Fugue time!

I've been having a fabulous time working on the fugues from the Diabelli variations by Beethoven. The fughetta is sweet and lovely. The big fugue is amazing!! It is a double fugue, meaning that there are two subjects at the same time. And just to keep things interesting, one subject is mostly repeated notes, while another subject is half steps. Seems like it would be impossible to make a fugue on that sound like anything but utter cacaphony.... and yet it's incredibly beautiful, vibrant, and full of lively partnerships between the two subjects.

And then it all hits a crisis point and a fermata and....

ANOTHER DOUBLE FUGUE! this one resembling the vivacious finale to the "Pastoral" Symphony no. 6 that we all know and love.

In sum: First half of big fugue

Second half of big fugue

Amherst Ballet's Snow White: a Grimm fairytale ballet (with live piano trio!)

Come enjoy the classic Grimm (not Disney) story,

performed by the talented students of Amherst Ballet.

Live music provided by our piano trio: several movements from trios by Beethoven.

News from last night’s concert

Channel 22 news was at the Utuado benefit concert last night. Here’s their piece!

Concert to benefit Utuado in Puerto Rico. Saturday Dec 2 (we're playing Mozart)

Thanks to Andy D'Antonio, the Music for Missions team at Faith United Church, and their church member who is from Utuado and set up the partnership with them: we will be playing in this unique benefit concert Saturday night. Gillian and I are playing Mozart's beautiful sonata for violin and piano in E minor K. 304. Lots of great and varied music on the program. 7pm Saturday night 12/2 at the church (52 Sumner Ave, Springfield).

The Magic Flute - Amherst Ballet & live orchestra June 9-10

Mozart's beautiful, magical opera told through movement. Come enjoy the show!
tickets at http://www.aomtheatre.ticketfly.com/

Mothers, mentors, martyrs

Tomorrow morning I'll be playing music in honor of Mothers' Day, but a little differently. Many people have wonderful relationships with their mothers. (I'm glad to say that I do!) But for many, mother is not a loving and supportive figure in their lives. And many remember their mothers with sorrow because they are no longer with us. We also have others in our lives who love, support and mentor us, like surrogate parents, or more distant forebears that we'd like to emulate.

The Scripture for the day is about one of these: Stephen, the first Christian martyr. When we know we must speak the truth no matter what the consequences may be, Stephen is our hero.

Mozart's sonata in A minor K. 310 was written the summer he took care of his dying mother. The whole work is a balance between anguish and peace. I'm playing the middle movement, which is very peaceful, except for a sudden lament that breaks out in the middle, somewhat resembling the Dies Irae (Day of Judgment) that Mozart would later include in his Requiem.

Ravel's Menuet on the name of Haydn is in honor of that compositional ancestor. Ravel went to great lengths to note-spell Haydn's name in the theme. Musical notes go A through G. In German, B is actually B-flat and our B is called H, while E flat is called S, so names like Bach and DSCH (Shostakovich's initials) can be had without much trouble. For Y and N, Ravel had to keep counting up the scale until he reached that point in the alphabet. His Y is actually another D. The piece is tender, just a little like a classical minuet, and as carefully crafted as one would expect from an imagination that works that way.

And at the end of the service will be a piece by Leonard Bernstein in honor of his childhood piano teacher and lifelong friend, Helen Coates. This is no sweet Hallmark motherly figure, at least not according to the music, rich in loud exclamations, bright rhythms and a little repeated figure that sounds suspiciously like a donkey's hee-haw. We should all be so lucky as to know a mentor like that.

Looking forward to sharing this music with folks, mothers and otherwise, tomorrow!

Pioneer Valley Cappella concerts May 6-7

Just wanted to share the poster for these concerts.

I'm very excited and humbled to play in the beautiful Symphony of Psalms by Stravinsky. 

Hope you can make it!

Saturday May 6 at Grace Episcopal Church in Amherst MA, 7:30pm

Sunday May 7 at Edwards Church in Northampton MA, 4:00pm

Video: Haydn - Variations in F minor Hob. XVII:6

I'm working on this for a Haydn/Beethoven program that I hope to perform next season.
This was one of Clara Schumann's favorite pieces and it's one of my favorites too. So much material, so many moods, so many obsessive and meaningful half steps.
Recorded at home with a tablet. Unedited and not perfect :) Hope you enjoy!

