Exciting & Inexpensive Live Performances This Week

This is it. You’re packing up your dorm room, storing your notes for further study (or shredding them, depending on how your academic semester went), and saying goodbye to friends for the summer. Maybe you’re graduating, excited to take it easy for the summer or to do just the opposite – jet set.

Before you take off, we recommend you attend any of these awesome live performances in and around DC. From the Millenium Stage to the 9:30 Club to the Bach Sinfonia – there’s something for everyone!

Nuevo Mundo Barocco! (New Baroque), presented by the Bach Sinfonia

Sunday May 5 at 3pm

Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center at Silver Spring

7995 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring MD 20910 (Directions here)

* Metro accessible via Red Line to Silver Spring! *

“Latin flair meets Baroque majesty on Cinco de Mayo! Over the past three decades researches have uncovered a treasure trove of music in the Cathedral cities and missions of Mexico and South America. Both Jesuit missionaries from the old world Europe as well as native composers produced radiant music for liturgical services and civic occasions. A chance to hear some great 17th and 18th century music of the ‘Other Americas’.”

Jennifer Ellis Kampani, soprano

Richard Savino, baroque guitar

Daniel Abraham, artistic director

Tickets only $15 for students and can be ordered online or can be purchased at the venue

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Millenium Stage Performances at the Kennedy Center

FREE Performances every day, no ticket required!

All performances are at 6pm

Upcoming Performances include The Old Bay Ceili Band (Tuesday May 7) and a showcase from the Levine School of Music (Wednesday May 8)

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Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra at Bohemian Caverns

Monday May 6,  8:00-11:00pm

2001 11th St. NW

* A necessary DC experience! * $10 cover

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Bela Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio

Friday May 10 at 8:00 pm

The Music Center at Strathmore

5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda MD 20852

Tickets $28 and Up

From Strathmore: “Béla Fleck has been nominated in more Grammy categories than anyone in history, and has taken home 14 of the statuettes, wandering gleefully across genres and bringing together eclectic and utterly amazing groups of musicians. This season, Strathmore favorite Fleck brings a brilliant collaboration with one of today’s most lauded jazz ensembles, with Marcus Roberts on piano, Jason Marsalis on drums and Rodney Jordan on bass. “There was an improvisational, what’s going-to-happen-next feeling to the entire show. After a stunning rendition of ‘Lullaby of Birdland,’ Fleck picked up a microphone: ‘I’ve never been terrified in such a friendly way before.’” (Savannah Unplugged).”

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The Bethesda Fine Arts Festival 2013

Saturday May 11 – Sunday May 12, 10am-6pm

* Located at Woodmont Triangle, less than 6 blocks from Bethesda Metro Station *

It’s not necessarily a musical performance but outdoor craft markets are wonderful!

Carley’s Staff Picks!

In recent months I have been fueled by Beethoven. Piano sonatas, string quartets, symphonies, concertos, everything. So, my first staff pick is the excellent documentary In Search of Beethoven. There are too many prominent ensembles, conductors and pianists featured in the film to count. The documentary truly takes the viewer on a journey. It catalogs his works and gives us some insight into Beethoven’s remarkable personality and his empathy for humanity.

In Search of Beethoven: A film by Phil Grabsky  ~  DVD 202

Chamber music. There’s so much of it! I think Mendelssohn is a good place to start. His piano trios are remarkable (the man DID write “Songs without Words”).

Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio in D minor was written in 1839, the year before Schumann experienced his most prolific year of songwriting. I love that Schumann viewed Mendelssohn as the Mozart of the 19th century, saying that he was the “most of illuminating of musicians”. High praise.

The Piano Trios of Felix Mendelssohn  ~  CD 9069

2013 is the bicentennial of Verdi and Wagner! Orchestras and Opera companies all over the world are celebrating with seasons dedicated to performing great works, from the most famous to the lesser-known. The AUSO began the celebration in March with the overture from  Die Meistersinger von Nurmberg and they will be joined by the AU Chorus in a couple of weeks to keep the party going with Verdi’s Four Sacre Pezzi.

Simon Boccanegra  ~  CD 8802

Birgit Nilsson Sings Wagner Arias with Hans Hotter and Leopold Ludwig  ~  CD 8173

This one’s for Robert:

Meredith Monk: Turtle Dreams  ~  CD 9697

YAY: snow & new arrivals!

I know we were all hoping for a snow day (come on AU, you close for rain but not actual snow?!) BUT you know what is almost as exciting as a snow day….NEW ARRIVALS!

