One of the highlights in our recent, four-day Festival of Carols, was this new recording by Norwegian-born composer, Ola Gjeilo (YAY-lo). Mr. Gjeilo’s inspiration is varied, going back to his youth: classical, jazz, film music, and also non-musical inspiration, such as architecture. “Winter Songs” is to some extent a “Christmas” album, but not exclusively. To me, it is really more a meditation on the season of winter, and how it is a period of rest and transition between Autumn and Spring. A quieter time, and more contemplative, and with unique beauty. The crisp air, and the occasional surprise of snow can be felt in Gjeilo’s music here. Some pieces are inspired by women poets such as Christina Rossetti, Emily Brontë, and Hildegard Von Bingen. Gjeilo creates a journey through a wintery landscape with traditional carols, original choral works (sung by the Choir of Royal Holloway), and pieces for piano and strings (played by the composer and 12 Ensemble). Many of our listeners responded so favorably to the inclusion of “Winter Songs” in the Festival, and I’m sure they’ll delight in hearing them more as we journey through the season of winter. Ola shares more in my conversation, posted on this page.
Avi Avital is an Israeli mandolinist, and Deutsche Grammophon artist, who is most accustomed to playing classical works such as those of Vivaldi (in 2015, I interviewed Mr. Avital about his Vivaldi in Venice CD, which can still be heard on the Music Blog page). With this latest release, Mr. Avital branches out, but also looks inward, to his Moroccan roots (where his parents had emigrated from in the 1960s), and beyond classical into jazz. Well, a kind of jazz, because as Avital explains in our conversation, he and his fellow musicians found it difficult to choose just one genre name for these original compositions. It’s more that they are an amalgamation of styles from different cultures, the result of their individual and collective experiences, and beautiful collaboration. Something the world certainly needs right now.
American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers has long loved the works of Finnish composer, Einojuhani Rautavaara. For years, Meyers dreamed of commissioning a work from him for her instrument. In 2014, she reached out to the composer, who responded almost immediately and set to work. What Meyers soon received was a beautiful, haunting, and evocative work titled Fantasia. She even visited the composer and his wife in their home, which overlooks Helsinki’s harbor. The sheen of Northern sunlight, combined with being in the presence of the composer, only added to the magic of the work. His reaction to hearing his new piece played by Meyers, in his studio, was “I wrote such beautiful music!” And so he did.
While working on my blog post series that discusses events and organizations who are dedicated to bettering our community through classical music, I am inspired yet again by a project All Classical Portland has taken on. This weekend we officially launched the JOY (Joyous Outreach to You/th) and the three initiatives that are devoted to making classical music accessible to all:
Young Roving Reporters
All Classical Portland has just selected six individuals between the ages of 15 and 21 to serve as reporters within their community. Each of them will receive training and mentorship from the on-air team here to produce their content, and they will emerge as ‘arts ambassadors in their communities’. Through this initiative, the young reporters will learn relevant story-telling skills, gain in-depth knowledge about the field of broadcast journalism, and have a platform through the radio station with which to share their content.
The positive effects of young individuals being exposed to the arts is a subject that continues to be thoroughly studied, with a wealth of scientific research stating that music exposure and music education is an incredibly powerful tool for “attaining children’s full intellectual, social, and creative potential” (The Royal Conservatory, p.1). It has been proven that music speeds the development of speech and reading skills, trains children to focus their attention for sustained periods, and helps children gain a sense of empathy for others. Daniel Joseph Levitin, an award-winning scientist, musician, record producer, and 3-time bestselling author, wrote in one of his book titled This is Your Brain on Music, “musical activity involves nearly every region of the brain that we know about, and nearly every neural subsystem.” (p.299). Even Albert Einstein credited much of his success to his music education; “The theory of relativity occurred to me by intuition, and music is the driving force behind this intuition. My parents had me study the violin from the time I was six. My new discovery is the result of musical perception,” (The Royal Conservatory, p.5). In this world of constant stimulation, classical music study leads to lasting changes in young brains, increasing their capacity to perform tasks that require sustained attention and careful listening and reading. And to top it off, the additional skills these young reporters will learn will give them a step up in their eventual search for a future career.
