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Classical Music
Janelle Gelfand on the classical music scene


Janelle's pen has taken her to Japan, China, Carnegie Hall, Europe (twice), East and West Coasts, and Florida. In fact, Janelle was the first Enquirer reporter to report from Europe via e-mail -- in 1995.

Janelle began writing for the Cincinnati Enquirer as a stringer in 1991 while writing a Ph.D. dissertation in musicology at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She joined the Enquirer staff in 1993.

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she graduated from Stanford University, Janelle has lived in Cincinnati for more than 30 years. In her free time, this pianist plays chamber music with her circle of musical friends in Cincinnati.

She covers the Cincinnati Symphony, May Festival and Cincinnati Opera, the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, chamber music ensembles, and as many recitals and events at CCM and NKU as possible.

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Thursday, May 22, 2008

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu

Regretfully they tell us,
But firmly they compel us
To say goodbye to you...

Yes, my musical friends, we are moving! But this blog will live on, at least for a little while.

You'll be glad to know that our new improved Web site will have lots of bells and whistles, and more chance for YOUR participation. For instance, you'll be able to create your own blogs and persona pages.

You will need to register, and I've provided a link there for you to do it.

So, take a look at the new Classical Music and More blog and be sure to update your bookmarks!

If you subscribe to this blog via an RSS reader, the new RSS feed is located
here.


I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye -- Goodbye!


Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Berlin Philharmonie fire out

More than 170 firefighters battled a blaze in the famous Berlin Philharmonie Tuesday, home of the Berlin Philharmonic. The fire broke out around 2 p.m. in the roof of the historic, 1962-building, which is known for its excellent acoustics and is one of the first of Europe's modern-era concert halls. Luckily, a real disaster was averted. This was shortly before 420 musicians and singers -- including children -- were to arrive for a rehearsal of Berlioz' Te Deum conducted by Claudio Abbado, said general manager Pamela Rosenberg.

Musicians rushed in to save their priceless instruments, but of course pianos and timpani were too large to move.

Much of the roof was destroyed, but no one was hurt and the orchestra may even hold concerts in a few days, Reutters reports. Smoke billowed over the German city, and nearby Postdamer Platz.

Blogger has not allowed us to post photos all week, so I am linking to an AP story with a photo gallery.


Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Conlon adds another award to his heap

James Conlon, music director of the Cincinnati May Festival, will be awarded the Medal of the American Liszt Society on May 30 in a ceremony at the United States Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., the society has announced. The American Liszt Society chose Conlon for his commitment to the arts, as well as to the music of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt.

In 2004, Conlon conducted and recorded with the May Festival Chorus and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra the world premiere of Liszt's oratorio, "St. Stanislaus" for Telarc. That recording also won the 3oth International F. Liszt Record Grand Prix by the Liszt Society of Budapest, Hungary.

Conlon will be conducting in Florence Italy at the time of the presentation, so his wife, Jennifer Ringo Conlon, will accept the medal on his behalf.


CCM singers sweep Dayton vocal competition

Singers from the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music swept the awards at the Opera Guild of Dayton Tri-State College Vocal Competition, organizers announced today.

Andrea Shokery, a senior from Columbus, won first prize and $2,500, and was also the audience favorite, earning another $400. Soprano Katelyn Lee, a junior from Springfield, Mo., won second place and $1,500. CCM students Marshall Dean and Megan Aylward were finalists, winning $150 each.

All four students study with Barbara Paver at CCM.

The other finalists winning $150 each were Adam Cioffari from Indiana University and Alyssa Cox from Oberlin College. The six singers were winnowed from a field of 32.

The competition, now in its 20th year, was held in the NCR Renaissance Auditorium at the Dayton Art Institute. Judges were Thomas Bankston, general and artistic director of Dayton Opera; Andreas Melinat, artistic administrator of the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Brian Horne, associate professor at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.


Columbus musicians pitch plan

Can this orchestra be saved? Columbus Symphony musicians are reportedly holding a news conference today with a financial plan of their own to try to save the symphony.


Conlon: Thoughts about culture in our country

Yesterday, I sat down with James Conlon at Music Hall to discuss many things, among them, the state of culture in our country today. One of the ironic things, he noted, is that we have thousands of excellent musicians and singers graduating each year from conservatories such as CCM, more orchestras and opera companies than ever -- yet there seems to be an increasing apathy for great art -- literature included -- in our country.

