Update: We are slowly inching towards the half-way mark. With gracious donations and your kind words about Newstalgia, we may have a shot at reaching our goal. But I still need your help. Half way is still half-way and unfortunately I can't talk the landlords into half the amount needed in order to take off the lien. And so, I keep appealing for whatever amount you can give - any amount at all, in order to save Newstalgia (and the archive) from extinction. I know these times are tough and the future is, at best, uncertain. And I don't want to cause anyone any hardship - if you can't afford to donate, you can't and I would rather have you use one of my posts for your history class than to have you leave and not come back. But if you can afford it, please consider making a donation. As I said, any amount is a great amount to me and to helping save something I hope you feel is worthwhile. We can do it - we're doing it. You're making a difference!

Over to Neuss Germany this week for a chamber concert featuring The Ebène Quartet in music of Mozart, Borodin and Schubert. It was recorded on December 4, 2011 by WDR.

Hard to imagine the Ebène Quartet have only been together since 1999, as they sound like an ensemble who have been together for at least twice that long. They have been characterized in the press as "taking the music world by storm" and gaining a huge audience in the process.

The concert has been broken up between two players - the top player fetures the Mozart and Borodin and the bottom player features the Schubert.

For you note keepers:

wdr 3 Kammerkonzerte in NRW

wolfgang amadeus mozart: Divertimento D­dur KV 136

alexander borodin: Streichquartett Nr.2 D­dur

franz schubert: Quintett C­dur für zwei Violinen Viola und zwei Violoncelli D 956

Quatuor Ebène
Pierre Colombet · Violine
Gabriel Le Magadure · Violine
Mathieu Herzog · Viola
Raphaël Merlin · Violoncello
und Nicolas Altstaedt · Violoncello

Aufnahme vom 4. Dezember 2011 aus dem Zeughaus, Neuss

Since it is Anti-Road Rage Wednesday, I think it's a safe bet this one works for that.

Relax, the week is almost over.

Over to Berlin this week for a concert recorded live by RBB Berlin on December 20, 2011 featuring The Berlin Radio Symphony, conducted by its current Music Director Marek Janowski and featuring German/Japanese violinist Arabella Steinbacher in music of Schubert, Mozart and Brahms.

The concert is broken up into two players, and the notes are as follows:

Marek Janowski dirigiert das Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin

Mit Werken von Franz Schubert, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart und Johannes Brahms

Top Player: Franz Schubert:
Ouvertüre D-Dur D 590 (Im italienischen Stile)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
Violinkonzert Nr. 5 A-Dur KV 219
Arabella Steinbacher

Bottom Player: Johannes Brahms:

Sinfonie Nr. 2 D-Dur, op. 7

Aufnahme vom 20.12.2011 in der Berliner Philharmonie

Announcements are in German and the audience is enthusiastic. Good concert. Great straight-ahead repertoire. Perfect Anti-Road Rage Music.

Enjoy.

Over to the Theatre des Champs-Elysees this week for a chamber concert featuring Lisa Batiashvili, violin - Francois Leleux, oboe - Sebastian Klinger, cello - Guy Ben Ziony, alto and Milana Chernyavska, piano. Recorded live-and-direct by Radio France Musique on November 23, 2011. The concert features works by Mozart, Prokofiev and Britten.

And the notes:

mercredi 23 novembre 2011

En direct du Théâtre des Champs-Elysées : Mozart, Prokofiev, Britten

Wolfgang-Amadeus Mozart
Quatuor en Fa majeur K.370 (1781)

Serge Prokofiev
Sonate N°1 en Fa mineur Op.80 (1938,1946)

Benjamin Britten
Phantasy Op.2 (1932)

Wolfgang-Amadeus Mozart
Sonate N°42 en La majeur K.526 (1787)

Lisa Batiashvili, Violon
François Leleux, Hautbois
Sebastian Klinger, Violoncelle
Guy Ben Ziony, Alto
Milana Chernyavska, Piano

The concert is broken up between two players - the top player features the Mozart and Prokofiev and the bottom player is the Britten and Mozart. Small technical note: 4 minutes into the Britten there is a bizarre 2 second burst of strange noise which appears to be in the original recording and transmission. I have no idea what it is or what may have caused it. But after the 2 seconds it's gone and the rest of the concert is fine.

Just so you know.

Otherwise - announcements are in French and the recording is, as always, wonderful.

Enjoy - it's Anti-Road Rage Wednesday.

Over to Berlin this week for a concert broadcast live last December 23rd by the Berlin Radio Symphony, conducted by Marek Janowski and featuring pianist Lars Vogt and organist Iveta Apkalna in music of Weber, Mozart and Saint-Saens.

