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Ricordanza

One thing that struck me in Dobrin's article: Why on earth would Rosand oppose shoulder rests?

Ricordanza

Here's the obit that appeared in today's Philadelphia Inquirer, written by music critic Peter Dobrin: Violinist Aaron Rosand, 92, longtime Curtis Institute of Music professor by Peter Dobrin, Updated: July 11, 2019- 3:09 PM Aaron Rosand, 92, a much-loved violinist long connected to the Curtis Instit...

Ricordanza

A history lesson from our "very stable genius" president: Trump was especially befuddled when he described the creation of the U.S. Army. "In June of 1775, the Continental Congress created a unified army out of the revolutionary forces encamped around Boston and New York and named after the great Ge...

Ricordanza

Perhaps we are no longer so snobby. A new generation of pianists seems to have caught up with Horowitz’s perspective. This is a welcome development. I'm a long-time fan of piano transcriptions. A well-written, well-performed transcription adds a texture to the music that enhances the experience for...

Ricordanza

lennygoran wrote: ↑
Sat Jun 29, 2019 7:10 am
Lance I forgot the link-now Hank has provided it.

No, Lance provided the link to her performance.

Ricordanza

Ricordanza

Wow! Only 12 light years away...that's practically next door!

Ricordanza

I remember seeing her in the South Pacific revival a few years ago. Outstanding!

Ricordanza

John F wrote: ↑
Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:02 am
You can test your internet connection speed here:

https://www.speedtest.net/

I have Verizon FIOS. My results were:
Download 91.35
Upload 118.96

Is that good?

Ricordanza

Thanks for all the good wishes.

H

Ricordanza

I'm sorry to do this at the last minute, but I will not be able to attend tomorrow's "meet-up." My wife was just discharged from the hospital after a nine-day stay for a lung infection, and I need the time to care for her and the house, etc. Hope to get together with everyone in the future. Hank M (...

Ricordanza

Hank speaking about you attending things we're still deciding what to do the Sat June 22 we have the CMG forum dinner-are you planning on attending anything while up here? Regards, Len No plans made at this time. An evening concert would be almost impossible since I'm not staying overnight and trav...

Ricordanza

The highlight of the concert, though, was the performance of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto with the fast-rising, stunningly-gifted Italian pianist Beatrice Rana as the soloist. Her recital debut in March, at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall, was among the most memorable events of the season in New York. I...

Ricordanza

For a change, the donors haven't demanded that some part of the auditorium be renamed for them, and instead prefer to remain anonymous. Apart from modesty, this keeps other organizations from trying to get money out of them. Thanks, John. I hadn't thought about that . Whatever their motivations, a ...

Ricordanza

Lance, hope you enjoyed your birthday!

Ricordanza

iPhones and iPads already offer separate Music, TV and Podcast apps in lieu of the centralized iTunes app that lives on Macs and Macbooks. Users can expect the new Music app to offer some of the same functionalities that iTunes currently does — such as purchasing songs and syncing phones — just wit...

Ricordanza

That's a name I haven't heard in many years! I have two of Webster's Dover LPs: 1) Beethoven's Hammerklavier Sonata; and 2) Modern American Piano Music - Copland's Piano Variations, Sessions' Second Sonata, and Carter's Sonata. He was an outstanding pianist but somehow never achieved the fame he des...

Ricordanza

Biden appears to be the leading Democratic candidate at this point, but the field is still full of worthy contenders. Lately, I've been paying attention to Michael Bennet, the Senator from Colorado, who has many positive attributes as a candidate and a future President. Here's an admiring column abo...

Ricordanza

Thoughts? I'll give you two thoughts. The theme and variations form is the most enduring of all musical forms. It predates the sonata and, perhaps, has outlasted it. Rzewski's "The People United" is one relatively contemporary example, Lutoslawski's "Paganini Variations" is another, and I am sure t...

Ricordanza

With a name like Schwizgebel, he better be good!

Ricordanza

It’s been 14 years since the Philadelphia Orchestra performed Mahler’s Ninth Symphony. I can’t say I remember every detail of that 2005 performance, under Christoph Eschenbach’s direction. After all, this is an hour-and-a-half work of enormous complexity. But I do remember the emotional intensity of...

Ricordanza

There's a tune by this composer that we've all heard (those of us in the United States, anyway), but few are aware that Offenbach is the composer. It's the Marine Hymn ("From the halls of Montezuma..."). Offenbach's composition was "The Song of the Soldiers of the Sea." Here's a wild piano transcrip...

Ricordanza

Might not the annuating circadian clocks of Boomers dictate their recent preference for earlier starting times on weekdays? That's my guess. When I was surveyed, I voted to keep the starting time at 8 pm. I was working full-time when they did the survey, with a commute of up to one hour to get home...

Ricordanza

I was looking at Rach 3's videos of Pietro Scarpini's performances when I noticed something interesting. The program for the Prokofiev PC 2 indicates that the Thursday evening concert began at 8:45 pm. By contrast, most concerts today begin, at the latest , at 8 pm. In fact, Philadelphia Orchestra e...

Ricordanza

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Sat Apr 20, 2019 8:56 am
Avec Martha Argerich et Stephen Kavacevich, piano

I'm glad to hear that she's on good terms with her ex--at least musically.

Ricordanza

Belle expressed her dismay about the destruction of the famous organ. However, this is from a report on CNN. I've heard this from other news sources:

The church's irreplaceable rose windows and organ are in good condition, a city official said Tuesday. (emphasis added)

A bit of good news.

Ricordanza

So far, the only day that's not good is Friday, June 21. I'd also prefer to stay away from Saturday, June 8, as I have to get back in time for a Philadelphia Orchestra concert that evening.