I thought this was an important point that he made. He was not referring to the demise of the Columbus Symphony, but you could see it in the context of a city that seems to be abandoning something it has cultivated for more than a half century.

My question: Many orchestras struggle for audiences. How do you keep the public renewed and interested?

Conlon: "Education has failed us in that regard and many others as well. Those of us who devote our lives to classical music have to roll up our sleeves and figure things out. We are carrying an unfair burden – when the federal government has let us down, when many local governments have let us down, and when, to be honest, churches have let us down.

"All communities should be playing a role in the preservation of great values from our civilization, and I consider all the classical arts and literature great accomplishments of our civilization, which need to be kept alive by a constant contact of the greater population.

"It has come to be in the last generation and half, that the political message has been that this is elite and therefore unworthy of widespread support.

"To me this is my big mission. I have the mission about the 'Recovered Voices,' but my big mission is to do whatever I can as an American conductor and as an American artist, and most of all as an American citizen, to stem the tide of this very unhealthy development of the marginalization of classical arts and literature."


Monday, May 19, 2008

A New Blog is Coming


Very soon, within a day or two, the Enquirer will be moving all blogs to a new place hosted by Cincinnati.com rather than by Blogger. It will have a new look and new software. The entire Cincinnati.com site is being redesigned, and I think you'll like what you find there.

You'll still be able to access my old Classical Music blog, because I'll provide a link for you. I am hoping that it will not disappear, because I think it's an important archive. (Visit the archive under April to see my travels with the CSO to Europe, for instance.)

This blog won't change, but you'll find a lot of improvements. Once I start blogging there, I'll give you a link for a sneak peak.

This just in: You will have to register (it's free) in order to post comments on the new site. You can still be anonymous, but you'll need to register.


Night three at the May Festival


Here's the review. Feel free to post your own by clicking at the bottom of the review, or posting below.

Photo: James Conlon on opening night (Friday) in Music Hall, by Joseph Fuqua


Saturday, May 17, 2008

Large Fire damages Berlin Philharmonie

The AP and International Herald Tribune, BBC and other European papers are reporting that the famed Philharmonie, home of the Berlin Philharmonic, caught fire today, hours before 720 people were expected for a rehearsal of Berlioz' Te Deum, including children.

Musicians rushed to save their priceless instruments, but larger ones, such as pianos and timpani, had to be left behind.

The landmark building, built in 1963 and famed for its fine acoustics, was one of the first of Europe's modern concert halls. More than 100 firefighters were said to be battling the blaze.


Another setback for the Columbus Symphony

The Times picked up a story from the Columbus Dispatch yesterday that the Greater Columbus Arts Council, which gave the ensemble $261,417 last year, recommended last week that no more money be given to the orchestra, in light of the fact that the board wants to fold the orchestra on June 1.

Drew McManus has picked up others writing about the crisis, as well as this poignant cartoon by Cincinnatian Jeff Stahler, now working for the Dispatch.


Night Two at the May Festival

Here's the review from last night's May Festival.


May Festival opens with an operatic triumph

Here's the review. What did you think? Leave your own review below.

There is an interesting local connection to tonight's composer, Eric Zeisl, who died in 1959. He composed his Requiem Ebraico in memory of his father, a victim of the Holocaust. The son barely escaped, himself, and eventually made his way to L.A., with a host of other prominent composers and musicians who were fleeing Europe. (I remember seeing Darius Milhaud come down for concerts while I was a student at Stanford... )

So here's some interesting geneaology about Eric Zeisl, according to James Conlon:

After he came from Vienna to Southern California, Zeisl raised a family and his daughter, Barbara, married Ronald Schoenberg, now a retired judge and the son of composer Arnold Schoenberg (who by then was also living in L.A.).

Barbara and Ronald have a son, E. Randol Schoenberg, the prominent lawyer who fought to get the Gustav Klimt paintings in Vienna back to their rightful owners in L.A. Randol Schoenberg is married to a woman from Cincinnati, but no one can recall her name. If you know it, let us know!


Thursday, May 15, 2008

Reviving a tired concert format

Are orchestras still relevant? Or are they, like the poster below quoted, "Old, stuffy, for snobs, and (the Columbus Symphony) doesn't fit the image of a city moving forward. Leave it to Cincinnati and Cleveland as "old" cities holding on to dying institutions, and public funding of sport teams."