The concert was broadcast live and direct by Berlin Radio and relayed over Radio France on December 23rd 2010. A pretty straightforward meat-and-potatoes concert starting off with the Weber Overture to Ruler Of The Spririts, Mozart's Piano Concerto Number 21 (w/Vogt,piano) and finishing up with the Saint-Saens Symphony Number 3 featuring Latvian Organist Iveta Apkalna.

The concert is split between two players with the Weber and Mozart on the top player and the Saint-Saens on the bottom player.

Notes:

jeudi 23 décembre 2010

En direct de la Philharmonie de Berlin : Weber, Mozart, Saint-Saëns

Carl-Maria von Weber (1786-1826)
Der Beherrscher der Geister Op.27, Ouverture (1811)

Wolfgang-Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Concerto N°21 en Do majeur K.467*

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Symphonie N°3 en Do mineur Op.78**

Lars Vogt*, Piano
Iveta Apkalna**, Orgue
Orchestre Symphonique de la Radio de Berlin
Marek Janowski, Direction

Enjoy and remember it's Anti-Road Rage Wednesday.

Back over to Paris this week for a concert by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bernard Haitink and featuring the legendary pianist Maria Joao Pires in music of Mozart and Bruckner, performed live at the Salle Pleyel and recorded by Radio France on June 18th.

This is a repeat concert from one performed a few nights earlier (June 14, 2011) in London where Pires was called on at the last minute to replace an ailing Murray Perahia and a last minute substitute from the originally scheduled Schumann Piano concerto for the Mozart #27 as well as the Bruckner Symphony #4. As it was reviewed in the Evening Standard on the 15th, it went down extremely well in London and it went down very well in Paris as well a few days later.

The concert is broken up into two players - the top player features the Mozart and the bottom player features the Bruckner.

And for you note takers:

Salle Pleyel : Mozart, Bruckner

9h09
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Concerto pour piano n°27

9h42
Anton Bruckner (1824-1896)
Symphonie N°4 en Mi bémol majeur Wab.104 (1874)

Maria Joaõ Pires, Piano
London Symphony Orchestra
Bernard Haitink, Direction

Concert donné le 18 juin 2011 salle Pleyel à Paris

Considering what kind of a day it's been, it's probably a good idea to get horizontal and hit the "play" button.

Over to Barcelona this week for a concert recorded by Radio Nacional Espana on December 2nd of last year featuring two up-and-comers and rising-young-stars from Belgium; violinist Lorenzo Gatto and Pianist Eliane Reyes in a recital of music by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Ysaye and Prokofiev.

The concert, at just a little under 90 minutes, is broken up over two players.

The first part (top player) features the Mozart Sonata K. 454, the Tchaikovsky Valse-Scherzo op. 34 and the Saint-Saens Rondo Capriccioso op. 28. The second part (bottom player) features the Ysaye Sonata for solo violin op. 27 "Ballade" and concludes with the Prokofiev Sonata for Violin and Piano Op. 94 - and as always, there's an encore.

A very nice and well received concert, guaranteed to calm things down a bit.

As always, the notes are below:

Concierto celebrado en L´Auditori de Barcelona el 2 de diciembre de 2010.

MOZART: Sonata para violín y piano en Si bemol mayor,
KV. 454. CHAIKOVSKY: Vals-Scherzo en Do mayor, Op.
34. SAINT-SAENS: Introducción y Rondo caprichoso en
La menor, Op. 28. YSAYE: Sonata para violín solo en Re
menor, Op. 27 nº 3 “Ballade”. PROKOFIEV: Sonata para
violín y piano en Re mayor, nº 2, Op. 94 bis. L. Gatto (vl.),
E. Reyes (p.).

Enjoy - relax - turn off the phone.

In Paris this week for a concert by the visiting Munich Chamber Orchestra with pianist Alexandre Tharaud in music of Bach, Mozart and Haydn. The concert was recorded by Radio France on November 23, 2009 at the celebrated Theatre des Champs-Elysees.
One of the main reasons I do these mid-week concerts is really to give you some idea of the great wealth of music performed live that's to be had throughout the world that's normally not available here in the U.S. - why that is, is a complete mystery to me. It could very well be the sheer magnitude of what's available throughout Europe on a daily basis is truly daunting. From Radio France Musique alone there are three daily concerts, just like this one. Some live and some recorded for broadcast earlier. All of them feature an amazing array of musicians and a staggering amount of repertoire. The BBC's Classical and Jazz channel Radio 3 features, not only at least two major concerts a day, but also features concert recordings from all over the world on their all-night program Through The Night. Put those together with the daily offerings from Spanish Radio, Italian Radio, Swedish Radio, German Radio and you get some idea of what is an embarrassment of riches for people who like Classical music in a live concert setting. If the concerts I'm putting on each Wednesday are in any way interesting to you, and they spark your curiosity about what else is out there, I urge you to go exploring. It's an amazing and free education for a form of music you may not be familiar with and it's a non-stop blast for those of you who are.

