by Mike Telin
HAPPENING TODAY:
At 12:00 pm, Tuesday Noon Organ Plus Concerts will feature James Kealey (Rochester, NY) in a program featuring both The Newberry and Chancel Organs. The playlist includes J.S. Bach’s Prelude & Fugue in G, BWV 550 & Cecilia McDowall’s Church bells beyond the stars. César Franck’s Pièce Héroïque, Calvin Hampton’s Lullaby (Suite II) and Louis Vierne’s Final (Symphony No. 6, Op. 59). Church of the Covenant, 11205 Euclid Ave., Cleveland. Freewill offering.
At 7:30 pm the Dana Symphony Orchestra will perform works by Chris Pilsner, Kenji Bunch, Johan Halvorsen & Florence Price. Powers Auditorium, De Yor Performing Arts Center, Federal Plaza West, Youngstown. Tickets available online.
Also at 7:30 pm, Tuesday Musical launches its new season with VOCES8, U.K. a cappella ensemble (pictured). Presented in cooperation with the University of Akron’s Kulas Concert Series, “Choral Dances: from Bach to Irving Berlin,” includes Byrd’s Sing Joyfully, Britten’s Choral Dances from Gloriana, Nat King Cole’s Straighten Up and Fly Right, Irving Berlin’s Cheek to Cheek, Þorkell Sigurbjörnsson, Rachmaninoff’s Bogoroditse Devo, Jake Runestad’s Let My Love Be Heard, Palestrina’s Magnificat Primi Toni, J.S. Bach’s Bourée (arr. Swingle), Thomas Weelkes’ As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending, Orlando di Lasso’s Dessus la Marche D’Arras, Jerome Kern’s I Won’t Dance and Van Morrison’s Moondance E.J. Thomas Hall, University of Akron, 198 Hill St. Tickets available online. Click here to read our preview article.
Today we thought we’d revisit Jarrett Hoffman’s Daily Diary contribution from last year. It’s an interesting piece that’s well worth another look.
MUSICAL SCULPTURES:
Four hundred years after his birth on this date in 1605, English polymath Thomas Browne was commemorated by his adopted home city of Norwich with a series of sculptures commissioned in his honor. One of those was a large, marble brain — perfect as a representation of that famous thinker, but also as a resting spot for pigeons, who apparently can be seen drinking rainwater from its folds.
That got me wondering about other fun sculptures — especially ones that are right out in the open, and that are related to music. Locally, among all the beautiful statues in the Cultural Gardens is Romanian composer George Enescu. Then there’s the ROCK BOX, a collection of loudspeakers along E. 9th St. that play music from Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees.
Expanding out on the map, there’s plenty of quirky, creative stuff that you could plan a trip around. In Houston there’s Virtuoso, the big, light-hearted, and invisible-bodied cellist that plays classical music through an integrated sound system. And right inside the Stopera in Amsterdam, there’s The Fiddler — a real break-out performer (kill me).
Here’s an article from Classic FM with more recommendations for musical sculptures, though the location for some of them may require some digging.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
The most famous name to celebrate today is Jacqueline du Pré, who died on this date in 1987 at the age of 42, and who is considered one of the greatest cellists in history, despite her career being cut short by multiple sclerosis. Du Pré is often mentioned in the same breath as the Elgar Cello Concerto — check out one of her stunning performances of that work, like this one, where she plays the first movement with Daniel Barenboim and the London Philharmonic.
And to keep up with today’s theme, here’s a statue of her in Randwick, Australia — nice if you’re going for peace and serenity, as the city planned, but pretty tame compared to her playing, which The New York Times described in her obituary as “an unusual mixture of elegance and ferocity.”
Other figures to celebrate today:
- Charles Wheatstone (English scientist who invented the microphone — died on this date in 1875)
- Roland Dyens (noted French composer and guitarist known for improvisation and for crossing over between classical and jazz — born on this date in 1955)
- Nadezhda Rimskaya Korsakova (Russian pianist and composer who also exerted a strong influence on the music and legacy of her husband Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov — born on this date [Old Style] in 1848)
- Stephen Paulus (prolific, Grammy-winning American composer known for his operas and choral works — died on this date in 2014)