The wine-dark sea

This new(ish) work for winds and percussion by John Mackey is based on three episodes from Homer's Odyssey. The first movement "Hubris" is a big exciting portrait of Odysseus and crew setting off boldly... and being shipwrecked. The second movement "Immortal thread, so weak" is the love story of Odysseus and Calypso. I think it's my favorite. I'm currently in rehearsal waiting on pins and needles for the harpist to arrive. It's primarily a magical duet for harp and clarinet and I can't wait. The third movement "The attentions of souls" is about the crew's journey to the mouth of the underworld. I'm happy to be a percussion instrument in this movement because we get to do all kinds of spooky things.

It's my first time playing Mackey, my first time playing at Dartmouth, and it had been too long since I last played in the percussion section of a big ensemble. It's awesome. If you're in the area, come join us in Spaulding Auditorium, Dartmouth College (Hanover NH) at 2pm tomorrow Sunday Feb 19.

House concert in Boston through Groupmuse - playing with Robert Bekkers, classical guitarist

I've been following the activities of Groupmuse for a couple of months now. It looks really cool -- it's an organization that makes it easy for music lovers to host chamber music concerts in their homes. Now I'll be playing one so I'll get to find out what they are really like.

Classical guitarist Robert Bekkers and I will team up at a house in Boston on Saturday night Oct 22 at 7pm. We'll play the Rondos Op. 68 by Giuliani, one movement of the Arpeggione Sonata by Schubert, and the Fantasia by Castelnuovo-Tedesco. And possibly one or two solo pieces to be added later.

It's a house, so spots are limited, and you have to reserve one. Here's where to do it:
https://www.groupmuse.com/events/4167-interlude-on-aldworth/rsvps/how
And here is a sneak peek at how Robert sounds on the Fantasia:
https://pages.groupmuse.com/guitar-solo

Papa Papa Papa Papa Papageno

This June, Amherst Ballet and Bill Venman are teaming up to present a ballet of Mozart's "The Magic Flute." I have always, ALWAYS, wanted to be in the pit for this opera. It being a ballet just makes it better; it being Amherst Ballet makes it perfect. I don't know much yet about the production beyond the dates (June 8-10, 2017) and the location (Academy of Music, Northampton MA). However, Bill keeps asking me if I'm sure I'm doing it, so at least this post will make it a matter of public record.

Also, Papageno's aria. With a good view of the pit which I have always coveted

Night Spirit update (and the other WIP recording)

Had a great day in the studio today with Beethoven Op. 90 and Chopin Nocturne Op. 48 no. 2. Some cicadas singing outside. We'll see if they make it onto the record or not.

I realized I never posted my other WIP recording here -- of the beautiful Debussy prelude Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir -- so here it is! I decided on a tempo change after hearing myself on this recording. It will be a bit faster on the album. This is the kind of piece where you have to move around the keyboard so much that it feels like you're playing faster than you actually are.

Chamber music with Scott Slapin, Tanya Solomon & Kaila Graef, Sunday in Amherst

Hope you can come join us for an afternoon of chamber music by South Hadley violist and composer Scott Slapin!
This free concert is also the CD release party for Violacentric Sonatas (see two posts below for some sample clips.)

Lots of superb duos for Scott and Tanya on viola.
I'll be joining them on piano for the Trio Sonata.
Kaila Graef will be playing violin.

3pm Sunday May 15 at the Unitarian Universalist Society in downtown Amherst.

Night Spirit WIP recording #1 (add your feedback!) - Fauré Barcarolle no. 4 in A flat major

I am preparing some music for a new album called Night Spirit.
It is music that follows the quiet, melancholy, strange, and vulnerable path of a thoughtful heart at night. Debussy, Coleridge Taylor, Shostakovich (pending getting the rights), Beethoven, Harizanos, Chopin, Fauré and hymn improvisations.

I am sharing some work-in-progress recordings in the hopes that others will find this music interesting and share their thoughts and feedback!

(These WIPs are home recordings made on a tablet. The album will be recorded in a studio by a professional engineer.)

Violacentric Sonatas by Scott Slapin - Video preview

Take a first look at the CD! And get to enjoy Scott & Tanya's beautiful playing on all the clips of the duo pieces. (The trio sonata is in here too.)