But beyond all that, it's a nice change of pace for what a lot of us are sadly used to.

Here's the rundown of this week's concert - it's broken up into two players because it's a long concert. But a really good one and it's perfect Anti-Road Rage Wednesday music.

Théâtre des Champs-Elysées : Mozart, Haydn, Bach

Part 1 (top player)Wolfgang-Amadeus Mozart
Divertimento N°1 en Ré majeur K.136

Joseph Haydn
Symphonie N°45 en Fa dièse mineur, Les Adieux

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Divertimento N°3 en Fa majeur K.138

Part 2 (bottom player) Jean-Sébastien Bach
Concerto en Ré mineur Bwv.596 d’après Vivaldi, Sicilienne
Concerto en Fa mineur Bwv.1056
Concerto en Si mineur Bwv.979 d’après Torelli, Andante*
Concerto en Ré mineur Bwv.1052

Alexandre Tharaud, Piano & transcripteur*
Orchestre de Chambre de Munich
Daniel Giglberger, Violon & direction
Concert donné le 23 novembre 2009. J. Roze Production

Enjoy.
and don't forget, if this appeals and you want to help keep it going . . .

Over to Warsaw this week with a live recital by French Pianist Michel Dalberto in music of Mozart, Liszt, Schumann, Faure and Chopin. The concert was recorded on August 18, 2010 by Polish Radio and relayed to Radio France.

Here's the rundown - it's a good one:

Varsovie : Récital Michel Dalberto, Piano

(Top Player) Wolfgang-Amadeus Mozart
Rondo en La mineur K.511
Adagio en Si mineur K.540

Franz Liszt
Nocturne N°1 en La bémol majeur, Ext. des Liebesträume S.541
Nocturne N°2 en Mi majeur, Ext. des Liebesträume S.541
Nocturne N°3 en La bémol majeur, Ext. des Liebesträume S.541
Réminiscences de 'Norma' de Vincenzo Bellini, S.394
Le Souhait N°1, Ext. des Six chants polonais S.480
Le Printemps N°2, Ext. des Six chants polonais S.480
Ma bien-aimée N°5, Ext. des Six chants polonais S.480

(Bottom Player) - Robert Schumann
Carnaval, Scènes mignonnes sur quatre notes Op.9

Gabriel Fauré
Nocturne N°6 en Ré bémol majeur Op.63 (1894)

Frédéric Chopin
Prélude en Ut dièse mineur Op.45 (1841)

As always, the concert is split between two players. Top player features the Mozart and Liszt and the bottom player features the Schumann, Faure and Chopin.

Perhaps a bit late for our usual Anti-Road Rage Wednesday - but, in light of all the circumstances, you can never have too much Anti-Road Rage on your side. Turn it up and calm down.

Over to Prague this week for a concert held this past Friday (the 15th), featuring winners of the Czech Radio International Competition in a program of Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart and Haydn. The concert features winners, Veronica Hrdovo, Guitar - Julie Svecena, Violin and Anastasia Vorotnaja, Piano with the Czech Radio Symphony conducted by Alfonso Scarano. As always, the concert is complete, with the first half (Vivaldi and Bach) on the top player and the second half (Mozart and Haydn) on the bottom. Announcements are in Czech, but not a whole lot.

Here's the program:
Live concert of laureates from the International Radio Competition Concertino Praga 2010 from the Bethlehem Chapel in Prague. Veronica Hrdovo soloists (guitar), Julie Svěcená (violin), Anastasia Vorotnaja (piano), Russia. Radio Symphony Orchestra. Conductor Alfonso Scarano. Margaret Vejvodová , announcer. 1. Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Guitar and Orchestra in D major. -2. JS Bach: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in A minor BWV 1041st - 3. WA Mozart: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 23 in A major K 488th -4. Joseph Haydn: Symphony No. 45 in F sharp minor, Hob I/45. Farewell. (134min.)

This concert definitely ranks high on the Anti-Road Rage Wednesday charts.

Enjoy.

(Esther Hoppe plays Mozart quite nicely, thank you)

Tonight's concert comes from the Joaquin Turina Chamber Music Festival in Spain this past September, 2009. It was recorded by Radio Nacional Espana and features the music of Mozart, Debussy and Shostakovitch with a variety of soloists. The program goes as follows:

Joaquin Turina International Chamber Festival
September 12, 2009

1. W. A. Mozart: Sonata for violin and piano, B-flat Major, KV 454
Esther Hoppe, violin, Benedicte Palko, piano

2. C. Debussy: Sonata for violin y piano, g-minor
Stephanie Gonley, violin, Daniel del Pino, piano

3. D. Shostakovich: Sonata for viola and piano, op. 147
James Dunham, viola, Benedicte Palko, piano

Announcements are Spanish and, as always, the music is universal.