CDs
Remembranza – Remembrance of Latin Sounds (CD 10161)

Latvian Winterfest – Cantatas of the Christmas season (CD 10162)

Almeda Trio (CD 10163)

ScoresDartmoor, 1912 – War Horse/ John Williams (M1527.2.W554 D37 2011)

Pan Penseroso for solo flute and orchestra – Martin Bresnick ( M1020.B73 P362 2012)

The Blue Bamboula Piano Solo – Charles Wuorinen (M25.W867 B68 1982)

Perpetual Tango – John Cage ( M25.C34 P47 1984)

Four Psalms for Baritone Voice and Strings – Howard Hanson (M2103.3.H36 P87 2012)

Now go frolic in the snow and forget that school is actually open….ENJOY!
Eva

New 2012 National Recording Registry!

Exciting news!!!! The Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, today announced the selection of 25 sound recordings to the registry, marked for preservation because of their cultural, artistic and historic importance to the nation’s aural legacy.

“Congress created the National Recording Registry to celebrate the richness and variety of our audio heritage and to underscore our responsibility for long-term preservation, to assure that legacy can be appreciated and studied for generations,” said Billington. “Our challenge, however, continues to be finding collaborative and innovative ways to protect and make available this unmatched legacy to the public.”

Here is the list of the 25 recordings and links to CD’s/YouTube clips and streaming clips! Enjoy:

1. “After You’ve Gone,” Marion Harris (1918)
   Stream it here!
2. “Bacon, Beans and Limousines,” Will Rogers (Oct. 18, 1931)
   Listen to it here!
3. “Begin the Beguine,” Artie Shaw (1938)
   We have it here:  CD 3175
4. “You Are My Sunshine,” Jimmie Davis (1940)
   Stream it here!
5. D-Day Radio Broadcast, George Hicks (June 5-6, 1944)
   Listen to it here!
6. “Just Because,” Frank Yankovic & His Yanks (1947)
   Stream it here!
7. “South Pacific,” Original Cast Album (1949)
   We have it here: CD 1573
8. “Descargas: Cuban Jam Session in Miniature,” Cachao Y Su Ritmo Caliente (1957)
   Listen to it here!
9. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Van Cliburn (April 11, 1958)
   We have it here: CD 5894
10. President’s Message Relayed from Atlas Satellite, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Dec. 19, 1958)
11. “A Program of Song,” Leontyne Price (1959)
12. “The Shape of Jazz to Come,” Ornette Coleman (1959)
    Listen to it here!
13. “Crossing Chilly Jordan,” The Blackwood Brothers (1960)
    Listen to it here!
14. “The Twist,” Chubby Checker (1960)
    We have it here: CD 3139
15. “Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley’s,” Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, et al. (1960-1962)
    Stream it here!
16. “Hoodoo Man Blues,” Junior Wells (1965)
    Listen to it here!
17. “Sounds of Silence,” Simon and Garfunkel (1966)
    Stream it here!
18. “Cheap Thrills,” Big Brother and the Holding Company (1968)
    We have it here: CD 9426
19. “The Dark Side of the Moon,” Pink Floyd (1973)
    We have it here: CD 3675
20. “Music Time in Africa,” Leo Sarkisian, host (July 29, 1973)
21. “Wild Tchoupitoulas,” The Wild Tchoupitoulas (1976)
    Listen it it here!
22. “Ramones,” The Ramones (1976)
    We have it here: CD 2909
23. “Saturday Night Fever,” The Bee Gees, et al (1977)
    We have it here: CD 3246
24. “Einstein on the Beach,” Philip Glass and Robert Wilson (1979)
    We have it here: CD 9615
25. “The Audience with Betty Carter,” Betty Carter (1980)
    Listen to it here!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Eva

Eric Owens Master Class(Free for AU Students)

This upcoming Sunday (3/17), acclaimed Bass-Baritone Eric Owens will be holding a Masterclass at George Washington University’s Mount Vernon Campus from 3:30 PM to 5:30 PM. The masterclass is open to the public: $20 Admissions, free for students upon the presentation of a student ID and will be featuring vocal students from area studios. You can find more information from the Vocal Arts DC website here.

Grace’s Staff Picks: A Cross-Section of Musicals

The music library has a huge collection of musical theater CDs, so I thought I’d post a cross-section for your perusal, from old classics to some of my newer favorites!

Memphis: Original Broadway Cast Recording – CD 5218

Covering all moods from swinging to soulful, Memphis is about prejudice, music and love.

Les Miserables: The 2010 Cast Album – CD 5356

Familiarize yourself with the musical that recently took the big screen by storm, or delight your hipster soul in the knowledge that you’ve loved it for years already. Either way, I absolutely had to include Les Mis.

Fiddler On the Roof: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Recording – CD 4006

Everybody knows the Fiddler On the Roof, and if you don’t, now’s your chance! This is music that I never get tired of.

Little Women The Musical: Original Broadway Cast Recording – CD 3632

I got to see this musical when it toured, starring Sutton Foster and Maureen McGovern, and ever since then I’ve been in love with it. If you liked the book, or are just a musical theater buff, you’ll almost definitely enjoy this too.

