orchestra21

Dvořák – Legend no. 2, Molto moderato
WCFSO – October 2010

When I chose Dvořák’s Legends for the opening program of the WCFSO season I figured that at least a few of our listeners would know them, mainly because of an historical local interest in the composer and his 1893 stay in nearby Spillville, Iowa. Turns out not a single audience member [and none of the musicians onstage] had ever heard these magical pieces performed live prior to our presentation of them this past week.

Now it’s on to Tumblr – a quick search of the dashboard reveals that no orchestral recordings of Legends have been posted here either … until now. Are these works new to you too?

Coming to the WCFSO this weekend to hear Tan Dun’s Concerto for Pipa? Learn everything you need to know about the traditional Chinese lute from its entry in the Guardian series on instruments.

[Previously posted: a video of pipa soloist Zhoa Cong playing in front of Beijing’s Drum Tower]

The first half of this week’s LO concerts [for which I am replacing an injured Joana Carneiro] consists of two pieces likely to be unfamiliar to Louisville audiences – Anatol Liadov’s vivid Kikimora, based on a Russian folk tale, and Tan Dun’s 1999 Concerto for Pipa and Strings. Here’s a close-up look at the pipa from soloist Zhoa Cong and Guardian journalist Dan Chung.