"Americana Symphony" of Mark O'Connor

Mark O'Connor's latest work is the "Americana Symphony." Click on this link to listen to an interview with O'Connor on Friday's edition of "All Things Considered in which he talks about the optimism of American music, the American spirit that led to westward expansion and how those aspects of the American character still fuel this nation today.

The opening movement, "Brass Fanfare: Wide Open Spaces" sets up the distinct Americana theme of the piece. "New World Fanciful Dance" celebrates the Appalachian communities that O'Connor calls "the original melting pot of America." The two middle movements, "Different Paths Towards Home," and "Open Plains Hoedown" feature respectively a fugue and a dance. The fifth movement, "Soaring Eagle, Setting Sun" is perhaps the most visual of the movements, as O'Connor imagines the westward travelers facing a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, the Rocky Mountains. The symphony ends with "Splendid Horizons" celebrates the "spirit, wonder, renewed optimism and hope for a brighter future."

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Saturday Palouse held its annual St. Paddy's Day Dog Parade. I was delighted to be the the M.C. for the event. If there are dogs involved I'll be there! It was a small but festive affair and the gray skies did not seem to dampen the mood of those present.



Here are some photos before the parade. This is the Golden Retriever section of the parade with my dog Miles on the left. Miles was modestly dressed for the occasion with a green shamrock bow around his neck and a green bow tied to his tail. He's rather petite as you can see by comparing him to the green bewigged monster (just kidding!) to the left.



Members of the Whitman County Humane Society were at the event along with two dogs for adoption, a very nice, senior German Shorthaired Pointer mix, Elmer, and a Staffordshire/Sharpei mix, Ghost. Hopefully they will find good homes.



My favorite "dog," aside from Miles of course, was Penny the donkey. Penny is an amazing animal. I'm serious. When you are in her presence you feel calm, serene and happy. Holly, Palouse's librarian, rescued Penny. She had foundered and had a bad case of laminitis , an infection that can badly cripple an animal sometimes to the point where euthanasia is necessary. Look at Penny now! Doesn't she look gorgeous!



Penny is, in my opinion, a service animal because she is helping Miles to get over his fear of equines. Miles was accidentally stepped on by a horse several years ago while we were trail riding. He's been afraid of horses since then and I have been working with him on that issue of late. He is improving but still somewhat trepidatious around horses but he walked right up to Penny without one sign of fear. Penny rocks!

Paul Smith provided a soundtrack of great Celtic tunes. Paul performs with the group Potatohead. He also sometimes comes to the Open Mike nights at The Green Frog Cafe in Palouse the first Friday of every month. Paul is one of those amazing musicians that can play along with anyone at the drop of a hat and make them sound even better by doing so.







This little Chihuahua won the prize for the smallest dog.



Wishing you a happy St. Paddy's Day!

Musikkapelle Leavenworth

Musikkapelle Leavenworth, the Bavarian Village town band, began in 1994 under the direction of Chris Schimer. The band performs at all major Leavenworth festivals and activities in addition to out-of-town appearances. It is typical of town bands of Bavaria.

The repertoire consists of over one hundred arrangements from Germany and marches, waltzes and polkas typical of Bavaria. Like German village bands, members of Musikkapelle Leavenworth come from a wide area. The band was under direction of Ed Barnhart from 1998 until 2003 and to date Chuck Randall holds the baton.

Musikkapelle Leavenworth's next performance is March 28th at 7:00 pm at the United Methodist Church. You can find more information on Northwest Public Radio's arts calendar.

I've been e-mailing Chuck about the band and he wrote that "in researching the project of creating a band, the organization "Project Bayern" traveled to Germany
and visited Berchtesgaden and Mittenwald and Oberammergau. They came home with costumes to outfit about 25 members. We now number about 32." As you can see from the photo above the costumes are really cool!

Here's a picture of Oberammergau. If it looks familiar scroll down to the next picture of Leavenworth, Washington and you may realize why!






If you've never visited Leavenworth it's definitely worth a visit. It's a really fun little town that is what I like to call more Bavarian than Bavaria! And check out the background scenery in this photo.

"50 Favorites" List!

It was so much fun! Thanks for making it happen, for listening and for all of your great comments.

