by Daniel Hathaway
HAPPENING TODAY:
At 12 Noon at the Church of the Covenant in University Circle, organist Steven Kuerbitz will play J.S. Bach’s arrangement of Vivaldi’s Double Violin Concerto in d minor, BWV 596, the Leipzig chorale Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 654 and two settings of Nun komm der heiden Heiland, BWV 659 & 661, as well as César Franck’s Prélude, Fugue et Variation, Op. 18. Kuerbitz began organ study at the age of 15, interrupted by a distinguished career in medicine, and a stroke in 2006 from which he continues to recover. He resumed his organ studies with the Covenant’s organist, Jonathan Moyer. Read the program notes here.
COMINGS & GOINGS:
The Poiesis Quartet has announced that violinist Coco Mi will join the ensemble beginning in June 2026. Mi will replace founding member Max Ball, who was a member of the quartet for three years. Read the Violin Channel story here.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Cooper International Violin Competition Names 2026 Semifinalists
The 18 semifinalists will perform at the in-person competition, which will be held on the campus of Oberlin College and Conservatory from August 6-10. Read the Violin Channel article here.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
by Jarrett Hoffman
The headliner for June 2 is Edward Elgar, who was born on this date in 1857 in Lower Broadheath, England, outside of Worcester. Among classical musicians, two of his most famous works are the orchestral Enigma Variations (heard here in a 1957 live recording by William Steinberg and The Cleveland Orchestra) and the oratorio The Dream of Gerontius.
And around this time of year, college graduates and families tend to get the trio from his Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 lodged deep into their brains. (Another opportunity for that: hear Cleveland Orchestra trumpeter Michael Sachs and father of a graduating senior, play the famous tune all by his lonesome in a congratulatory message to 2020 graduates from the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and Chorus. Read the comments for more about the origin of the piece).
But on the performing side, did you know that Elgar, in addition to being an excellent violinist, played the bassoon? Perhaps that was part of his inspiration behind the Op. 62 Romance — the other part being the playing of Edwin F. James, who was then the principal bassoon of the London Symphony, and who premiered the work in 1911 with Elgar on the podium.
Here are two recordings of this short, lyrical, and poetic work. One as written, for you to savor the beautiful orchestration (in a performance by bassoonist Klaus Thunemann and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, led by Sir Neville Marriner). And another that replaces the ensemble with an organ (another instrument in Elgar’s performing arsenal), for you to enjoy a totally different and more intimate color (played here by bassoonist Sophie Dervaux and organist Wolfgang Kogert).
That second link is a video, but the first one, audio-only, comes with its own visual bonus: for five minutes straight, the sight of Elgar’s full-bodied and stylish ‘stache, with a lushness to match the music.
