News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
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…
70 years of music-making on the ‘frontier’ – Letter V
Ashley Mulcahy, writing for Early Music America, chronicles the history of the Boston Camerata, an ensemble formed 70 years ago in a musty museum basement, that went on to explore periods and genres that were long considered peripheral, even antithetical, to Western classical music. Long led by Joel Cohen, now led by Anne Azéma (Cohen’s…
December 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. Dec. 1 (3 p.m.)Carpenter Theatre, Dominion…
Keeping watch on musical predators – Letter V
Katherine Needleman, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s principal oboist, who played the same role in the Richmond Symphony two decades ago, has become a leading US advocate for female musicians who have been victims of sexual misconduct by male colleagues and teachers. “More than 175 women, nonbinary and other musicians from marginalized groups have sent accounts…
Letter V Classical Radio Nov. 24 – Letter V
7-9 p.m. EST0000-0200 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Weber: “Oberon” OvertureStaatskapelle Dresden/Bernard Haitink(Hänssler Profil) Louise Farrenc: Piano Trio in E minor, Op. 45Célia Oneto Bensaid, pianoAlexandre Pascal, violinHéloïse Luzzati, cello(Bru Zane) Mendelssohn: Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minorJan Lisiecki, pianoOrpheus Chamber Orchestra(Deutsche Grammophon) Mozart: Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K. 543Scottish Chamber…
A for starters – Letter V
Why do orchestras tune to an A, and why is the note played on an oboe? The Australian music educator Kathleen McGuire answers those and other questions in a tutorial on orchestral tuning. Writing for the website The Conversation, McGuire notes that “an open A string [is] common to all orchestral string instruments.” The oboe’s…
Alexander Paley Music Festival 2025 – Letter V
The Alexander Paley Music Festival, in which the Moldovan-born pianist will perform with his wife and duo/4-hands partner, the Taiwan-born pianist Peiwen Chen, and two principals of the Richmond Symphony, violinist Daisuke Yamamoto and cellist Neal Cary, will be staged in evening concerts on Jan. 10 and 11 and a matinee on Jan. 12 at…
Letter V Classical Radio Nov. 17 – Letter V
7-9 p.m. EST0000-0200 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org J.S. Bach: “Brandenburg” Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049Alan Choo, violinDaphna Mor, recorderApollo’s Fire/Jeannette Sorrell(Avie) Poulenc: “Concert champêtre”Zuzana Růžičková, harpsichordCzech Philharmonic/Kurt Sanderling(Supraphon) Charles Avison: Concerto grosso No. 6 in D major(after Domenico Scarlatti)Chiharu Abe, violin & directionConcerto Köln(Berlin Classics) Einojuhani Rautavaara: “The Fiddlers”Richard Tognetti, violin…
Letter V Classical Radio Nov. 10 – Letter V
7-9 p.m. EST0000-0200 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Smetana: “Libuše” OvertureCleveland Orchestra/Christoph von Dohnányi(Decca) Thomas de Hartmann: Violin ConcertoJoshua Bell, violinINSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra/Dalia Stasevska(Pentatone) Martinů: Double Concerto, H. 271, for 2 string orchestras, piano & timpaniJosef Růžička, pianoJan Bouše, timpaniCzech Radio Symphony Orchestra/Charles Mackerras(Supraphon) Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10 in E minorRoyal Liverpool Philharmonic/Vasily Petrenko(Naxos)
Quincy Jones (1933-2024) – Letter V
Quincy Jones, the jazz trumpeter turned composer, arranger, producer and facilitator for a wide range of artists and musical styles, has died at 91. Born on the South Side of Chicago and reared in the Seattle area, schooled at what is now Berkelee College of Music in Boston, Jones went on to study in Paris…
Review: Alexander Malofeev – Letter V
Nov. 3, Singleton Arts Center, Virginia Commonwealth University The Russian school of piano playing, in which muscularity meets poetry, is an archetype of classical music dating back to Anton Rubinstein in the late-19th century and Sergei Rachmaninoff in the early 20th. The tradition sounds to be in good hands for decades to come from Alexander…
New York Philharmonic fires 2 players accused of sexual misconduct – Letter V
Two musicians of the New York Philharmonic, oboist Liang Wang and trumpeter Matthew Muckey, accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women presently or formerly in the orchestra, have been fired after an investigation by an outside lawyer. Wang and Mackey have been notified by the orchestra that they will not be rehired in the 2025-26…
Letter V Classical Radio Nov. 3 – Letter V
7-9 p.m. EST0000-0200 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Schubert: “Fierrabras” OvertureCity of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra/Edward Gardner(Chandos) Tchaikovsky: “Romeo and Juliet” Fantasy-OvertureRoyal Philharmonic/Yuri Temirkanov(RCA) Anton Arensky: Chamber Symphony in A minor, Op. 35(“In memory of P.I. Tchaikovsky”)Amsterdam Sinfonietta/Candida Thompson(Channel Classics) Beethoven: Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 (“Serioso”)(Gustav Mahler orchestration)Vienna Philharmonic/Christoph von Dohnányi(Decca) Brahms: String Sextet…