Scott Slapin's Trio Sonata

Scott Slapin, a violist and composer here in town, recently recruited me to play his new Trio Sonata with him and his violist wife and musical colleague Tanya Solomon.

My own recording projects tend to be somewhat gradual affairs. The repertoire is made up of music I've had for at least a few months, sometimes years. The preparation goes through several cycles of: "It's ready." "Let me try a practice recording." "I hate the way I'm playing this." "It might be ready in two more months." The recording process itself can be spread out over several weeks or months. Then it gets released when it's good and ready.

Scott and Tanya work fast though. Besides their professional orchestra careers, they've played in film scores and with several high-profile touring soloists. I won't say exactly how long I had the score before recording day, but it was not a few months. Fortunately the composition is beautiful, with some haunting ideas that followed me around all day while I was learning it, logically constructed and easy to follow. And it wasn't overly hard to play. I even like the recording. I think listeners will love it too. It's reminiscent of chamber music by Shostakovich but truly with Scott's own voice. Also, Scott and Tanya sound glorious.

The recording is part of a full album of Scott's compositions. I'll update when it is released, and there will surely be something on violaduo.com about it as well.

There will be a live performance of the Trio Sonata and other pieces at the Unitarian Society of Amherst on Sunday May 15 2016.

10 years of marriage and 20 years playing music together

My wife Gillian and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage this September. It's also our 20-year anniversary of playing music together. Over the years music has been a big part of our life together, and we've done everything from theatre pit orchestras to guitar folk/pop. But our most enduring love is classical music for violin and piano.

On Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3pm, we present a violin/piano recital in the same town where we were married ten years ago, at the Unitarian Universalist Society in Amherst, Massachusetts.

We'd be delighted if you could join us!

Program includes a Handel sonata, pieces with a romantic theme by Sarasate and Dvorak, unaccompanied Bach on the violin, solo Chopin on the piano, and "Spring" from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi -- which is the first piece we ever performed together as a duo at age 15.

Thank you, Memorial

After a wonderful 3 years of service and community at Memorial Baptist Church, I am leaving my position there to become minister of music at the United Methodist Church of South Hadley, Holyoke and Granby, in South Hadley where I live. It is a bittersweet transition as I know and love both congregations. But I am glad to be able to serve at my neighborhood church.

I wanted to give Memorial a thank-you gift of music on my last day. So next Sunday we will have a short concert and hymn sing at 11:45am immediately after worship. Lunch will follow.

I will also play some movements of the French Suite no. 4 by Bach as service music.

(It is okay to come for the concert and lunch and not for the church service, and in fact, at least some other people will surely be doing that.)

Memorial Baptist Church, Hartford CT (see here for location/directions)
Sunday, July 26, 11:45am

Program

Gabriel Fauré - Barcarolles no. 4 and 6

Hymn: Lord of the Dance

Ludwig van Beethoven - Bagatelles Op. 126

Hymn: Amazing Grace

Gwyneth Walker - "Caper" from Cantos for the End of Summer

Hymn: Down By the Riverside

Performing Schumann's "Kinderszenen" in the Amherst Ballet performance, Saturday May 16 1pm Bowker Auditorium UMass

Hello everyone,

I wanted to invite you to a unique performance this Saturday. I play the piano for dance classes in various places including at Amherst Ballet where I also teach classes for children. This Saturday (May 16) the Amherst Ballet performance will include a piece set to Robert Schumann's piano pieces "Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood)." I will be with the dancers onstage accompanying them on the piano. The choreography, like Schumann's music, evokes emotions from childhood experiences.

We will be in Bowker Auditorium at the University of Massachusetts. Bowker is in the brick building just across the circular driveway from the central campus parking garage. If you want the full ballet recital experience you can come at 1pm for the younger children's class dances. After intermission (around 1:45-2pm) begin the dances for the more advanced students, and Scenes from Childhood, although it is a multi-age cast, is in this second half of the program.

It would be lovely to see you there!

Please feel free to share this invitation with anyone who might be interested.

Sideris - Toccata "Burning Kiev" - video for Editions Musica Ferrum

Composer Nikolas Sideris wrote this searing piece last February. It is a powerful reflection on war and its aftermath.
The Toccata is now available from Editions Musica Ferrum here. Here I am playing it with a transcript of the score. The recording was done at Northfire Recording Studios in Amherst MA by engineer Marc Seedorf.