by Daniel Hathaway
Oberlin Conservatory faculty members Timothy LeFebvre, baritone, and Peter Takács, piano, celebrate Beethoven’s 250th with his song cycle An die ferne Geliebte, plus works by Handel, Ravel, and Ives. The free concert streams live from (the empty) Warner Concert Hall at 7:30 pm.
Remember James Feddeck, the former assistant conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and Youth Orchestras (and Oberlin alum, by the way)? He’s stepping in tonight for Leonard Slatkin — as he frequently does for indisposed conductors — to lead the Detroit Symphony in music by Adolphus Hailstork, Purcell, Penderecki, and Mozart. It’s an online ticketed event that streams at 7:30 pm.
Check the Concert Listings for links and details.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
On this date in 1965, French composer Paul Dukas was born in Paris. It’s a good time to search out one of the versions of Disney’s Fantasia to reconnect with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Who can listen to Dukas’ orchestral fantasy without conjuring visions of Mickey Mouse?
The celebrated Russian American pianist Vladimir Horowitz was born on this date either in 1903 or 1904. Among his personal quirks: he ate only Dover Sole, and only played recitals (if he didn’t cancel) on Sundays at 4:00 pm. Watch a documentary of his life in the film The Last Romantic, and a video of his famous return to Moscow concert in 1986. There’s also a live recording of his recital in Cleveland in 1974.
Austrian American composer Ernst Toch died in Santa Monica, California on October 1, 1964. Although he wrote film music in Hollywood after escaping the Third Reich, perhaps he’s best known for his experimental works, including Gesprochene Musik (Spoken Music) suite, and its catchy “Geographical Fugue.” The suite was meant to be recorded on a 78 rpm record and played at a higher speed in concert. As Toch wrote in a program note, “increasing the tempo, and the resulting pitch level … created a type of instrumental music, which leads the listener to forget that it originated from speaking.” The Fugue is performed here on a concert by Houston’s River Oaks Chamber Orchestra guest conducted by former Cleveland Orchestra associate conductor Brett Mitchell. (It’s even better in German!)
And in 1979, American composer Roy Harris died — also in Santa Monica and on this date. Born in rural Oklahoma, with the help of Aaron Copland he studied in Paris with Nadia Boulanger, and went on to write numerous works on American themes. His big breakthrough was his Third Symphony, captured here in a live performance by Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra in 2010.