Houston Piano Company

Osvaldo Golijov, Still Behind Schedule

Charles T. Downey — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:52:00 +0000

Over the weekend there was more bad news for Osvaldo Golijov, from an article in the Register-Guard. It picked up observations by Tom Manoff that "at least half" of Sidereus, a recent piece by Golijov, is the work of another composer. The borrowing has since been acknowledged by the composer whose work was lifted, Michael Ward–Bergeman, as approved in advance. Golijov has said nothing publicly,

The Sound of European Pianos: “That’s Amore”

HoustonPianoCo — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:36:44 +0000

Amore. 愛. Amor. Liebe. 爱. Amour. Любовь. Love.

All completely different ways of saying the word love. Did you know that each and every piano is also very different from one another? It’s true. When you think about it, pianos are like snowflakes, fingerprints, genes – anything that is unique. The differences between pianos come primarily from where they are built. The crème de la crème pianos come from the famous piano factories in Europe, especially Germany and Austria. However, European piano companies offer a wide range and diversity to fit your individual needs.

“Bechstein is for pianists as Stradivarius and Amati are for violinists.”

- Hans von Bulow, The first chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic

Piano companies in Europe have a rich history, which is why most piano experts will agree to their superior quality. LivingPianos.com claims that the most popular piano builders are Bechstein (Germany), Bluthner (Germany), Boesendorfer (Austria), and Fazioli (Italy). Some eastern European builders that offer better value but not as fine quality as the former list are Petrof/Weinbach, and Estonia.

Most European pianos can attribute their legendary success to two main facets: tradition, and craftsmanship. Staying true to the their timeless traditions, they combine this expertise with marvels of modern technology to keep increasing the quality of their instruments. PianoTreasure.com briefly explains some of the hierarchy of European pianos. The higher quality pianos have more history and higher craftsmanship standards, such as using only the finest materials and being almost completely hand-made.

Fun fact: The piano you hear on The Beatles “Let It Be” is a Bluthner grand at Abbey Road Studios in London.

For more information:

Other References:

http://pages.ebay.com/buy/guides/piano-buying-guide/

http://www.hollywoodpiano.com/piano-buyers-guide.html

Being Cheated

Scott — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 15:33:00 +0000

Just as I get back into blogging, there is a good classical music scandal! Osvaldo Golijov has been borrowing music from other composers in his compositions. There is nothing new about borrowing, in fact the IU Jacobs School of Music maintains an online database of musical borrowing. But the complaints, by Tom Manoff, Amanda Meer, Anne Midgette, and Bob Keefer, are that Golijov's borrowing has gone beyond the level of inspiration to that of passing off another's work as his own. There is discussion of this on the Sequenza21 blog as well. The main story is of Golijov's "Siderous", commissioned by a whole slew of orchestras in honor of Henry Fogel. Golijov credits Michael Ward-Bergeman for using the melody from his piece, “Barbeich,” as part of the work. The charge is that it is more than just the melody used, it is significant structural elements as well. Michael Ward-Bergeman is quoted as being fine with Golijov's borrowing, that it was all arranged. So he is not the victim.

Are the commissioning orchestras being victimized? They expected a new work by Osvaldo Golijov. But Golijov was well-known to have collaborated with various other artists on his major works, such as Ayre and Ainadamar. So any responsible commissioning agent could expect the possibility that Golijov would collaborate on this project as well. One comment at Sequenza21 claims the work is considerably shorter than the original commission called for, but I would think the orchestras already dealt with that issue when Golijov delivered the piece. The same commenter claims the audience is being victimized, because they are misinformed as to the provenance of the piece. They came to hear Golijov, dammit! Not Michael Ward-Bergeman! Except the program notes do give credit to Mr. Ward-Bergeman, and audiences can still judge the work regardless of authorship.

That is an interesting question, about the role of the audience in questions of authorship. Is an audience cheated when Mozart's Requiem is performed, though he did not compose all of it? What about works that had been attributed to one composer for years, before new scholarship revealed a different composer? Did all the previous audiences have a cheated listening experience? My impression is that the audience is not harmed by unattributed collaborative efforts. Clarifying sources can make the listening experience more interesting, such as tracing all of the quotations in an Ives sonata, or noting borrowings from Strauss' Death and Transfiguration in John Williams' score to Superman. But there is no harm done in not revealing those sources either.

Then it comes down to what composing is. When Danger Mouse combined the Beatles' "White" album and JayZee's Black Album, was it composing? When Berio quoted from Mahler, or Corigliano quoted from Beethoven, was that composing? I say yes, and would also call Golijov's collaborative efforts composing as well.

