Presented by An die Music Live, in a departure from that organization’s home base in Mount Vernon, the event might easily have been canceled for good, as many other arts attractions were when the snow hit. Fellner’s scheduled recital Sunday at the National Gallery in DC was such a casualty, but he was willing to give the Baltimore gig another try on Monday. That was awfully fortunate for the folks who braved the still-iffy road conditions to get there – and fortunate for me that a couple of kindly souls were willing to give me a lift to and from; my car was still held captive by the conditions of the streets in my neighborhood. (Speaking of travel, there was a little glitch in the delivery of the Steinway to the BMA. Fellner had spent hours a few days earlier in DC picking out the instrument he wanted; that one stayed on the truck, alas. The crew unloaded the wrong one and departed.) 

Fellner, the heir apparent to Alfred Brendel’s legacy of intellectually incisive, expressively refined interpretations of the fundamental German repertoire, has been busy presenting a cycle of all 32 Beethoven sonatas in a series held in various cities. This single run-out to Baltimore contained five, starting with No. 12 in A-flat. Except for the statement of the theme in the opening movement, which could have used a subtler, softer, warmer touch, Fellner’s account of this compact, yet action-filled, score was rich in detail. When he reached the whirling finale, he  revealed a striking ability to maintain clarity and color even at a heady pace.

That flair would serve him well in every subsequent burst of rapid-fire finger work, such as the nearly perpetual motion finale of Sonata No. 13 in E-flat (Fellner’s tempo was both furious and fun). And the virtuosity-testing last movement of No. 14 (“Moonlight”), delivered with a particularly startling ease of articulation and compelling sense of drama. I found the pianist’s phrasing in the iconic first movement of No. 14 a little

Continue reading "Pianist Till Fellner makes compelling Baltimore debut" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 5:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

One of my favorite summer activities is catching Wolf Trap Opera at the Barns. So I thought I'd let Kim Witman, the director of this remarkable company, tell you about that very appealing place in Vienna, Virginia:

Tim has been gracious enough to allow this guest post today, part of Wolf Trap Opera’s mini-internet splash on the occasion of our 2010 season announcement. You can find all of the details back on my blog -– but my intention here is to give you a glimpse inside our home: The Barns at Wolf Trap.

375

That’s the magic number. Of seats. I don’t know too many opera companies who regularly perform in a space where the distance from the edge of the stage to the back of the house is the same as the distance to the back of the orchestra pit at the Met. If you’re in the front row, you can almost reach out and touch the singers. If you’re in the back, you can still see the whites of their eyes.

No

As in: no fly space, no crossover space, no wing space.

When future directors and designers come to see the space, I preface the visit with drastic descriptions. No fly space (can’t pull anything out of sight above the stage); no upstage space (can’t walk from stage right to stage left without going down to the dressing rooms, walking under the stage, and back up a flight of stairs); and no wing space (as in, any set pieces that start onstage stay onstage.) Let’s just say, this is

Continue reading "Guest blog post: Kim Witman, from Wolf Trap Opera" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

In case you missed Sunday's paper (who didn't? I haven't seen a paper since Friday, and the roads where I live will still present a severe challenge to any would-be delivery on Monday), or in case you didn't find it online yet, may I be boldly self-pushing and mention that I had a story about the return, however limited, of the Baltimore Opera Chorus.

The ensemble, directed by the irrepressible and ever so amusing Jim Harp, just like in the old days, has been reassembled for the purpose of performing in Opera New Jersey's production of "Carmen" at the Lyric on Feb. 14. Not quite like having the old company back in business there, but it does look like something of a start.

Posted by Tim Smith at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Are we having fun yet?

As if the blizzard weren't bad enough, our home computer died over night, leaving Robert and I feeling so last century. Our kindly nextdoor neighbor took pity on us and just leant us a laptop so I can try blogging a bit and Robert can catch up his real estate biz (thanks, Peter!).