NORTHWEST PUBLIC RADIO'S "50 FAVORITES"

March 2nd - March 11th 2009

1. Symphony No. 9 "Choral" Ludwig van Beethoven
2. Adagio for Strings Samuel Barber
3. Appalachian Spring Aaron Copland
4. Canon Johann Pachelbel
5. 1812 Overture Peter Tchaikovsky
6. Rhapsody in Blue George Gershwin
7. Four Seasons Antonio Vivaldi
8. Symphony No. 9 "New World" Antonin Dvorak
9. Fanfare for the Common Man Aaron Copland
10.Bolero Maurice Ravel
11.Carmina Burana Carl Orff
12.Toccata & Fugue Johann Sebastian Bach
13.Finlandia Jean Sibelius
14.The Lark Ascending Ralph Vaughan Williams
15.The Flower Duet from "Lakme" Leo Delibes
16.Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis Ralph Vaughan Williams
17.Piano Concerto No. 2 in c Sergei Rachmaninoff
18.Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
19.Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring Johann Sebastian Bach
20.Scheherazade Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
21.Hallelujah Chorus from "Messiah" George Fredrich Handel
22.Symphony No. 7 Ludwig van Beethoven
23.Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 Johann Sebastian Bach
24.Nutcracker Suite Peter Tchaikovsky
25.Concierto de Aranjuez Joaquin Rodrigo
26.Requiem Mass in d minor, K. 626 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
27. Meditation from "Thais" Jules Massenet
28.Symphony No. 5 Ludwig van Beethoven
29.By the Beautiful Blue Danube Johann Strauss II
30.Cello Suite No. 1 in G major Johann Sebastian Bach
31.Eine Kleine Nachtmusik "A Little Night Music"Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
32.Rodeo Aaron Copland
33.William Tell Overture Gioacchino Rossini
34.Violin Concerto in e minor Felix Mendelssohn
35.Nessun dorma from "Turandot" Giacomo Puccini
36.Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Edvard Grieg
37.Fur Elise Ludwig van Beethoven
38.Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" Ludwig van Beethoven
39.Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral" Ludwig van Beethoven
40.Trout Quintet in A major Franz Schubert
41.Pictures at an Exhibition Modest Mussorgsky
42.Piano Sonata No. 14 "Moonlight" Ludwig van Beethoven
43.Adagio in g minor Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni
44.An American in Paris George Gershwin
45.A Midsummer Night's Dream Felix Mendelssohn
46.Ave Maria Franz Schubert
47.Grand Canyon Suite Ferde Grofe
48.Claire de lune from "Suite Bergamasque" Claude Debussy
49.The Relief of Derry Symphony Shaun Davey
50.O Mio Babbino Caro from "Gianni Schicchi" Giacomo Puccini

Fun Facts:
Beethoven had the most entries on the list with 16.
Mozart and Bach were a close second with 13 each.
Brahms had the most entries (8) of a composer who did not make the "50 Favorites."

AND ALL THE REST!

