5. The Firebird, Houston-style

Driving home tonight, with the car radio tuned to KUHF, I heard the announcer cue up the next piece--The Firebird Suite. This performance was by the orchestra from the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. Well, rush hour traffic is not the best setting for close listening. I did the best I could, under the circumstances, and made it home as the piece came to a close. I also managed to phone Mars, on the road and listening to the baseball game. "This one's worth double points," I announced, "because it's Stravinsky and the conductor's your favorite." The Astros were doing well too. And a full moon. Very auspicious.

When: Thursday, 9/27/07, 7:11 PM
Who: University of Houston Moores School of Music Symphony Orchestra, Franz Anton Krager, cond.
Where: KUHF 88.7
Program: STRAVINSKY: The Firebird Suite (1945 version); recorded in concert 27 April 2007.
Source: KUHF Program Schedule, 9/27/07

Lots of Pieces . . .

Mars and I are having a marathon session . . . lots of notes to sort out . . . more to follow . . .

5. The Firebird

Hanging around at home, I managed to catch a broadcast of the complete Firebird ballet by the San Francisco Symphony on Monday, August 6. I had never heard the complete ballet score before. I was familiar, of course, with the famous bassoon solo, the Berceuse (lullaby), and it was quite wonderful--etheral and soothing, as a lullaby should be. But I had never heard what comes immediately afterwards--a very low rumbling that had to be a contrabassoon--the lowest instrument in the orchestra. What a contrast from the Berceuse, played in the bassoon's upper register to the contra playing an almost inaudibly low pitch.

The Firebird was Stravinsky's first big hit: "Although Stravinsky’s first substantial composition was a Symphony in E flat, written in 1906 under the tutelage of Rimsky-Korsakov, it was The Firebird, a ballet commissioned by Sergei Diaghilev and premiered by his Ballets Russes in Paris in 1910, that brought Stravinsky into sudden international prominence" (Boosey & Hawkes).

When: Monday, August 6, 7:48 pm
Who: San Francisco Symphony
Where: KUHF, 88.7 FM
Program: STRAVINSKY: The Firebird (complete ballet)/ San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (RCA 68898)

2. Pulchinella Yet Again

Two days in a row! Tonight I'm reading the paper and I hear the (now) familiar opening bars-da-dah, de-dah, da-de-dah-dah. Is this the most popular work by Stravinsky or what? It's a charming piece and the Minnesota Orchestra is doing a fine job of it. But my money's still on the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra performance I heard yesterday--light and lovely, sprightly and sweet. The count continues . . .

When: Tuesday, 7/24/07, 9 pm
Who: Minnesota Orchestra
Where: KUHF 88.7
Program: Minnesota Orchestra. Osmo Vänskä, cond. Noriko Ogawa, piano. STRAVINSKY: Suite from Pulcinella. PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto No.3. TCHAIKOVSKY: Selections from Swan Lake.
Source: KUHF program calendar 7/24/07

4. Greeting Prelude

I managed to catch Bill McGlaughlin's show today as planned. While I was listening to the first two selections, a former colleague, now retired, dropped by to visit. I took off my headphones so we could talk (I was genuinely happy to see him) and missed the first Stravinsky piece, Circus Polka. Then I couldn't resist any longer, so we both listened to the second one, Greeting Prelude, which is Stravinsky' s interpretation of "Happy Birthday." Clocking in at 53 seconds, it's "Happy Birthday" gone awry--a cubist Happy Birthday. I think I heard McGlaughlin say he wrote it for Leopold Stokowski's b'day, but don't quote me on that until I can look it up (ever the librarian!).

When: Tuesday, 7/24/07, 12:10 pm
Who: London Philharmonic, Charles Mackerras, cond.
Where: Exploring Music, KUHF 88.7
Program: Stravinsky: Circus Polka & Greeting Prelude (Classics for Pleasure 573441)
Source: Exploring Music website; click on playlists.