Ricordanza

Was Sunday Woods' final crowning achievement, or is there more to come? .... To truly appreciate what Woods did on Sunday, you have to consider where he was two years ago. In April 2017, Woods' career was in jeopardy because of a debilitating back injury. Before Woods arrived at Augusta National to...

Ricordanza

I agree. Biden could be an effective opponent to Trump, but he's not my choice for the nomination primarily due to his age. I have other problems with Sanders, but age is also a negative factor. As for Trump, well, age is perhaps the least of the problems with this man.

Ricordanza

The Gershwin estate ought to file a lawsuit against this opera company. I'm not sure what the outcome would be, but George Gershwin's wishes should be respected.

This is one more indication that Hungary is headed in a bad direction.

Ricordanza

Thanks for your review, Don. In addition to a couple of concerto appearances, I've heard Watts twice in recital--once in the 1980's and then in 2014. He remains one of my favorite pianists.

Ricordanza

Eleven years ago, I attended my first cello and piano recital (with cellist Jan Vogler and pianist Louis Lortie) and entitled my review “My Two Favorite Instruments.” I cannot explain why it took me so long to attend another cello and piano recital, but the recital presented by cellist Gautier Capuç...

Ricordanza

On reflection, I want to add a postscript to my review. In his performance of the Symphonic Etudes, only the Finale seemed rushed. Varjon delivered a superb performance of the rest of this work. He had complete command of the most challenging Etudes in the set, while the hauntingly beautiful Variati...

Ricordanza

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 08, 2019 12:12 pm
Did Varjon play any of the posthumous, " extra" Variations for the Schumann ?

No, just the original set.

Ricordanza

Three years ago, I took a chance and bought tickets for a recital by a musician I had never heard of—the Hungarian pianist, Dénes Várjon. My reasoning was that, after many years of attending Philadelphia Chamber Music Society concerts, I had come to trust their judgment that they had good reason to ...

Ricordanza

When we go to NYC, we also avoid driving in Manhattan. We haven't tried the Secaucus option. We either take the ferry from Weehawken (which includes a free shuttle bus to midtown) or take the NJ Transit train from the Hamilton station (near Trenton). I grew up in New York and learned to drive there....

Ricordanza

John F wrote: ↑
Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:34 pm

In "The Romantic Generation," Charles Rosen writes at some lengh about this feature of Brahms's piano writing. Interesting reading.

Just added to my "To Read" list. Thanks.

Ricordanza

In most cases, it’s not a good thing to say that a performer is predictable. It usually means that a performer does essentially the same thing at each concert; we know what to expect, and the result is boredom. Emanuel Ax is anything but boring. Tuesday evening, March 19th, marked the fifth time tha...

Ricordanza

I'm disappointed. He is someone who could have competed effectively with Trump for votes in the "heartland." Sen. Sherrod Brown, Democrat from Ohio, won’t run for president By David Weigel and Chelsea Janes (Washington Post) March 7 at 12:30 PM Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio announced Thursday that he w...

Ricordanza

It's been many years since I watched this film, but I remember the impact it made. The music is not just an added feature--it's the heart of the film.

Ricordanza

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Sat Mar 02, 2019 6:01 pm
Feb.2019 : 2 new eggs and a new Dad !!

https://whotv.com/2019/02/27/second-egg ... gles-nest/

Click on " here " link at end of article for real-time view.

Not much action this morning. When are the eggs expected to hatch?

Ricordanza

The people won't forgive or forget. Take that to the bank. My citibank deposit has been duly made. Meantime, newly minted-pol AOC among others smugly applaud their fait accompli — s ituation n ormal, a ll f luff'd u p. What is AOC? The correct question is "Who is AOC?" The answer is newly-elected C...

Ricordanza

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Thu Feb 21, 2019 7:49 pm
The Strauss I have never warmed to

I will admit that I didn't like "Zarathustra" on first hearing, or even second. In contrast, "Till Eulenspiegel" and "Ein Heldenleben" became instant favorites. But after listening to "Zarathustra" a few more times, I came to love the piece.

Ricordanza

Why do I go to concerts? The obvious answer, of course, is to hear great music. While I could also hear great music by listening to CDs and downloads, attending concerts satisfies my desire for the immediacy and (occasionally) thrill of live performance. But there’s another reason--I also go for the...

Ricordanza

The brilliant Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky has a Facebook page, which I follow. The latest post was in Russian, but when I clicked on the "Translation" link, here's what I got. There's at least one word that's out of place, don't you think? :roll: The album of Nicholas with the record of Forepla...

Ricordanza

I remember him from his left wing days, when he was known as Lyn Marcus. It's not surprising that an individual has a paranoid viewpoint and constructs a worldview based on that. But it's still surprising to me that such an individual attracts a following of people who adopt the same worldview. Mayb...

Ricordanza

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Tue Feb 12, 2019 5:57 pm
Thanks,Ricordanza, as usual insightful yet clear , I learn something every time from your reviews which bring us vicariously into the hall.

Thank you!

Ricordanza

Seventy-three years ago, four faculty members of the Juilliard School came together to form a string quartet. The members are different today, of course, but the name still represents the pinnacle of chamber music playing. The current quartet is made up of Areta Zhulla, first violin (the newest memb...

Ricordanza

Here's some background info on "Merle Hazard" by the Washington Post's Anne Midgette: Who would’ve thought a bluegrass spoof of atonal music would take off on YouTube? By Anne Midgette Classical music critic February 8 Gimme some of that ol’ atonal music. It lingers in my ears! Schoenberg and Alban ...

Ricordanza

Great! Thanks for posting this.

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