Hungarian rhapsody No. 2 Franz Liszt
German Requiem Johannes Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 1 Peter Tchaikovsky
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Sergei Rachmaninoff
String Quartet No. 12 "American" Antonin Dvorak
The Moldau from "Ma Vlast" (My Country) Bedrich Smetana
The Planets Gustav Holst
Missa Criolla "Creole Mass" Ariel Ramirez
Requiem Gabriel Faure
Ride of the Valkyries from "The Ring Cycle" Richard Wagner
Symphony No. 3 "Organ" Camille St. Saens
West Side Story Suite Leonard Bernstein
Ancient Airs and Dances Ottorino Respighi
Ave verum corpus K. 618 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Night on Bald Mountain Modest Mussorgsky
Pines of Rome Ottorino Respighi
Sheep May Safely Graze Johann Sebastian Bach
Barcarolle from "The Tales of Hoffman" Jacques Offenbach
Capriccio Italien Peter Tchaikovsky
Che gelida manina from "La Boheme" Giacomo Puccini
Gymnopedie No. 1 Erik Satie
Mass in b minor, BWV 232 Johann Sebastian Bach
Prelude to the afternoon of a faun Claude Debussy
Symphony No. 3 "Eroica" Ludwig van Beethoven
Water Music: Suite I George Fredrich Handel
Au fond du temple saint from "Pearl Fishers" Georges Bizet
Carmen Suite No. 1 Georges Bizet
Clarinet Quintet in a minor, K.581 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Grand March from Act II of "Aida" Giuseppe Verdi
Hebrides Overture "Fingal's Cave" Felix Mendelssohn
Pavane pour une infante defunte "Pavane for a dead princess"
Maurice Ravel
Peter and the Wolf Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 4 "Italian" Felix Mendelssohn
The Barber of Seville Overture Giaocchini Rossini
The Ride of the Valkyries from "Die Walkure" Richard Wagner
Un bel di (One Beautiful Day) from "Madame Butterfly"
Giacomo Puccini
Violin Concerto Ludwig van Beethoven
Warsaw Concerto Richard Addinsell
Aria from "Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5" Heitor Villa-Lobos
Candide Overture Leonard Bernstein
Enigma Variations Sir Edward Elgar
Gabriel's Oboe from "The Mission" Ennio Morricone
Goldberg Variations BWV 988 Johann Sebastian Bach
Lux Aeterna Morten Lauridsen
Piano Concerto in a minor Edvard Grieg
Piano Concerto in a minor Robert Schumann
Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, "Elvira Madigan" K. 468
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 3 in d minor, Op. 30 Sergei Rachmaninoff
Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathetique" Ludwig van Beethoven
Rite of Spring Igor Stravinsky
Violin Concerto No. 1 in g minor Max Bruch
Voluntary Henry Purcell
Adagietto from "Symphony No. 5" Gustav Mahler
Adagio of Spartacus & Phrygia Aram Khachaturian
Anvil Chorus from "Il Trovatore" Giuseppe Verdi
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba George Fredrich Handel
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 Johann Sebastian Bach
Carnival of the Animals Camille St. Saens
Casta Diva from "Norma" Vincenzo Bellini
Cello Concerto in B minor Antonin Dvorak
La Valse Maurice Ravel
Piano Concerto No. 2 Johannes Brahms
Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture Peter Tchaikovsky
St. Matthew Passion Johann Sebastian Bach
Symphony No. 41 in C major, "Jupiter" K. 551 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 6 "Pathetique" Peter Tchaikovsky
Terpsichore Michael Praetorius
Va pensiero...(Hebrew Slave Chorus) from "Nabucco"
Giuseppe Verdi
Vocalise Sergei Rachmaninoff
Clarinet Quintet Johannes Brahms
Dance of the Blessed Spirits from "Orfeo et Euridice" Christoph
Willibald Gluck
Fantasia para un gentilhombre (Fantasy for a Gentlemen of the Court)
Joaquin Rodrigo
Five Variants of Dives and Lazarus Ralph Vaughan Williams
Lieutenant Kije Sergei Prokofiev
Miserere mei, deus (Psalm 51) Gregorio Allegri
O Holy Night Adolphe Adam
O Lovely Moon from "Rusalka" Antonin Dvorak
O Magnum Mysterium Morten Lauridsen
Panis Angelicus Cesar Franck
Pavane Gabriel Faure
Piano Sonata No. 23 in f minor, "Appassionata" Ludwig van Beethoven
Pilgrim's Chorus from "Tannhauser" Richard Wagner
Polovtsian Dances from "Prince Igor" Alexander Borodin
Requiem Mass Giuseppe Verdi
Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1 Georges Enesco
Sabre Dance from "Gayaneh" Aram Khachaturian
String Quartet No. 14 in d minor "Death and the Maiden"
Franz Schubert
The girl with the flaxen hair Claude Debussy
The Go-Between Michel Legrand
Violin Concerto Samuel Barber
Wedding Day at Troldhaugen Edvard Grieg
Bailero from "Songs of the Auvergne" Joseph Canteloube
Capriccio Espagnol Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Carmen Suite No. 2 Georges Bizet
Cello Concerto in e minor Sir Edward Elgar
Christmas Concerto Arcangelo Corelli
Concerto for 2 Cellos in g minor, RV. 531 Antonio Vivaldi
Guitar Concerto in D major Antonio Vivaldi
Humoreqsue Antonin Dvorak
Hungarian Dances Johannes Brahms
In the Steppes of Central Asia Alexander Borodin
Intermezzo from "Cavalleria Rusticana" Pietro Mascagni
Les Preludes Franz Liszt
Light Cavalry Overture Franz von Suppe
March of the Trolls from "Lyric Pieces," Op. 54Edvard Grieg
Missa Solemnis Ludwig van Beethoven
Nimrod from "Enigma Variations" Sir Edward Elgar
Orchestral Suite No. 3 Johann Sebastian Bach
