I asked the DMN's Scott Cantrell if he knew why the Dallas Symphony Orchestra musicians turned their backs to the audience during the last ovation of Thursday night's concert. This was after a particularly well-executed performance of Mozart's Symphony No. 40.
He did a little checking and posted an item on The News' Artsblog, which you can see here.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
Why Mozart still rocks
The progress of musical expression since the late 18th century -- in "classical" as well as popular genres -- can leave folks in the 21st century thinking of the music of Mozart as, well, simple or even quaint.
He wrote the Symphony No. 1 at the age of 8 in London, while on one of his many childhood "prodigy" tours of Europe. The story goes that his father became very ill when they were in London, and young Wolfgang was forbidden to practice so as not to disturb the ailing Leopold. So to pass the time, Wolfgang decided to write a symphony. Pretty much what any 8-year-old will do when he's bored! And while it's obviously not the work of a mature composer, it is surprisingly fresh and innovative.
But in concerts this weekend and next, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and maestro Jaap van Zweden are only too happy to show you otherwise. They've scheduled a mini-Mozart festival that samples a marvelous range of this Austrian genius's tremendous output.
I attended Thursday night's opening of this weekend's concerts, which are reprised on Friday and Saturday (Jan. 18 and 19). They open with the overture to the Abduction From the Seraglio and then are joined by the superb violinist Augustin Hadelich in the Turkish Violin Concerto. He responded to the tremendous ovation Thursday night with a skillful encore of a Paganini caprice.
The second half of the program is an interesting set of bookends: Mozart's first and last symphonies.
He wrote the Symphony No. 1 at the age of 8 in London, while on one of his many childhood "prodigy" tours of Europe. The story goes that his father became very ill when they were in London, and young Wolfgang was forbidden to practice so as not to disturb the ailing Leopold. So to pass the time, Wolfgang decided to write a symphony. Pretty much what any 8-year-old will do when he's bored! And while it's obviously not the work of a mature composer, it is surprisingly fresh and innovative.
Mozart's final symphony, No. 41 (Jupiter), is of course one of the early landmarks of the symphonic literature. And in the hands of van Zweden and the DSO, it is as thrilling as ever. Few orchestras in the world today are as good at bringing out the subtleties and nuances of great music like this.
Next weekend (Jan. 24-27), we get another all-Mozart program, with the Idomeneo Overture, the Piano Concerto No. 24 with soloist Yefim Bronfman, the Adagio and Fugue, and my personal favorite Mozart symphony, No. 40.
If you want to know why Mozart is still important, get over to the Meyerson this weekend and next.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Still a phenom at 70
I recently mentioned the Sinfini Music website, which has an interesting piece on one of the current-day legends in classical music: Daniel Barenboim. You can see it here.
The post went up in November in honor of Mr. Barenboim's 70th birthday.
I particularly like the snippet of a rehearsal of Schubert's Trout Quintet, with the incredible cast of Barenboim on piano, Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman on violin, Zubin Mehta on bass, and Barenboim's late wife, the incomparable Jacqueline du Pré, on cello. All looking young and vibrant.
I've seen Barenboim in person once, back in 2007 at Carnegie Hall, where he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in Mendelssohn's Fingal's Cave overture, Schumann's 4th Symphony and a variety of concert pieces from Wagner. A pretty good lineup from one of the world's great orchestras led by one of the world's great conductors.
Of course, as an unabashed Wagnerian, I was especially interested in that part of the program. Barenboim is regarded as one of the best interpreters of Wagner's music, and the VPO a generation or more earlier had helped create what Gramophone magazine called "the greatest recording of all time" -- the first studio recording of The Ring of the Nibelung, conducted by Georg Solti.
And yes, that Sunday matinee concert at Carnegie Hall with Daniel Barenboim exceeded my high expectations.
The post went up in November in honor of Mr. Barenboim's 70th birthday.
I particularly like the snippet of a rehearsal of Schubert's Trout Quintet, with the incredible cast of Barenboim on piano, Itzhak Perlman and Pinchas Zukerman on violin, Zubin Mehta on bass, and Barenboim's late wife, the incomparable Jacqueline du Pré, on cello. All looking young and vibrant.
I've seen Barenboim in person once, back in 2007 at Carnegie Hall, where he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic in Mendelssohn's Fingal's Cave overture, Schumann's 4th Symphony and a variety of concert pieces from Wagner. A pretty good lineup from one of the world's great orchestras led by one of the world's great conductors.
Of course, as an unabashed Wagnerian, I was especially interested in that part of the program. Barenboim is regarded as one of the best interpreters of Wagner's music, and the VPO a generation or more earlier had helped create what Gramophone magazine called "the greatest recording of all time" -- the first studio recording of The Ring of the Nibelung, conducted by Georg Solti.
And yes, that Sunday matinee concert at Carnegie Hall with Daniel Barenboim exceeded my high expectations.
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