Westport Public Library MOVIE & MUSIC Blog

After suffering through the stormy, violent weekend and enduring life without electricity for several days, it is time to rejoice with the return of the sun and the spring-like weather. Although the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra did not plan on the aforementioned conditions, their Saturday evening March 20, 2010 concert at 8:00 p.m. at the Norwalk Concert Hall is a welcome antidote to the tumultuous experiences.

What better way to make people smile and feel romantic than listening to music based on William Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet? This creative program features musical interpretations of this work by Nino Rota, Sergey Prokofiev, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky and Leonard Bernstein.

If you can't make it to this event, be sure to look for these pieces at the Westport Public Library.

Until the 1970s, Irish laws stipulated that pubs be closed on March 17. This changed in 1995 when the Irish government decided to use St. Patrick's Day as an opportunity to push travel and tourism to Ireland. Last year, almost one million people experienced this holiday in Dublin via parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions and fireworks shows.

For those of us who cannot travel that far, here are some musical choices highlighting the Irish:

Altan. Blackwater

Black, Mary. The Holy Ground

Chieftains. The Irish Album

Dagda. CelticTrance

George, Ruth. Hearts in Harmony

Solas. The Words That Remain

Various Artists. Flight of the Green Linnet

To remind ourselves not to take our water for granted, I'd like to suggest some musical works that pay tribute to this element:

Bachman-Turner Overdrive. Hold Back the Water

Debussy, Claude. Reflets Dans L'eau

Dylan, Bob. High Water (For Charley Patton)

Fauré, Gabriel. At the Water's Edge

Four Tops. Still Water (Love)

Handel, George Frideric. Water Music

Jenny Scheinman Quartet. Weighing Water

Simon and Garfunkel. Bridge Over Troubled Water

Tan, Dun. Water

Telemann, Georg Philipp. Water Music

As time went on, it progressed to be a major part of marching bands, military bands and jazz ensembles.

The trombone received its greatest exposure in Meredith Willson's broadway show, The Music Man, which featured con artist Harold Hill as he tricks the citizens of River City into buying instruments and unforms for the local boy's band. Seventy Six Trombones became its signature piece.

On Sunday, March 7, 2010, the Westport Public Library is presenting the Bonefide Brass, a chamber music ensemble consisting of 8 trombones. These instrumentalists, who freelance in various Fairfield County musical organizations, will regale you with their originality, power and technique. Their versions of classical works will astound and surprise you.

Are you tiring of the endless cold, ice and snow that have blanketed our area? Are you dreaming of reading a good book surrounded by sand, sun and surf? If you are looking for an antidote to the winter blues that will leave you smiling and humming, be sure to try the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Greater Bridgeport Symphony will present an all Mozart program on Saturday, March 6, 2010, at the Klein Memorial Auditorium featuring his Divertimento K.136, Clarinet Concerto K. 622 in A major, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik K. 525 and Symphony no. 35, K. 385 (Haffner). Conductor Gustav Meier and soloist David Shifrin will be at the forefront of this user-friendly concert.

Maestro Meier has led orchestras throughout the world while holding esteemed teaching positions at Yale University, the Eastman School of Music, University of Michigan, and the Tanglewood Music Center. He has appeared on the podium for the Zurich Tonhalle, Sao Paolo, China National, Pittsburgh, Colorado and Alabama Symphony Orchestras; New York City, Santa Fe, Miami, San Francisco, Zurich, and Minnesota Opera Companies; and the Budapest and Vienna State Opera Orchestras. He has honorary doctorates from Fairfield University, Kalamazoo College, and Michigan State University and is the recipient of the Ditson Prize for his commitment to American music.

Clarinetist David Shifrin has the unique distinction of being only one of two wind players to have been awarded the Avery Fisher Prize. From 1992 to 2004, he served as the artistic director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He was principal clarinetist with the Cleveland Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra (under Stokowski), the Honolulu and Dallas symphonies, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and New York Chamber Symphony. His chamber music collaborations have included the Guarneri, Tokyo, and Emerson String Quartets as well as eminent soloists like Wynton Marsalis, Emanuel Ax and André Watts.

If you desire further information about Mozart, you may want to consult The Cambridge Mozart Encyclopedia H. C. Robbins Landon's The Mozart Compendium: A Guide to Mozart's Life and Neal Alexander Zaslaw's The Compleat Mozart: A Guide to the Musical Works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

His musical genius was recognized at an early age as he performed in the homes of Warsaw's upper class. He moved to Paris in 1831 and continued to teach, compose and perform. Unlike many 19th century artists, he did not paticularly enjoy playing in a large public forum. He benefited from the Parisian intellectual atmosphere and became quite close to novelist George Sand. With a superlative technique, a keen comprehension of musical forms and an innate ability to synthesize harmony and melody, he built up a sizable ouevre of piano works.

If you are interested in learning more about his life and work, the Library has William G. Atwood's The Lioness and the Little One: The Liaison of George Sand and Frederic Chopin, Ates Orga's Chopin: His Life and Times and Tad Szulc's Chopin in Paris: The Life and Times of the Romantic Composer. A sampling of his works on compact disc includes Benno Moisewitsch Plays Chopin, Horowitz Plays Chopin, Preludes, op. 28 performed by Maurizio Pollini, and Piano Concertos # 1 and #2 performed by Arthur Rubinstein.

If you would like to hear a live performance of his Piano Concerto #2, you may want to consider this weekend's Stamford Symphony concert with soloist Cecile Licad.

Although we tend to associate the ukulele with the Pacific islands, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is a force to be reckoned with.

Enjoy them in their rendition of that classic Isaac Hayes movie theme from Shaft played live at Cambridge Folk Festival:

The New York Times announced that the television ratings for this Olympics has surpassed the perennial favorite, American Idol.

As we revel during the rest of the cold weather competitive events, we may want to listen to some breathtaking, winning music:

Berlioz, Hector. Symphonie Fantastique

Copland, Aaron. Fanfare for the Common Man

Lloyd Webber, Andrew. Official Theme of the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games

Rossini, Gioacchino. Overture to the Barber of Seville

Schubert, Franz. Symphony #9

Sousa, John Philip. Semper Fidelis

Strauss, Johann. Tales from the Vienna Woods

Williams, John. Olympic Fanfare and Theme

Williams, John. Summon the Heroes

How often do you get to hear a world-class soloist and a new work by a 21st century composer in a local setting? If you live in Fairfield County, you are in luck. Under the direction of Maestro William Boughton, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra will be performing on Friday, February 19, 2010 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 p.m. at the Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts at Sacred Heart University.

The program consists of Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K216, Augusta Read Thomas' Prayer & Celebration and Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4 in Bb Major, Op. 60. With this performance, violiniist Ani Kavafian begins her series of performances of Mozart's Concertos for Solo Violin.

Ani Kavafian has had a long, fulfilling career as a soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. She recently conducted workshops in Taiwan for talented students with other members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. She and her sister, violinist Ida Kavafian, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of their Carnegie Hall debut as a duo last November in a concert with the Chamber Music Society. She regularly performs with: the Kavafian-Schub-Shifrin Trio with Andre-Michel Schub and David Shifrin as well as the Triton Horn Trio with William Purvis and Mihae Lee. She has appeared as soloist with the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She serves as the Concertmaster of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and is on the faculty of Yale University.

Augusta Read Thomas studied composition at Tanglewood, Yale and the Royal Academy of Music in London. She served as Composer-in-Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has taught at the Eastman School of Music, Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. Her orchestral works have been performed by the major orchestras of the world including the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony, etc. In 2007, her Astral Canticle was named as one of two finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Magic Flute

Puccini, Giacomo. La Boheme

Ravel, Maurice. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite no. 2

Rodrigo, Joaquín. Concierto de Aranjuez

Strauss, Richard. Don Juan

Stravinsky, Igor. Fairy's Kiss

Wagner, Richard. Siegfried-Idyll

Wagner, Richard. Tristan und Isolde

If you are looking for symphonic music performed in a cozy, local space, be sure to go to the American Chamber Orchestra's concert on Saturday, February 6 at 8 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Fairfield. This 60+ member group draws its musicians from various Connecticut counties and prides itself on engaging the audience by presenting new upcoming talent, familiar works from the repertoire and new compositions by 21st century composers.

Saturday's program features Bedřich Smetana's Die Moldau, Robert Schumann's Symphony #1 "Spring," and Joseph Rheinberger's Organ Concerto #1. Christopher James Hisey will conduct, and Leslie Smith will be the organ soloist.

If you get a chance, be sure to stop at the Library to acquaint yourself with these pieces.

I will be cooking and listening to football classics until the tossing of the ceremonial coin. I hope you enjoy the game.

Andersson, Benny. The Winner Takes It All

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Egmont Overture

Brubeck, Dave. Take Five

Coltrane, John. Locomotion

Ives, Charles. Yale-Princeton Football Game

Lamb, Joseph. Excelsior

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. The Marriage of Figaro Overture

Rossini, Gioacchino. Italian in Algers Overture

Williams, John. Jurassic Park

I was quite saddened to learn of the recent death of George Jellinek, a former music director of the New York classical music radio station WQXR. His vocal delivery was the antithesis of the pop music radio announcers and broadcasters with his understated tone, immense knowledge and distinguished accent.

My grandparents and I spent many hours listening to him introduce large-scale musical works and discuss the art and state of singers and singing. Our love of opera was cultivated by him since we were regular listeners of his weekly show The Vocal Scene. His lectures that demonstrated the similarities and differences in interpretations by various artists singing the same operatic role were quite noteworthy. Youtube has picked up this approach by presenting videos of contemporary and older singers performing the same aria like "Largo al factotum" from Gioacchino Rossini's Barber of Seville or "Se vuol ballare" from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Marriage of Figaro. It was always a treat to hear him as a panelist on the Texaco Opera Quiz during the Saturday afternoon Metropolitan Opera performances.

I hope that the radio station will replay his shows for future generations of operatic lovers.

To honor this event, here are some oldtime favorites that will make you long for the moon:

Alpert, Herb. Rocket to the Moon

Coleman, Ornette. Moon Inhabitants

McDonald, Audra. Baby Moon

Silvester, Victor. Old Devil Moon

Sinatra, Frank. Fly Me to the Moon

Sting. Sister Moon

Williams, Andy. Moon River

As part of its outreach mission of educating the young by featuring young artists, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is proud to offer a Young Strings Festival Concert on Saturday, January 30 at 7:00 PM. These predominantly middle school string players will be performing selected themes from Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 1.

This opening dovetails nicely with the Symphony's third concert of the season entitled Prodigy – A Concert of Firsts. Works on the program include conductor Diane Wittry's Mist, a Connecticut Premiere, Felix Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 with New Canaan native Andrew Armstrong, and Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 1.

With more than 35 concertos to his credit, Andrew Armstrong has performed for a wide array of national and international audiences. Before beginning his career as a concert pianist, he received over 25 national and international First Prizes including the Jury Discretionary Award at the1993 Van Cliburn Competition and the 1996 Gilmore Young Artist award. He has performed with major orchestras throughout the world and will make his debut with the Vancouver Symphony, Omaha Symphony and San Antonio Symphony during this concert series year.