2. Pulchinella Again

I'm listening right now to Bill McGlaughlin's show, "Exploring Music" on KUFH. His show is consistently interesting so I try to listen during my lunch break when I can. The promos for the theme this week, "Clowning Around, " mentioned Stravinsky, so I marked the time on my calendar. And I almost missed it, dawdling over some work at my desk.

When I tuned in at 12:35 he was describing the creation of Pulchinella, a ballet commissioned by Serge Diaghalev based on music by Pergolesi. McGlaughlin played the performance by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and, I have to say, it was fabulous--very transparent and shimmering. The wind parts are great, especially (I know!) the bassoon. And the strings did this great percussive effect in the 2nd movement, very lightly, so they sounded like a snare drum. I much prefer this performance over the Pittsburgh Symphony broadcast I heard earlier this month.
McGlaughlin wraps up with this: "The composer with the greatest rhythmic drive of the 20th century turned loose on the composer with the greatest rhythmic drive of the 17th century." He closes this section with Stravinsky's famous response to Diaghalev's disapproval: "Respect --no, what we want here is love because respect begets no children".

When: Monday, 7/23/07, 12:35 pm
Who: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Where: KUHF 88.7, Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin.
Program: Rameau, "La Poule" from Novelles suites de pieces de clavecin, Christie, hps.; Satie, Parade, Minneapolis Symphony, Dorati, cond.; Stravinsky, Pulchinella, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra; Satie, Sonatine bureaucratique, Thibaudet, p.
Source: Exploring Music website; click on playlists.

3. Le Rossignol

Tonight I heard a broadcast of excerpts from Stravinsky's early attempt at grand opera--Le Rossignol. Mars was (check one): 1. watching a ball game; 2. checking out a hot band; 3. napping; 4. practicing.

When: Thursday, 7/12/07, 9 pm
Who: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Where: KUHF 88.7
Program: BACH/KOOPMAN: Concerto in C, S.1064 (Robert Chen, v; Mathieu Dufour, f; Eugene Izotov. o; William Buchman, bn; Ton Koopman, conductor). MOZART: Serenade No.11 in E-flat, K.375. STRAVINSKY: Excerpt from "The Nightingale" (Cyndia Seiden, s; Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor). BEETHOVEN: Symphony No.6 in F, op.68 (Myung-Whun Chung, conductor).
Source: KUHF program calendar 7/12/07

2. Pulcinella Suite

Monday night, as I was settling in at home for the evening, I heard the Pittsburgh Symphony was performing the Pulchinella Suite on that evenings' (re)broadcast on KUHF. I called Mars to alert her to this opportunity. She could hear music playing in the background. "That't not Stravinsky," she said. "It sounds like Bach!" (Good ear, that one!) "No, not yet," I said. "I was calling to let you know it's coming on later . . . " "Good," she said, "I was watching the Astros on TV and they're loosing."

When: Monday, 7/9/07, 9 pm
Who: Pittsburgh Symphony
Where: KUHF 88.7
Program: BACH: Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major. STRAVINSKY: Pulcinella Suite. BRAHMS: Serenade No. 2 in A Major and Sextet No. 1 in B-flat Major. Pinchas Zukerman, conductor/violin/viola.
Source: KUHF program calendar 7/9/07

1. L'Histoire du Soldat

Last night Mars and I attended a performance of L'Histoire de Soldat (The Soldier's Story), among other things, by the musicians teaching this summer at the American Festival for the Arts, a local music institute for middle and high school students. L'Histoire is scored for violin, bass, trumpet, trombone, percussion, and bassoon so, of course, I was immediately interested, having played the bassoon ages ago. It was great--raucous, rambunctious, quirky. The program overall was long but I'm glad we got to hear this seldom-performed piece.

When: 7/7/07, 7 pm
Who: American Festival for the Arts faculty
Where: Diverse Works, Houston
Program: Works include trios by Brahms as well as a special performance of Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat.
Source: American Festival for the Arts concert schedule