I believe orchestras are relevant, but all orchestras -- pops and classical -- need to start collecting ideas of how they can relate better to their communities, and do it soon.

Here's one idea: The Boston Pops just received 200 applications from students in 120 cities in Mass. for a chance to sing in a high school sing-off. The grand prize is a chance to sing with the Boston Pops on the Fourth of July on the Charles River Esplanade...

Sorry, Blogger is giving me problems this week, or I would be posting lots more...


Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Winton Woods choir in China

Other local musicians are being represented in China during the Olympics, besides the Cincinnati Pops, which will performing during the opening weekend.

In March, the Winton Woods High School Choir, led by David Bell, participated in a festival called "Perform in Harmony with Olympic Spirit" and were one of five choirs from the U.S. invited to perform.

The Festival was organized in cooperation with the Musician's Association of China. The kids performed in the Oriental Art Center in Shanghai and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing.

Says Bell: "It was truly the trip of a lifetime. The food was excellent, the accommodations great and the concert halls superb. We were well received by the Chinese people and had a ball with the other choirs as well as haggling over prices in the retail settings. We really enjoyed the exchange concert with the Beijing High School. Walking on and performing at the Great Wall literally sent chills up and down my spine. My personal favorite place was shopping at the street markets near the Yuan Garden in Shanghai. Everywhere our students went, they were stopped for photos with the Chinese, as African-Americans are not frequently seen in China."

The only snafu was the censorship of sacred music in concerts, he says, due to the incident with Bjork in Shanghai.

"In Beijing several pieces, including "Elijah Rock" were removed from the concert by the Chinese authorities and we had to perform secular pieces that they selected from our repertoire in its place," he says. "The authorities would not even allow the printed programs to be handed out so that people might see that the music had been changed."

To see a photo gallery of the Winton Woods trip, click here.


Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Spotlight on Columbus: ICSOM to try to save orchestra

Bruce Ridge of Raleigh, N.C., chair of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians, will travel to Columbus next week to meet with musicians and other community members to try to save the Columbus Symphony.

"It's my hope that as an outside viewpoint, I can generate the citizens to rise up and save this orchestra. It is not too late. It is crucial that we do it," says Ridge.

He is hoping that the citizens of Columbus hear "a positive message about the future of the arts in their city." He says he frequently makes such trips to cities with orchestras in trouble, usually with positive result. He's hoping to meet with people in the community, as well as executives of the orchestra's board, musicians and representatives from the local media.

"My concern for the citizens is they have heard a uniformly negative message about the future of the arts in their city," Ridge says.

The nonprofit arts and culture in Columbus generates more than $330 million in local economic activity annually and supports more than 11,000 fulltime jobs, as shown in a study, "Arts and Economic Prosperity III," published by Americans for the Arts.

"The board seems to be putting out this message that somehow a great orchestra is not sustainable in their city. ... In being so negative, that undermines their ability to raise money for the orchstra, and they are the stewards for the orchestra," he says.

Do many American cities need to be reminded about the importance of their arts? Even though some proclaim the death of classical music, in reality, the climate of support for orchestras is strong across the country. Recent articles in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal proclaim this a golden age. The Nashville Symphony, for instance, has won three Grammy Awards and revitalized their city with a spectacular new concert hall.

"Other cities, with far less resources, have succeeded greatly," Ridge says. "Their success is due to visionary community leaders. Those leaders can be found in Columbus. They just need to hear this positive message and they will step up...I am certain."

YO-YO MA TO PERFORM GALA CONCERT THURSDAY

Star cellist Yo-Yo Ma will perform a gala concert with the Columbus Symphony on Thursday. The orchestra's Web site says: "All proceeds will be dedicated to continuing the various artistic programs that allow us to fulfill the vital role as a leader in the arts community."

So, if there's no orchestra, where will the proceeds go?

"It's great to have Yo-Yo, but I'm not sure what they're celebrating," says bassoonist Douglas Fisher, president of the local chapter of the union.

"We have begged for weeks to bring in a third-party consultant, and they have steadfastly refused outside interference," says Fisher, who lives in Hyde Park with his wife, Catherine Carroll, a faculty member at CCM.

The musician contracts go through Aug. 31, but the orchestra has stated it will close down operations on June 1.

"So they will illegally lock us out on June 1, and we will be pursuing a grievance against them for that," Fisher says. "They'll owe us for seven weeks of work this summer."

