Boosey & Hawkes, which publishes the music of John Adams, was kind enough to lend me a study score of Naive and Sentimental music a couple of years ago. They also put me on the mailing list for their newsletter.
The spring issue contained a pointer to an interactive feature on the Carnegie Hall Web site, in which the Emerson String Quartet explores the quartets of Bartók. I have not examined this in any detail, but it looks fascinating. It's oriented toward performers; I am sure that anyone who loves that music and knows something about it will learn lots:
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Italian Summer Music Festivals
Goodness knows how I got on their email list, but I was sent a list of Italian summer music festivals. Oh, maybe it's from the tickets I bought over the net to see Stephen Kovacevich in Florence in May, 2004.
Anyway, if you happen to be in Italy, some are still in progress -
Puccini Festival - Torre del Lago Viareggio - from 18 june 2006 until 20 august 2006
Spoleto Festival - Spoleto (Perugia) froml 30 june 2006 until 16 july 2006
Opera Festival Firenze - Boboli Garden - from 15 june 2006 until 10 august 2006
Ravenna Festival - from 17 june 2006 until 23 july 2006
Teatro Greco of Siracusa - from 11 may 2006 until 25 june 2006
Medieval Festival of Brisighella (Ravenna) - froml 23 june 2006 until 02 july 2006
Jazz in'it - Rocca di Vignola (Modena) 23-24-25 june 2006
Information and tickets on-line on: Music Festivals
Anyway, if you happen to be in Italy, some are still in progress -
Puccini Festival - Torre del Lago Viareggio - from 18 june 2006 until 20 august 2006
Spoleto Festival - Spoleto (Perugia) froml 30 june 2006 until 16 july 2006
Opera Festival Firenze - Boboli Garden - from 15 june 2006 until 10 august 2006
Ravenna Festival - from 17 june 2006 until 23 july 2006
Teatro Greco of Siracusa - from 11 may 2006 until 25 june 2006
Medieval Festival of Brisighella (Ravenna) - froml 23 june 2006 until 02 july 2006
Jazz in'it - Rocca di Vignola (Modena) 23-24-25 june 2006
Information and tickets on-line on: Music Festivals
Going East
I'll be in NJ at my mother's for about a month starting Sunday, July 30. I can't spend every minute dealing with the house and will have plenty of social time. I am especially interested in old music (the Tallis Scholars have a tasty concert of mid-17th c. German vocal music), new music (whatever you think is good/interesting), and opera. Also, visits to museums - there are shows I want to see at the Frick, Met, and Morgan, as well as the Bruce in CT - and eating some good food. Would anyone like to join me at Babbo, if we can get in?
Thursday, July 27, 2006
On a Completely Different Subject
Laurie Toby Edison and Debbie Notkin have published a brief review of mine at Body Impolitic, their body-image blog. It's about the film Monster House (which you should skip).
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Bayreuth Broadcasts
Ooops, they started yesterday! But you can still catch the entire Ring, Tristan, and Parsifal over the net. OperaCast has a handy Bayreuth page with radio station links.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
LHL
A friend with many more friends than me is reporting that Lorraine Hunt Lieberson has died of metastatic liver cancer.
I saw her only once, as Ottavia in two performances of "L'incoronazione di Poppea" in 1998. The production was one of the glories of the the Mansouri years, with a fabulous cast that included David Daniels, Ruxandra Donose, and Robert Lloyd.
LHL made her entry while laying on a moving sofa. Even after it stopped, and before she started to move, let alone sing, you could not keep your eyes off her, she so dominated the stage. Her last entry, for "Addio, Roma," was a slow, slow walk downstage, and again, she drew the eye in a way I've seen only from her.
During the opera, she looked 10 feet tall and might as well have been the most beautiful woman in the world. When I went to get autographs, I found she was a couple of inches shorter than me and, while pretty enough, someone you'd never give a second glance on the street. She seemed a bit shy, and very modest; every inch a creature of the stage without an inch of diva ego.
I'm lucky to have seen her, and deeply sorry it was just that once.
________
Update: Bloomberg publishes the first obituary: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Singer of Bach, Handel, Dies at 52
Update, July 7: It seems as though everyone in the blogosphere who knew her work has commented on her passing. I'm not going to try to list them all; The Standing Room and Oboeinsight are both collecting links to blog postings and news articles about LHL. And be sure to catch Joshua Kosman's appreciation in today's Chronicle.
I have plenty of cat photos available, but no catblogging this week.
Update, July 17: Anthony Tommasini reports that at Friday's BSO concert, James Levine opened with “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen," from the Brahms Requiem, in memory of LHL.
I saw her only once, as Ottavia in two performances of "L'incoronazione di Poppea" in 1998. The production was one of the glories of the the Mansouri years, with a fabulous cast that included David Daniels, Ruxandra Donose, and Robert Lloyd.
LHL made her entry while laying on a moving sofa. Even after it stopped, and before she started to move, let alone sing, you could not keep your eyes off her, she so dominated the stage. Her last entry, for "Addio, Roma," was a slow, slow walk downstage, and again, she drew the eye in a way I've seen only from her.
During the opera, she looked 10 feet tall and might as well have been the most beautiful woman in the world. When I went to get autographs, I found she was a couple of inches shorter than me and, while pretty enough, someone you'd never give a second glance on the street. She seemed a bit shy, and very modest; every inch a creature of the stage without an inch of diva ego.
I'm lucky to have seen her, and deeply sorry it was just that once.
________
Update: Bloomberg publishes the first obituary: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Singer of Bach, Handel, Dies at 52
Update, July 7: It seems as though everyone in the blogosphere who knew her work has commented on her passing. I'm not going to try to list them all; The Standing Room and Oboeinsight are both collecting links to blog postings and news articles about LHL. And be sure to catch Joshua Kosman's appreciation in today's Chronicle.
I have plenty of cat photos available, but no catblogging this week.
Update, July 17: Anthony Tommasini reports that at Friday's BSO concert, James Levine opened with “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen," from the Brahms Requiem, in memory of LHL.