View a behind-the-scenes look at a rehearsal for A Chinese Home. The piece, conceived by Wu Man, David Harrington, and Chen Shi-Zheng, receives its world premiere at Carnegie Hall on November 3.
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Related events: November 3, 2009 Kronos Quartet / Wu Man
David Harrington, founder and artistic director of Kronos Quartet, describes the genesis of A Chinese Home, which receives its world premiere on November 3:
In 1992, I visited the home of composers Zhou Long and Chen Yi in New York. They shared a lot of music with me that evening, including the brilliant artistry of Wu Man, who had recently arrived in the United States. I heard all sorts of possibilities in Wu Man’s vivid pipa sound, and I got in touch with her immediately.
Bartók was strongly attracted to the dramatic and horrifying tale of The Miraculous Mandarin, with its underlying message about the power of human love. As The Miraculous Mandarin begins, a girl is forced by three thugs to stand in a window, luring men inside to be robbed. Her first two victims, an old rake and a shy young man, are penniless; the third, the eerie but wealthy mandarin, presents a horrifying challenge. The girl finds him repulsive, but she slowly begins her dance of seduction. Read more »
Gerard McBurney discusses the political and social background of Bartók’s The Miraculous Mandarin.
Related events: November 4, 2009 Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
A Chinese Home receives its world premiere at Carnegie Hall on November 3, with a performance by Kronos Quartet and Wu Man. The piece was inspired by the extraordinary story of a 300-year-old house from a southeastern Chinese village that was dismantled piece-by-piece at the turn of the millennium and rebuilt at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.
Wu Man describes her first time visiting the house:
I visited Yin Yu Tang at the Peabody Essex Museum for the first time in 2003. This house—an 18th-century home from southeastern China that was disassembled and re-erected piece-by-piece at PEM in Massachusetts—brought back many memories for me. I stayed in the home for quite a long while; I looked through each room, touching tables, chairs, and beds, taking in every little detail. It reminded me of my grandma's home and my childhood life. I didn't want to leave until the staff came to get me!
Described as “an all-terrain vehicle in contemporary culture” (New Yorker), the Kronos Quartet has commissioned 650 new works for quartet since its inception more than 35 years ago.
The Kronos Quartet’s five Carnegie Hall Perspectives concerts feature music from minimalist original Terry Riley, works by composers from the Arctic Circle, performances on Angolan toy instruments, collaborations with virtuosic musicians from different traditions, and contemporary Chinese works. The Kronos Quartet will also lead a Professional Training Workshop, presented by The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall.
Related events: November 3, 2009 A Chinese Home; March 11, 2010 Kronos Celebrates Terry Riley; March 12, 2010 Playing with Toys & Technology; March 13, 2010 Tundra Songs; March 14, 2010 Music Without Borders; March 17, 2010 Kronos Quartet Master Class; March 21, 2010 Kronos Quartet Young Artists Concert
On November 4, Colin Currie peforms on a dazzling array of water percussion instruments in Tan Dun’s Water Concerto, a concerto of thrilling sights and intoxicating sounds. One thing is for sure: Things are going to get a little wet.
Watch a behind-the-scenes video of Colin Currie preparing for Tan Dun’s Water Concerto »
Related events: November 4, 2009 Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Composer Angel Lam often bases her music on her own short stories—so much so, that she even plays narrator for the NY premiere of her most recent Carnegie Hall–commissioned work, Awakening from a Disappearing Garden, that features soloist Yo-Yo Ma and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra on November 7. This is not the first commission that the young Chinese-born composer has premiered at Carnegie Hall. She previously participated in two Professional Training Workshops presented by Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, resulting in two works: Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain (for Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, which has recorded the work twice) and Sun, Moon, and Star (for a workshop led by Osvaldo Golijov and Dawn Upshaw).
Angel Lam's Empty Mountain, Spirit Rain
Recorded live at Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood Music Center
Iris dévoilée, which will be performed on November 10, is a musical portrait—not of a particular woman, but of woman in a universal sense, as a female archetype. Iris is Goethe’s ewig-Weibliche, the eternal feminine, and the unveiling referred to in the composition’s title is tantamount to her being discovered or revealed. The nine movements of Iris dévoilée, as Chen Qigang explains, portray nine aspects, nine frames of mind, nine facets of the same woman—changeable, elusive. They form a mosaic of impressions and tempers, appearances and natures that aims to express her unfathomable richness. Read more »
“Whether conducting music that is seldom played or music that is played too often for its own good,” said the New York Times of David Robertson’s compelling musical approach, “[he] makes everything seem fresh and startling.” Here, Robertson gives the inside scoop on how he creates such critically hailed programs.
