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No radio this week – Letter V
The University of Richmond largely closed down on Monday after a snake slithered into “a central piece of equipment that safely delivers electrical power to our campus,” a UR spokesperson reports. While power is expected to be restored and university operations to resume today, I’m going to pass on broadcasting until the situation is well…
Letter V Classical Radio April 15 – Letter V
10 a.m.-noon EDT1500-1700 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Handel: “Solomon” –“Swell, swell the full chorus”“May no rash intruder” (“Nightingale Chorus”)“From the censer curling rise”Monteverdi ChoirEnglish Baroque Soloists/John Eliot Gardiner(Decca) William Boyce: “Solomon” – “Softly rise, O southern breeze!”Ian Bostridge, tenorvocal ensembleThe English Concert/Bernard Labadie(Warner Classics) John Marsh: Symphony No. 10 in E flat major(“Conversation Symphony…
Time’s up for live reviews – Letter V
After 54 years of reviewing live performances, I’m calling it quits. For two reasons: – Health: For several years, I’ve been coping with inflammatory ailments. I’m prescribed drugs that suppress my immune system, making me more vulnerable to infectious diseases. Attending public events is potentially hazardous. Until recently, I reviewed Richmond Symphony concerts from video…
(Not quite) dead White male composer – Letter V
The US composer Alvin Lucier, who died in 2021, continues to make music, after a fashion. An Australian foursome – three artists and a neuroscientist – have “revivified” Lucier’s brain, whose neural signals are being translated into sounds. Lucier, a prominent experimental composer, donated blood to the project a year before his death. “[H]is white…
Letter V Classical Radio April 8 – Letter V
Keyboards galore – harpsichord, tangent piano, fortepiano and modern piano, in music ranging from Haydn and Beethoven to Poulenc and Martinů. 10 a.m.-noon EDT1400-1600 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Beethoven: Sonata in C major, Op. 53 (“Waldstein”)Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano(BIS) Haydn: Symphony No. 94 in G major (“Surprise”)(Johann Peter Salomon arrangement)Simon Standage & Monica Huggett, violinsJan…
Letter V Classical Radio April 1 – Letter V
Highbrow humor for April Fools’ Day . . . 10 a.m.-noon EDT1400-1600 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Richard Strauss: “Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks”Staatskapelle Dresden/Rudolf Kempe(Warner Classics) Haydn: Quartet in E flat major, Op. 33, No. 2 (“The Joke”)Cuarteto Casals(Harmonia Mundi) Stravinsky: “The Soldier’s Tale” SuiteRichard Stoltzman, clarinetLucy Chapman Stoltzman, violinRichard Goode, piano(RCA) Hindemith: “Overture to…
April calendar – Letter V
Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult ticket prices are listed; senior, student/youth, military, group and other discounts may be offered. Ticket prices do not include service fees. April 1 (7:30 p.m.)Old Cabell Hall,…
‘Fragile moments of happiness’ – Letter V
Kirill Petrenko, the chief conductor the Berlin Philharmonic, is famously disinclined to sit for media interviews. A conversation with Malte Krasting and Tobias Müller, posted on the orchestra’s website, may be the most personally and professionally revealing remarks that Petrenko has made for public consumption. Since taking over artistic direction of the Berliners in 2019,…
Letter V Classical Radio March 18 – Letter V
10 a.m.-noon EDT1400-1600 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Dvořák: “Scherzo capriccioso”Cleveland Orchestra/Christoph von Dohnányi(Decca) Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minorBella Davidovich, pianoRoyal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Neeme Järvi(Philips Eloquence) Mel Bonis: “Femmes de légende” (“Legendary Women”)Orchestre national de Metz/David Reiland(La Dolce Volta) Debussy: 3 Nocturneswomen of Choeur de Radio FranceOrchestre Philharmonique de Radio France/Mikko Franck(Alpha) Stravinsky:…
Sofia Gubaidulina (1931-2025) – Letter V
