{"id":5611,"date":"2010-12-04T23:18:38","date_gmt":"2010-12-05T07:18:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/?p=5611"},"modified":"2013-02-07T20:34:04","modified_gmt":"2013-02-08T04:34:04","slug":"slonimsky-spring-spain-and-shostakovich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/12\/04\/slonimsky-spring-spain-and-shostakovich\/","title":{"rendered":"slonimsky, spring, spain and shostakovich"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s kind of a shame that Sunday’s concert, featuring Yo-Yo Ma, is sold out. \u00a0Not just because Ma is an artist of the highest caliber (which he is), but because the rest of the program really deserves to be a subscription concert of its own.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
John Adams<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John Adams’ caffeinated curtain raiser Slonimsky’s Earbox<\/em>, is the kind of kinetic orchestral showpiece that really demonstrates what a virtuoso ensemble the Oregon Symphony has become over the last decade or so. \u00a0It grooves in a uniquely American way, combining aspects of “popular” music and bits of Stravinsky and Adams’ own unique takes on the malleability of rhythm and timbre – it’s like sitting at a mixing board in a recording studio and twisting knobs and pushing and pulling sliders, bending the tempos and registers and volume of all the different sections of the orchestra at once. \u00a0It’s quite a ride. \u00a0Click here<\/a> to read John Adams’ own notes about the piece – including the fact that it was co-commissioned by the Oregon Symphony and given its American premiere here in Portland, Oregon in 1996.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Aaron Copland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Aaron Copland’s Suite from Appalachian Spring<\/em> is one of those pieces that you swear you’ve heard before, and you have: in countless Hollywood movies where a distinctly American feel is required. \u00a0It’s a miracle of a piece, and every time I perform it, I’m amazed at the world that Copland evokes in his rhythms, sounds, and melodies – including the famous Shaker hymn Simple Gifts<\/em>, which forms the emotional center of the piece. \u00a0Carlos’ interpretation of this piece is more contemplative than is the norm, and I must say that it’s growing on me. \u00a0The expansiveness, the allowing of chords of aching beauty to really live in that margin between agony and ecstasy, makes the nostalgia and melancholy come to the fore. \u00a0It’s not everyone’s cup of tea for this piece, but I’m getting partial to it myself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Dmitri Shostakovich<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/a>Dmitri Shostakovich’s First Cello Concerto is a\u00a0galvanizing\u00a0masterpiece for the cello and orchestra, bringing all of Shosty’s sardonic wit, depths of the terror of living under Soviet rule, and the frenzy of tension and release to the breaking point, all in a single, lone stringed instrument. \u00a0At the hands of Yo-Yo Ma, it should be an unforgettable experience. \u00a0An interesting note: David Sokolofsky, a member of the OSO cello section, grew up in Philadelphia, and was present at the American premiere of the First Cello Concerto, and got to see, in person, Mstislav Rostropovich, Eugene Ormandy, and Dmitri Shostakovich all on stage at the Academy of Music. \u00a0He says it’s one of his most treasured memories, and I can only shake my head in amazement at what that must have been like!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnole<\/em> is a swaggering, dancing, strutting piece of machismo that is so boldly orchestrated and vivid in its\u00a0evocations\u00a0of Spanish dance and attitudes. \u00a0It features some spectacular solo turns by many of the orchestral principals – including concertmaster Jun Iwasaki, principal flute Alicia DiDonato Paulsen, principal clarinet Yoshinori Nakao, and several more. It will be a spectacular end to the concert.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s kind of a shame that Sunday’s concert, featuring Yo-Yo Ma, is sold out. \u00a0Not just because Ma is an artist of the highest caliber (which he is), but because the rest of the program really deserves to be a subscription concert of its own. John Adams’ caffeinated curtain raiser Slonimsky’s Earbox, is the kind […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[135,2],"tags":[2454,416,3668,2455,2453,1245],"class_list":["post-5611","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-soloists-recitals","category-the-orchestra-world","tag-copland","tag-john-adams","tag-oregon-symphony","tag-rimsky-korsakov","tag-shostakovich","tag-yo-yo-ma"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-1sv","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7528,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2012\/04\/24\/oregon-symphony-broadcast-schedule-announced\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":0},"title":"oregon symphony broadcast schedule announced","author":"Charles Noble","date":"April 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Finally! The Oregon Symphony is back on the airwaves, and not only our local FM station (89.9 FM Allclassical.org), but streamed around the world and available for two weeks after the broadcast date as an archived stream. Kahane Plays Mozart Carlos Kalmar, conductor Jeffrey Kahane, piano Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "radio"","block_context":{"text":"radio","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5862,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2011\/02\/23\/last-minute-substitute-for-oregon-symphony-concerts\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":1},"title":"last minute substitute for oregon symphony concerts","author":"Charles Noble","date":"February 23, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Just got this news from the Oregon Symphony press office: Guest conductor Alondra de la Parra has been forced to withdraw\u00a0from the Oregon Symphony\u2019s \u201cThomas Lauderdale Plays Grieg\u201d Classical series\u00a0concerts Feb. 26-28 for personal reasons. Young British conductor Michael Francis \u2013\u00a0who is quickly earning a reputation as the man to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "conducting"","block_context":{"text":"conducting","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/conducting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/AlondradelaParra1web-e1265005004666.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5603,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2010\/11\/30\/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":2},"title":"the good, the bad, and the ugly","author":"Charles Noble","date":"November 30, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"It's almost December, and the holiday season is on us like the Polar Express driven by a meth-crazed tweaker after a two week bender.\u00a0 Yesterday, violist Sam Bergman wrote a very apt post about why the holiday season is difficult for orchestra members, I highly recommend it. Here in Oregon,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "soloists & recitals"","block_context":{"text":"soloists & recitals","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/soloists-recitals\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/polar-express-5-400x176.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":728,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/02\/01\/cheap-seats-the-oso\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":3},"title":"cheap seats @ the oso","author":"Charles Noble","date":"February 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Thanks for generous support from Symphony sponsor Wells Fargo, now through February 8th, the Oregon Symphony will be offering all seats for the remainder of the season at either $20 or $50 each (except for the Eartha Kitt concert). There's lots of great stuff to grab tickets for, here are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":704,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/01\/26\/adams-chamber-symphony\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":4},"title":"adams chamber symphony","author":"Charles Noble","date":"January 26, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Composer John Adams Photo credit: Deborah O'Grady. I read a few months ago that John Adams had written a sequel to his Chamber Symphony (1992) called Son of Chamber Symphony (2007). The monster movie allusions seem to be proving correct if you listen to all the chatter flying around the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ja-portrait-1-lw.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/01\/ja-portrait-1-lw.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7434,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2012\/03\/21\/former-concertmaster-to-join-oso-for-final-concerts-of-season\/","url_meta":{"origin":5611,"position":5},"title":"former concertmaster to join oso for final concerts of season","author":"Charles Noble","date":"March 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"David Stabler of the Oregonian broke the story earlier today: A good friend returns to Portland to close out the final concert of the\u00a0Oregon Symphony's\u00a02011\/12 season. Violinist Jun Iwasaki is scheduled to appear as guest concertmaster to lead the players in Igor Stravinsky's famously furious \"Rite of Spring,\" May 20\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Iwasaki2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5611","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5611"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5611\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}