“The forest, with its nightingale, the pure soul of the child who falls in love with its song … the baroque luxury of the Chinese Court, with its bizarre etiquette, its palace fêtes, its thousands of little bells and lanterns, and the grotesque humming of the mechanical Japanese nightingale."—Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky’s opera The Nightingale, which receives its first complete performance at Carnegie Hall on November 7, is based on a fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. Stravinsky was in the final years of study with his mentor, Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov when he went to work on it. Read more »
Excerpt from Stravinsky's The Nightingale
Reri Grist, soprano / Chorus and Orchestra of the Opera Sociey of Washington D.C. / Igor Stravinsky, conductor
Sony Classical
Related events: November 7, 2009 Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
China has already changed classical music’s global demographics. The sheer size of the country, however, is bound to change the game altogether. Inspired by a growing number of international figures like Tan Dun and Lang Lang, China’s 80 million music students have set out to conquer the world. Read more »
“I don’t know what a Chinese composer should be. No one can regulate what Chinese music should be. Any pre-design of what is or is not Chinese will be wrong. My purpose is to create, and I feel that there’s ground beneath my feet. Even if the Chinese people don’t accept me, my compositions are still part of Chinese culture—or at least a part of contemporary Chinese life—simply because I live in China.”
View an annotated photo album, courtesy of Guo Wenjing. »
China has a long history of musical ensembles; on rare imperial occasions, players could number in the hundreds. These, however, usually involved multiple players on a single part. The modern incarnation of Chinese orchestras—traditional instruments in symphonic groupings—dates back only to the 1950s, after the People’s Republic had called on China’s musical community to revolutionize the art for the Chinese people. Read more »
The Asian–performing arts critic for the Financial Times, Ken Smith, lends his expertise and opinions to a series of posts related to Carnegie Hall’s Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture. This blog—active throughout the festival—includes behind-the-scenes performance information, concert recaps, photo slideshows, and more, to enhance your festival experience.
Pipa player Wu Man is a special guest on WNYC’s Soundcheck, today at 2 PM. She will discuss her interest in the traditional folk music of her homeland, as featured in Ancient Paths, Modern Voices, and will join qin player Zhao Jiazhen for a live performance.
On October 21 at 1 PM, Carnegie Hall kicked off Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture with a traditional lion dance and “eye-dotting” ceremony. 
For two of the composers on the Juilliard Orchestra’s October 28 program, the Far East held an alluring sway. Gustav Mahler found inspiration for his Das lied von der Erde (Song of the Earth) in a collection of poems from the eighth and ninth-century Tang Dynasty, but never tried to seriously imitate Chinese music. In Lou Harrison’s Pacifika Rondo, the composer uses Eastern instrumentation, almost to the point of caricature. Jeremy Geffen, Carnegie Hall’s Director of Artistic Planning, discusses the importance of seeing beyond the political incorrectness of Harrison’s approach, and appreciating the passion of his cultural curiosity.
The Dong people, one of China’s 55 acknowledged non-Han minorities, have long been considered one of the nation’s most musical minorities. Numbering more than 2.5 million, the Dong live mainly in the Guizhou, Hunan, and Guangxi provinces in southwestern China, maintaining a way of life geographically and culturally removed from the Chinese mainstream. Read more »
On Wednesday, October 21 at 1 PM, a lively lion dance ceremony in front of Carnegie Hall marks the start of Ancient Paths, Modern Voices. Carnegie Hall’s Executive and Artistic Director, Clive Gillinson, and pipa virtuoso Wu Man take part in an "eye-dotting" ceremony, that symbolically awakens both the lion and the spirit of the festival. It is followed by an outdoor traditional lion dance, featuring percussive music and the intricate puppetry of the Quanzhou Marionette Theater. The festivities take place in front of Carnegie Hall's historic façade on West 57th Street and Seventh Avenue.
When filmmaker Spike Lee heard Terence Blanchard improvising a theme at the piano during the Mo’ Better Blues soundtrack sessions, he asked the trumpeter if he could use the melody in the movie, and has since chosen the composer for every subsequent film soundtrack.
Terence Blanchard appears at Carnegie Hall on October 28 as part of a national tour to introduce his current recording Choices.
