April 2009
8 posts
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Gesamtkunstweet
Still looking for a reason to start using Twitter?
The operatically-inclined among you now have a new motivation – the #operaplot hashtag and contest dreamed up by Marcia Adair, aka @missmussel, of The Omniscient Mussel. Originally spread virally on Twitter in March #operaplot is back again today through Sunday, this time with a proper judge, prizes and plenty of hype from tweeting music folks...
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Previewing Oz
Wonder what it’s like to perform the entire soundtrack to a classic film live? Read two local previews of this weekend’s presentation of The Wizard of Oz at the WCFSO. Photos and video coming soon; in the meantime, some behind-the-scenes from me:
Click to listen →
Interview with Jacqueline Hallbloom Iowa Public Radio – April 2009
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What's it worth?
A key issue facing musicians in the digital age is an ongoing shift in the relative values of recording and performance. Simon Jenkin’s take on old and new for the Guardian stands out for its resonance on this topic, cutting to the core of the contemporary relationship between taped and live:
Much of the power of enjoying music lies in being in the presence of its makers, in the intimacy of...
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But where's the orchestra?
Catching up on Twitter a few days ago my interest was piqued by a link to the Free Music Archive, a newly-established library of free and legal downloads. [via @culturite] What grabbed my attention – and probably should any performing artist’s – was the following from the FMA statement of purpose:
Every mp3 you discover on the Free Music Archive is pre-cleared for certain types of uses that...
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Pastoral with pulse
‘Underneath the fast surface movement lies a very slow harmonic movement … a natural progression of form and materials … a pastoral with pulse.’ – John Adams on Common Tones in Simple Time
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Adams – Common Tones in Simple Time, opening
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Not so new realities
Peter Dobrin of The Philadelphia Inquirer zeroes in on key fiscal challenges facing orchestras today. Seems to me these issues and their implications should have been discussed much more widely among constituents of American orchestras before the current financial crisis ever materialized.
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Where words leave off
On Saturday night the WCFSO will perform a canonical orchestral work, Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, alongside two seminal pieces by American composer John Adams. For those of you thinking about coming to the concert, the following is a quick introduction to the Tchaikovsky drawn from the composer’s own words.
After completing his Fourth Symphony Tchaikovsky wrote a letter to his...
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Blowin' up
One of the best places on the web to find out about contemporary creatives is BOOOOOOOM!, a website curated by Jeff Hamada. His thorough approach and the reach of his web presence ensure that deserving independent artists of all kinds receive wider recognition. He also designs cool stuff.
A few weeks ago Hamada suggested 17 creative websites to bookmark. Several are already linked from this site,...