Category Archives: Uncategorized

Mendelssohn, Bartok, Elgar, Britten, Grieg, Vaughan Williams

Posted on by

Four concerts are coming up in the next two weeks.
Mendelssohn: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Overture
Bartok: Piano Concerto #1 with Katherine Chi
http://www.jwentworth.com
Elgar: Enigma Variations
The first half of the concert is being played in a special stage set-up. Because of the Bartok Piano Concerto I arranged the seating as follows: piano downstage, conductor, percussion, woodwinds and brass, strings in the back (with basses in one line on a riser in the back) This configuration is definitely a challenge as far as listening goes. However I believe it is good for us musicians to step outside of our comfort zone from time to time. Before you go there and ask, I did arrange the stage this way because if the Bartok piece itself. Listen to what the strings play and how important the woodwinds and brass are and you will understand. The “calm sea part” of the Mendelssohn with the hymn-like string parts sounds awesome as well (I did not want to have the stage rearranged in the first half.)
More info at:
http://www.hso.org
Two shows of the same program are played by Hungarian Radio Symphony (MR Symphony) in two Hungarian cities: Szombathely and Szekesfehervar. On the program:
Britten: Four Sea Interludes
Grieg: Piano Concerto, Gabor Farkas-piano
Here is a YouTube link him playing Chopin
http://www.youtube.com
Vaughan Williams: London Symphony (#2)

The Grieg will be performed as part of the “Musically Speaking” series at the Hungarian Radio as well.

Lots of work and lost of fun ahead!

YOUTH Concerts, Love & LUST

Posted on by

Yes, I am getting better at coming up with catchy headlines. 🙂 Just finished the fourth show of our Youth/ Family Concert series. On the program: Mozart Magic Flute Overture, Mendelssohn Violin Concerto 1st Movement/ Elgar Cello Concerto 1st Movement (alternating, solos played by two concerto competition winners), Britten Young Persons’ Guide To The Orchestra [in honor of the Britten Anniversary]. It is always a lot of fun to play for 4th graders and the families on Saturday (this is a FREE concert every year). We had a great crowd especially considering that it is SNOWING today in Huntsville, AL.
This Sunday at 3PM we are doing our third and final concert of the Casual Classics Series at Randolph School. On the program: Debussy Music for the Songs of Bilitis [narrated by Ginny Kennedy from WLRH]
http://www.wlrh.org
and Luciano Berio Folksongs
Karen Bentel sings the solo. She also plays 2nd flute with the Huntsville Symphony.
Ginny Kennedy and myself will do a casual chat about the theme and the pieces. As usual there is no intermission, and there is a meet and great with snack afterwords.
Check out the program notes here:
http://www.hso.org

Mozart Symphony tailored to fit Mahler 4

Posted on by

First concert of “Voices and Symphonies” series with Hungarian Radio Symphony (MR Symphony)
http://www.mrze.hu
at Palace of the Arts, Budapest.
First half: Mahler Symphony #4
http://www.wikipedia.org
Second half: Mozart “Prague” Symphony with ‘Un moto di gioia’ concert aria as the “missing minuet”
http://www.wikipedia.org

I designed this program to tell the ‘story’ of the “Lied Symphonie”. Mahler’s Fourth is the last of his symphonies inspired by “The Boy’s Magic Horn” collection of poems.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Des_Knaben_Wunderhorn
I picked a three movement Mozart Symphony for the second (!) half of the program and inserted an aria about “the joyous movement of the heart” (written as an addition to Marriage of Figaro). It rhymes with the Mahler Symphony and “completes” the three movement classical symphony into a four movement piece. It is also a reminder that back in the days of Mozart the usual concert format was very different. They often mixed genres. A concert-aria could end up after one or two movements of a symphony paired with a concert rondo for piano and orchestra for example.

I am curious what the critics will have to say about this. 🙂

Carmen Plays The Trombone or LOVE HURTS

Posted on by

Virtuoso composer and trombonist Mike Svoboda (from Basel, Switzerland) will be on stage tonight with the Huntsville Symphony to perform his concerto called LOVE HURTS, Carmen Remix. It is a fun and very funny piece based on Bizet themes with quite a few theatrical elements. HSO and myself are having a blast (just finished dress-rehearsal) This is a laugh-out-loud event not to be missed!
See Mike’s website here:
http://www.mikesvoboda.net

Other pieces on the program are: Bizet: L’Arlesienne Suite #1&2, Debussy: Iberia

Newly built TAROGATO

Posted on by

Mihaly Borbely premieres the tarogato part of his double concerto on a newly built model. Check out this interesting instrument here:
http://tarogato.net/
I am excited about tomorrow’s concert. I believe that Bartok Dance Suite, Kodaly Peacock Variations and Liszt Hunagrian Rhapsody #2 go really well with this folk-jazz/ cross-over concerto piece (tarogato, cimbalom, jazz-bass, percussion and chamber orchestra)
Check out the live streaming at 1:30PM EST (7:30PM Hungarian time) at:
http://hangtar.radio.hu/bartok

Article on Tamas Varga’s US visit, HSO mentioned & Next Concert in Budapest

Posted on by

http://www.thirdcoastdigest.com

After a very well received concert in Huntsville I am headed to Budapest today to conduct the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Palace of the Arts on January 22. It is an all Hungarian program: Bartok: Dance Suite, Mihaly Borbely: Double Concerto for
tarogato,
http://www.wikipedia.org

cimbalom
http://www.wikipedia.org

and orchestra [World Premiere], Kodaly: Peacock Variations, Liszt: Rhapsody #2
Mihaly Borbely is an amazing jazz player and composer.
Check out his website here
http://www.mihalyborbely.hu

This site is a Work in Progress

Posted on by

I would like to thank everyone who has already visited the site and took the time to share their experience with me. As I said it before: this is a WORK IN PROGRESS. Actually MUCH work is needed to make this site into what I have in mind and what you’ll all enjoy. First thing first, I asked the designers to work on the issues some of you mentioned. They will improve the design to fit smart-phones and fix problems with the look, size of font, etc. In the meantime: Thanks Again for Your Input!

Tamas Varga, Principal Cellist of the Vienna Philharmonic

Posted on by

I am getting ready for this week’s concert. Program: Janacek Suite for strings, R. Strauss: Suite for 13 Winds and Dvorak Cello Concerto. Tamas Varga, Principal Cellist of the Vienna Philharmonic
http://www.wienerphilharmoniker.at
a great musician and a good friend will be our guest soloist. As a clarinetist I used to play in a trio (clarinet, cello, piano) with Tamas. Just a month or so ago the Hungarian Radio rebroadcasted a concert. We played a then freshly commissioned trio by a Hungarian composer and some Brahms, too. It sounded good! 🙂