A nice surprise from Anton Bruckner

Anton Bruckner could very well be my favorite composer. I'm not saying he is, but he is in that conversation. I know he was my Dad's favorite. His collection is loaded with albums and CDs of the Bruckner symphonies, And it is his symphonies that he is almost exclusively known for. But hidden in my CD collection was this CD.....a string quintet and string quartet!

Much like the day I "discovered" that Mahler had written a piano quartet, this had similar mind blowing effects. We are joyfully accustomed to the epic sounds of a Bruckner symphony, but now we can hear Bruckner operating in the "stripped down" form of a small string ensemble. It is very fascinating. To my ears, the Quintet in F sounds like one of his symphonies. The Quartet in C minor is much different than the quintet. It does not sound anything like his symphonies. Also on the CD is A Rondo in C minor and an Intermezzo in D minor, both wonderfully crafted.

Bruckner also wrote some great music for organ, as well as several motets and other sacred choral works, all of which I find very enjoyable. I hope to write about those another time.

Here is a link to the Quintet in F. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cTbsCpTSls

Play Ball! A look at all of the opening day National Anthems, and why KC's was the best!

I am a huge baseball fan, and opening day, in my opinion, should be a national holiday. Nothing says Spring like the beginning of the baseball season. And my KC Royals are fresh off their first appearance in the World Series since 1985. Hopes are high for another great year, and a possible return to the Series.
My kids and I have a tradition of going to the 810 Zone here in Lee's Summit each year to watch the first game of the season, which is now on a Sunday night. All of the other teams start on Monday. This year it was the Cardinals and the Cubs. We watched the pre-game festivities, including the National Anthem. It was sung by long time Wrigley Field PA announcer Wayne Messmer. He did a good job. So what did the other 14 home openers have lined up for their National Anthems? Thanks to MLB.com, it's possible to see the highlights of every game played all season long. And the opening day highlights included the pre-game festivities. So I watched each National Anthem.

Cardinals at Cubs, Wayne Messmer
Yankees at Blue Jays,  West Point Band
Twins at Tigers, The Four Tops
Rockies at Brewers, Joseph Attanasio
Red Sox at Phillies, Matt McAndrew
Orioles at Rays, Cozi Zuehlsdorff
Mets at Nationals, Army Chorus Quintet
Angels at Mariners, Navy Petty Officer (ret) Generald Wilson
Pirates at Reds, Marlana VanHoose
Padres at Dodgers, Tinashe
Indians at Astros, Clay Walker
Rangers at A's, Taylor Jones
Giants at Diamondbacks, Taylor Hicks

White Sox at Royals, The Kansas City Symphony!!!

There is no doubt that our National Anthem was the best. Just like Game 6 of the World Series last season, the KC Symphony was classy and elegant, yet fun and spirited. I much prefer instrumental renditions to vocal interpretations too. It's a very difficult song to sing, and it does take a great deal of courage to sing it on such such a big stage. So no matter who sings it, I acknowledge their effort. But I like it best when a vocalist sings it straight, without any over the top theatrics or tricked up funny business. I sense that many singers feel compelled to make it "their own", so they add all sorts of personal changes. This song, more than any other, stands on it's own and should not be about any one person. That's just my opinion. (What about Jimi Hendrix's interpretation at Woodstock in 1969? Great question. That was a bold and controversial statement he made that day. I love Jimi, but I don't like it what he did to the Anthem).

So Kansas City had two community treasures in action last Monday...the Royals and the KC Symphony. What a great partnership!
To see the video, click the link below. It will take you to MLB.com, the page for Monday April 6. Click on Video (right next to Wrap, Box and Play-by-Play), then on the right of the screen, arrow down to the video clip of the KC Symphony. Enjoy!

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2015_04_06_chamlb_kcamlb_1&mode=wrap#gid=2015_04_06_chamlb_kcamlb_1&mode=video

Efrem Kurtz and the KC Philharmonic take a stand against racism.

