by Mike Telin
HAPPENING TODAY:
At 7:00 pm at The Temple-Tifereth Israel, CityMusic Cleveland will present From the New World. The program features the premiere of a new work by Michi Wiancko, in addition to Francisco J. de Castro’s Trio Sonata Op. 1 No. 3, Andrea Falconieri’s Passacalle a 3, Luigi Boccherini’s Guitar Quintet No. 4 in D “Fandango,” as well as Folias echa para mi Señora Doña Tarolilla de Carallenos and selections from the Codex Martínez Compañón. Performerss include Guillermo Salas-Suarez & Alan Choo, Baroque violins, Yael Senamaud, Baroque viola, Sophie Benn, Baroque cello, QinYin Tang, harpsichord, and Jeremy Bass, Baroque guitar. The concert is free.
The Cleveland Orchestra Holiday Concerts continue at 7:30 pm in Mandel Concert Hall at Severance Music Center. Tickets are available online.
At 7:30 pm in Kulas Recital Hall, the Oberlin Guitar Ensemble, directed by Stephen Aron, performs works by Astor Piazzolla, Mauro Giuliani, Yvonne Desportes, J.S. Bach, Leo Brouwer, Maneul de Falla, and Celso Machado. The concert is free. Click here for a detailed program and here to access the live stream.
At 8:00 pm at First Congregational Church UCC in Elyria, the Eastman School of Music Historical Keyboards Department (pictured), under the direction of Lisa Goode Crawford, presents J.S. Bach’s Concertos for Multiple Harpsichords. Performers include Lindsey Williams, Dylan Sanzenbacher, Ryan Chan & Ali Santos, harpsichords, James Marshall and Rachel Smith, violins, Juliana Kilcoyne, viola, Owen Cummings, cello, and Ariel Walton, bass. On the program: the Concerto for Two Harpsichords in C, BWV 1061, Concerto for Three Harpsichords in d, BWV 1063, and Concerto for Four Harpsichords in a, BWV 1065. The performance is free.
IN THE NEWS:
On Tuesday, Jeannette Sorrell made her conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic. New York Times critic Anthony Tommasini wrote: “…the New York Philharmonic — joined by Apollo’s Singers, the chorus of the early-music ensemble Apollo’s Fire, and four superb vocal soloists, all led by Jeannette Sorrell — gave a splendid performance of Handel’s “Messiah” at Riverside Church.”
Click here to read the full review.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
On this day in 1770 Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany. In response to a request for a comment, we received a text from the composer saying: “Enough with the celebrating, I’m 251 years-old. Leave me alone already.”
However, if you still want to keep the party going, click here to read musicologist John Wilson’s essay on why we should change the way we program Beethoven in his anniversary year.
December 16 also saw the birth of American operatic tenor James McCracken in Gary, Indiana in 1926. Hailed by The New York Times as “the most successful dramatic tenor yet produced by the United States…” McCracken began singing in his church choir during childhood.
McCracken, who studied music at Columbia University, made his professional opera debut in 1952 in the role of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème with Colorado’s Central City Opera.
While still a student, he sang minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera, and in 1957 made his debut at the Vienna State Opera. In 1963 he began his long association with The Met, and quickly became one of the company’s principal dramatic tenors.
Click here to listen to McCracken sing Nessun dorma with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Lamberto Gardelli.