Where We Live Series
In line with All Classical Portland’s mission to shine a spotlight on those who are helping to enrich our cultural community, this series will highlight the local groups and organizations who are provide service-oriented programs in the realm of art, music, and theater which explore the intersection of art and social issues.
Music has always had the ability to bring people together, whether it is a rallying call to inspire action, or simply a call for peace. The emotional aspect behind every silence and sound is able to unify large groups of people with a feeling of solidarity and communal understanding. The power of music is an incredible thing, and it is All Classical Portland’s mission to bring forward groups in our community who choose to use this power for good.
Night Out
This initiative is created for music-lovers within our community who are challenged by personal circumstances to attend live arts events. Because they recognize the importance of availability and accessibility in the arts world, All Classical Portland will provide tickets and transportation with the goal being to share the joy, beauty, and sense of belonging associated with experiencing the performing arts in person. Continuing the conversation about the power of music, the positive impact is not limited to the influence on a listener’s mental being. For more information about the positive physical effects music has on its listeners, please go to All Classical Portland’s Office Manager, McLane Harrington’s blog post titled “Music and the Brain”, in which she discusses why certain musical sounds elicit a physical response.
The Beauty of JOY
Exposure to great art can only benefit us, and every initiative set forth by JOY is designed with the belief that classical music should be available and accessible to everyone, regardless of circumstance in mind. People who are engaged in the world of music benefit greatly mentally, physically, and socially. What drew me to music study in the first place is my passion for the connection between the effects music has on individuals and its ability to be utilized for positive social change. I am beyond thrilled to see the results of All Classical Portland’s newest endeavor, and cannot wait to see what inspiring work this organization will do next.
Sources used:
“Dr. Daniel J. Levitin — Neuroscientist ◦ Musician ◦ Author”. Daniellevitin.Com. 2016. Accessed November 3, 2017.
Violinist Tomás Cotik (toh-MAHSS ko-TEEK), Assistant Professor of Violin at Portland State University, was born in Argentina. But that doesn’t mean that he grew up loving the tango. It took living in another country – Germany, to be exact – to develop that love for his home country’s signature musical style. Mr. Cotik chats with music director John Pitman about his latest CD, “Legacy” which celebrates Argentina’s native son, Astor Piazzolla.
The conversation incorporates some scintillating selections from “Escualo” (which means shark, or Dogfish), Vardarito (dedicated to a musician who greatly influenced the young Piazzolla), and the Argentine composer’s Four Seasons in Buenos Aires, as much a depiction of the people and culture of that “megopolis” (Tomás’s word for his native city), as it is the times of the year. A thrilling follow up to Mr. Cotik’s earlier Naxos CD, “Tango Nuevo”.
Cellist Matt Haimovitz has never been content to just “be quiet and play the music”. That statement, often fired at musicians when they express their opinions, has been heard with greater frequency in recent years. One could argue that a musician is paid to play; but it can also be argued that music as an art form, exists to express ideas as well as emotions. Mr. Haimovitz lets the music speak for itself, and convey some sense of the times in which we live. “TROIKA” anchors itself on three great 20th century Russian composers, each of whom composed great works for cello. The “iconic triumvirate” is how they describe Rachmaninov, Shostakovich and Prokofiev, whose monumental cello sonatas form the main structure of the 2-CD set. The program is political in the sense that these works are documents of a country that has seen tremendous change in its 100 years since the Bolshevik Revolution.
Haimovitz is joined by pianist Christopher O’Riley (the two are known for their critically-acclaimed CD of Beethoven sonatas played on period instruments), and the two are natural musical partners. Chris and Matt also create compelling programs, as TROIKA doesn’t just present three Russian cello sonatas and leave it at that. They incorporate their own arrangements of shorter, popular works by these Soviet-era giants, as well as more contemporary songs by Russian pop singers Viktor Tsoi (“Kukushka”), and the Russian feminist band Pussy Riot’s song about Vladimir Putin. TROIKA has music that documents the past as well as the present, but above all, is excellently and passionately and creatively performed by Matt Haimovitz and Christopher O’Riley.