I came across this brief passage about the Kansas City Philharmonic and their conductor, Efrem Kurtz, while reading a book about race relations in Kansas City (cited below). Maestro Kurtz conducted the orchestra from 1943 to 1947. He had a long and distinguished career that began in 1920, lasting until his death in 1995. Kurtz was Jewish, and no stranger to discrimination and persecution. Born in Russia in 1900, he fled during the Revolution and settled in Germany. By 1933, fearing arrest by the Nazis, he fled to France, and eventually came to the United States in 1943 and became an American citizen. According to this publication, Kurtz and the musicians of the Philharmonic took a stand against racism: [Performances by the Kansas City Philharmonic were barred to blacks altogether. Ruth Seufert, chairwoman of the Philharmonic, explained that she was not color prejudiced herself. “I have a colored maid,” she offered as proof. “And I think the world and all of this maid. And this is the truth, sometimes she eats at my own table with my family. So you see I do not feel any discrimination because of color.” Unfortunately, Seufert told a Call reporter, she had to comply with the wishes of contributing patrons, many of whom did not wish to share a concert hall with black audience members. However, neither the Philharmonic nor their conductor, Efrem Kurtz, approved of the Jim Crow policies. After the Philharmonic’s Board of Trustees agreed to sell tickets to African Americans in 1943, the orchestra scheduled a performance by African American singer Carol Brice, over trustee’s objections, and registered a firm protest against a seating policy that sold tickets to black concertgoers, yet confined them to the upper balcony].  -From A City Divided: The Racial Landscape of Kansas City, 1900-1960 by Sherry Lamb Schirmer. I applaud the courageous stand that Kurtz and his orchestra took during the dark period of segregation in our nation. Classical music can be a force of positive change. I admit I don't know much about Efrem Kurtz beyond reading his obituary and his Wiki page. But I also found a citation from the Congressional Record S9469. The 104th Congress, Session 1 June 29, 1995, Senator Daniel Moynihan speaks on the Senate floor: [Mr. President, I rise to report to the Senate the sad news of the death, in London, of the beloved American conductor Efrem Kurtz. He passed away at the great age of 95 after a career unequaled in the history of music in the 20th century, which he all but spawned.........  In order that the RECORD might show the range of his achievements, I ask that there be included at this point the entry of Efrem Kurtz from ‘‘Current Biography,’’ 1946, at which time he had just begun conducting the Kansas City Philharmonic. Finally, I would ask that a flag be flown over the Capitol in his honor and presented to his widow]. (Here is en excerpt from the biography) [Kurtz has been called ‘‘the finest of ballet conductors,’’ but although he enjoyed his work with the Ballet Russe, he readily admitted his preference for symphonic conducting. In the autumn of 1943, therefore, he accepted an invitation to become conductor of the Kansas City Philharmonic Orchestra, to succeed Karl Krueger who had left for Detroit. The next season Kurtz was re-engaged for another two years. His first thought on taking over in Kansas City, he has said, was how to bring his music to the masses, how to make them come to understand and like it; and despite opposition he began to offer ‘‘pops’’ concerts featuring good music at very low prices, annual free concerts, ‘‘name’’ soloists, and special concerts for school children in an endeavor to attract audiences. ‘‘The most important thing is to get them in,’’ he said, ‘‘and then sell myself and the orchestra.’’ The response proved that he was right, for by the end of his second season the orchestra was out of the red for the first time in many years and seemed well on its way to becoming self-sufficient. He moves Kansas City audiences, it is said, because ‘‘he knows how to inject his dramatic flare into programming, at the same time maintaining the highest musical standards.’’ Both in Kansas City and during his guest appearances it is his habit to include modern compositions and the works of the Russian masters on his programs, and he has won commendation for his conducting of these works as well as of the standard repertoire. Kurtz has frequently programmed the music and been a consistent advocate of Igor Stravinsky, whom he has known for many years. He is likewise eager to foster new instrumental and vocal talent, in this regard being a sponsor of Carol Brice, contralto, and William Kapell, pianist, both of whom have been especially well received by the critics; and for 1947 he planned engagements for eight young American soloists during the Kansas City winter ‘‘Pops’’ season. In 1944 Kurtz’s Kansas City Philharmonic was selected as the first orchestra to be presented on NBC’s new radio program Orchestras of the Nation, with reappearances scheduled for the following seasons]. What a wonderful tribute. ’

