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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…
Handel’s ‘feat of sustained inspiration’ – Letter V
As we approach “Messiah” season, when orchestras, church choirs, community choruses and sing-along participants celebrate Christmas with George Frideric Handel’s sacred oratorio (never mind that it was first performed in Easter season), composer and musical biographer Jan Swafford, writing in The Atlantic, examines the work’s unique qualities, in its own time and ever since. “Among…
Review: Richmond Symphony – Letter V
Valentina Peleggi conductingwith James Ehnes, violinNov. 2, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center The Canadian violinist James Ehnes is fast becoming one of the leading interpreters of an unusually wide range of classical repertory – you name it, he probably plays it, on violin or viola, masterfully. In the latest program in the Richmond Symphony’s mainstage…
November 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. Nov. 1 (7:30 p.m.)River Road Church,…
Chopin lost and found – Letter V
New York’s Morgan Library & Museum announces that it has discovered a previously unknown waltz by the young Frédéric Chopin, found among an assortment of memorabilia in its collection. The piece, lasting about a minute and a quarter, was written on paper and with ink that matches those in use around 1830, when the waltz…
Review: Wagner & Kong – Letter V
Christoph Wagner, celloJoanne Kong, pianoOct. 25, Modlin Arts Center, University of Richmond The performing partnership of Christoph Wagner, a German cellist now teaching at the University of New Mexico, and Joanne Kong, the University of Richmond-based pianist and harpsichordist, has been ongoing for several years. The duo’s latest performance, before a well-filled Camp Concert Hall…
Letter V Classical Radio Oct. 27 – Letter V
7-9 p.m. EDT2300-0100 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Stravinsky: “The Firebird” SuiteNew York Philharmonic/Lorin Maazel(Deutsche Grammophon) Mel Bonis: “Femmes de légende” (“Legendary Women”)Orchestre national de Metz/David Reiland(La Dolce Volta) Debussy: “Jeux – Poème dansé”Cleveland Orchestra/Pierre Boulez(Deutsche Grammophon) Pēteris Vasks: Cello Concerto No. 2 (“Presence”)Sol Gabetta, celloAmsterdam Sinfonietta/Candida Thompson(Sony Classical) Arvo Pärt: “Tabula rasa”Gil Shaham &…
Review: Richmond Symphony – Letter V
(I was unable to attend these concerts; the review is via the video stream posted Oct. 25.) Valentina Peleggi conductingwith Clayton Stephenson, pianoOct. 19-20, Carpenter Theatre, Dominion Energy Center It’s pretty rare for Igor Stravinsky’s “Le sacre du printemps” (“The Rite of Spring”) to be upstaged in a concert program. Pianist Clayton Stephenson, conductor Valentina…
Marie Goodman Hunter (1929-2024) – Letter V
Marie Goodman Hunter, a longtime fixture in the productions of Richmond’s theater troupes, a singer and actor in many events celebrating the city’s Black community, has died at 95. Hunter, a mezzo-soprano, was a Virginia State University graduate who also studied at Columbia University. She taught music, speech and drama at John Marshall High School…
Letter V Classical Radio Oct. 20 – Letter V
On the 150th birthday of Charles Ives, we’ll contrast his vision of American music’s future and the future anticipated by Antonín Dvořák, and works by two living American composers, Jessie Montgomery and Carlos Simon, who sound to have taken both elders’ advice. 7-9 p.m. EDT2300-0100 UTC/GMTWDCE, University of Richmond90.1 FMhttp://wdce.org Ives: “Variations on ‘America’ ”Gerard…
‘A radically original American musical voice’ – Letter V
Pianist Jeremy Denk, writing in The New York Times, marks the 150th birthday of Charles Ives, the American maverick composer who (in)famously told musicians and their audiences to “stand up and take your dissonance like a man.” “He dreamed that music would evolve into ‘a language, so transcendent, that its heights and depths will be…
Review: ‘Swept Away’ – Letter V
Chamber Music Society of Central VirginiaOct. 14, First Unitarian Universalist Church The artistically venturesome and behaviorally libertine culture of Weimar Germany lasted barely 10 years before it was suppressed by the Nazis, but has had a long afterlife. Its music spread well beyond its home turf of Berlin cabarets and theaters in the 1920s and…
A robot conductor and a dead critic – Letter V
Over the weekend, Germany’s Dresden Sinfoniker presented a concert in which the orchestra’s musicians were conducted by a robot. The highlight of this “Robotersinfonie” program was Andreas Gundlach’s “aptly named ‘Semiconductor’s Masterpiece’ for 16 brass musicians and four percussionists playing wildly diverging time signatures,” The Guardian’s Deborah Cole reports. The orchestra’s artistic director, Markus Rindt,…
Letter V Classical Radio Oct. 13 – Letter V
7-9 p.m. EDT2300-0100 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) Amy Beach: Piano Concerto in C sharp minorDanny Driver, pianoBBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Rebecca Miller(Hyperion) David Matthews: “Dark Pastoral” (after Vaughan Williams)Guy Johnston, celloRoyal Scottish National Orchestra/Martin Yates(Dutton) Barber: “Knoxville, Summer of 1915”Dawn…