Matthews: Symphony No. 9 (CD review)

Also, Variations for Strings; Double Concerto for Violin and Viola. Sara Trickey, violin; Sarah-Jane Bradley, viola. Kenneth Woods, English Symphony Orchestra and English String Orchestra. Nimbus Alliance NI 6382.

No, not the American pop performer Dave Matthews, founder and leader of the Dave Matthews Band. This is English composer David Matthews (b. 1943), known for his many orchestral, chamber, vocal, and piano works. Although, for that matter, conductor Kenneth Woods could probably do a great job conducting symphonic arrangements of Dave Matthews pieces, too; he seems fully capable of making anything sound good.

Whatever, David Matthews, like fellow British composer Philip Sawyers (another musician Maestro Woods has been recording lately) has the temerity to utilize things like melody, lyricism, and tonal harmony in his music, thereby flying in the face of much modern music and helping not only classical connoisseurs to enjoy it but everyday folks like me to appreciate it as well. In fact, speaking of the symphony here, Matthews says it began as a simple carol for his wife. "One day," he writes, "I was playing it on the piano and, beginning to improvise, I thought "I can turn this into something bigger, and why not a symphony?'" Thus began a journey into his Ninth Symphony.

The program begins, then, with the Symphony No. 9, Opus. 140, which he completed in 2016. It's not a very big symphony, nothing like Beethoven's, Schubert's, Bruckner's, or Mahler's. Instead, it's little more compact and a little less expansive. That is not to say it isn't large, however. The work is in five movements, a central slow movement reminiscent of Vaughan Williams, surrounded by two quick scherzos and bookended by an intriguing opening allegro and capped by a triumphant finale.

Kenneth Woods

The movements are fairly brief, though, and tend to go by rather quickly, with a series of varied tunes in each section. While I wouldn't say the whole is quite the sum of the individual parts, it is fun as it goes along, and Matthews hardly lets a moment go by in it that isn't fully charged. Or maybe that's partly Woods's contribution as well. Certainly, he does up the music with passion and color. Memorable? Not really, yet fun.

Next, we get Matthews's Variations for Strings, Opus. 40, written in 1986, based on Bach's "Die Nacht ist kommen" ("Night's darkness falleth"). The words are a "prayer for a peaceful night," so one might expect peaceful music, and for the most part it is. Maybe surprisingly, there are a number of jazz inflections throughout the piece, as well as contrasting pulses and rhythms. It's quite charming and original, actually.

The disc closes with Matthews's Double Concerto for violin, viola and strings, Op. 122, from 2013. The two soloists have a remarkably friendly rivalry in exchanges throughout the work, making it a delight in the hands of two such gifted musicians as Sara Trickey on violin and Sarah-Jane Bradley on viola. Maestro Woods and his string orchestra pretty much let them have full rein and do their best to just stay out of the way. Seriously, it's a terrific effort and became my favorite piece on the disc.

Producer and engineer Simon Fox-Gal recorded the symphony in May 2018 at St. George's, Bristol; and producer and engineer Philip Rowlands recorded the variations and double concerto in October 2018 at The Priory Church, Great Malvern. The first thing noticeable in the sound of the full orchestra is its spatial characteristics. It's not just nicely spread out across the speakers but nicely arranged front to back, with a good sense of ambient bloom from the acoustic. Then, too, the frequency response is wide, the dynamics realistic, the detailing sharply delineated, and the whole affair entirely lifelike. The string music, employing far fewer players, is understandably lighter and more transparent, and it appears a bit closer. Whatever, it's all good, enjoyable sound.

JJP

To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:

Classical Music News of the Week, June 22, 2019

Resonant Bodies Festival Kicks off NYC Concert Season

"In equal measures intelligent, playful, ambitious and moving, the program illuminated the shape-shifting power of the human voice." That intoxicating New York Times review of the inaugural Resonant Bodies Festival in 2013 marked its arrival as an immediately valuable contributor to the city's music scene. The festival has since evolved into something akin to New York Fashion Week for the new music set, offering a chance for buck-the-trendsetters to experience the high-energy epicenter of experimental vocal music.

The flagship festival returns to Roulette this September 3-5, kicking off the concert season with three fast-paced nights of vocal luminaries and artistic renegades converging in the best "see and be seen" creative energy New York has to offer.

"We bring together people who light each other up," said festival founder Lucy Dhegrae. "The palpable camaraderie among the nine featured artists – many of whom have never met – creates an incredible energy, and that transfers to the audience. The level of artistry, the distinctive projects, the flow between pools of sound – audiences can expect an unforgettable concert experience, unlike anything else in the world."

For complete information, visit www.resonantbodiesfestival.org

--Beth Stewart, Verismo Communications

Support YPC and Double Your Impact Today!
Young People's Chorus of New York City reaches 2,000 children every year and we continue to grow. We are thankful to have such a strong network of choristers, alumni, families, friends, and supporters who are part of our YPC family. Your contributions give them the essential support they need every step along the way -- from chorister to college student!

Please help us reach our goal of raising $20,000 to support YPC's Scholarship Fund! All gifts made between now and June 30th will be DOUBLED by a matching grant.

Join our Text-to-Donate campaign by texting the code "YPC19" to 443-21.

Or donate here: https://secure.givelively.org/donate/young-peoples-chorus-of-new-york-city-inc/ypc-2019-spring-appeal

--Young People's Chorus of NYC

Bach Festival & Academy: Treasures from Lyon
Friday August 2 2019 8:00 p.m.: Pergolesi and Handel in France.
San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 50 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA.

Three hundred miles to the south of Paris lay France's second largest city, Lyon. It had a thriving concert society, founded in 1713, with a beautiful concert hall designed by a famous royal architect.

Our Festival program titled "Treasures from Lyon" will present musical works from Italy and England that were found in the important library of the Concert de Lyon, a rival to the Concert Spirituel series that was flourishing in Paris at the same time.

For tickets and information, visit https://americanbach.tix.com/Schedule.aspx?OrgNum=2641

--American Bach Soloists

Upcoming at the Miami Classical Music Festival
The Magic Flute
June 27 & July 25 | 7:30 p.m.
June 30 & July 28 | 1:00 p.m.
Temple Emanu-El Synagogue

Join us as we present this iconic work in Miami Beach's Historic Temple Emanu-El. Our mission is to find new ways of presenting opera in non traditional spaces, bringing performances directly to the public. This production is created specifically for young children. Families are invited to participate in free supplementary activities for children. Allow your children to experience opera and live theater in a family-friendly setting.

For tickets and information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/magic-flute-tickets-62620437414

The Marriage of Figaro
June 28, 29 | 7:30 p.m.
July 26, 27 | 7:30 p.m.
Miami Beach Senior High

One of Mozart's most beloved works gets a classic retelling, bringing to Miami the music and characters that have captured the hearts of opera lovers the world over. Servants Figaro and his promised Susanna prepare for their upcoming wedding, only to find that his employer the Count has impure intentions for her as well. The classes battle in a light-hearted comedy sung in Italian by the MMF Opera Institute, which features some of Mozart's most beautiful melodies ever written.

For tickets and information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/marriage-of-figaro-tickets-62332932479

--Miami Music Festival

Orion Announces 2019-20 Season of Discoveries
Orion offers a "Season of Discoveries" in 2019-20. Guest musicians, classical mixed with contemporary, new Aurora venue plus downtown Chicago and Evanston, Illinois.

The Orion Ensemble, winner of the prestigious Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, announces its 27th season, featuring chamber works from the 18th, 19th 20th and 21st centuries; respected guest artists, including violinist/violist Stephen Boe on all four concerts, marimbist Josh Graham and violinist Mathias Tacke; and the widely praised musicianship of its core members: clarinetist Kathryne Pirtle, violinist Florentina Ramniceanu, pianist Diana Schmück and cellist Judy Stone.

Orion performs each concert program at venues spanning the Chicago area, including the PianoForte Studios in downtown Chicago, the Music Institute of Chicago's Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston and, new this season, New England Congregational Church in Aurora.

For tickets or more information, call 630-628-9591 or visit orionensemble.org.

--Jill Chukerman, JAC Communications

Berkeley Symphony Announces 2019-2020 Season
Music Director Joseph Young and Berkeley Symphony announced today its 2019-2020 season including four Symphonic Series subscription concerts and five Chamber Series subscription concerts.

