Posts Tagged ‘chamber music’
Musical chairs
When we celebrated the birthday of Romanian-born pianist, Radu Lupu, last week, I made the observation on the air that a number of pianists have idiosyncrasies, and Lupu’s mild and harmless one is to sit on a regular office chair when he is playing. … Read More »
Those viola jokes…
What is the longest viola joke? Harold in Italy. Okay, this one is quite funny, but for the most part I just don’t get the plethora of viola jokes. I mean, I get them, but I don’t understand why violas are the butt of the dumb blonde jokes of the music world. The viola has … Read More »
All about the music
Sometimes, when you go to hear a concert it is the performer who is the star of the show. Take someone like the phenomenal Lang Lang, for example, with his high tech performances that have him approaching the keyboard almost as if it is a computer console. It is riveting and exciting and, almost no … Read More »
Poulenc plays!
I went along to the Candlelight Concert at Second Presbyterian Church on Sunday evening especially to hear Francis Poulenc’s Sextet for Piano and Winds with members of the Baltimore Symphony and Sylvie Beaudoin. Poulenc was pretty much self taught, and he learned from the music that he liked. He said his gods were Bach, Mozart, … Read More »
Shawms and bagpipes
From time to time you may have heard us play the recordings of the Philadelphia-based Renaissance Band, Piffaro (rhymes with Figaro). The name comes from the double reed instruments of the oboe family, which were descended from the shawms of the Medieval era. Well, the Piffaro Renaissance Band has quite an active touring schedule, and … Read More »
Overcoming groundedness
It’s so wonderful to go to a concert and recognize a musician’s particular style of playing from their CD covers! Steven Isserlis looks just like this when he performs (although his hair is grayer now!) I remember the first time I heard him live was at at Severance Hall when he played the Schumann Cello … Read More »
Music’s human side
Leave it to Shriver Hall Concert Series to present not one but two top notch performers! The German violinist, Christian Tetzlaff was named “Instrumentalist of the Year” by Musical America in 2000, and Sir Simon Rattle has referred to the German pianist, Lars Vogt, as “one of the most extraordinary musicians of any age group … Read More »
