Erick Valle is a local Portland musician specializing in vocal improvisation and music production, currently assisting for THE VOID Research and Development Center. Erick graduated from the University of Oregon in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. After college, he devoted himself entirely to the development of his sound, which found its origins within the Portland music scene.
Erick pursues greater understanding of the music industry through collaborative work with local artists. He assisted in the creation of the studio band Palace White for recording of the album “Amplify” (recorded at The Hallowed Halls in SE Portland, and currently awaiting release). Featured in several music videos and documentaries from Vanjam Productions, Erick most recently appeared in the music video “Bayou” performed by Worth and directed by John Meyer. Currently, Erick’s time is devoted to recording original material for a blues, rock, soul band that will debut in the late Fall.
From vocal experimentation around late-night fires with friends, to diving into the serious work of recording, Erick feels blessed to be surrounded by talent and support on his artistic journey. He is excited and grateful for this opportunity to share in song for this once in a lifetime eclipse event with All Classical Portland.
The rooms of two famous former tenants are displayed in an apartment complex in London’s Mayfair neighborhood: Jimi Hendrix and George Friedrich Handel, who found fame after moving to England. The guitar god and the baroque composer occupied adjoining flats, 200 years apart.
Handel obtained the apartment after being appointed by George II. (Hendrix was brought to London by his manager.) The composer resided there from 1723 until his death in 1759. He wrote his most famous music there, including Messiah.
Handel’s rooms has been restored to mimic his original layout. Most of the artifacts are replicas but a few of his actual possessions were provided by the Handel trust. After peeling back many layers of paint, the original color of Handel’s room, a bluish grey is the color once again.
When Hendrix learned that Handel had lived in the unit next to his, he bought recordings of Handel’s Messiah and Water Music to learn more about the composer.
Some fans of Hendrix claim that Handelian riffs can be heard in the gutiar chords of Hendrix’s later work.
Hendrix was lucky to have no neighbors, which allowed him to rock out as loudly as he wanted.
The Handel house opened in 2001, while the Hendrix flat opened in 2016. It is only officially sanctioned place where Hendrix lived.
There was always a desire to turn Handel’s flat into a museum, but funds were needed. Stanley Sadie, a musicologist, and Julie Anne formed the Handel House Trust which raised enough funds to buy the building and restore it.
The first idea was to purchase the entire 25 Brook Street building but the freeholders didn’t want to release the retail unit on the building’s bottom floor.
In 2000, the Handel House Trust got the lease for the upper floors of number 25 and 23 Brook street, and construction work started. In 2007, the trust got a 999 year lease for the entire building, and a two-stage master plan was developed to restore Jimi Hendrix’s flat.
The next installment of restoring Handel’s bottom floor and basement will begin later.
The nearby Mews of Mayfair brasserie now offers an afternoon tea which includes some of the favorite foods and beverages of both musicians.
The tea and the restored rooms continue to attract crowds of Londoners and tourists to this historic city block – where two of music’s most influential figures once lived.
References:
“Learn.” Handel and Hendrix. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2017.
American composer Jack Gallagher (born in Brooklyn in 1947), is a Grammy®-winning composer of works for a variety of instruments, including several orchestral works. Some are of a large scale, such as his Symphony No. 2, ‘Ascendant’, while others, such as his Berceuse (lullaby) are diminutive but make as much of an impression. Part of the appeal for me of Gallagher’s work is the sense that it is contemporary, yet has the immediacy of Romanticism. There’s occasionally a jazz influence, which the composer says is no surprise, given his passion for the form which goes back to his high school years.
Piano Music of Jack Gallagher (Centaur 3522), spans about 45 years of the composer’s life, and some pieces, such as his Sonata for Piano, are the result of revision by him. Gallagher says (in his conversation with me, posted on this page), that he occasionally looks over older material and takes the opportunity to improve on them. I mentioned the “immediacy” of the work earlier; another is the sense that Gallagher wants to connect with his listener through his musical language and ideas. Pianist Frank Huang is assistant professor of piano at Miami University (in Oxford, Ohio), and bridges the span between composer and listener, through his sensitive and insightful playing. We’ve been playing the Berceuse (which was a piano piece originally) on All Classical Portland, along with a few other works; we look forward to enhancing our playlist with more by Mr. Gallagher.
It’s one of his most famous works, but the origins of George Frideric Handel’s Water Music are something of a mystery.