Recently appointed as the orchestra's new Music Director, Maestro Young will lead a season that includes world premieres by Chinese composer Xi Wang and Los Angeles-based composer Derrick Spiva Jr.; the San Francisco Bay Area premiere of Bryce Dessner's Voy a Dormir featuring the return of mezzo soprano Kelley O'Connor; the Bay Area premiere of Mary Kouyoumdjian's Become Who I Am in collaboration with the San Francisco Girls Chorus; a debut appearance by trumpeter Sean Jones in two Bay Area premieres including Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Trumpet Concerto and Gunther Schuller's Journey into Jazz with the Berkeley High Jazz Combo; a rare performance of Shango Memory by former UC Berkeley professor and ground-breaking composer Olly Wilson; and the return of pianist Conrad Tao performing Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major. And much more.

Berkeley Symphony opens the 2019-2020 season on Thursday, October 24, 2019. For complete information, visit http://www.berkeleysymphony.org.

--Brenden Guy PR

Leslie Howard signs to JIMC
Not many pianists can boast a discography of more than 130 recordings;indeed, probably no pianist can, aside from Leslie Howard. And he is far from just any pianist. Best-known for his peerless knowledge and skill in the music of Franz Liszt, his 100-CD collection of Liszt's piano music for the Hyperion label is generally considered to be one of the most momentous and consequential recording projects since the invention of the gramophone ("This box, from the hands of a master, is without question the main event of Liszt's centenary year" - The Independent). It also won him a place in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Yet there is far more to Leslie Howard than Liszt, staggering and famous though his achievements there are, as his concerts and recordings (almost all for Hyperion) of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky and others show. He is also greatly in demand internationally for his masterclasses, alongside his recitals, and serves on the juries of many prestigious competitions. BBC Music Magazine has called him "the finest living exponent of Liszt", the New York Times noted "some of the most exciting pianism of the season," while the New York Sun stated admiringly, "Leslie Howard sometimes seems more myth than man"!

James Inverne Music Consultancy is assume to become general management for Leslie Howard. James Inverne says, "From my days as the Editor of Gramophone I was aware of Leslie's reputation as Liszt's representative on Earth, and his consummate talent reaches into the music of many schools, many composers. It is a delight to work with him, and to bring him to even more audiences around the world."

Leslie Howard said, "It is a pleasure to be associated with James and his colleagues. He has some exciting plans and I look forward to being part of them, to my upcoming performances and to more exciting adventures with my dear label, Hyperion."

Watch Leslie Howard play Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No 2 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zqd_R5Rq6KM

--James Inverne Music Consultancy

Alain Lefèvre To Unveil New Compositions for the Benefit of Les Foyers de la Création
The acclaimed pianist Alain Lefèvre will unveil his new compositions at a concert for the benefit of Les Foyers de la Création. This event will be held under the honorary chairmanship of Isabelle Brais, First Lady of Quebec. The event will take place on Saturday, September 28 at 7:30 pm at Saint-Pierre Claver Church (2000 Saint-Joseph Boulevard East, Montreal, Canada).

Les Foyers de la Création is a permanent shelter and respite center working with adults with autism and intellectual disabilities. Since its founding in 2012, it has helped more than 200 people and families by offering both a residential service and a day center.

During this very special evening, Alain Lefèvre will present new pieces from his next album of compositions entitled OPUS 7, to be released on the Warner Classics label. To purchase tickets and attend this unique event, call 514-903-9761, ext. 104. Online ticket purchase is also available at https://lepointdevente.com/billets/ff8190928001.

--France Gaignard

Renowned Composer Rob Simonsen Signs to Sony Music Masterworks
With an impressive resume of film scores under his belt while having created a living legacy in the Los Angeles "new music" world via The Echo Society, composer Rob Simonsen launches a new chapter in his already successful career by signing to Sony Music Masterworks as a recording artist, with his label debut album set for a Fall 2019 release. To celebrate his signing, he's shared a new video from Spectre that he self-directed, featuring some unforgettable imagery that begins to frame up his thought-provoking modern compositions amongst a living and breathing natural aesthetic -- watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_JBWQfhyHo

"Spectre is about mystery, melancholy and wonder, " Rob describes. "The feeling of awakening from a dream, or waking into a dream. It was created entirely in Studios Les Saint Germain in Paris, France, with my co-producers Raphael Hamburger and Stan Neff. I wanted to use the colors of brass, cellos, choir, an ondes martenot, and piano. We brought in brilliant players who gave it great life and vibe. It is the first installment of a trilogy of music videos I directed, which starts with the awakening of a being and the journey they embark on."

Having learned to play the piano at a young age and with an educational background in jazz, electronic and traditional orchestral music, Simonsen has lent his scoring talents to a wide range of film projects.  Since the early 2000s, he's worked on an expansive list of film soundtracks, among them The Front Runner, Love, Simon, Nerve, Foxcatcher, The Way, Way Back, and The Spectacular Now.  He also provided additional music with his mentor Mychael Danna for scores such as Moneyball and Ang Lee's Life of Pi.

For more information about Rob Simonsen, visit https://www.robsimonsen.com/

--George Corona

On Vacuum Tubes—Then and Now...

By Bryan Geyer

I returned from Korea in early 1954, and soon became absorbed in the new “hi fi” craze. Of course, that meant embracing vacuum tubes. Transistors were very new—not ready for prime time—so tubes were the sole option. Tube failures were common, and their heat would often cook some of the adjacent components, but I reasoned that those faults could be my gain if I learned basic radio/TV repair, so I built (from kits) a tube tester, a signal oscillator, a simple oscilloscope, and I bought a new Simpson model 269 multimeter. That marked the start of my 32 year career in the electronics industry.

Do recognize that vacuum tubes are not high precision parts. Why not? Well, to start, all of the tube makers present their products only by listing generic “average” or “typical” performance data. They don’t provide (or control) any of the specific operating characteristics*, so vacuum tubes of a given type can vary widely. Further, all tubes exhibit a constant, gradual, and persistent life cycle drift; plate current fades, grid bias shifts. So a tube’s functional day-to-day performance is never precisely the same. This natural cyclic drift starts when the tube initially enters service, and ends when the tube dies from cathode depletion failure—barring all of the many other modes of premature demise that might intervene (e.g.: open filaments, vacuum leaks, gassing, microphonics, atypical distortion, excessive hum/noise, and damage from external mechanical shock). As a consequence, vacuum tube circuits are not the best means to assure stable circuit performance; there’s simply no optimally constant operating phase. Regardless, for some 70 years tubes were all that we had. Circuit design got stale toward the end of that era because the chassis space available for tube sockets limited potential complexity; also because tubes are so woefully inefficient. But creative innovation blossomed when PNP silicon power transistors finally debuted in the mid 1970s, thereby making complementary differential solid state symmetry a plausible alternative.

Personal angst: In 1963 I bought a Fisher FM200B tuner, one of the premier signal-seekers of the day, but its IF stages exhibited incessant drift due to tube aging. I had to perform tedious IF realignment annually. And my 1962 Marantz 8B stereo power amplifier needed semi-annual output stage bias adjustment to hold the measured IM distortion inside 0.5%, plus I had to install four new EL34 output tubes every 2 or 3 years; that’s costly! Indeed, I got so hot to dump vacuum tubes that I finally built my own solid state power amps in 1976, when PNP silicon power transistors finally became affordable. (Refer p.39 of https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Electronics/70s/1973/Radio-Electronics-1973-03.pdf.) Hey, I was free at last!

Vacuum tube commerce has collapsed in the ensuing 43 years. All of the domestic, British, Dutch, and German producers are now either defunct (like Tung-Sol, my employer from ’57-’60), or they ceased making tubes decades ago. The entire world market for audio-type tubes is now confined solely to the needs of select audiophiles and guitar buffs, and currently fulfilled only by obscure producers in China, Russia, and Slovakia. All are without previous market recognition. The quality, consistency, and reliability of product from those arcane foreign sources is speculative, and supply will persist only as long as there’s viable demand, so the outlook for affordable access to replacement stock looks dicey. Further, this status prevails at a time when all audio engineers concur that the load-invariant advantage assured by driving the loudspeaker from an ultra-low impedance source is dependent on solid-state design. (The Zout for a solid-state power amp runs < 1/10th of the Zout for a tube amp.) Today’s audio-type vacuum tubes represent the detritus of a dead technology; it’s time to move on.