I had planned on doing some profound analysis of Baltimore's musical future on the blog this weekend, but that will have to wait; I'm too worn out from shoveling a pathway and brushing off piles of snow on fragile shrubs and trees. So I'm just going for the easy way out and try posting a bit of snow-related music that also happens to provide a remarkable demonstration of refined, eloquent singing.

This is the great tenor aria from Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin" when Lensky, having rashly challenged his former best friend Onegin to a duel, contemplates

Continue reading "Snowbound blast from the past: Lensky's aria from Tchaikovsky's 'Eugene Onegin'" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The Peabody Symphony Orchestra was scheduled to perform a program of Mahler, Schwantner and more Saturday night. That event, like so many others, has now been canceled in anticipation of the meteorological horror due any minute now. However, there's a silver lining in this case.

The orchestra will open its final rehearsal free to the public Friday afternoon (UPDATE: that's the 12th) at 2:30, when two of the works from the program will be played: Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 and "...durch den Tod zu Gott gekommen..." by Joshua William Mills, the winning work in the Macht Orchestral Composition Competition. (Schwantner’s "Chasing Light..." will be moved to a Peabody Symphony concert on Feb. 27.)

If you have tickets to Saturday's canceled performance, refunds or exchanges can be made through the box office: 410-234-4800.

Posted by Tim Smith at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here we are again, under threat of the White Death, people frantically stocking up on milk and toilet paper (there's got to be a severe, mid-Atlantic shortage of that stuff by now), canceling or postponing events before the first flake even falls from the sky. Ain't it grand?

Speaking of grand, I figured this would be a good time to seek out another of my universally acclaimed, blog numbers-busting blasts from the past -- this time related to snow, of course. And that made me think of grand opera.

I couldn't find a clip of the avalanche scene in Catalani's "La Wally" or the atmospheric snowy opening to the third act of "La boheme," but the end that third act from Puccini's gem should work as well. I think you'll find a 1979 snippet from La Scala worth a look and listen, since it features the radiant soprano Ileana Cotrubas, giga-star tenor Luciano Pavarotti and sublime conductor Carlos Kleiber.

And maybe this lovely, snow-flecked glimmer from the not-so-distant past will help calm your nerves as blizzard hysteria rises around you:

Continue reading "Snowy blast from the past: Music for the approaching blizzard " »

Posted by Tim Smith at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

In a resounding affirmation of how valued orchestras are in their communities, more than 600 amateur players jumped at the news that the Baltimore Symphony would hold a "Rusty Musicians" night at Strathmore.

The response was so great that two nights were set aside. The first was held Tuesday and, judging by the YouTube clip the BSO has quickly posted, a good time was had by all. (To save you the trouble of clicking, I've posted that clip below.)

Continue reading "Check out the Baltimore Symphony's collaboration with "Rusty Musicians"" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Should you not have scoured Thursday's Sun fully, you might have missed more precious prose by moi, and I'd really hate for that to happen.

One article is about the enduring power of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess," which gets attention from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Friday and Saturday in the form of a concert suite, and from Washington National Opera next month in a revival of Francesa Zambello's fabulous production. There are so many intriguing and rewarding things about this work, which I think easily justifies the ranking many of us give it -- the greatest American opera, period.

Coincidentally, both the BSO and WNO will have the benefit of soprano Indira Mahajan as Bess. In Baltimore, she'll be joined onstage by Derrick Parker as Porgy; in DC, she'll be singing with Lester Lynch as Porgy (there will be two casts for this production, the other starring Morenike Fadayomi and Eric Owens).

My other story is an interview with Till Fellner, the exceptional pianist who is slated to make his Baltimore debut on Saturday. (If the weather interferes, I may never look at snow the same way again.) I can't agree with his dismissal of Rachmaninoff's music, by the way, but I'll save my rebuttal for another time.

Speaking of Saturday, that's also the night when the Peabody Symphony Orchestra is set to offer one of its most appealing programs of the season --

Continue reading "In the Sun: the enduring 'Porgy' and the remarkable Till Fellner" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Sorry to be late with this (you've noticed by now that lateness is part of my DNA, so there's no use fighting it) -- a new concert series was launched last week a co-production of the Peabody Conservatory and the Office of Cultural Affairs at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The series of Wednesday-at-noon, free-to-the-public performances by recent or current Peabody students continues today (Feb. 3) at the hospital's Turner Auditorium, E. Monument St., between North Broadway and Rutland Avenue.