If you wish to acquaint yourself with these pieces, be sure to check the Library's holdings.

Every so often, I fall upon a piece in the New York Times that encapsulates my feelings for the dedication and sacrifice of many of the music teachers that I have known. Michael Gordon, a co-founder of New York's Bang on a Can collective, has written a moving, eloquent homage to his teachers and to the city of his youth, Miami Beach. His insights and musical truisms really struck a chord. If it makes you nostalgic or provokes a reaction, I trust that you will share your comments and memories.

"The Accidental Music Lesson
By MICHAEL GORDON

In The Score, American composers on creating “classical” music in the 21st century.
Tags:
film, John Adams, New World Symphony, New York, orchestra

In a way, this is a tale of two cities.

This past November I went to my hometown, Miami Beach, for a performance by the New World Symphony of my orchestral work, “Gotham,” a three-movement symphony that takes the city of New York as its subject. It is part of an ongoing project of “film symphonies” that I am creating with filmmaker Bill Morrison to capture the aura of cities.

My family moved to Miami Beach from Nicaragua when I was eight years old. I grew up not far from the art deco building on Lincoln Road that houses the N.W.S. Back then, Miami didn’t have much to offer a culture-starved teenager and at age 17 I left, eventually ending up in New York City. I’ve been returning to Miami Beach regularly to visit family and I’ve seen the city’s deteriorating Art Deco buildings transform into the ultra-hip South Beach of today.

Along with the rise of South Beach came the birth of the New World Symphony, an orchestral training academy founded by Michael Tilson Thomas that has turned the area into a Mecca for young classical musicians. This trip home for me was a bit surreal — returning after more than 30 years for my first professional date, and returning as a composer.

Excerpt from “Gotham”: film by Bill Morrison, music by Michael Gordon.

When the N.W.S. discovered that I was from Miami Beach they asked if I would speak to students at Miami Beach High — my alma mater. This got me thinking about my high school music teachers. I was amazed to see that the popular guitar teacher, Doug Burris, was still teaching there. I had the chance to chat with him and we spoke about the school’s former orchestra director James McCall. When I was in 11th grade I had nervously asked Mr. McCall if I could write for our high school orchestra. He turned to me and said, “You’re not only going to write for the orchestra, I want you to conduct it as well.” And I did. It was a fabulous opportunity for me.

Visiting Beach High and thinking of Mr. McCall started me thinking about the other music teachers who impacted my life in ways they never knew.

Florence Kutzen, my piano teacher, endured countless unprepared lessons. At age 10 I started distracting her from my lack of preparedness by showing her piano pieces that I had composed. It worked.

Once, at my last piano lesson before heading off for vacation, I asked Mrs. Kutzen what her plans were for the summer. Her reply: “Michael, musicians don’t take vacations.” I filed this line away in a special part of my brain, an informal collection of “accidental music lessons.” My interpretation of Mrs. Kutzen’s words has changed through the years, like a Talmudic discourse that is argued from different points of view:

1. Musicians just don’t ever feel quite right going an extended period of time without playing their instrument.

2. Music isn’t a job that you punch in and out of. It’s an obsession, a calling and your purpose in life.

3. Musicians don’t make a lot of money and you’re not going to be able to afford a vacation anyway.

With my compositions encouraged by Mrs. Kutzen and Mr. McCall, I asked my parents to help me find a composition teacher. Through a family friend they found the composer Francis Simon, who seized the moment in my very first lesson and “performed” John Cage’s 4’33”. I was stunned. I had started lessons with Mr. Simon for practical advice — like how to write correctly for the oboe. I didn’t realize at the time that my music teachers had opinions.

These accidental lessons weren’t the lessons I’d thought I was supposed to be learning, but they might have been the most important ones.

After I left Beach High I forgot all about the symphony orchestra. My compositions became focused on smaller, amplified groups devoted exclusively to playing newly written music, and I swore off the symphony orchestra as an out-of-date, past-its-prime mode of musical expression. But in 1999 I was encouraged by John Adams to write a piece for orchestra. That concert, which Adams conducted, included the premiere of his score for the Peter Martins ballet “Naive and Sentimental Music,” Charles Ives’s Fourth Symphony, and my own new work, “Sunshine of Your Love.” The mysterious power and beauty of the orchestra spoke to me. I was hooked.

At Beach High I stood in the auditorium with 800 or so restless teenagers, talking about the upcoming performance with the New World Symphony. At the Q & A one teenager stood up and said, “Your music doesn’t sound classical at all.” He compared my music to both heavy metal and film music and called it “experimental.” That made me smile. For most people, “classical” is the musical equivalent of Shakespearean English. It’s wonderful to see “Hamlet” but no one wants text their friends in 16th-century lingo. As a composer today I have always felt that my music has to have meaning in the vernacular.

I was also happy because I thought that for this student and those who came to hear “Gotham,” maybe hearing my music, and its connection to “classical music” was one of those accidental lessons.

Excerpt from “Gotham”: film by Bill Morrison, music by Michael Gordon.

The New World Symphony performed “Gotham” along with music written by my longtime friends and colleagues David Lang and Evan Ziporyn. When I was growing up I couldn’t have possibly imagined that a concert like this would ever take place in Miami Beach and that I would be part of it. A few blocks away and 35 years ago I was dreaming of being a composer. James McCall, Florence Kutzen and Francis Simon were preparing me for a musical life. Those preparations, both intended and accidental, set me on the path that lead me to New York and then, eventually, back to Miami Beach. And so here I was, suddenly, in the city of my youth, a homecoming of sorts, presenting a work about the city I have now made my home. It was a rare moment for these worlds, past and present, to collide."

What is it about practicing a musical instrument that makes us cringe? Why do we despise the monotony of it and look for any reason to be excused from it? Why do we view it as a daily grind? Does practicing have any redeeming features or qualities?

If you have ever tackled a new activity that requires an enormous amount of repetitive work for success, you may want to consult Phyllis Sdoia-Satz and Barry Satz's book Practicing Sucks, But It Doesn't Have To!: Surviving Music Lessons. This book strives to make the onerous palatable by offering ideas and tips to optimize the time spent perfecting a skill. It addresses ways to set realistic goals and objectives and provides positive reinforcement throughout the work. It offers practical suggestions to parents which try to ease the burden of their child's studies. Teachers may also discover creative, original methods of engaging their pupils in relieving their boredom and frustrations.

As the Polish pianist and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski said,

"If I don't practise for one day, I know it;
If I don''t practise for two days, the critics know it;
If I don''t practise for three days, the audience knows it."

I felt that same magic when I came across this spontaneous performance at a train station in Belgium. Amidst the humdrum of travel comes an extraordinary experience.

Could this occur at Grand Central Station?

Enjoy!

In 1976, he embarked on a solo career where he capitalized on his good looks, sexy delivery and passionate baritone sound. He even had the temerity to offer "Ladies Only" concerts. With his gold and platinum albums, he received several Grammy nominations in 1977 and 1978, Billboard's 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award, the American Music Award for best R & B Performer of 1978, and recognition from Ebony and the NAACP. His 1980 album TP went platinum, and his 1981 It's Time For Love went gold.

He had the world on a string when a tragic automobile accident left him a paraplegic in 1982. Although his 1984 album Love Language went gold, his voice and stage persona were never the same. He immersed himself in charitable endeavors and founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance that concentrated on aiding individuals with spinal cord injuries.

If you need help coping during these bleak times, you may appreciate some musical suggestions that will elevate your spirits:

Anderson, Leroy. Sleigh Ride

Henze, Hans Werner. Ode to the West Wind

Holst, Gustav. In the Bleak Mid-Winter

Ives, Charles. Winter

Oe, Hikari. Snow

Piazzolla, Astor. Winter in Buenos Aires

Prokofiev, Sergei. Winter Fairy

Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai. The Snow Maiden

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich. Symphony no.1 "Winter daydreams"

Vivaldi, Antonio. Winter

Vignola, a native New Yorker, started playing the guitar at the age of five and was exposed to a wide variety of jazz, rock, rhythm & blues, and popular music guitarists. He studied at the Cultural Arts Center of Long Island and worked extensively as a sideman in the 1980s, with artists such as Madonna, Leon Redbone, and Ringo Starr. His breakout came in 1988 with his famed Hot Club of France tribute to Django Reinhardt, an event which led to a resurgence of interest in this artist.

At the age of 27, Vignola signed with Concord Jazz and has released several albums under his own name. During the early 2000's, he branched out and recorded on Acoustic Disc, Hyena Records, Atlantic, Sony and Warner Brothers Records with fellow artists like Donald Fagen, Queen Latifah, Mark O Connor and Wynton Marsalis. His gifted versatility is evident as he easily moves from jazz to bluegrass.

He has written 18 instructional guitar books and has made several CD-ROM educational products. He has conducted numerous master classes at major universities and instititutions including the Julliard School and Boston University.

If you cannot make the concert, be sure to come to the library and get his compact discs.

As a young mother, I was always searching for inexpensive ways to enrich my childrens' life experiences. I wanted to expose them to classical music in a friendly, non-threatening manner with the goal of inspiring and stimulating their imagination. We are quite fortunate to live in this area where there will be two concerts specifically designed for kids on Saturday, January 9, 2010.

The Harlem String Quartet is the first performer of the Free Young Persons' Concerts series given by Music for Youth and the Pequot Library scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at the Trinity Church in Southport, CT. The mission of this chamber music group is to offer a diverse repertoire to excite young audiences and to highlight works by Black and Hispanic composers. The members of this quartet teach at the Sphinx Performance Academy at the Walnut Hill School in Massachusetts as well as the Sphinx Preparatory Music Institute at Wayne State University in Michigan. Their Carnegie Hall debut occurred in the fall of 2006 honoring the Sphinx Organization's ten year anniversary; their first appearance at Harlem's Apollo Theater featured Wynton Marsalis' piece, At the Octoroon Balls. As soloists, they have played with numerous orchestras including the Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, New York, etc. As a bonus, the quartet will lead master classes in violin, viola and cello.

If you have children who love to blow whistles, breathe sounds into empty soda bottles, or play a kazoo, the Westport Library has a concert for you. The City Winds Trio comprised of flutist Crispian Fordham, oboist Meredyth Coleman and bassoonist Yuki Higashi will play Peter and the Wolf and other familiar classical works at the library at 2:30 p.m. These professional musicians have devised educational programs that permit the children to touch and hold the instruments and to play musical games. Be sure to come to the Children’s Library beginning at 9:00 a.m. on the day of the performance to pick up free tickets since space is limited.

If you cannot attend either performance, feel free to check out the numerous music compact discs specifically for children at the Westport Public Library.

My favorite celebration is the transformation of the "Musikvereinssaal" from a concert auditorium into an ornate dance hall with its striking features. The live, festive New Year's Day concert presented by the Vienna Philharmonic is a homage to the music and times of the Johann Strauss family and their contemporaries. It is the hope that these musical gems will foster friendship, optimism and peace for all.

