Stories » Lara Downes celebrates Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday with 91.3WGTE - Toledo

Stories for March 20, 2019

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    Black tie meets black leather as Metallica teams with SF Symphony to break in new Golden State Warriors home / San Francisco Chronicle
     
    Posted At : March 20, 2019 1:38 PM

    Black tie will meet black leather as the San Francisco Symphony joins Metallica on Sept. 6 to break in the new home of the Golden State Warriors in Mission Bay. The classical musicians and classic rockers will be the first acts to perform - yes, together - at Chase Center, the new arena that will serve as home to the NBA team in the fall, Warriors officials announced Monday, March 18, at a news conference hosted just outside of the venue attended by Metallica's Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, San Francisco Symphony Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, Warriors owner Joe Lacob, Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed. The pairing is not as odd as it sounds. The concert, which will be conducted by Thomas and Edwin Outwater, marks the 20th anniversary of Metallica's first performance with the San Francisco Symphony at the Berkeley Community Theater in 1999, which yielded the live album "S&M." That concert was conducted by the late Michael Kamen.     PHOTO: Gabrielle Lurie, The Chronicle p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL San Francisco Chronicle ARTICLE

  • Impressions of Pepper - It was 52 years ago today / Jazz Weekly
     
    Posted At : March 20, 2019 12:45 PM

    A look back at the classic Beatles album Sgt Pepper is delivered by artists ranging from Antonio Sanchez and Mary Halvorson to Sullivan Fortner, with impressive results. No one tries to repeat a mood, but simply to take the  songs and puree them through a 21st Century post bop mindset.  The closest thing to a similar mood is with bassist Felix Pastorius bringing in some raga-ish keyboards and synthesizers for a mystical "Within You Without You," but besides that, things get pretty original. Fortner's solo stride of "When I'm Sixty Four" is rich and colorful, while Sanchez's frantic drum work heats up "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and reprise. Guitarist Mary Halvorson gets some pretty tones and effects on "With A Little Help From My Friends" and bassist Miles Mosley gets rollicking on a funky "Lovely Rita." Keyon Harrold's soft horn teams with Shedrick Mitchell's piano for a pastoral "She's Leaving Home" with some thick textures closing things out by The Juju Exchange's creative delivery of "A Day In The Life." Not imitative, but celebrative, and it works well. SEE THE Jazz Weekly PAGE

  • Lang Lang chats with classical radio about new solo album 'Piano Book'
     
    Posted At : March 20, 2019 12:00 AM

    One of the world's biggest classical stars, Lang Lang, returns with his brand new solo album ‘Piano Book' – a collection of pieces which first inspired him to play the piano and led him on his path to international stardom. The recording, his first new studio album in three years, marks his return to Universal Music Group and Deutsche Grammophon – the label he first signed to in 2003. Lang Lang says: "I want to take every music lover on a journey through my favourite piano pieces. I hope to inspire as well as motivate every piano student to remain focused during daily practice, and to play and understand these essential pieces for what they really are: true masterpieces!" In conjunction with this release LL has made himself available to speak with classical radio networks and stations. Watch for our tweets throughout the day

  • WRTI energizes the show with live classical music / The Temple News
     
    Posted At : March 20, 2019 12:00 AM

    Temple-owned radio station plays live classical music. Radio host Debra Lew Harder incorporated live classical music performances on her "Classical Weekdays" on Wednesday program. Harder, who hosts two WRTI shows, used to play only pre-recorded classical music from CDs or records while sitting behind a large switchboard. But she decided to energize the show by adding live performances from both well-known and up-and-coming musicians. "Listeners really get to hear their personality and their personal stories about the music, which I think makes it very interesting, and just the beauty of the music," Harder said. "It always boils down to the greatness and the beauty of the music that they're playing." Harder said she's had more than 100 live musicians on her show since Fall 2017, like the contemporary music group Ahn Trio and guitarist Jason Vieaux. She has even accompanied one of her guests, pianist Eleonor Bindman, on the piano. During the live broadcasts, Harder sits in a large recording studio alongside the featured artist, surrounded by microphones and cameras. A behind-the-scenes crew operates the switchboards. Harder invited Grammy-nominated lutenist Ronn McFarlane to her program last Wednesday. McFarlane played songs from his newest album, "The Celtic Lute," which was released in July 2018. PHOTO: EMMA PADNER / THE TEMPLE NEWS p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Temple News ARTICLE

  • Celebrating their 30th anniversary, Ensemble Caprice is set for San Francisco Early Music Society concerts / BroadwayWorld
     