BG

*Refer any vacuum tube specification sheet. For example, here’s the published data for type 6550, a common power output tube: https://shop.ehx.com/catalog/addimages/6550-tung-sol.pdf. Note that there are no minimum or maximum limits given for any of the various operating characteristics. (This traditional practice is in direct contrast with the semiconductor industry, wherein complete min./max. acceptance criteria is provided for almost every critical parameter on every registered device.)

French Cello Concertos (CD review)

Saint-Saens, Lalo, Milhaud, Offenbach, Massenet. Hee-Young Lim, cello; Scott Yoo, London Symphony Orchestra. Sony Classical S80425C.

Her current recording, "French Cello Concertos," is the debut album for Korean cellist Hee-Young Lim, who has made quite a name for herself in the past few years. Not only has she won major international competitions, she is Principal Solo Cellist of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and the first Korean cello professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She tours as a soloist and recitalist and performs with the world's leading orchestras. It's no wonder, then, that so big and prestigious a record label as Sony Classical wanted to promote her first release.

Supported by conductor Scott Yoo and the London Symphony Orchestra, Ms. Lim performs five well-known cello pieces by French composers: Saint-Saens, Lalo, Milhaud, Offenbach, and Massenet. Not that there is exactly a surplus of cello concertos to play, though. The poor cello, a descendent of the bass violin, didn't find a serious place for itself until well into the Baroque period, and even then it held a limited position. Bach wrote his six cello suites, of course; later Haydn wrote a couple of cello concertos and Beethoven a few cello sonatas. Yet it wasn't until the later Romantic period that the cello began to flourish, with Schumann, Dvorak, and Brahms writing concertos for it. Then, the twentieth century saw a greater blossoming of material for the instrument. Anyway, the major attraction here, Saint-Saens's cello concerto, came somewhat late in the Romantic era, 1872, by which time the cello had firmly established itself as a commonly accepted part of the orchestral picture.

So, the first thing up is the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in A by Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921). Written in one continuous movement split into three separate sections with interrelated ideas, Saint-Saens's concerto was unconventional for its time. Nevertheless, it became a favorite of cellists and composers everywhere, some of them like Rachmaninov and Shostakovich declaring it the greatest of all cello concertos.

Hee-Young Lim

The concerto keeps the solo instrument in the foreground almost the whole time, and Ms. Lim takes advantage of this situation with playing of steadfast command. Yet unlike so many other soloists, she never tries to dominate the music with the force of her personality. The musical lines are always clean and direct, the passion expressed through the score itself, not her own virtuosity. This is not to say she isn't a marvel to listen to; she is an accomplished musician and the concerto's finale is an amazing whirlwind of notes. But she is also a delicate, introspective musician, and much of her talent is in the nuances of her playing. In other words, while there are more bravura performances you can find, there are none more sensitively committed.

Next, and maybe equally famous, is the Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in d minor by Edouard Lalo (1823-92), which he wrote in 1876. He arranged it in a more traditional style than Saint-Saens did his concerto a few years earlier, and perhaps because of its strong hints of Spanish flamenco music, it gets its fair share of performances and recordings. Ms. Lim takes the first two movements at a slightly more leisurely pace than one often hears, and it adds a sweet tone that complements the nature of this Spanish-influenced French music. It's an elegant reading, full of operatic color and character in its first two movements and a whole lot of zest in its final moments.

After that we find the Cello Concerto No. 1 by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974). Written in 1934, its more modern and jazz-inflected disposition is notably different from that of the more Romantic Saint-Saens and Lalo pieces. Milhaud's work relies less on pure melody and more on displays of seemingly indiscriminate mood swings from lyrical tenderness to somber reflection to a nearly cheerful giddiness. The oddness of the music continues despite a lovely opening stretch that Ms. Lim makes the most of before Milhaud starts going in all directions at once. Give Ms. Lim credit for holding the work together so well and having it come through so engagingly.

Following the three concertos, we get two shorter pieces: Les larmes de Jacqueline ("The Tears of Jacqueline") by Jacques Offenbach (1819-80) and the familiar "Meditation" from the opera Thais by Jules Massenet (1842-1912). They are the icing on the cake and bring the program to a satisfying end.

Producer Michael Fine and engineer Jin Choi recorded the music at Abbey Road Studios, London in July 2018. And what a pleasure it is to hear the London Symphony back recording at Abbey Road, the scene of so many of their previous successes. As I said earlier, the cello is in the forefront of the musical activity, which is, I suppose, the way it ought to be. In any case, the sound is precise, well defined, solid, and robust. The cello carries plenty of weight and makes a firm impression on the ear. The orchestra is almost secondary, but it, too, sounds splendid, with clean detailing, strong dynamics, and a realistic sense of presence. In fact, the sound of the LSO reminded me a lot of the sound of their EMI recordings of the late Sixties and Seventies, and that is high praise, indeed.

JJP

To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:

Classical Music News of the Week, June 15, 2019

Scott Yoo to Host New Television Program, "Now Hear This"

Festival Mozaic is proud to share the news that music director Scott Yoo is set to host a new television program on PBS titled "Now Hear This," slated to air this fall on PBS.

"Now Hear This" will be the first classical music series on U.S. prime time television in nearly 50 years. Through travel, adventure, humor and surprising performances, "Now Hear This" aims to build a new generation of classical enthusiasts, while giving existing fans new ways to love their music.

The series is projected to reach 35 million viewers in Season 1 through PBS, international public TV, free online streaming, and a companion public radio show. The show is hosted by Festival Mozaic's own Scott Yoo, also Chief Conductor of the Mexico City Philharmonic and one of the world's leading violinists, and created by Emmy-winning producer, writer and director Harry Lynch.

Season 1 of "Now Hear This" will air as part of PBS's Great Performances series on Fridays in September 2019 at 8:00 p.m.

For an informative video, visit https://vimeo.com/arcosfilms/review/338348883/dfaa9029ad

--Festival Mozaic

Documentary on Choral Music Conductor Robert Shaw on PBS
American Masters presents the story of one of the greatest choral music conductors, Robert Shaw – Man of Many Voices, premiering nationwide Friday, June 21 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/americanmasters and the PBS Video app.

Narrated by David Hyde Pierce, the documentary traces the journey of the self-taught choral conductor who became known as the "dean of American choral singing."

Shaw sold millions of recordings and received 16 Grammy Awards, a George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music in America, a Guggenheim fellowship and a National Medal of the Arts.

The documentary follows his unlikely career trajectory, from his early days working with band leader Fred Waring, to his advocacy for integrated ensembles and audiences during the civil rights movement, to his decades-long tenure at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

--Ava Tews, WNET

Frogs, Crickets, Forests, and Seasons
Throughout the centuries, composers have been fascinated by the deep-rooted relationship between Nature and Music. Music can imitate the sounds of nature, and the voices of nature have played a prominent role in music that we love, from madrigals to Mahler.

American Bach Soloist's 10th Annual Festival and Academy opens with a concert all about the magical sounds of Nature as transformed into musical works by Telemann, Vivaldi, and Geminiani.

The headliner of the program is Vivaldi's inimitable and irresistible set of four violin concertos known as "The Four Seasons," with additional music by Telemann, Vivaldi, and Geminiani.

Hear these extraordinary works on the Opening Day of the ABS Festival, Sunday, July 28, 2019, 4:00 p.m. at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 50 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA.

For complete information, visit https://americanbach.org/

--American Bach Soloists

The 21st Edition of La Fête de la Musique de Tremblant
The 21st edition of la Fête de la Musique de Tremblant: a family-friendly event not to be missed!
Jean-Pierre Ferland will be the special guest of Angèle Dubeau.

For its 21st edition, La Fête de la Musique de Tremblant is honoured to announce that Jean-Pierre Ferland, a Canadian music legend, will be Angèle Dubeau's special guest at the Angèle Dubeau & Friends concert. An evening of music, poetry and love, which promises to be a majestic!

Angèle Dubeau, founder and artistic director of the event, invites all music lovers to join her in the magnificent setting of Tremblant, during the Labor Day weekend from August 30th to September 2nd, for the opportunity to attend more than thirty free concerts by renowned Canadian musicians.

The family-oriented event, attended each year by tens of thousands of music lovers, will propose this year a musical trip around the world. The complete music programming of La Fête de la Musique de Tremblant will be announced on August 14.

