Classical Music Discoveries

This week we would like to dedicate this performance to Jessie Swenson who passed away on December 8, 2009 after a brave battle with cancer.

Jessie is the mother of Sandy Hedgecock, the hostess of "Classical Music Discoveries" and thus Sandy is not able to do the show this week.

Jessie was a fine lady who was very close to her family and Sandy was extremely close to her mother Jessie.  I will always have wonderful memories of Jessie as she was a fantastic kind and loving mother-in-law.  These wonderful traits were passed on to her daughter Sandy.

She will be dearly missed.

This week's podcast is was originally aired on Jan. 8, 2008 so some of the information is out of date, but I am sure you will understand as this does not diminish the outstanding performance of the Cypress College Choir of this magnificent work by Durufle.

 

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New Music for a New Century Bryce Christensen “What,” the editors of New Sounds recently asked, “will the new orchestral music of the 21st Century sound like?” As part of their own creative answer to that question, the Orchestra of Southern Utah (OSU) once again premiered delightful new music at its November 19th Fall Concert at the Heritage Center on the theme of “Romance and Heroics.” To be sure, the evening did not begin with new orchestral music. Rather, the concert began with two movements from a work that has endeared itself to music lovers for more than a century: Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in B minor (Pathetiqué. Written during the last year of the great Russian composer’s life, the first movement opens in notes of somber brooding. The poignant yearnings of the strings suggest an intense pleading for life, but the insistent strivings of the brass interrupt, implying the ultimately tragic futility of such pleading. Still, the stern brass instruments yield to tranquil interludes, as flute and then reed soloists beguile listeners with liquid reflections on the loves that have filled a marvelously creative life. The mood changes, however, in the second and final movement of the performance: the score grows tense, signaling struggle and impending conflict. The feeling then modulates, as waves of keening sorrow swell into majestic strains of profound melancholy, punctuated by sharp outbreaks of irrepressible grief. Redolent with funereal sadness, this poignant masterpiece finally fades into reverent silence. In choosing this daunting number, OSU director Xun Sun placed a difficult challenge before the musicians of his ensemble. But he and they rose to that challenge, deeply moving the audience with the tender passion of their collective interpretation. As always, Sun directed with evident emotion and engagement, and the instrumentalists under his baton responded with power and grace. After the Intermission, the spotlight shifted, as the orchestra joined with composer Keith Bradshaw in answering the query posed by New Sounds. Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra-- commissioned by OSU especially for this concert--thrilled listeners with the rich tapestry of truly exciting 21st-century music, remarkable both its kinetic energy and its tender pathos. In composing this piece to showcase the musical talents of his wife (Tracey Bradshaw) as a piano soloist, Bradshaw indeed sought to create “very contrasting effects,” delivering a very up-tempo and “energetic” first movement, followed by a second movement that is “melodic, and lyrical, allowing expressiveness and sensitivity,” and then concluding with a third movement that is “fast and driving to the end.” Together, the composer, the soloist, and the accompanying orchestra transported the audience into a wonderland of sonorous pleasure. Whether in the pulsing dynamism of the first movement, the languid introspection of the second movement, or the intense fury of the final movement, Ms. Bradshaw showed herself a consummate musical artist, her deft interpretation of her husband’s work sustained by exceptional technical skill but informed by an insightful imagination. Nor should the artistry of the orchestra go unnoticed, for Ms. Bradshaw’s solo shone all the brighter because of the perfectly modulated backdrop the orchestra provided. Composer, soloist, conductor, and orchestra all deserve high praise for bringing this exceptional new music to Cedar City: the standing ovation this number received was well earned. If the coming 91 years provide comparable music, then the musical legacy of the 21st century will be truly impressive. Having heard from a canonical Russian composer and from a rising American talent, the audience was ready for broadening their international horizon yet further in the third number: Celebration by the Chinese composers Zheng Lou and Ma Hong Ye. (Conductor Sun’s intimate knowledge of the musical wealth of his homeland probably accounts for the inclusion of this splendid number.) Beginning with the hushed expectancy of humming strings, Celebration quickly resounds with the far-off cry of horns, quickly echoed, only to explode in an astounding outpouring of infectiously melodic joy. Strings, percussion, brass, woodwinds—every part of the orchestra joins in this exuberant festival of sound. Listeners would have to search very hard to find a comparable eruption of sheer symphonic happiness! The final number enlarged the international character of the concert not by adding a new nationality to the list of composers, but rather by focusing on a globally international event: The Olympics. Written by the American composer John Williams for the centennial Olympics of 1996, Summon the Heroes stirred in listeners’ minds memories of truly heroic athletic feats performed by a global phalanx of athletes. Trumpets sound a martial call for valor in the opening notes, drums and cymbals marking the discipline of resolute struggle and the entire orchestra joining in an anthem to gallant exertion. With the inspiring dignity of their performance, the orchestra captured the spirit of the world’s greatest athletic enterprise. Though not yet playing to a packed house, the OSU attracted a very sizable audience for this concert (filling a good part of the balcony as well as most of the main-level seats), giving evidence that more and more Cedar City residents are discovering why every OSU concert merits a place on the music-lover’s calendar. Whether premiering new music or playing well-established classic works, the Orchestra of Southern Utah is making the 21st century a wonderful era for music. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Graphics by: Rollan Fell