TROIKA – Matt Haimovitz and Christopher O’Riley Buy Now
This is a special recording on a number of fronts. In the first place, it’s the premiere by these two artists, both of them winners of multiple Grammy awards, recording together after collaborating for several years in concert. Second, this is the first recording in about 40 years devoted exclusively to Spanish songs for voice and guitar. An expected part of this recording are the Siete canciones populares españolas (Six Popular Spanish Songs) by Manuel De Falla; less expected, and a wonderful surprise, are songs composed by the great Spanish poet, Federico García Lorca (1898-1936). It’s little known, also, that Lorca recorded his own pieces, but did not write them down, so Ms. Isbin and singer Isabel Leonard felt great freedom in presenting their interpretations of this music, infused with the knowledge each of them possesses, as well as inspiring each other in the best way to tell the stories in the songs.
To some, classical music may seem like something of the past, yet many artists have sampled classical music, bringing the music to the present.
Yet, the issue remains of where one song ends and another begins. It is always smart to give credit to musicians for inspiring a song.
Sampling is the process of taking one snippet of a song and using it to form a new song. Key elements of a song, such as a melody or a beat, can be manipulated to form a new song. The new song can distort the elements of the old song, blurring the lines as to where one artist’s work becomes another.
Sampling is a gray area. Individuals are allowed to use another artist’s music as the basis for their own, without asking for permission. But if the music is too similar it can go to trial. Or the parties settle the case beforehand. Of the few issues that have gone to court, less have ended in victory for the artist.
A way around getting sued for sampling by copyright infringement is the United States fair use law, which allows copying from copyrighted work for reason of criticism, commentary, and re-contextualization.
A clear cut option is to use music from the creative commons, which is an online portal where musicians have chosen to release their music under the Creative Commons License. Anyone who uses music from CC can sample as long as it is okay under the CC license it’s under. Some tracks are listed under CC noncommercial license, which means the artist can use the music but cannot use it for commercial purposes.
One of the earliest debates over music copyright was with Czech composer Dvorák whose melodies from his New World Symphony were taken from Native and African American
folk songs. This brought up the issue of race. His symphony was written in the 19th century. The verdict is unknown.
It is one thing to be inspired by an artist and create artistic work from said artist, but it is another to use the work of another artists’ for your own song. One of Robin Thicke’s songs, When I Get You Alone is based off of Walter Murphy’s A Fifth of Beethoven which is sampled from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.
Mozart, one of the most well-known composers, has been sampled over 113 times. The rapper Ludacris sampled Mozart’s Dies Irae in his 2002 single Coming 2 America.David Bowie also sampled Mozart’s Magic Flute Overture in his song See Emily Play. I wonder how he’d feel knowing his work inspired contemporary songs.
Sometimes, a sampling case ends in victory for an artist. Eric Carmen’s All By Myself and Never Going To Fall In Love Again ripped off Sergei Rachmanioff, a Russian composer. Because the work was not in the public domain, Rachmanioff’s family sued and now gets 12 percent of royalties.
One such band had one hit single and subsequently broke up. Apollo 100 used Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring as inspiration for their instrumental pop song. There is a fine line between plagiarism and inspiration.
The rapper Nas sampled Beethoven’s Fur Elise theme and turned it into a hit rap.
While the issue of sampling is hazy, more artists are giving the original composers recognition via songwriting credits, which help the issue. In contrast, it is irksome when an artist rips off another artist’s work in an obvious and uncredited way.
With the popularity of sampling, listeners are becoming more curious as to where they’ve heard a piece, which gives the previous artist more credibility and relevancy.
Sampling continues to be a trend, and old songs get a rebirth. It will be interesting to see how the trend continues, and if new and clearer laws emerge.
In August 2017, Oregon experienced its first total solar eclipse since 1979, and with it was a first for the station! All Classical Portland commissioned a piece of music to accompany this magnificent moment of totality: The Body of the Moon by composer Desmond Earley.
Aptly titled, The Body of the Moon, Earley’s new composition incorporates letters of Galileo, reflects the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and speaks to the universality of this magnificent occurrence. Scored for choir, cello, and bass drum, performers include Portland’s outstanding choir the Resonance Ensemble, Oregon Symphony Orchestra principal cellist Nancy Ives, Chris Whyte of the Portland Percussion Group, and improvisational pop vocalist Erick Valle.
