A Pearl Among Us
No, I’m not speaking of the precious collectible created by oysters and other mollusks, but of violinist Itzhak Perlman. I have enjoyed his playing for decades and feel privileged to…
Orchestra
Discovery Orchestra Chat 115 – A Very Special Melody Part 2
The orchestral version of Pelleas et Melisande is used to illustrate Gabriel Faure’s lilting Sicilienne rhythm – listen for the prominence of the harp and flute in this Chat! Watch…
Discovery Orchestra Chat 113 – Holiday Meters Part 2
The hunt continues! Find the underlying pulse, or beat, in a piece of music. Maestro Maull uses Handel’s Pifa (Pastorale) from Messiah to illustrate. Watch and listen to Chat 112,…
Brooklyn Philharmonic May Face Bankruptcy
“Updated: November 8, 2013 4:39 p.m. The Brooklyn Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, which traces its roots back 156 years, may have played its last note. The struggling institution’s board is seeking…
Thanks! An Encore Presentation. . .
As I began to write what I hope will be an annual Thanksgiving Day blog post, I re-read last year’s – my first. It appeared to contain some good thoughts,…
Musical Discoveries of the Third Kind
You may recall the motion picture Close Encounters of the Third Kind that centers about a groundbreaking encounter with extraterrestrials. If groundbreaking classical music discoveries are what you seek, you…
Today I watched an episode called “Discover Beethoven’s Fifth”, and it was marvelous! Maestro Maull and his talented orchestra gave me a one-hour thrill. I’ve always loved Beethoven, especially his Fifth Symphony. I studied piano for 7 years as a young person, and came to appreciate so many of the classical composers, but Beethoven’s Fifth has always thrilled me. I so appreciated the format of the program, and the Maestro involved all of us and taught us so much. Thank you for this fine program. And many thanks and praise to the orchestra! When the program ended, I clapped loudly and shouted “Bravo!! Bravo!!!”