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Classical News
260 years ago today, Johann Sebastian Bach passed away. His final resting place is in Leipzig's Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church). Today, thousands of people around the world are paying tribute to one of the greatest composers to have ever lived. I've been informed that tonight the entire town of Leipzig will be awash with the sound of ringing church bells from its every steeple. If only I could be in Germany now. I'm sure in the days ahead, many videos and pictures will be uploaded to the web, at which point I'll be sure to post links.
Remebering Johann Sebastian Bach originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 18:00:59.
In just over a month, (August 28 through September 6) the Met Opera will host its popular 10 consecutive day opera festival in the newly redesigned Lincoln Center Plaza. In its debut last year, more than 40,000 people attended the free event. This year, the plaza will seat 3,100 people on a first come, first served basis, and with ten presentations of of the Met's Peabody and Emmy Awards winning Live in HD series including three productions of the 2009-10 season (Puccini's Tosca, starring Karita Mattila and Marcelo Álvarez; Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, starring Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja; and Bizet's Carmen, starring Elīna Garanča and Roberto Alagna), I have no doubt seats will fill fast. Also on the schedule are The Magic Flute, Der Rosenkavalier, Doctor Atomic, La Boheme, Hansel and Gretel, Turandot, and Aida. Start times range between 7:15 PM and 8:00 PM. Hopefully, the weather will be perfect as there are no rain dates!
Met Opera's Free Summer HD Festival originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 23:23:39.
I'm sure many of you have seen this picture of Natalie Portman as the Black Swan after it quickly made its way around the internet last week. I did a little bit of research about the upcoming film and I'm excited for its release later this fall. The film, which premieres September 1st at the Venice Film Festival, tells the story of Nina (Natalie Portman), a New York City Ballet dancer, as she is chosen for the lead in Tchaikovsky's ballet, Swan Lake. However, with pressure from both her mother and demanding dance master, as well as the arrival of a new and talented dancer (Mila Kunis) who possesses qualities Nina lacks, Nina begins a reckless journey into her dark side which may prove to be disastrous.
Darren Aronofsky also directed The Wrestler (2008), starring Micky Rourke.
Aronofsky's Black Swan Starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Sunday, July 25th, 2010 at 00:20:18.
This week I had the pleasure of listening to another album from the 5-American Composer series recently released by Sony Masterworks. And just like last week, I've really enjoyed listening to the recordings they had put together spanning three disks - some of which were new to me and some which were quite familiar. Barber didn't compose "American" music and he didn't compose "Western" music. What he composed was music that pleased himself. Thankfully, it pleased all of us who heard it too! Learn more about The Music of America - Samuel Barber in this classical music CD review.
Classical Music CD Review: The Music of America - Samuel Barber originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Sunday, July 18th, 2010 at 03:32:04.
Here's a fantastic 3-disk album released this past June. With a huge selection of music ranging from Williams' presidential "Air and Simple Gifts" to the Olympic inspired "Summon the Heroes" to the Star Wars Finale, you'll find that this collection is a perfect representation of the composer's musical career. Learn more about The Music of America - John Williams in this classical CD review.
Classical CD Review: The Music of America - John Williams originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Sunday, July 11th, 2010 at 01:38:51.
Acclaimed Russian pianist and conductor Mikhail Vasillievich Pletnev was charged on Monday, July 5th for the rape of a 14 year old boy in a beach resort in Thailand. If convicted, Pletnev could face up to 20 years in prison. Pletnev denies all charges and claims them to be a misunderstanding. Pletnev founded the Russian National Orchestra (the country's first independent orchestra) and won a Grammy award in 2005 for Best Chamber Music Performance. To learn more, read the full Associated Press story.
Russian Conductor Mikhail Pletnev Arrested originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Thursday, July 8th, 2010 at 00:41:40.
As the USA celebrates its independence, many orchestras are performing Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. For the past 30+ years, Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture has been performed during countless United States' Independence Day celebrations, due largely in part to an exhilarating performance by the Boston Pops in 1974, conducted by Arthur Fiedler. However, Tchaikovsky did not write the piece with the USA's War of 1812 in mind. Learn the true meaning behind Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
The Truth Behind Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Sunday, July 4th, 2010 at 20:21:56.
Here's another aria made famous in part to Luciano Pavarotti's wonderful voice - "Una furtiva lagrima" from Donizetti's opera, L'elisir d'amore. Learn the lyrics to "Una furtiva lagrima" and sing along with Pavarotti in this YouTube video.
Una Furtiva Lagrima Lyrics & Text Translation originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Sunday, June 27th, 2010 at 21:46:35.
While browsing through iTunes today, I happened to find a fantastic classical guitar recital by Tully Cathey at The University of Utah's College of Fine Arts. Best of all, well apart from the lovely performance, it was completely free. You can download the audio and even the high quality videos of the performance. Mr. Cathey performed works by Tarrega, Manuel de Falla, Frederico Moreno Torroba, Sir Lennox Berkeley, as well as those composed by Cathey himself, which I found especially pleasing. Sometimes there's nothing like the music of solo classical guitar. When in the iTunes store, just search for "Classical Guitar Recitals - Tully Cathey" or follow this link to iTunes.
Classical Guitar Recitals - Tully Cathey originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Thursday, June 24th, 2010 at 00:38:36.
Those of you in New York City on Tuesday, June 22, can take a trip down to the World Financial Center Winter Garden to attend a free classical music concert at 7:00 PM, featuring the Grammy-nominated Eroica Trio. The performance, which features the works of both North and South American composers, marks the beginning of this year's River to River Festival. Expect to hear Bernstein's West Side Story, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, as well as Tangos by Astor Piazzolla among others. For more information about this concert, visit the River to River Festival.
Grammy-Nominated Eroica Trio Free Concert originally appeared on About.com Classical Music on Sunday, June 20th, 2010 at 02:34:31.