The musician payroll is about $100,000 per week. The musicians' legal counsel is Leonard Leibowitz, an attorney based in Florida.

Drew McManus is weighing in on his blog, about the fact that the board suspended subscription renewals months before collective bargaining started. That news aside, he also provides a step-by-step plan to save the organization -- maybe.

Here's a reaction to the situation from the Cincinnati Symphony.


Monday, May 12, 2008

Columbus Symphony: Blame the ______ (fill in the blank)

OK, who's the problem, the board or the musicians? The Columbus Dispatch is weighing in against the musicians, but orchestra consultant Drew McManus blames the board.

Meanwhile, Barbara Zuck, former music critic for the Dispatch, and other reports from the Dispatch note that ticket sales are up and the past weekend's concerts had strong attendance -- "close to capacity."


Columbus Symphony to fold

The bad news coming out of Columbus is that the 57-year-old orchestra is out of money, failed to reach an agreement with its musicians and will close down on June 1. Having heard the orchestra play a few years ago and knowing the caliber of its musicians -- some of whom live in Cincinnati -- I am shocked at this news and wracking my brain as to how the board could allow this to happen. Possible reasons:

-- A community apathetic about the arts, and especially a symphony orchestra?

-- A dysfunctional board?

-- A board that has allowed itself to become too inbred, not drawing support from the community at large?

-- Mismanagement of funds?

-- A city that cannot afford an orchestra financially?

-- Musicians who refuse to downsize and take further concessions?

These are all speculations. The musicians have already taken concessions and were being asked to cut their ranks from 53 to 31 and reduce the season...

What's your take?

LOCAL MUSICIANS AFFECTED BY THIS? CALL ME AT 513-768-8382
OR E-MAIL JGELFAND@ENQUIRER.COM


Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Chicago finally picks a maestro

I'm sure you've all seen the news by now that Riccardo Muti will be the next music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. There have been some interesting picks lately -- with Marin Alsop going to Baltimore, 41-year-old Alan Gilbert going to his hometown orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and prodigy Gustavo Dudamel headed for LA.

Given that Muti is undeniably a "catch" -- and if you read the NY Times article, his courtship was something of a lovefest -- where are all the American conductors? And, are there any women out there who have a chance of following Marin to a major orchestra?


Monday, May 05, 2008

Kunzel and the Pops to make history -- again

OK, so it was the worst-kept secret in history, too. But it's finally been confirmed that the Cincinnati Pops, led by Erich Kunzel, is the only American orchestra invited to play during the Olympic festivities in Beijing.

Congratulations are pouring in as we speak, from the Governor, the Mayor and also Gen. Colin Powell (Ret.), who appeared with Kunzel in the National Memorial Day Concert in Washington last year...


Friday, May 02, 2008

A nuclear explosion

That's how CSO music director Paavo Jarvi described "The Rite of Spring" in his pre-recorded "First Notes" Friday night.

Did you agree?

The review that will be in tomorrow's paper did not have enough space to mention a very touching tribute to three violists in the orchestra who are retiring, delivered by percussionist Richard Jensen. (His eloquent words should be reprinted...)

The retirees -- about a quarter of the viola section -- are Mark Cleghorn, a member of the orchestra since 1963; Joseph Somogyi, who joined in 1970; and Raymond Stilwell, a member since 1971. The audience gave them a standing ovation.

Here's a link to the review.


Major star coming to Blue Wisp... and change of location rumors


OK, it's all about location, location, location

But before we get to that, heads up on a big-deal star who's coming next week to play at the Blue Wisp Jazz Club, downtown. Steve Turre, who plays trombone with the Saturday Night Live Band, and is also a virtuoso of the seashells (I kid you not), performs at the club Wednesday and Thursday nights next week. The Mexican-born jazz musician appears with the Blue Wisp Big Band Wednesday night, and with the Ed Felson Quartet on Thursday. Info here.

Rumors are flying about the Blue Wisp moving to a new locale. The jazz club is under new ownership, and from the beginning, the co-owners have said they like the Eighth Street building, but wished there was more foot traffic and that it was closer to downtown hotels.

So, apparently it was brought up recently at a Clifton Town Hall meeting that the jazz club might relocate to Ludlow Ave. I've also heard rumors that they're looking at other locations downtown, from Tower Place Mall to the old Enquirer Building. (Now that would be interesting...)

