Wolfgang Hase News
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2024-04-23
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2023-03-30 21:44:00
New York Philharmonic. Susanna Malkki, conductor; Claire CHase, flute; esperanza spalding, bass. March 29, 2023.
David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center. Orchestra (Seat Y119, $79.50).At the conclusion of the concert.ProgramThe Unanswered Question (1900-ca. 1941) by Ives (1874-1954).Double Concerto (2019; New York Premiere) by Felipe Lara (b. 1979).Petrushka (1947 version) by Stravinsky (1882-1971)."If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all" is something we learned as a kid. By that rule this will be the shortest review I have ever written. But I am not a nice person.Most of my venom, such as it is, is directed at the piece by Lara. It started with the name of the bassist, who decided capitalizing the first and last names was for ordinary people, and she certainly wasn't ordinary. I thought of quoting some of the more ridiculous statements in her bio in the Playbill, and decided it's not worth my time. Similarly, the Program Notes talked about how the composer's "humility" about his success, and […]
2021-04-14 07:35:12
Richard Strauss satirising his publisher & exploring exoticism with vertiginously high vocals: Unerhört (Outrageous) from tenor Daniel Behle and pianist Oliver Schnyder
[…] need an explanation (which is provided in the admirable article in the booklet). So the first two songs makes great play on the story of a goat who comes as a messenger and which feeds on a flowers, except that in German goat is 'Bock', messenger is 'Bote' and bouquet is 'Strauss', and so it goes on through all the songs. In one, the major publisher Breitkopf & Härtel is referred to via a hare ('Hase' in German, the firm's proprietor was Dr Oskar von Hase) and flat-head ('Härtel' in German) The result is a cycle full of in-jokes and dominated by a huge piano part (was that another of Strauss' jokes?), and as well Strauss includes references to his own works too! The cycle is frankly curious, particularly the way that Strauss writes such a huge and demanding piano part, with many of the songs have long piano introductions, […]
2019-10-28 17:01:00
Elgar The Apostles - Martyn Brabbins, Royal Festival Hall.
At the Royal Festival Hall, Sir Edward Elgar's The Apostles, Martyn Brabbins conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Chorus, the BBC Symphony Chorus and a good array of soloists. The Apostles is hardly unknown : it's been done numerous times, so its place in the canon is beyond dispute. So why doesn't it get the respect it's due ? It occupies a very special place in our understanding of Elgar and his music, and of the times he lived in. The Apostles is part of a trilogy of oratorios examining the nature of Christianity as Jesus taught his followers. This context should be well known, too, since both The Apostles and The Kingdom have been done in recent years, establishing the context. Though Elgar used the grand gestures popular in Edwardian times, it is significant that his approach to Christian belief was much more personal statement of […]
2019-07-16 00:59:00
Alfred Walker in Korngold's "The Miracle of Heliane" at Bard SummerScape from July 26
Alfred Walker, Bass-Baritone Opera at Bard SummerScape 2019 Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897–1957) The Miracle of Heliane (American premiere; new production) Libretto by Hans Müller-Einigen, after “The Saint” by Hans Kaltneker Sung in German with English supertitles American Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Leon Botstein, music director Directed by Christian Räth Bard Festival Chorale Set and costume designer: Esther Bialas Lighting designer: Thomas Hase Projection designer: Elaine McCarthy Movement Director: Catherine Galasso Heliane: Ausrine Stundyte, soprano Ruler: Alfred Walker, bass-baritone Stranger: Daniel Brenna, tenor Messenger: Jennifer Feinstein, mezzo-soprano Porter: Nicholas Brownlee, bass-baritone Blind Judge: David Cangelosi, tenor Judge No. 1: Derek Taylor, tenor Judge No. 2: Nathan Berg, bass-baritone Judge No. 3: Scott Conner, bass Judge No. 4: Richard Troxell, tenor Judge No. 5: Michael Hawk, tenor Judge No. 6: Kevin Thompson, bass Sosnoff Theater July 26* at 7:30pm July 28* at 2pm […]
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