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Carmina, Revisited
A lot of classical musicians roll their eyes when you mention Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana. “Oh, it’s so silly!” they say. When you mention Carmina Burana to someone who isn’t super familiar with classical music, they’ll inevitably say “I’m not sure I know that piece,” to which musicians always reply, “Oh yes, you do – [...]
Continue reading...Kick Up Your Heels (Or, At Least, Groove in Your Seat)
30. April 2012
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A week ago, I had the privilege and pleasure of playing continuo harpsichord for a performance of Handel’s solo cantata “La Lucrezia,” which is perhaps the most weird and wonderful composition of his I have ever heard. During the rehearsal process, I realized that just hidden underneath the twisting voice passages and bizarre chord progressions [...]
Continue reading...Mozart’s Perfection and Imperfection
13. April 2012
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As I’ve started rehearsals for my very first production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni this week in Atlanta, I’ve been thinking a lot of about Mozart lately. At every break in rehearsal, someone inevitably sighs, “oh….this music is so incredible…”, and it’s gotten me thinking about how Mozart was truly at his best when he was [...]
Continue reading...“Tune In, Turn Up” #1: From Silly to Sublime
5. April 2012
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A few weeks ago, I embarked on a (probably-foolish) project of sorts: over the years, I’ve accumulated a ridiculous amount of music, and especially since I’ve been playing catch-up on classical music over the past two years or so, there’s quite a bit of it I haven’t gotten around to listening to yet (“All of [...]
Continue reading...A Little Beethoven Goes a Long Way In “The Kid With a Bike”
27. March 2012
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With the big-budget film John Carter crashing at the box office, and The Hunger Games heading in exactly the opposite direction to record-breaker status, I headed – more like escaped – to the local art-house cinema last weekend to see something on an entirely smaller scale. The film I saw, The Kid with a Bike, [...]
Continue reading...General Rejoicing
20. March 2012
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If you had asked me six months ago where I would be today, I would not have said anything like where I’ve ended up. I’ve gotten a job, found a place to live, and have even had some artistic success. All of these, both on paper and in actuality, are amazing developments, but changing one’s [...]
Continue reading...A Passion for the Passions
12. March 2012
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The Ecstatic Living Room is pleased and proud to have the gifted American tenor Nicholas Phan as a new regular contributor. In between concert, opera and recital performances at home and abroad, Nicholas will share his illuminating observations about the vocal music he performs. He’ll also have plenty to say about all of the music [...]
Continue reading...Dedicated to Alex
8. March 2012
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I usually go up to the country on Friday nights most weekends, but I stayed in town last Friday for a concert, so I headed up the next morning on Amtrak. The trip to the town of Hudson is exactly two hours from the city, and it closely follows the river for which that town [...]
Continue reading...A Case of the Musical Giggles
12. January 2012
We live in a very silly world. We’ve watched Republican primary candidates quote from the Pokémon movie, a former Poet Laureate get beaten by police while protesting the excesses of our greediest fat cats, and an eleven year old get touted as Opera’s Next Big Star (before damaging her vocal cords, of course). Reality TV [...]
Continue reading...Resurrection: Why We Need Mahler’s Second Symphony on the Tenth Anniversary of 9/11
8. September 2011
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Recently, The New York Times published a lengthy list of special 9/11 programming that will hit the airwaves, the concert hall, houses of worship, and movie theaters around the country over the next couple of weeks. Among the events is a special free concert by conductor Alan Gilbert (a client of my company) and the New [...]
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14. May 2012
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