Sofia Gubaidulina, the Russian composer whose works, combining modernist techniques with Christian spirituality, drew the ire of Soviet authorities, has died at 93. Born in Tatarstan, then a Soviet republic, and schooled in the conservatories of Kazan and Moscow, Gubaidulina had a fraught relationship with the cultural establishment, recognized for her talent and encouraged by…
Ravel lost & found – Letter V
Just in time for this 150th anniversary year of Maurice Ravel’s birth, French scholars have unearthed an almost forgotten work written when Ravel was a student at the Paris Conservatoire: a prelude, dance and aria for “Sémiramis,” a cantata that was never completed. On March 13, the New York Philharmonic will give the premiere of…
Letter V Classical Radio March 11 – Letter V
10 a.m.-noon EDT1400-1600 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Hamish MacCunn: “The Land of the Mountain and the Flood”Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Alexander Gibson(Warner Classics) Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minorLeif Ove Andsnes, pianoBerlin Philharmonic/Mariss Jansons(Warner Classics) Delius: “Brigg Fair”Welsh National Opera Orchestra/Charles Mackerras(Decca) William Schuman: “New England Triptych:Three Pieces for Orchestra after Willing Billings”Saint Louis Symphony…
Letter V Classical Radio March 4 – Letter V
10 a.m.-noon EST1500-1700 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Brahms: “Tragic” OvertureChicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner(Warner Classics) Mendelssohn: Quartet in F minor, Op. 80Artemis Quartet(Erato) Mieczysław Weinberg: Fantasia, Op. 52, for cello & orchestraPieter Wispelwey, celloLes Métamorphoses/Raphaël Feye(Evil Penguin) Haydn: Symphony No. 39 in G minorMunich Chamber Orchestra/Alexander Liebreich(ECM) Shostakovich: Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op.…
Review: Richmond Symphony – Letter V
Rei Hotoda conductingwith Michael Sachs, trumpetFeb. 22-23, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Centerreviewed from online stream, posted Feb. 28 Rei Hotoda, music director of California’s Fresno Philharmonic, booked on short notice as guest conductor of the Richmond Symphony’s latest mainstage program, led two musical mash-ups and one of the more elusive symphonies of the romantic era.…
March calendar – Letter V
Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult ticket prices are listed; senior, student/youth, military, group and other discounts may be offered. Ticket prices do not include service fees. March 1 (7:30 p.m.)Ryan Recital Hall,…
Coup and consequences – Letter V
The takeover of the Kennedy Center, Washington’s largest performing-arts venue, by President Trump and his supporters has provoked a predictable outcry from people against whom Trump campaigned. The place where over-educated elites and denizens of the deep state go for opera, ballet, symphony concerts and DEI-indoctrination productions was an easy and obvious target. Is the…
Letter V Classical Radio Feb. 25 – Letter V
10 a.m.-noon EST1500-1700 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Carlos Simon: “Tales – a Folklore Symphony”National Symphony Orchestra/Gianandrea Noseda(National Symphony Orchestra) Rachmaninoff: Symphonic DancesMartha Argerich & Nicolas Economou, pianos(Deutsche Grammophon) Florence Price: “Fantasie nègre” No. 1 in E minorMichelle Cann, piano(Curtis Studio) Bartók: “Contrasts”Ricardo Morales, clarinetJasper Wood, violinDavid Riley, piano(Endeavour Classics) William Levi Dawson: “Negro Folk…
Trump & allies take over Kennedy Center – Letter V
President Donald J. Trump has dismissed the Kennedy Center’s board chairman and trustees not appointed by him, and the newly configured board has fired the center’s president, Deborah Rutter, naming Trump its chairman and an ally as interim president. In accepting the board chair after its longtime leader, David M. Rubenstein, was dismissed, Trump said…
February calendar – Letter V
Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult ticket prices are listed; senior, student/youth, military, group and other discounts may be offered. Ticket prices do not include service fees. Feb. 1 (7:30 p.m.)Ryan Recital Hall,…