If you or your family want to try this nostalgic music, come to the Library and choose from the Boskovsky Ensemble's Bonbons aus Wien, Charm of Old Vienna, Creampuffs from Vienna or Music of Johann and Josef Strauss.

.

Here are some suggestions of musical works that may help you in this endeavor:

Barber, Samuel. Adagio for Strings

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral"

Carthusians. In the Silence of the Word

Mahler, Gustav. Symphony #4 (Final Movement)

Massenet, Jules. Méditation

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Exsultate, Jubilate

Ravel, Maurice. Pavane pour une Infante Defunte

Saint-Saens, Camille. The Swan

Satie, Erik. Gymnopédie 2

Schubert, Franz. Ave Maria

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich. Meditation for Violin and Orchestra

Wagner, Richard. Siegfried-Idyll

As the Beatles so aptly put it,

"All we are saying is give peace a chance,
All we are saying is give peace a chance"

Here is an example of opera occurring where you'd least expect it. It is in keeping with the holiday spirit.

One of my favorite parts is the author's triumphant success in obtaining an interview with a reclusive Bob Dylan after the release of his Christian album Slow Train Coming. Dylan was quite forthright in describing his religious vision and his subsequent life. I was quite taken with the author's reminisciences of a 20-year-old Bono. Hilburn had quite a knack for spotting charismatic energy, a compelling message and innate talent in the often crowded world of rock music; this gift was quite evident through his early championing of Elton John and Bruce Springsteen. His uncanny ability of getting his often suspicious subjects to open up is reflected throughout this work. The artists that are depicted are the ones whose music inspired and resonated with millions of people throughout the world. This book not only provides biographical information but could serve as a primary source of rock and roll for the ardent fan.

The frigid temperatures, the ubiquitous decorations and plentiful retail sales serve as a reminder of the proximity of the holidays. As we make our to-do lists, review cooking requirements and other last-minute details, we may crave music as a relaxation and reflection tool. We may also view this time of year as an excuse to cater to our heartfelt desires and wishes.

These classical music suggestions may serve as background music for both the mundane and/or spiritual activities:

Bach, Johann Sebastian. Christmas Oratorio BWV 248

Britten, Benjamin. A Shepherd's Carol

Byrd, William. Ave Verum Corpus

Chanticleer. Christmas with Chanticleer

Corelli, Arcangelo. Christmas Concerto

Grainger, Percy. Sussex Mummers' Christmas Carol

Handel, George Frederick. Messiah

Hanson, Howard. Dies Natalis

Haydn, Joseph. Symphony #96 in D "Miracle"

New York Ensemble for Early Music. Nova: A Medieval Christmas

Respighi, Ottorinio. "Adoration of the Magi" from Three Botticelli Pictures

Scheidt, Samuel. Puer Natus

Walter, Johann Gottfried. Works for Organ

This masterpiece will be performed by the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and the voices of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph Schola Cantorum, the Danbury Concert Chorus and Danbury Baroque Chamber Orchestra, and the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and Mendelssohn Choir of Connecticut. For those wishing to venture to New York City, it may be heard by the Oratorio Society of New York, the Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart and the New York Philharmonic and the Musica Sacra Chorus and Orchestra.

For those would be choristers and singers, be sure to join your fellow countrymen of the National Chorale for their 41st year of the Messiah Sing-In at Avery Fisher Hall. If you need the music, the Library has a copy of the vocal and full score.

If you cannot attend a live performance of this majestic work, you are invited to see it on DVD or videorecording. The Library has several versions of the entire piece as well as popular selections from it on compact disc.

To whet your appetite, please enjoy the London London Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus singing "And the Glory of the Lord."

As part of its 70th year anniversary, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is promoting its brand with the creation of the Norwalk Symphony Flute Quartet consisting of Jane Shelly, Assistant Principal Flute, Nina Crothers, Principal Second Violin, Suzanne Sahlin, Principal Viola, and Gunnar Sahlin, Principal Cello. This unusual chamber music group which has performed in such venues as the Fairfield Theater, the Lockwood Matthews Mansion, Shakespeare on the Sound, Summer Theatre of New Canaan and for events hosted by such community organizations as the Norwalk YMCA and the Norwalk Arts Council’s Art Spot events, is continuing its outreach to the Fairfield County community with an appearance at the Westport Public Library on Sunday, December 13th at 2:00 p.m.

This free concert features classical music and seasonal hits. The Flute and String Trio will present Francois Devienne's Quartet in G Major, Opus 11, No. 1, Gioacchino Rossini's Flute Quartet No. 2 in Bb Major, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Flute Quartet in D Major, K. 285 and Christmas and Hanukkah favorites.

On your way out, be sure to stop off at the Library's Audio-Visual Department for more holiday music.

Are you looking for a way to begin the holiday celebration? Why not try a concert of seasonal favorites with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony at 8:00 p.m. on Saturday night, December 12, 2009 at the Klein Auditorium? Guest conductor Mark Shapiro's program includes William Henry Fry's charming Santa Claus Symphony, Joaquin Rodrigo's Four Madrigals of Love, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Overture to The Abduction from the Seraglio, his popular Alleluia from Exsulate Jubilate, African-American spirituals and familiar Christmas and Hanukkah songs.

Harolyn Blackwell of the Metropolitan Opera will be the vocal soloist. Her versatile career which has led her to perform on the opera, theater, and recital stages, began on Broadway in Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. Following that, she was selected as a finalist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, and her career path evolved from musical theatre to opera. She has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Glyndebourne Festival, Teatro Colon de Buenes Aires, Seattle Opera, Opera de Nice, Miami Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Aix-en-Provence Festival, Opera Orchestra of New York and New York's Mostly Mozart Festival. Her Metropolitan Opera resume includes Giuseppe Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, Jules Massenet's Manon, Johann Strauss' Die Fledermaus, Jules Massenet's Werther and Gaetano Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment. In 1997, she starred in the Broadway revival of Leonard Bernstein's Candide.

If you can't get to the concert, be sure to visit the music CD collection at the Westport Public Library for acclaimed musical works.

In recognition of Westport's own Sally White, the doyenne and talented owner of Sally's Place record store, the community is invited to a holiday party on Thursday, December 10, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the gallery of the Arts Center. Artists such as drummer Adam Nussbaum, keyboardist Rob Aries, bassist Torff and a host of others will stop by and jam. Sally's Place has been a hangout for blues, jazz and pop music fans and performers for many years and is one of a handful of small businesses on Westport's Main Street.

Additionally, the Arts Center has an exhibition of thirty black and white photographs of jazz luminaries by the famous jazz bassist and photographer Milt Hinton. Besides playing with jazz immortals like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane and others, he acted as the official photographer and witness to their brilliant, often erratic careers, and took over 60,000 photographs of them. His work captures the medium from a performer's perspective.

Please note that the 100th anniversary of Hinton's birth will take place on June 23, 2010.

Upon completing her studies at the Royal Academy of Music and Opera School in Stockholm, she made her debut as Bastienne in Mozart’s Bastien and Bastienne at the Drottningholm Court Theater in 1947. Three years later she became a member of the Stockholm Royal Opera. She made her Salzberg debut in 1955 as Ighino in Pfitzner's Palestrina, her Glyndebourne debut in 1957 as the Composer in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1959 as Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro and her Covent Garden debut in 1960 as Daisy Dodd in Blomdahl's Aniara.

The Library's CD collection includes her singing Janacek's Káťa Kabanová, The Makropoulos Affair and Sibelius' Luonnotar.

I hope you'll enjoy her performance of "Song to the Moon" (Act I) from Antonin Dvorak's Rusalka.

Although neither one of them had an affinity for ballet, they loved to watch the Nutcracker live or on the screen. I still remember the first time we attended it at Stamford's Palace Theatre. Patricia McBride and other luminaries from the New York City Ballet portrayed the characters as we watched from our front row seats. Several years later we went to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree, the store windows and finally George Balanchine's version at the New York State Theatre. The Nutcracker and New York City reached the apex for our family.

The Westport Academy of Dance will present its 28th production of this classic next Saturday and Sunday, December 5th and 6th at Staples High School. What a marvelous way to introduce the youngest members of your family to an awe-inspiring experience. If your children are a little older, they may prefer the Ballet Etudes Company's full-length holiday production at the Westport Country Playhouse featuring Michelle Wiles, principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre and Arch Higgins, soloist of the New York City Ballet. Should you be up for a trip to Manhattan, you may want to try the New York City Ballet's thrilling conception with the gorgeous party, brave soldiers, scary mice, dreamy snowstorm, and triumphant ending.

To prepare yourself, come to the Library to get the CD, DVD or book about this ballet and its creator.

As we enjoy our family and relish our leisure time, we realize how lucky we are. Listening to music provides comfort, reflection and relaxation. Be sure to come to the library to sample our CD holdings. Suggestions that will elevate and entertain your spirits include Dave Brubeck's Shine on Harvest Moon, Placido Domingo's Gratitude, Josh Groban's Thankful, Paul McCartney's Gratitude and Hap Palmer's Things I'm Thankful For.

Here are the real verses to Bringing in the Sheaves - Knowles Shaw

Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Refrain:
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves;
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter’s chilling breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Going forth with weeping, sowing for the Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Once again, the Westport Arts Center is embarking on an exciting, innovative chamber music series. Russell Platt, composer, senior editor for classical music at The New Yorker and curator for the Westport Arts Center, has brought back violinist and cellist Colin and Eric Jacobsen of the Brooklyn Rider Quartet for a concert on Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. at the Westport Arts Gallery. The performance features duo works by George Frederic Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach, Zoltan Kodaly and a brand new Duo for Violin and Cello by Russell Platt.

Colin Jacobsen, a 2003 Avery Fisher Career Grant winner, has been in the public eye since the age of fourteen when he served as soloist in Bruch's Scottish Fantasy with Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic. He returned to the New York Philharmonic in May 2006 with Brahms' Double Concerto with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. His other guest appearances with orchestras have included Albany, Charlotte, Chicago, Eugene, Rhode Island, Nashville, Charleston, the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica and the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been a champion of new music and has premiered Ellen Taafe Zwillich's Partita for Violin and String Orchestra. An unusual concerto collaboration occurred when he gave the premiere performance of a Kevin Beavers Violin Concerto; this work, which was based on William Kennedy’s novel, Roscoe, featured the author as narrator. He andhis brother, cellist Eric Jacobsen, founded the Knights, a flexible chamber orchestra that has played at such diverse events and venues as the Beethoven Festival at the Planting Fields Arboretum, the MATA contemporary music festival, Tonic, and Bargemusic. He is a member of the Brooklyn Rider Quartet, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the group at Bargemusic, and the Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert.

Eric Jacobsen has appeared as soloist with the Chamber Soloists of Austin in Texas , the Riverside Orchestra, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, the Greenwich Village Orchestra, the Lake George Chamber Orchestra, the Woodstock Festival Orchestra, and the New York Repertory Orchestra. He has been heard on NPR programs such as Sound Check and Performance Today, where he performed in four live chamber music concerts last November. Besides his membership in the Brooklyn Rider Quartet, he is a member of Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project. Last year he participated in residencies in Japan's National Museums in Nara and Fukuoka; his travels with the ensemble have taken him to Baku, Azerbaijan, Switzerland and Malaysia to perform for the Aga Khan. During the fall, he has participated in residencies at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art in NY. One of his most prestigious appearances was in 2003 with Renee Fleming at the opening of Zankel Hall, at Carnegie Hall and on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Autumn: A Dirge (1824) is a dismal portrayal of this time of year.

