Category: music

“There are plenty of stores out there – Spotify alone has 6 million tracks – many people have gigabytes of music on their hard drives, lesser-known bands publish on MySpace, and music blogs post rarities. Playdar provides a way to pull all those sources together into one giant jukebox.”

Says the veteran maestro: “It’s so easy, forte, and piano is so difficult. … In principle, orchestras, professional as well as student, always play too loud. You never have to ask for forte. It comes by itself. You only have to ask for kinds of forte.”

How a fabulous cocktail-lounge band transformed a respectable classical piano duet into a double-sided tale of thwarted passion. (With special guest appearance by NPR heartthrob Ari Shapiro as the cad.)

As part of the ongoing White House music series, “the first lady will host a Classical Music Student Workshop Concert, which will feature an appearance by superstar violinist Joshua Bell, guitarist Sharon Isbin, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Awadagin Pratt.”

“How could there be a shortfall when, as COC board president Paul Spafford proudly reported, for the third year in a row since moving into its new home at the Four Seasons Centre, the opera company played to full houses?” Among other things, “[d]onations from individuals and corporations were $1.1 million below target.”

“Music institutions are feeling, it seems, a responsibility to assume the role that educational institutions are abandoning, in terms of teaching people about classical music. … But there’s a fine line between conveying useful information and lecturing at people.”

The Berlin Philharmonic “said Wednesday that [Simon] Rattle has signed a contract to continue in his role as artistic director through 2018 … The British conductor has led the Berlin Philharmonic since 2002.”

“The COC announced on Monday a plan to record and broadcast all seven of its mainstage productions during the 2009-2010 season, working in conjunction with current partner CBC/Radio-Canada. … The operas will also be available via streaming from the COC website and Radio 2’s Concerts on Demand, for 12 months after each title’s internet debut.”

“The press materials insist that the AvantGrand is virtually identical to a concert grand, only cheaper, smaller, and always perfectly in tune.” But it’s much more: for instance, you can choose your temperament (equal, Pythagorean, Werckmeister), adjust the responsiveness of the keys, and record and play back what you just played – all by pressing a few buttons.

The maestro who’s galvanized the Minnesota Orchestra tells what he learned watching conductors as an orchestral clarinetist: “Don’t speak too much. Try to use your body language. Make sure your beat is not like swimming.”