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Ricordanza

When I first began to listen to classical music in my teens, Mozart and Haydn were not among my favorites. At the time, their music seemed to lack emotional content. My preference was for music that was passionate, or stirring, or mournful, or angry, etc. I still have a strong connection to music wi...

Ricordanza

Thanks for posting this. Wow!

Ricordanza

Seems to be a very comprehensive list. It's the first time I've seen a mention of the manufacturer of my piano: Cable-Nelson.

Ricordanza

Who knows the life story of Andrew Carnegie, and who really cares? But music lovers care about Carnegie Hall, a lot. Carnegie's philanthropy extended well beyond Carnegie Hall. His contributions to libraries and universities (e.g., Carnegie-Mellon University, formerly the Carnegie Institute of Tech...

Ricordanza

He's gone, and his philanthropy (if nothing else) will be missed. Charles Koch lingers on. While his philanthropic contributions were substantial, they do not outweigh the enormous adverse impact he and his brother had on the political environment. Let's put it this way: what good is a contribution...

Ricordanza

Thanks for your review, and welcome to CMG!

Ricordanza

Can you imagine the outrage if a federal prisoner had committed suicide during Obama's presidency and Obama had blamed George W. Bush? But today, Trump's supporters and the Republican cowards just accept this as another utterance of a president who can say anything he wants.

Ricordanza

With this kind of commitment, does it really make any sense for the music director not to have a voice in the future of his or her group? Conductors need to be musical visionaries but also fiscal realists. Perhaps it is just a small step, but I would argue that making that person who stands on the ...

Ricordanza

The subtitle of this book accurately describes author Nigel Cliff’s purpose: “The Van Cliburn Story—How One Man and his Piano Transformed the Cold War.” The heart of the book, of course, is the story of Cliburn’s astonishing victory in 1958 at the initial Tchaikovsky piano competition. It was astoni...

Ricordanza

jserraglio wrote: ↑
Fri Aug 02, 2019 1:25 pm
Amy Klobuchar needs to be on the ticket. Heavy turnout of Dem base will be meaningless if Penn, Mich, and Wisconsin go Trump.

How about the top of the ticket? She's my first choice at this time.

Ricordanza

Sounds like a current version of Curt Schilling: talented pitcher, fierce competitor, creepy politics.

Ricordanza

Although the online version of this article was available on Thursday, 7/25, the Inquirer waited until today (Sunday) to publish this article in the print edition. That seemed unusual to me, but I think the explanation for the delay has to do with the placement: the print article is given the most p...

Ricordanza

Samuil Feinberg (1890-1962) is not well-remembered today, but his accomplishments include a terrific recording of the complete Well-Tempered Clavier of Bach, numerous compositions, and this spectacular transcription of the Scherzo movement of the Tchaikovsky Sixth Symphony. I thank Rorianne Schrade...

Ricordanza

I've seen all of them. Sure, they are not "high art." (And Dukas' "Sorcerer's Apprentice" is not on the same intellectual level as Mahler's Ninth Symphony.) But I will contend that films like ET, Titanic, Jaws and The Exorcist are outstanding works of visual storytelling. I would bet that most filmm...

Ricordanza

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:02 am

Ricordanza wrote: ↑
Tue Jul 23, 2019 6:15 am
What happened?

https://www.star-telegram.com/news/loca ... 55220.html

OMG!

Ricordanza

Rach3 wrote: ↑
Mon Jul 22, 2019 2:03 pm
All the more remarkable he has been able to continue a distinguished career since the Cliburn given personal tragedy thereafter.

What happened?

Ricordanza

Thanks for the review, Don. Wish I could have been there.

Ricordanza

At this point, I really don't care whether Trump is personally a racist or not. The important thing is his approach to issues of race and ethnicity. On that score, the following statement from this article is undeniably correct, and it is one of the key reasons that this man should not be President ...

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...

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