Classic Ross Amico

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Shostakovich Arensky Marlboro Russian Music on WWFM

D is for Da!

It also happens to be the key signature of Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 4. Shostakovich’s quartet will be one of two Russian works on this week’s “Music from Marlboro.”

The String Quartet No. 4 grew out of a newfound confidence, on the part of the composer, as a result of Stalin personally selecting him as a cultural ambassador to the West. Shostakovich persuaded Stalin that if that were going to be the case, then perhaps it would be a good idea to lift the ban on Soviet performances of his music. Otherwise, it might look a little peculiar to outsiders.

Papa Joe agreed, and Shostakovich promptly embarked on a new string quartet, which he loaded up with Jewish folk songs and all sorts of things that had a history of angering the “wise leader and teacher.” Fortunately for Shostakovich, who had walked a very precarious line with the authorities, his friends persuaded him not to allow the work to be performed publicly, and the composer put it in a drawer for another day.

That other day is now, and we’ll hear it performed by violinists Sylvie Gazeau and Yuzuko Horigome, violist Philipp Naegele, and cellist Robie Brown Dan, from the 1983 Marlboro Music Festival.

Anton Arensky’s Piano Trio No. 1 is in the key of D minor. Arensky, a pupil of that icon of Russian nationalism, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, gravitated more toward the cosmopolitan sound of Rimsky’s rival, Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky. His trio is full of good tunes, always charming, regardless of whether the music is melancholy, turbulent, reflective, or good humored. It’s the kind of piece that will have you humming for the rest of the day.

We’ll hear it performed by pianist Frederick Moyer, violinist Isodore Cohen, and cellist John Sharp, who played it at Marlboro in 1982.

What are you waiting for? Quit your Stalin. Join me for an hour of Russian music, major and minor, from the Marlboro Music Festival, this Wednesday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page

November 15, 2017
Classical Music Rakes Over Leaf Blowers

Who likes leaf blowers? Not Aaron Copland!

We’ll celebrate the birthday of the Dean of American Composers this afternoon with a performance of his Symphony No. 3. That’s the one that incorporates the “Fanfare for the Common Man,” making for a rousing quarter hour. But listen carefully to the symphony’s other 30 minutes, too – the fanfare’s intervals are all over the place.

First, we’ll enjoy another Noontime Concert on The Classical Network. Join me for a Bach birthday bash featuring The Dryden Ensemble. The program was presented twice in March of this year, within days of the anniversary of Bach’s birth. On the program will be music by Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Jakob Froberger, Sylvius Leopold Weiss, Georg Philipp Telemann, and Bach himself. Performers will include oboist and artistic director Jane McKinley, violinist Vita Wallace, bass viola da gambist Lisa Terry, theorbist and lutenist Daniel Swenberg, and harpsichordist Webb Wiggins.

Dryden’s next program, “Bach’s French Taste” – focusing on Bach and the French composers he admired – will be presented this Saturday at 7:30 p.m., at Miller Chapel on the campus of Princeton Theological Seminary, and Sunday at 3 p.m., at Trinity Episcopal Church, Solebury, PA. The concerts launch Dryden’s 2017-2018 survey, “Bach for All Seasons.” Tickets are available at the door or online at drydenensemble.org.

Make America rake again! Also, join me from 12 to 4 p.m. EST. It’s music for common men by extraordinary composers, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 14, 2017
Montague Phillips British Light Music

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of Montague Phillips (1885-1969). Phillips composed in many different genres, but he is probably best known for the light music classics he wrote between the wars. They’re the perfect antidote to an arduous beginning of the work week. Enjoy some of it as part of an hour of British Light Music, this Monday evening at 6:00.

We’ll also observe the birthdays of American composer George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931) and Finnish composer Joonas Kokkonen (1921-1996). We’ll sample from their music and much more this afternoon, beginning at 4:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Montague Phillips on Dutton Vocalion Records

November 13, 2017
Rediscovering Louis Spohr and Beethoven

He was born Ludwig, but became recognized everywhere, outside of his native Germany, as Louis (pronounced “Louie,” as in the French).

In his day, he was as highly regarded as Beethoven. A triple threat – a violinist, a conductor, and a composer – he churned out music in all genres. He wrote nine symphonies, ten operas, fifteen violin concertos, four clarinet concertos, and 36 string quartets. Add to that, innumerable chamber works for all sorts of instrumental combinations – with a special emphasis on the harp, since it was the instrument of his wife, with whom he often appeared in concert.

Following his death, in 1859, his reputation plummeted. It wasn’t until the late 20th century that his music underwent a significant revival.

This week on “Music from Marlboro,” we’ll hear the Sextet in C major, Op. 140, by Louis Spohr, a comparatively late work, but one infused with a remarkably youthful spirit. A supporter of German unification, republicanism, and democratic causes, Spohr was inspired by the revolutions that swept across Europe in 1848.

From the 1980 Marlboro Music Festival, we’ll enjoy a performance by violinists Pina Carmirelli and Veronica Knittel, violists Philipp Naegele and Karen Dreyfus, and cellists Peter Wiley and Georg Faust.

Spohr was a friend and colleague of Beethoven. He participated in a memorable run-through of Beethoven’s “Ghost” Trio, with the composer banging away at an out-of-tune piano. He also played in the premiere of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony.

With their association in mind, we’ll also hear Beethoven’s Quintet in E-flat for Piano and Winds, Op. 16, from 1796, a work allegedly inspired by Mozart’s Quintet, K. 452. The 2012 Marlboro performance will feature pianist Jonathan Biss, with oboist Mary Lynch, clarinetist Tibi Cziger, hornist Wei-Ping Chou, and bassoonist Natalya Rose Vrbsky.

Beethoven’s Quintet will be among the highlights on a program to be toured by Marlboro musicians, beginning this Saturday, with stops in Brattleboro, VT, Greenwich, CT, New York City (at Carnegie Hall), Philadelphia, PA (at the Kimmel Center), Washington, DC, and Boston, MA. Also on the program will be György Ligeti’s Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet, Samuel Barber’s “Summer Music,” and Francis Poulenc’s Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet. You’ll find more information at marlboromusic.org.

In the meantime, I hope you’ll join me for music by the two Ludwigs, this Wednesday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Marlboro School of Music and Festival: Official Page

Cravat-wearing clothes horses Beethoven (left) and Louis Spohr

November 8, 2017
Vaughan Williams’ Job on WWFM Today

Be patient for “Job: A Masque for Dancing.” Experience Ralph Vaughan Williams’ unsung masterpiece, inspired by the Book of Job, from the Hebrew Bible, in an illustrated edition by William Blake. It’s coming up this afternoon in the 2:00 hour EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

November 7, 2017

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