Mars and the Bunny

Anytime I hear classical music used in mainstream media or popular culture, I take note.....it's an all too rare occurrence. But sometimes it happens....and when it does, I am going to bring it to your attention!

Kia ran a spot last year that featured its back-up warning system. As the car backs into the garage, it gets closer and closer to a stuffed bunny, eyes wide and mouth open....surely about to be squashed. But the car stops within a hair of hitting the bunny. The visuals are excellent....but what makes the spot amazing is the music. It's the very familiar ending to Gustav Holst's Mars, from his orchestral suite The Planets. The Planets was premiered in 1918, and remains one of the most well known pieces in the classical repertoire.

Gustav Holst

I decided to try and find out who made the decision to use Mars for a commercial. Ad agencies and marketing firms have very sophisticated approaches to reaching targeted demographic audiences. Every detail is important and nothing is left to chance. Someone, somewhere came up with the idea to use a classical piece of music for this spot and I wanted to thank them and find out why!

I wish I could say I found my answer, but I can't. The spot was created by an advertising agency named David & Goliath. I contacted the agency and spent several weeks calling and e-mailing them to find out who the creative person was who chose the music. I was finally told that their legal department would not allow me to interview anyone because there are apparently some "strange stipulations that go into personal blogs". Hmmmm...

But the spot is very effective and you can see it here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Abw2uIktLY

Toscanini and the La Scala Orchestra in Kansas City

Imagine you are waking up to greet the day on Sunday, February 20, 1921 here in Kansas City. You walk outside to pick up the newspaper (KC Post), pour yourself a cup of coffee, and settle in your comfy chair. As you scan the pages, you come upon this headline:

One of the most celebrated conductors of the twentieth century will be here for a concert later that afternoon! Toscanini and the La Scala Orchestra of Milan embarked on a tour of North America in the Fall of 1920 that included concerts in Baltimore, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Des Moines, Omaha, St. Louis, Topeka, Wichita, Omaha, Tulsa, and Kansas City. It seems pretty amazing to me that such an esteemed ensemble played so many smaller cities in the Midwest. In his book The Toscanini Mystique: The Genius Behind the Music, author Kenneth A. Christensen offers many wonderful stories and anecdotes about the conductor. "Many famous musicians heard this great conductor for the first time during this tour including conductors Pierre Monteux and Leopold Stokowski. The composers Ernst Bloch and Sergei Rachmaninoff, as well as Viennese violinist Fritz Kreisler, left glowing accounts of their very overwhelming musical experiences. Fritz Kreisler had told German friends that Toscanini did not know how to conduct Beethoven's Fifth Symphony correctly, but remarked, "I do not believe that Toscanini could be wrong, but even if he were, I would rather hear it conducted wrong by Toscanini than correctly by any other conductor".

Here is the review, which appeared the next day, February 21, 1921, in the Kansas City Post:

TOSCANINI'S MAGIC BATON FINDS RARE MUSICAL RESPONSE

Audience of 10,000 Applauds When Italian Orchestra of Eighty Renders Numbers as One Man; Largest Crowd of Tour

By Frances Davis

When the spare and somewhat austere figure of Arturo Toscanini made its way Sunday afternoon in Convention hall through the stir of his players busily adjusting instruments and opening scores on racks, 10,000 men and women in Convention hall applauded a fervid welcome. Music lovers, in the most remote balconies, in the boxes and the arena floors, filled the huge auditorium.

