Dorothea Röschmann, soprano
Anne Sophie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
Steve Davislim, tenor
Eric Owens, bass-baritone

The B minor Mass was written over a 35-year period, and never performed as a complete and distinct work during Bach’s lifetime. Bach was a devout Lutheran who spent much of his life composing sacred settings of German liturgy. Why he chose to use Latin for this work is unknown.  The original was preserved by the composer’s son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, who made some editorial changes and had the work copied. In spite of intense curiosity from the likes of Haydn and Beethoven, among others, this work, now considered to be one of the greatest masterpieces of all time, was not heard in its completion until 1859.

New York Philharmonic Music Director Alan Gilbert said this:

In the end, Wagner sounds like Wagner—if nothing else, he is limited by his own voice; but it is at times a glorious voice, infused with humanity and a most exquisite yearning; it is a voice that continues to ripple across the ages, and shape the way people write music today.

Tune into WFMT all day on Wednesday, May 22nd to hear commentary, and a sampling of the legacy of Richard Wagner.

Read more and see a video discussion of Richard Wagner.

A WFMT favorite “comes home” to perform on Live from WFMT. The Ukrainian-born pianist, Inna Faliks, was brought to the U.S. at the age of 10 by her mother. She was a student of the late Emilio del Rosario, who shepherded many of Chicago’s most gifted piano students; Ms. Faliks later served as assistant to Mr. del Rosario.

Around the studios of WFMT, Ms. Faliks is admired for her warmth and superb musicianship.

See a video of Inna Faliks:

Little “Halie” Jackson was a singer for as long as she could remember, but some folks at church didn’t think so. In fact, they were troubled by the liberties she took with the good old hymns. When her mother died, the care of 5-year-old Halie and her brother, Peter, went to extended family. There were thirteen of them living in a three-room home on Pitt Street in New Orleans. When she was 16, the family decided Chicago was a better place for young Mahalia. At her first Sunday service in Chicago, she sang a solo and was immediately recruited for the Greater Salem Baptist Church Choir. The Johnson Gospel Singers spotted her next; she began touring across the city with them. In 1929, at the age of 18, she began working with “The Father of Black Gospel Music,” Thomas A. Dorsey.

In 1950, Mahalia Jackson became the first gospel singer to perform at Carnegie Hall. Two years later, she sat down with Studs Terkel to reflect on her life. Hear that conversation on The Best of Studs Terkel, Friday at 10:00 PM.

In an exclusive conversation recorded for the WFMT Radio Network, the acclaimed soprano Angela Gheorghiu discusses with Jon Tolansky her brand new CD she has entitled Angela Gheorghiu – Homage to Maria Callas: Favourite Opera Arias, which EMI Classics releases in November.

In her conversation, Angela Gheorghiu speaks about the very wide range of styles and characters she sings on the new disc, which contains opera arias by Verdi, Puccini, Gounod, Bellini, Leoncavallo, Saint-Saëns, Catalani, Bizet, Giordano, Cherubini, Massenet and Cilèa.

Hear Angela Gheorghiu discussing Saint-Saens’ treatment of the biblical character, Delilah:

The iPad is popping up in unexpected places. One person was spotted reading Bach’s B Minor Mass in the box seats at Symphony Center—this while Riccardo Muti, four soloists and the CSO Chorus were singing their hearts out. Artists are starting to use the iPad on music stands in place of sheet music: no more page turns (the music scrolls according to the desired tempo), and it’s a compact method of transporting a music library.

In the past, only the most diehard music fan would think of procuring the score to a favorite piece. Scores are not sold in many places; they’re unwieldy, and even intimidating if one is unaccustomed to looking at lots of notes. It’s easy to get lost, but the rewards are enormous. There is something about seeing the composer’s craft unfold before your very eyes that’s inspiring, even thrilling. After all, a performance is but an interpretation of what’s on that page. A listener who’s looking at the notes, starts to hear musical lines that may not be emphasized by a particular conductor (not that they necessarily should be).

Tonight at 8:00 PM, you have the opportunity to try your own hand at this. Wagner’s Tannhäuser is the Tuesday night opera.

Here is the score; now get ready.

Tannhauser Act I

Tannhauser Act II

Tannhauser Act III

It should be noted: 1) there were no duplications 2) this is a list of works which our panelists feel have enduring value, but is in no way a list of the only pieces with enduring value 3) this list has a lot to do with Chicago’s musical scene. Most of our panelists are American, which probably skews the answers toward composers who are working in the U.S.—but there’s more to it than that; many composers from around the world choose the U.S. as home. Since the world wars, and before, the U.S. has been a beacon for composers seeking opportunity and creative freedom (including Hindemith, Stravinsky, Bartok, Schoenberg, Weill; to present day composers like Chen Yi, Elbio Barilari, and Shulamit Ran). Successful composers working in this country do tend to find their way to Chicago, from time to time. Hence, this list does break out of the Chicago bubble to some extent.

The broadcast of Lasting Impressions takes place throughout the day on Monday, May 13, starting at 9:00 AM. Here are the results.

If you’re interested in hearing some of the very latest compositions to roll off the printer (actually no, they don’t use vellum anymore), the Chicago Symphony’s new music series MusicNOW will feature a brand new piece by composer-in-residence Mason Bates, plus works by Saariaho, Theofanidis and Balter. This concert takes place on June 3 at the Harris Theater.

Here Ms. Chen thumbs through the score of Florence Price’s Mississippi River:

This weekend marks Ms. Chen’s Chicago Symphony Orchestra subscription debut in a concert that represents the confluence of several efforts: the CSO’s Rivers Festival, which presents music about different waterways while raising awareness about the ecology of our own rivers—the rivers component of this weekend’s concerts features a work by bygone Chicago composer, Florence Price, whose symphony was premiered by the CSO back in the 1930s, making her the first female, African-American composer to have a work played by a major orchestra. This weekend also offers a Beyond the Score, which will use actors, visual effects and musical excerpts played live by the CSO to highlight Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade; these CSO concerts also offer a friendly handshake between two local orchestras: the CSO and Chicago Sinfonietta.

The Beyond the Score concerts are Friday and Sunday. The subscription concerts are Saturday and Tuesday.