For more advance information, visit https://www.tremblant.ca/things-to-do/events/fete-musique-tremblant

--France Gaignard

2019 Midsummer Mozart Festival, July 11-15
Dedicated to fresh interpretations of the composer's most enduring masterworks, the 2019 Midsummer Mozart Festival includes an opening night piano recital featuring local pianists Daniel Glover and Thomas Hansen (July 11 in Berkeley, CA); an evening of words, wine and music featuring anecdotes from Marrying Mozart author Stephanie Cowell, arias sung by soprano Christina Major and string quartets performed by the Midsummer Mozart Festival Chamber Players (July 12 in San Francisco, CA); and three orchestral performances with guest artist soprano Christina Major performing "Exsultate Jubilate," K. 165 and selected arias from Idomeneo and Don Giovanni (July 13 in San Jose, CA; July 14 in Sonoma, CA; and July 15  in Cazadero, CA).

For details, visit https://midsummermozart.org/concerts

--Brenden Guy PR

West Edge Opera Announces $19 Tickets for Their Upcoming Festival
West Edge Opera is offering $19 tickets for all performances in their upcoming summer festival, including the highly anticipated San Francisco Bay Area premiere of Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek's adaptation of the Lars von Trier film Breaking the Waves. True to our East Bay roots, we have long been committed to presenting world class opera in unconventional locations and to an often overlooked audience. By offering tickets at only $19, we hope to erase any barrier that would keep patrons from experiencing the drama and intensity of fully produced opera.

The Threepenny Opera by Kurt Weill and Berthold Brecht opens the season with performances on Saturday, August 3 at 8:30 with repeat performances on Sunday, August 11 at 3:00 and Thursday, August 15 at 8:30.

Christoph Willibald Gluck's Orfeo & Euridice opens Sunday, August 4 at 3:00 with repeat performances Friday, August 9 at 8:30 and Saturday, August 17 at 8:30.

The final opera of our festival will be the West Coast Premiere of Breaking the Waves by Missy Mazzoli and Royce Vavrek with performances on Saturday, August 10 at 8:30, Friday, August 16 at 8:30 and Sunday, August 18 at 3:00.

3-Opera series tickets are priced from $129 to $339. Series ticket holders enjoy priority seating and a discount as well as easy exchanges. Single tickets are priced at $19-$125. All tickets may be purchased online at westedgeopera.org or by calling (510) 841-1903 (with the exception of the $19 Bronze tickets, which can only be purchased online.)

All performances are at The Bridge Yard: 210 Burma Road, Oakland, CA.

Information and tickets at https://www.westedgeopera.org/

--West Edge Opera

Free Outdoor Concerts at the Foot of Mount Royal
Free outdoor concerts at the foot of Mount Royal. The mountain goes vintage on five summer Thursdays.

In the tradition of popular summer concerts in public parks at the beginning of the 20th century, Harmonie Laval and various ensembles will offer five free performances at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, July 4, 11 and 18 and August 1 and 8.

Music lovers will be transported back to a time when people gathered to hear beautiful music under the summer sky. The concerts will be held at the Mordecai Richler gazebo on Park Avenue, a stone's throw from the Sir George-Étienne-Cartier monument, rain or shine (unless there is a storm). No reservation required. Just bring your chair.

Please note that three of the performances (July 11, 18 and August 1) will bring together professional and amateur or student musicians. The pros will act as coaches to enrich the experience for the others.

July 4 - Big Band Intersection
Come and discover this jazz band created in Laval in 2005. The Beatles' music will take the spotlight under the direction of Louis Lemay.

July 11 - The sound of the flute
A unique opportunity to hear a flute ensemble made up of professional, amateur and student musicians from Laval and the surrounding area. They'll present a captivating program that will charm everyone.

July 18 – Spotlight on brass
A double program with the amateur brass quintet La musique civique de Montréal and an up-and-coming ensemble. Music for all tastes—Hockey Night in Canada, military tunes, and more!

August 1 – Saxophone soirée
The Ensemble de Saxophones de Montréal brings together 10 saxophonists, most of whom are both musicians and teachers. Four members of the group will perform with amateur and student saxophonists presenting a program of eclectic music for all tastes.

August 8 - Harmonie Laval, conducted by Catherine Parr
To end the concert series, Harmonie Laval will perform works from film and popular music.

--France Gaignard

Daily Schedule Announced for Bang on a Can's new festival LOUD Weekend at MASS MoCA
Bang on a Can and MASS MoCA announce the daily schedule today for a new, three-day music festival, LOUD Weekend, presented for the first time from Friday, August 2 through Sunday, August 4, 2019, at MASS MoCA in North Adams, located in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts (1040 MASS MoCA Way). Over the three-day period, more than 30 concerts will take place in the museum's vast galleries and throughout its stunning collection of indoor and outdoor performing arts venues.

LOUD Weekend is an expansion of Bang on a Can's long-running Bang on a Can Marathon, tripling that inclusive and ambitious programming from one day, to three days. Of the new project, Bang on a Can co-founders and artistic directors Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe say:
"12 hours is not enough!  We are revving up the Marathon format so you can feel the full range of revolutionary curiosity in the music world today. We call it LOUD Weekend."

Festival Passes include museum addition to MASS MoCA's 250,000 sq. ft. of art, including installations by Annie Lennox, a major survey of Cauleen Smith, and the largest-ever exhibition of Houston-based artist Trenton Doyle Hancock, in addition to virtual reality experiences by Laurie Anderson, nine immersive installations by James Turrell, two large galleries filled with the handmade instruments of musicologist Gunnar Schonbeck, and more. Performances will take place throughout the museum grounds in venues including the Hunter Center, Club B10, Building 6 Event Space, Wardwell Gallery, The Chalet, Building 5 Gallery, and more.

Gallery admission is $20 for adults, $18 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students, $8 for children 6 to 16, and free for children 5 and under. Members are admitted free year-round. The Hall Art Foundation's Anselm Kiefer exhibition will re-open on May 25. For additional information: 413.662.2111 x1 or visit massmoca.org.

Bang on a Can LOUD Weekend at MASS MoCA
1040 MASS MoCA Way, North Adams, Massachusetts.

General Admission 3-Day Pass $70; Preferred 3-Day Pass $95
Available at 413.662.2111 or massmoca.org/event/loud-weekend
Information on Accommodations: www.massmoca.org/visit/stay

More information: www.bangonacan.org/loudweekend

--Christina Jensen, Jensen Artists

Academy Alumni Take Top Prizes in Int'l Competition
Two alumni of the Music Institute of Chicago's Academy for gifted pre-college pianists and string players have placed first and second in the prestigious and widely respected 10th International Violin Competition Leopold Mozart in Augsburg, Germany.

Joshua Brown, who moved to Gurnee, Ill. from Washington DC to study with Academy faculty Almita and Roland Vamos for five years, earned first prize; he also won the Kronberg Academy's Special Prize, which provides a scholarship for active participation in a master class at the Academy, and Prize by Jury Chairman Benjamin Schmid, which includes a personal invitation from Schmid to perform at the International Chamber Music Festival Kempten 2019.

Karisa Chiu, from Palatine, Ill., took second prize. While at the Academy, she studied with Almita Vamos for five years. She has won top prizes at numerous other national and international competitions, including the Blount-Slawson Young Artists Competition, the Irving M. Klein International String Competition, the Stulberg String Competition, the Cooper International Competition, and the Walgreens National Concerto Competition.

For more information, visit musicinst.org.

--Jill Chukerman, JAC Communications

Arnold: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 (CD review)

Andrew Penny, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland. Naxos 8.553739.

English composer Sir Malcolm Arnold (1921-2016) continued to write symphonic music until 1990, when he abruptly stopped, saying he "had done enough." All the while a stubborn Romanticist, Arnold wrote music that steadfastly employed melodies and rhythm at a time when Modernists had shut the door on such anachronisms. Coincidentally, I had written about this same coupling of Arnold's Third and Fourth Symphonies about a year earlier, that time under Vernon Handley on the Conifer label. Now the two symphonies return on a lower-priced Naxos disc that is even more inviting.

The Third Symphony (finished in 1957), divided into three movements, is the least consequential of the two works on the disc. It is pleasant enough, don't get me wrong, but not particularly memorable.

Andrew Penny

The Fourth Symphony (1960), however, will remain in memory, especially for its opening movement, with its overlays of South and Central American percussion tunes. The Vivace ma non troppo that follows also uses a jazzy tune, but slightly more formally structured. The Andantino is the calm before the storm, the end of the finale bursting forth in a most provocative and, as the composer said, "completely crazy" manner.

