What's A Good Read or Listen? Steven Smith's Recommendations on Books and Recordings

The Greater Richmond Barnes and Noble store locations will be hosting a bookfair to support the Richmond Symphony this weekend - so if there's that book you've been meaning to buy but haven't had the chance to yet, here's your chance to get it and help your favorite symphony in the process!  (To obtain a bookfair voucher or online code, visit the Richmond Symphony's event page: http://www.richmondsymphony.com/events_details.asp?id=164.)

However, if you don't know what to read or listen to next, Music Director Steven Smith gives you a list of his favorite books and recordings to consider:

For music-related books: 

• The Letters of Mozart
• The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz
• Life of Beethoven by Alexander Thayer
• The Rest is Noise by Alex Ross
• Big Bangs: Five Musical Revolutions by Howard Goodall

For other favorite books:

• Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
• Walden by Henry David Thoreau
• Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Recordings:

• Brahms Symphonies, Bruno Walter/Columbia Symphony
• Haydn, Symphonies Nos. 92, 94, 96: George Szell/Cleveland Orchestra
• Berlioz, Les Troyens; Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony
• Dvorak, Symphony No. 7 & 8; Cristoph von Dohnanyi, Cleveland Orchestra
• Money Jungle; Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Max Roach
• Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley; Nancy Wislon, Cannonball Adderley
• Nonesuch Explorer Series; Bali - Gamelan and Kecak
• Graceland; Paul Simon

Don't miss your chance to meet Music Director Steven Smith and Richmond Symphony musicians at the Brandermill Barnes & Noble location!  Try out an instrument for yourself at our instrument petting zoo as well!

Behind the Sound: Creating Music Made For You

Friday, February 25 - 7 PM
Barnes & Noble - Brandermill Store
Richmond Symphony Music Director Steven Smith will speak on his position as Music Director and his vision for the Richmond Symphony. He will be available after the talk to meet and interact with the audience.

Richmond Symphony Comes to Barnes & Noble
Saturday, February 26 - 10:00 AM - 3 PM
Barnes & Noble - Brandermill Store

The Richmond Symphony Woodwind Quintet will perform at Barnes & Noble, starting at 10 AM and 11 AM. The Richmond Symphony Instrument Petting Zoo will also be set up in the children's area of Barnes & Noble from 12-3 PM. Children of all ages will be able to see and handle a variety of musical instruments! Don't miss this opportunity to see the Richmond Symphony out in your community!

Erin's Love of Francis Poulenc: A Preview of This Weekend's Metro Collection Reflections

Francis Poulenc – French Composer, 1899-1963

Okay – I’ll say it. I love Francis Poulenc. Sure, he’s been criticized. Some have found his music to be too campy. After all, his uncle was involved in the Parisian theatre and apparently exposed him to “less prim manifestations” of that life. (Can you say “Can-Can”?) *** Others have compared him to his immediate predecessors Debussy and Ravel. (How can you not pale in comparison to such stalwarts of turn-of-the-century French music?) Still more have considered his music simply too simple. Poulenc was not known for complex harmonic transitions or subtlety of orchestral color – qualities you might find in the music of Richard Strauss or Gustav Mahler. When he wanted to change the mood, well…he just changed it.

I however, find Poulenc’s music energetic (not campy), uniquely colorful (not impressionistic, per say, but certainly inspired by the myriad of colors that Ravel and Debussy cultivated), and refreshingly straight forward.

I’m also quite inspired by its variety.

This composer – who hung with a band of French composers known as Les Six (including Honneger and Milhaud) – started as a “mom-taught” pianist. Much of his music reflects this first exposure to music. Here is his Mouvements Perpétuels, the first by Poulenc I ever played - or heard, come to think of it. Listen to the quick change of mood around 1:43; the rhythmic, pianistic accompaniment throughout; the uncomplicated bits of melody; and at 3:12 the joyous conclusion with startling but unpretentious juxtapositions of character. Is this humor or naiveté?



Poulenc also had a great love for woodwind instruments, and is responsible for torturing, er…I mean inspiring, countless oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, and flute players. Here’s the Clarinet sonata. Again – several fast changes of character, dynamics, key, and range.



Early on in his career, he experienced a spiritual awakening and began to find inspiration in the music of the church, specifically the a cappella music of the middle ages and the Renaissance. This is one of my all time favorite choral works – Poulenc’s O Magnum Mysterium. No campiness, no pianistic accompaniment, no fast melismas (runs). Still, even in the beautiful, chant-inspired lines, you will hear quick changes of phrase and mood. Here, these changes of mood aren’t merely composed on whim - they help highlight and clarify the text.



And, he had an affinity for theatre music. (One writer I read called his theatre music “absurd.” Okay…I won’t disagree, but there’s really nothing wrong with absurd, right?) Here’s a film of La voix humaine: a “40-minute solo scena, one side of the telephone conversation between a young woman and the lover who is abandoning her.” Here, his ability to change mood in an instant helps him portray the despair and emotional imbalance of the main character.



Of course, one thing that makes his music so brilliant is his ability to combine all of these styles. The Gloria, for example, is a sacred piece with elements of the Moulin Rouge, tied together with a pianistic-style chordal accompaniment and inspired woodwind writing. Here’s the Laudamus Te:



All of this styling can be found in his Sinfonietta, which we’re performing this Friday at Bon Air Baptist, Saturday in Staunton, and Sunday at Randolph Macon.



No YouTubes for the Sinfonietta – you’ll just have to come hear it.



*** my quotations come from the amazingly useful New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, a 20 volume set of academic articles on music. Consider buying it for the music lover in your life!

...and a word from one of our sponsors, The Cordial Cricket!

What a pleasure it is to write a guest blog post for the Richmond Symphony blog. My name is Elizabeth Howard and I am the owner of retail boutique, The Cordial Cricket, located in Chester, Virginia. Our boutique specializes in custom invitations, stationery and unique gifts for children and adults. We are proud to partner with the Richmond Symphony to sponsor their upcoming LolliPops Concert Green Eggs & Ham on Saturday, February 19th.

In addition to operating a retail store, I also work as a trained etiquette consultant with people and groups of all ages. It works very much in tandem with what we offer at the store since etiquette plays an important role in the proper use of invitations and stationery. We are delighted to share an important etiquette skill with the children and families who attend the upcoming Green Eggs & Ham concert during the pre-concert festival activities. Making sure that children know the idea and concepts behind writing a proper thank you note is something that will benefit them for the rest of their lives. Please be sure to stop by our booth during the pre-concert festival for a fun thank you note primer for your kids, a thank you note activity they can complete and of course a treat! Kids and adults alike can even write a short thank you to the Richmond Symphony musicians to share their appreciation of the concert and festival fun!

As a local independent business owner, it is very important to us to partner with other local organizations that have a positive impact on our community. We are pleased to be a part of this great event for families, and look forward to partnering with the Richmond Symphony during future events. If you would like to know more about our store or etiquette consulting for your organization, school or group please visit our pre-concert festival booth for more information. See you at Green Eggs & Ham!

Elizabeth Howard
The Cordial Cricket
http://www.thecordialcricket.com/