Here is a list of musical suggestions that will provide comfort and warmth and serve as a helpful counterpoint to the bleak feelings experienced by the poet:

Britten, Benjamin. Serenade for Tenor Solo, Horn and Strings

Copland, Aaron. The Tender Land

Dvorak, Antonin. In Nature's Realm Overture

Grainger, Percy. Country Gardens

Haydn, Joseph. Seasons

Mahler, Gustav. Symphony No. 1

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus. Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Piazzolla, Astor. Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich. Autumn Song

Verdi, Giuseppe. I Vespri Siciliani: Ballet of the Four Seasons

Vivaldi, Antonio. L'Autunno

This work has the distinction of being the first show that director David Roth did with the Staples Players ten years ago; what's more, the group celebrated its 50th birthday last May. Another interesting tidbit is the enormous set designed by Staples High School graduate Reid Thompson. He brings a unique perspective to the production as a former member of this acting troupe and from his current job as a scenic painter for the Metropolitan Opera.

If you cannot make it to the show, feel free to come to the library for the score, compact disc or DVD.

Here are the lyrics from one of my favorite numbers "Fugue for Tinhorns":

NICELY
I got the horse right here
The name is Paul Revere
And here's a guy that says that the weather's clear
Can do, can do, this guy says the horse can do
If he says the horse can do, can do, can do.

(Benny starts singing his part at this time, while Nicely continues:)
Can do - can do - this guy says the horse can do
If he says the horse can do - can do, can do.

(Rusty starts singing his part as the time, while Nicely and Benny continue:)
For Paul Revere I'll bite
I hear his foot's all right
Of course it all depends if it rained last night

Likes mud, likes mud, this X means the horse likes mud
If that means the horse likes mud, likes mud
Likes mud.

I tell you Paul Revere
Now this is no bum steer
It's from a handicapper that's real sincere
Can do, can do, this guy says the horse can do.
If he says the horse can do - can do - can do.
Paul Revere. I got the horse right here.

BENNY
I'm pickin' Valentine, 'cause on the morning line
A guy has got him figured at five to nine
Has chance, has chance, this guy says the horse has chance
if he says the horse has chance, has chance, has chance

I know it's Valentine, the morning work looks fine
Besides the jockey's brother's a friend of mine
Needs race, needs race, this guy says the horse needs race
If he says the horse needs race, needs race, needs race.
I go for Valentine, 'Cause on the morning line,
The guy has got him figured at five to nine
Has chance, has chance, this guy says the horse has chance
Valentine! I got the horse right here.

RUSTY CHARLIE
But look at Epitaph. he wins it by a half
According to this here in the Telegraph
"Big Threat" - "Big Threat"
This guy calls the horse "Big Threat"
If he calls the horse "Big Threat",
Big Threat, Big Threat.

And just a minute, boys.
I've got the feed box noise
It says the great-grandfather was Equipoise
Shows class, shows class.
This guy says the horse shows class
If he says the horse shows class
Shows class, show's class.

So make it Epitaph, he wins it by a half
According to this here in the Telegraph.
Epitaph! I got the hore right here!

In tribute to the astounding German musical heritage, the following is a short list of composers and their works:

Bach, Johann Sebastian. Brandenburg Concertos

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Nine Symphonies

Brahms, Johannes. Symphonies 1 & 2

Mendelssohn, Felix. Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor, op. 64

Schubert, Franz. Lieder

Schumann, Robert. Cello Concerto

Strauss, Richard. Symphonic Poems

Telemann, Georg Philipp. Orchestral Works

Wagner, Richard. Das Rheingold

With the success of the movie soundtrack, ragtime music, an antecedent of jazz that utiilized syncopation in a new way and was popular from 1893 to 1918, underwent a renaissance. Musicians such as Dick Hyman, Max Morath and Joshua Rifkin spread the word with numerous concerts and gigs. The venerable classical composer Gunther Schuller formed the New England Conservatory Ragtime Ensemble; with that group, he recorded Red-Back Book which showcased the compositions of Scott Joplin. It not only was a best seller but a Grammy Award winner in 1973.

The Ragtime Evolution Quartet consists of Lew Green on cornet; Mary Green, on piano; Vince Giordano on string bass, bass saxophone and tuba; and Ken Salvo on banjo. Their performances will not only entertain but educate you about this music and time period of American history.

If you can't make it to the concert or wish to learn more about this unique genre of American music, you may want to consider books and compact discs on ragtime from the library.

To celebrate this momentous event, the opening night concert will take place on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Medasha Brueggergosman, Amy Burton, Joyce DiDonato, Lauren Flanigan, Anthony Dean Griffey, Samuel Ramey, etc. will perform familiar, well-known selections from American opera and musical theater. Hugo Weisgall's biblical opera Esther and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni will also be heard this month.

Numerous backstage tours are being offered throughout the month for the curious and inquisitive fans.

As part of their image of being "the people's opera", they are once again discounting 25% of all tickets to a low price of $12.00. Additionally, every Monday at 10:00am during the season, $25 orchestra rush seats will be available to the general public for all performances that week, based on availability.

In 1983 the movers and shakers of the in the music industry decided to establish the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation. The formal recognition of an artist's accomplishments and contributions to the field of rock and roll is the induction ceremony into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

To learn more about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Library has Holly George-Warren's The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: The First 25 Years and Nick Talevski's The Unofficial Encyclopedia of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

If you can't make it to the live performances, be sure to catch an edited version of them on November 29th on HBO.

While you are dancing, you may want to sing or hum the full lyrics to "Rock 'n roll is here to stay"

Rock 'n roll is here to stay,
it will never die
It was meant to be that way,
though I don't know why
I don't care what people say,
rock 'n roll is here to stay

(We don't care what people say, rock 'n roll is here to stay)

Rock 'n roll will always be
our ticket to the end
It will go down in history,
just you wait, my friend
Rock 'n roll will always be,
it'll go down in history

(Rock 'n roll will always be, it'll go down in history)

So come on,
everybody rock,
everybody rock,
everybody rock,
everybody rock
Everybody rock

Now everybody rock 'n roll,
everybody rock 'n roll,
everybody rock 'n roll
Everybody rock 'n roll,
everybody rock 'n roll

Rock 'n roll will always be
our ticket to the end
It will go down in history,
just you wait, my friend
Rock 'n roll will always be,
it'll go down in history
If you don't like rock 'n roll,
think what you've been missin'
But if you like to bop and strawl,
come on down and listen
Let's all start to have a ball,
everybody rock 'n roll

Ah, oh baby, ah, oh baby, ah, oh baby, ah, oh baby, rock!

For those who would like to have some suspenseful music to greet their young trick-or-treaters or adult guests, the Library offers the following suggestions:

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Ghost Trio

Berlioz, Hector. Damnation de Faust

Dukas, Paul. The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Franck, César. Le Chasseur Maudit

Gounod, Charles. Funeral March of a Marionette

Mahler, Gustav. "Funeral March" from First Movement Symphony #5

Rachmaninoff, Sergei. The Isle of the Dead

Strauss, Richard. Death and Transfiguration

Stravinsky, Igor. The Rite of Spring

Verdi, Giuseppe. Macbeth

One of the youngest of Fairfield County's orchestras is the American Chamber Orchestra. This six year-old chamber music group performs the major works of the symphonic repertoire, aims to capture new artistic talent and presents new contemporary music.

Its new season begins this Saturday, October 24, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Fairfield. Music director Christopher James Hisey will lead the ensemble with the Hebrides Overture (Fingal's Cave) by Felix Mendelssohn, Piano Concerto in A minor by Robert Schumann with soloist Dorothy Kolinsky, and Symphony #3 (The Eroica) by Ludwig van Beethoven.

To acquaint yourself with this timely music, feel free to check the Westport Public Library's holdings.

Her forte (no pun intended) was the music of Spain and Catalonia, particularly Isaac Albeniz and Enrique Granados. She was a proponent of Joaquin Turina and Federico Mompou and was equally adept with the music of traditional western Europe like Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Liszt, Maurice Ravel, etc. Her interpretations and scintillating performances earned her worldwide recognition with three Grammy awards, the Edison Prize, two Grand Prix du Disque, and the Deutsche Schallplatten Prize. Other honors included the Paderewski Memorial Medal, the Principe de Asturias prize, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Michigan, and became an Honorary Member of the Foundation for Iberian Music at The City University of New York in 2001.

If you have never seen or heard you, please feel free to click the link below to a 1997 live concert performance of the first movement of the Ravel Piano Concerto in G with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jesus Lopez-Cobos.

In celebration of its illustrious past and its 70th birthday year, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra is planning a retrospective look from its first concert in 1939. Two pieces from that performance, Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony #1 and Reinhold Gliere's Russian Sailors Dance will be on the orchestra's program this Saturday night, October 17, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. The performance will be rounded out with Quinto Maganini's Tuolomne. Charles Ives Unanswered Question and Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major.

Although Quinto Maganini may not be a household name, he was not only an arranger, composer and flautist, but the first music director of the Norwalk Symphony. He led the symphony from 1941 to 1967 and was a strong proponent of new 20th century musical works. His 1927 composition Tuolomne which paid tribute to the Yosemite Valley is quite idiomatic and accessible. He won the Pulitzer Prize and the Bispham Medal for an opera The Argonauts which was based on the 1849 California gold rush.

Roderick MacDonald will appear as trumpet soloist in Tuolomne and the Unanswered Question. He has appeared with numerous orchestras including the Bach Collegium Munich, the Japan Philharmonic, the Kammerphilharmonic Leipzig, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Virtuosi Saxonia, etc. He has served as principal trumpet with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra since 1989.

In keeping with the Norwalk Symphony's tradition of presenting new talent before they become huge media stars, 22-year-old Stefan Jackiw will be the featured violin soloist in the Tchaikovsky concerto. He made his debut in London at the age of 14 playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Benjamin Zander and was acclaimed by The Strad as a "violinist who took the London music world by storm." Since then he has performed with Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, etc. He won the 2002 Avery Fisher Career Grant.

The Library invites you to check out these works before or after the concert.

If you had a choice between taking an escalator or playing a piano with your feet while climbing up steps, would you prefer? My vote would be to run up the stairs for an aerobic workout.

Take a look at what the Swedes did to encourage people to do this and have fun:

In an effort to reach new audiences, experience new performing venues and expand beyond the city limits, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra Pops will be paying tribute to the one and only jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald. The Pops group will be led by Associate Conductor Gerald Steichen, and the guest vocalist will be Shaleah Adkisson. This performing organization will appear on Friday, October 9, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at East Haven High School, on Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at Hamden Middle School, and on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. at Shelton Intermediate School.