In 1717 King George the first of England asked Handel to perform a concert aboard the royal barge as it traveled along the the river Thames. On July 17th, around 50 musicians embarked in a boat for the unique performance. The unusual location presented challenges. The musicians struggled to keep their balance and Handel had to include extra horns and winds to compensate for the open-air acoustics. In fact, this was the first English music to use French horns.The performance was one of the first of its kind – a public concert meant not for the wealthy elite, but for the crowds that had gathered along the river’s banks.
Few other details of this historic event can be verified. There is no record of the 1717 performance and thus no concrete answer as to what Handel played. The first published work of Water Music was in 1740. The manuscript of Handel’s Water Music is also nowhere to be found.
The works is comprised of 22 movements divided into three orchestral suites of contrasting dances. Suite number 1 had actually been written in 1715 for an earlier river trip. The amount of pieces, and with no concrete evidence, has led to an array of interpretations.
Handel was perhaps a little disorganized, as movements in the larger editions of Water Music had already appeared in other works which makes it hard to pinpoint the origins. “It’s hard to tell if they were made popular by the Water Music and then used elsewhere or if they were published as separate works of Handel and added to the Water Music when the composer put it together for performance or publication” (Smith, p. 62).
Some theorize that Handel wanted Water Music to be one long sequence, while others speculate that it was meant to be heard as separate suites. It’s not clear in what order Handel wanted the movements to be performed. Even more confusing, Handel didn’t title his suites.
The most common interpretation of Water Music is to separate it into three suites with the keys G, D, and F. Water Music’s 22 movements might not have been separated into different suites for the first performance. Handel could have revised the movements over the years as most music written in the Baroque era was to be performed once.
Water Music consisted of sets of movements that most likely weren’t written for the river concert. Perhaps Handel wanted each suite to be performed on its own.
Since then, Water Music has remained a favorite. 300 years later, Handel’s Water Music stays afloat.
References:
Hopkin, Owen. “Handel – Water Music.” Classic FM. N.p., 17 Apr. 2012. Web. 05 July 2017.
Smith, William C. “The Earliest Editions of Handel’s “Water Music”.” The Musical Quarterly25.1 (1939): 60-75. JSTOR. Web. 5 July 2017.
Mordden, Ethan. “A Guide to Orchestral Music.” Google Books. Oxford University, 1980. Web. 01 July 2017.
Nicolo Paganini dazzled audiences in his time with his unprecedented virtuosity, made women swoon (and men envious), and helped to create the myth that he must have sold his soul for such abilities. In truth, Paganini was a gifted creator of original melodies, as well as variations on opera arias and popular tunes of his day. His 24 Caprices for unaccompanied violin are beloved by violinists (and somewhat intimidating, I’m sure, to students), and are often played as encores. American violinist Rachel Barton Pine has taken it one step further: being among the very few who perform all 24 caprices in concerts. Having done so for many years, she’s now documented her special take on these intimate, yet very flashy, solo violin miniatures.
Each has a different character, and Ms. Pine says, tells a story. Some are heroic, some are love songs, some are demonic in their use of harmonies and technique. No. 24 in a minor is the most famous, set into variation form afterwards by many composers (most famously Rachmaninov’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini, 1934). Maybe it’s Pine’s particular interpretation, or maybe the rare time spent listening to nearly all of these, is that the works are highly original, and eminently appealing and entertaining. And, they don’t bore the ear. Some might think that an entire set of pieces for unaccompanied string instrument would run out of steam, but Paganini’s Caprices are each so individual of one another, that one can find something to enjoy in each (even if it’s something technical rather than melodic).
Ms. Pine has also included works written by Paganini based on opera melodies, and she has created an entirely new work of her own, inspired by Paganini’s variation style: a setting of New Zealand’s national anthem, “God Save New Zealand”. Pine wrote it in homage to the country that had so enchanted her on a recent tour. It makes a fitting conclusion to this 2-CD set, and helps to bring Paganini’s music into the 21st century.
Since starting my internship with All Classical Portland, I have been given every opportunity to learn new things about classical music, radio, and nonprofit organizations. In addition to learning new skills at ACP, my love of writing has never been overlooked here, and I have been able to write a handful of blogs for All Classical Portland’s website thus combining two things I am passionate about: writing and music. As my time with ACP comes to an end, it’s time for one last blog for the station, my “Swan Song”, if you will, which is exactly what my final blog post is about: the origin of the term Swan Song, as well as several famous swan song performances throughout history.
