Reviews in Opera magazine

My review of OrpheusPDX's production of Il sogno di Scipione (Dream of Scipione) appeared in the December issue of Opera. In the September issue, the magazine published my review of Portland Opera's production of Falstaff. The June issue contained my review of The Shining, which Portland Opera presented in March. Opera is based in London and is considered the leading opera-reviewing publication in English.

Today's Birthdays

André Campra (1660-1744)
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair (1667-1737)
Sir Hamilton Harty (1879-1949)
Alex North (1910-1991)
Yvonne Minton (1938)
Lillian Watson (1947)
Andrew Penny (1952)

and

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1891)
Samuel Butler (1835-1902)
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926)
Cornell Woolrich (1903-1968)

Profile of Lajos Balogh in Oregon Arts Watch

I really enjoyed interviewing Lajos Balogh at his home. You can read my profile of him in Oregon Arts Watch here.

Today's Birthdays

Nicolo Amati (1596-1684)
André Campra (1660-1744)
Antonio Soler (1729-1783)
Émile Waldteufel (1837-1915)
Anton Webern (1883-1945)
Halsey Stevens (1908-1989)
Ivan Sollertinsky (1902-1944)
Machito - Fransico Grillo (1909-1984)
Nino Rota (1911-1979)
Irving Fine (1914-1962)
Charles Craig (1919-1997)
Paul Turok (1929-2012)
José Serebrier (1938)
Matt Haimovitz (1970)

and

Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)
Anna Freud (1895-1982)
Zlata Filipović (1980)

Today's Birthdays

Harry T. Burleigh (1866-1949)
Rudolf Friml (1879-1972)
Harriet Cohen (1895-1967)
Sir John Barbirolli (1899-1970)
Robert Moevs (1920-2007)
Maria Callas (1923-1977)
Jörg Demus (1928-2019)
Galina Grigorjeva (1962)

and

Georges-Pierre Seurat (1859-1891)
T. Coraghessan Boyle (1948)
George Saunders (1958)
Ann Patchertt (1963)

And from the Composers Datebook: On this day in 1717, J.S. Bach is allowed to leave the Duke’s Court at Weimar. He had been imprisoned since Nov. 6th by his former employer Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar for accepting a new post at Prince Leopold’s court at Cöthen without first asking permission.

Today's Birthdays

François‑Xavier Richter (1709-1789)
Ernest (Louis-Etienne-Ernest) Reyer (1832-1909)
Agathe Grøndahl (1847-1907)
Lou Rawls (1933-2006)
Gordon Crosse (1937-2021
Bette Midler (1945)
Rudolf Buchbinder (1946)
Leontina Vaduva (1960)

Today's Birthdays

Carl Loewe (1796-1869)
Charles Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
Sergei Liapunov (1859-1924)
Ludwig Thuille (1861-1907)
Ture Rangström (1884-1947)
Ray Henderson (1896-1970)
Klaus Huber (1924-2017)
Günther Herbig (1931)
Walter Weller (1939-2015)
Radu Lupu (1945-2022)
Semyon Bychkov (1952)

and

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745)
Mark Twain (1835-1910)
L(ucy) M(aud) Montgomery (1874-1942)
Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Jacques Barzun (1907-2012)
David Mamet (1947)

Today's Birthdays

Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Billy Strayhorn (1915-1967)
John Brecknock (1937-2017)
Chuck Mangione (1940-2025)
Louise Winter (1959)

and

Amos Bronson Alcott (1799-1888)
Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
C. S. Lewis (1898-1963)
Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007)

Today's Birthdays

Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687)
Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838)
Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894)
Pamela Harrison (1915-1990)
Berry Gordy Jr. (1929)
Randy Newman (1943)
Diedre Murray (1951)

and

John Bunyan (1628-1688)
William Blake (1757-1827)
Friedrich Engels (1820-1895)
Stefan Zweig (1881-1942)
Nancy Mitford (1904-1973)
Rita Mae Brown (1944)
Alan Lightman (1948)

Today's Birthdays

Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602-1678)
Anton Stamitz (1750-1798 or 1809)
Franz Krommer (1759-1831)
Sir Julian Benedict (1804-1885)
Viktor Ewald (1860-1935)
Charles Koechlin (1867-1950)
Leon Barzin (1900-1999)
Walter Klien (1928-1991)
Helmut Lachenmann (1935)
Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970)
David Felder (1953)
Victoria Mullova (1959)
Hilary Hahn (1979)

and

Anders Celsius (1701-1744)
Charles Beard (1874–1948)
James Agee (1909-1955)
Marilyn Hacker (1942)
Bill Nye (1955)

Review: Oregon Symphony's Carmina Burana benefits from new stage

A massive stage build-out successfully accommodated massive choral forces to deliver an exciting performance of “Carmina Burana” with the Oregon Symphony at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on November 20. All-in-all, around 150 singers were perched on risers that took up most of the regular stage area. The build-out included an extension for the orchestra over the first few rows in the hall where the audience normally would sit. The result was a richer sound from the chorus and the orchestra and a feeling of immediate sonic presence.

Orff’s magnum opus benefitted from the revised configuration with Principal Guest Conductor Jun Märkl leading the entire enterprise that included the Portland State University Chamber, Rose Choir and Thorn Choir, plus the Pacific Youth Choir, and soloists. The opening statement, “O Fortuna,” burst out of the gates with bombastic vigor, creating the medieval backdrop where the lives of men and women were controlled by fate. The choirs countered that mood in the “Primo Vere” sequence, which celebrated the hopefulness of springtime, and they were enhanced by the regal baritone sound of Troy Cook. The singers conveyed the Minnesinger sentiment – ranging from chivalric to hyperbolic – of love poetry in the “Uf dem anger” section with panache, including a rousing “Hey” at its conclusion.

The men of the choir raised a lively ruckus during the In Taberna numbers. Tenor Mark Molomot used a large red scarf to aid his depiction of a roasted swan, but some of his highest notes didn’t ring clearly. Baritone Cook added to the fun as the alcohol-imbibing-abbot by removing his jacket in mock braggadocio.

The women of the choirs created enticing moments in the “Cour d’amors” section with a lovely, seductive sound. The Pacific Youth Choir added to the atmosphere, and soprano Katrina Galka topped it all off with evocative solos, culminating with an ecstatic “Dulcissime.” The final choruses brought the hour-long work to a satisfyingly declamatory ending as the wheel of fate from the beginning chorus reemerged.

Kudos to PSU conductors Ethan Sperry, Coty Raven Morris, Phill Hatton, and Annie Thomas as well as Pacific Youth Choir’s Artistic Director Chris Maunu for expertly preparing their singers.

Having almost all of the orchestra in the same room as the audience was just a terrific experience – not only for “Carmina Burana,” but also for the purely orchestral selections on the concert program. Audience members may not realize that the Schnitz was not built as a concert hall. It was built as a vaudeville and silent movie house. The stage area is almost like a separate room from where the audience sits. Ideally, it is best to have the orchestra and the audience in the same room. A few years ago, the orchestra spent a lot of money to upgrade the space with the Constellation acoustic system (by Meyer Sound). That renovation has improved the concert experience immensely, but positioning the orchestra further into the concert hall was unbelievably superb.

From my seat in the balcony, I could hear all sorts of details in the first piece of the evening, Debussy’s “Danse” (Tarentelle styrienne) as orchestrated by Ravel. This six-minute work positively sparkled. Carefully sculpted dynamics added a punchy quality and enhanced the colors and toe-tapping spirit of the piece.

Richard Strauss’s “Til Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks” also received an incisive and delightful performance from the orchestra. Til’s jokey motifs were evoked by Principal Hornist Jeff Garza and Principal Clarinetist Mark Dubec with elan. Scenes of mayhem, academic piety, and the final trial and execution were vividly expressed.

Directing the tone poem and the Debussy from memory, Märkl had the complete sonic palette at his fingertips and elicited outstanding performances from his forces.

Final note: The performance on Thursday night was the first time that that the orchestra had done so this year. That’s part of a new schedule that the orchestra is doing this season. The next one will take place on Thursday, January 29, with Music Director David Danzmayr on the podium.

Today's Birthdays

Earl Wild (1915-2010)
Eugene Istomin (1925-2003)
Alan Stout (1932-2018)
John Sanders (1933-2003)
Craig Sheppard (1947)
Vivian Tierney (1957)
Spencer Topel (1979)

and

Eugene Ionesco (1909-1994)
Charles Schulz (1922-2000)
Marilynne Robinson (1943)

Portland Native James Walton Premieres New Works in Trinity Music’s Christmas Organ Concert

From the Press Release:

On Friday, December 12, 2025, Portland native and Trinity’s Organ Scholar James Walton will present a festive organ concert for the season on Trinity Episcopal Cathedral’s world-class Rosales organ. The program features a world premiere of Walton’s newest composition, alongside seasonal works by Bach, D’Aquin, and Howells.

Walton will perform the premiere of his Intermezzo, written for this occasion, as well as his Chorale, Variations, & Fugue (2024). A new transcription of one of his improvised works will further highlight his facility as both creator and interpreter. These pieces are infused with Walton’s French Romantic–inspired compositional voice, beautifully suited to the fiery French accent of the Rosales.