Ella Fitzgerald who was known as "The First Lady of Song," serenaded us for most of the twentieth century with sultry ballads, sweet jazz and an uncanny ability to imitate every instrument in an orchestra. She held the distinction of winning thirteen Grammy awards, selling over forty million albums, and working with all the geniuses of jazz including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie and Benny Goodman.

To learn more about her, you may consult Geoffrey Mark Fidelman's First Lady of Song: Ella Fitzgerald For the Record or Stuart Nicholson's Ella Fitzgerald: A Biography of the First Lady of Jazz. Her remarkable voice may be heard on Cryin' Mood, Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook, Sing Song Swing, etc.

Besides Mr. Kleiber, Arturo Toscanini and Bernardino Molinari also took part in these radio broadcasts. Intermission commentary was provided by the New York Times music critic Olin Downes.

If you would like to read more about the New York Philharmonic, feel free to check out Howard Shanet's Philharmonic: A History of New York's Orchestra. For a historic listening perspective, you may want to hear the compact disc New York Philharmonic: The Historic Broadcasts 1923 to 1987.

Officials from WNYC Radio, the largest public radio station in the U. S., have tried to allay these fears by indicating that the 105.9 signal transmits approximately 30 miles from the broadcast antenna which rests on the Empire State Building. Additionally, the website will become wqxr.org.

Don't forget that this big move occurs next Thursday at 8:00 p.m.

Stay tuned!

As Mr. Gelb so eloquently put it, he has rejected the traditional model of a singer who can just "park and bark". In order to make opera a viable, economically feasible art form, he lined up singers who can act, move and sing a role, pursued avant-garde directors from plays and movies as directors of new works, and used new technology to make opera a cool and exciting entertainment. I chuckled when I first heard his phrase "park and bark" since it reminded me of a pet salon or a doggie daycare center. The age of the lumbering, overweight singer with the shimmering voice is officially over.

That reminded me of the old, familiar expression, "The OPERA ain't over 'til the fat lady sings." According to Ralph Keyes in his book The Quote Verifier, that expression was first used by Dick Motta during a 1978 National Basketball Assocation playoff. Mr. Motta said that Dan Cook, a TV sportscaster in San Antonio, Texas had coined it. Mr. Keyes noted that Southern Words and Sayings, a 1976 pamphlet had this entry, "Church ain't out 'till the fat lady sings." Since then, it has been used and abused by politicians, pundits and sports announcers.

We won't be hearing the end of this expression and Peter Gelb's transformation of the Met for a long time.

Throughout the years, composers have been inspired by works of literature including mythology, fables, fairy tales, short stories, novels, biographies, etc. Various literary forms have provided the kernels of creativity for many artists. The plays of Shakespeare have been given new life and meaning in the concert and operatic worlds.

What aspect of an author's writings ignites a composer's imagination? Is it familiarity with a setting, a remarkable resemblance to a loved one or just a good story? Does the work culminate in an ideal that a composer aspires to? Jonathan Harvey's Music and Inspiration and Ann McCutchan's The Muse that Sings: Composers Speak about the Creative Process
discuss and explore the creative process.

Here is a sampling of some musical works that owe their creation to literature:

Bach, Johann Sebastian. Mass in B minor, BWV 232

Bernstein, Leonard. Candide.

Grieg, Edvard. Peer Gynt

Liszt, Franz. A Faust Symphony

Offenbach, Jacques. Orpheus in the Underworld

Partch, Harry. Ulysses at the Edge of the World

Ravel, Maurice. Mother Goose

Rossini, Gioacchino. Guglielmo Tell Overture

Schubert, Franz. Complete Songs

Strauss, Richard. Also Sprach Zarathurstra

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich. The Nutcracker Suite

He has put his stamp on the orchestra by starting a Composer-in-Residence program with Magnus Lindberg, an Artist-in-Residence program with Thomas Hampson, a special three-week festival and a new-music series called CONTACT. He is a fervent advocate of both traditional western music and 21st century music with world, U.S., and New York premieres planned. His instituting of a new placement of orchestral members is a reflection of the type of sound and communication that he desires.

As Daniel Wakin noted in the September 22, 2009 New York Times, he is quite personable towards the musicians and the general public. It seems quite unusual for a conductor to go out and mingle with people who are waiting for free tickets to an open dress rehearsal. He has an "open door" policy to his office and invites his colleagues to come in to schmooze. He has embraced new technology by texting.

The Philharmonic will embark on an Asian tour in October 2009, a European tour in January 2010, and appear for the first time in Hanoi and Abu Dhabi. Additionally, Mr. Gilbert will assume the responsibilities of the newly created William Schuman Chair in Musical Studies at Juilliard.

After hearing the opening concert, he is off to an auspicious start.

Through the years, he and the orchestra appeared at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Grand Ol' Opry, and at the Blossom Music Festival. In 1998, he had the honor of conducting the first pops concert in China with the China National Symphony Orchestra; he and the Cincinnati Pops performed in the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics and at the first annual Roam About the Classics Festival in July 2009 in Beijing.

He had the distinction of appearing in over 100 concerts with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival and held the record for attendance at 22,000. He was heard on the lawn of the nation's capitol with the National Symphony for Memorial Day and July 4th performances since 1991; his 1996 July 4th concert had the largest crowd ever at the Capitol.

His awards include 1991 Governor’s Awards for the Arts in Ohio, the 1994 Presidential Medal for Outstanding Leadership and Achievement from Dartmouth College, the 1995 Salvation Army “Others” award, the 1996 MacDowell Medal, the 2006 Irma Lazarus Award from the Ohio Arts Counci, the 2006 National Medal of Arts and a May 2009 induction into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. Additionally, he held honorary degrees from the University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, College of Mount St. Joseph, Wilmington College and Northern Kentucky University and a 2007 Honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College.

Although I also grew up in New York City, my neighborhood could not compare to hers, Greenwich Village. She not only sang in school choruses but with local folk musicians. Her musical talents were quite evident since she sang in the chorus of a 1957 Broadway show The Next President starring Mort Sahl. In 1961 she befriended folk singer and comic Noel Paul Stookey; she then met singer Peter Yarrow and his manager Albert Grossman. After seven months of blending, harmonizing and rehearsing, Peter, Paul and Mary performed at Folk City and the Bitter End. In 1962, Warner Brothers released their first album called Peter, Paul and Mary. The song If I Had a Hammer hit #10 on the popular music charts and gave the folk and protest movement a certain panache and recognition. Their cover of Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind gave him financial security and success. They covered other songwriters like John Denver and Gordon Lightfoot before they became famous. Peter, Paul and Mary cared about social issues and spread their message to college campuses and political rallies.

In 1970, the group broke up, and Ms. Travers began a solo career that produced five albums in the 1970's. The dangers associated with nuclear power galvanized Peter, Paul and Mary and led to a reunion concert in 1978. Thereafter, their infrequent performances were for the betterment of mankind.

The Library has several CDs featuring Mary Travers including The Best of Peter, Paul and Mary: Ten Years Together, Songs of Conscience and Concern: A Retrospective Collection, Such is Love, etc.

In tribute, I hope you enjoy this recent version of Leaving on a Jet Plane:

One of the oldest orchestras in the United States is the esteemed New Haven Symphony. This organization, which will be celebrating its 116th birthday, begins its new season tomorrow night September 17, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. at Woolsey Hall in New Haven.

The program consists of three major works from the symphonic repertoire including Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 in B minor (Unfinished), Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 and William Walton’s Violin Concerto featuring soloistt Kurt Nikkanen. Besides the unusual act of presenting three powerhouse pieces, the Walton Concerto will be recorded live for release next spring on the Nimbus label as part of the NHSO/Beinecke Walton Project. Maestro William Boughton will be conducting Beethoven’s first from a new edition of the Beethoven Symphonies by Jonathan del Mar.

Hartford-born violinist Kurt Nikkanen has been a fixture of the international concert stage for over two decades. He began his violin studies at the age of three and made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of twelve with Camille Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso with the New York Symphony; two years later he performed Nicolo Paganini's Concerto No.1 with the New York Philharmonic for a Young People's Concert under the baton of Zubin Mehta. In 1986 he gained his Bachelors Degree from the Juilliard School where he was a scholarship student of Dorothy DeLay. He has played with the leading orchestras of the world including the BBC Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic the San Francisco Symphony, etc.

The icing on the cake for this event will be the Blue Danube Waltz by the popular Johann Strauss.

September 11, 2009 is the eighth anniversary of the heinous terrorist attacks inflicted on this country. As we express our emotions, feelings and memories of that day, we may experience comfort and consolation from music.

Adams, John. On the Transmigration of Souls

Bach, Johann Sebastian. Concerto in D minor for Two Violins and Orchestra

Barber, Samuel. Adagio for Strings

Copland, Aaron. Quiet City

Corigliano, John. Elegy

Dvorak, Antonin. Symphony No. 9 (From the New World)

Hovhaness, Alan. Psalm and Fugue

Mendelssohn , Felix. Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture

Rachmaninoff, Sergei. The Six Psalms

Vaughan Williams, Ralph. Dona Nobis Pacem

One of the benefits of working in a library is the daily encounter with old familiar books, brand new books that are hot off the presses and the joy of discovering extraordinary ideas beautifully expressed between the covers. Amidst the stacks in the music section lies Noah D. Fabricant's and Heinz Werner's jewel A Caravan of Music Stories by the World's Great Authors.

This unusual work is a compilation of stories by world renowned writers that focus on various aspects of music in the format of a philosophical essay, a fictional dialogue or an elegy to a memorable place. These stories contemplate, define and magnify the musical art with an objective but subtle eye. Subjects covered in this diverse collection include concerts, musical instruments and singers. The selected authors come from varying backgrounds and include Sholom Aleichem, Anton Chekhov, Ben Hecht, Langston Hughes, William Saroyan, etc.

Do you have any favorite writers who have penned musical thoughts or ideas? I'd enjoying hearing about them.

His innovations and talents caught the eye of the Gibson company. His 1952 Les Paul model guitar quickly became the standard for professional guitar players including Jimmy Page and Slash. His technical prowess and skills were realized in the recording studio with his use of multitracking, echo delay and close-miking. Recordings in the early 1950s of Mocking Bird Hill, How High the Moon, The World is Waiting for the Sunrise and Vaya Con Dios illustrate these techniques and were enormously popular.

Throughout the years, he continued performing and tinkering with his guitars. He had been recognized for his technical advancements from the Grammy association, and subsequently won a performance Grammy in 1976 for the album Chester and Lester. In 2005 he celebrated his 90th birthday with his last album called American Made, World Played which featured stars like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons and Sting. For that final effort, he won two Grammy Awards for best popular instrumental performance and best rock instrumental performance.

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For those of you who have waited all summer for free full-length opera performances, do not despair. Tonight begins the wondrous high-definition screenings of ten Metropolitan Opera performances in Lincoln Center Plaza for the next ten nights. These video forecasts were filmed from actual live events from the last three seasons. Like many performing arts and non-profit organizations, the Met has had to tighten its fiscal belt. Although these broadcasts have been in theaters and on television, there is a certain magical quality to seeing it outside at Lincoln Center with throngs of people. Obviously, the Met hopes to attract a new audience with this user-friendly venue.