A swan song is a metaphor used to refer to a final gesture before retirement. The term originated in ancient Greek culture, and its first reference is found in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, which was written in 458 BC. The remark was made when Cassandra dies, “after singing her last death-laden lament like a swan.” Since then, it has been used frequently throughout literature from the works of Aesop to those of Tennyson.
It was rumored that swans live a silent existence until the time of their death, when, with their last breath, they would sing a beautiful song. Plato credited Socrates for remarking on the beautiful, finale song of the swan as being sung, “merrily.” It’s a romantic notion, however, if you’ve ever met a swan, seen one in a park, witnessed a flock making its migratory trek, or been attacked by a protective mother swan while windsurfing, you may be well aware that the birds are anything but quiet. In fact, of all the adjectives used to describe their song, “beautiful” is probably one of the least likely to be employed.
(Image credited: Daily Mail)
A perfect example of a swan song in metaphorical context is Franz Schubert’s Schwanengesang; literally translated into “Swan Song”, Schwanengesang is a collection of fourteen pieces based on the poetry of the German poet, Heinrich Heine. Schubert worked on the music just before he died, and it was published posthumously. The music itself expresses emotions full of joy, remorse, yearning, loss, and love, thus marking the end of the remarkable career of Franz Schubert.
One of the biggest operatic divas of the late 19th century was Australian soprano, Nellie Melba. Dame Nellie Melba demonstrated her own take on a swan song performance towards the end of her career when she announced her departure from grand opera in Australia in 1924. Her farewell tour lasted a healthy four-year period until 1928, when she moved to Europe and toured off and on again for the remainder of her life. Her lengthy farewell tour reflected her eccentric career, and inspired the Australian turn-of-phrase, “more farewells than Dame Nellie Melba.”
On January 8, 2016, David Bowie released his final album, Blackstar. Two days later, the celebrated rock star lost his battle with cancer and sent fans reeling. Immediately, the world recognized Blackstar for what it is: a farewell album. The album articulates Bowie’s sincere gratitude towards his fans and reflects on his avant-garde career. Blackstar is both an unequivocal Rock & Roll swan song and a sincere parting gift.
This past April, the New York Times published an article titled, “The Diva Departs: Renée Fleming’s Farewell to Opera.” This exaggerated title implied that Ms. Fleming was planning to retire from her extensive career, when, in truth, she was merely retiring from one of her many operatic roles, that of the Marschallin in Richard Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier. Ms. Fleming made sure to correct the misunderstanding, and has assured numerous sources that she is not retiring from opera, merely exploring additional avenues. Reneé Fleming’s Swan Song performance of Der Rosenkavalier in May did not signify her retirement; instead, it marked a shift in her career focus.
This article is not marking my retirement from writing by any means; however, it does mark my departure from All Classical Portland. This station has provided me with memories that I will always cherish, and experience that I will call on throughout future endeavors.
American pianist Simone Dinnerstein, who first received critical acclaim for her recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, has made collaboration a major part of her career since that first, solo recording. She has created recordings that bridge the worlds of classical music, jazz and folk. Her longtime collaborator and arranger, composer Philip Lasser, has been with her practically since the beginning, and is involved in Ms. Dinnerstein’s new Mozart CD, by arranging the cadenzas first created by the Romantic Italian composer, Ferrucio Busoni. The real focus here is not so much on what was recorded, but where: Dinnerstein traveled to Cuba to record these Mozart concertos, with a young orchestra that has existed for only a few years. The results are revelatory.
Dinnerstein shares this revelation in the conversation I had with her, where she describes her first impressions upon arriving in Havana; recording at night in a church, in order to have quiet, only to be disrupted by the activities of neighbors and also flies; and of this orchestra, made up of some extraordinarily gifted conservatory students, who were unflagging (despite the heat of the church’s space) in their enthusiasm for playing Mozart. It comes across clearly in their collaboration with Dinnerstein.
