Archive for the ‘opera’ Category
Electronic Music At Home
Fast Tube by Casper
Do you like electronic music? Much of the music that you hear today is at least partially electronic: It is produced by synthesis or sample playback through a computer. The music in this post is electronic music. Read the rest of this entry »
“Porgy and Bess” in San Francisco
Some friends of mine are singing in the current production of “Porgy and Bess” playing in San Francisco at The War Memorial Opera House this month. I just read a glowing review in The San Francisco Chronical. Looks like the ticket holders are in for a real treat.
I heard that the production is sold out. “Porgy and Bess” seems always to sell well. I hope that the singers are treated well.
- Samuel Barber At 100, ReconsideredHe was once dismissed as a composer for "high middlebrow taste." But Barber, who wrote the famous Adagio for Strings, would not be criticized if he were an emerging composer today, 100 years after his birth. […]
- Barber's 'Adagio': Naked Expression Of EmotionThere's a simple logic behind Samuel Barber's emotional Adagio. It progresses from a single note to high emotional wailing to release to final acceptance. On today's centennial of Barber's birth, take a guided tour of the music with commentator Rob Kapilow. […]
- Suds And Sensibility: Barber's Violin ConcertoBarber's beautiful concerto came about at the request of a soap magnate named Samuel Fels. Although the business end of the commission was sullied, the concerto came out sparkling. Hear violinist James Ehnes play the piece in concert. […]
- The Life And Music Of Samuel BarberIn the middle of the 20th century, when composers were writing with angularity and dissonance, Barber forged his own lyrical, romantic style. By the time he was 26, he'd composed the iconic Adagio for Strings. […]
- Lionel Loueke: Jazz Meets African Rhythms On 'Mwaliko'The jazz guitarist draws on an extremely wide range of styles. From bebop to Brazilian rhythms to lyrical ballads to sounds from his native Benin, Loueke's latest album, Mwaliko, showcases the artist's inventive take on jazz. […]
- Esperanza Spalding: Just Bass And VoiceBecause of her rigorous touring schedule, Spalding decided to give her band the afternoon off and showed up at KPLU's studio all by herself, with just her bass and her voice. As you'll hear, that was enough. […]
- Nicholas Payton: Live At The Village VanguardHe found his footing in jazz through its hard-swinging main stem. But after he'd proved his hard-bop mettle, he took a fork in the road toward electric experimentalism. Now, trumpeter Nicholas Payton seems comfortable pursuing a middle ground. Hear his band play live. […]