Berlin Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall This Week

Peter Matthews — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 13:20:55 +0000

This week, the Berlin Philharmonic, one of the two-or-three orchestras which can legitimately claim to be among the best in the world, returns to Carnegie Hall for the first time since 2009, performing three concerts under Simon Rattle, now in his 10th season as music director. It is always a privilege whenever this astonishing orchestra comes to New York, especially given that these will be the BPO's only North American appearances this season.

The centerpiece of Berlin's Carnegie stand will be Friday night's performance of Bruckner's 9th Symphony, in a brand-new completed version by Nicola Samale, Giuseppe Mazzuca, John A. Phillips and Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs. (The work had it's premiere in Berlin two weeks ago.) For many - including your's truly - this is messing with one of music's great sacred cows, revered for over a century as a three-movement fragment. But, if anyone can pull it off, it's Rattle, who's also spent the past 20 years tirelessly promoting Deryck Cooke's completion of Mahler's 10th symphony (which he recorded with the Berlin Phil in 2000.)

According to Carnegie's website, there is less pure speculation going on here than you might think:

"Of the 647 bars in the reconstruction, 208 are completely by Bruckner, for most of the remaining bars, string parts, drafts of the wind parts or initial sketches were available – there were only 37 bars for which there was no music at all by the composer. Simon Rattle says, 'Everything that is strange about this finale is 100% Bruckner. And one can see the terror and the fear and the passion which he was going through in his life at that time.'"

You can read more about the reconstruction on the Berlin Phil's site, or watch Rattle and Jeremy Geffen above. Tickets for this and the other two concerts are sold out, but Carnegie's site says to check with the box office for possible availability.

A Swiss-born female Lawrence in man-drag

Pliable — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 08:31:00 +0000

While I was developing my interest in the cultural explorer, Sufi adept and libertine Isabelle Eberhardt composer Missy Mazzoli and director Gia Forakis were engaged in the far more arduous task of creating their multi-media opera on the same subject. 'Song from the Uproar: the Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt' opens at The Kitchen, 512 West 19th Street, New York on February 24. Now Gia writes to tell me that two of the five performances have already sold out following Justin Davidson's critics' pick billing in New York Magazine which previews the production as "a multimedia don’t-call-it-opera dramatizing the story of the intrepid Isabelle Eberhardt, a Swiss-born female Lawrence in man-drag". As Isabelle herself once wrote “The way I see it, there is no greater spiritual beauty than fanaticism, of a sort so sincere it can only end in martyrdom.” More on my fascination with Lawrence in man-drag here.

Graphic is sampled from the cover of the Peter Owen collection of Isabelle Eberhardt's writing 'Prisoner of Dunes'. This cover is the work of Juliet Standing and is in turn sampled from a detail of 'Algerian Women in their Apartment' by Eugène Delacroix Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk Also on Facebook and Twitter.

The Man Who Makes Monk Better

Houston Piano Aggregator 1 — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 15:30:00 +0000

Austrian pianist Hans Groiner has set out to improve the compositions of a jazz master.

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Brass bands and Xenakis are not a crazy mix

Pliable — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:34:00 +0000

When I wrote yesterday's headline 'Salvation Army band plays Xenakis' I realised it was a compromise. Twitter and other social media demands brevity, my headline needed to imply a clash of styles, but I knew it ran the risk of being interpreted as disparaging Salvation Army bands. I did consider 'Palm Court orchesta plays Xenakis' but a quick Google check suggested the term 'Palm Court Orchestra' might leave North American readers baffled. (Was I wrong on that?) So I ran with the Salvation Army reference despite some misgivings. Which means I was not surprised to receive the following very constructive email from a reader:

Brass Bands and Xenakis are not such a crazy mix. When Norway's Einkanger-Bjorsvik Band appeared at the Saturday night concert of the 2007 Brass in Concert Championships (the UK's leading brass band entertainment competition) they included in their programme Xenakis' Rebonds, played by one of their young percussionists. The audience was very appreciative (I have the DVD - http://www.worldofbrass.com/acatalog/26043.html). Actually, brass band audiences don't get enough credit for the breadth of repertoire that they will happily listen to. They will pack out a hall to hear an entertaining mix of styles from classical transcriptions to arrangements of pop tunes, and will be equally happy to listen to original works for brass, especially the test pieces that written for the major competitions. The test pieces are always highly virtuoisc and, while some of them are little more than showcases for the quiality of the bands, many test pieces are serious pieces of music and deserve a hearing. Composers like Philip Sparke, Derek Bourgeois and Edward Gregson have written complex and rewarding scores for brass band that would resonate more with the disenchanted Radio 3 audience than the many retreads of light classics that have pushed them away. This year there has been a lot of excitement in the band world over the test piece for the Norwegian National Brass Band Championships, Goldberg 2012 by Svein H. Giske. Here's a little information about the piece (translated from the Norwegian): http://bjorsvikbrass.wordpress.com/kven-er-med/kornett/svein-henrik-giske/english-goldberg-2012/. I am yet to hear it, but am very keen to do so. I'm hoping Eikanger or Manger takeit to the European Championships as their own choice work.