Reviews? – Letter V
I am again (sigh) undergoing medical treatment that compromises my immune system. This, as we reportedly have hit peak season for the spread of infectious diseases. So, again, I’m advised to avoid spending time in crowds – i.e., attending performances in large or tightly packed spaces. As a result, I’m not able to review concerts…
Kennedy Center chief announces departure – Letter V
Deborah Rutter, president of Washington’s Kennedy Center since 2014, has announced that she will vacate the post at the end of this year. Rutter, who came to Washington after serving as president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, earlier held executive posts with the Seattle Symphony and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. During her time at the…
Letter V Classical Radio Jan. 28 – Letter V
A midwinter exploration of Scandinavian music, from an 18th-century wedding celebration to a contemporary contemplation on medieval mystical themes. 10 a.m.-noon EST1500-1700 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Johan Helmich Roman: “Drottningholm Music” (selections)Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra/Andrew Manze(BIS) Niels W. Gade: Violin Concerto in D minorChristina Åstrand, violinTampere Philharmonic/John Storgårds(Dacapo) Grieg: “Peer Gynt” Suite No. 1San Francisco…
The ‘ritual’ of vinyl – Letter V
Writing for the website digitaltrends, John Higgins deconstructs the notion that the analog recording process produces better (“warmer”) sound than digital recording, noting that “apart from perhaps a few rare instances, there’s no such thing as a purely analog production chain. At some point, even if you’re listening to a vinyl record, that audio signal…
Letter V Classical Radio Jan. 21 – Letter V
10 a.m.-noon EST1500-1700 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Beethoven: “Leonore” Overture No. 1Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich/David Zinman(RCA) Schubert: Quartet in A minor, D. 804 (“Rosamunde”)Alban Berg Quartett(Warner Classics) Karol Szymanowski: Nocturne and Tarantella(Grzegorz Fitelberg orchestration)Ilya Kaler, violinWarsaw Philharmonic/Antoni Wit(Naxos) Dvořák: Symphony No. 6 in D majorCzech Philharmonic/Charles Mackerras(Supraphon) Osvaldo Golijov: “Last Round”St. Lawrence String QuartetYing QuartetMark Dresser,…
Letter V Classical Radio Jan. 14 – Letter V
Centenary compositions: Music introduced in 1925, by George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, William Walton, Jean Sibelius, Leoš Janáček and Igor Stravinsky. 10 a.m.-noon EST1500-1700 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Janáček: SinfoniettaFilharmonie Brno/José Serebrier(Reference Recordings) Copland: “Music for the Theater”Harmonie Ensemble/Steven Richman(Bridge) Stravinsky: Serenade in A majorDaniil Trifonov, piano(Deutsche Grammophon) Walton: “Portsmouth Point” OvertureLondon Symphony Orchestra/André Previn(Warner…
Schoenberg publishing house lost in LA fire – Letter V
Belmont Music Publishers, which preserves and promotes the compositions of Arnold Schoenberg, was among many structures destroyed in the Pacific Palisades fire in Los Angeles. “The entire inventory of sales and rental materials – comprising some manuscripts, original scores, and printed works – has been lost in the flames,” writes Larry Schoenberg, the composer’s son,…
Review: Paley Festival – Letter V
Alexander Paley & Peiwen Chen, piano 4-handsAlexander Paley, pianoDaisuke Yamamoto, violinNeal Cary, celloJan. 10, St. Luke Lutheran Church Arrangements of orchestral works for piano solo or piano 4-hands proliferated in the 19th century, to provide wider access to the music when orchestral concerts were few and far between, and to give composers a steadier source…
Trapped in the new – Letter V
Mark-Anthony Turnage, the British composer whose music many listeners find challenging or off putting, acknowledges that those listeners have a valid point, and feel “trapped” when they encounter it in concerts. “If you go to an art gallery and there is a picture you don’t like, you can just move away, but if you are…
