Turning the Page
Page turner for classical musicians is a stressful job, it turns out. LA Opera has turned a page with its new Wagner productions, making the Ring Cycle into a Sci-Fi saga. Meanwhile the Met starts a new chapter with its highly-praised production of Rossini’s Armida.
And the C-J’s Andrew Adler closes the book on the past arts season in Louisville.
Diane Earle, Piano
Diane Earle, piano
Program:
Galuppi: Gigue in D Major
J. S. Bach: Gigue (from Partita in B-flat Major)
Mozart: Eine Kleine Gigue
Chopin: Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22
Debussy: La Cathedrale Engloutie
Rachmaninoff: Prelude, D Major, Op. 23, No. 4
Cowell: The Tides of Manaunaun
Cowell: Aeolian Harp
Gershwin: I Got Rhythm, Embraceable You (Gershwin/Wild) and Swanee
U of L Opera Theatre
The University of Louisville Opera Theatre provided a preview of their productions of Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini.
Just in time for Tax Day
Joseph Mechavich, Kentucky Opera's new Music Director
If you follow Classical 90.5, blog, you’ve already read about composer Jennifer Higdon winning the Pulitzer Prize for her violin concerto. I’m sure the $10,000 will come in handy for tax day! If the chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts has his way, we all may need to pay more at tax time. With a $47 million deficit, the Metropolitan Opera would like some of that action too. Meanwhile, the Kentucky Center attempts to balance sure-to-be-popular concerts with lesser-known performers as part of its arts season. Kentucky Opera continues to work on ensuring full houses by adding the post of Music Director to its administration.
2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music
Jennifer Higdon is the 2010 winner of the Pulitzer Prize in music for her Violin Concerto composed for Hilary Hahn. It was commissioned by The Indianapolis Symphony, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and The Curtis Institute of Music. Ms. Higdon is one of the most performed living American composers and won the 2010 GRAMMY for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for her Percussion Concerto. She is entirely self-published under the title Lawdon Press.
Edit: Read Higdon’s reflections on winning the Pulitzer here.
Louisville Ballet
The Louisville Ballet bids a fond farewell to two retiring principal dancers, Mikelle Bruzina and Joseph Nygren Cox, in their final production of the season, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Classical 90.5’s Alan Brandt talked to Mikelle and Joseph about their careers, their association with the Louisville Ballet and the upcoming production.
[podcast]http://archive.wuol.org/Podcasts/20100407LouisvilleBallet.mp3[/podcast]