The conductor took his place on the rostrum and turned to face his organization of 80 musicians. He used a pliable baton, small, which expressed in a fanciful way, his own tense figure throughout the conducting of the music. No rack and no score assisted him in anticipating each thread of the musical patterns which he wove.

The orchestra played as one man. There were no soloists, with the exception of the glistening cello passages, the young Italian who contributed this playing the big stringed with the delicate singing poetry of a master artist.

The symphony was Dvorak's "The New World," in E minor, a perfect piece of fabric, always restrained and never confused, molding the musical idea from Adagio to Largo, from Scherzo to cumulative finale, with the deftness of pure instinct for beauty.

The program opened with Rossini, the overture, "The Barber of Seville," which served as a mere appetizer.

At the conclusion of the symphony, a silver loving cup was presented to the conductor. It was carried to the platform by Laurenzana, a little girl in a pink dress, whose head was tenderly patted when the conductor accepted the gift. The cup was the gift of the 25 Italian societies represented by the Italian Colonial committee.

Following the little girl on the stage came two young men, Joseph Morello and Elio Monachesi, bearing a tall basket of roses and ferns, caught with a yellow ribbon on the handle, the colors of Italy, and the flag of Italy hung beside it.

Louis W. Shouse, manger of Convention hall, and secretary of the entertainment committee of the Shriners, who made the Toscanini concert possible for Kansas City, announced during the intermission that the Sunday afternoon audience was the largest to which the Italian conductor had brought his music to Kansas City.

Toscanini was not prepared for the size of the auditorium and for that reason the program was enlarged to included the William Tell overture, at the end. A substitution of the famous "Love Death" from Tristan and Isolde, took place of the Good Friday spell from Parsifal.

One of the illuminating moments of the afternoon was the singular beauty of the Star Spangled Banner as played by the Italians.

I have heard from several of you that you also enjoy Ms. Davis' writing style. It is so much different than the way people write today. It captures a different time in history for sure.

On a side note, you can see a small article in the first headline above: "Caruso's Condition Continues Better". This of course refers to the famous tenor, Enrico Caruso, who sadly took a turn for the worse and died 6 months after this article, on August 2, 1921.

Some things I didn't know about Gustav Mahler

First off, I wish I could share with you that Gustav Mahler had visited Kansas City, just as Strauss, Prokofiev, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Bartok, and Respighi had. But alas, I cannot. But I did look into this possibility and discovered that even though Mahler did not come to KC, he did in fact tour the United States 3 times with the New York Philharmonic. I have been reading excerpts from a great book called Gustav Mahler and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra Tour America, by Mary H. Wagner. She gives a detailed account of Mahler's time as the Director of that fine orchestra from 1909 until his death in 1911.They embarked on three tours during the years 1910 and 1911 that took them to New Haven, Providence, Springfield, MA, Boston, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Utica, NY, Syracuse, and Washington D.C. Here is the headline from the Buffalo Evening News, December 8, 1910:

The reviews of the performances were generally very good, according to Ms. Wagner's research. Wow...to have been there to see one of those concerts would have been incredible.

Last summer I had a great conversation with Tom Sudholt, Program Director of the Radio Arts Foundation in St. Louis. (you can see the full interview with Tom in my blog posted 10/19/14). I remarked that I loved that the classical repertoire is so vast, and there was so much to discover. Tom agreed. Well, very recently, a HUGE example of that came to light. Mahler is of course known for his symphonies, and his songs. But I remember thinking how cool it would have been if he had written chamber music, concertos, solo instrumental works, or string quartets.....right? Well, he DID write one quartet...the Piano Quartet in A minor. I Googled this question one evening, and Wiki brought forth a citation for it. It says it was written during Mahler's first year at the Vienna Conservatory when he was 15 or 16 years old. I am sure many of you may already know this....but I am not ashamed to admit that I HAD NO IDEA about it. Please do yourself a favor and listen to it....I think it is marvelous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPXinFjtIyg

I learned later that Martin Scorsese used this piece in his 2010 movie, Shutter Island. Here is the clip...Caution...it has some graphic images......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmmJsgfNSIM

Lastly, I learned that on this death bed in 1911, his has word was "Mozart".