Piano Concerto in F major George Gershwin
Prelude in D flat major, Op. 28 No. 15 "Raindrop"
Frederic Chopin
Romeo and Juliet Suites Sergei Prokofiev
String Quartet No. 3 "Mishima" Philip Glass
Symphonie Fantastique Hector Berlioz
Symphony No. 1 in D major, "Titan" Gustav Mahler
Symphony No. 2 Sergei Rachmaninoff
Violin Concerto in d minor Jean Sibelius
Zigeunerweisen "Bypsy Airs" Pablo Sarasate
“Ah, Vous Dirai-Je Maman” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Bacchanale from "Samson and Delilah" Camille St. Saens
Bridal Chorus from "Lohengrin" Richard Wagner
Cantique de Jean Racine Gabriel Faure
Conquest of Paradise: 1492 Vangelis
Dance of the Hours from "La Gioconda" Amilcare Ponchielli
Der Rosenkavalier Suite Richard Strauss
Egmont Overture Ludwig van Beethoven
Etude in Ab major, Op. 25 No. 1 Frederic Chopin
Firebird Suite Igor Stravinsky
Flight of the Bumblebee from "Tale of Tsar Sultan"
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Flute & Harp Concerto in C major, K. 299 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Impromptu No. 4 "Fantaise-Impromptu" Frederic Chopin
Impromptus, Op. 90 Franz Schubert
Largo from Xerxes George Fredrich Handel
Liebestod from "Tristan und Isolde Richard Wagner
Mass Leonard Bernstein
Mass in c minor, K. 427 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Night Music from the Streets of Madrid Luigi Boccherini
Piano Trio No. 7 in Bb major "Archduke" Ludwig van Beethoven
Prince of Denmark March Jeremiah Clarke
Recuerdos de la Alhambra Francisco Tarrega
Scottish Fantasy Max Bruch
Simple Symphony Benjamin Britten
Sleeping Beauty Waltz Peter Tchaikovsky
Sleigh Ride Leroy Anderson
Star Wars: Main Title John Williams
Symphony No. 2 in d minor Alexandre Borodin
Symphony No. 5 in d minor Dmitri Shostakovich
Tales from the Vienna Woods Johann Strauss, Jr.
Te Deum Marc-Antonie Charpentier
The Bells of St. Genevieve Marin Marais
The Chairman Dances from "Nixon in China" John Adams
The Seasons Alexander Glazunov
Toccata from "Symphony No. 5" Charles-Marie Widor
Traumerei "Dreaming" from "Scenes from Childhood" (Kinderszenen)
Robert Schumann
Una furtiva lagrima from "L'elisir d'amore" Gaetano Donizetti
Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 Peter Tchaikovsky
Waltz No. 6 "Minute" Frederick Chopin
Academic Festival Overture Johannes Brahms
Afro American Symphony William Grant Still
Caprice in a minor, Op. 1 No. 24 Nicolo Paganini
Celtic Dawn Philip Pickett
Comedian's Galop from "The Comedians" Dmitri Kabalevsky
Concerto for two violins in d minor, BWV. 1043 Johann Sebastian Bach
Concerto for Violin and Oboe in D minor Johann Sebastian Bach
Dreams of Love "Liebestraume" Franz Liszt
Etude No. 3 in E "Tristesse" Frederic Chopin
Fantasy and Fugue in G-Minor Johann Sebastian Bach
Flying Theme from "E.T." John Williams
Gaite Parisienne Jacques Offenbach
Greensleeves Traditional
Introduction to "Also spach Zarathustra" Richard Strauss
Invitation to the Dance Carl Maria von Weber
La Creation du Monde Darius Milhaud
La donna e mobile (Woman is fickle) from "Rigoletto"
Giuseppe Verdi
La Mer Claude Debussy
La Tempesta de mare (Flute Concerto) RV. 433 Antonio Vivaldi
Largo al factotum from "The Barber of Seville" Gioacchino Rossini
M'appari from "Martha" Friedrich von Flotow
Minuet Luigi Boccherini
Orchestral Suite No. 2 Johann Sebastian Bach
Overture to the School for Scandal Samuel Barber
Piano Concerto No. 2 in a minor Frederic Chopin
Piano Concerto No. 23 in A, K. 488 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Quartet in Eb major, Op. 47 Robert Schumann
Piano Sonata No. 17, Op. 31, No. 2 "Tempest" Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Trio in D minor, Op. 49 Felix Mendelssohn
Requiem John Rutter
Ritual Fire Dance from "El Amor Brujo" Manuel de Falla
Romance from "Gadfly" Dmitri Shostakovich
Rondeau Jean Joseph Mouret
Rondo alla Turca "Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K. 331
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Roumanian Folk Dances Bela Bartok
Scherzo from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Felix Mendelssohn
Serenade from "String Quartet in F major" Franz Joseph Haydn
Sextet for two horns and strings, Op. 81 Ludwig van Beethoven
Slavonic Dances Antonin Dvorak
String Quartet Bb major, Opus 9 Franz Joseph Haydn
String Quartet No. 2 Alexander Borodin
Suite Espanola Isaac Albeniz
Suite in a for flute & strings Georg Philip Telemann
Suite Provencale Darius Milhaud
Symphonic Metamorphoses of themes by Carl Maria Von Weber
Paul Hindemith
Symphonie Espagnole Eduard Lalo
Symphony in D Johann Stamitz
Symphony in d minor Cesar Franck
Symphony No. 1 in D major "Classical" Sergei Prokofiev
Symphony No. 2 Jean Sibelius
Symphony No. 2 in D major Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 3 Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 3 "Pastoral" Ralph Vaughan Williams
Symphony No. 36 in C major "Linz" K. 425 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 4 Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 4 in E Minor Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 48 "Maria Theresia" Franz Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 9 Gustav Mahler

