Photo Tribute to James Meyers
James Meyers, well-known and cherished member of Cleveland’s community of classical freelance musicians, died unexpectedly on January 23. This album of photos has been put together by his friends and colleagues. Written reminiscences are here; blog visitors are welcome to add their thoughts.
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- Chagrin Valley Studio Orchestra
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- Jim Meyers, cello
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- Chagrin Valley Studio Orchestra, Jim Meyers, cello
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- Chagrin Valley Studio Orchestra, Jim Meyers, cello
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- Jim Meyers, Bonnie Maky, Susan DeCamp, Sarah Adams at Joe Quittner’s studio
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- Meyers conducting Symphony West and Duo Anime at Baldwin-Wallace
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- Jim Meyers at Carol Ruzicka’s house-warming party
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- Heidi Albert, Jim Meyers and Mary Beth Ions
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- Jim Meyers, 1968
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- Jim Meyers, 1969
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- Trinity Chamber Orchestra, October 1988
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- Jim Meyers and Kent Collier
Music on Tap at Trinity Lutheran Church
“Music on Tap” at Trinity Lutheran Church, Cleveland, on October 10. ClevelandClassical.com’s editor and publisher, Daniel Hathaway at the historic Beckerath organ. Held the second Saturday of the month, “Music on Tap” includes informal organ concerts, West Side Market bratwursts for sale and free beer samples from Great Lakes Brewing Co. Proceeds benefit the organ restoration fund.
Trinity’s Beckerath organ is a historical landmark. Built by Rudolph von Beckerath in 1956, it is the first large modern pipe organ in North America built on historic Baroque principles.
The next “Music on Tap” is Saturday, November 14 from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Organists Nathan Carterette (1:00 pm) Brian Wentzel (1:45 pm) and Graham Schultz (2:30 pm) will perform. 2031 West 30th Street (at Lorain).
Photos: Sam Hubish
To Hell in a Hand basket
Has musicianship gone the way of twitter, instant messaging, sound bites? In this day and age, is an audience’s attention held by a performance punctuated with exaggerated emotionalism? In a scathing review of pianist Lang Lang’s August 30 performance of Chopin’s F minor piano concerto with the Dresden Staatskapelle in Lucerne, Michael Kimmelman suggests Mr. Lang’s playing has everything to do with our high-speed information age mind-set.
Last Night of the Proms
Writing in the Telegraph, Ivan Hewett considers the longevity and popularity of the “Last Night of the Proms.” The exuberant Last Night performance, always memorable for the audience’s funny hats, noisemakers, and singalong choruses of “Rule Britannia” and “Land of Hope and Glory,” is a spectacle, and as is the case with most spectacles, some find it downright embarrassing.
Hewett observes that recent Prom Directors, in an effort to moderate the overt nationalism of the evening
…have adopted something like the American policy of ‘containment’ in the Cold War. They acknowledge a ‘sphere of influence’ for the fun and jingoist songs, but they try to box it in and if possible shrink it. They’ve made the serious first half longer, and have slipped serious things into the second half. But the audience gets its revenge. Their silly hats and klaxons create a kind of Last Night Miasma which takes over everything.
So why does the Last Night persist? What might the future hold? The article is here.
On Saturday, September 12, WCLV will broadcast the famous “Last Night of the Proms” live beginning at 2:00 pm.
Piano Problems?
What’s wrong with piano competitions? Michael Johnson, writing for Facts & Arts, thinks there are too many, they limit artistic development, and, perhaps most damning, the judging process is terribly flawed.