Helen Foster Snow (1907-1997) was an American journalist who reported from China in the 1930s.  She is one of Cedar City's most famous international residents.  This dedication to her was recorded live at the Heritage Center on November 11, 2009. Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Photo used by permission.

The ever popular Mastersingers celebrates Veteran's Day! Come celebrate with us! Eternal Father, Strong to Save Soldier's Chorus O Home Beloved Hallelujah The Mansions of the Lord Danny Boy When the Lights Go On Again The White Cliffs of Dover Crossing the Bar Hero's Dream Vive la compagnie! Service Hymns Non Nobis God Bless America Jim Harrison - Director Roland Williams - Accompanist Harold Shirley - Ass't. Director Gary Player - Trumpet for "The Mansions of the Lord" Mike Stephenson, Doug Webb, Gary Wilcken, Jay Wilcken - Mastersingers Quartet Wayne Williams - solo for "Non Nobis" Recored live at the Heritage Center in Cedar City, UT November 8, 2009 Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock Recording/Sound: Ken Hedgecock Ken's Ass't.: Darrien Giglio Photo: Ken Hedgecock by permission of Mike Stephenson

Beth Levin is an acclaimed recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician
and recording artist. A pianist of rare qualities and the highest
professional caliber,˛ states pianist Paul Badura-Skoda of Levin, and
throughout her celebrated career she has approached both the Romantic
repertoire and contemporary composers with equal facility and grace.

At age 12, Levin made her debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and soon
after was selected to study with Rudolf Serkin at the Curtis Institute of
Music. Mr. Serkin was an inspiration the moment he walked into a room,˛
Levin recalls, a single word evoking the eloquence of a poem.˛

Levin made her New York solo recital debut in 1982 at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art. In 2007 she performed Johann Sebastian Bach's Goldberg
Variations at Steinway Hall in New York City, a return for her to a composer
in the first repertoire I had studied as a child.˛

As a concerto soloist, Levin has appeared with The Philadelphia Orchestra,
the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Boston Civic Symphony, the Seattle Symphony
Orchestra, and numerous other symphony orchestras throughout the Americas,
working with noted conductors such as William Smith, Arthur Fiedler,
Benjamin Zander, Tonu Kalam, Sidney Rothstein, Milton Katims, Silas Huff and
Joseph Silverstein.

Chamber music festival collaborations brought her to the Marlboro Festival,
Casals Festival, Harvard, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Ankara Music
Festival and the Blue Hill Festival. As a Music From Marlboro˛ artist, she
toured the United States and Canada.

A founding member of the Gramercy Trio, the American Arts Trio and Vista
Lirica, Levin has also collaborated with the Audubon Quartet, the Vermeer
Quartet, The Reykjavik Woodwind Quintet, the Daniel Quartet, the Boston
Artists Ensemble and the Saratoga Chamber Players, as well as touring Europe
extensively with Trio Borealis.

In 2004, Levin traveled with Poetica Musica under the auspices of the U.S.
State Department, performing and giving master classes in Croatia, Serbia
and Turkey.

Levin's recordings include Bach's Goldberg Variations, released on Centaur
Records in 2008, as well as Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy˛ and Scott
Wheeler's Artist Proofs, both of which were released for the Taubman
Institute Recordings. For Columbia Masterworks, she recorded the Hummel
Quintet in D Minor.˛ Her performances have been broadcast on National
Public Radio, WGBH (Boston), WFMT (Chicago) and WNYC, WNYE and WQXR (New
York).

As a soloist, chamber musician and interpreter of contemporary music, Levin
performed and recorded works by Alan Campbell, Marc Eychenne, Brian
Fennelly, Steven R. Gerber, Alexander Goretzky, Louis Karchin, Michael Rose,
Allen Shearer, Scott Wheeler and David Del Tredici.

Beth Levin's musical education began with Maryan Filar at the Settlement
Music School in Philadelphia, and in addition to Rudolf Serkin, her teachers
included Leonard Shure at Boston University and Dorothy Taubman in New York
City.

