Are we spoiled or what? With the Chicago Chamber Musicians we have a resident group who routinely plays great works on WFMT and all around town. On Wednesday evening, they were gathered as the house band for their gala benefit. My dear friend and colleague Bill McGlaughlin emceed. He called it “hausmusik:” referring to an more…
Archive for April, 2009
It’s Shakespeare’s birthday and everybody’s getting into the act.
Thursday, April 23, 2009 by Louise Frank
Earlier this week, Mayor Richard M. Daley announced that April 23, Shakespeare’s 445th Birthday, will be Talk Like Shakespeare Day, an occasion for Chicagoans to bring the spoken words of Shakespeare into their daily lives. “On his 445th birthday, Shakespeare still speaks to the people of Chicago through timeless words and works,” said Mayor Daley more…
Steve Reich Wins 2009 Pulitzer Prize for “Double Sextet,” a work commissioned by eighth blackbird
Tuesday, April 21, 2009 by Louise Frank
Steve Reich’s Double Sextet — commissioned by eighth blackbird and given its first performances by the group last season — has won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Music. This is the second time an eighth blackbird commission has been nominated (Stephen Hartke’s Meanwhile received a nod last year). Scored for two identical sextets each comprising more…
“LA TRIVIATA” TRIUMPHS
Friday, April 17, 2009 by Carolyn Paulin
I surely hope that you were listening to 98.7 WFMT yesterday afternoon between 5 and 6! WFMt’s new Game Show, “La Triviata,” made it inaugural appearance, broadcast live from Marbles The Brain Store, 55 West Grand Avenue, downtown in Chicago. We had three stellar teams of panelists – musical experts all – from Chicago Opera more…
Youtube Orchestra Debuts at Carnegie Hall
Thursday, April 16, 2009 by David Polk
Review: By David Polk The debut concert of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra began Wednesday with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas updating an old joke: The new way to get to Carnegie Hall, he said, is to “upload, upload, upload.” The concert was the culmination of an online competition by which classical musicians from around the world more…
Listening Challenge
Thursday, April 16, 2009 by Noel Morris
My little slice of our ‘match of the music-lover,’ WFMT’s new game show, La Triviata, is to create an audio onslaught of core repertoire. The challenge for the contestants: identify as much of the music as possible. It’s kind of fun. One disclosure: it turns out some very fine brains are wired to recall what more…
Billy Collins
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 by Louise Frank
Our blogging ode to Poetry Month continues with this entry dedicated to two-time U.S. Poet Laureate, Billy Collins Here he is introducing and then reciting Litany. Litany You are the bread and the knife, the crystal goblet and the wine…- Jacques Crickillon You are the bread and the knife,the crystal goblet and the wine.You are more…
Bryn Terfel’s performance saved thanks to the man with the right sized pants!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 by Louise Frank
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Article and photograph from:Telegraph.co.ukApril 11, 2009Stephen Adams, Arts Correspondenthttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/5140272/Bryn-Terfels-night-at-the-opera-with-no-trousers.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was less a case of the wrong trousers and more a case of none at all for Bryn Terfel, the world-renowned opera singer, at a recent concert. Before leaving his hotel to perform on a warm day in the South Korean capital of Seoul, the more…
Thoughts from Abroad
Monday, April 13, 2009 by Louise Frank
I am back from my vacation of last week which happily included a few days in London. The Tate Modern had a wonderful exhibition of the groundbreaking work of Russian Constructivists, Alexander Rodchenko and Lyubov Popova. The Lyttelton at the National Theater is currently presenting The Pitmen Painters which tells the tale of a group more…
Twelfth Night
Tuesday, April 7, 2009 by Carolyn Paulin
Run, don’t walk, to Chicago Shakespeare Companys’ dazzling new production of Twelfth Night!!! My husband and I were lucky enough to attend the opening Sunday aftenoon, and it was maybe the most fun I’ve had at the theater…EVER. The cast is brilliant. The director is miraculous in creating a delightful, pretty-close-to period production that speaks more…
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