Search

British conductor Paul Mann is a regular guest with many major orchestras throughout Europe, the US, Australia, and the Far East. Orchestras with which he has worked include the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, St Petersburg Philharmonic, RAI Torino, Orchestra dell'Arena di Verona; the BBC Orchestras, City of Birmingham Symphony, Hallé, among many others. Mr Mann has guest-conducted extcollaborations with USA and is a regular guest with the New York City Ballet. Projects with the LSO included collaborations the legendary rock group Deep Purple in two widely acclaimed performances of Jon Lord's Concerto for Group and Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall, the live DVD and CD of which remain international bestsellers. Paul Mann was chief conductor of the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark until 2008 and has made numerous critically acclaimed recordings for such labels as Bridge, Warner Classics, Da Capo, EMI, and Toccata Classics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During their education, artists receive soloist training by performing many works from the literature. However, people whose goal is to become an orchestra artist should be prepared for a possible audition by studying orchestral materials. Having information about the subjects and composers of the works can provide interpretation, knowing different playing techniques and finger positions can provide fluent and easy playing. In this study, information about the bassoon is given and its place in the orchestra is mentioned. In the research, four selections consisting of works from different periods, which are frequently encountered in orchestral exams, were determined and examined in terms of playing techniques. The works within the scope of this research are Scheherazade by Rimsky Korsakov, Ludwig van Beethoven's 4th Symphony, Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G Major. As a result of the research, it has been understood that these solos, which are requested to be played in the orchestra auditions, contain technical difficulties and that the terms requested by the composer affect the expression by shaping the interpretation of the work. This research is a qualitative study in which a literature review has been made about the works. It is aimed to give suggestions and recommendations on how to perform by examining the bassoon solos that are requested to be played in the orchestra auditions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aided by the previously publicly unknown documents from the personal estate of the violinist and violist Dragutin Arany (1899-1964), the co-founder of the Zagreb Philharmonic, and the newspaper articles from the first half of the 20th century, this paper examines the issues connected with the foundation of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra and presents the main operational framework of the Philharmonic in the post-WWI and pre-WWII period. There is, as yet, no consensus on these matters in the field of Croatian musicology, i.e., in the Croatian music community. Documents from the personal estate of Dragutin Arany offer new insight into the early years of the Philharmonic and provide indisputable evidence that the Orchestra was founded in 1920. The minutes of the Zagreb Philharmonic, which commence on 3 October 1920, the day of the constituting session, provide us with numerous pieces of information on the successes and issues facing the Philharmonic between 1920 and 1927. Newspaper articles from the Orchestra's caringly compiled newspaper library offer insight into public reactions and reception from the very beginnings of the Philharmonic. Particular emphasis is placed on the circumstances leading to the orchestra's foundation in 1920 and the time period leading up to it (1916-1920) as well as to the coexistence and competitive relationship existing between the Croatian Philharmonic and the Theatre Orchestra Philharmonic over the course of 1919. The main elements influencing the work of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra in the period between the World Wars are described as being the lack of independence of the Orchestra, mainly its strong dependency on the Croatian National Theatre and the perception of the Philharmonic as a foreign, non-Croatian element, along with an antisemitic (Zlatko Grgošević) and anti-masonic (Ivan Brkanović) discourse directed at the Zagreb Philharmonic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on symphonies of Charles Ives undergoing a recording renaissance with commercial releases coming from three prominent conductors and orchestras including ragtime rhythms, brass fanfares, hymn tunes, patriotic songs.

