WRTI Spotlight

It’s one piano, two pianos, jazz, and rags on Now is the Time, Sunday, September 2nd at 10 pm. David Baker pays tribute to musician Coltrane and writer Dunbar, while Kevin Beavers has fun, and Judith Lang Zaimont gets snazzy on two pieces from her Prestidigitations album.

Now is the Time means American contemporary music on WRTI-HD2 and the all-classical stream at wrti.org.

PROGRAM:
Judith Lang Zaimont: Snazzy Sonata
Kevin Beavers: Sourpuss

Music will always challenge our assumptions...if we let it. For a couple of generations now, those who unearthed music from earlier times have wanted to play it the way it sounded in those earlier times. These “authentic” or “historically informed” performances open our ears to new delights hidden in Medieval and Renaissance music. As playing techniques and instruments improved, the movement grew to encompass Baroque and Classical music. Even Romantic and later music has been influenced by the growing research. We can now listen to Brahms symphonies on “original” instruments.

Who is Carmen? She's thrilling and dangerous, captivating and capricious, and one of the most vivid characters in all of opera. The bold femme fatale is sung by soprano Anita Rachvelishvili who “brought an ample, earthy voice and sensual lyricism to her performance, winning a hearty ovation” (The New York Times). Tenor Thiago Arancam sings Don José, the man who unwisely falls under Carmen's spell. Niccola Luisotti conducts. Saturday, September 1st, 1 to 4:30 pm.

Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg is the Philharmonic's composer-in-residence, at the invitation of Music Director Alan Gilbert.  Lindberg's music opened the 2009-10 season of the Philharmonic, Gilbert's first concert as music director.  This Sunday, it's an all-Lindberg program, with the opening work, Expo, as the first item on the program.  We'll also hear the world-premiere performance of his Piano Concerto No. 2, with Pianist Yefim Bronfman as soloist. Sunday, September 2nd, 3 to 5 pm.