    Posted At : March 20, 2019 12:00 AM

    The San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS) is pleased to welcome back Montreal-based Ensemble Caprice, celebrating its 30th anniversary this season. Ensemble Caprice will perform a program inspired by love stories from five countries with works by Bach, Purcell, Falconieri, Schmelzer, Vivaldi and more. Concerts of Ensemble Caprice will take place at 8 p.m. Friday, April 12 at First Presbyterian Church in Palo Alto; at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 13 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Berkeley; and at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 14 at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in San Francisco. READ THE FULL BroadwayWorld ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

  • How Kent Nagano got a french accent / Deutsche Welle
     
    Posted At : March 19, 2019 12:00 AM

    At age 67, the Californian-born maestro has been a fixture in the musical landscape in Europe for decades. Having occupied important positions in Berlin and Munich, Nagano is now the general music director at the Staatsoper opera house in Hamburg. Always maintaining a bicontinental existence, he went from the Los Angeles Opera to the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, where he will have served as music director from 2006 until 2020. DW caught up with the jet-setting maestro during his final European tour with the musicians from Canada from March 11-25. The star conductor explains to DW why his America no longer exists, why Quebec belongs to Europe and what he's looking forward to now. READ THE Q&A

  • Steven Mercurio named new music director of The Czech National Symphony Orchestra / BroadwayWorld
     
    Posted At : March 19, 2019 12:00 AM

    The Czech National Symphony Orchestra (CNSO) announced today that Steven Mercurio will become its new Music Director as of the upcoming 2019/20 season. Maestro Mercurio, an American conductor and composer known for his exceptional versatility and dynamism, has fostered a vibrant, ten-year affiliation with the orchestra, with extensive collaborations taking place across multiple musical genres and in every capacity: symphonically, operatically, and through extensive recording projects. Maestro Mercurio is currently in Prague, conducting the orchestra in music by Martinu and Shostakovich. The Czech National Symphony Orchestra is self-governed and Maestro Mercurio's appointment is at the behest of the musicians themselves. Jan Hasenöhrl, the orchestra's artistic director said: "After many years of wonderful collaborations, we are very much looking forward to having Maestro Mercurio with us as our Music Director. His musicianship, energy, and versatility make him the ideal conductor for the future of the CNSO." Mercurio succeeds Maestro Libor Pešek, who had held the position since 2007. Maestro Steven Mercurio, who conducted the orchestra on a US tour last month, comments: "It is a great honor to be chosen by these wonderful musicians. They are open, flexible, curious and always interested in creating a magnificent musical product. I'm looking forward to an exciting future together." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} READ THE FULL BroadwayWorld ARTICLE

Top 10 for Mar

Lara Downes celebrates Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday with 91.3WGTE - Toledo

Posted: April 29, 2018 12:00 AM | By: Admin
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Pianist Lara Downes' new album For Lenny celebrates the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein with a special friends-and-family tribute to the man behind the music. The recording features Bernstein's aptly-named Anniversaries for Piano, new arrangements of his songs, and world premieres of works dedicated to Bernstein by leading American composers including Stephen Sondheim, John Corigliano, and Stephen Schwartz. The album is introduced by an essay from acclaimed writer Adam Gopnik.

This 28-track recording features world premieres, new arrangements, and inspired collaborations between Lara and artists such as Rhiannon Giddens, Thomas Hampson, and Kevin Olusola. Downes talks with 91.3: WGTE: Toledo Classical Host - Brad Cresswell about her intimate Bernstein tribute. LISTEN

Crossover Media Projects with Lara Downes

  • Lara Downes

    Holes In the Sky

    On March 1, 2019, American pianist Lara Downes releases her new album, Holes in the Sky, on Portrait, an imprint of the Sony Music Masterworks label.

    Holes in the Sky is a genre-fluid collection of music written and performed by today's leading female artists, celebrating the contributions of phenomenal women to the past, present, and future of American music.

    The music of Holes in the Sky tells the story of what women and girls can contribute to the world when they are given a chance - their dreams can make holes in the sky. Lara collaborates with an extraordinary multi-generational group of female guest artists on this album, including the iconic singer / songwriter Judy Collins, boundary-breaking violinist Rachel Barton Pine, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, fast-rising cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing, and the urban youth vocal ensemble Musicality.

    The album is presented in direct support of PLAN International Because I Am A Girl, bolstering the rights and empowerment of girls and young women around the globe; Women's Empowerment in Sacramento, ending homelessness one woman - and one family - at a time; the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles, a permanent and supportive housing and healthcare provider for women; Girls on the Run in Spokane, teaching life skills through fun, engaging lessons that celebrate the joy of movement; and the Lower East Side Girls Club, breaking the cycle of poverty by training the next generation of ethical, entrepreneurial, and environmental leaders.