Familiar operas include Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Verdi’s Macbeth, Puccini’s La Bohème, Il Trittico, and Madama Butterfly as well as Donizetti’s La Fille du Régiment, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, Britten’s Peter Grimes, Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice.

If you can't make it to Manhattan, be sure to look for these works in the compact disc collection at the Westport Public Library.

Buchman, Rachel. I Went to School One Morning

Buffett, Jimmy. School Boy Heart

Four Tops. Back to School Again

Grateful Dead. Grateful Dead

Lewis, Jerry Lee. High School Confidential

Morris, Joan. School Days

Red Hot Chili Peppers. Catholic School Girls Rule

Steely Dan. My Old School

Various Artists. High School Musical

If you are looking for a new recording of Bach's Harpsichord Concertos, Eric Clapton's 24 Nights, Juan Diego Florez's Bel Canto Spectacular or the original motion picture soundtrack to the vampire movie Twilight, you may want to check the library's catalog under the composer's name, the performer's name or title of the piece. Another place to look for music that is new to our collection is the New & Recommended section of the library's website. After you click on the left side of the screen under the rubric Music CDs, a listing of the latest music recordings on compact disc recently acquired by the Westport Public Library will appear. If there is something that catches your fancy, be sure to click on the link for it and reserve it.

The next time that you come to the library, be sure to peruse the New CDs section located in the audio-visual department. If there is a compact disc that you would like us to purchase, feel free to contact me.

Hawaii has been a tremendous asset to the United States since it played a major role in the Pacific conflict during World War II. It is known for its beautiful beaches, diverse population, tropical fruits and vacation possibilities. According to Grove Music Online, the music is an amalagation of simple melodies, western harmones and Hawaiian language texts. it has its own unique performance style that draws from European, Asian and Polynesian influences.

To get a taste of this unique sound, the Library has Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Masters, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's Alone in IZ world, Facing Future and the eclectic Hawaiian Wedding Music.

If you are looking for an inexpensive evening out where you may bring your children, a picnic basket, blankets and chairs, look no further than Westport's Levitt Pavilion. The Connecticut Chamber Orchestra consisting of local freelance musicians, will be gracing the stage with a pops theme entitled Bach to Broadway. This diverse group led by conductor Sayard Stone, will showcase the violin artistry of Westport's own Bernice Stochek Friedson.

Sayard Stone was a student at the Juilliard School of Music and the Tanglewood Music Festival. He has directed the Queens Symphony Orchestra, the Manhattan Opera Theatre and the “America’s Youth in Concert” festival at Carnegie Hall. His other engagements have included the Concertgebow Orchestra in Amsterdam, and the Munich and Vienna Chamber Orchestras. His recent discovery of an unknown Mendelssohn Piano Concerto #3 led him to record it with the esteemed English Chamber Orchestra in London.

Ms. Friedson began her career at the age of seven, and has been concertizing in solo and chamber music performances ever since, including appearances on WQXR and WNYC. She studied at the Juilliard and Mannes Schools of Music and has been concertmaster for many area orchestras, most notably the Greater Bridgeport Symphony. She is a founder and first violinist of the Connecticut String Quartet. and plays exclusively on a violin made by her father, Samuel A. Stochek.

If you would like other suggestions of chamber music works, please feel free to contact me

The Library's treasure trove of all things Woodstock include Michael Lang's The Road to Woodstock, Summer of 69: 40 Songs of Peace & Love That Were Played at Woodstock, Woodstock: The Guitar Tab Songbook, Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music, etc.

Enjoy this performance by Sly and the Family Stone:

If you are looking for a cool, interesting place to explore, listen to a scintillating lecture, meet friends or just relax, please feel free to come to the library. You may want to consider checking out some compact discs that offer calming seasonal, summertime music:

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony #6 "Pastoral"

Bridge, Frank. Summer

Copland, Aaron. Midsummer Nocturne

Debussy, Claude. La Mer

Delius, Frederick. In a Summer Garden

Haydn, Joseph. The Seasons

Piazzolla, Astor. Summer in Buenos Aires

Vivaldi, Antonio. Summer

Born and bred in New Rochelle, NY, he developed an early interest in all types of music and began playing the guitar during his teenage years. He gradually got musical gigues in the 1960's at such places as New York's Bitter End and Gaslight Cafe, college campuses, the Newport Folk Festival, the Cellar Door in Washington, D.C., the Main Point in Philadelphia, etc. He played alongside mainstream musicians like Arlo Guthrie, Janis Ian, Herbie Mann, Melanie, Pete Seeger, Steppenwolf and others. His first album, Tapestry was released in 1969. In 1971 he achieved international stardom with American Pie. It obviously resonated with audiences everywhere as it was voted #5 in a poll of the Top Songs of the 20th Centuiry by the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment for the Arts.

If you can't make it to the concert, feel free to stop at the Library for his music on compact disc.

In the meantime, please enjoy this performance of the memorable American Pie.

The melding of the visual arts and performing arts has always fascinated me. I always wanted to be the fly on the wall to witness the creation of major works in history like The Rite of Spring. This ballet which premiered in Paris on May 29, 1913 by Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, had a scenario by Igor Stravinsky and Nicholas Roerich, music by Igor Stravinsky, scenery and costumes by Nicholas Roerich, and choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky. It probably should not have surprised anyone that this ground-breaking, modernist ballet with such a stellar pedigree caused a riot at the first production.

The emergence of the internet has encouraged new collaborative efforts by painters and musicians; the casual computer viewer is often the beneficiary of these artistic endeavors. The husband-and-wife team of artist Gary Zaimont and composer Judith Lang Zaimont with videographer Mike Bregman have created a unique project specifically for the Internet called Borealis containing mysterious, ethereal changing images in a musical context. I would like to hear your feelings about this new work and similar contemporary efforts.

He joined the Philharmonic in 1948 and lived through the changes that enveloped it throughout the years. He witnessed the admittance of women, the move from Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center, the job expanding from seasonal to year-round, the tours to other nations, the melding of politics and music, and the rise and fall of the recording industry. He played for ten different music directors of the organization, performed 191 solos, appeared in 10,200 concerts and visited 60 countries. Only two other men have sat in the pricipal clarinet chair in the history of the institution.

Whenever the Philharmonic has been on television, I have always marvelled at his ease with the camera, his beautiful tone, his technique and exuberant personality emanating from his instrument. I have been to many concerts throughout the years and heard pieces that highlighted his attributes and were vehicles for his enormous gift and talent. He and the orchestra were nominated for Grammy awards in 1982 for Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto and in 1992 for John Corigliano's Clarinet Concerto. Musical America named him Instrumentalist of the Year in 1998.

The Library invites you to listen to his compact disc Stanley Drucker Plays Brahms.

This jubilant story relates how the captain of the basketball team and an important member of the academic club become partners as they audition for the upcoming high school musical. This musical evolved from the successful Disney Channel movie of the same name. Don't be surprised if you see some familiar faces from your neighborhood.

If you wish to "Bop to the Top" either before or after the show, feel free to come to the Library to check out the compact disc, movie or vocal score.

Are you looking for an exercise to stretch your mind and test your musical knowledge? Try this game that identifies symphonic nicknames. You may be surprised to discover how much you know.

Enjoy!

http://www.sporcle.com/games/namedsymphonies.php

This moving and rollicking show with book, music and lyrics by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey opened on Broadway on June 7, 1972 at the Broadhurst Theatre.and lasted for 3,388 performances. It examined the lives of teenagers in the fifties by focusing on their dress, manners, morals and music. The show struck a chord with the audience as they all could identify with the main characters Danny Zuko and Sandy Dumbrowski. Its appeal was universal as it has been seen in many different countries and translated into numerous foreign languages. It also migrated to the movie screen in 1978 and starred John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

In 1994, it was revived on Broadway and ran for 1,501 performances through January 1998. To keep it sounding fresh and original, the producers had recognizable names from the other performing arts in the leading roles. Stars such as Debbie Boone, Chubby Checker, Mickey Dolenz, Darlene Love, Brooke Shields and JoAnn Worley all had their chance to act in a Broadway musical.

If your schedule prevents you from Shakin' at the High School Hop, feel free to come to the Library to check out the compact disc, movie or vocal score.

If you are free next Tuesday evening July 28th, be sure to go to the Levitt Pavillion at 8:00 p.m. for a performance by Westport's own Suzanne Sherman Propp and friends. Ms. Propp, known to many as a music teacher and choral director at Greens Farms School in Westport, grew up in Westport and graduated from Staples High School where she was a cheerleader, an Orphenian and a member of the Orchestra. After graduating from Colgate University with a double major in English and Music, she worked as the Director of Production and International Distribution for a jazz recording label, GRP Records.

After four years she returned to school for her MBA at Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. She combined her musical and business strengths at Columbia House and later as the tour marketing manager for Joan Baez at the Mark Spector Company. She is a singer-songwriter who plays the guitar, violin, piano and recorder and imbues her love for music to all children and adults.

The concert not only includes traditional and unique interpretations of favorite melodies but new original songs from her CD called Play. Her contagious enthusiasm for song has inspired her second graders to compose a song about Westport. All second graders from Greens Farms School are invited to attend the concert and perform the song with her.

In celebration of this momentous event, here are some suggestions of jazzy interpretations of moon melodies:

Basie, Count. Shine On, Harvest Moon

Coleman, Ornette. Moon Inhabitants

Herman, Woody. More Moon

Miller, Glenn. Moonlight Serenade

Prima, Louis. Angelina

Puente, Tito. How High is the Moon

Whiteman, Paul. It's Only a Paper Moon

Here are highlights from the Apollo 11 mission from liftoff in Florida to departure from the moon:

After graduating from the conservatory, she performed on the streets and in the subways of New York City and gained a new improvisational, jazzy style. She moved to Tucson in 1992 and joined the Sam Taylor Band as a violinist; her vocal talents readily became apparent and were successfully utilized by the band. Her unorthodox violin whispers along with her vocal musings led the band to win the 1995 Arizona Blues Showdown. The band reached second place in the International Blues Talent Competition in Memphis and went on to tour Europe. By 1997, Heather had formed her own Lil'Mama band, making its New York debut in 1998.

Her two solo CDs were called Violins and I Believe. She has recorded with many artists including Sam Taylor, Lisa Otey, Gerry Glombecki and Stefan George.

Here she is playing with Sam Taylor:

If you can't get to this concert of one of Westport's own, be sure to take out the recordings from the library.

If you are in the mood to celebrate, here is a listing of musical works by noted French composers:

Bizet. Georges. L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1

Ernest Chausson: Poème for Violin & Orchestra

Debussy, Claude. Images for Orchestra: No 2

Franck, Cesar. Le Chasseur Maudit

Massenet, Jules. Méditation de Thais

Milhaud, Darius. 6 Petites Symphonies

Satie, Erik. Gymnopedies

One of the newest words that has appeared in the media this year is staycation. As John Morse, president and publisher of Merriam-Webster wrote in a news release. "As we've seen from our Open Dictionary feature on Merriam-Webster.com, people enjoy blending existing words, like combining 'stay' and 'vacation' to make staycation. Staycation is a good example of a word meeting a need and establishing itself in the language very quickly. Our earliest record of use is from 2005, but it seems to have exploded into popular use in 2007." The recession has caused many of us to change our vacation plan and stay home.