Today's artist is pianist Michael Sheppard, one of my favorite local musicians. He'll perform works by Bach, Chopin and more, as well as one of his own compositions. If you hurry, you'll just about make it.

The series continues Feb. 10th with

Continue reading "New concert series brings free programs to Hopkins Hospital " »

Posted by Tim Smith at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

As the snow was covering Mount Vernon Place with a picturesque layer Tuesday night, faculty members of the Peabody Conservatory performed a rewarding chamber music program.

The big draw was another opportunity to hear Leon Fleisher in two-handed mode, playing Brahms' F minor Quintet. Any time this pianist takes the stage is an occasion, of course, even when he is using only his left hand (damage to his right restricted his keyboard options for decades until Botox therapy in recent years made it possible to use that hand again, within limits). Each ambidextrous venture becomes all the more treasurable an occasion.

Fleisher was joined in the Brahms work by violinists Violaine Melancon and Pamela Frank (a major talent who has not been in the spotlight much lately and here took the second violin chair), violist Maria Lambros and cellist Michael Kannen. Except for the most emphatic moments, when Melancon's tone tended to fray, the string players poured on a cohesively blended, warm-bodied sound and phrased with great sensitivity. Fleisher's contributions were, as usual, authoritative in character throughout.

Although I wouldn't have minded a little more

Continue reading "Leon Fleisher, Pamela Frank and other Peabody faculty perform Brahms" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 9:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here's a guest blog entry by my colleague Mary Carole McCauley (mary.mccauley@baltsun.com), reviewing a new production that will have its final performances Thursday-Saturday at the Theatre Project:  

In “Sea of Birds,” the long and sinuous goose neck of a lamp morphs into the tail on a cow. An armful of sticks turns into a percussion instrument when suddenly dropped upon the floor. In the next instant, one stick is balanced upon a leg. As the limb rocks gently back and forth, the curved piece of wood begins to resemble a seagull in flight.

The multimedia piece running through Saturday at Theatre Project presents one arresting, startling image after the other. The audience revels in the fertile imagination of Sebastienne Mundheim, who not only created the work based on her mother’s memories of wartime Latvia, but who provides the sparse narration.

But watching show presented by the Pennsylvania-based White Box Theatre is a little like walking through an art museum. The paintings aren’t expected to relate to one another, so the most intense pleasure comes from the individual moments. What is missing in “Sea of Birds” is the sense that the score, the movements, the story, and yes, the images themselves, add up to a larger whole.

The show takes place beneath a curved white tent that resembles the

Continue reading "Guest blogger: Mary McCauley reviews "Sea of Birds" at Theatre Project" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 6:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Alas, neither won, which was bad news for them, and good news for me -- it meant that there was no story to write and I had a decent chance to hear at least some of Ax's playing.

By the time I got to Shriver, intermission was starting. Rats. But there still were some great items left in this program devoted to 2010's bicentennial boys, Schumann and Chopin, and the pianist had plenty of great music-making left, too.

The two composers had a good deal in common -- relatively short lives, assorted ailments (physical and/or mental). And, musically speaking, an ability to take the piano into a whole new realm of color and expressive range, much of it packed into short forms. Most of the individual movements of, say, the "Fantasiestucke," Op. 12, by Schumann are only about three minutes long; Chopin's four Mazurkas, Op. 41, are that brief or briefer. But what worlds of poetry and feeling each creative burst opens up.

It's possible to find even more nuances in the

Continue reading "Emanuel Ax salutes bicentennial of Chopin, Schumann in Shriver Hall recital" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 6:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Gee, wasn't the humiliation of the football season enough? No, our fair city had to see the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra lose the 2010 Grammy for Best Classical Album to the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.