  • Lara Downes

    for lenny

    Lara Downes' new album For Lenny celebrates the 100th birthday of Leonard Bernstein with a special friends-and-family tribute to the man behind the music. The recording features Bernstein's aptly-named Anniversaries for Piano, new arrangements of his songs, and world premieres of works dedicated to Bernstein by leading American composers including Stephen Sondheim, John Corigliano, and Stephen Schwartz. The album is introduced by an essay from acclaimed writer Adam Gopnik.

  • Lara Downes

    America Again

    Pianist Lara Downes releases a solo album, America Again, worldwide on Sono Luminus on October 28, 2016. The album's title is taken from Langston Hughes' poem, Let America Be America Again, written in 1938. America Again features twenty pieces selected by Downes that explore the elusive but essential American dream, written by composers including Duke Ellington, Lou Harrison, Morton Gould, Amy Beach, George Gershwin, Angélica Negrón, Dan Visconti, Leonard Bernstein, Scott Joplin, Irving Berlin, Florence Price, Aaron Copland, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and more.

    26 NEW  67 TOTAL
    SYND:     NPR/First Listen, Classical 24, CBC
    Direct: SiriusXM, MOOD, AccuRadio
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Seattle, Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Portland, Cincinnati, New Orleans, Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Austin, Hartford, KS(Network), IN(Network), IA(Network), Canada 
    Online: The Rehearsal Studio, Second Inversion, Passion Musique et Culture, I CARE IF YOU LISTEN, therumpus, Sacramento Bee  

  • Lara Downes

    A Billie Holiday Songbook

    In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Billie Holiday's birth, Lara Downes releases: A Billie Holiday Songbook on Steinway & Sons Records, A personal tribute to this sensitive, timeless icon of American music.Radiant. Intimate.

    Lara Downes grew up listening to Holiday's recordings with her father, born and raised in Harlem. Trained in the conservatories of San Francisco, Paris, Vienna and New York, Downes acknowledges that Holiday's singing has been a lifelong influence. "As a musician, I learned from Billie Holiday to make something completely personal when you make music," she says. "something that is completely your own - maybe something unexpected, something indefinable, perhaps complicated, but beautiful. To take a chance. As the song says: "But beautiful to take a chance, and if you fall, you fall. And I'm thinking I wouldn't mind at all."

    20 NEW   49 Total
    SYND:     PRI/Classical 24
    Direct: Music Choice
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Houston, Austin, St. Louis, Baltimore, New Orleans, Madison WI, Canada
    Online: Taintradio, Classical Candor, AXS, Party934

  • Lara Downes

    13 WAYS of Looking at the Goldberg

    In June of 1955, Glenn Gould made his groundbreaking recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations for Columbia Records, rescuing the Goldbergs from obscurity in one of the most significant classical recordings of a generation. Critically acclaimed pianist Lara Downes will be breaking ground of her own when Tritone Records releases her new CD 13 WAYS of Looking at the Goldberg, a fascinating new take on Bach's masterpiece. In an extraordinary coincidence of fate and timing, Lara's recording of her new Goldberg project took place over the same four days in June as Gould's historic 1955 sessions.

    11 New 'ON' this week: 93 Total
    Synd: NPR/Sunday Baroque, The Romantic Hours, PRI/Classical 24, Harmonia, Galaxy
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Seattle, Atlanta, Baltimore, St. Louis, Houston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, Berkeley CA, San Antonio, Louisville, Purto Rico
    Online: Live 365, RadioIO, Taintradio, Crystal Ball Report
  • Lara Downes

    Exiles Cafe

    Pianist Lara Downes is known for her fusing of rare pianistic sensitivity and evocative, thought-provoking concepts. Her latest album, Exiles' Café-released on the Steinway & Sons label [30016] -- is the result of a moment of inspiration after hearing a lovely little piece entitled Tango from the Exiles' Café. Downes fantasized about this café and created a narrative around it, which she describes as "both real and metaphorical." This album captures the pain, nostalgia, and freedom that are indelibly tied to this state of being-in exile. Featuring miniature works by composers such as Chopin, Milhaud, Bartok, Weill, and including a premiere work by Mohammed Fairouz, Exiles' Café goes beyond an examination of what is to be in exile, to consider the inspiration exiled composers drew from the musical communities they found in their new homes. Because in this sense, the exiles cafes were actual places – there were indeed such locations throughout history to which composers and musicians gravitated and found each other, and they and their music were influenced accordingly.

    17 New 'ON'   183 Total
    SYND:     PRI/Classical 24, The Romantic Hours
    Direct: SiriusXM, Music Choice, MOOD, Spafax
    Markets include: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia, Wash DC, Dallas, Houston, Cleveland, Atlanta, St. Louis, Seattle, Minneapolis, Portland, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Denver, New Orleans, San Antonio, Memphis, Columbus OH, Buffalo, Louisville, Madison WI, Honolulu
    Online: Taintradio, RadioIO, WGOE