The program also includes Claude D’Aquin’s brilliant Noël variations and Advent & Christmas works by J.S. Bach, along with Herbert Howells’ rhapsodic Psalm Prelude (Set 1, No. 1), a piece that showcases the instrument’s full dynamic and expressive range.

Recognized for his musical versatility and command across a wide spectrum of styles, multi-instrumentalist James Walton has been praised for performances ranging from early Renaissance to new music. A graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he earned the Performer’s Certificate for excellence in performance, he is active as an organist, pianist, singer, harpsichordist, and recorder player. Within the last year, Walton has also gained recognition as a composer, writing primarily organ and choral works; his art song “Ea illuvé estel” placed in the Indiana SongSlam competition.

From James Walton:

“Being Trinity’s Organ Scholar is a real pleasure. Inhabiting this glorious space is such a joy, Trinity having such a wonderful community and outstanding choir and music program. Playing on our fantastic Rosales for liturgies each week is both a musically and spiritually satisfying experience, something I will take with me for the rest of my life.”

Walton’s appearance reflects Trinity’s ongoing commitment to fostering the next generation of organists through its Organ Scholar program and to presenting both emerging and established artists on its landmark Rosales organ.

Event Details

Christmas at the Organ: James Walton in Concert

Friday, December 12, 2025, 7:00 pm

Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 147 NW 19th Ave, Portland, OR

Tickets and information: trinity-episcopal.org/music-series

Today's Birthdays

Franz Gruber (1785-1863)
Wilhelm Kempff (1895-1991)
Virgil Thomson (1896-1989)
Paul Desmond (1924-1977)
Sir John Drummond (1934-2006)
Jean-Claude Malgoire (1940-2018)
Håkan Hagegård (1945)
Yvonne Kenny (1950)
Gilles Cachemaille (1951)

and

Andrew Carnegie (1835-1919)
Helen Hooven Santmyer (1895-1986)
Lewis Thomas (1913-1993)
Murray Schisgal (1926-2020)
Shelagh Delaney (1938-2011)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1934, conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler's article "The Hindemith Case" defending Hindemith's music appears in several German newspapers. A response attacking both Hindemith and Furtwängler appears in the Nazi newspaper "Der Angriff" on November 28. Furtwängler resigns all his official German posts on December 4 and leaves Berlin for several months. On December 6 Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels denounces Hindemith as an "atonal noisemaker" during a speech at the Berlin Sport Palace.

Today's Birthdays

Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
Willie ("The Lion") Smith (1897-1973)
Norman Walker (1907-1963)
Erik Bergman (1911-2006)
Alfredo Kraus (1927-1999)
Emma Lou Diemer (1927-2024)
Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998)
Maria Chiara (1939)
Chinary Ung (1942)
Tod Machover (1953)
Jouni Kaipainen (1956)
Samuel Zygmuntowicz (1956)
Edgar Meyer (1960)
Angelika Kirchschlager (1965)

and

Benedict Spinoza (1632-1677)
Laurence Sterne (1713-1768)
Margaret Anderson (1886-1973)
Dorothy Butler Gilliam (1936)
Nuruddin Farah (1945)
Arundhati Roy (1961)

Violinist Kerstin Tenney's album "Light"

Last summer, I attended the League of American Orchestra's annual conference and while perusing some of the displays, I was asked by violinist Kerstin Tenney to consider her album, "Light." It's consists of 16 lovely selections for violin and orchestra, and all of the music is very calm. If you know of someone with frayed nerves, this might be just the right recording for him/her.

Today's Birthdays

Pierre Du Mage (1674-1751)
Manuel de Falla (1876-1946)
André Caplet (1878-1925)
Guy Reginald Bolton (1884-1979)
Jerry Bock (1928-2010)
Vigen Derderian (1929-2003)
Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)
Ludovico Einaudi (1955)
Thomas Zehetmair (1961)
Nicolas Bacri (1961)
Ed Harsh (1962)

and

Harpo Marx (1888-1964)
Nirad C. Chaudhuri (1897-1999)
Paul Celan (1920-1970)
Jennifer Michael Hecht (1965)

and from the Writer's Almanac:

On this day in 1889, the first jukebox was unveiled in a saloon in San Francisco. It was invented by Louis Glass, who had earlier worked as a telegraph operator for Western Union and then co-founded the Pacific Phonographic Company. He was fascinated by the phonograph technology and saw a market for charging people to listen to them, since phonographs were still too expensive to buy for your own home. He installed the machine in the Palais Royal saloon simply because he knew the owner and it was close to his house, so he didn’t have to carry the machine very far.

The word “jukebox” wasn’t invented until the 1920s. Glass called his machine the “nickel-in-the-slot phonograph,” since you had to pay a nickel to hear a song play. In today’s money, a nickel was about $1.27 at the time. The first machine had four different stethoscopes attached to it that functioned as headphones. Each pair of headphones had to be activated by putting in a nickel, and then several people could listen to the same song at once. There were towels left by each listening device so people could wipe them off after using. As part of his agreement with the saloonkeepers, at the end of each song, the machine told the listener to “go over to the bar and buy a drink.”

His phonograph was a huge hit and, at a conference in Chicago, Glass told his competitors that his first 15 machines brought in over $4,000 in six months. This led to other manufacturers making their own machines. Shortly after, Thomas Edison designed a phonograph people could buy for their homes, which also cut into the market. Glass’s invention eventually made the player piano obsolete, and competitors updated the jukebox with new technologies from record players to CDs. Now there is such a thing as a digital jukebox, but they never really caught on, since they come with the size and expense of a regular jukebox, without any of the charm of flipping through the records and watching the moving parts of the machine.

Today's Birthdays

Frantisek Benda (1709-1786)
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784)
Conradin Kreutzer (1780-1849)
Edgard Varèse (1883-1965)
Hoagy Carmichael (1899-1981)
Joaquin Rodrigo (1901-1999)
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Gunther Schuller (1925-2015)
Jimmy Knepper (1927-2003)
Hans Zender (1936-2019)
Kent Nagano (1951)
Stephen Hough (1961)
Sumi Jo (1962)
Edward Gardner (1974)

and

George Eliot (1819-1880)
André Gide (1869-1951)
Winfred Rembert (1945-2021)

And from The Writer's Almanac:

It’s the feast day of Saint Cecilia, who was the patron saint of musicians because she sang to God as she died a martyr’s death. She was born to a noble family in Rome near the end of the second century A.D.

It held a large musical festival to honor her, and the trend made its way to England in the next century. Henry Purcell composed celebratory odes to honor her, and the painter Raphael created a piece called “The Ecstasy of St. Cecilia.” Chaucer wrote about her in the Second Nonnes Tale, and Handel composed a score for a famous ode to her that John Dryden had written.

Today, Saint Cecilia is often commemorated in paintings and on stained glass windows as sitting at an organ.

Today's Birthdays

Francisco Tárrega (1852-1909)
Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
Coleman Hawkins (1904-1969)
Bernard Lagacé (1930-2025)
Malcolm Williamson (1931-2003)
James DePreist (1936-2013)
Idil Biret (1941)
Vinson Cole (1950)
Kyle Gann (1955)
Stewart Wallace (1960)
Björk (1965)

and

Voltare (1694-1778)
Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944)
Mary Johnston (1870-1936)
René Magritte (1898-1967)
Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991)
Marilyn French (1929-2009)
Tina Howe (1937-2023)

Paul Snyder Named Oregon Symphony President and CEO

 From the Press Release:

Oregon Symphony Names Paul Snyder President and Chief Executive Officer 

Portland, Ore., Nov. 20, 2025 — The Oregon Symphony Board of Directors names Paul Snyder as the Oregon Symphony’s next President and Chief Executive Officer. Snyder was appointed Interim President and CEO in July 2025.

As the strategic and operational leader of the Oregon Symphony, Snyder will oversee the a

rtistic, financial, and administrative aspects of the organization, working in close collaboration with Jean Vollum Music Director David Danzmayr to support his artistic direction and creative vision for the orchestra. Drawing on his service on the Oregon Symphony Board of Directors, Snyder brings a deep understanding of the Symphony’s culture and long-term direction. He began an organization-wide strategic planning process in 2025 that engaged board members, musicians, staff, and other stakeholders in shaping a bold and vibrant future for the Symphony.

“Paul impressed the board with his focus in driving the Strategic Plan, translating vision into tangible steps toward building financial resilience, expanding our audience, and strengthening connections with our community,” says Board Chair Courtney Angeli. “He brings a genuine passion for revitalizing Portland and a working knowledge of its civic ecosystem. During his interim tenure, he has earned widespread confidence and respect, and we are thrilled to have him as our next President and CEO.” 

Snyder moved to Portland in 2019 to serve as the Executive Vice President of Stewardship at the Tillamook County Creamery Association (TCCA). In that role, he developed strong relationships with community leaders at the city, county, and state levels that will serve him well in his new position at the Symphony. Snyder also brings expertise in leading arts organizations through his 20+ years of board service at the Atlanta Opera, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Portland Opera. 

“The business side of the arts is changing rapidly, and we must continue to evolve to attract new audiences and contribute to the vitality of the surrounding community,” says Snyder. “I look forward to continued innovation at the Symphony that will ensure its relevancy into the future, while honoring its 129-year history. That is all possible because of the high caliber of our talented and hard-working musicians, the quality and boldness of our programming, and the inspiring alignment between the musicians, staff, and board.”