On a side note, the composer later wrote that the Fourth Symphony was his response to the  1958 Notting Hill race riots. He was, he said, shocked that such a thing could happen in England, and he hoped that his symphony might help to diffuse the problems of racial divide.

The Naxos sound is clear and well defined, easily rivaling the more expensive Conifer disc. Maestro Penny recorded the Third and Fourth Symphonies in June 1996, with the composer in attendance. One could hardly ask for more authoritative readings. In fact, they are among the best Naxos recordings I've heard, so one can hardly go wrong with them.

The sense and value of purchasing low-to-middle priced Naxos releases should be self evident, at least in principle. However, I would add that not all Naxos recordings sound as good as this one, because on the same day I listened to the Arnold disc I also happened to listen to a recording of the Mozart Horn Concertos (Naxos 8.553592) that I found stodgy in performance and dark and murky in sound. Listening before you buy is still the best way to acquire what you are most likely to want to live with; trusted reviews and the recommendations of friends are obviously other good practices. Buying indiscriminately, though, even in so fine a label as Naxos, may cause too many, if occasional, disappointments.

No letdown in these Arnold symphonies, though. I applaud them strongly.

JJP

To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:

Lekeu: Music for Violin, Cello and Piano (CD review)

Bruno Monteiro, violin; Miguel Rocha, cello; Joao Paulo Santos, piano. Brilliant Classics 95739.

Another name, Guillaume Lekeu (1870-1894), unfamiliar to me until now, was a Belgian composer who might have gone on to write a lot more good music if he hadn't died relatively young. He studied counterpoint and fugue with Cesar Franck and orchestration with Vincent d'Indy before contracting typhoid fever and dying the day after his twenty-fourth birthday.

On the present album Portuguese violinist Bruno Monteiro and his friends, cellist Miguel Rocha and pianist Joao Paulo Santos, play two of Lekeu's more celebrated chamber pieces. But first, I may need to remind you of just who Mr. Monteiro is. According to his biography, Monteiro is "heralded by the daily Publico as 'one of Portugal's premier violinists' and by the weekly Expresso as 'one of today's most renowned Portuguese musicians.' Fanfare describes him as having a 'burnished golden tone' and Strad states that his 'generous vibrato produces radiant colors.' Music Web International refers to his interpretations as having a 'vitality and an imagination that are looking unequivocally to the future' and that reach an 'almost ideal balance between the expressive and the intellectual.' Gramophone praises his 'unfailing assurance and eloquence,' and Strings Magazine says he is 'a young chamber musician of extraordinary sensitivity.'" So expect extraordinarily good performances.

The program begins with the Sonata for Violin and Piano in G, which Lekeu premiered in Brussels in 1893 to enormous success. According to Wikipedia, Lekeu's style was "prophetic of early-twentieth-century avant-garde French composers like Satie and Milhaud" and "influenced by Franck, Wagner, and Beethoven, though these influences did not manifest themselves as mere imitation." Whatever, the music's most obvious characteristic is its melancholy. Perhaps it was presaging his own early death, but I seriously doubt it.

Bruno Monteiro

There is a brief moment of cheer within the first of the Sonata's three movements, but for the most part the piece is melodic, lyrical, and, as observed above, not a little mournful. Monteiro appropriately plays the work in a most sympathetic manner, his violin sounding soulful and yearning, the piano accompaniment forceful but never interfering with Monteiro's splendidly forthright and emotionally affecting interpretation. While the third movement is clearly more animated than the others, particularly in the first section, the composer going out on a swirl of notes so to speak, the music nevertheless maintains the same mood of tempered sadness we see throughout. And Monteiro is careful to sustain that tone to the end. In all, it's a lovely piece, and Monteiro and Santos show their appreciation with a delicately wrought performance.

The second item on the agenda is the Trio for Piano, Violin and Cello in C minor, which dates from 1890 and as Monteiro notes is "free from Franckian and Wagnerian influences and more inclined toward Beethoven." Still, Lekeu appears to have struggled writing it and was not especially pleased with the work (he complained of "an overly disciplined and broken discourse"). Whatever, Monteiro and his friends play it with a full measure of fluid grace, sophistication, and brilliance, never sentimentalizing the plush harmonies.

Producer Bruno Monteiro and engineer Jose Fortes recorded the music at Igreja da Cartuxa, Caxias, Portugal in June and July 2018. The violin has a sweet, decorous tone, and its miking sets it back far enough to benefit from the room acoustics. The overall sound for the three instrumentalists is warm and smooth as well, with a natural presence, the several instruments together in excellent balance.

JJP

To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:

Classical Music News of the Week, June 8, 2019

Festival Mozaic Orchestra Series

In the Festival Mozaic Orchestra Series, musicians from the nation's top orchestras and ensembles come together under the dynamic leadership of our music director, Scott Yoo. This year's musicians hail from the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Cleveland, Colorado, Jacksonville, Minnesota, and St. Louis, as well as the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and our hometown San Luis Obispo Symphony.

Complete 2019 Summer Festival Schedule
July 19: FILM: Scarlatti - Man Out of Time (Palm Theater)
July 24: Midday Mini-Concert: Susan Cahill Bass Recital (Atascadero)
July 24: Notable Encounter Dinner (Halter Ranch Vineyard)
July 25: Chamber Series: Opening Night (United Methodist Church)
July 26: UnClassical Series: An Evening of Flamenco (Dana Adobe)
July 27: Notable Encounter Luncheon (Dallidet Adobe)
July 27: Orchestra Series: Baroque in the Vines (Serra Chapel)
July 28: Chamber Series: European World Music (Cong. Beth David)
July 28: UnClassical Series: Ancient Future (See Canyon Fruit Ranch)
July 29: Family Concert: Carnival of the Animals (Cuesta College)
July 29: Orchestra Series: Resplendent Baroque (Cuesta College)
July 30: Notable Encounter Insight: Chopin Cello Sonata SOLD OUT
July 31: Midday Mini-Concert: Premieres by Michael Fine (Cambria)
July 31: Benefit Dinner in Mission Plaza
July 31: Orchestra Series: Mozart in the Mission
August 1: Midday Mini-Concert: Grace Park Violin Recital (SLO)
August 1: UnClassical Series: Take 3 Piano Trio (Clark Center)
August 2: Backstage Breakfast, Tour & Rehearsal (Cuesta College)
August 2: Chamber Series: Silver and Gold (Cuesta College)
August 3: Midday Mini-Concert: Novacek Piano Recital (Los Osos)
August 3: Orchestra Series: Spanish Flair (Cuesta College)
August 4: Notable Encounter Brunch: Brahms Quartet SOLD OUT
August 4: Chamber Series: Scott Yoo and Friends (Cuesta College)
Plus: master classes, open rehearsals, and lectures!

For complete information, visit http://www.festivalmozaic.com/summer-festival

--Festival Mosaic

Who Was Terpsicore?
One of the nine Greek Muses who were believed to rule over all the major literary and artistic spheres, Terpsicore was the goddess of dance and choral song.

Usually depicted seated, holding a lyre, accompanying dancers and choirs with her music, her name (often spelled "Terpsichore") is derived from Greek words meaning "delight" and "dance."

In 1612, the German composer Michael Praetorius (1571-1621) assembled a compendium titled Terpsichore of more than 300 instrumental dances, taking credit only for arranging the music rather than composing the tunes. And in 1734, George Frideric Handel composed Terpsicore, a prologue to his previously performed opera, Il pastor fido, which had been premiered in 1712.

And, Are there really three choirs in the Lotti Mass? No, there are as many as five!

While the title of Lotti's captivating "Mass for Three Choirs" (Missa a tre cori) can be misleading, it is a work composed for more than 20 independent vocal and instrumental parts, often organized in up to five different and separated groups, drawing upon the Venetian tradition of polychoral—or "cori spezzati"—works from the time of the great composers at San Marco. If you enjoy performances of large-scale works by Monteverdi and Gabrieli, you'll love the Lotti Mass!

Handel: Terpscicore and Lotti: "Mass for Three Choirs"
Academy Orchestra & Soloists • Jeffrey Thomas, conductor

Hear these extraordinary works in the ABS Festival & Academy, performed by American Bach Soloists on Thursday August 8 2019 & Friday August 9 at 8:00 p.m. at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, 50 Oak Street, San Francisco, CA.

For complete information, visit https://americanbach.org/

--American Bach Soloists

Musikiwest Announces Inaugural Summer Festival
Artistic Director Michelle Djokic and Musikiwest, a Palo Alto-based chamber ensemble, announced today its inaugural summer festival, "Musikiwest ChamberFest," July 7-12, 2019 at the Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, CA.

