October 24, 2022 The BBC Philharmonic will be premiering a composition by Canadian-born composer Nathaniel Dett. The manuscript was unearthed in a US archive. The piece is described as “an absolute throwback to music of west African slaves”. It's Monday. Let's get to it.
CLASSICAL CHARTS THE BIG IDEA UK Researchers Use Mendelssohn To Highlight Plight Of Disappearing Humpback WhalesThere are approximately 30,000 notes in the original score for Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture. Coincidentally, there was roughly the same number of humpback whales in the oceans at the time it was written in 1829. By 1920, about two-thirds of the world’s humpback whales were gone. Today, they are at risk of disappearing entirely. That’s the dramatic decline that University of Cambridge researcher Dr. Matthew Agarwala wanted to illustrate in sound. He and his colleagues were frustrated at public apathy over disappearing North Atlantic humpback whales and other species. Agarwala came up with the idea of using sound to bring that point home in a way that would resonate with audiences. Dr. Matthew Agarwala and his team observed that nature was effectively silenced by the activities of human civilization and industrialization, and that’s where the idea of dropping out notes at the rate that humpback whales began to disappear from the Earth’s oceans originated. He worked with composer Dr. Ewan Campbell on the project, which zeroed in on Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture. Mendelssohn’s piece was chosen because it was inspired by the composer’s trip to a sea cave, and captures the raw beauty and power of the oceans that he experienced at a time just before the industrialization of fishing. Campbell devised a system of demonstrating the progressive loss of whales. He divided Mendelssohn’s score into sections he used to mark out the decades, eliminating the notes in direct proportion to the loss of whales in the sea. It’s dramatic, and gives audiences a way of understanding the enormity of that loss. After 1:51, only one in every 16 notes remains. The piece, called Hebrides Redacted, was performed by the Wildnerness Orchestra, a 38-member ensemble, at the Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire in August to a standing ovation. “It really was an uninitiated audience at the Wilderness Festival — people were there for a good time, not to be told that the world is falling apart through the medium of music from the 19th century. But somehow it worked,” says Campbell, Director of Music at Churchill College and Murray Edwards College, Cambridge in a media release. “Over the past century we have seen nearly a million species pushed to the brink of extinction — nature is going quiet,” said Agarwala, an Economist at the University of Cambridge’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy. He added, “Researchers — including me — have been sounding the alarm about the consequences of biodiversity loss for a long time, but the message isn’t landing. Music is visceral and emotional, and grabs people’s attention in ways that scientific papers just can’t.” Hebrides Redacted closes with a look into a possible future, and what’s needed to help the humpback whales rebound. It’s a positive message after the dramatic illustration of loss. “We can see when the oceans are better managed, whale populations can start to rebound,” says Agarwala. “At its nadir, the score is thin and fragmented, with isolated notes reaching for a tune that is only partially present. But even in the face of devastating destruction, nature is resilient and always beautiful, and so even when two-thirds of the music is absent there’s still a delicate beauty, though a pale imitation of its once dramatic glory,” said Campbell. “Redaction is a word normally associated with censorship, and silencing history. I find it really apt for this piece of music — we’re showing how human activities have silenced nature.” A short film about the project was screened at the Cambridge Zero Climate Change Festival in October 2022. After the overwhelmingly positive reception of the project so far, Agarwala and Campbell plan on many more musical collaborations that aim to inspire listeners — including politicians and others — to act on climate change. THE LATEST Film: Angelina Jolie to play Maria Callas in Spencer director’s next biopic In Memoriam: St. Lawrence String Quartet Violinist Geoff Nuttall Has Died Opera: Royal Opera House names Czech conductor, Jakub Hrůša as new Music Director Debut: Ukraine orchestra's leader Keri-Lynn Wilson shines at Met with Russian opera Piano: Roland’s stunning new digital piano fuses traditional materials and futuristic design News: Philadelphia Orchestra cancels China plans over COVID policy Acolades: Hina Maeda wins Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition Interview: ‘I’m not saying we won’t make mistakes’ – violin sensation Nicola Benedetti on becoming EIF’s first female director CHART Classical music has some of the biggest names in western civilization, and above all are composers who personify and epitomize the art form. No surprise, Beethoven lands the top spot on our list of the most well-known composers worldwide with 14M searches annually. Mozart follows Beethoven with 14M searches. Bach, Chopin, Vivaldi, Brahms, Debussy, Wagner, Hayden and Tchaikovsky round out the remaining spots. LOOKING AHEAD Images from the Met’s upcoming productions (Photos courtesy of Met Opera) Met Live In HD 2022-23 Season Offers New And Familiar Works In Theatres & OnlineFor opera fans who love to attend live performances but are not within easy travelling distance to an opera house, the Met Live in HD has been a wonderful alternative since its inception in December 2006. The largest and arguably the most prestigious opera company in North America, the Met offers a delectable lineup of great operas each season. Experiencing these real-time transmissions in the movie theatre is almost as good as being there. Since 2006, almost 30 million Met Live in HD tickets have been sold. This season, the Met is taking it one step further. The Met is launching a new streaming platform, making live simulcasts available to home audiences. According to a media release, “Using location services technology and geo-fencing, the streams will be available to opera-lovers and newcomers alike in the United States and Canada who do not live near movie theatres that carry the Met’s transmissions. In countries that do not have participating cinemas, the live programs will be available nationwide.” The DetailsThis is truly wonderful news for opera fans. This initiative expands the reach to 171 countries and territories, in addition to the more than 50 countries with some 2,000 cinemas currently receiving the Live in HD transmissions. The price of the Live at Home transmissions, which include unlimited free viewings during a seven-day window, will be either $10 or $20, depending on the country. There is a caveat — for viewers in US and Canada, Live at Home access is only possible if you live more than 15 miles away from a Met Live in HD cinema. I am told that this new geotargeting technology can even render VPN useless.