Beethoven enabled to all instruments' groups albeit with limited and had colours with different instruments combinations. Bassoon which performed voices that formed harmony in classical approach and pedal sounds, vocalized bass sounds of woodwind instruments in Beethoven's symphonies, took an important role at combination of instruments and participated as a bridge between groups with merging string instrument. In this study, a review was conducted the use of bassoon and contrabassoon in Ludwig van Beethoven's (op.125) Ninth Symphony in D minor. The study aims to demonstrate how to use bassoon and contrabassoon in orchestration in this symphony of Beethoven. For this purpose, bassoon and contrabassoon parts were evaluated from partitur for interpreting, via performed and listening cd-sound recordings. Partitur visuals had a place in the study to support evaluations and interpretations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on musical "And They Lynched Him on a Tree" by William Grant Still and Katharine Garrison Chapin. Topics discussed include Still's symphony became the first symphonic work composed by black composer to be played by major orchestra; Still's oeuvre consist of over 150 compositions; and the musical "And They Lynched Him on a Tree" scored for a White Chorus, Black Chorus, Contralto Solo (Mother), Narrator, and orchestra.

In this article we`ve been explore the features of the use bass clarinet timbre in the symphonic scores by the Boris Mukolajovych Lyatoshinsky. He was a great figure in the Ukrainian symphonic tradition in the Soviet era. Despite the regulare repressions from the official cultural rules, he was became foundation of the modern Ukrainian symphony which concluded a features of the epic, lyric and dramatucal spheres with the great philosopical generalizations. There are many interesting orchestral discoveries in the B. Lyatoshinsky`s scores, although he was continued to developing the traditions of the Romantic orchestral style. And in the use to the bass clarinet some of them are incarnated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine factors that determine attendance for major U.S. symphony orchestras over seven seasons. We find that performing more of the standard repertoire increases attendance but the choice of a composition that has a particular solo instrument does not affect attendance. Other management options that increase attendance include spending on advertising and broadcasting concerts. Own-price elasticity of demand and income elasticity are inelastic. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Publicly-funded cultural institutions such as theatre companies, symphony orchestras, museums, libraries and so on are increasingly engaging with new technologies as a means of improving their operational efficiency and extending the range of ways in which they pursue their cultural missions. For example, opera companies are broadcasting performances by satellite to cinemas, and art museums are using the Internet to show virtual exhibitions. These developments have implications for funding authorities who need to update their policy approaches to encompass a range of new technological phenomena. This paper provides a framework for assessing technological innovation in cultural institutions, and discusses the ramifications of such a framework for cultural policy. The paper is illustrated using the results of a recent research project that evaluated the UK National Theatre’s NT Live experiment and the Tate Gallery’s use of a web-based exhibition as strategies to expand their audience reach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores the symphony orchestra's potential to contribute to the making of civil society. It highlights orchestral attempts to reach new communities through repertoire choices, outreach projects, interactive digital technologies, and initiatives addressing poverty and environmentalism. Metaphors of the ‘orchestra as society’, which have been shaped by notions of social relations, are outlined to provide a platform for considering the institution as a social agent in the contemporary world. The social conscience of symphony orchestras is illustrated with ethnographic case studies mainly from the British context: the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's tribute concerts for the qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the ‘Rafi Resurrected’ recordings, the London Symphony Orchestra Gamelan community project and the Philharmonia Orchestra's digital project, ‘Re-Rite’. Orchestral advocacy and the quest for contemporary social relevance stand in contrast to pessimistic views in the late twentieth century on the future of the orchestra as a musical institution. Key concerns are the symphony orchestra as a socio-political actor, orchestral interaction as a mode of civic collaboration and orchestral participatory projects. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article explores the treatment of space in Gustav Mahler's First Symphony from the perspective of the composer's experience as a conductor of opera. It considers the 'theatrically' located offstage utterances in the work's introduction in light of passages from Beethoven's Fidelio (Act 2, scene ii) and Tristan und Isolde (Act 2, scene ii), and against the backdrop of Mahler's controversial attempt to assign the Alla marcia section from the Finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to a small offstage orchestra. By considering in turn the implications of Mahler's treatment of offstage space on the work's overall structure, specifically with respect to the moment of 'breakthrough' in the first and last movements, I suggest that Mahler ultimately re-establishes the vitality of the symphony as genre at the intersection between the waning symphonic tradition and the immediacy of operatic convention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings, and especially the Mu-rhythm over the sensorimotor cortex that relates to the activation of the mirror neuron system (MNS), were acquired from two subject groups (orchestral musicians and nonmusicians), in order to explore action representation processes involved in the perception and performance of musical pieces. Two types of stimuli were used, i.e., an auditory one consisting of an excerpt of Beethoven's fifth symphony and a visual one presenting a conductor directing an orchestra performing the same excerpt of the piece. Three tasks were conducted including auditory stimulation, audiovisual stimulation, and visual stimulation only, and the acquired signals were processed using fractal [time-dependent fractal dimension (FD) estimation] and statistical analysis (analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney). Experimental results showed significant differences between the two groups while desychronization of the Mu-rhythm, which can be linked to MNS activation, was observed during all tasks for the musicians’ group, as opposed to the nonmusicians’ group who exhibited similar response only when the visual stimulus was present. The mobility of the conductor was also correlated to the estimated FD signals, showing significantly higher correlation for the case of musicians compared to nonmusicians’ one. The present study sheds light upon the difference in action representation in auditory perception between musicians and nonmusicians and paves the way for better comprehension of the underlying mechanisms of the MNS. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The aim of this study is to introduce the second movement of L. van Beethoven's 5th Symphony to the cellists who wish to be members of the symphonic orchestras. After evaluating orchestral audition lists in Europe, Turkey and U.S.A. this piece was found to be the most frequently asked excerpt. This study will provide guidance on how to practice this particular movement which is frequently included in excerpts lists for symphonic orchestra auditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article profiles Bernard Rogers, an American author, teacher and musician. He attended New York City public schools with interests in arts. He became the first American student of Ernest Bloch and pursued further study at the Cleveland Institute of Music when his teacher assumed the directorship there. He composed several works for orchestra, including five symphonies and three dozen other large and small works for the medium.

The motivic language in Berg's orchestral piece "Reigen," from his Three Orchestral Pieces, op. 6, is intertextually inflected by his readings of Schnitzler, as evidenced by writings in his notebook and copy of Schnitzler's play of the same name. Furthermore, Schoenberg's ideas on motive illuminate Berg's motive processes and transformations, and a close musical analysis, informed by literary insight, reveals that the "liberation of the sensual" is central to Berg's compositional process. Despite previous assertions of a structural correlation of music to play, Berg's "Reigen" emerges as distinctly different from the play, in that it musically articulates the liberation of the sensual, while the satire can only imply it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the emphatic, rhetorical endings of the second and eighth symphonies, many of Mahler's other movements and works avoid closure as a gesture of finality. Instead, closure is subverted in various ways, including delay, interpolation, and suspension. Such interpolations affect more than the finality of the ending: They split the succession of events into different lines of time and action streams. When a disrupted line is later resumed, our perception has nevertheless been affected by the interpolation, which requires a re-evaluation of both function and meaning in the context of the work or movement. By-passed closure can be considered from two perspectives; on the one hand, interpolation in Mahler is seen as an extension of the interrupted cadence. On the other hand, instead of a single line of compositional process and resolution, the reinterpretation of structure opens up a "garden of forking paths," as variant viewpoints in the delineation of design. Such alternative structural reinterpretations do not exist in isolation, though, but are also effected as expressive means. Just as Mahler's interpolated "windows" create alternative interpretations of overall design, so his evocations of nature within some of these sections are windows onto the past and memory. Like Nietzsche, Mahler's abrupt shifts of tone and avoidance of closure allow for a plurality of interpretations characteristic of modernity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the popularity of Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler. It mentions that the unforgiving symphonic style of Mahler becomes the gold standard for conductors and orchestras to showcase their skills as the popularity of Mahler increases. It states that many amateur and community ensembles will do about anything within their reach to just strive for the right to boast of performing Mahler.