In Snyder’s previous role, he led TCCA’s Environment & Community Impact, Government Relations & Public Affairs, and Corporate Communications teams, working to develop, manage, and execute the cooperative’s strategies for sustainability, natural resource management, community and social impact, internal engagement, earned media, philanthropy, and policy advocacy. Prior to that, he was Global Vice President – Corporate Responsibility at InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), where he led sustainability strategy and execution for the company’s nearly 5,200 hotels worldwide. 

A committed community leader, Snyder currently serves on the board of directors for B Local PDX and was recently appointed to the Metro Future Vision Commission. Previously, he served on the boards of Oregon Business & Industry, the Portland Metro Chamber, the Georgia Center for Nonprofits, and the American Red Cross of Georgia. Snyder earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature at Lawrence University and an MBA at Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management. 

Review of Metropolitan Youth Symphony's season opening concert

My review of the concert that opened the 51st season of the Metropolitan Youth Symphony has been published in Oregon Arts Watch here.

Review of Portland Youth Philharmonic season opening concert in Oregon Arts Watch

My review of concert that opened the PYP's 102nd season has been published in Oregon Arts Watch here.

Today's Birthdays

Edmond Dédé (1827-1903)
Daniel Gregory Mason (1873-1953)
Maya Plisetskaya (1925-2015)
René Kolo (1937)
Gary Karr (1941-2025)
Meredith Monk (1942)
Phillip Kent Bimstein (1947)
Barbara Hendricks (1948)

and

Nadine Gordimer (1923-2014)
Maya Plisetskaya (1925-2015)
R.W. Apple Jr. (1934-2006)
Don DeLillo (1936)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1805, Beethoven's opera "Fidelio" (1st version, with the "Leonore" Overture No. 2) was premiered in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien.

Review: Portland Opera's "La Boheme" brings pathos to a full house at the Keller

Rebecca Krynski Cox as Mimi and Aloc Kumar as Rodolfo | Photo by Sunny Martini

"La Boheme," one of the most popular operas ever written, opened Portland Opera’s season on November 15 the pizazz and a full house at the Keller Auditorium. The buzz in the lobby was palpable as concertgoers vied for photos against the Portland Opera backdrop and lined up for drinks. Inside the hall, I looked up to see people in the topmost balcony – a site that I had not seen in quite a while at Portland Opera’s mainstage productions. The packed house might have been due in part to the fact that only three performances of this famous evergreen are scheduled – a reduction from the usual four or more performances in pre-Covid times. But Puccini's beloved opera is a sure-fire way to kick off the season in any case.

This production of "La Boheme" featured a strong cast, which was supported incisively by the Portland Opera Orchestra under Nicholas Fox. Stage director/choreographer Cara Consilvio gave straightforward directions that made the story easy to follow and placed all of the action dead-center. Colorful costuming by Martin Pakledinaz and Faban Aguilar brightened up the dusky and evocative scenery designed by Michael Yeargan. Lighting by Marcella Barbeau superbly helped to focus the story.

The Bohemians with Richard Zellar as Benoit | Photo by Sunny Martini

The principal singers were led by Rebecca Krynski Cox as the ill-fated Mimi and Aloc Kumar as her lover Rodolfo. Both gave passionate accounts of their characters that won over the hearts of the audience. Katrina Galka fashioned a scene-stealing Musetta, and her flamboyant behavior clashed extremely well with her hot-headed and jealous lover Marcello, sung with a warmest of baritone voices by Markel Reed.

Adrian Rosales buoyed up his friends’ spirits with food and drink. As the philosopher Colline, Jason Zacher grand moment came when he delivered a poignant farewell to his overcoat, which he sold to buy medicine for Mimi. Richard Zeller masterfully conveyed two gullible characters: the landlord Benoit and the Alcindoro, the wealthy admirer of Musetta.

Katrina Galka as Musetta | Photo by Sunny Martini

Sets originating at San Francisco Opera placed the action squarely in the Paris of the 1890s, depicting a garret with an expanse of windows on one side, and the meager trappings of a bed, a table, a few chairs, and a stove. Icicles hung from the ceiling, indicating how cold the space was for the four, young bohemian artists who lived there. The scene at Café Momus took place inside the restaurant, which was kind of odd when the toy salesman came in with a group of kids circling around him. The scene at the city gates worked well, but the final scene, which returned the action to the garret seemed to be missing the framework of the windows, giving the impression that the characters could step right out – into skyscape of the city.

Photo by Sunny Martini

The orchestra was too dominant in the first scene, especially for most of the male voices, but they could be easily heard the rest of the way because all of the singing took place near the front of the stage. When action returned to the garret for the final scene, the orchestration was quieter, and that really worked to the singers’ favor and helped to deliver the gut-punch of the tragedy.

 

Photo by Sunny Martini

This production of "La Boheme" marked the last one that Sue Dixon would oversee as the Portland Opera’s General Director. Kregg Arntson, president of the company’s board of directors, gave Dixon, who held the GD position for the past six years, a touching send-off before the curtain went up, and that helped to make the evening a special occasion.

Today's Birthdays

Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow (1663-1712)
Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov (1859-1935)
Jean‑Yves Daniel‑Lesur (1908-2002)
Géza Anda (1921-1976)
Maralin Niska (1926-2010)
David Lloyd-Jones (1934-2022)
Agnes Baltsa (1944)
Ross Bauer (1951)
Derrick Skye (1982)

and

Allen Tate (1899-1979)
Sharon Olds (1942)

and from The Writer's Almanac:

On this date in 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was four and a half months after the devastating battle, and it was a foggy, cold morning. Lincoln arrived about 10 a.m. Around noon, the sun came out as the crowds gathered on a hill overlooking the battlefield. A military band played, a local preacher offered a long prayer, and the headlining orator, Edward Everett, spoke for more than two hours. Everett described the Battle of Gettysburg in great detail, and he brought the audience to tears more than once. When Everett finished, Lincoln spoke.

Now considered one of the greatest speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address ran for just over two minutes, fewer than 300 words, and only 10 sentences. It was so brief, in fact, that many of the 15,000 people that attended the ceremony didn't even realize that the president had spoken, because a photographer setting up his camera had momentarily distracted them. The next day, Everett told Lincoln, "I wish that I could flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion in two hours as you did in two minutes."

There are several versions of the speech, and five different manuscript copies; they're all slightly different, so there's some argument about which is the "authentic" version. Lincoln gave copies to both of his private secretaries, and the other three versions were re-written by the president some time after he made the speech. The Bliss Copy, named for Colonel Alexander Bliss, is the only copy that was signed and dated by Lincoln, and it's generally accepted as the official version for that reason.

Today's Birthdays

Jean‑Baptiste Loeillet (1680-1730)
Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941)
Amelita Galli‑Curci (1882-1963)
Eugene Ormandy (1899-1985)
Lillian Fuchs (1901-1995)
Compay Segundo (1907-2003)
Johnny Mercer (1909-1976)
Don Cherry (1936-1995)
Heinrich Schiff (1951)
Bernard d'Ascoli (1958)

and

Louis Daguerre (1787-1851)
Asa Gray (1810-1888)
George Gallup (1901-1984)
Margaret Atwood (1939)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1741, Handel arrives in Dublin for an extended stay, involving a number of concerts in the Irish capital, including the premiere of his latest oratorio "Messiah" the following Spring (Gregorian date: Nov. 29).

On this day in 1928, Mickey Mouse debuts in "Steamboat Willie," in New York. This was the first animated cartoon with synchronized pre-recorded sound effects and music -- the latter provided by organist and composer Carl Stalling of Kansas City. Stalling would later provide memorable music for many classic Warner Brothers cartoons.

Today's Birthdays

Ernest Lough (1911-2000)
Hershy Kay (1919-1981)
Leonid Kogan (1924-1982)
Sir Charles Mackerras (1925-2010)
David Amram (1930)
Gene Clark (1941-1991)
Philip Picket (1950)
Philip Grange (1956)

and

Shelby Foote (1916-2006)

Today's Birthdays

Rodolphe Kreutzer (1766-1831)
Alfred Hill (1869-1960)
W. C. Handy (1873-1958)
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Burnet Tuthill (1888-1982)
Lawrence Tibbett (1896-1960)
David Wilson-Johnson (1950)
Donald Runnicles (1954)
John Butt (1960)

and

George S. Kaufman (1889-1961)
José Saramago (1922-2010)
Chinua Achebe (1930-2013)
Andrea Barrett (1954)

Today's Birthdays

Annunzio Paolo Mantovani (1905-1980)
Petula Clark (1932)
Peter Dickinson (1934-2023)
Daniel Barenboim (1942-2023)
Pierre Jalbert (1967)

and

Gerhart Hauptmann (1862-1946)
Franklin Pierce Adams (1881-1960)
Georgia O'Keefe (1887-1986)
Marianne Moore (1887-1972)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1926, the first broadcast of a music program took place on the NBC radio network, featuring the New York Symphony conducted by Walter Damrosch, the New York Oratorio Society, and the Goldman Band, with vocal soloists Mary Garden and Tito Ruffo, and pianist Harold Bauer.