I'd call it a travesty of justice if it weren't for the fact that there was some very starry, solid competition in this category. Still, the BSO's sizzling recording of Bernstein's "Mass" had "winner" all over it, at least in my book. A very tough score to perform, and one that conductor Marin Alsop grasped with all her might, generating from the orchestra, Morgan State University Choir, Peabody Children's Chorus, baritone Jibilant Sykes and the other soloists a powerhouse, deeply moving performance.

Oh, well, if it had to lose, at least it was to a recording of another monumental challenge,

Continue reading "We was robbed; no Grammy for the BSO " »

Posted by Tim Smith at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Leave it to Stephen Hough, the English pianist who combines technical panache and incisive music-making in such compelling ways, to stir the blogosphere pot.

On his inevitably provocative blog, where he's apt to talk sexuality (he's gay) and religion (he's Catholic) with equal daring, Hough has raised the subject of whether it's possible to tell from the playing whether a pianist is gay. 

Not surprisingly, there's a lively comments section on this post, and I'm sure conversations will be going on in real-live domains as well.

To tell the truth, I've occasionally wondered, too, if such an essential characteristic as one's sexual orientation invariably

Continue reading "Ever-provocative Stephen Hough on the issue of gay pianists " »

Posted by Tim Smith at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here I am once again hoping for a little sympathy and some better-late-than-never leeway. This time, I'm way late on saying a few words about the last week of musical life in dear old Baltimore, and I just know you haven't been able to get on with your lives while waiting for me.

My plan had been to catch Pro Musica Rara's annual SuperBach Sunday on the 24th, and the Aspen Chamber Ensemble, or the equally enticing Peabody Trio, on the 27th. (I would have had the Evolution Contemporary Music Series on my schedule for the 26th, but a prior commitment to serve on a panel discussion about the future of Arts in Baltimore prevented that.) Where the heck did that week go, and how did I slip-slide away so badly?

As it turned out, I only made it to the Pro Musica event, and every time I tried to sit down to write a few words about it, something got in the way. So, for the record, here are those words about the SuperBach presentation at Towson University.

The first nice thing was

Continue reading "Musical week in review: Pro Musica Rara" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

For heatlh reasons, Denyce Graves, the popular mezzo-soprano long associated with the title role in Bizet's "Carmen," has bowed out of an Opera New Jersey production of that work, a little more than a week before it was due to open. 

After performances in three New Jersey locations, the production heads to Baltimore, where it will be presented at, and by, the Lyric Opera House on Feb. 14.

Replacing Graves in New Jersey and Baltimore will be Kirstin Chávez (left), who has sung Carmen with the New York City Opera and elsewhere.

In a statement released by Opera New Jersey, Graves says: "I am deeply disappointed ... I arrived in New Jersey on the tail end of a bronchial virus and rehearsed with my colleagues in anticipation of a wonderful run of performances. Frustratingly, the bronchial virus got worse over the past week, and my physicians have recommended that I come out of the production in order for my body to recover completely."

PHOTO OF KIRSTIN CHAVEZ BY RICHARD BLINKOFF COURTESY OF KCHAVES.COM 

Posted by Tim Smith at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

A sampling:

No sooner had the first episode ... aired then the sacred gates of the opera world opened, revealing a resounding chorus of disapproving voices. Among them, one stood out: Rupert Christiansen not only expressed his disgust and insulted all participants; he even wished doom on the entire project.

Why are the critics so angry? What do they fear? ... Popstar to Operastar is not a high-brow educational programme and it never claimed to be ... Opera is not in danger. Instead, perhaps we all could try to reduce the divide between the wider public and what is often - and wrongly - perceived as an elitist and inaccessible art form ...

Opera is treated with nothing but respect and admiration by the contestants in the programme. They have recognised its challenges and have been amazed and overjoyed by what they have discovered. That sincerity and curiosity have been the real discovery for me ...

As much as I can appreciate Mr. Villazon's reasoning, I'd be able to buy more of it were the show in question just a wee bit

Continue reading "Rolando Villazon defends the UK TV show Pop Star to Opera Star" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Elsewhere in today's Sun you'll find my story about the Baltimore Symphony's latest outreach project, the BSO Academy.