A Conversation with Susie Yang, Cellist

This Saturday, February 21, 2015, KC area residents will have an opportunity to see and hear a very gifted cellist, Susie Yang, perform with the Heritage Philharmonic. Ms. Yang has been the Associate Principal Cellist of the Kansas City Symphony since 2010. She will be performing the Variations on a Rococo Theme by Tchaikovsky. Here is the complete program for the concert:

Music of Russia

Saturday, February 21, 2015 at 7:30 PM

Blue Springs High School 

2000 NW Ashton Drive

Blue Springs, MO 64015

Borodin     Symphony No. 2

Liadov     Eight Russian Folk Songs

Tchaikovsky     Variations on a Rococo Theme 

Susie Yang, cello soloist

I recently had a conversation with Ms.Yang to learn more about her and and talk about classical music.

TH: What is your first memory of hearing a cello?

SY: I was 2 or 3…my mom played the cello and my older sister played the violin. I started playing cello when I was 5.

TH: So hearing both cello and violin, how did you choose between the two?

SY: It’s not any kind of inspiring story (laughing)…it was chosen for me. My sister really wanted to play the violin…she was very passionate about it at a young age. I was shyer and quieter and my parents thought playing might open me up, and since my mom is a cellist, they gave me a cello.

TH: Where did you grow up?

SY: The Northwest suburbs of Chicago, where my parents still live…in Schaumburg.

TH: My dad was passionate his entire life about classical music, and I read that your father has the same passion?

SY: Yes. Since we were little, we heard classical music at home…especially his favorites like the Schubert Trout Quintet. He has a collection of so many amazing classical records with soloists such as Jascha Heifetz and Pierre Fournier and also recordings of great orchestral music with Leonard Bernstein and George Szell conducting. 

TH: How did you end up here in Kansas City?

SY: After college, I auditioned for the New World Symphony in Miami and I ended up there. Alex East (Assistant Principal Cello with the KC Symphony) came to teach some lessons and I played for him. That led to a short term, 6-month opening with the KC Symphony in 2009. I auditioned for the permanent position and I didn't get the job, so I moved away to San Diego where my sister lives (she is Associate Concertmaster of the San Diego Symphony). 6-months later I came back to audition in KC again and I won the Associate Principal Cello job. So I came back!

TH: Tell us about the cello you play.

SY: I play an instrument from Chicago. It’s from the William Harris Lee & Company shop. It’s a Peter Staszel cello made in 1994. It’s very modern.

TH: How many hours a day do you practice?

SY: It varies. Anywhere from 2-4 hours in general…or more…..

TH: Do you play every day? 

SY: Yes, pretty much every day. I do try to take some time off during the summer.

TH: Do you play any instruments other than the cello?

SY: No, just the cello…it’s hard enough (laughing).

TH: Tell me a little about the Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme that you will be performing with the Heritage Philharmonic this Saturday night.

SY: It is one of Tchaikovsky’s more elegant and lighter pieces. If you know his symphonies, they are very romantic and very stormy…quite emotional. With this piece, he was trying to write in the style of one of his greatest inspirations…Mozart. So you can hear some of Mozart’s style. It’s lighter. It’s very well orchestrated for the cello. There aren’t many balance issues because it is pretty sparse and he uses great interactions with other instruments in the orchestral accompaniment.

TH: Tell me some of the differences between performing as a soloist and playing in an ensemble.