Review of pub crawl concert featuring Caroline Shaw string quartets

My review of a unique pub crawl that featured all of the string quartets of Caroline Shaw has been published in Classical Voice North America here.

Today's Birthdays

Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837)
Fanny Hensel (1805-1847)
Rev. John Curwen (1816-1880)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990)
Leonie Rysanek (1926-1998)
Jorge Bolet (1914-1990)
Narciso Yepes (1927-1997)
Robert Lurtsema (1931-2000)
Peter Katin (1930-2015)
Ellis Marsalis (1934-2020)
William Averitt (1948)

and

Claude Monet (1840-1926)
Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002)
William Steig (1907-2003)

Today's Birthdays

Jan Zach (1699-1773)
Louis Lefébure-Wély (1817-1870)
Brinley Richards (1817-1885)
George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931)
Marguerite Long (1874-1966)
Joonas Kokkoken (1921-1996)
Lothar Zagrosek (1942)
Martin Bresnick (1946)

and

St. Augustine (354-430)
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)
George V. Higgins (1939-1999)
Eamon Grennan (1941)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1937, the first "official" radio broadcast by the NBC Symphony Orchestra took place with Pierre Monteux conducting. Arthur Rodzinski had conducted a "dress rehearsal" broadcast on Nov. 2, 1937. Arturo Toscanini's debut broadcast with the NBC Symphony would occur on Christmas Day, 1937.

Today's Birthdays

Alexander Borodin (1833-1887)
Jean Papineau-Couture (1916-2000)
Michael Langdon (1920-1991)
Lucia Popp (1939-1993)
Neil Young (1945)

and

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)
Roland Barthes (1915-1980)
Michael Ende (1929-1995)
Tracy Kidder (1945)
Katherine Weber (1955)

From the New Music Box:

On November 12, 1925, cornetist Louis Armstrong made the first recordings with a group under his own name for Okeh Records in Chicago, Illinois. The group, called Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, recorded his original compositions, "Gut Bucket Blues" and "Yes! I'm In The Barrel" (Okeh 8261) as well as "My Heart" composed by his wife Lil Hardin who was the pianist in the band. (The flipside of the 78 rpm record on which the latter was issued, Okeh 8320, was "Armstrong's composition "Cornet Chop Suey" recorded three months later on February 26, 1926.) Armstrong's Hot Five and subsequent Hot Seven recordings are widely considered to be the earliest masterpieces of recorded jazz.

Today's Birthdays

Bernhard Romberg (1767-1841)
Frederick Stock (1872-1942)
Ernest Ansermet (1883-1969)
Jan Simons (1925-2006)
Arthur Cunningham (1928-1997)
Vernon Handley (1930-2008)
Harry Bramma (1936)
Jennifer Bate (1944-2020)
Fang Man (1977)

and

Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881)
Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007)
Carlos Fuentes (1928-2012)
Mary Gaitskill (1955)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1898, shortly after it was finished, the painting “Nevermore” by Gaugin is purchased by the English composer Frederick Delius. The painting was inspired by Poe’s famous poem and is now in the collection of London’s Cortland Gallery.

Today's Birthdays

Martin Luther (1483-1546)
François Couperin (1668-1733)
John Phillips Marquand (1873-1949)
Carl Stalling (1891-1972)
Ennio Morricone (1928-2020)
Graham Clark (1941-2023)
Sir Tim Rice (1944)
Andreas Scholl (1967)

and

Oliver Goldsmith (1730-1774)
Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805)
Vachel Lindsey (1879-1931)
John Phillips Marquand (1893-1960)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1900, Russian pianist Ossip Gabrilowitsch makes his Carnegie Hall debut in New York City during his first American tour. In 1909 he married contralto Clara Clemens, the daughter of the American writer Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain.

Today's Birthdays

Burrill Phillips (1907-1988)
Pierrette Alarie (1921-2011)
Piero Cappuccilli (1929-2005)
Ivan Moravec (1930-2015)
William Thomas McKinley (1938-2015)
Thomas Quasthoff (1959)
Bryn Terfel (1965)

and

Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883)
Hugh Leonard (1926-2009)
Anne Sexton (1928-1974)
Carl Sagan (1934-1996)

Review of VSO concert pairing Gershwin and Mahler

Guest review by Joshua Lickteig

 In the second concert (November 1) of their 47th season, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) delighted its audience with works by George Gershwin (1898-1937) and Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) in an impassioned mix of iconic jazz-classical and epic late romanticism.

In a pre-show talk, maestro Salvador Brotons accentuated a perspective of working holistically in preparation with a musical piece as distinct from its substance, particularly in rehearsal the week before; the significance of playing long passages from beginning to end without stop or critique. “We must detect what is needed to make the performance better,” Brotons said with palpable showtime excitement.

The 1,150 seat auditorium of Skyview Concert Hall on NW 139th Street last Saturday, an eve after Halloween, was nearly full. Joined by Warren Black of All Classical Radio, VSO’s planned giving consultant Hal Abrams spoke on the continued impact of local philanthropy and offered guidance on making end-of-year donations. Before the north-facing stage a patron’s autumn bouquet blushed with mute pinks and warm beige of garden rose, gentle yellow chrysanthemum and orange hydrangea.

To this day it remains unknown exactly how Gershwin in 1924 played Rhapsody in Blue (commissioned by bandleader Paul Whiteman and written in just over five weeks), at the time considered an experiment in modern music. Modeled somewhat after Liszt’s Rhapsodies and lightly informed by Dvořák’s Humoresques, its free fantasy strides and bold episodic changes bring ready space for the expressive and devotional digitation of internationally acclaimed featured soloist Marc-André Hamelin.

Glancing once from the corner of the east wing, vanishing for a moment, then moving across the stage, the pianist and Brotons share a wave of thought and before an instant passes we are glidingly carried by clarinet into the ritornello theme, through the foundry of its famous four note motif, then animation by the brass, then romp of full ensemble and keys. Hamelin’s earnestness and expert discernment with phrasing prompts us to listen with our ears as open as possible, while encouraging: Hear this with me, laugh with me, dance with me. 

The companionship of the orchestra evident. As they play there is a familiar accumulation of wonder into expansiveness, and an adaptive modularity beyond the formalistic stitch-work of melodic ideas. They are serious and joyful in the responsibility of channeling the essence of the work, its ragtime predecessors, foresight in international music, and overall synchrony in blending of musical traditions.

Hamelin is a pianist who also composes and enjoys writing for others. This concert took place the day after the release of Found Objects / Sound Objects, his 92nd album (65th with the niche label Hyperion), marked by the first recording of his deeply chromatic 2023 composition Hexen Sabbath, amidst an all mixed up higgledy-piggledy bag of other twentieth and twenty-first century tricks. Hamelin in interview with KQAC 89.9FM’s THURSDAYS @ THREE shared a preview of the weekend’s concert including his “student piece” called Music Box (www.allclassical.org/programs/program-archive — 10/30/2025).

Extending a bravura performance and lively ovation, Hamelin returned to the piano bench and with light Russian intonation, said “This is Rachmaninoff.” He commenced then to play Études-Tableaux, Op. 39, bringing us progressively toward finer and finer levels of detail and the many notes compounding inside the Steinway.

At intermission complimentary treats were offered and merchandise for sale included VSO pins, winter hats, tote bags and live recordings of Brotons’ work (I chose a CD of Symphony No 5 “Mundus Noster” / Oboe Concerto performed by Balearic Islands Symphony Orchestra, 2013).

“Are you ready to listen to one of the most incredible symphonies ever written?” – The conductor reeled us onward to the finale of the night and into ‘Schleppend, Wie Ein Naturlaut,’ the amorphous first movement of Mahler’s No. 1 in D Major. A flop in its Budapest premiere in 1889, the origin of the work precedes Gershwin’s piece by about forty years; it was revivified by Leonard Bernstein in the 1960’s.

The interpretation the orchestra brings forth is technically audacious though highly controlled in the primordial and darkly Dionysian terrain of the piece, articulate and playful in folk-inspired sections and ironic intuitions of the cuckoo’s calls.

Through the natural to the unreal to the funereal, the riveting individual section work of strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion at times offered treats, others perhaps tricks, leaving listeners deciding which is which. In each case, and remarkably the brood and shadow of third movement Ohne Zu Schleppen’s double-bass solo, all befitted the sophisticated acoustics of the auditorium. The expanded brass of seven french horns achieved a massive depth.

In the fourth and closing movement, Stürmisch bewegt, Brotons’ aerobicism sprouts at one moment from grief, the next from joy. There is eventually transcendence in an exultant upheaval through the conductor’s command, what he reasoned earlier about Mahler in the talk as “passion but with a very clear head.” Eminently, in one of the first brief suspensions of the final moments of the piece could be heard a single triumphant stomp of the foot.

Once to a friend Mahler is known to have mentioned, after completion of the work, that it was as if the music had poured from the heart like a mountain stream. In its entirety, the program brought effulgence to Vancouver on a rainy Saturday evening, a performance less of an exhibition, more an offering. There were many a spiritful “. . Bravo!”

“And if you like it, maybe next year we’ll do the 2nd [symphony],” Brotons had said earlier. Unanimously, it seemed, everybody did.

