News Karl Hammes

Opera Phantasies from 150 Years (SACD review) 

[…] Kreisler and also Pablo de Sarasate. He has incorporated practically all of the former's music into his repertoire. For many years he has performed successfully with his regular piano partner Ralph Zedler. Mr. Reinhold performs on a 'Mougeot,' a French violin from the 19th century." As for pianist Zedler, I quoted last time from his Web site: "...he graduated from Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne. He worked regularly in the singing classes of Liselotte Hammes, Klesie Kelly, Kurt Moll, and Edda Moser. From the autumn of 1999 to January 2011 Mr. Zedler was engaged at the Mecklenburg State Theatre in Schwerin as soloist and Ballettrepetitor, participating in over seventy productions of opera, operetta, musical, oratorio, and ballet. Since 2011 he has worked at capital Opera, the smallest Opera Berlin, devoting himself to the repertoire of forgotten one-act plays. Mr. Zedler's concert career has taken him along with prominent figures […]

Born on this day in 1904 or thereabouts actress Joan Crawford. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrG5_BwwV9s Born on this day in 1867 conductor Arturo Toscanini. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5CFs6rGMeA Born on this day in 1881 composer Béla Bartók. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7zqNgta_cw Born on this day in 1896 baritone Karl Hammes. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dadyEYwC3s Born on this day in 1910 soprano Magda Olivero. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltwkonYX1HI Born on this day in 1924 composer Julia Perry. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhIsJ_RKoXg Born on this day in 1925 conductor and composer Pierre Boulez. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qO26xbIXzA Born on this day in 1928 conductor Zdenek Kosler. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHXA7AlXD0w Born on this day in 1928 baritone Mario Sereni. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K9NxZN-Rbg Happy 70th (or 73rd) birthday soprano Gabriela Benackova. //www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9ZiGKvOUbs

Classical music education: Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras’ Percussion Ensemble holds a benefit concert this Saturday afternoon for Ronald McDonald House Charities 

[…] for the Ronald McDonald House in Madison (list things here). The concert will also feature Ronald McDonald himself in person. Nearly 60 performers—featuring Mannheim Steamroller drummer, Tom Sharpe (below) —will present eclectic, global music dedicated to PEACE. The theme of the event is “Lifting the World to Peace.” Other EXTRAVAGANZA artists include Madison’s own Black Star Drum Line Percussion Group, led by Joey B. Banks; the UW-Madison Pan-Global Percussion Ensemble, Todd Hammes, instructor; and the WYSO Chamber Strings, led by its director Karl Lavine (below), principal cellist with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra . For more information and details about the performers an the complete program as well as a video and a list of related activities and needed items you can bring and donate to the Ronald McDonald House Charities, go to: http://www.wysomusic.org/events/concerts-recitals/percussionextravaganza/ Parking is available […]

Classical music: Edgewood College offers two promising band and choral concerts this coming weekend. Plus, a FREE concert of new music for harp and cello is Friday at noon 

[…] under the direction of Sergei Pavlov (center at the bottom of the stairs). The group has just returned from performances at the International Sacred Music Festival in Quito, Ecuador . The Chamber Singers will perform excerpts from the Mass in F by Domenico Zipoli; “Usnijze mi, usnij” by Polish composer Henryk Gorecki ; “Holy, Holy” from the Gospel Mass by Robert Ray; and a Victor Johnson arrangement of “Bonse Aba,” a traditional Zambian work. Todd Hammes, adjunct faculty member in the Music Department, will assist on percussion. Also performing will be the Women’s Choir (below top), under the direction of Kathleen Otterson (below bottom). The Women’s Choir will perform Israeli and Jewish folk songs, a spiritual, and the “Domine Deus” from Johann Sebastian Bach ’s Mass in G major, also featuring Victoria Gorbich on violin. (You can hear the glorious Bach piece performed in a YouTube video at […]