The six-day chamber music festival brings participants from some of the country's most prestigious music schools for intensive rehearsals and wellness workshops that focus on the collaborative power of chamber music. Led by a roster of professional musicians from across the United States and Bay Area, the festival will culminate in two public performances that bring faculty and students together for a variety of chamber masterworks including Antonín Dvorák's String Sextet in A Major, Op. 48 and Felix Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20.

The WholeHearted Musician Founder, Dana Fonteneau and Colburn School Wellness Professor, Jennie Morton appear as special guests for three public workshops that share insight into essential skills such as empathy, communication and creativity as it applies to both professional and personal life.

For more information, visit https://musikiwest.org/musikiwest-chamberfest/

--Brenden Guy PR

Chicago Duo Piano Festival Celebrates Crumb's 90th
The Music Institute of Chicago announces two concerts for its 31st Chicago Duo Piano Festival (CDPF), featuring performances by renowned Chicago piano duo performers and a mix of favorite repertoire for four hands at one and two pianos, as well as eight hand piano performances. The concerts take place Sunday, July 14 at 3 p.m. and Friday, July 19 at 7:30 p.m. at Nichols Concert Hall, 1490 Chicago Avenue, Evanston, Illinois. Registration for the educational component is available at musicinst.org/cdpf-summer-festival.

Among the highlights of this year's concerts is a tribute to American composer George Crumb on the occasion of his 90th birthday. The July 14 Gala Opening Concert includes a complete performance of his Makrokosmos III: Music for a Summer Evening for two amplified pianos and percussion, with pianists Fiona Queen and Louise Chan and percussionists Joshua Graham and John Corkill. Other works include Weber's Invitation to the Dance in a version featuring Katherine Peterson, Katherine Lee, Soo Young Lee, and Camille Witos; Schubert's Andantino Varié with Matthew Hagle and Mio Isoda; and Borodin's "Polovetsian Dances" from Prince Igor with Xiaomin Liang and Jue He.

For more information, visit chicagoduopianofestival.org

--Jill Chukerman, JAC Communications

California Arts Council Makes Largest Investment in Arts and Culture in Nearly Two Decades
The California Arts Council announced 1,243 grant awards totaling $20,823,541 in project and operational support for nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state of California. Two additional grant programs, providing support for local, regional and statewide arts partnerships, are slated for approval by the Council at its meeting on June 25, increasing the total award amount for the 2018-19 fiscal year to a projected $24,508,541 across more than 1,300 grants.

Awarded project designs span the whole of the arts and cultural fields, with funding offered in 14 unique grant program areas addressing access, equity, and inclusion; community vibrancy; and arts learning and engagement; and aligning with the California Arts Council's vision of a state strengthened by a spectrum of art and artists.

New artwork, events, classes, workshops, and other opportunities for creative expression funded through these projects will directly benefit our state's communities, with youth, veterans, returned citizens, and California's historically marginalized communities key among them. This year's projected total award amount marks an increase of more than $8.1 million over last year's investment, the second highest investment in statewide arts programming, surpassed only by the 2000-01 fiscal year.

Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.

--Kimberly Brown, Public Affairs Specialist

2019 Midsummer Mozart Festival
The Midsummer Mozart Festival and Music Director Paul Schrage today announced the lineup for their 2019 summer festival with five performances, July 11-15, 2019 throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Dedicated to fresh interpretations of the composer's most enduring masterworks, the Midsummer Mozart Festival includes an opening night piano recital featuring local pianists Daniel Glover and Thomas Hansen in a variety of works including Gluck Variations, K. 455 and Sonata for Four Hands in F, K. 497; three orchestral performances with guest artist, soprano Christina Major performing arias from Idomeneo and Don Giovanni and Exsultate Jubilate, K. 165; and an intimate evening of words, wine and music featuring anecdotes from Marrying Mozart author Stephanie Cowell alongside arias sung by Christina Major and selected string quartets performed by the Midsummer Mozart Festival Chamber Players.

The festival opens on Thursday, July 11, 8:00 p.m. at Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, with a solo piano recital featuring Bay Area based pianist Daniel Glover.

For further information, visit http://midsummermozart.org.

--Brenden Guy PR

2019 Concours Musical International de Montréal: Hao Zhou, Grand CMIM Winner
The Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) unveiled the name of the winners of the 2019 Violin Edition. 22 year-old Hao Zhou from the United States was the Grand Laureate, acquiring the title of First Prize Winner and Radio-Canada Audience Prize Winner.

 $150 000 in prizes, divided into 8 different awards, were given during the award ceremony.

 "Hao Zhou broke the mold at every competition round this year," says Christiane LeBlanc, Artistic and Executive Director of the CMIM. "He touched both the jury and the public. That's the mark of a true artist."

From May 29 to June 5, 24 competitors from 11 countries performed in the competition. The First round and Semifinal took place at Bourgie Hall. The six finalists then went on to perform the Final round over two days, on June 4 and 5, at Maison symphonique with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, with guest conductor Alexander Shelley.

For complete information, visit www.concoursmontreal.ca

--France Gaignard

SF Symphony Presents Semi-Staged Performances of Ravel's L'Enfant et les sortilèges
British conductor Martyn Brabbins leads the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) and Chorus, joined by Young Women's Choral Projects of San Francisco, San Francisco Boys Chorus, and an internationally-renowned cast featuring mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard as The Child, in semi-staged performances of Ravel's L'Enfant et les sortilèges ("The Child and the Magic Spells"), June 27 & 29–30 at Davies Symphony Hall.

Currently Music Director of the English National Opera, Brabbins has previously conducted Ravel's enchanting opera at the Opéra de Lyon in France in 2012, at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich in 2013, and again in Lyon in 2016—premiering a new production, which will be featured at the San Francisco Symphony's performances in June. Originally commissioned by Opéra de Lyon in association with L'Auditori de Barcelona and Maestro Arts, the production was conceived by Animator Grégoire Pont and Director James Bonas.

For further information, visit SFSymphony.org.

--San Francisco Symphony PR

John Corigliano's Symphony No. 1
The Chelsea Symphony's (TCS) final concerts of their 2018/2019 season, on June 29 & 30, feature John Corigliano's Symphony No. 1,  and the winner of its 5th annual composition competition, Aaron Israel Levin's In Between.

John Corigliano's Symphony No. 1 was written in the late 1980s as the AIDS pandemic was claiming the lives of many. The first of Corigliano's large-format works, the symphony commemorates, as the composer noted, "my friends – those I had lost and the one I was losing." Partly inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, the first movement is subtitled "Apologue: Of Rage and Remembrance," and is dedicated to a pianist. The next two movements commemorate a music executive and a cellist. In the finale, a tarantella melody played by piano in a featured role and the cello line from the previous movements are juxtaposed against "a repeated pattern consisting of waves of brass chords ... [to convey] an image of timelessness."

For more information, visit https://chelseasymphony.org/concerts

--Elizabeth Holub, Chelsea Symphony

Surround Sound!
We want to share an article from the latest issue of Symphony Magazine, the publication of the League of American Orchestras, in which we are described as one of the most innovative ensembles in the field, mentioning EXO ahead of such luminaries as Iván Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, California Symphony, and many others.

This is the most widely read publication in the field of orchestral music, so it is something to celebrate that EXO is highlighted as a pioneer in the field and a trend-setting ensemble.

Read the complete article here: https://americanorchestras.org/images/stories/symphony_magazine/spring19/Surround-Sound.pdf

--Experiential Orchestra

On Loudspeaker Wiring Connectors…

By Bryan Geyer

I suggest AWG 12 stranded all-copper (not copper-clad aluminum*) duplex wiring for your power amplifier-to-speaker cable runs. An excellent version is made by Belden, and it’s available from Blue Jeans Cable; refer https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/speaker/index.htm. Their “Twelve White” is a premium AWG 12 stranded copper cable (Belden 5000) that’s optimum. It’s properly insulated, and exhibits less tendency to kink than the imported AWG 12 wire sold by many retailers.

Despite what you hear to the contrary, it is neither necessary nor beneficial to maintain identical linear lengths for the left and right channel wiring runs. Given the speed that electrons travel, there will be no audible phase delay difference if one stereo side has a longer wiring run than the other side, nor will there be any difference in signal amplitude that might theoretically arise from some niggling variance in series impedance. Cut the cable lengths to fit your personal layout preference.