Joshua D. Lickteig is an artist and engineer born near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His latest books are Half Moon Day Sun (2021) and Ten Control Mills (2015), some poems from which appeared in Don Russell’s plays Dreams of Drowning (2022) and iTopia (2016). He lives in Portland, Oregon, and is an ongoing contributor to the Concordia News.

Today's Birthdays

Friedrich Witt (1770-1836)
Sir Arnold Bax (1883-1953
Lamberto Gardelli (1915-1938)
Jerome Hines (1921-2003)
Richard Stoker (1938-2021)
Simon Standage (1941)
Judith Zaimont (1945)
Tadaaki Otaka (1947)
Elizabeth Gale (1948)
Bonnie Raitt (1949)
Ana Vidović (1980)

and

Dorothy Day (1897-1980)
Margaret Mitchell (1900-1949)
Raja Rao (1908-2006)
Kazuo Ishiguro (1954)

Today's Birthdays

Ferenc (Franz) Erkel (1810-1893)
Efrem Kurtz (1900-1995)
William Alwyn (1905-1985)
Al Hirt (1922-1999)
Dame Joan Sutherland (1926-2010)
Dame Gwyneth Jones (1937)
Joni Mitchell (1943)
Judith Forst (1943)
Christina Viola Oorebeek (1944)

and

Marie Curie (1867-1934)
Lise Meitner (1878-1968)
Albert Camus (1913-1960)
Benny Andersen (1929-2018)
Stephen Greenblatt (1943)

Today's Birthdays

Adolphe Sax (1814-1894)>
John Philip Sousa (1854-1932)
Don Lusher (1923-2006)
James Bowman (1941-2023)
Arturo Sandoval (1949)
Daniele Gatti (1961)

and

Robert Musil (1880-1942)
Harold Ross (1892-1951)
Ann Porter (1911-2011)
James Jones (1921-1977)
Michael Cunningham (1952)

From The Writer's Almanac:

It’s the birthday of the March King, John Philip Sousa, born in Washington, D.C. (1854). His father was a U.S. Marine Band trombonist, and he signed John up as an apprentice to the band after the boy tried to run away from home to join the circus. By the time he was 13 years old, Sousa could play violin, piano, flute, cornet, baritone, trombone, and was a pretty good singer too. At 26, he was leading the Marine Band and writing the first of his 136 marches, including “Semper Fidelis,” which became the official march of the Corps, and “The Washington Post March.” In addition to those marches, he wrote nearly a dozen light operas, and as many waltzes too; and he wrote three novels. But he’s best known for “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”

Review of Oregon Symphony concert: Schiff, Weill, Belgique, and Wagner

My review of last weekend's concerts with the Oregon Symphony - a real mashup of styles - has been published in Classical Voice North America here.

Today's Birthdays

Hans Sachs (1494-1576)
Paul Wittgenstein (1887-1961)
Walter Gieselking (1895-1956)
Claus Adam (1917-1983)
György Cziffra (1921-1994)
Nicholas Maw (1935-2009)
Anthony Rolfe Johnson (1940-2010)
Art Garfunkel (1941)
Gram Parsons (1946-1973)
Orli Shaham (1975)

and

Ida M. Tarbell (1867-1944)
Raymond Duchamp-Villon (1876-1918)
Thomas Flanagan (1923-2002)

Sam Shephard (1943-2017)
Vandana Shiva (1952)
Diana Abu-Jabar (1960)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1955, Karl Böhm conducts a performance of Beethoven's "Fidelio" at the gala re-opening of Vienna Opera House (damaged by Allied bombs on March 12, 1945). During the rebuilding of the Opera House, performances had continued in two nearby Viennese halls: the Theatre and der Wien and the Volksoper.

Today's Birthdays

Carl Tausig (1841-1871)
Arnold Cooke (1906-2005)
Miriam Solovieff (1921-2004)
Elgar Howarth (1935-2025)
Joan Rodgers (1956)
Elena Kats-Chernin (1957)
Daron Hagen (1961)

and

Will Rogers (1879-1935)
C. K. Williams (1936-2015)
Charles Frazier (1950)

Today's Birthdays

Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654)
Vincenzio Bellini (1801-1835)
Vladimir Ussachevsky (1911-1990)

and

Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571)
William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878)
Ignatius Donnelly (1831-1901)
Vilhjalmur Stefansson (1879-1962)
Walker Evans (1903-1975)
Terrence McNally (1939-2020)
Martin Cruz Smith (1942)
Joe Queenan (1950)

Today's Birthdays

Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer (1692-1766)
Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799)
Count Andrey Razumovsky (1752-1836)
John Foulds (1880-1939)
Luchino Visconti (1906-1976)
Douglas Lilburn (1915-2001)
Harold Farberman (1929-2018)
Guiseppe Sinopoli (1946-2001)
Jeremy Menuhin (1951)
Marie McLaughlin (1954)
Paul Moravec (1957)

and

George Boole (1815-1864)
C.K. Williams (1936-2015)
Thomas Mallon (1951)

Shepherd School of Music - 50th anniversary

Last weekend I travelled to Houston, Texas to write an article about the Shepherd School of Music, one of our nation's best conservatories. My article about the school has been published in Classical Voice North America here. I hope that you enjoy reading it.

Today's Birthdays

Roger Quilter (1877-1953)
Eugen Jochum (1902-1987
Bruno Bjelinski (1909-1992)
Victoria de Los Angeles (1923-2005)
William Mathias (1934-1992)
Lyle Lovett (1957)

and

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)
Grantland Rice (1880-1954)
A. R. Gurney (1930-2017)
Edward Said (1935-2003)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1830, Chopin’s friends in Warsaw throw a festival “bon voyage” dinner for the composer-pianist on the eve of his departure for Paris. As it turned out, he would never return to his native land.

SUPERBLOOM - A poem by Joshua Lickteig

SUPERBLOOM

All that is lush and nourishing in nature
Sacred recitatives in the evening’s chorales,
Attention in a journey of life.

The ordinary speech of some memory offers in its
Patterns different choices, careful where order itself
Is an entanglement. May we really guess

How its rhythm is being expected?
The redbreasted finch quizzes an aphid:
On a plynth this tenor sings each day mythic glory,

Arrives as if opening the twelve minute tune to Sonny
Rollins’ “What’s New?” – And mid
Any passion’s ghost reconstructing yesterday

With spirit plumb, also this day examines in glimpses
The neighborhood newspaper’s flaps in breezy gusts
From the open doors south and west in the garage,
On a found trapezium that will become a table, or desk.

Our narrator whose responsibility may also be as audient,
Before planning an additional central chorus for later in the day
Recalls last night in another part of town a harpsichord’s string,

Just before the concert, snapped with an edgeless twang.
Of sudden blur many purple lupine beside the road, mullein reaching skyward
And transport to a rumination weeks earlier on Mount Rainier

Adjacent the trail to Panorama Point over a glacial stream. By its waterfall
Quite windy. Marmots scurrying, collecting, and grazing.
There are painted paper cylinder lampshades inside the old park lodge below

Of 64 alpine flowers. A steeply pitched roof with exposed Alaska cedar
Log framing red huckleberry and salal above the fifty foot fireplace of
The building’s west. From avalanche lily to marshmarigold,

Shrubby cinquefoil, trillium, mountain ash . . .

Resuming the aria, flute and oboes seem to join the finch
Just as Bach might have borrowed
In gospel settings from other composers. Nearby

Mending of clothespins mid-wire in the gleam
Of October, a handkerchief flies away, finds respite
Draped over jade. Our attention selects what kind of light

In the undulations of the mind?
At times it commends pathways with
Fullness to harmony and balance

As if all at once seen
On a slow morning, opening timeworn books;
Some slide like a juniper wood barn door
And bow to the heat.

Joshua D. Lickteig is an artist and engineer born near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His latest books are Half Moon Day Sun (2021) and Ten Control Mills (2015), some poems from which appeared in Don Russell’s plays Dreams of Drowning (2022) and iTopia (2016). He lives in Portland, Oregon, and is an ongoing contributor to the Concordia News.

Today's Birthdays

Ditta Pásztory-Bartók (1903-1982)
Louise Talma (1906-1996)
August Everding (1928-1999)
Colin Tilney (1933-2024)
Odaline de la Martinez (1949)
Naji Hakim (1955)

and

Jan Vermeer (1632-1675)
John Keats (1795-1821)
Susan Orlean (1955)

from The New Music Box

On October 31, 1896, the Boston Symphony premiered the Gaelic" Symphony in E Minor by Mrs. H.H.A. Beach (Amy Marcy Cheney Beach), the first symphony by an American woman ever publicly performed.
and from the Composers Datebook:

On this date in 1933, Arnold Schoenberg, accompanied by his wife, baby daughter, and family pet terrier "Witz," arrives in New York on the liner Isle de France.