Mozart in Havana – Dinnerstein, Havana Lyceum Orchestra Buy Now
The members of the Emerson String Quartet are keeping plenty busy, both onstage and in the studio. They’re touring, too: the four members of the Grammy® – winning chamber ensemble were in Portland recently (presented by Chamber Music NW), and will return in July. It’s all part of a well-deserved celebration of the group’s 40th anniversary. While their current cellist, British Paul Watkins, has been with them for several years (after David Finckel departed), the other three have been playing together since their days together at the Juilliard School. Their newest CD, Music of Britten and Purcell (on Decca) illustrates that the quartet is still forging new trails in music. In my recorded conversation found on this page, first violinist Eugene Drucker and violist Lawrence Dutton bridge the years between these two great English masters.
Henry Purcell (1659-1695) is regarded as England’s greatest composer – up to the 20th century. The greatest British composer to follow Purcell is Benjamin Britten, and what ties the two of them together was Britten’s admiration for his English predecessor. Britten re-orchestrated Purcell’s Chacony in g minor (“Chacony” was the English form of the word, Chaconne); he later composed the finale to his Quartet No. 2 on the structure of Purcell’s stately dance. Emerson Quartet explore these connections, but also go back to the source, by playing Purcell’s “Fantazias” (the spelling chosen for this recording), and the effect is wonderfully “pure” (to borrow Dutton’s word for these almost ethereal works), both in the performance and placement on either side of Britten’s quartets. If Emerson Quartet continues along this path, then I wish them a long and fruitful journey, and will look forward to what they discover along the way.
Chaconnes & Fantasias: Music of Britten & Purcell – Emerson String Quartet Buy Now
On the heels of their triple-Grammy® – winning CD of Michael Daugherty’s music (Tales of Hemingway), the Nashville Symphony Orchestra continues its commitment to American music with this showcase of Jennifer Higdon works. All Things Majestic (Naxos) includes the eponymous composition, which was written for the Grand Teton Music Festival. It certainly captures the splendor of those granite peaks in Higdon’s imaginative use of instrumentation. Two concertos, both written within the last decade, share the spotlight: Viola Concerto (featuring the versatile Roberto Díaz), and Oboe Concerto, played by Nashville Symphony principal, James Button. Between the concertos and “Majestic”, Higdon utilizes the abilities of every instrument, and this orchestra is clearly up to the challenge.
Leading this orchestra based in the very musical city of Nashville (orchestra members easily adapt to bluegrass, country and other styles there), is Giancarlo Guerrero. His name should be familiar to audiences in Eugene and the Willamette Valley, having been music director from 2002-09 of the Eugene Symphony. During my conversation with Guerrero, his energy, enthusiasm and sheer love of American music came through: both in advocacy for contemporaries such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning Higdon, and in reverence for this country’s past masters Copland, Gershwin, and the tone-painter, Ferde Grofé. Guerrero and his team are proving that new works take a while to be accepted, but that they will be, in due time.
In the 19th century, millions of people from European countries emigrated to the United States. A large number of Finns settled in the upper Midwest, especially in Minnesota and the Great Lakes regions. Here they fished, farmed and established communities which thrive today. So, it was no surprise that many Finnish-descended Minnesotans should turn out on a cold winter night in 2014 (perhaps to feel an affinity for their ancestors), to hear a tragic saga told in rich, bold music by Sibelius, written during the period of the Finnish peoples’ struggles for independence from Russia. Kullervo (1890) is a symphony, but not part of his numbered set. It’s scored for a large orchestra and male chorus, plus mezzo-soprano and baritone (who depict Kullervo and his long-lost sister). Sibelius paints a vivid picture in sound of the icy landscape, the hero (or perhaps “anti-hero” as maestro Osmo Vänska calls him), and of the eponymous hero’s trials and ultimate tragedy.
Paired with this epic poem, both in that concert and in this new, 2-CD set, is a commissioned work called Migrations, by Olli Kortegangas (b. 1955). The composer was specifically directed by the Minnesota Orchestra’s music director, Osmo Vänska, to write the work using the forces required for Sibelius’ (minus baritone), Migrations is based on poetry by Duluth-born Sheila Packa. It is a timely work, causing the listener to consider how, down through this country’s two centuries, people from many countries have sought peace away from the turbulence of their native lands.
A rousing, and fitting conclusion to the recording is the choral version of Finlandia (1899). Sibelius wrote it originally for orchestra alone, but was asked later to create a choral version based on words by a Finnish poet made in 1940. The emotion of the performance comes through in the recording, capped by enthusiastic applause from those Finnish Minnesotans. All in all, a recording that bridges people across continents, and time.