Do not consider any of the esoteric speaker cable that’s promoted within the hi-end audiophile community. As noted by Peter Aczel, who founded The Audio Critic…

“The transmission of electrical signals through a wire is governed by resistance, inductance, and capacitance (R, L, and C). That’s all, folks! (At least that’s all at audio frequencies. At radio frequencies the geometry of the cable begins to have certain effects.) An audio signal has no idea whether it is passing through expensive or inexpensive RLC. It retains its purity or impurity regardless.”

More good info at: https://www.audioholics.com/audio-video-cables/speaker-cable-gauge.

The basics are well summarized at this classic site: : http://www.roger-russell.com/wire/wire.htm.

If your power amplifier and loudspeakers both utilize dual banana jack posts (with standard 19 mm [0.75 inch] on-center spacing), terminate your wiring with compatible dual banana plug connectors. Some nice gold-plated dual banana plugs with helpful bottom entry wire access (minimizes the rear clearance) are available from Parts Express...

For right (red): http://www.parts-express.com/gold-dual-banana-plug-red--091-332

For left (black): http://www.parts-express.com/parts-express-gold-dual-banana-plug-black--091-334

My preference is to shorten these dual banana plugs by discarding their fancy knurled end posts and substituting #8-32 x 0.75 inch flat point stainless-steel set screws; see https://www.mcmaster.com/set-screws. Drive those set screws with a 5/64 inch Allen hex wrench—or with an equivalent 5/64 inch hex bit (more elegant) from Chapman Manufacturing Co.; see http://chapmanmfg.com/. (If you admire fine hand tools, get to know Chapman.)

*Lots of retail “speaker wire” is now copper-clad aluminum. Suspect sellers who shout “pure copper”. Their boast might relate only to the cladding—not to the core. (Hey, I may be an over-the-top skeptic, but do be wary of bargain wire!) FYI: 100% all-copper AWG 12 wire exhibits DC resistance ≈ 0.016 Ω per ten (10) linear feet. Use a 4 1/2 digit mode meter (e.g. Fluke 87) to read cable resistance. Measure in relative mode, and test 50 foot lengths that are serially-shorted to net 100 linear feet of conductor. Example: Minimum readout on the Fluke model 87v meter = 0.1Ω, with accuracy of ±0.2% + 2 counts. So 100 ft. of AWG 12 all-copper wire ≈  0.16 Ω.

BG

Couperin: Concerts Royaux (CD review)

Christophe Rousset, Les Talens Lyriques. Aparte Music AP196.

I'm only guessing here, but if you're a typical classical-music fan, you probably recognize the name Francois Couperin (1668-1733), the French Baroque composer, organist, harpsichordist, and probably most famous member of the musically talented Couperin family. What you may not be able to do, however, is name a few of his compositions or whistle a couple of tunes he wrote. Which is why a recording like this one, "Concerts Royaux," from Christophe Rousset and members of his Les Talens ensemble comes in handy.

Yes, the composer is mainly known today for his keyboard works, but he wrote a number of pieces for chamber groups and various combinations of instruments. Couperin, being worried about so many inaccurate copies of his works that were circulating, decided to publish them himself, which he did between 1722-1728. He published "Concerts Royaux," the first of five volumes, in 1722, and they included the music on the current disc.

The title, "Royal Concerts," derives from their being written for King Louis XIV and comprise four harpsichord suites originally composed in 1714-1715 and played at the royal court. Couperin also left notes indicating that the instrumentation could be left to the musicians' discretion. Nor did the composer intend these pieces as true suites, but rather as collections of individual works put together according to his mood at the time. So, these days there is plenty of room for experimentation regarding the instruments in play.

Christophe Rousset

Les Talens Lyriques employ the talents of Stephanie-Marie Degand, violin; Georges Barthel, flute; Patrick Beaugiraud, oboes; Atsushi Sakai,viola de gamba; and Christophe Rousset, founder and leader of the group, which often utilizes up to several dozen players, on harpsichord. Couperin gives us the names of the musicians who performed with him, and they were among the best in the field at that time. So today's musicians have a lot to live up to, and Rousset's players are up to the task.

Couperin assembled the four suites from preludes, airs, and mainly dances, allemandes, sarabandes, gavottes, gigues, minuets, courantes, chaconnes, forlanes, and the like. What's more, most of the dances were of the slow, stately type, so the music is largely comfortable and relaxing, if not a tad melancholy. This might, though, be a relief from the many hurried, sometimes helter-skelter baroque compositions we often encounter. Rousset and his crew present each suite with a healthy dose of grace, polish, and restraint.

Of the four suites, the booklet writer, Erik Kocevar, says the fourth is "without a doubt the finest of the four, and the most consistent in the quality of its parts." I would agree. The fourth suite displays the greatest variety, imagination, and refinement of the four. Nonetheless, for that matter, I doubt I could remember one suite from the other if I listened to them again a few minutes apart. While they are pleasantly attractive, there is a sameness about them that probably only makes them distinguishable to Couperin or Baroque connoisseurs. Kind of like what all of our grandparents said about pop music.

Be aware that despite the disc containing four separate suites of music of five to seven movements each, the movements themselves are quite short, the longest being about four minutes, the others two or three minutes. Thus, the entire running time of the album is less than an hour. Not that I would pose any objection. To have packed it out with miscellaneous Couperin items simply for the sake of filling out the disc space might have been distracting.

Producer Clement Rousset and engineers Clement Rousset and Thimothee Langlois with the studio Little Tribeca recorded the music at Eglise Evangelique Lutherienne Saint-Pierre, Paris in December 2015. The sound appears a bit close, yet it's warm and round, too. Individual instruments show good detail and the ensemble a modicum of depth, although there being so few instruments it really doesn't much matter. Definition is, as I say, good and projects a clean presence. Low notes are a little on the woolly side but highs sparkle, so overall definition is fine. Nor is the harpsichord always noticeable, but, then, I've never heard this group in a concert performance, so what do I know? Certainly, the music is easy on the ears.

JJP

To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:

Classical Music News of the Week, June 1, 2019

Midsummer's Music 2019

Midsummer's Music of Door County, Wisconsin, announces its 2019 concert season with Mendelssohn, Mozart and More! Presenting concerts hailed as "exciting, pulse-pounding and riveting," Midsummer's Music provides unique and diverse cultural, historical and scenic musical experiences. The 2019 season, running June 14 through September 2, features 41 concerts performed by world-class musicians. The inspiring concerts, many of which sell out, attract a growing dedicated following every year, plus thousands more via Wisconsin Public Radio broadcasts, and on Live from Chicago's WFMT Radio.

Midsummer's Music offers chamber music for strings, piano and winds performed in  distinctive settings throughout Door County, including art galleries, museums, historic venues and private homes.

Programs feature works by Mozart, Schubert and Dvorák, gems from lesser-known composers and world premieres by Midsummer's own award-winning Composer-in-Residence Jacob Beranek. This season will celebrate the premiere of Beranek's Quintet for Winds on July 11. A complete 2019 summer brochure can be found at www.midsummersmusic.com.

--Genevieve Spielberg, GS Artists

Le Grand Chœur du Centre-Sud: Free concert By and For the Community
On June 7, Voies culturelles des faubourgs will present the very first edition of a great citizen concert, Le Grand Choeur du Centre-Sud. This unifying event will begin outside at Espace Pierre-Bourgault (corner of Plessis and Ontario) and will end with a grand concert at Sacré-Coeur Church.

This great collective work, directed by André Pappathomas, composer, musician and winner of the 2017 artist award in the community, will bring together a hundred choristers from the Centre-Sud community. The choir will be accompanied by soloists, musicians and the great organ of the Sacré-Coeur Church.

Le Grand Choeur du Centre-Sud is more than just a choir concert, it's a community and artistic project that aims to break isolation and put the community back at the heart of our lives. "Through this inclusive event, we want to promote social cohesion and generate pride and joy in taking part in a common project," says Claudine Khelil, general coordinator of Voies culturelles des faubourgs.

The goal of the project is to create links between citizens from all horizons and to develop, through musical expression, an unsuspected creative potential. "It is the result of a collective work of creation that will be presented in the form of a big happening to the entire community," says Pappathomas.