Today's Birthdays

Peter Warlock (Philip Arnold Heseltine) (1894-1930)
Stanley Sadie (1930-2005)
Frans Brüggen (1934-2014)
Grace Slick (1939)
René Jacobs (1946)
James Judd (1949)
Shlomo Mintz (1957)

and

Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816)
André Chénier (1762-1794)
Ezra Pound (1885-1972)
Robert Caro (1935)

Today's Birthdays

Harold Darke (1888-1976)
Vivian Ellis (1904-1996)
Václav Neumann (1920-1995)
Jon Vickers (1926-2015)
James Dillon (1950)
Lee Actor (1952)
James Primosch (1956)

and

James Boswell (1740-1795)
Harriet Powers (1837-1910)
Henry Green (1905-1973)
David Remnick (1958)

Today's Birthdays

Giuditta Pasta (1797-1865)
Howard Hanson (1896-1981)
Dame Cleo Laine (1927)
Carl Davis (1936-2023)
c (1938)
Kenneth Montgomery (1943)
Naida Cole (1974)

and

Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966)
John Harold Hewitt (1907-1987)
Francis Bacon (1909-1992)
John Hollander (1929-2013)
Anne Perry (1938-2023)

Honens Announces Élisabeth Pion from Canada as Gold Laureate of the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition

from the Press Release:

Calgary, AB, Oct. 24, 2025— Canadian pianist Élisabeth Pion (age 29) has been named Gold Laureate of the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition, following the Final rounds which included an English-language interview by Canadian arts journalist Katherine Duncan, and two intensive rounds of recitals: a performance of the César Franck Piano Quintet in F minor Op. 14 with the Isidore String Quartet, and of the Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major Op. 26 with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Elias Grandy. As Gold Laureate, Pion receives $100,000 (CAD) as well as a comprehensive, three-year Artist Development Program valued at an additional $500,000 (CAD)—one of the world’s largest awards of its kind. Pion also won the Audience Choice Award ($5,000 CAD).

Finalists Carter Johnson (29) and Anastasia Vorotnaya (30) received the Honens Silver Laureate prize of $40,000 (CAD), and the Honens Bronze Laureate prize of $20,000 (CAD), respectively. Each Semifinalist received a $2,500 (CAD) award:

Ádám Balogh, 28
Elia Cecino, 24
Giorgio Lazzari, 25
Sandro Nebieridze, 24
Chaeyoung Park, 28
Derek Wang, 27
Yuanfan Yang, 28

An additional prize was awarded to Anastasia Vorotnaya for the Best Performance of Commissioned Work ($5,000 CAD), Fracture, by Iranian-Canadian composer Iman Habibi.

The Second Jury, which evaluated the Semifinalists and Finalists, was composed of Philippe Bianconi, Jenny Bilfield, Janina Fialkowska, Leila Getz, Anne-Marie McDermott, Roberto Plano, and Awadagin Pratt.

“It has been a thrilling experience to witness the full breadth of each artist during the Semifinal and Final rounds of the Competition,” says Honens President & CEO Amanda Smith. “We are honoured to welcome Élisabeth to the Honens family, who demonstrated artistic excellence and a supreme commitment to Honens’ values. Her integrity and humanistic perspective of what it means to be a Complete Artist are an inspiration, and not only in music.”

“The Honens International Piano Competition has brought together some of the most gifted pianists of their generation,” adds Honens Artistic Director Jon Kimura Parker. “They all showed passion, insight, sensitivity, and emotional and intellectual acuity as musicians. Congratulations to all the Semifinalists, and especially to Élisabeth. I, along with the rest of the Honens team, look forward to working with you and watching your career blossom.”

In addition to the cash award, the 2025 Honens Gold Laureate receives a comprehensive three-year artistic development and career accelerator program. Tailored to the Laureate, the program may include debut recitals in career-building markets (e.g. Berlin, London, New York, Toronto); introductions to artist managers; coaching and mentorship; media training; language skills; training on the business of music; opportunities to experiment with programming and collaborations for specific audiences; residencies and special projects; and the production, release, and distribution of professional recordings.

Archived video recordings of the entire 2025 Honens International Piano Competition can be viewed at honens.com/livestream.

Today's Birthdays

Maxim Berezovsky (1745-1777)
Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840)
Helmut Walcha (1907-1991)
Conlon Nancarrow (1912-1997)
Dominick Argento (1927-2019)
Elliot Del Borgo (1938-2013)
Julius Eastman (1940-1990)
Håkan Hardenberger (1961)
Vanessa-Mae (1978)

and

Lee Krasner (1908-1994)
Dylan Thomas (1914-1953)
Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997)
Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)

Today's Birthdays

Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612)
Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757)
Johan Helmich Roman (1694-1758)
Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972)
György Pauk (1936-2024)
Christine Brewer (1955)
Natalie Merchant (1963)
Sakari Oramo (1965)
Vijay Iyer (1971)
-2024 and

Andrei Bely (1880-1934)
Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
John Arden (1930-2012)
Andrew Motion (1952)

Review: Simone Porter evokes crystaline Glass concerto with Oregon Symphony exudes lushness in Rachmaninoff's Second Symphony

Simone Porter began her artist-in-residence with the Oregon Symphony with impeccable playing (October 4) of Philip Glass’s Violin Concerto No. 1 at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. The Glass piece was a somewhat unusual choice because it doesn’t have the bravura fireworks for the soloist, but, in an odd way, it paired well with Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, which splashed across the second half of the program, making a nice balance for the orchestra under its Music Director, David Danzmayer.

This concert marked the second appearance of Porter, who grew up in Seattle, with the Oregon Symphony. She debuted with the orchestra in June las year, making a terrific impression as a last-minute replacement Astor Piazzolla’s “Cuatros Estaciones Porteñas” (“The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires”). This time around, she chose the Glass concerto in which the soloist plays long, sustained lines and occasional slinky filigree slightly above the repetitive, slowly changing background from the orchestra. The result is a comfortable ride that offers some slightly edgy moments to keep things interesting. The minimalistic style of the piece gave it a throbbing pulse that was mostly meditative and slightly introverted.

For my taste, the reiteration of musical lines needed a jolt of coffee. The audience, which filled the hall fairly well, seemed to include a lot of Glass fans, who cheered and kept the applause going until Porter returned to play an encore. That turned out to be Andrew Norman’s “Sabina.” It flashed extended techniques – like the beginning in which Porter created scratchy tones from the bridge of her instrument and gradually introduced a series of glassy tones that wiggled into something akin to folk-ish fiddling before straightening out to a few elongated tones that grew quieter and quieter until it vanished.

The second half of the concert was devoted to Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony, which the orchestra played just a little over a year ago when bad weather hit the city so that only one concert took place. The time around the orchestra delivered a full-bodied sound, emoting the lush melodic themes with a lovely sonority – plus the accelerandos were thrilling. Highlights included the many exposed parts for various musicians, including Concertmaster Sarah Kwak, Principal Clarinetist Mark Dubec, Associate Principal Hornist Joseph Berger, Assistant Principal Clarinetist Todd Kuhns (on bass clarinet), and English hornist Jason Sudduth.

Today's Birthdays

Thomas Weelkes (1576-1623)
Johann Strauss II (1825-1899)
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
Don Banks (1923-1980)
Galina Vishnevskaya (1926-2012)
Peter Lieberson (1946-2011)
Diana Burrell (1948)
Colin Carr (1957)
Midori (1971)

and

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973)
John Berryman (1914-1972)
Anne Tyler (1941) Zadie Smith (1975)

Today's Birthdays

Ferdinand Hiller (1811-1885)
Imre [Emmerich] Kálman (1882-1953)
Conrad Leonard (1898-2003)
Paul Csonka (1905-1995)
Tito Gobbi (1913-1984)
Luciano Berio (1925-2003)
George Crumb (1929-2022)
Sofia Gubaidulina (1931)
Malcolm Bilson (1935)
Bill Wyman (1936)
George Tsontakis (1951)
Cheryl Studer (1955)

and

Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879)
Moss Hart (1904-1961)
Denise Levertov (1923-1997)
Norman Rush (1933)

Today's Birthdays

Albert Lortzing (1801-1851)
Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923)
Miriam Gideon (1906-1996)
Denise Duval (1921-2016)
Ned Rorem (1923-2022)
Lawrence Foster (1941)
Toshio Hosokawa (1955)
"Weird Al" Yankovic (1959)
Brett Dean (1961)

and

Robert Bridges (1844-1930)
Johnny Carson (1925-2005)
Nick Tosches (1949)
Laurie Halse Anderson (1961)

Today's Birthdays

Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Sir Donald McIntyre (1934)
Elizabeth Connell (1946-2012)

and

John Reed (1887-1920)
John Gould (1908-2003)
Doris Lessing (1919-2013)

In 1883, the grand opening of the original Metropolitan Opera House in New York City with performance of Gounod's "Faust" with Auguste Vianesi, conducting.

Review of Oregon Symphony concert with Esperanza Spalding

My review of last weekend's Oregon Symphony concert with Esperanza Spalding has been published in Classical Voice North America here.