If you would like to relive the moment, you can listen to it here.
Earley comments: “The landscape of Oregon is so inspirational in and of itself, and I knew I wanted to capture the spirit of the region in the piece. Also, this amazing astronomical event calls for a piece of music that will match the once-in-a-lifetime experience that it’s going to be. My decision to feature a vocal pop artist stems from a desire to connect with the individual experience of witnessing the totality of the eclipse. The choir comments on the experience while the cello represents the soul of humanity. The bass drum adds palpable depth and resonance, pointing to the vastness and mystery of outer space.”
The Body of the Moon Commissioned by All Classical Portland (c) Desmond Earley 2017 (p) RMR Publishing 2017 Rod Evenson (Recording Engineer) Leb Borgerson (Session Plotting) Justin Phelps (Sound Mastering) Master use with thanks to All Classical Portland
“The eclipse soundtrack rising up from the waterfront as I watched on a deck enhanced the entire experience – it was exquisite!” – Nan of SW Portland
“Thank you so much for the beautiful music chosen to accompany today’s eclipse. Listening while viewing was thrilling and continuing to listen after the event has helped me prolong the magic of today’s event. Thank you, again.” – Jill of NW Portland
“Thank you 89.9 for making this eclipse a shared event across the globe via the gorgeous music we’re all listening to. We need this global community now more than ever!” – Rebecca of SW Portland
“So happy that you are helping to make this celestial event a feast for the ears as well as for the eyes. Thanks for being there for us. I am at work, so will see the eclipse from Portland this morning, so no totality, but your musical accompaniment will complete the eclipse for me!” – Kent of Warren, OR
“I’m listening here at work in Memphis, TN… I’ll be headed out to the parking lot at 1:23 PM local time with my phone and earbuds (and solar glasses of course) to hear the new piece to be debuted by All Classical! Thanks for the great music this morning!” – Robbie of Memphis, TN
“Not sure how much obscuration will occur this close to the Mexican border (6 miles) but we’re outside watching…and listening! Thanks so much for the eclipse soundtrack!” – Coyote & Steve of Patagonia, AZ
“We are out here in far eastern Oregon on a ranch near Richland and listening to your eclipse soundtrack. What a marvelous experience! Thank you!” – Joy of Hillsboro
With the once in a lifetime event coming up on Monday, here is some background information on the composers featured in All Classical’s Eclipse soundtrack.
Richard Strauss’ tone poem Also Sprach Zarathustra is one of the most popular pieces of classical music, thanks in part to the success of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Yet, the pairing almost never happened. The director of 2001 had already picked Hollywood composer Alex North to score the film. The director changed his mind after North had finished. North was hurt by the change, and claims his score is the best. You can compare the two compositions here: http://www.classicfm.com/composers/strauss/music/also-sprach-zarathustra-2001-space-odyssey/
Gustav Holst’s 1914 work The Planets is composed of seven short tone poems, one for each planet. In his work, each planet has a purpose: Mars is the bringer of war, Venus the bringer of peace. Mercury, the winged messenger. Jupiter, the bringer of jollity. Saturn, the bringer of old age. Uranus, the magician. And Neptune, the mystic. Holst was inspired by astrology and horoscopes. It took him two years to compose. Mars and Jupiter are the most popular tone poems.
Carl Nielsen was in the second violin section of the Royal Chapel Orchestra for sixteen years. He was successful as a composer but was not earning enough to quit his job at the Royal Chapel Orchestra. Years later, he signed a publishing deal and left the orchestra. He took a trip to Athens where he was inspired to compose a concert overture, Helios Overture. Helios is about the sun rising over the Aegean Sea. He wrote it in one month.Carl Nielsen’s HeliosOverture was first performed in 1903. The initial reviews of Helios Overture were mixed, but it is now one of Nielsen’s claims to fame.