As for Salvation Army Bands, have you heard one recently? Many SA bands (not just the the International Staff Band, but several strong corps bands like those of Hendon, Enfield and Kettering) play quite a variety of music. Yes, there are still hymn tunes and marches and song arrangements, but there are also big, challenging works for brass band that are influenced by the world of classical music. For example: The principal trombonist of the London Symphony Orchestra, Dudley Bright, has written a fair bit of music for brass band in various styles. His extended piece for the ISB, Pursuing Horizons, was premiered by that band last year as part of its 120th anniversary celebrations. It's not Xenakis, but it is neither is it light and fluffy. It is music of serous intent that deserves to be heard.

Two important points come out of this path. The first is that brevity and the need to grab attention is a mixed blessing - but at least I didn't run the headline 'Naked Salvation Army band plays Xenakis'. The second point is that, as the email above tells us, the brass band community is producing music of serous intent that deserves to be heard - which is what this blog is all about. My thanks go to reader TP for bringing us back on path. Header image is taken from YouTube and shows the Southern Band of the Salvation Army playing at Southsea Citadel. And this path leads on - Glenn Gould bequeathed half of his substantial estate to the Salvation Army.

Also on Facebook and Twitter. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

In Brief: Presidential Edition

Charles T. Downey — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:49:00 +0000

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to good things in Blogville and Beyond. Gidon Kremer celebrates his 65th birthday with Martha Argerich and Kremerata Baltica, in the Salle Pleyel. [France Musique] Pianist Lise de la Salle plays her Liszt recital program in the Auditorium du Louvre. [France Musique] Watch pianist Bertrand Chamayou Bertrand with the Quatuor Zaïde in a program

Philadelphia Orchestra Plays Bartók at Carnegie

Peter Matthews — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 01:33:36 +0000

What better way to spend Valentine's Day than with the orchestra from the City of Brotherly Love?

On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Orchestra came to Carnegie Hall with their Chief Conductor, Charles Dutoit, who's taking something of a victory lap as he prepares to make way for incoming music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Dutoit, who's 75, was still a charismatic presence on the podium, leading this troubled-yet-accomplished orchestra in a program of three "concertos," all in very different guises.

Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra (1943) can rightfully be called his "American Concerto." Written during his exile in New York, it was an overnight sensation, establishing Bartók's name in the U.S. where he was previously unknown, despite his reputation as one of the leading composers of Europe. No doubt Bartók walked over to Carnegie from his 57th Street apartment when the Boston Symphony played it here for the first time in June 1945. (The BSO will perform it again at Carnegie next season.)

The Concerto for Orchestra is generally more accessible and optimistic than Bartók's earlier output, no doubt catered to his American audience. Written in five movements, it traverses the standard arc from quick allegro, to haunting scherzo, to slow central movement, then back again. It was clear from the outset that the Philadelphians were on their game, with tight brass, polished strings, and crisp, clean percussion: this is a very good orchestra. Dutoit's gestures were reserved, yet full of snap and crackle: he could have easily been mistaken for someone twenty years younger (no thanks to that horrible dye job, Charles.) The finale, encapsulating all of Bartók's incredibly diverse musical language - from creepy glissandi to clarion fanfares - sent everyone to their feet.

Opening the concert was the Frank Martin's Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments (1949): a surprisingly enganging work by this relatively obscure Swiss composer that seemed to echo both Bartók and Debussy, with spiky brass and tribal timpani mixed with broad, expressionist motifs in the strings. Canadian soloist James Ehnes played the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with about as much personality as a paper bag, but still sounded fine. (He played Paganini's relatively plodding 16th Caprice as an encore.)

It's good to see this excellent orchestra apparently unfazed by the maelstrom swirling around it, though that might not be the case for long, as Steve reports that at least three of the seven wind soloists in the Martin are leaving at the end of the season for other gigs, continuing a trend that has accelerated since the orchestra filed for bankruptcy last April. And, one wonders what kind of success Nézet-Séguin - who is only 36 - will have trying to convince other longtime players not to bail. One can only hope the folks in charge down there have a viable game plan to right the ship before it's too late.

More pics on the photo page.

Houston Fan: ‘We Got Tears Outside The Perimeters’

Houston Piano Aggregator 1 — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 23:40:00 +0000

Celebrities joined Whitney Houston's family Saturday at a private funeral service for the pop superstar at her hometown church in Newark, N.J. On the streets outside, hundreds of fans gathered to pay their respects, but police barricades kept them several blocks away from the church.

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