Praise for Beth Levin:
...Ms. Levin kept the ear engaged with boldly inflected readings and an
impressive ability to convey emotion without exhibition. Her technique was
solid, and better still, her organic approach made it feel like an
afterthought.˛ Jeremy Eichler, The New York Times

Over the years, Levin has transformed herself. The flame within still burns
with undimmed intensity, but now there is warmth as well as blinding light.˛
Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe

A pianist of rare qualities and the highest professional caliber. I was
deeply impressed and moved by her performance at the last Marlboro
Festival.˛ Paul Badura-Skoda

Works included (in part) in this Podcast:
J.S. Bach: The Goldberg Variations
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
Both works included by permission of Beth Levin.

Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock
Mixing/Sound: Ken Hedgecock
Beth Levin interview by Ken Hedgecock

Photo of Beth Levin used by permission.

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Sandy and Ken present their very popular annual Halloween show! Haunting music is present by a plethora of composers from all over the world. Get into "the mood" with Classical Music Discoveries and have a fun and safe Halloween!

Works in this podcast are:
Gloria Coates: Sinfonia #2, 1st movement
Jeff Harrington: Quarter Tone Prelude
Lydia Ashton: Ashes of Strangers
Lydia Ashton: Shadows
Steve Horowitz: The Ceremony of Souls
Giuseppe Devastato: Sula Buia
Sessions: Divertimento for Orchestra
Eric Schwartz: Beelzebub Rag
Eric Schwartz: Spirits of the Dead

All works are used by permission.
Podcast Hostess: Sandy Hedgecock
Sound Engineer: Ken Hedgecock

We are proud to welcome another new addition to our podcasting family - Rachel Barton Pine

Her classical music biography leads with the cities whose orchestras she's soloed with, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, St. Louis, Dallas, Montreal, Vienna, New Zealand and Budapest, among others. We also learn she was a child prodigy who made her solo debut at age seven and has worked with numerous famous conductors - Zubin Mehta, Erich Leinsdorf, Placido Domingo and Charles Dutoit to name a few. Hailed as “the most charismatic, the most virtuosic, and the most compelling American violinist of her generation,” her instrument is one of the most important in the world, the “ex-Soldat” violin made in 1742 by Guarneri del Gesu.

Yet like any young woman who came of age in the Nineties, violinist Rachel Barton Pine is equally inclined to talk about the musical loves of her life far from the sonatas and concertos she practices and which constitute her current professional life. She may have intensely researched the musical relationship between Johannes Brahms and violinist Joseph Joachim for her GRAMMY-nominated 2003 Cedille recording "Brahms & Joachim Violin Concertos," but when she says, "They jammed together all the time," we can see her rock sensibility shine through. She can reel off a list of her favorite rock bands -- AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Anthrax, Metallica, Pantera, Van Halen, Slayer and Megadeth -- as readily as she can talk about these 19th-century composers.

Rachel's ability to see the connecting threads in these very disparate musical forms makes her the perfect bridge between generations of music fans. She sees herself as an artistic ambassador, introducing the pleasures of classical music to legions of new listeners. In the process, she has broken through every possible stereotype people may have of a modern classical musician. Folks in her native Chicago have enjoyed her performances of the National Anthem at Bulls and Cubs games. She was one of the torchbearers in the 1996 Olympic torch relay and appeared in the opening ceremonies of the Paralympic Games in Atlanta - the same month she played at the Democratic Convention in Chicago. She has even opened at the House of Blues for Slash (from Guns N' Roses) and Sammy Hagar, performed with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (from Led Zeppelin), and numerous photos on her MySpace page show her hanging backstage with many of her favorite rock heroes. Those who have never visited a concert hall can see and hear her playing and talking about music on her weekly podcast and YouTube video channel.

When Rachel isn't on the concert stage, we can probably find her visiting schools across the United States, passing along her enthusiasm for the violin to the next generation.

Rachel’s passion for guiding the future of music has led her to create the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation, a charitable organization founded in 2001 to expand awareness of and appreciation for classical music. Current projects include an instrument loan program, grants for education and career, and the String Student’s Library of Music by Black Composers, a supplemental curriculum featuring music by composers of African decent from around the world. Rachel gives master classes everywhere she travels and serves on the boards of various schools including the Music Institute of Chicago. She recently received the prestigious Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award for her work in music education.

Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock
Recording of Rachel Barton Pine by: Peter Norton
Recording enhancement/editing: Ken Hedgecock
Podcast recording/mixing: Ken Hedgecock

Photo of Rachel Burton Pine is by Andrew Eccles
Photo is used by permission

Live radio shows, such as the Grand Ole Opry, used to dominate the radio dial. Those days have returned with a 21st century twist at the Orchestra of Southern Utah Fall Recital on Tuesday, September 15th. The recital features a live internet podcast hosted by OSU podcast hosts Ken and Sandy Hedgecock.

