So Wednesday's focus on classical music at the White House, attended by 120 school kids during the day and a crowd of cultural and political types in the evening, was a welcome gesture.

I'm not expecting a massive trickle-down effect that, given the personal popularity of the Obamas and whatever press exposure the day generated, will translate magically into increased music education and attendance at classical music events around the country.

But this classical music day had considerable significance. As pianist Awadagin Pratt said to me after the midday concert for the students, "to have the office of the President support this -- you can't beat that."

Unfortunately, the press did not have access to the workshops/master classes that were given throughout the White House for the students by Pratt, violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and guitarist Sharon Isbin.

But we got to hear the day's two performances in the East Room. I reported earlier on the afternoon one, introduced and attended by Michelle Obama.

Her husband was back from a trip to Wisconsin that day in time to join her and their daughters for the evening performance. The audience included some notable classical music figures. Baltimore Symphony music director Marin Alsop was accompanied by the orchestra's president/CEO Paul Meecham.

Violinist Daniel Heifetz, who runs the excellent Heifetz International Music Institute each summer (it used to be in Annapolis and relocated to New Hampshire several years ago), was there with his wife Janne. I also spotted Kennedy Center president Michael Kaiser. And from the acting world, Edward Norton.

The President's senior advisor David Axelrod was up front, chatting before the concert with Sen. Bayh. In his introductory remarks, President Obama welcomed "the many members of Congress who've joined us tonight -- despite what you may have heard, they are actually a civilized bunch."

After describing "a busy day of classical music here at the White House," the president had some kindly advice that drew several laughs. "If any of you in the audience are newcomers to classical music, and aren’t sure when to applaud,

Slatkin, 65, was treated for "heart problems" and has canceled several concerts, but expects to be back on the podium in Detroit in a few weeks.

Previous entries in this White House initiative, aimed at drawing increased attention to the need for arts education, have featured jazz, country and Latin music.

Unlike any number of other prodigies, Midori developed steadily and deeply as a musician. Today, at 38, she remains in a class by herself. Her remarkable artistic maturity was reaffirmed Sunday evening in her thoroughly arresting Shriver Hall Concert Series debut.

She opened her program with the rather elusive Hindemith's E-flat major Sonata (Op. 11, No. 1), and proceeded to limn its subtle expressive power eloquently, supported ably by pianist Robert McDonald. Midori's pinpoint intonation, subtly controlled vibrato and poetic phrasing proved equally telling in Brahms' G major Sonata -- just the gentle way the violinist entered the musical dialog was in itself remarkably beautiful and affecting. I would have liked to hear more tonal richness and personality from McDonald in the Brahms work (and elsewhere in the program, for that matter), but the smoothness and clarity of his partnering held its own rewards.

The violinist produced a wealth of atmospheric coloring in

The program had a curious start. The Peabody Concert Orchestra assembled in front of the altar to play the short Overture to "Die Fledermaus" by Johann Strauss. A splash of Viennese operetta is just about the last thing I'd expect to hear on a grand occasion in a cathedral. Maybe the approach of Halloween had something to do with it -- the operetta's English title, after all, is "The Bat." Maybe somebody simply wanted a brief, ear-grabbing piece to get things rolling.

Mind you, the Strauss wouldn't have seemed so out of place had it been followed by music at least remotely in the same vein. Instead, the evening continued with

She's in Baltimore rehearsing for Friday's premiere of "Songspiel," a show built around Kurt Weill songs and created for her by the American Opera Theater.

Here's a fun video clip of McNair demonstrating her transition from opera to cabaret:

Now you know not to trust me about anything. Except my impeccable judgment and good taste, that is.

Anyway, my review, if you still care (and even if you don't), is in Saturday's paper. To reiterate, the combination of Spano and the BSO really was notable Thursday night, and I am sure Saturday's Off the Cuff concert focusing on "Scheherazade" will be well worth catching (Spano will chat about the work before leading a complete performance).

What impressed me greatly Thursday was

No one I know of has ever slowed down just before the coda to punch out each of the chords, for example (around 5:50 on this audio clip). There are many other distinctive touches, too, including his shaping of the great, arcing melodic line that rises and falls in the strings early on in the overture (starting at 1:43); Mitropoulos has the strings accent the descending notes of the theme in such a way as to bring out an extra layer of inner torment.

This is not just a live recording, but a fully alive performance, and a demonstration of inspired conducting.

For comparison purposes, I've followed the Mitropoulos clip with a recording by the legendary Arturo Toscanini, which has its own considerable appeal -- you won't ever hear me knocking Toscanini -- and provides a faithful account of the printed score. Note the smoother descending string line at 1:32 and the normal steady push of the pre-coda chords at 5:35.

I don't expect everyone to agree with me that Mitropoulous is supreme in the "Forza" Overture, but I hope you'll grant that this is one mighty blast from the past: 1:32 on Toscanini)]]> http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/classicalmusic/2009/10/blast_from_the_past_dimitri_mi.html http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/classicalmusic/2009/10/blast_from_the_past_dimitri_mi.html Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:48:16 -0500 Not long after I arrived in Baltimore in 2000 (you thought you'd been suffering from me for a lot longer than nine years, didn't you?), I started asking why certain music and certain musicians didn't seem to turn up at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. I often got shrugs or vague answers from some of the folks who were running the show over there at the time.

One name I remember asking about was Robert Spano, the conductor who had hit the radar big-time in New York for his adventurous programming as music director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic and who was tapped by the Atlanta Symphony in 2001. It seemed to me back then that Baltimore should be hearing what the fuss was all about. I'm happy to report that we have that opportunity this week. (UPDATE: Just learned that Spano first led the BSO out at Oregon Ridge in 1991 and returned in 1999 to conduct a program at Meyerhoff. I'm surprised it took a decade before he was got back.) 

Spano is here leading

But none of that seems to have stuck. Besides, I think everyone agrees that Rattle has done wonders in the area of educational and community outreach with the Philharmonic (including on tour), and that's exceptionally valuable. There's obviously a lot of potential left in the relationship between one of the world's most gifted conductors and one of the world most sensational orchestras.

To salute the new contract, here's a taste of Rattle and the Philharmonic in action. First, the conclusion of "Brigg Fair: An English Rhapsody" by Frederick Delius -- a composer, I suspect, the Berliners had little or no experience with until Rattle arrived. (We could use more exposure to Delius around here, too, but that's another story.) And then, as a reminder that Rattle and his ensemble can make beautiful German music together, too, the sublime "Liebestod" from Wagner's "Tristan und Isolde": ]]> http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/classicalmusic/2009/10/simon_rattle_renews_through_20.html http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/classicalmusic/2009/10/simon_rattle_renews_through_20.html Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:14:48 -0500 Classical music stars violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, guitarist Sharon Isbin and pianist Awadagin Pratt (one of the Peabody Institute's most remarkable alumni) will participate in the next presentation of the White House Music Series on Nov. 4.

Earlier this fall, First Lady Michelle Obama introduced the series, a mix of educational and performance activities. The first three sessions were devoted to jazz, country and Latin. This classical music day will include workshops for more than 100 middle and high school students, ending with a concert by the featured artists in the East Room.

According the the AP, Pochinki "was talking to the organizers of the Las Vegas premiere of Michael Jackson's film 'This Is It' when she was arrested at a swank Manhattan restaurant for yelling into her cell phone."

The opera singer was being invited by Jackson's family to sing at the Las Vegas premiere of the movie when she talked so loudly that restaurant employees complained. She didn't even notice their requests for her to tone it down, so they did the only sensible thing.