On Wednesday, November 4, David Robertson and the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra evoke two sides of China: Bartók’s and Stravinsky's depictions of the China of fairytales, and a more realistic China, emerging in music by Bright Sheng and Tan Dun. In Tan Dun’s concerto, percussion soloist Colin Currie makes intoxicating sounds, plunging his hands quite literally into water.
Chinese pianist Lang Lang sells out concert halls, circles the globe to appear with many of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, and makes appearances on late-night TV. But despite the all the glamour, his passion for classical music began as it does for many kids—watching Saturday morning cartoons and sitting at the family piano.
On October 21, music, song, and puppetry unite as the talented puppeteers and musicians of the Quanzhou Marionette Theater perform selections from Chinese folktales.
In the spring of 1978, the composition class of China's Central Conservatory of Music began with a total of 32 students. All but five appear in a remarkable class photo dated January 10, 1981. Click the photo below to enlarge. Roll over the individual faces to identify them and learn where they are today.
Carnegie Hall opened its 119th Season on October 1, featuring the Boston Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Daniele Gatti, with pianist Evgeny Kissin and harpist Ann Hobson Pilot. The Gala, which was held at The Waldorf=Astoria and attended by more than 600 guests, raised $3 million to directly support Carnegie Hall’s artistic and education programming.
Due to emergency surgery for appendicitis, fortepianist Andreas Staier has, with great regret, had to postpone his October 16 all-Haydn recital in Zankel Hall. This performance has been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 7:30 PM. The program remains the same.
All tickets to the October 16 concert will be honored on January 12. For further information, ticketholders may contact CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800.
Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), which will be performed at Carnegie Hall on October 28, seems to represent the shiver of night descending both on its composer, still only in his 40s but terminally ill, and on an entire culture of huge achievement and grandiloquence. Words from ancient Chinese poets—distant in time and place—come to speak, or to sing, of evening, of autumn, of memory, and of death. Solitary voices stand on the edge of a world of sound and look out, confronting human mortality and finding a measure of solace and acceptance. Read more about Mahler’s symphonies »
After China's Cultural Revolution, the country's music conservatories once again opened their doors to students who would go on to revitalize contemporary music. This first graduating class—known as the “Class of 1978”—included such composers as Chen Qigang, Tan Dun, Zhou Long, Chen Yi, and Guo Wenjing.
On October 23, Murray Perahia performs a recital of works by Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, and Chopin. Chopin’s works for solo piano demand an extraordinary technique, yet the fast runs, sweeping arpeggios (broken chords), and delicate ornaments always decorate—rather than dominate—the melody. In “Aeolian Harp,” for example, the fluttering figurations that test the pianist’s dexterity embellish the languorous musical line unfolding above.
Their instrumentation—mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass—suggests classic bluegrass, but the sound generated by Punch Brothers, who perform at Carnegie Hall on October 16, is nothing Bill Monroe would have recognized. The quintet may be able to trace its roots to the front porches of Appalachia, and its respect for that tradition is evident, but Punch Brothers’ contemporary, progressive sound represents a giant leap beyond the foundations of bluegrass, and takes audiences somewhere else entirely. Read more »
For a performance on October 24, part of Carnegie Hall's Ancient Paths, Modern Voices festival, two Chinese ensembles, chosen by pipa virtuoso Wu Man, will present a program of music traditionally performed at village rituals.
Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture takes place throughout the city, with a series of free Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts and workshops. The historic Flushing Town Hall, managed by Flushing Council on Culture and the Arts (FCCA), hosts several of these events, including Ensemble ACJW on October 25.
On October 14 at 8 PM, Mitsuko Uchida performs Beethoven's final three piano sonatas—works that redefined the classical concept of a sonata. In 2003, she performed a critically acclaimed recital of the same works at Carnegie Hall. Jeremy Geffen, Carnegie Hall's Director of Artistic Planning, remembers that event, and recalls that it was her musical peers who were the most impressed with her feat.
Haydn's The Seasons, a gloriously happy piece, will be performed at Carnegie Hall on October 15. As one contemporaneous reviewer remarked, "it sings of the joy of existence." Yet it caused its composer no small amount of sorrow. While working on The Seasons, which came right on the heels of the premiere of his earlier oratorio, The Creation, Haydn's health began to fail, and he complained of a crushing malaise. "Every day the world compliments me on the fire of my recent works," he wrote to his publisher, "but no one will believe the strain and effort it costs me to produce them." Read the complete program notes »
Excerpt from Haydn's The Seasons
The Monteverdi Choir / English Baroque Soloists / John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Deutsche Grammophon Archiv
Bassist and composer Edgar Meyer first met Chris Thile about a decade ago, when the up-and-coming mandolin virtuoso was still a teenager. It was immediately clear to Edgar that Chris’s playing standard was so high, it would change people’s expectations of the instrument—including his own.
