CLAP BETWEEN MOVEMENTS: Classical Music Concerts Around The World This Month

Sunday, August 20
Moritzburg, Germany: Watch Out for the Horns

In picturesque Moritzburg, outside of Dresden, cellist Jan Vogler's chamber music festival has become one of Europe's hottest summer events.

After beginning on August 8 at Volkswagen's spectacular glass factory in Dresden with an "Eroica" conducted by the fast-charging 29-year old Mexican, Alondra de la Parra, the Festival's final weekend will begin Friday, August 20, up with a gala concert of Rossini and Mozart (the great Divertimento, K. 563) at Proschwitz Castle.

The Festival will wrap Sunday morning, August 22, at the Moritzburg Lutheran Church. The program: three pieces by Festival composer-in-residence Daniel Schnyder, including "Purple Haze Variations" (Jimi Hendrix) arranged by Schnyder for string quintet, and Mendelssohn's great Octet Op. 20.

If you're in a sentimental mood, try Jan Vogler's new CD "My Tunes 2."

Or some insanely dark Meisterwerk chocolate made from precious cocoa beans by master Moritzburg chocolate maker Michael Dillinger. Or drink some Moritzburg Festival wine from the Schloss Proschwitz Vineyards.

Saturday, August 21 & Sunday, August 22
San Marino, California: Discover the Delights of Alexandra du Bois

Southwest Chamber Music's summer festival outdoors at the Huntington Library Loggia (adjacent to where Gainsborough's "Blue Boy" presides and where roller skates would be helpful to to navigate the marble halls), comes to a close with a program of creamy music by Mozart, Schubert, and Brahms, plus Alexandra du Bois's "L'apotheose d'un reve."

"L'apotheose d'un reve" arrives with impressive credentials: it was composed for the farewell tour of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio and received its world premiere at no less a classical music temple than the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Most important, Alexander du Bois writes music with beauty and heart.

The concert is a fitting conclusion to a season which featured major works by women: Thea Musgrave, Gabriela Ortiz, Anne Le Baron and du Bois.

Did I say that the outdoor setting is exquisitely beautiful?

Tuesday, August 24
Nelson, New Hampshire: Dirt Road Ensemble

For more than thirty years, the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music, which attempts to bring members of cultures in conflict (such as Israelis and Palestinians) closer together through music, has given nourishing Tuesday night concerts in Nelson, New Hampshire (self-proclaimed with tongue in cheek to be the "center of the universe"). All concerts are free and open to the public.

The final concert this year, scheduled for Tuesday night, August 24, will feature the Dirt Road Ensemble (still ahead in the running for best classical music ensemble title of the year) conducted by Leonard Matczynski in music by Hindemith, Handel, and Copland.

Don't miss the post-concert swing dance. After all, Nelson possesses a Guinness record for the longest-running public contradance.

 

Comments

[Gronkie]

10:37 PM on 08/25/2010

Someday, when I'm a zillionair­e with my own jet, I'll be bopping around the planet dropping in on all these great concerts.

[Occam123]

01:52 AM on 08/22/2010

MY Met---upco­ming season-- Nixon in China by John Adams! The feeble summer low brow offerings pale by comparison­..

[ponderingmuch]

02:31 AM on 08/23/2010

Oh, Occam, none of us will ever be as smart or good as you. Why do you bother with us?

[tenzindorje]

02:37 PM on 08/25/2010

Well, i have to disagree with Occam - yes, it's great that the Met is doing Adams; but from here in Des Moines, where Dvorak is considered modern, seeing that most of the programs had living composers, I'd be thankful to attend any of them. Oh, yeah, we've got two premieres - one I think has something to do with polkas, and the other with kitchen appliances (really!). More songs about Guy Lombardo and food, from the cultural capital of nowhere, Des Moines.

[ponderingmuch]

02:41 AM on 08/20/2010

I love the title of this blog.

When I see something, hear something, that makes we want to clap, I want to CLAP!

I generally only get taken to classical music events by people who know the rules, and they tell me beforehand not to...and so I don't, but why is that?

[StevieTheK]

01:45 PM on 08/20/2010

Agree, and I know 'the rules', but it seems insane to me when there's some three movement piece and the first movement is incredible and ends strongly, that you shouldn't be allowed to clap.

[seehowtheyrun]

06:22 PM on 08/21/2010

Some people don't like clapping until the end of a piece. Pieces often include more than 1 movement. I'm not sure where this practice got started because often, when Classical pieces were written and performed, people would applaud between movements, and sometimes, if the applause was great, entire movements would be repeated. When someone appreciate­s something, why not show it right then?

[ponderingmuch]

11:38 PM on 08/21/2010

I hope some old-rules sticklers come here and tell us why we should not clap (and hoot and howl) when somewhere before the end the musicians so something amazing.

Hi Seehow they run!!!!

[Herb1843]

02:11 PM on 08/22/2010

I've read that the practice of not clapping between movements at classical concerts, unfortunat­ely, establishe­d its present foothold in Europe, especially Germany, in the years leading up to the war. It was a nationalis­tic, over-rever­ential homage to the greatness of German music.

There may be more to it than this, but it's an historical fact that concerts in the late 18th Century, the 19th and early 20th were much more "audience-­friendly" than they are today.

Haydn's "Miracle" symphony owes its name to the fact that a chandelier fell into the audience while it was being performed and, "miraculou­sly," no one was killed. That's because most of the audience had left their seats and were crowding the stage to get closer to the performers­. A common sight even today, if you think Bruce Springstee­n rather than Bernstein. And sports fans have nothing on opera-goer­s in Italy for demonstrat­ions of loyalty and enthusiasm­.

[MadnessOfArt]

10:33 PM on 08/19/2010

Some great stuff on the menu! Those in the SoCal area should definitely "Discover the Delights of Alexandra du Bois"...a great recommenda­tion for this weekend. And be sure to check out the insightful interview with this wonderfull­y talented composer recently posted on The Madness of Art:

http://mad­nessofart.­com/2010/0­8/17/force­-of-nature­/

It's a great glimpse into the world of a young composer in the 21st century!

[ponderingmuch]

11:39 PM on 08/21/2010

Wonderful article. Thanks for the link.

[MadnessOfArt]

02:17 AM on 08/23/2010

Glad you liked it!