If you are looking for inexpensive entertainment, look no further than New Haven. On Saturday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m., Maestro William Boughton and the New Haven Symphony will give a free summer concert on the New Haven Green. The program consists of Gabriel Faure’s Pelleas & Melisande, Felix Mendelssohn’s incidental music for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto.#1 in G minor. The violin soloist will be 15-year old violin sensation Sirena Huang.

If you can't make it to the concert, feel free to check out the compact discs from the library.

His early pieces from 1923 include a Suite for Piano, Dos Esbozos for Violin and Piano, and a Siciliana for Cello. In 1924 Juglares, his first orchestral work, received its premiere in Valencia and Madrid. He left Spain for Paris In 1927 and studied at the École Normale de Musique as a pupil of Paul Dukas; his special feeling toward his teacher led him to dedicate his 1935 Sonada de Adiós for Piano in memory of him. His wife, Turkish pianist Victoria Kamhi, was not only an indispensable spouse but served as a collaborative artist in many of his works. In 1939 he returned to Spain and became involved in the musical community as a composer, music critic, pianist, university professor and Head of the Artistic Section of the Spanish National Organization for the Blind. He achieved international success with his 1940 Concierto de Aranjuez for Guitar and Orchestra.

His music reflects the colors, cultures, landscapes and voices of the Spanish peninsula. His oeuvre encompasses choral and instrumental works, music for the movies and theater, over sixty songs and eleven concertos for various instruments. He received commissions from many famous artists like Gaspar Cassadó, James Galway, Andrés Segovia, the Romero guitar quartet, etc.

He was the recipient of many awards and citations throughout his life including the Gran Cruz de Alfonso X el Sabio, the Gran Cruz del Mérito Civil, Medallas de Oro al Mérito en el Trabajo y en las Bellas Artes, the National Music Prize, honorary doctorates, etc. In 1991, the King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, bestowed the royal title ‘Marqués de los Jardines de Aranjuez’. In 1996, he received the Prince of Asturias Prize, the highest honor awarded in Spain in recognition of his abilities and accomplishments for making the Spanish guitar a a concert instrument.

If you haven't heard his music, here is the second movement of his Concierto de Aranjuez performed by John Williams and the Berlin Philharmonic.

The following list of musical pieces will entertain you and all your guests:

Edwards, Sherman. 1776

Francey, David. Fourth of July

Ives, Charles. New England Holidays

McDermott, John. Remembrance

Sousa, John Philip. Sousa

Various Artists. America's Greatest Hits

Various Artists. Music of the American Revolution

Various Artists. Songs About America

Here is a small sampling of musical works that have allusions or characterizations of fairies:

Beethoven, Ludwig van. Symphony #6

Humperdinck, Engelbert. Hansel und Gretel

Janacek, Leos. Podhadka "Fairy Tale"

Mendelssohn, Felix. A Midsummer Night's Dream

Prokofiev, Sergei. Cinderella

Purcell, Henry. Fairy Queen

Rossini, Gioacchino. La Cenerentola

Stravinsky, Igor. La Baiser de la Fee

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich. The Nutcracker

As Shakespeare's Titania says in A Midsummer Night's Dream, 5.1.399-400, regarding the bridal chamber of Theseus and Hippolyta:

"Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place."

Michael's talent clearly eclipsed his siblings, and he became a solo performer in 1971 while still performing with his brothers. The following year; his solo recording of the song "Ben" rose to #1. In 1979 his solo album Off the Wall sold seven million copies. His 1982 album Thriller not only reached 100 million in sales but initiated the music video craze. It had the distinction of remaining on the Billboard album chart for two years and winning eight Grammy Awards. Although his 1987 album Bad sold eight million copies, had five No. 1 hits and another innovative video, it could not compare to Thriller. Unfortunately, his personal life endured some bizarre moments, poor decisions and immense financial turmoil.

If you wish to learn more about him, feel free to come to the library for his autobiography Moonwalk or J. Randy Taraborrelli's Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness.

Are you looking for an excuse to be outside enjoying a picnic in a rustic setting with music playing in the background? Look no further than the outdoor grounds in front of Fairfield University's Dimenna-Nyselius Library where the Greater Bridgeport Symphony will present a free Pops concert on Saturday, June 27, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. Favorites from Broadway musicals, operas and light classics will be presented by guest conductor Matthew Savery and the full forces of the orchestra. JeanMarie Garofolo, the winner of the 2008 Jenny Lind Competition, will be the guest soprano soloist.

Some of the musical offerings include James Beckel's The American Dream, Malcolm Arnold's Four Scottish Dances, Johann Strauss's Overture to Die Fledermaus, movie themes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and The Pirates of the Caribbean, New York City favorites like Forty-Second Street, Lullaby of Broadway and New York, New York and familiar classical music works like Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Johann Strauss's Radetsky March and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.

An appetizing special treat will be a 6:30 p.m. pre-concert performance by the Bearcats Jazz Band, known for their expert renditions of traditional jazz and swing.

To help with the rainy day blues, here are some tunes to lift the spirits:

Arlen, Harold. Come Rain or Come Shine

Arlen, Harold. Right as the Rain

Kelly, Gene. Singin in the Rain

McCartney, Paul. Driving Rain

Newman, Randy. I Think It's Going to Rain Today

Schmidt, Harvey. Soon It's Gonna Rain

Schwartz, Stephen. Stranger to the Rain

Sondheim, Stephen. Rain on the Roof

Styne, Jule. Don't Rain on my Parade

If you are looking for an inexpensive family outing on Father's Day, you may want to consider a Free for All at Town Hall concert featuring the world famous Emerson String Quartet. This chamber music group will be gracing the stage at Town Hall at 5:00 p.m. for the final concert of this series. Free tickets for this all Schubert event will be given out beginning at noon on Sunday, June 21, 2009 at New York's Town Hall. This is a wonderful way to introduce your loved ones to the joys and sonorities of classical music.

The Emerson String Quartet has been performing for over 30 years and has won eight Grammy Awards (including two for Best Classical Album, an unprecedented honor for a chamber music group), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize and the Smithson Award. They have received recognition of their accomplishments to the state of Connecticut by the Governor, have received the University Medal for Distinguished Service from the University of Hartford where they were quartet-in-residence for two decades until 2002, and have received honorary doctorates from Middlebury College in Vermon, Wooster College and most recently Bard College.

If you cannot attend the concert but would like to learn more about this quartet, please feel free to come to the library for their recordings.

He was born on June 7, 1940 in Treforest, Wales and began his singing career In 1963 with his own group Tommy Scott and The Senators. After songwriter Gordon Mills became his manager in 1964, his star soared with a Decca recording contract. His second single, It's Not Unusual, began an extraordinary series of lucrative hit albums and singles including What's New Pussycat, Thunderball, Green, Green Grass of Home, Help Yourself and Delilah. His first American television appearance was on The Ed Sullivan Show. From 1969-1971, he had his own TV show This is Tom Jones which was shown in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Although his fame declined in the latter years of the 20th century, his 1999 album Reload went platinum.

Among his honors was the 1999 awarding of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth, the 2000 British Award for Best Male in the United Kingdom, the Arrigo Award for Best International Male in Spain and nomination for the NJR Award for Best International Act in France, and for the Echo Award for Best International Male in Germany. Additionally, he performed at the White House Millenium Celebration at the White House for President Bill Clinton. In 2006 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and is known as Sir Tom!

If you can't make it to the concert, feel free to stop at the Library for his music on compact disc.

His ticket to success proved to be his 1962 work Scenes and Arias, which had its premiere at the BBC Proms. His gorgeous melodies and harmonies which were quite different from the status quo at the time, led him to compose two operas, One Man Show in 1964 and The Rising of the Moon, 1967-1970. The latter was a commission by the Glyndebourne Opera and was later perfolrmed in Austria, Germany and Ireland. Thirty years later he wrote the libretto and music for Sophie's Choice for Covent Garden; this 2002 production starred Angelika Kirchschlager as Sophie. His orchestral and chamber music works included Odyssey, Life Studies, a Cello Concerto, World in the Evening, La Vita Nuova, Shahnama and a Violin Concerto written specially for Joshua Bell.

The institutions where he taught composition through the years included the Peabody Institute, Yale University, Bard College, Boston University, the Royal Academy of Music, Cambridge University and Exeter University,

Elgar, Edward. Pomp & Circumstance March #1

Fillmore, Henry. Rolling Thunder

Holst, Gustav. First Suite for Military Band

Prokofiev, Sergey. Anthem for Military Band

Sousa, John Philip. Stars and Stripes Forever

Sousa, John Philip. The Washington Post March

Suk, Josef. Towards a New Life

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich. Coronation March

Williams, John. Call of the Champions

The 25 year old Shanghai Quartet is known for their innovative performances which combine traditional Chinese folk music with the standard works from the European repertory. They have marked their quarter of a century birthday with commissions from composers Chen Yi, Krzysztof Penderecki, and jazz pianist Dick Hyman. Their tours have taken them to New York, London, Vienna, Prague, Sydney, etc. Their versatility is evident in the variety of media projects they have pursued including the soundtrack and a cameo appearance in Woody Allen's 2005 film Melinda and Melinda with the Bartok Quartet No. 4, appearances on PBS's Great Performances and interviews and demonstrations on National Public Radio. Additionally, they work as the "Ensemble-in-Residence" at Montclair State University and as visiting professors at the Shanghai Conservatory and the Central Conservatory in China.

Russell Platt, composer, senior music editor of The New Yorker and curator of the chamber music series, will give a pre-concert talk at 7:30 pm with the musicians.

With his father's death, he combined his orchestra with his father's and had successful European tours. He had a lucrative career by directing the summer concerts in Petropaulovsky Park in St Petersburg from 1855-1865 as well as the Austrian court balls from 1863–1872. His creative output of nearly 400 waltzes earned him the sobriquet the "Waltz King". His popular ones include the Blue Danube, Roses from the South, the Emperor Waltz and Tales from the Vienna Woods.

Due to the success of Offenbach's operas in Vienna, Strauss was inspired to write operas; his 1874 operetta Die Fledermaus received international fame and recognition and is part of the standard repertory. His polkas and marches are frequently heard on New Year's Eve programs.

I hope you enjoy this 2005 New Year's concert of the Blue Danube by Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic:

Kudos to the American Chamber Orchestra as they embark on their sixth year as one of the community's stellar performing organizations. This fine group of 65 local musicians commuting from various cities and towns throughout the state, will be presenting their final concert of the season on Saturday May 30, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Fairfield. The musical offerings include Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, Holberg Suite by Edvard Grieg and Symphony #8 in G major by Antonin Dvořák.