2008 Twilight theatrical poster
Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune is the third and most famous movement of the Suite Bergamasque. The Suite Bergamasque is made up of four movements and is Debussy’s most famous piano suite. Debussy began working on the suite in 1890 and it was not published until 1905. Clair de Lune means moonlight and was inspired by and named after Paul Verlaine’s 1869 poem. Like Sprach Zarathustra, this movement has been featured in movies such as Twilight (2008) Giant,(1956) and Ocean’s Eleven(2001)
Jacques Offenbach became a household name as a composer of operettas. Barcarolle is the most famous duet of Offenbach’s final opera,The Tales of Hoffmann. Offenbach never finished the score for the opera.The duet first appeared in Hoffman in 1881, in the third act which was removed at the premier. In order to keep the melody in the opera, the second act’s location was changed to keep the duet which was sung offstage instead of by characters.The opera describes the beauty of the night. The melody first appeared in 1864 in Offenbach’s romantic opera which was called Komm’ zu uns.
After those classics, the music transitions to rare works inspired by our solar system.
Fuori Dal Mondo by Ludovico Einaudi is a soundtrack from the movie of the same title. The name translates to “outside from this world.” The movie surrounds a nun who is given an abandoned baby and tries to find the parents of the baby. Einaudi is an italian composer and pianist. He often incorporates contemporary music with his compositions, which makes him an unusual classical composer. His unique style has garnered him a huge fan base that includes celebrities. Einaudi sites Bach, Mozart, and Radiohead as influences. Einaudi’s mother taught him how to play the piano as a child. He studied at Conservatorio Verdi in Milan and with the famous italian composer Luciano Berio.
Stars by Eriks Esenvalds. Esenvalds is a Latin composer and his music ranges from choir to orchestra. Stars was written for a SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass) choir. The piece incorporates turned water glasses which creates a unique and soft sound mimicking stars. Esenvalds used lyrics from Sara Teasdale’s 1920 poem Stars which remarks the beauty of stars and created a choral piece for Musica Baltica. She won the Pulitzer prize for poetry in 1918.
Alone in the night
On a dark hill
With pines around me
Spicy and still,
And a heaven full of stars
Over my head
White and topaz
And misty red;
Myriads with beating
Hearts of fire
The aeons
Cannot vex or tire;
Up the dome of heaven
Like a great hill
I watch them marching
Stately and still.
And I know that I
Am honored to be
Witness
Of so much majesty.
–Sara Tesdale
There is little known about William Daman except that he was a baroque composer. A Franco-Flemish musician, Daman migrated to England around 1560. He composed Harmony of the Spheres. In a broader sense, Harmony of the Spheres is an ancient belief that considers the moon, earth, and planets as a form of music.
Sun Prayer is by Gjermund Larsen, a Norwegian traditional folk musician and composer. The sun prayer is sung in his native language and was released in 2010. Larsen is considered one of the most talented Norwegian young fiddler of folk music. In 2006, he formed a trio with double bassist Sondre Meisfjord and pianist/organist Andreas Utnem.
Max Ritcher’s 2004 album,The Blue Notebooks, features the song On the Nature of Daylight on the album. The song is a violin piece, and Ritcher has said the album was inspired by his childhood and the Iraq war. Ritcher was born in Germany and is a pianist and composer. He now resides in Britain. He trained at the Royal Academy of Music. He is also part of an ensemble called Piano Circus. Critics consider this album to be more like a composition of 11 movements than an album with 11 songs. The nature of daylight song has been in many films, including Will Ferrel’sStranger Than Fiction(2006) and Arrival (2016).
Henryk Gorecki was a polish composer, born in 1933 who studied composing at the Academy in Katowice. Symphony no.2 (finale) was composed in 1972 in honor of the 500th anniversary of astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus’s birth. It is a choral symphony that Gorecki was commissioned to do in an attempt to gain recognition outside of Poland. Gorecki was inspired by Copernicus’s discovery that the earth moves around the sun. This piece requires a big orchestra and large choir which contributed to it being performed less than his other work.
The program will climax as the eclipse reaches totality in Salem with a WORLD PREMIERE broadcast, specially commissioned and recorded for the occasion by All Classical Portland. Composed by renowned Irish musician and scholarDesmond Earley, the new work is scored for choir, cello, and bass drum. Performers include Portland’s outstanding choir the Resonance Ensemble, Oregon Symphony Orchestra principal cellistNancy Ives,Chris Whyte of the Portland Percussion Group, and improvisational vocalist Erick Valle.