Adult amateur musicians are invited to apply for the week-long, intensive session starting June 13, working with BSO players and music director Marin Alsop, who will conduct a public concert featuring all of the participants on June 18 in

Continue reading "Attention, campers! BSO to open summer academy for amateur musicians" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will return to Carnegie Hall next season with music director Marin Alsop for two programs in November.

The first will include Mahler's controversial reorchestration of Beethoven's "Eroica" (Mahler introduced his touched-up Beethoven scores to Carnegie Hall when he led the New York Philharmonic a century ago), as well as a performance of Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Simon Trpčeski.

The second concert will feature the BSO in

Continue reading "Baltimore Symphony will play two Carnegie Hall gigs next season" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

There's nothing more pointless -- or more fun -- than choosing favorite composers or compositions. That's why those what-recordings-would-you-take-to-a-desert-island questions have long been so popular. It forces you to take a good look at what really makes you tick musically, and why.

I thought the occasion of Mozart's 254th birthday on Wednesday offered a perfect excuse to drag out a favorites quiz in his honor. Whether you echo Rossini's view that "Beethoven is the greatest composer, but Mozart is the only one," or place Mozart somewhere lower on your personal list, I expect you still have your favorite Mozartean highs, those moments that floor you every time with their beauty and expressive power. If you could only choose one, what would it be, and why?

As for me, I could probably live with just "Ave verum corpus" or the slow movement of the Clarinet Concerto, or a whole bunch of other gems, but, ultimately, I'd have to select

Continue reading "Happy 254th, Wolfgang; celebrate Mozart's birthday by choosing a favorite work" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

A glance at the music calendar in Baltimore reveals enticing chamber-size programs performed by excellent ensembles this week, especially over the next couple of days.

On Tuesday evening at An die Musik, the Evolution Contemporary Music Series goes where few local organizations have dared go before -- contemporary Finland. Works by two very big names on the composer front, Kaija Saariaho and Magnus Lindberg, will be performed, along with music by Esa-Pekka Salonen, better known as a conductor, but a very persuasive composer as well. Among the performers: pianists Lura Johnson and Kenneth Osowski, percussionists Kelsey Tamayo, soprano Andrea Edith Moore, clarinetist Elisabeth Stimpert, and harpist Jacqueline Pollauf. (I wouldn't miss this one if I didn't have a good excuse -- I'll be participating on a panel discussion at the Loyola/Notre Dame Library about what the arts in Baltimore might look like in 2020. After that, I may have to check myself into a depression clinic.)

Wednesday pits two worthy chamber music events against each other. At Peabody's Friedberg Hall, the

Continue reading "This week's should-hear musical events" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Some listeners and even some musicians (they're usually the ones in the back stands) wonder why orchestras need conductors. The players know how the stuff goes anyway, don't they? All they have to do is start and end at the same time, and they could do that just fine on their own, right, even in the biggest, most complex symphonies? Yeah, sure. Good luck with that.

Some conductors never rise above the level of traffic cop, to be sure; they keep everything flowing in the right direction and avoid collisions, but they don't bring the music alive. A great conductor inspires musicians and audiences alike, and takes all of us out of ordinary existence and into some other, higher plane. To me, when it comes to this level of inspiration, it's hard to beat Wilhelm Furtwangler.

Since Jan. 25 happens to be the anniversary of his birth in 1886 (he died Nov. 30, 1954), I thought he should be the latest in my globally in-demand series of blasts from the past.

Yes, I know that Furtwangler raises very difficult, extra-musical issues, because, unlike some notable artists who fled the Nazis, he stayed behind at the helm of his beloved Berlin Philharmonic during the barbaric Reich. That he was cleared after the war (and championed by the likes of violinist Yehudi Menuhin) has not absolved him in the eyes of some people. But I find Furtwangler's music-making of such nobility that I can accept his argument that he, who never joined the Nazi Party (unlike Karajan), remained on the podium primarily to do what he could to serve and save German art.