So far, it's just rumors, says partner Ed Felson. They currently sign a month-to-month lease from the building owners.

"It's a big-money decision," Felson says. "They're all wonderful ideas, but it requires a lot of analysis. We've not decided anything, and we dont' want to rock the boat (with the current arrangement), but the good news is that we have options."

Stay tuned. Do you think the Wisp should move??


Metropolitan Opera Diva performs recital in Dayton


Yesterday, I was allowed to be a fly on the wall for the dress rehearsal of soprano Angela Brown, who performs tonight and Sunday afternoon at the Schuster Center for Dayton Opera's annual opera star gala. Part of the performance will be in collaboration with The Wilberforce University Choir.

This is one recital you don't want to miss. Brown's program is a winning combination of Verdi and Puccini opera arias, as well as numbers from "Margaret Garner" by Richard Danielpour and Toni Morrison, for which she created the role of Cilla, and spirituals.

I was particularly taken with a cantata by John Carter based on a collection of spirituals -- "Peter go ring dem bells," "Sometimes I feel like a motherless child" --wonderfully arranged for voice and piano. Brown's voice, vivid, focused and shimmering, filled every corner of the Schuster. She has a knack for communicating each word, so that the listener is instantly swept up in the power and emotion of these texts.

William Grant Still's "From the Hearts of Women" is a little-known cycle of four charming songs that should be heard more often. I loved what the soprano did with "Little Mother," a lullaby that soon becomes an anguished picture of pain -- revealing a subtext between the lines that Brown hints at magnificently.

But she is also an irresistible musician, who doesn't take herself so seriously she can't have fun. Pianist David Michael Wolff is excellent.

She's also performing "Ritorna vincitor" from Aida, her "signature" role, "Vissi d'arte" from "Tosca" and "Pace, pace mio dio" from "La Forza del Destino." She will make her role debut in "La Forza" to open the Cincinnati May Festival on May 16.

Dayton Opera presents its annual Star Gala featuring Metropolitan Opera soprano Angela Brown today (May 2) at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 p.m. Click here for more info and tickets.


Warren County Arts Center?

So, the story continues about a new performing arts center in the Lebanon area. Looks like things are moving.

Here's the story I wrote in December:

Warren County rallying support for arts center
AREA NEWS

New and refurbished arts centers are gaining steam around the region, from the Carnegie Visual and Performing Arts Center in Covington to a planned arts and conference center in Blue Ash. Now, leaders in Warren County are voicing a dream for their own venue that would be a home for the county's rapidly growing arts - including dance, theater, classical music and visual art.

Nathan Smallwood, president of the Warren County Arts Council, and several arts supporters have met in recent weeks with community leaders and potential backers behind closed doors to rally support for a regional arts and performance center.

"We are working to get the community aligned toward a common vision around an arts center and a performance facility," he says.

Part of the rationale is Warren County's strategic position between Dayton and Cincinnati.

"I think there is the potential for this area to become a regional hub for arts and culture," says the Lebanon resident.

Smallwood e-mailed a proposal to area arts supporters, pitching that a unified committee of Warren County arts group representatives undertake a feasibility study for an arts center. Although there are no sketches or designs yet, desired elements would include an 800- to 1,000-seat theater, an art gallery, educational spaces and meeting rooms.

A locale will have to be chosen and it's too early to estimate cost. But in comparison, the proposed arts and convention center in Blue Ash is estimated to cost between $26 million and $30 million.

Indeed, the region seems poised to make an impact as a cultural center. Warren County is the second-fastest growing county in the state, with the second highest median household income. With the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters tennis tournament, Kings Island and the Great Wolf Lodge - all in Mason - recreation and tourism recently passed agriculture as Warren County's top industry, Smallwood says.

"But surprisingly, it is still underserved in terms of the arts," he says. "I think the (new) facility is going to light this bonfire and get us off to the races."

Arts groups in Warren County include the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Lebanon Theatre Company, Mason Children's Theater, community theater groups and a growing visual art community.

If it's large enough, such a venue could also become a regional tour stop for renowned ensembles such as the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Dayton Philharmonic, Dayton Opera or Cincinnati Ballet. Smallwood, former president and CEO of CultureWorks in Dayton, says that several Dayton organization have expressed interest in touring to the region.

Smallwood is optimistic that it would be an asset for Warren County and the entire region.

"A community like this doesn't build an eight-figure facility every day. Let's hit it out of the park," he says.



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