How do you teach an aspiring composer? Once he has suffered countless hours of agony with harmony, counterpoint and orchestration classes, where can he go from there? Well, you invite a fellow composer, one with prestige, an aura… John Adams, perhaps? The visiting composer tells all in this catchy bit published on his blog a few months back, “Composition Master Class”.
Less than 10 days before opening night of the season at the MET, with the premiere of Das Rheingold, the first instalment in Robert Lepage’s much-anticipated production of Wagner’s Ring. All performances are sold-out already, except premiere night.
Lepage talks about the production in this video:
It is last night, at the Analekta offices, with view on magnificent Canal Lachine, that François Mario Labbé shared information on the recordings to be released this fall on the Analekta label.
In the last few days, I already told you about the recent relases by Ensemble Caprice, the Eybler Quartet and Jane Booth as well as Jimmy Brière‘s album of piano works by three Oscar-winners composers. But there is much more to come! In the next few weeks! You’ll hear from pianist Louise Bessette‘s Spanish program, the Gryphon Trio will present the last instalment in its series devoted to Beethoven’s Piano Trios, soprano Lyne Fortin will be featured in a recital and Daniel Lichti will sing Wolf’s Italian Songbook with renowned Catherine Robbin.
Later this fall, Analekta will also reissue Pax, inspirational Gregorian chants performed by the monks of Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey. And, just in time for the holidays, Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà will be featured in a Christmas album including works by Vivaldi, Sibelius, Glazounov and Dave Brubeck.
The fall will be hot!
Yesterday, the ADISQ announced the nominations for its next series of galas and Analekta received 10 of those, among them “Producer of the Year”, “Label of the Year” and “Internet Site of the year,” category in which the label won a Felix in 2009, following the launch of its brand new Website.
In the category “Album of the Year: Soloist and Small Ensemble”, we find André Laplante’s interpretation of the first of Liszt’s Années de pélerinage, Concert parisien with Luc Beauséjour, Hélène Plouffe, Grégoire Geay and Juan Manuel Quintana, as well as Valérie Milot’s first album. The young harpist was Radio-Canada Musique Revelation for the year 2009-2010.
In the category “Classical album of the Year: Orchestra and Large Ensemble”, regulars of the ADISQ galas are saluted: Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà, the Ensemble Caprice as well as Alain Lefèvre, David Lefèvre and the London Mozart Players. Alain Lefèvre is also nominated in the “Album of the year – instrumental” category for Jardin d’images (Picture Garden), the pianist’s fourth album of compositions.
Also, in the category “Classical album of the year – vocal,” the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under the direction of Kent Nagano is nominated for the album Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), an album Analekta has commercialised for the Canadian market.
The ADISQ (Association de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo) will announce the names of the winners at a gala hosted by Rémi-Pierre Paquin, at Metropolis in Montreal, November 1, at 7:30 p.m. (to be broadcast on MusiquePlus, Musimax starting and on the Web at 8 p.m.) Of course, we’ll keep you updated on the results!
Mozart’s Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581, is one of the most magnificent pieces of music ever written for the formation – one clarinet and string quartet. Composed in 1789 for Mozart’s friend, Anton Stadler, it was originally written for basset clarinet, which has an extended lower range, but has become the main fare of clarinettists today, who love its lyrical melodies, especially those of the second movement, a true stroke of genius.
It is featured on the Eybler Quartet new release, with two intriguing and appealing Quintets by Johann Backofen. Jane Booth is the featured clarinettist. She performs on a Peter van der Poel modern reconstruction of Stadler’s clarinet, based on drawings and programs from the 18th century.