Familiar to all as a string teacher at Greens Farms Academy and the Westport School of Music and as Music Director of the Civic Orchestra of New Haven and the Connecticut Valley Chamber Orchestra, Christopher James Hisey will be on the podium. This talented conductor is well credentialed with a Bachelors Degree from the Eastman School of Music, a Masters Degree in Conducting from Bowling Green University and international appearances with various orchestras include the Ruse Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pleven Philharmonic Orchestra and the St. Petersburg Klassika Symphony, formerly the Leningrad State Philharmonic.

Tchaikovsky's symphonic poem was based on Shakespeare's masterwork depicting the tumultous relationship of the Montagues and Capulets. Grieg's Holberg Suite, a piece that showcases the string section of the orchestra, was written in honor of the bicentenary of the birth of the Norwegian dramatist Ludvig Holberg. Dvořák's symphony is derived from Bohemian folk music that was so dear to the composer's heart.

To whet your appetite, be sure to check out these musical works from the CD collection of the Westport Public Library.

After witnessing the vicissitudes experienced by Union soldiers near Washington, D.C., she was inspired to write the poem The Battle Hymn of the Republic. It was published in the Atlantic Monthly in February 1862 and was sung to the melody of the familiar song "John Brown's Body". This song which became one of the most famous and memorable songs of the Civil War period, evolved into an enduring patriotic anthem.

Here is her original version of it:

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord:
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword:
His truth is marching on.

I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps,
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps:
His day is marching on.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on."

He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment-seat:
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on.

In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me:
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on."

If you are looking for an excuse to go into New York City this weekend, be sure to take advantage of the free New York Philharmonic Memorial Day concert at 8:00 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. What a great way to end the long weekend. Although this is not promoted as a children's activity, intellectually curious youngsters over the age of seven would gain immensely from this activity.

The program consists of Charles Ives’s Unanswered Question, a short work that delves into man's place in the universe in a conversation between the different sections of the orchestra. This work is followed by Samuel Barber's contemplative and emotionally charged Adagio for Strings. Ralph Vaughan William's The Lark Ascending was inspired by George Meredith's poem about a lark's flight and song; the composer's music portrays the lark as a solo violin. Karen Gomyo, a Canadian violinist who received the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2008, is the soloist. Olivier Messiaen's L'Ascension, a musical meditation, concludes the concert. David Robertson, music director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, will lead this concert.

If you wish to gain an understanding of orchestral music, you may consult Richard Baker's The Magic of Music, Ethan Mordden's A Guide to Orchestral Music and William Thomson's Music for Listeners.

This YouTube video shows a virtuostic rendition of Tapion's Theme on an iPhone Ocarina:

Here is a list of some of the winning musical scores in the compact disc collection of the Westport Public Library:

Corigliano, John. The Red Violin

Dun, Tan. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Rahman, A. R. Slumdog Millionaire

Santaolalla, Gustavo. Babel

Santaolalla, Gustavo. Brokeback Mountain

Shore, Howard. The Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship of the Ring

Vangelis. Chariots of Fire

Williams, John. Schindler's List

The Norwalk Symphony Orchestra winds down its musical exploration of the world with a concert devoted to the opera of Italy. On Saturday, May 16 at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, May 17 at 3 p.m. in a modified version for young families, the Norwalk Symphony along with the Fairfield County Chorale will present soprano Cristina Castaldi and tenor Ray Bauwens in popular arias and choruses from Gioacchino Rossini’s Barber of Seville, Giacomi Puccini’s La Boheme and Turandot, Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore, La Traviata and Aida at the Norwalk Concert Hall.

American soprano Cristina Castaldi will sing “Oh Mio Babbino Caro” from Gianni Schicchi and “Si, mi chiamano Mimi” from La Boheme. She has a Master of Music in Vocal Performance (with distinction) from The New England Conservatory of Music where she studied with Patricia Craig; and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from Kennesaw State College in Georgia. She was the winner of the Liederkranz Foundation Vocal Competition, was a finalist for the New Jersey Verismo Vocal Competition, and won the Opera at Florham Vocal Competition. She regularly performs solo recitals in the New York area including the Trinity Church Concerts at One series and at the Kosciusako Foundation. Other orchestral engagements include: soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Mozart’s Requiem and Coronation Mass, and Rutter’s Gloria.

Ray Bauwens will be performing “Che gelida manina” from La Boheme, and “Celesta Aida” from Aida. Tenor Ray Bauwens is well known to audiences in the New England area. His numerous operatic performances have been in Massenet’s Le Jongleur de Notre Dame, Puccini's Tosca, La Fanciulla del West, Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, Ponchielli's La Gioconda, and Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. He has appeared in oratorio and concert works including Beethoven's Symphony #9, Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Verdi's Requiem and Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. He has also worked with the National Symphony of the Ukraine, the Mexico State Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Academy of Music, the Connecticut Concert Opera, Opera Providence, and even traveled to Kiev to record Samuel Barber’s Vanessa.

Johannes Somary and his Fairfield County Chorale will perform “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini's Turandot, “Va Pensiero” (Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from Verdi's Nabucco, and “Vedi le fosche notturne spoglie” (Anvil Chorus) from Verdi's Il Trovatore.

In prreparation for the concert, feel free to investigate the Library's compact disc collection which includes many of these familiar works.

If you want to learn more about him or listen to his music, please feel free to look at the holdings at the Westport Public Library.

I hope you'll enjoy this video of him singing Little Boxes:

This week the Westport Public Library is embarking upon an exploration of the 1920's phenomenon known as the Harlem Renaissance. During this time period, the uptown New York neighborhood witnessed an explosion of Black art, poetry, fiction, drama, and music. It became the cultural capital for Black intellectuals and thinkers as Black writers and poets presented Harlem as a fresh, sophisticated, urban community. The innate, creative energies fostered by musical greats such as Dinah Washington, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Louis Armstrong reverberated beyond the boundaries of this area as recordings and performance opportunities increased for Black composers, singers and songwriters. The emergence of jazz contributed to America's culture as performed in hot spots like the Cotton Club, Small's Paradise and Connie's Inn.

On Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the McManus Room, Professor Bill Messenger of The Peabody Institute of Music and narrator with The Teaching Company Great Courses, will discuss the events that created the most fertile era of black music and musicals in American history. Eighty years after songs such as Ain't Misbehavin and Sweet Georgia Brown were written by composers and lyricists of the Harlem Renaissance, they continue to be featured in films, theater and cabaret acts.

This vigilante crime fighter was often called into action by Gotham's police commissioner James W. Gordon. As time passed, he acquired many helpers including his sidekick Robin, his butler Alfred Pennyworth, Batgirl, Batwoman and Bat-Hound. His story was put on the movie screen with a 1943 serial starring Lewis Wilson, a 1949 serial Batman and Robin starring Robert Lowery and the 1966 movie starring Adam West. West reprised that role in the television series Batman from 1966-1969 and was Batman's voice in the 1978 cartoon series. Batman proved to be a popular guest star on the Superman radio show; actors who spoke his lines during those years were Stacy Harris, Gary Merrill Matt Crowley and Bret Morrison.

The recent Batman movies provided enormous opportunities for composers Danny Elfman, Elliot Goldenthal and Hans Zimmer to explore the characters and surroundings with memorable melodies and themes. Mr. Elfman won a Grammy award for Tim Burton's Batman, Mr. Goldenthal received a Grammy award nominaition for his score of Batman Forever, and Hans Zimmer won a Grammy award for The Dark Knight.

A sedate version of Batman's music may be heard by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra in The Suite from Batman Forever.

Basing his play on the time period, 1819-1823 when Beethoven decided to accept the challenge and commission by publisher Anton Diabelli to compose a variation on his waltz, playwright Kaufman creates Dr. Katherine Brandt, an aggressive, curt, Beethoven scholar as she conducts research on his Diabelli Variations from his diaries, musical fragments and scores at the archives in Bonn, Germany. Her dogmatic personality and stubborn spirit are evident as she rejects advice and overtures from her daughter since she is suffering with a wasting disease, ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

As she analyzes his music and writings, we witness Beethoven going through the frustrations of his life, particularly the loss of his hearing, his stomach problems and other physical ailments, his monetary distress and his irritating relationships with his assistant Anton Schindler and his publisher Anton Diabelli. Continuous, insurmountable obstacles needle him as his creative juices explode and the music emerges from his genius.

An interesting fact is that Beethoven was one of 50 contemporary Austrian composers including Liszt , Schubert, Drechsler, Schenk, Czerny, Kalkbrenner, Pixis, Moscheles, Stadler, Sechter, etc. who were asked to contribute a variation based on Diabelli's pedantic theme. As we know, Beethoven' ultimately wrote Thirty‐Three Variations on a Waltz by Diabelli, Op. 120, for piano composed during the time period 1819–1823.

Music director and concert pianist Diane Walsh performs Beethoven's variations throughout the evening as each one accompanies and illuminates different vignettes and emotional exchanges portrayed in the drama.

If you can't get to the theater, fell free to check it out from the library. In the meantime, here is Diabelli's Waltz, Theme & Variations I to VI performed by Piotr Anderszewski and recorded on French TV in July, 2008:

With over 3,000 applicants vying for the 96 spots, the results of this unique endeavor were seen and heard at Carnegie Hall last week. Composer Tan Dun was selected to write and conduct a new piece for this momentous event. His Internet Symphony #1 subtitled "Eroica", used some of the themes from Beethoven's Symphony #3 as a true internet mash-up with raucous results.

San Francisco Symphony conductor Michael Tilson Thomas directed the rest of the program which consisted of excerpts and glimpses from a wide variety of pieces. New York Times reviewer Anthony Tommasini expressed his frustration with this concept and bemoaned the lack of a complete reading of literature from the standard repertoire. In all fairness, the young musicians, their conductor and the soloists only had two days of rehearsal time before their debut.

I hope that the team at Google who conceived this experiment will repeat it as a way to promote classical music.

Here is a sampling of music based on his plays:

Berlioz, Hector. Beatrice & Benedict Overture

Dvorak, Antonin. Othello Overture

Elgar, Edward. Falstaff, op. 69

Finzi, Gerald. Love's Labor Lost

Korngold, Erich Wolfgang. Much Ado About Nothing Suite, op. 11

Purcell, Henry. Fairy Queen

Quilter, Roger. Three Shakespeare Songs

Raff, Joachim. Overture to The Tempest

Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilich. Hamlet Fantasy Overture

"Music oft hath such a charm
To make bad good, and good provoke to harm."
Measure for Measure (4.1.14)

Thirty-five authors are scheduled to attend, headed up by Guest of Honor Linda Fairstein. Fairstein is a veteran sex-crime investigator who pens the very popular Alexandra Cooper mystery series.

The mystery genre has provided great bursts of creativity from film and television composers. The themes from Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Munsters and the Mystery series may be played from the Big Book of TV Theme Songs: 78 of the All-Time Greats. Compact discs such as Chiller Thriller: Movie Themes & Sound Effects feature the Theme from Hellraiser, Theme from The Amityville Horror, Theme from Rosemary's Baby, etc. Television's Greatest Hits Volume 2 has tunes from NBC Mystery Movie and Volume 6 includes the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries music and the themes from the New Twilight Zone.