There is a considerable recorded legacy of Furtwangler's music-making to choose from. I finally decided to focus just on Brahms -- excerpts from a filmed rehearsal of Symphony No. 4 (you get a great look at his strange, fluttery baton style -- he had to be truly inspiring for players to follow that beat); and an audio-only account of the finale to Symphony No. 2. Here, then, is just a sampling of the individuality, drama and eloquence that made Furtwangler's artistry so indelible:

Continue reading "Blast from the past: conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

The weekend brought news about Earl Wild, who died at the age of 94 Saturday in Palm Springs, where he lived with his partner of nearly 40 years, Michael Rolland Davis. Remarkably, Mr. Wild continued to perform into his 90s.

This extraordinary American pianist had a musical lineage that stretched right back to Liszt -- two of Mr. Wild's teachers studied with pupils of Liszt. And, like Liszt, Wild had a terrific, fearless technique. He could play just about anything, with exceptional technical skill, abundant tone coloring and musical taste. He also wrote his own transcriptions (another Lisztian trait).

The much-recorded pianist communicated not just the notes of a score, but the expressive essence of it and, perhaps above all else, the sheer joy of making music.

Mr. Wild was the last in a glorious line of keyboard virtuosos. He will be sorely missed. Here are a few souvenirs of his artistry:

Continue reading "Remembering the great American pianist Earl Wild" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 6:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

My latest week of musical experiences included a first-rate concert by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Friday night at Meyerhoff Hall. If you can make it to Strathmore Saturday night or Meyerhoff on Sunday afternoon, I think you'll find it well worth the effort.

Yes, I'm still disappointed that a change in conductors -- Jiri Belohlavek had to cancel after injuring his back over the holidays, and Gunther Herbig stepped in -- meant some adjustments to the program. Out went rarely encountered works by Dvorak and Janacek and in came Schumann's considerably more common Symphony No. 4. But the performance Herbig led of that symphony was hardly common. 

There's no mistaking this conductor's authority in the German repertoire (and much more), and there was no missing the structural unity, expressive warmth and rhythmic solidity of his interpretation. He had the players responding with admirable discipline and lyrical sweep. Concertmaster Jonathan Carney and assistant principal oboist Shea Scruggs offered particularly shining solos.

The rest of the program, devoted to Beethoven, remained the same as originally slated. The Piano Concerto No. 3 proved a superb vehicle for the soloist, Garrick Ohlsson -- come to think of it, is there any work that isn't a superb vehicle for this brilliant American pianist? He did some marvelous things here, especially in the first movement cadenza (a mix of fiery spontaneity and wonderful dabs of subtle coloring) and throughout the Largo (his poetic touch was magical). Herbig provided attentive support, and, excepting a thinning out of tone in the violins, the ensemble responded vibrantly. A taut account of the "Coriolan" Overture got the evening started.

It won't surprise you that

Continue reading "Musical week in review: Baltimore Symphony, Opera Show, Mobtown Modern" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Hey, bloggie buddies, thanks to the marketing folks at Baltimore Sun Media Group, I hold in my hot little hands two pairs of tickets to a Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's SuperPops concert and I'm giving them away free (with a tiny catch). The program is "Linda Eder's Judy Garland Songbook," the date is Friday Jan. 29, the place Meyerhoff Hall. The tickets are on the orchestra level.

Linda Eder, a Broadway singer/actress who won particular praise for her performance in the musical "Jekyll & Hyde," will sing this tribute to the incomparable Garland next week with the BSO, conducted by Jack Everly.

OK, now for that tiny catch. To ensure that folks with a true appreciation for Judy have the best shot, I figured a few trivia questions would be in order. So, the first two readers who provide correct responses here to all three questions in the comment section of this post will each win a pair of tickets. (Check the comments field later to see if you're a winner and send me an e-mail at tim.smith@baltsun.com to retrieve the tickets. Your address will not be published.)

OK, here are the trivia questions and a chance to win the prize of a lifetime:

UPDATE: We have our winners, which you'll see in the comments section. Congratulations to Rachel and Greg. Don't fret, the rest of you. There will be more thrilling, possibly life-altering contests soon.