Appalachian Spring

Photo from www.ballet.co.uk/images/graham/jd_appalachian

As part of NPR's "Milestones of the Millenium" explore Aaron Copland's "Appalachian Spring" with commentary by Robert Kapilow and John Adams, and interviews with the composer himself.

While exploring the Internet on Appalachian topics I came across the website of Marcia Abonta. Her "Appalachian Seasons Series" looks interesting as does her website in general.

You might enjoy this pairing of "Simple Gifts" from "Appalachian Spring" with the beautiful black and white photography of Ansel Adams.

Finlandia

*Picture of Lake Finland from home.freiepresse.de/uwdel/finland

Here's a link to an interesting interview with conductor Esa Pekka Salonen and Fred Child about "Finlandia"

The Flower Duet

This duet, about Lakme and her servant Mallika gathering lotus flowers at the river, is one of the most popular in all of opera. The version that I played this morning features soprano Natalie Dessay
and Delphine Haidan.

Here's a video featuring both Dessay and Haidan.





Here's a link to an npr story from May of 2007 about the "Flower Duet" from the opera "Lakme" by composer Leo Delibes.

Sheherazade in Baghdad

Original posting 10/2008



This beautiful Marko Georgiev photo of Mohammed Ghani Hikmat’s statue of Scheherazade and King Shahryar is from Erica Goode's NY Times story of August 27, 2008. Read the full story called Sheherazade in Baghdad.

Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear!

Dear Mr. Rossini,

I know that you wrote your opera in four acts "Guillaume Tell" about the legendary Swiss 14th century archer, William Tell but here in North America we can't help but think of "A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty "Hi Yo Silver!"

You should be proud that your music became the theme for both a radio and a television show that thrilled the imaginations of millions of children and adults.
After all, what's more heroic and legendary than a masked Texas Ranger and a Potawatomi Native American righting wrongs?!

I know what you're thinking...Of course it would have been much more interesting if Tonto had actually been played by a
member of the Potawatomi nation instead of by actor John Todd. Well, who knows? Maybe there will be a remake some day!

But who would replace Clayton Moore as "The Lone Ranger?" Would the producers find a Potawatomi star or just tap George Clooney?

Beethoven's Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral"

Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony came it at number 39 on Northwest Public Radio's "50 Favorites" list. It's one of the few pieces he wrote with a programmatic theme. When the 6th symphony was first performed in December of 1808 it went by the title "Recollections of Country Life".

I thought that it might be fun to provide you with a little pictorial journey of our day in the country.

I. "Awakening of cheerful feelings upon arrival in the country:" allegro ma non troppo


II. "Scene at the brook:" andante molto mosso


III. "Happy Gathering of Country Folk." allegro


IV. "Thunderstorm; Storm:" allegro


V. "Shepherds' song; cheerful and thankful feelings after the storm:" allegretto


Listen to an NPR interview about Beethoven's "Pastoral" Symphony with conductor
Christophe Eschenbach.