Today's Birthdays

Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957)
Egon Wellesz (1885-1974)
Howard Ferguson (1908-1999)
Alexander Schneider (1908-1993)
Sir Georg Solti (1912-1997)
Dizzy (John Birks) Gillespie (1917-1993)
Sir Malcom Arnold (1921-2006)
Marga Richter (1926-2020)
Shulamit Ran (1949)
Hugh Wolff (1953)

and

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)
Alfred Nobel (1833-1896)
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018)

Today's Birthdays

Charles Ives (1874-1954)
Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941)
Adelaide Hall (1901-1993)
Alfredo Campoli (1906-1991)
Adelaide Hall (1909-1993)
Robert Craft (1923-2015)
Jacques Loussier (1934-2019)
William Albright (1944-1998)
Ivo Pogorelich (1958)
Leila Josefowicz (1977)

and

Christopher Wren (1632-1723)
Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891)
John Dewey(1859-1952)
Robert Pinsky (1940)
Elfriede Jelinek (1946)

Review: Malofeev delivers superb Tchaikovsky in Oregon Symphony concert with outstanding Strauss and D'Addona

For its first regular concert on the season, the Oregon Symphony delivered a remarkably strong concert (September 27) at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, blending two evergreens with a new piece by a local composer who is making his mark in the classical music world. The well-known gems that received polished and exciting performances from the orchestra were Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto with the young Russian sensation Alexander Malofeev and Richard Strauss’s monumental “Also sprach Zarathustra.” They were preceded by the joyous sounds of Giancarlo Castro D’Addona’s “Encuentro Obertura Festiva,” which opened the concert.

Malofeev, a 24-year-old piano phenom who is based in Berlin, did wonders with the Tchaikovsky. He displayed an impressive explosiveness at the keyboard, combining power and finesse. He also knew how to dial it back for the lyrical passages, which allowed the music to expand. He played the cadenzas immaculately and made them sound absolutely fresh and inviting. Overall, Malofeev perfectly balanced the intimate and the extroverted moods of the piece. That resulted in an immediate standing ovation from concertgoers.

Strauss’s massive tone poem, “Also sprach Zarathustra,” which is a musical interpretation of Friedrich Nietzsche’s eponymous philosophical treatise, received a full-throated performance from the orchestra under Music Director David Danzmayr. If sound of the organ during the initial measures could just be louder, then it would have been even more glorious.

The large orchestral forces, including eight double basses, two tubas, seven horns, three bassoons, and a contrabassoon, filled the stage from corner to corner. Among the many highlights was the mysterious, low sound of the double basses that gradually spread into the orchestra like flowing lava. The orchestra also captured the leisurely warmth of the waltz and the brass volleys that triggered the entire ensemble to erupt was marvelous. Outstanding contributions from the woodwinds, horns, Principal Timpanist Jonathan Greeney, and Concertmaster Sarah Kwak in the many exposed passages added to the vibrancy of the music – until the very end, when it all just quietly expires into the ether.

The opening number “Encuentro Obertura Festiva” lit up the hall with bright fanfares drawn from Venezulea, the birthplace of Portland composer D’Addona. In his introduction to the piece, which was written in 2022, Danzmayr mentioned a percussion cadenza in which audience members would be invited to clap. Believe me, the audience was pumped up for that chance, and it came after a series of brassy, upbeat themes. The percussion battery had a field day, creating lively rhythmic patterns on everything within an arm’s length, including cowbells. The raucous-y finale drew thunderous applause which erupted a second time when D’Addona returned to his seat in the balcony of the Schnitz. He responded with a brief bow and a big smile. It will be terrific to hear another one of his works.

Today's Birthdays

Sidonie Goossens (1899-2004)
Vittorio Giannini (1903-1966)
Karl-Birger Blomdahl (1916-1968)
Emil Gilels (1916-1985)
Robin Holloway (1943)
Robert Morris (1943)

and

Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
Auguste Lumière (1862-1954)
Miguel Ángel Asturias (1899-1974)
Jack Anderson (1922-2005)
John le Carré (David John Moore Cornwell) (1931-2020)
Philip Pullman (1946)
Tracy Chevalier (1962)

Today's Birthdays

Luca Marenzio (1553-1599)
Baldassare Galuppi (1706-1785)
Lotte Lenya (1898-1981)
Alexander Young (1920-2000)
Egil Hovland (1924-2013)
Chuck Berry (1926-2017)
Wynton Marsalis (1961)
Esperanza Spalding (1984)
and

Heinrich von Kleist (1777-1811)
Henri Bergson (1859-1941)
A. J. Liebling (1904-1963)
Ntozake Shange (1948)
Wendy Wasserstein (1950-2006)
Rick Moody (1961)

Today's Birthdays

Herbert Howells (1892-1983)
Shinichi Suzuki (1898-1998)
Rolando Panerai (1924-2019)
Reiner Goldberg (1939-2023)
Stephen Kovacevich (1940)

and

Georg Büchner (1813-1837)
Nathanael West (1903-1940)
George Polk (1913-1948)
Arthur Miller (1915-2005)

and from the Composers Datebook:

On this day in 1978, President Jimmy Carter presents the Congressional Medal of Honor to singer Marian Anderson.

and from The Writer's Almanac:

It was on this day in 1933 that Albert Einstein officially moved to the United States to teach at Princeton University. He had been in California working as a visiting professor when Hitler took over as chancellor of Germany. Einstein’s apartment in Berlin and his summer cottage in the country were raided, his papers confiscated, and his bank accounts closed. He returned to Europe and handed in his German passport, renouncing his citizenship. He considered offers from all over the world, including Paris, Turkey, and Oxford. Einstein eventually decided on Princeton, which offered him an attractive package teaching at its Institute for Advanced Study — but he had his hesitations about the university. For one thing, it had a clandestine quota system in place that only allowed a small percentage of the incoming class to be Jewish. The Institute’s director, Abraham Flexner, was worried that Einstein would be too directly involved in Jewish refugee causes, so he micromanaged Einstein’s public appearances, keeping him out of the public eye when possible. He even declined an invitation for Einstein to see President Roosevelt at the White House without telling the scientist. When Einstein found out, he personally called Eleanor Roosevelt and arranged for a visit anyway, and then complained about the incident in a letter to a rabbi friend of his, giving the return address as “Concentration Camp, Princeton.” In 1938, incoming freshmen at Princeton ranked Einstein as the second-greatest living person; first place went to Adolf Hitler.

Today's Birthdays

Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679-1745)
Franz [Ferenc] Doppler (1821-1883)
James Lockhart (1930-2025)
Derek Bourgeois (1941-2017)
Marin Alsop (1956)
Erkki-Sven Tüür (1959)
Dmitri Hvorostovsky (1962-2017)

and

Noah Webster (1758-1843)
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953)
Günter Grass (1927-2015)
Thomas Lynch (1948)

And from the Writer's Almanac:

In 1882, during a tour across the US, Oscar Wilde lectured to coal miners in Leadville, Colorado, where he saw a sign on a saloon that said, "Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best," and called it "the only rational method of art criticism I have ever come across."

Today's Birthdays

Bernhard Crusell (1775-1838)
Zdeněk Fibich (1850-1900)
Dag Wirén (1905-1985)
Harold Blumenfeld (1923-2014)
Karl Richter (1926-1981)
Barry McGuire (1935)
Suzanne Murphy (1941)
Peter Phillips (1953)

and

Virgil (70 B.C.E.- 19 B.C.E.)
Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)
Friedrich Nietzsche, (1844-1900
P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975)
Varian Fry (1907-1967)
John Kenneth Galbraith (1908-2006)
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (1917-2007)
Italo Calvino (1923-1985)
Michel Foucault (1926-1984)

Today's Birthdays

Alexander Zimlinsky (1871-1942)
Gary Graffman (1928)
Rafael Puyana (1931-2013)
Enrico di Giuseppe (1932-2005)
La Monte (Thorton) Young (1935)
Sir Cliff Richard (1940)
Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023)

and

Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923)
E. E. Cummings (1894-1962)
Hannah Arendt (1906-1975)
Katha Pollitt (1949)

Review: Oregon Symphony gala concert with Joshua Bell attracts near-capacity crowd

It was great to see a very full house at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall for the opening gala (September 16) of the Oregon Symphony’s 2025-2026 season. It was a very positive sign that the Portland Arts scene is reemerging from the pandemic. Superstar violinist Joshua Bell was the main attraction of the evening, and the orchestra, under Music Director David Danzmayr, sounded better than ever in a program of gems by Saint-Saëns, Bizet, and Stravinsky.

Bell opened the concert with a magnificent performance of Camille Saint-Saëns Third Violin Concerto. It was an over-the-top effort in which Bell mined the piece for every nuance possible. Each line was shaped with an artistic incisiveness that gave the music a fresh vitality. Bell’s jaw-dropping virtuosity lit up the fireworks of the first movement and still illuminated its beauty. The lyrical second movement reset the mood, evoking images of a boat gently rocking on a lake. For the third, Bell generated a sparkling finish that was noble and elegant.

Overall, it was an inspired performance by Bell, supported by outstanding contributions from the orchestra. In particular, Principal Clarinetist Mark Dubec and the orchestra’s new Principal Oboist Harrison Linsey added graceful tones in their duets with Bell, who enjoyed turning toward the orchestra whenever he had a break to hear the ensemble play.

The audience showered Bell and the orchestra with an immediate standing ovation. After Bell returned to the stage for the third time, he told concertgoers that the first time he played with the Oregon Symphony was in 1988 when it was helmed by James DePriest. He wondered if there were any members who were still with the symphony from that time. It turned out that violinist Lynne Finch and her husband, cellist Kenneth Finch were the only ones. Bell then followed with an encore, the meditation from Jules Massenet's opera "Thaïs", which Bell played as a duet with Principal harpist, Matthew Tutsky. Their sound was very emotive, but not sentimental, and the result was heavenly.