Continue reading "First Clef Notes ticket giveaway: BSO Pops-Judy Garland tribute " »

Posted by Tim Smith at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

“Many artists in the area are suffering as performance schedules are cut or entirely eliminated, most notably those performing with the Baltimore Opera Company. To address this current crisis and help our friends in need, we took action and organized the AGMA Relief Benefit Concert,” Gathman says in a press release. “...These musicians are a source of great pride for the region, and are deserving of our help in these trying times.”

The concert is at 4 p.m. Sunday at St. Ann Catholic Church at Tenley Circle in Washington. Admission is free; donations will be accepted for the cause.

Posted by Tim Smith at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Last night, I happened to catch a repeat broadcast (on WETA) of "The Audition," Susan Froemke's recent documentary about finalists in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions.

It wasn't the most interesting or informative show of its type, but the more I saw the young singers preparing their arias for the big finals, I kept thinking about the tripe currently on telly in the UK: "Pop Star to Opera Star." The video clips of the latter are popping up on YouTube, and I've had a morbid curiosity to check them out.

Can't say I know anything much about those pops stars, but I do know they can't sing opera after a few short weeks of coaching. Who could? And why should anyone attempt such a thing? And what's a real, honest-to-goodness tenor star,

Continue reading "Art vs. schlock: comparing Met Opera's 'The Audition' to UK's 'Pop Star to Opera Star'" »

Posted by Tim Smith at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

No surprise, but it still hurts: The first National Arts Index released this week by the Americans for the Arts doesn't present an upbeat picture.

The good news is that more and more nonprofit arts groups have been created -- from 73,000 to 104,000 since 1998; the bad news, one out of three went into the red. There are other good news/bad news items, like the one where demand for the arts in this country is down, but the demand for arts education is up (more college degrees in the arts over the past decade).

The study suggests that the arts world won't even hit the bottom economically until 2011, before the financial side of things starts to improve. Keen.

There's more, including the usual bits about dwindling audiences and funding resources, but I'm too depressed to detail it here. Feel free to read/download it for yourself.

Posted by Tim Smith at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The visits to the Kennedy Center by the Mariinsky Opera and Orchestra from St. Petersburg have been major highlights of the past decade. The company's 2010 residency, again conducted by the magnetic, globe-trotting Valery Gergiev, will include a fully-staged, note-complete production of Prokofiev's "War and Peace" (March 6, 7), which would be reason enough to build interest.

This year, there won't be any other stagings (the economy affects everyone, you know), but Gergiev will lead complete performances of "Eugen Onegin" (Feb. 27) and "Boris Godunov" (Feb, 28) in concert form. There will also be concerts devoted to scenes from

Continue reading "'War and Peace,' concert featuring Anna Netrebko part of Mariinsky Opera's DC visit " »

Posted by Tim Smith at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The Musicians’ Union and Management of The Cleveland Orchestra reached a tentative agreement early this morning for a new three-year contract through September 2, 2012.

The agreement calls for a two-year wage freeze through August 2011, followed by semi-annual wage increases of 3% and 2% in the subsequent year. In addition, the Musicians will donate up to 10 services, which will provide cost relief and additional revenue for the Musical Arts Association. Musicians will increase their medical premium contribution beginning in July 2011.

The agreement was announced by the Musicians’ Committee Chairman, Jeffrey Rathbun, and the Orchestra’s Executive Director, Gary Hanson.

Mr. Rathbun said, “We are very happy that management has heard our message and agreed not to further erode our base compensation allowing us to stay as competitive as possible with the marketplace. We look forward to working together to build our base of support and continue our tradition of excellence.”

Mr. Hanson said, “Both sides worked effectively through a difficult process to reach an unprecedented agreement that will do much to help the Association’s finances going forward. I am very grateful for the Musicians’ passion and abiding concern for the Orchestra’s artistic excellence.”

... The Orchestra’s Miami Residency performances will proceed as scheduled.

Posted by Tim Smith at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)