Oliver!: Original Studio Cast Recording – CD 5142

Robert’s Staff Picks

CD 3538 -  At Folsom Prison – Johnny Cash

In honor of Johnny Cash’s birthday (2/26), I’m picking one a Johnny Cash CD from the Music Library’s collection.  Here’s the transcription of part of Cash’s handwritten notes about “Folsom Prison Blues” that can be found in the liner notes:”The culture of a thousand years is shattered with the clanging of the cell door behind you.  Life outside, behind you immediately becomes unreal.  You begin to not care that it exists.  All you have with you in the cell is your bare animal instincts.”

CD 10051 – True Bluegrass Banjo

Bluegrass music exploded with a bang in the mid 1940s, and the instrument most responsible for the growing popularity of the music was the 5-string banjo as played by the masterful Earl Scruggs.  Scruggs inspired literally thousands of musicians to learn a new way of picking the banjo, and many of these artists went on to inspire countless others with this fascinating new style.  This is a CD that the Music Library recently acquired. I’m obsessed with it.  If you hear banjo music in Katzen–Wednesday mornings from 9:00-11:30–don’t be alarmed…I’m just jamming in the Music Library.

CD 9834 – Harmonium The Klinghoffer Choruses – John Adams

This CD is a great introduction to contemporary opera.  John Adams is also the composer of my favorite contemporary opera–Dr. Atomic.  The Death of Klinghoffer tells the story of the 1984 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro by four Palestinian commandos and the subsequent killing of Leon Klinghoffer, a Jewish American passenger, whose body was thrown overboard in the wheelchair to which he had been confined.  Sounds like a pretty interesting opera to me.

CD 6753 – Ruffo

Ruffo Titta, (he reversed his names for the stage) was born in Pisa.  Coming from a large and poor family, Ruffo had an unhappy childhood and received no education.  From an early age he assisted his father as a blacksmith, but because of continued friction between them, Ruffo left home.  By the age of eighteen he had discovered his fine baritone voice and was admitted to the Santa Cecilia in Rome, becoming a pupil of the celebrated teacher, Persichini.  He’s a very interesting musician.

CD 6771 – Legendary Tenors & CD 6772 – Legendary Baritones

These two CDs are fantastic if you want to listen to the progression of styles of singing.  If you’re a baritone looking for new repertoire, I recommend listening to “Legendary Baritones.”  If you’re a tenor looking for new repertoire, I recommend you listen to “Legendary Tenors.”  Both CDs can be very informative.

Medici.tv – Virtual Classical Concert Hall

If you haven’t had a chance to check out Medici TV, you should take some time out of your busy schedule and go watch an opera…or a symphonic concert.

 

 

 

Wowza – New CDs!

The East meets the West in our newest batch of CDs. And who knew that the clarinet would be the binding force?

Come check ‘em out.

Rainbow: Music of Central Asia vol. 8/Kronos Quartet with Alim & Fargana Qasimov and Homayun Sakhi * CD 10058

This wonderful collaboration is part of a ten part series produced by Smithsonian Folkways Records titled “Music of Central Asia”. The Grammy-nominated series is another in a long line of remarkable projects from Folkways. Come check it out and then go online and download the free program notes!

East Meets West: Clarinet Music by Chinese Composers * CD 10059

Surrealistic Soundscapes/Man Ching and Donald Yu * CD 10062

Revelry/Lowell Liebermann * CD 10061

A Musical Celebration: New Works for Clarinet Viola and Piano * CD 10060

Cold Fact/Sixto Rodriguez * CD 9974

Coming from Realitiy/Sixto Rodriguez * CD 9971

We just got Eighth Blackbird’s GRAMMY NOMINATED “Meanwhile” (and other scores, CDs, DVD)

Get excited about our newest acquisition, Eighth Blackbird’s recent release “Meanwhile”: CD 10048.

“Is there an ensemble anywhere that conveys the sheer exuberance and joy of contemporary music like Eighth Blackbird? To listen to this brilliant young American sextet is to be constantly reminded of just how exciting, funny and ingratiating new work can be – especially when it’s delivered with these players’ characteristic blend of breakneck virtuosity and charm.”

- Joshua Kosman for the San Fransisco Chronicle

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The Kashmere Stage Band: Texas Thunder Soul, 1968-1974 - CD 10047

Paul Winter Sextet: Jazz Meets the Bossa Nova/Folk Song – CD 10046

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DVD

Chops – Music Library DVD 55

Follows a group of high school students from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, a public school in Jacksonville, FL, as they try to win a competition where the prize is being able to play at the prestigious Essentially Ellington Festival at New York’s Lincoln Center and an opportunity to work with famed jazz musician Wynton Marsalis.