“A podcast is comparable to a radio show”, stated Ken. Unlike a radio show which has a small local audience and can only be heard once, however, a podcast is broadcast over the internet where it can be heard by millions of people around the world forever. “All you need to listen to it is a computer and download the show or stream it to your computer,” Ken said. OSU podcasts can be found at the OSU website www.orchestraofsouthernutah.org.

Ken explained that podcasts started to become popular about three years ago. “I thought it might be interesting to broadcast the OSU recitals and concerts to the world and see what happened. We started small and only had 137 listeners at first. Then I thought I should change our format a bit and had Sandy be the podcast's hostess. With those changes, our podcast immediately exploded into thousands of ‘happy listeners.’ Now we have over 30 million listeners per month.”

“We never know where our podcasts are going to lead us, we just enjoy the adventure,” Ken continued. Now the podcast adventure has led to a live podcast at the September 15th recital. “The entire recital will be done as a live podcast and even Mayor Sherratt will be there to ‘welcome the world to Cedar City.’ We will have some of our most popular performers there, as well as couple of new performers to our podcast. Also, Justin Locke, author of ‘Real Men Don't Rehearse’ and former bass player of the Boston Pops, has written a humorous musical skit that will be performed by the Sing for our Dinner Players. It promises to be a very fun evening for all and very different than what anyone is used to seeing at the recitals.”

In addition to hosting the podcast, the Ken and Sandy sing “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better” from Annie Get Your Gun. They will be accompanied by Gina Ginouves.

“Dindirin, Dindirin” by Philip Lawson, “Blackbird” by Lennon and McCartney arranged by Daryl Runswick, and the Tradition Irish song “An Irish Blessing” are sung by Marlo Ihler, Adrianne Tawa, Mark Leavitt, and Wyett Ihler. Marlo is a marketing associate at the Utah Shakespearean Festival. She is a graduate of SUU with a degree in Music and Arts Administration and has long been involved with OSU leadership and other community arts organizations. Adrianne is the Canyon View High choir director and teaches private voice lessons. She is a graduate of SUU and the Choral Director for the Cedar City’s annual Messiah Concert. Mark, a Cedar native of Cedar City, also sings with the Master Singers and is an officer with the Leavitt Group. Wyett is the founding member of the acapella group Simple Men and sings with the Master Singers. He is also a graduate of SUU.

Trio Emi Toland, Carla Richman and Cythia Bradley sing “Don’t Be Cruel” by Otis Blackwell and “California Dreamin’” by the Mamas and the Papas. They are local favorites on the karaoke scene.

OSU violinist Marisa Barth performs “Concerto #5 in A Major Allegro aperto” by Mozart. She is accompanied by Mary Anne Andersen. Marisa just completed a season as a musician in the Greenshow at the Utah Shakespearean Festival.

Anna Sun plays “Fantasie Impromptu Op. 66” by Frederic Chopin. She performed as a soloist last spring with OSU and just joined OSU as a violinist. Her sister Sarah plays “Chim Chim Chi-ree" by Sherman and Sherman. She is featured on Sept. 24 in the OSU Talent Showcase.

“Lost in the Stars” by Kurt Weill is performed by trumpet Gary Player and pianist Sharon Hatch. Gary is a geologist and Sharon works in health care.

“Defying Gravity” from the Broadway Musical Wicked by Stephen Schwartz is sung by Holly Andrews Barrick, with Alysa Dummer at the piano. Holly has been invovled with musical theater since she was 8 years old. Her favorite roles have included the Narator in "Joseph", Aldonza in Man of La Mancha, and director of Parowan Theater's "Wizard of Oz." Holly has been married for 9 years to Brandon Barrick and is a stay at home mom three funny little kids. She tries to stay involved with music through In Jubilo as an assistant conductor, various community theater projects and teaching private voice lessons

Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock
Sound/Recording: Ken Hedgecock

Photo: Podcast hostess and producers, Sandy and Ken Hedgecock

The Orchestra of Southern Utah, OPUS Chamber Ensemble and the SUU Percussion Ensemble proudly presents the premiere concert of Marshall McDonald's and Steven Sharp Nelson's new work - Africa. The life of a man and his country, detailed in beauty and power. Possibly the world's first African Symphony. This work was commissioned by the Orchestra of Southern Utah and has had unsurpassed success to Cedar City concert goers. This is a MUST HEAR Podcast!

Following the concert, we have a special composer seminar with the composers. Following the seminar, Sandy and Ken go over this week's listener comments.

This concert was recorded live at the Heritage Center in Cedar City, Utah.

Podcast hostess: Sandy Hedgecock
Concert Sound Engineer: Jamie Bayer
Podcast and Lobby Music Sound Engineer: Ken Hedgecock
Lobby music provided by the SUU Wind Ensemble
Photo is public domain

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