Friday, March 14, 2008

Pan Cogito Marvels At Classical Music Critical Take On Northern-Southern Californian Distinctions And The Epic Sweep Of Barber, Schuman, And Bernstein

"[Michael Tilson] Thomas's conducting was clean and efficient, as he had more of a hand in the details [of the William Schuman Violin Concerto] than he would need for the Beethoven to come [Symphony #3]. In the second and final movement of the Concerto, the orchestra found a sheen for their sound that did not stoop to gloss (perhaps asserting a Northern-Southern California distinction), which suited the epic American sweep of the concerto; listeners probably associate this sound more with Barber and Bernstein, but it really belongs to Schuman. The final unison between soloist [Gil Shaham] and the Symphony soared, and the New York concertgoers awarded all with enthusiasm." ...

Ben Finane "S.F. Symphony, Shaham [and W. Schuman] wow them in N.Y." San Francisco Chronicle March 14, 2008

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Sharon Percy Rockefeller's "Greater Washington" WETA-FM Classical listeners certainly don't know the difference in the epic American sounds of Barber, Schuman, and Bernstein:

9:06pm: Concertino
Cecile Chaminade
Manuela Wiesler (flute)
Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra
Philippe Augin (conductor)

9:16pm: Violin Concerto G Major
Georg Philipp Telemann
Collegium Musicum

9:28pm: Symphony #45 "Farewell"
Joseph Haydn
Orchestra of St. Luke's
Sir Charles Mackerras (conductor)

10:04pm: Oboe Concerto E-flat Major (H. 468)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Paul Goodwin (oboe)
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock (conductor)

10:27pm: Double Concerto
Johannes Brahms
Itzhak Perlman (violin)
Mstislav Rostropovich (cello)
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam

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On Sharon Percy Rockefeller's WETA-FM Classical, classical composer Cecile Chaminade is acceptable [it being Women's Month], while American classical composers Ruth Crawford Seeger, Cindy Cox, and Anne LeBaron are not acceptable. (Who would have imagined that Ms. Rockefeller was born and educated in the San Francisco Bay Area? One wishes that she could have found time, at Stanford University, to study 'American culture', as well as 'Communication studies'.]















Classical composer Cecile Chaminade

Room for Cecile Chaminade, but not William Schuman nor George Walker nor Earl Kim nor Ruth Crawford Seeger, Cindy Cox, or Anne LeBaron in Sharon Percy Rockefeller's and Hillary Rodham Clinton's America?

Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons. With thanks.

1 Comments:

Blogger JMW said...

I want to alert you to an absolutely fantastic composer, who just happens to be a woman. Vanessa Lann, see her website here: http://www.lann.dds.nl/index.htm

A highly original and distinctive voice. Ritual plays a big part in her conceptions, and I must say that I've not heard any music quite like it. Her music has a dichotomy, in that it is complex, yet one can grasp s much of it at first hearing. To me that is demonstration of exceedingly clear conception. Definitely check out her music.

8:36 AM  

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