The Suite No. 1 from “L’Arlésienne,” which was incidental music that Bizet wrote for a play of the same name. The Prelude movement, which borrowed from the French Christmas carol "The March of the Kings" offered a lot of dynamic contrast that was fascinating to hear. The second movement, Minuetto, calmed things down – highlighted by an alto saxophone. Exquisite phrasing allowed the third movement, Adagietto, to reach and exquisitely divine moment, and that contrasted extremely well with the brilliant and robust Carillon to wrap up the piece.

The Suite (1919 revision) from Stravinsky’s “The Firebird,” closed out the evening with an outstanding performance by the orchestra. Danzmayr had all of his forces playing at an optimal level – vividly retelling the story of the prince who pursues the Firebird (part woman/part bird) into a garden that belongs to the evil wizard Katschei. She gives the prince a magic feather that he later uses to free the men who have been turned to stone by Katchei. The prince also smashes an egg that controls Katschei’s power and his life. Afterwards, the prince marries a princess in a happy ending.

The basses and cellos wonderfully established the ominous magical garden. The woodwinds created enticing birdlike sounds, and with balletic lyricism, the orchestra recreated the prince and the enticing Firebird and the magic feather. The low brass had a field day expressing the horrible Katschei. The slow passages were mesmerizing, and the climbing series of tones near the end of the piece break into a joyous finale.

Owing to the near-capacity attendance, the vibe in the lobby was elevated, and that bodes well for the orchestra’s season. More on that as the season progresses.

Today's Birthdays

Art Tatum (1910-1956)
Hugo Weisgall (1912-1997)
Gustav Winckler (1925-1979)
Paul Simon (1941)
Leona Mitchell (1949)
Kristine Ciesinski (1950)
Melvyn Tan (1956)
Mark Applebaum (1967)

and

Conrad Richter (1890-1968)
Arna Bontemps (1902-1973)
Jamal Khashoggi (1958-2018)

Today's Birthdays

Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1686-1750)
Johann Ludwig Krebs (1713-1780)
Arthur Nikisch (1855-1922)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Healey Willan (1880-1968)
Carlos López Buchardo (1881-1948)
Gilda Dalla Rizza (1892-1975)
Erich Gruenberg (1924-2020)
Pilar Lorengar (1938-1996)
Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007)
Daryl Runswick (1946)
Penelope Walker (1956)
Chris Botti (1962)

and

Robert Fitzgerald (1910-1985)
Alice Childress (1916-1994)
Robert Coles (1929)

Today's Birthdays

George Bridgetower (1780-1860)
Fernando De Lucia (1860-1925)
R. Nathaniel Dett (1882-1943)
Albert Stoessel (1894-1943)
Eugene Weigel (1910-1998)
Art Blakey (1919-1990)
David Rendall (1948)
Rachel Barton Pine (1974)

and

Mason Locke Weems (1759-1825)
Eleanor Roosevelt (1883-1962)
Elmore Leonard (1925-2013)
Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022)

Today's Birthdays

Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
Vernon Duke (1903-1969)
Paul Creston (1906-1985)
Thelonious Monk (1917-1982)
Gloria Coates (1938-2023)
Sir Willard White (1946)
John Prine (1946-2020)
Steve Martland (1959)
Evgeny Kissin (1971)

and

Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)
Harold Pinter (1930-2008)

And from The Writer's Almanac:

It’s the birthday of the composer Vernon Duke, born Vladimir Dukelsky, in Parafianovo, Belarus (1903). He was a talented classical musician, educated at an elite conservatory, but his family fled Russia after the revolution and he wound up playing piano in cafés in Constantinople (now Istanbul). From there, his family rode steerage class on a ship to America, went through Ellis Island, and ended up in New York in 1921. There the teenage Dukelsky met George Gershwin, who was only a few years older, and the two became good friends. Dukelsky played Gershwin what he described as “an extremely cerebral piano sonata,” and Gershwin, who was also trained in classical music, suggested this: “There’s no money in that kind of stuff, and no heart in it, either. Try to write some real popular tunes — and don’t be scared about going low-brow. They will open you up.” He also suggested that Dukelsky shorten his name, as he himself had done — Gershowitz to Gershwin. So Vladimir Dukelsky came up with the name Vernon Duke, but he didn’t use it for a while.

First, he went to Paris. There, he met and impressed the great ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Dukelsky wrote later about their first meeting — that Diaghilev had drawled: “‘Ah, a good-looking boy. That in itself is most unusual. Composers are seldom good-looking; neither Stravinsky nor Prokofiev ever won any beauty prizes. How old are you?’ I told him I was 20. ‘That’s encouraging, too. I don’t like young men over 25.’” And so Diaghilev commissioned him to write a ballet, and he wrote Zephire et Flore, with sets by Georges Braque, choreography by Léonide Massine, and costumes by Coco Chanel. It got a great reception, and Dukelsky was taken in by the not-quite-as-good-looking Stravinsky and Prokofiev. For a few years he divided his time between Paris, where he continued to write classical music, and London, where he wrote show tunes and used the name Vernon Duke. Then in 1929, he decided to go back to America, and he wrote some of the biggest hits of the 1930s — “April in Paris” (1932), “Autumn in New York” (1934), “I Can’t Get Started” (1936), and “Taking a Chance on Love” (1940). And he wrote the music for the Broadway show and film Cabin in the Sky (1940). By that time, he had become an American citizen and officially changed his name to Vernon Duke.

Today's Birthdays

Alexander Siloti (1863-1945)
Harry Lawrence Freeman (1869-1954)
Carl Flesch (1873-1944)
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Roger Goeb (1914-1997)
Einojuhani Routavaara (1928-2016)
Alfons Kontarsky (1932-2010)
John Lennon (1940-1980)
Jackson Browne (1948)
Sally Burgess (1953)
Roberto Sierra (1953)

and

Ivo Andrić (1892-1975)
Bruce Catton (1899-1978)
Léopold (Sédar) Senghor (1906-2001)
Belva Plain (1915-2010)
Jill Ker Conway (1934-2018)
James Howe McClure (1939-2006)

Review of Fear No Music's marathon reading of 32 new pieces

My review of FNM's evening-long concert has been published in Oregon Arts Watch here.

Today's Birthdays

Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672)
Louis Vierne (1870-1937)
Will Vodery (1885-1951)
Paul V. Yoder (1908-1990)
James Sample (1910-1995)
Kurt Redel (1918-2013)
Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996)
Johnny Ramone (1948-2004)
Robert Saxton (1953)
Carl Vine (1954)
Tabea Zimmermann (1968)
Bruno Mantovani (1974)

and

John Cowper Powys (1872-1963)
Walter Lord (1917-2002)
Philip Booth (1925-2007)
R.L. Stine (1943)

Today's Birthdays

William Billings (1746-1800)
Joe Hill (1879-1915)
Shura Cherkassky (1911-1995)
Charles Dutoit (1936)
John Mellencamp (1951)
Yo-Yo Ma (1955)
Li Yundi (1982)

and

James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)
Niels Bohr (1885-1962)
Helen Clark MacInnes (1907-1985)
Desmond Tutu (1931-2021)
Amiri Baraka (aka LeRoi Jones) (1934-2014)
Thomas Keneally (1935)
Dianne Ackerman (1948)
Sherman Alexie (1966)

Today's Birthdays

William Bradbury (1816-1868)
Jenny Lind (1820-1887)
Julia Culp (1880-1970)
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
Maria Jeritza (1887-1982)
Edwin Fischer (1886-1960)
Paul Badura-Skoda (1927-2019)
Dennis Wicks (1928-2003)
Udo Zimmermann (1943-2021)
Keith Lewis (1950)

and

Le Corbusier (1887-1965)
Caroline Gordon (1895-1981)

From the Writer's Almanac:

It was on this day in 1600 that the opera Euridice was first performed, at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. It is the oldest surviving opera.

Euridice was performed for the wedding celebrations of Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici. It was written by Jacopo Peri, a beloved composer and singer. He had already written Dafne a few years earlier, which is considered to be the first opera, but that music has been lost.

Euridice is a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, in which the gifted musician Orpheus falls in love with the beautiful Eurydice, but just after their wedding she is bitten by a snake and dies. Orpheus is heartbroken, and he journeys to the underworld, to Hades, to try to bring her back. He charms the king of the underworld, also named Hades, and his wife, Persephone, and they agree to return Eurydice to Orpheus on one condition: that he get all the way back to the upper world without looking back to see if Eurydice is following. He almost makes it, but right as he is walking out into the sunlight he turns back, and Eurydice is still in the underworld, so he loses her forever. Peri not only wrote the opera, but he sang the role of Orpheus. The climax of the opera came during "Funeste piagge," or "Funeral shores," when Orpheus begs Hades and Persephone to release his beloved.

Peri wrote a long preface to Euridice, in which he explained the new musical form he was working in, which we now call opera. He said that he was trying to write the way he imagined the Greeks would have, combing music and speech into the ultimate form of drama. One of the people who came to Florence to see Euridice was Vincenzo Gonzaga, the Duke of Mantua. And he probably brought his servant, Claudio Monteverdi. A few years later, in 1607, Monteverdi premiered his first opera, L'Orfeo, which was also a retelling of the legend of Orpheus. Monteverdi elevated the opera form to new heights, and L'Orfeo is considered the first truly great opera, with all of the dramatic orchestration and lyrics that are so central to the drama.