The OperasCherubini: Medea (October 22) A co-production with Greek National Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the Canadian Opera, it stars the fabulous Canadian/American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role. Few singers dare to challenge the fabled Maria Callas in this role, but Radvanovsky had a huge success on opening night. Tenor Matthew Polenzani is Giasone, with a great supporting cast of soprano Janai Brugger (Glauce), bass Michele Pertusi (Creonte), and mezzo Ekaterina Gubanova (Neris). Carlo Rizzi conducts. Talk about starting off the series with a bang! Verdi: La Traviata (November 5) Michael Mayer’s new production has replaced the much-loved Zeffirelli production. In fact, the tendency of phasing out super-realism in opera productions has finally hit the Met. Nadine Sierra is Violetta; opposite her is the Alfredo of tenor Stephen Costello. Papa Germont is Luca Salsi, with Daniele Callegari on the podium. Puts: The Hours (December 10) Several major points of interest in this show. Renée Fleming fans will rejoice in her coming out of retirement to return to the Met in this operatic version of Michael Cunningham’s novel, which previously had been made into a movie starring Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman. Now it’s composer Kevin Puts’s turn. It’s a story of “three women from different eras who each grapple with their inner demons and their roles in society,” according to the Met’s description. Joining Fleming are Kelli O’Hara and Joyce DiDonato. Canadian and Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts. Giordano: Fedora (January 14) Giordano’s other opera, Fedora, is not often performed, so this is a rare chance to catch this work. Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva sings Fedora, a Russian princess who falls in love with her fiancé’s murderer, Count Loris, sung by Polish tenor Piotr Beczała. Soprano Rosa Feola is the Countess Olga, Fedora’s confidante, and baritone Artur Ruciński is the diplomat De Siriex. Italian conductor Marco Armiliato is on the podium. Wagner: Lohengrin (March 18) A revival after an absence of a long 17 years, this new Lohengrin is directed by Canadian François Girard, and conducted by fellow Canuck Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Polish tenor Piotr Beczala is Lohengrin, opposite the Elsa of Tamara Wilson, well known and loved by Toronto opera audiences. Soprano Christine Goerke takes on the mezzo villainess Ortrud. This fantastic cast also stars bass-baritone Evgeny Nikitin (Telramund) and bass Günther Groissböck (Heinrich). Not to be missed. Verdi: Falstaff (April 1) Verdi’s last opera and considered by many to be his greatest. German baritone Michael Volle is Falstaff, in one of his rare outings in a comedic role. Daniele Rustioni conducts a fabulous cast that also includes Korean soprano Hera Hyesang Park as Nannetta. Park won the Montreal Vocal Competition a few years ago and has gone on to a big career. Ailyn Perez (Alice Ford), Christopher Maltman (Ford), and Canadian mezzo Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Dame Quickly). Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier (April 15) This great Richard Strauss opera stars sensational Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen as the Marschallin, opposite mezzo Isabel Leonard in her Met role debut as Octavian. Soprano Erin Morley sings Sophie. Bass Günther Groissböck returns as Baron Ochs. Maestra Simone Young conducts. Production by Canadian director Robert Carsen. Blanchard: Champion (April 29) Following his triumph in Fire Shut Up in My Bones, composer Terence Blanchard brings Champion to the Met, starring African American bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green as the young boxer Emile Griffith, who rises from obscurity to become a world champion. Bass-baritone Eric Owens portrays older Griffith. Soprano Latonia Moore is Emelda Griffith, the boxer’s estranged mother, and mezzo Stephanie Blythe is the bar owner Kathy Hagan. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts. Stage director is James Robinson, who also directed Fire Shut Up in My Bones two seasons ago. Mozart: Don Giovanni (May 20) A new production directed by Tony Award–winning director Ivo van Hove in his Met debut. Well known mezzo Nathalie Stutzmann has switched to conducting these days, and this is her Met conducting debut. Baritone Peter Mattei is Don Giovanni, his sidekick Leporello is Czech bass-baritone Adam Plachetka. The three women are Federica Lombardi (Donna Anna), Ana María Martínez (Donna Elvira), and Ying Fang (Zerlina). Tenor Ben Bliss sings Don Ottavio. Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (June 3) Nathalie Stutzmann conducts a new production of Die Zauberflöte, by director Simon McBurney in his Met debut. Terrific cast, with soprano Erin Morley (Pamina), tenor Lawrence Brownlee (Tamino), baritone Thomas Oliemans (Papageno), soprano Kathryn Lewek (Queen of the Night), and bass Stephen Milling (Sarastro). AROUND THE WEB 📅 On this day: Modernist composer Luciano Berio was born October 24, 1925, in Oneglia, Italy 💌 Letters: The remarkable diaries of composer Ned Rorem (Happy 99th Birthday, Ned!) 🦟 Science: Are you a mosquito magnet? It could be because of your scent. 📖 Long Read: The pre-historic story of the British crown’s largest diamonds 🎶 Interesting: Why you can’t remember important things but can remember all the words to YMCA by the Village People 💕 Amazing: Classical pianist gives curious toddler an impromptu piano lesson at a train station CARTOON OF THE WEEK Source: Curnow Cartoons/NPR Classical How did you like today's email? |