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JOHN CAGE

Bird Cage  -  M1473.C34.B57 1972

Chess Pieces for Piano  -  M25.C34 C54 2005

 Nocturne for Violin and Piano  -  M221.C34 N63 1972

Radio Music  -  M1473.C34 R33 1961

Sonata for Clarinet  -  M72.C34 S66 1963

Sonata for Two Voices  -  M298.5.C34 S66 1979

String Quartet in four parts  -  M452.C32 S77 1960

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MORE NEW SCORES!

David Amram  -  Cancion de Verano: A Piano Quartet for Young Musicians  -  M412 A47.C36 2012

J.S. Bach  -  Sechs Partiten for Klavier, 1-3  -  M24.B115 S8 1958 v. 1

Ludwig van Beethoven  -  Three Equali for four Trombones WoO 30  – M457.4.B44 D74 2012

Luigi Carvelli  -  Serenata Napolitana for Violoncello and Piano  -  M233.C37 S47 2012

Richard Danielpour  -  Spirits in the Well for Soprano and Piano  -  M1621.4.D36 S65 2012

Michael Daugherty  -  Elvis Everywhere for String Quartet and Tape  -  M585.D38 E48 2010

Jacob Druckman  -  Dance with Shadows for Brass Quintet  – M557.4.D78 D36 2012

Beat Furrer (yes that is a name)  -  Phasma for Piano  -  M25.F87 P53 2005

David Friedman  -  Mirror from Another: A collection of solo pieces for vibraphone  -  M175.X6 F75 1987

Osvaldo Golijob  -  Tenebrae (Version III) for String Quartet  -  M454.G65 T46 2011

Aram Khachaturian  -  Double Fugue for string quartet  -  M452.K53 D68 2011

Lowell Lieberman  -  Six Songs on Poems of Nelly Sachs, Op. 14 for Soprano and Piano  -  M1621.L54 op.14 2012

Steve Mackey  -  Fusion Tone for Electric Guitar and Violoncello  -  M295.M33 F87 2012

Steve Reich  -  Know what is above you for Three Soprano Singers, One Alto Singer, and 2 Small Tuned Drums – M2019.5.R45 K66 2012

Igor Stravinsky  -  Circus Polka composed for a Young Elephant, for saxophone quartet  -  M459.S77 C57 2011

Alex’s Staff Picks: Star Whatever…

I dig sci-fi. Anyone who has been in my apartment has seen the picture of Yoda above my bed and the large collections of Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Jack McDevitt, Arthur C. Clark and Stephen Baxter on my book shelf. I chuckle at every toungue in cheek reference made by John Scalzi and I choose the video games I play because they have space ships in them. Therefore, it was only a matter of time before I took this obsession of mine and applied it to my staff picks. Here we are, five Sci-Fi themed soundtracks from out CD collection.

Star Trek TNG: Encounter at Farpoint CD 9654

Despite my introduction, don’t instantly categorize me as a Trekkie. I won’t go out of my way to view any of the series. Regardless, I had to put this first on my list. Encounter at Farpoint was the first episode of Star Trek TNG, a series that many fans declare to be the best of the bunch. The music brings me back to my childhood where I would sit and watch TNG with my parents. I had no idea what was happening or why people were jumping around whenever the camera shook, but I did think the music was really awesome. The title theme is one of the most iconic sounds of the entire genre.

Speaking of iconic sounds…

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

CD 2167

Star Wars is so popular, its hard to go a day without hearing or seeing something related to the series. Now, thanks to Disney, we’ll be receiving more of that no good, scruffy looking, nerfherding goodness. So, this was a shoe in for the list. However, there still were 6 soundtracks available to pick from, not to mention a score of spin-offs and compilations. How to choose?

The prize had to go to something from the original series. Don’t get me wrong, I like the new trilogy’s soundtracks just as well, but they lack the nostalgia effect. Besides the prequel trilogy comes with baggage… repressed memories of a certain annoying gungan. From there, the choice was simple. RotJ has the best sounding soundtrack. Besides the main themes, the Endor tracks are amazing. If only the Ewoks were as engaging and well developed as their background music…

Jurassic Park:

CD 1215

You don’t always need spaceships and fancy make-up to call it sci-fi. Sometimes, you just need Dinosaurs cloned using frog DNA. Stand alone, I would say that the soundtrack is actually better than the movie… Really, its that good!

Escape from New York

CD 1568

What’s that? You needed more Kurt Russel in your life? Great! This sequel is for you then. The soundtrack is a killer example of the dis-topic future genre and features several tracks written by the director of the film; John Carpenter.

Waterworld

CD 2616

Because Kevin Costner… Yeah, Kevin Costner.

No no no no no… Just Kevin Costner