SY: As a soloist you have more liberty to do what you want in some ways. You are listening to the ensemble and working with the conductor, but you are still the soloist. You also have the freedom to play your own fingerings, bowings, and phrases. You can be free to express your own personality! In an ensemble, such as an orchestra, you have to blend your sound with your stand partner and your section. It is really important to listen to each other, while playing with the conductor and creating a good ensemble sound. There are perks to both. Some people don’t enjoy playing as a soloist. It’s definitely scary…you are OUT there on your own. But I enjoy it. I started doing it at a young age too which makes me more comfortable with it.

TH: You mentioned on your KC Symphony website profile that Jacqueline Du Pre was a big influence on you. Are there other cellists you also admire or enjoy listening to?

SY: For me it is Rostropovich and Yo-Yo Ma. Rostropovich is a master of the cello, in my opinion. The different colors he is able to bring out and the amazing bow control he has are just a few of his traits I admire as a cellist. I love Yo-Yo not only for his great cello playing, but for his interactions with the audience and the different audiences he is able to attract. He is experimental and adventurous. He opens up the classical musician to many other aspects of playing. But with Du Pre, I won a competition when I was 11 and I was playing Elgar (Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E minor) which was “her piece”. So my parents bought me a VHS of her very famous Elgar Concerto. I watched it all the time. She was the one who led me to start loving the cello.

TH: What are the physical challenges of playing the cello professionally? Any health issues?

SY: I have not had many physical problems so far in my career. There was a time last year when I had to take a couple of weeks off from work because I had a lot of muscle tension in my neck and in between my shoulder blades, which can be quite common. So, I get massage therapy every once in a while. Several of my colleagues in the orchestra get acupuncture, which is also supposed to be very helpful. I definitely notice a difference in my physical capabilities from my younger years. I was able to practice for 4 hours without a break. If I do that now, I would injure myself! I have to take breaks and warm up properly to avoid the risk of causing tension or injuries. I also love doing yoga to maintain flexibility, good posture and good breathing skills.

TH: We both know that most people in our culture don’t listen to classical music.

SY: I think that many people have not been exposed to a great live concert experience. Also, I think that people who think classical music is stuffy, also assume that the musicians are unapproachable. They might think that we are snobby and spend all of our time in a practice room. I believe in making classical music accessible to all kinds of people and I know that the Kansas City Symphony really believes in that too. We have created great concerts like the free Happy Hour chamber music concerts, where musicians create the programs and talk to the audiences about the pieces before playing them. We also have the new series called Classics Uncorked, where the concert is much shorter, the tickets cheaper, and you get a free drink and an opportunity to talk to the musicians out in the lobby. I have made great connections with audience members and I love to talk to them about music, but also let them know that I am more than just a cellist. I do "normal" things, like cooking or discovering good eats around KC.

TH: I also see a lot of young people in the audience these days.

SY: I think that the symphony is definitely getting more popular with younger crowds. The free and cheaper concerts are getting them exposed to the symphony and then they HAVE to come to a classics after that--I hope so, anyway. I noticed that there were a lot of young people in the audiences in Miami with the New World Symphony as well.

TH: I think the KC Symphony is doing a great job with community outreach. Seeing you play the National Anthem at the World Series was awesome!

SY: I agree! We are doing really exciting things and we are getting noticed. (That Royals game was one of the best days of my life!) Our administration is so great too. They really respect and admire the musicians and what we do, which creates a great atmosphere to work together.

TH: What composers (other than Bach) do you enjoy listening to?

SY: Beethoven is one of my other favorite composers. Of course, I love all of his music! But, for me, his quartets are my absolute favorite. That music has touched my emotions in ways I could never imagine! Brahms also has great chamber pieces. As you can tell, I love chamber music--listening to it and playing it. Two other composers worth mentioning for me personally, are Prokofiev and Stravinsky.

TH: I know I speak for all of the musicians in the Heritage Philharmonic when I say that we are so excited that you are joining us for this concert on Saturday night.

SY: Thank you! I am very excited to perform with the Heritage Philharmonic and I hope the audience enjoys the performance of this great piece.