Steve Staruch
Ravel revels in both the darkest notes of the piano and brightest tones of the violin in his monumental Piano Trio in a minor. In this week's Regional Spotlight is a performance with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio from last month's the Schubert Club/Music in the Park Series. It's delicious!
(05/24/2012)
From a recent performance at Sundin Music Hall, the Bach Society of Minnesota demonstrate why it is that Telemann was the most popular composer of the early 18th century.
(05/17/2012)
Think of it as the afterglow of a year-long celebration of the life and music of Franz Liszt. Pianist Eric Himy performs an all Liszt program from last December at the Landmark Center in St Paul in this week's Regional Spotlight.
(05/10/2012)
From a concert titled New Landscapes Sunday, April 22 comes this week's Regional Spotlight. The Singers: Minnesota Choral Artists sang several gorgeous works that date from this last decade. Two of those pieces are by Minnesota composers. Matthew Culloton led his most dedicated ensemble in Abbie Betinis' Carmina mei cordi (2004) and Jocelyn Hagen's Laus Trinitati (2005). New landscapes indeed!
(05/03/2012)
The Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS) celebrates its 40th anniversary with a performance this Sunday, May 6 at Orchestra Hall. Steve Staruch spoke with selected alumni, representatives of all four decades of GTCYS and a most current member. All share their fondest memory of playing in GTCYS.
(05/03/2012)
The Twin Cities Compline Choir gathers for a monastic service that dates from the 6th century, a service for the close of the day or Compline.
(04/26/2012)
Shostakovich himself said that his String Quartet No 4 was "written for the drawer," a poetic way of saying that it was not for public consumption, especially since works similar in style and mood had already been banned in the Soviet Union. Completed in 1949 the first performance of the quartet did not take place until after Stalin's death. The work is haunting in its use of Jewish themes and motives. In this week's Regional Spotlight is a January performance from Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church with the Artaria String Quartet, part of their series of presenting the complete set of Shostakovich quartets this season and next.
(04/19/2012)
The only difference between a major professional orchestra and the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (gtcys) is experience. Music Director, Amir Kats and his colleagues coax and draw out wonderful, full-bodied and colorful performances from their young classical players. In the Regional Spotlight this week is a performance of Three Dances from "Gayaneh" by Aram Khachaturian from this past March 4th. The hoops and cheers from the audience say it all. GTCYS is hot!
(04/12/2012)
Psalm 42 speaks of the desire for peace and rest in the midst of sorrow and want. The image of a deer seeking a cool drink from a running stream is the starting point for poetic language that itself calls for musical treatment. Two composers' settings of Psalm 42 are featured in this week's Regional Spotlight. From just this last weekend the Augsburg Masterworks Chorale and Orchestra with soloist Katherine Skovira led by Peter Hendrickson perform Sicut Cervus by Palestrina and also Mendelssohn's powerful setting of "As the Deer Cries Out for Running Streams."
(04/05/2012)
It's something of a spiritual credo in the eastern Orthodox tradition,"Where there is beauty let us enjoy it!" Marking this season of re-birth, Dale Warland revisits several of the recordings and concert performances made with his Dale Warland Singers. An invitation to quiet contemplation and to the nourishment of the spirit, Classical MPR's Steve Staruch hosts this one hour special program at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
(04/04/2012)
The Chamber Music Society of St Cloud is to be commended for bringing the European group known as La Morra to the region for a performance at St Mary's Cathedral on March 9. The program, titled "Tears of a Lion," featured this small but sassy ensemble in a mix of instrumentals from early Renaissance Spain. With the kind of music that might have entertained Columbus, their performance was both inviting and lively. La Morra is in this week's Regional Spotlight.
(03/29/2012)
Who knew that Haydn could be so hot? The Frederic Chopin Society presented pianist Imogen Cooper earlier this month in a recital that began with Haydn. His Sonata in Eb is typical of his music with plenty of playfulness and wit and wide-eyed humor. Cooper's proud performance from Sundin Music Hall in St Paul was all about the joy of music making. Her March 4th (2012) performance is in this week's Regional Spotlight.
(03/22/2012)
Father-son team Jay and Loren Fishmann perform the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5, Emperor, this weekend with the Minnesota Sinfonia. Both joined Steve Staruch in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio earlier this week to talk about their collaboration. The concerts are listed on the events calendar at classicalmpr.org
(03/16/2012)
The St Olaf Choir celebrated its 100 anniversary with a mid-winter tour. The highlights of which are in this week's Regional Spotlight. Anton Armstrong leads the choir and orchestra of St Olaf College students in the Bach motet: Sing to the Lord a New Song, and the world premiere of a work written especially for the centennial celebration of the St Olaf Choir by St Olaf alumnus, Minnesota composer, Ralph M. Johnson: On Horizon's Brim.
(03/15/2012)
Exultate performs Handel: Messiah this weekend. Steve Staruch spoke with music director, Thomas Rossin.
(03/09/2012)
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