Creatively Speaking

Conductor Donald Runnicles: No Prodigal Son

Jim Cotter — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:40:41 +0000

The renowned British conductor Donald Runnicles is the conductor for this Sunday’s Philadelphia Orchestra concert broadcast on WRTI. Scottish-born and raised, Runnicles left his native land very early in his career. And as WRTI’s Jim Cotter reports, he has happily “settled” wherever the muse has taken him.

Creativity Forged From A Hurricane's Destruction

David Patrick Stearns — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:28:11 +0000

The New York City artist community was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, which destroyed many works by current painters and sculptors. When the performance artist and composer Laurie Anderson peered into her basement, she saw her personal archive - decades of papers, prop,s and important artistic keepsakes - floating.

So Anderson decided, as The Philadelphia Inquirer's David Patrick Stearns now reports, to create a piece about it with the Kronos Quartet titled Landfall.

Wolfgang Sawallisch: A Musician's Musician

Susan Lewis — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:12:32 +0000

This week, the Philadelphia Orchestra wraps up its subscription season with a special tribute to Wolfgang Sawallisch, who died earlier this year. As WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, the Orchestra’s beloved former music director forged strong bonds with the musicians he led.

Memories of Wolfgang Sawallisch On The Podium

Susan Lewis — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:01:43 +0000

This week, The Philadelphia Orchestra wraps up its subscription season with a special tribute to former music director and conductor laureate, Wolfgang Sawallisch, who died earlier this year. As WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, he’s remembered as a master on the podium.

Music Lives In David Michie's Charming Violin Shop Off Rittenhouse Square

Meridee Duddleston — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:00:29 +0000

Music lives in a quaint, historic building on Philadelphia’s Locust Street, just a few doors down from the Curtis Institute of Music, where David Michie restores and sells violins and bows, drawing virtuoso musicians from far and wide. WRTI’s Meridee Duddleston paid a visit to this master craftsman.

Michie has much to say about the importance of a high-quality bow. "What the Italians were to string instruments, the French were to bows," he explains. In the 1800s, large blocks of wood from the pernambuco tree were used as ballast in ships making their way from Brazil to France. And Francois Tourte, who developed the modern bow and is considered the “Stradavarius of bow makers,” took to the wood and started using it. Pernambuco is now an endangered species whose export is restricted. Although carbon fiber and other substitutes are now in the mix, Michie says nothing beats a bow made of pernambuco wood from Brazil. Here's the website for David Michie Violins.

http://youtu.be/SCPLkIp-w9g

Memories of Wolfgang Sawallisch: On Tour And At Home

Susan Lewis — Mon, 20 May 2013 01:38:16 +0000

The Philadelphia Orchestra wraps up its subscription season this week with a special tribute to Wolfgang Sawallisch, who died on February 22, 2013. As WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, the Orchestra's former music director and conductor laureate shared his musical gifts with audiences at home and abroad, leading the orchestra on eight international tours.

Serious Classical Music Plus Comedy?

Susan Lewis — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:36:09 +0000

Orchestra concerts don't usually leave people laughing. But, as WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, some contemporary composers are combining serious music with comedy. Berlin Philharmonic Music Director Sir Simon Rattle is introducing innovative works to audiences in Germany, and brings an example with him in his upcoming visit to Philadelphia.

On May 16th, 18th and 19th, Maestro Rattle conducts The Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center in a program that includes the music of Beethoven, Ligeti, Webern, and Berg.

The Future's Finest Fine Artists

Jim Cotter — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:25:09 +0000

This week, America’s oldest art school and museum will - for the 112th time - display the finest work by its newest graduates. As WRTI’s Jim Cotter reports, the show is also where "in-the-know" collectors and dealers come to discover the stars of tomorrow.

The 112^th Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Annual Student Exhibition runs through June 2nd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=UUIXvJ1QgLbmt172gaWtt2KQ&feature=player_embedded&v=G_hGnX5u_6g

Music Lives In The Voices Of The Greater South Jersey Chorus

Meridee Duddleston — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:10:32 +0000

What does it take to make a chorus come together? The pressure of an impending performance? The skill and sensibility of a conductor? The intrinsic beauty of the music? WRTI’s Meridee Duddleston stopped by the Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill for a rehearsal of the Greater South Jersey Chorus as it strives for perfection.

This Saturday evening, May 18th at 8 pm, The Greater South Jersey Chorus performs Spotlight, a program of choruses and songs from opera, stage, and screen. The concert will be performed at The Roman Catholic Church of St. Isaac Jogues in Marlton. More information about the concert.

Let us know Where Music Lives in your community! Add your ideas in the comments section here and check out our other Where Music Lives posts.

The Yellow Ticket: An Early Record of 20th-Century Anti-Semitism

David Patrick Stearns — Mon, 13 May 2013 01:48:07 +0000

The 2013 Philadelphia Jewish Music Festival concluded with a curious 1918 silent film, The Yellow Ticket, presented at the Gershman Y in Center City, with live musical accompaniment that gave the often-grainy images a new life and renewed meaning. One of the first films about anti-Semitism, The Yellow Ticket reminded The Philadelphia Inquirer's David Patrick Stearns just how much the world has changed – and how much it has yet to change.

http://youtu.be/P-w75T7RMPg