

The farm is located at 700 Rosemont-Ringoes Road. Gates will open at 2:00 p.m. and will close 15 minutes prior to the start of the concert. The rain date is October 25.

Michael Newman and Laura Oltman are artists in residence at the Mannes School of Music. They are also artistic directors of the long-running Raritan River Music Festival, presented each May in historic venues across Central New Jersey. Due to the unusual circumstances this year, the festival took a different tack, with the concerts shared remotely, online. All four programs have since been archived on the Raritan River Music website, raritanrivermusic.org.

Of particular interest should be a concert video from May 23, which features a spoken introduction by Brouwer, as well as a performance of his “El Libro de los Seres Imaginarios” (“The Book of Imaginary Beings”), a work written specifically for the guitarists.

The duo also recorded the piece under studio conditions for inclusion on their new album, “The Book of Imaginary Beings: The Music of Leo Brouwer,” on the MusicMasters label.

For more information about Newman & Oltman, visit guitarduo.com.

September 30, 2020
Live Guitar Music from Newman & Oltman on WWFM

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!

https://wwwfm.secureallegiance.com/wwfm/WebModule/Donate.aspx?P=DEFAULT&PAGETYPE=PLG&CHECK=vOU2bz5JCWmgCDbf53nm9ezWDeZ%2BeA1M&fbclid=IwAR1ovFGqc9n3zFh-lM0Tk14jhcqYu_SIyjedie-LiBKFI2JpJq7hnp5eerc

June 19, 2020
Newman & Oltman at Raritan River Music Festival

On today’s Noontime Concert on The Classical Network, we’re all rarin’ to go. That is to say, we’re rarin’ to go to the Raritan River Music Festival.

Join me for the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo and friends and a program titled “All Americas: Music of the New World.” The concert will include music from the United States and Brazil, as well as selections from the world premiere performance of “El Libro del los Seres Imaginarios” (“The Book of Imaginary Beings”), written specifically for the duo, by the Cuban master Leo Brouwer. Also on hand will be guitarist-composers Clarice Assad and João Luiz.

The Raritan River Music Festival was founded by Michael Newman and Laura Oltman in 1989 as a stimulating series of concerts that embrace new music, world music, and straightforward classical repertoire, presented by world-class musicians, in intimate, historic venues in Hunterdon and Warren Counties. The annual festival is held during the month of May. However, Raritan River Music also offers year-round outreach programs for students, seniors, and patients at healthcare facilities. You can learn more by visiting raritanrivermusic.org.

Then stick around! The heat index values are projected to be 100 again today. We’ll have plenty of cool music for you, from 12 to 4 p.m. EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

August 20, 2019
Newman & Oltman Premiere Brouwer’s New Work

Here’s another one for your Classic Ross Amico pin-up collection:

At WWFM – The Classical Network with Michael Newman and Laura Oltman, of the Newman and Oltman Guitar Duo.

Newman and Oltman dropped by the WWFM studios on Monday to share conversation and music, including a generous live performance – the world broadcast premiere, as a matter of fact – of two movements from Leo Brouwer’s “The Book of Imaginary Beings.” This was music written expressly for them by arguably Cuba’s foremost living composer.

Newman and Oltman will perform the complete work for the first time in concert this weekend, on the final program of this year’s Raritan River Music Festival. The concert will take place on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., at Stanton Reformed Church, in Stanton, NJ. For details, look online at raritanrivermusic.org.

Newman and Oltman will then take the piece to New York City for a second performance, at the New York Guitar Seminar, with the composer in attendance, on June 26. You’ll find more information by following the link at N & O’s website, guitarduo.com.

And if you missed it, here’s our interview, complete with in-studio musical teasers:

May 23, 2019

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