January calendar – Letter V
Classical performances in and around Richmond, with selected events elsewhere in Virginia and the Washington area. Program information, provided by presenters, is updated as details become available. Adult ticket prices are listed; senior, student/youth, military, group and other discounts may be offered. Ticket prices do not include service fees. Jan. 3 (7:30 p.m.)Trinity Episcopal Church,…
Letter V Classical Radio Dec. 29 – Letter V
7-9 p.m. EST0000-0200 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Prokofiev: “Overture on Hebrew Themes”Pierre Génisson, clarinetEnsemble Contraste(Alpha) Brahms: Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 60Jacob Lateiner, pianoJascha Heifetz, violinSanford Schonbach, violaGregor Piatigorsky, cello(RCA) Amy Beach: “Variations on Balkan Themes,” Op. 60Virginia Eskin, piano(Musical Heritage Society) Bruckner: Symphony No. 7 in E majorPittsburgh Symphony Orchestra/Manfred Honeck(Reference Recordings)
‘Good gifts’ regiven – Letter V
“Give good gifts one to another” is Letter V’s traditional Christmas Eve offering. This 19th-century Shaker hymn is not a Christmas carol per se, but a song for all seasons and spiritual inclinations. Its admonition, “peace, joy and comfort, gladly bestow,” is always timely, especially so in times of anxiety and conflict. The performers are…
Letter V Classical Radio Dec. 22 – Letter V
A baroque Christmas, featuring Corelli, Bach and Vivaldi – plus the most prolific of all composers, anon., and the tree-trimming music of choice at my house. 7-9 p.m. EST0000-0200 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Michel Corrette: “Noël Symphony” No. 6 in A majorLa Fantasia/Rien Voskuilen(Brilliant Classics) Vivaldi: GloriaKaia Urb & Vilve Hepner, sopranosAnna Zander, altoMati…
Review: Gandelsman & Wilson – Letter V
Johnny Gandelsman, violinJames Wilson, celloDec. 16, Church of the Holy Comforter, Episcopal Johann Sebastian Bach’s works for unaccompanied strings, the six sonatas and partitas for violin and six suites for cello, are among the greatest balancing acts in music, requiring advanced instrumental technique and mastery of musical structure, along with the sensitivity to turn abstract…
Zakir Hussain (1951-2024) – Letter V
Zakir Hussain, the most prominent performer on the tabla, the tuned drum that is part of Indian ensembles playing classical ragas, has died at 73. Hussain, a mainstay of groups led by sitar master Ravi Shankar and other Indian classical artists, also regularly collaborated with Western classical, jazz and folk musicians, making him a leading…
Letter V Classical Radio Dec. 15 – Letter V
7-9 p.m. EST0000-0200 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Dag Wirén: Serenade for String OrchestraAcademy of St. Martin in the Fields/Neville Marriner(Caprice) Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minorBoris Giltburg, pianoRhys Owens, trumpetRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic/Vasily Petrenko(Naxos) Bohuslav Martinů: NonetThe Dartington Ensemble(Hyperion) Ravel: Introduction and AllegroJames Galway, fluteRichard Stoltzman, clarinetHeidi Lehwalder, harpTokyo String Quartet(RCA) Mozart: Piano…
Berlin and Amsterdam: championship playoff – Letter V
The Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam have been on tour in the US. The two ensembles are leading contenders in symphonic music’s favorite parlor game: Identifying the world’s greatest orchestra. As they performed a few days apart in Washington and New York, another round of the game – a championship playoff…
Letter V Classical Radio Dec. 8 – Letter V
Home for the holidays: Music by composers and for artists from Virginia: A new piano concerto by Mason Bates; chamber works by Adolphus Hailstork, Mary Howe and Damien Geter; Richmond-born mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey singing Korngold; Michael Colgrass’ “Side by Side,” for a soloist playing both piano and harpsichord, composed for and performed by the University…