Beethoven #tinydesk week continues with cellist Jan Vogler and pianist Alessio Bax, at the “doctor’s office,” where they make the case for Beethoven as the liberator of the cello. https://t.co/9D0dIWkf99 pic.twitter.com/uNdQD3rlt7
— NPR Classical (@nprclassical) December 16, 2020
More information can be found here.
The latest recording of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Manfred Honeck with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 and Leshnoff’s Double Concerto for Clarinet & Bassoon is one of the “Best classical albums released in 2020” which were chosen by BBC Music Magazine critics.
More information can be found here as well as the review here.
In the coming last weeks of December, Omer Meir Wellber will conduct special performances at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo via livestream on Teatro Massimo Web TV:READ MORE
As of the start of Lotte de Beer’s period as Director, Omer Meir Wellber is to be Music Director at Volksoper Wien from 1 September 2022. In addition to directing new productions and repertoire performances, for five seasons he will be chiefly responsible for the musical life of the Volksoper and for the development of the ensemble, the orchestra and the chorus. From as early as spring 2021 he will be involved in the preparations for the new directorship.READ MORE
The debut CD of the Romanian pianist Daniel Ciobanu was reviewed by Hannah Schmidt in the broadcast on December 9th at WDR 3 TonArt.
“Technically demanding and with mental power, the busy pianist positions himself. His interpretations are orchestral and surprising. A musician with great contrasts”.
You can listen to it here.
The album Ginastera – Bernstein – Moussa: Works for Violin and Orchestra which was released by ANALEKTA in November 2020 was named one of Canada’s top 20 classical albums of 2020 by CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Centre).
The recording with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, under the direction of Kent Nagano and with Andrew Wan, concertmaster of the OSM was recorded in concert at the Maison symphonique de Montréal in 2019 and brings together important works by Gianstera, Bernstein and Moussa.
Find more information here.
Welsh bass-baritone Bryn Terfel will perform a holiday program with special musical guests, on Saturday, December 12, at 7:00pm CET/1:00pm ET, from the historic Brecon Cathedral in his native Wales, as part of the Met Stars Live in Concert pay-per-view series. Terfel will be joined by two rising Welsh singers, soprano Natalya Romaniw and tenor Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, as well as by harpist Hannah Stone, pianist Jeff Howard, and the Welsh traditional folk group Calan. The recital will be streamed live via the Met website and will then be available on demand for 14 days.
InREAD MORE
On December 12, Jan Vogler will perform live from the Kulturpalast together with the Dresden Festival Orchestra. The event will be broadcast live on the streaming platform Dreamstage at 8 pm. The program of this evening will combine works by Johann Adolph Hasse, Nicola Antonio Porpora and Antonio Vivaldi, among others, and will build a musical bridge from Dresden to Italy.
With the proceeds from the virtual tickets the Dresden Music Festival wants to support especially the freelance musicians of the Dresden Festival Orchestra.
Further information is available at www.musikfestspiele.com and www.dreamstage.live.
The works “Canto”, “(T)raum-Ze(n)it” and “Counterpoints on Come, Sweet Death” by David Philip Hefti will be released on CD by NAXOS/Musiques Suisses on December 4. The album swiss clarinet music will feature three works by Hefti as well as works for clarinet by Jean-Luc Darbellay, Othmar Schoeck and August Walter.
Further information can also be found here.
Since early childhood, Beethoven’s music has played an important role in the life of the pianist Mari Kodama, she writes in her letter to the composer in the series “Letters to Beethoven” of Deutschlandfunk. Even after 40 years of engagement with his music, she is still surprised by discoveries time and again.
Here you can read the letter and have Mari Kodama read it to you.