On October 13, The Philadelphia Orchestra enters the drug-induced fantasy world of Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique. The countless examples of orchestral effects and tonal colors make this work endlessly fascinating: otherworldly wisps of violins; distant, plaintive oboe and English horn calls; threatening thunderstorms; terrifying brass and drum effects; grisly scrapings and twitterings; and frighteningly diabolical parodies.
While Haydn is often considered to be a precursor to the great Mozart, he continued to compose for 11 years after Mozart’s death. Jeremy Geffen, Carnegie Hall’s Director of Artistic Planning, sheds light on Haydn’s two great oratorios, The Seasons and The Creation, both composed after Mozart's death. He also points out one of the most heart-stopping moments in all music.
“When the Cultural Revolution began, all formal classes were canceled. But that gave me the opportunity to learn other instruments, such as trumpet and trombone. Most importantly, I could really practice piano, which prepared me for my future—on a practical level—as a composer.”
Daniel Bernard Roumain’s Five Chairs and One Table received its World Premiere on March 8, 2009, during Carnegie Hall’s Honor! festival. The piece will be reprised by Ensemble ACJW on October 13 at 7:30 PM. In addition to creating musical portraits of Jessye Norman, Miriam Makeba, and Odetta, Roumain “considered what small children often do in their classrooms; beating out rhythms on a table … suggesting the ‘serious play’ of young children and their peers.”
WQXR's first broadcast as a part of the WNYC family will be a live presentation from Carnegie Hall on Thursday, October 8, at 8 PM. The concert, which features the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, can be heard on 105.9 FM and via live webstream at www.wqxr.org. The concert will also be simulcast on WNYC 93.9 FM.
American soprano Christine Brewer is a favorite on the world’s opera and concert stages. Jeremy Geffen, Carnegie Hall’s director of artistic planning, explains what sets her singing apart from that of other dramatic sopranos.
Beginning on October 21, Carnegie Hall pays tribute to China's vibrant culture and its influence around the globe with 21 days of events and exhibitions at Carnegie Hall and partner institutions throughout New York City.
“I never thought [working on these pieces] would be so difficult. I went in to a sort of cocoon. When I peeked my head out, I felt I was a changed person. The way I play music, the way I hear music, and above all, the way I play the piano has changed.”
The first two discs in a planned series of previously unreleased recordings by legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz—both recorded live at Carnegie Hall—are now available. These recordings were chosen from The Horowitz Papers at Yale University, and represent Horowitz in his prime. The first CD features Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and the Liszt Sonata in B Minor. The second release features works by Schumann, Chopin, Liszt, and Balakirev.
Soprano Sandrine Piau is a renowned figure in the world of Baroque music. Carnegie Hall’s Director of Artistic Planning, Jeremy Geffen, lets us in on what makes her such a remarkable talent.
On Thursday, October 1, 2009, Carnegie Hall opened its 119th season with a gala benefit concert featuring conductor Daniele Gatti and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage, with soloists Evgeny Kissin and Ann Hobson Pilot.
On Friday, October 2 at 6 PM, Ensemble ACJW, the performing arm of The Academy—a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education—perform a free concert at Bryant Park. Stay afterwards for an opportunity to meet the performers.
For more than 30 years, Carnegie Hall has brought free concerts to neighborhoods throughout all five boroughs of New York City. In collaboration with museums, colleges, libraries, community centers, churches, and cultural organizations, The Neighborhood Concert Series—starting October 4 this season—presents concerts for all ages with music that reflects the diverse sounds of the city and Carnegie Hall's quality programming.
The opening concert of Carnegie Hall’s 119th season will be broadcast live on WQXR 96.3 and streamed live on wqxr.com. The performance features the Boston Symphony Orchestra, live from Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage on October 1 at 7 PM. The performance will also be simulcast on WNYC-FM (93.9 FM) and on wnyc.org. WQXR has presented live broadcasts from Carnegie Hall since 1936. This concert will mark the final live broadcast by WQXR on 96.3 FM.
Sound Insights is sponsored by Ernst & Young LLP.