When: June 7, 2019, from 5:30 pm
Where: Espace Pierre-Bourgault (park on Plessis Street, south of Ontario street) and Sacré-Coeur Church (Ontario at the corner of Plessis, Montreal)
Information: 514-526-2787; communications@voiesculturelles.qc.ca or voiesculturelles.qc.ca

--France Gaignard PR

2019 Concours Musical International de Montréal : Semifinalists Announced
On May 29 and 30 was held the First round of the 2019 Violin Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal. The jury selected twelve semifinalists, from 6 countries. The semifinal will take place on June 1 and 2 at Bourgie Hall.

Presided by Zarin Mehta, le 2019 international jury includes Pierre Amoyal (France), Kim Kashkashian (United States), Boris Kuschnir (Austria), Cho-Liang Lin (United States), Mihaela Martin (Romania), Barry Shiffman (Canada), Dmitry Sitkovetsky (United Kingdom/United States) and Pavel Vernikov (Israel - Switzerland).

2019 CMIM Final
Following the Semifinal round, 6 violinists will proceed to the Final round, which will take place at the Maison Symphonique. Competitors perform a concerto with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, conducted by Alexander Shelley, on June 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m. The jury deliberation and the competition results will be made after the Final round on June 5. $150 000 in prizes and awards will be given during the award ceremony.

For more information, visit www.concoursmontreal.ca

--France Gaignard PR

Schwalbe Artists in June
June 2:
Sherezade Panthaki
Bach Virtuosi Festival
Portland, ME

June 3:
Michael Schade
Teatro de la Zarzuela
Madrid, Spain

June 3 & 4:
Matthew Halls
Bremer Philharmoniker
Bremen, Germany

June 4:
Sherezade Panthaki
Spoleto Festival USA
Charleston, SC

June 4, 5, 7 & 8:
Marc Molomot
The Angel's Share
Brooklyn, NY

June 4:
Hadleigh Adams
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra
San Francisco, CA

June 6, 8,13:
Michael Schade
Staatsoper Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany

June 6 & 9:
Sherezade Panthaki
Bach Virtuosi Festival
Portland, ME

June 8, 10:
Douglas Williams
Les Talens Lyriques
Dortmund and Halle, Germany

June 9, 12, 14, 16:
Stephen Stubbs
Boston Early Music Festival Centerpiece Opera
Boston, MA

June 10:
Michael Schade
Stift Melk
Melk, Austria

June 12:
Thomas Cooley
St. Michaelis Musik
Hamburg, Germany

June 21 & 23:
Nicholas McGegan, Thomas Cooley, Sherezade Panthaki, William Berger, Douglas Williams
NDR Radiophilharmonie
Hanover, Germany

June 23:
Stephen Stubbs
Boston Early Music Festival
Caramoor, NY

June 25:
Eric Jurenas
Komische Oper Berlin
Berlin, Germany

June 26:
Matthew Halls
Trasimeno Music Festival
Umbria, Italy

June 27 & 29:
Hadleigh Adams
Cincinnati Opera
Cincinnati, OH

June 29:
Laura Strickling
Berkshire Choral International
Sheffield, MA

For complete information, visit https://schwalbeandpartners.com/artists/

--Schwalbe and Partners

JACK Quartet Announces 2019 Summer Season
The JACK Quartet is excited to announce their 2019 summer season, which kicks off with a return to Ojai Music Festival June 3–9 where they will perform a variety of works, including Schoenberg's Second String Quartet with Music Director Barbara Hannigan as soloist.

JACK then goes to New Music On The Point June 10–18 and The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity July 14–30 to work with young performers and composers. In August and September, JACK will go to Tippet Rise Art Center to perform works by John Luther Adams.

For complete information, visit http://jackquartet.com/

--Andrew Ousley, Unison Media

Princeton University Concerts: 2019-20 Season
Subscriptions are on sale and going quickly for Princeton University Concerts's 2019-20 season! The 126th season includes a brand new "Icons of Song" series featuring vocal superstars alongside luminary pianists: Ian Bostridge with Brad Mehldau; Joyce DiDonato, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Matthias Goerne with Jan Lisiecki.

Additional highlights include a special event with the Georgian state vocal Ensemble Basiani, and a new improvisatory spin on the intimate, audience-on-stage Up Close series with the genre-defying Vision String Quartet, pianist and improviser Gabriela Montero, and a groundbreaking collaboration between pianist/composer Conrad Tao and tap dancer Caleb Teicher.

The heralded Concert Classics Series includes performances of two premieres co-commissioned by PUC, a number of highly anticipated debuts including a collaboration between legendary pianist Mitsuko Uchida and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, as well as the return of violinist Stefan Jackiw, the Calidore String Quartet, and more….
 
With the lowest ticket prices in the region, subscription packages start at just $16 per concert. Single tickets will go on sale, online only, at noon on July 22.

For complete information, visit http://www.princetonuniversityconcerts.org/

--Dasha Koltunyuk, Princeton University Concerts

Virtual Singing Virtues
Ground-breaking scientific study shows how singing in virtual choirs is good for mental health. Results show that singing in a Virtual Choir boosts participants' self-esteem, reduces feelings of social isolation and promotes better mental health. Members of Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir and multiple 'live' choirs supply huge data set for compelling comparative research project.

Since ancient times, philosophers have sought to cultivate happiness and well-being. Their intuitions about the benefits of shared creative experiences have now been confirmed by pioneering scientific research conducted by University College London (UCL) in partnership with Eric Whitacre and Music Productions. The detailed study, led by UCL Senior Research Fellow and BBC Radio 3 New Generation Thinker Dr. Daisy Fancourt, shows how singing in a virtual choir delivers significant psychological benefits.

Dr. Fancourt devised an online questionnaire to gather data from global participants in Virtual Choir 5.0. The results were compared with those from diverse 'live' choirs, which were collated and submitted online to the BBC Arts Great British Creativity Test. The two cohorts, comprising 2,316 singers, generated a data set that was used for statistical matching and comparative analysis. Daisy Fancourt and her colleagues used the data to focus on the under-explored area of the psychological impact of virtual creative experiences.

Virtual and 'live' choral singers answered questions about social presence, the connections made by individuals through face-to-face or online communication, and how they used singing to help regulate their emotions. Having compared emotion regulation in both a live or 'virtual' choir, the responses are stronger in live choirs, but still present and applicable in those virtual. Both groups reported experiencing improved self-esteem, greater individual confidence and a strong sense of personal agency.

Their responses also suggested that the virtual choir experience can help combat feelings of social isolation and promote a sense of connection to others. The message is clear: choral singing, whether of the traditional or virtual variety, is good for mental health.

For much more on the subject, visit https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00778/full and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGngoGvOSuY#t=280

--Izzy Herschmann Music Productions

Miami Classical Music Festival Summer Program Lineup
Miami Classical Music Festival presents its 2019 season, with all new performance spaces across the Miami Beach area.

Miami Classical Music Festival, an intensive training program for the next generation of classical musicians, announces the lineup for the 2019 season from June 4 through July 28, 2019 with over 50 performances this summer.

Browse the new season and purchase your tickets: https://miamimusicfestival.com/

--Miami Music Festival

Music Institute Gala Honors Marsalis
The Music Institute of Chicago, one of the nation's most distinguished and respected community music schools, welcomed 300 guests to its 2019 Anniversary Gala on Monday, May 20 at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago. The event raised more than $850,000 from a combination of table sponsorships, ticket sales, and outright contributions.

The evening included a cocktail reception, followed by an elegant dinner and awards presentation. Musical performances took place throughout the evening, representing every area of the Music Institute. Highlights included a New Orleans brass band procession; young musicians from the Community Music School; award-winning students from the Music Institute's renowned Academy, a training center for gifted pre-college musicians; young string students from Third Coast Suzuki Strings, a violin program on Chicago's Northwest Side in collaboration with the YMCA of Metro Chicago; and a surprise finale performance by 2019 Dushkin Award recipient Wynton Marsalis alongside Music Institute students.

The prestigious Dushkin Award, established more than 30 years ago and named for the Music Institute's visionary founders, Dorothy and David Dushkin, recognizes international luminaries in the world of music for their contributions to the art form, as well as to the education of youth. This year's recipient, Wynton Marsalis, is an internationally acclaimed musician, composer, bandleader, educator, and leading advocate of American culture. He has created and performed an expansive range of music for groups ranging from quartets to big bands, from chamber music ensembles to symphony orchestras, and from tap dance to ballet, expanding the vocabulary for jazz and classical music with a vital body of work that places him among the world's finest musicians and composers.

For information, visit musicinst.org

--Jill Chukerman, JAC Communications