Tag Archives: Schubert
Touched By God
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 22nd January 2020There are some artists whose gifts are so great, even by the standard of genius, that they seem the result of direct divine intervention. Franz Schubert was such an artist. Dead at 31, he left behind about 1500 compositions many of which are among the greatest pieces of music ever to issue from the mind…
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Die Winterreise in Santa Fe
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 31st July 2019Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly and pianist Michael McMahon performed Franz Schubert’s towering depiction of self pity, Die Winterreise, at today’s Music at Noon series of the Santa Fe Music Festival. The song cycle is as great a piece of vocal writing as anything by Mozart, Wagner, or Verdi. Of course, there’s a lot more to…
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Rachmaninoff and Schubert in Santa Fe
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 30th July 2019The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival presented Rachmaninoff’s Trio élégiaque in G min and Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata as part of its Music at Noon series. A full house was in attendance for the 45 minutes of music that constituted the lunch hour program. The trio was played by pianist Wei Luo, violinist Jennifer Gilbert, and cellist…
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Mozart and Schubert at the MIM
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 5th May 2019The Phoenix Symphony Orchestra presented the third of three concerts devoted to Mozart and Schubert last night. The venue was the Theater of the Musical Instrument Museum. Its a sleek and comfortable auditorium ideal for smaller scale compositions. The program began with the Overture to La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart’s penultimate opera. The scaled down…
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Stravinsky, Dohnány, and Schubert in the Afternoon
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 2nd August 2018The Santa Fe Music Festival gave a short concert starting at noon today. The first piece was Stravinsky’s Octet for Winds. An ensemble conducted by Lawrence Foster gave a lively reading of the 1923 score. Listening to Stravinsky after The Rite of Spring is like reading Euclid for his entertainment value. I have at least…
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Schubert and Tchaikovsky in Santa Fe
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 2nd August 2018Schubert was not touched by God; he was embraced by Him as was no other composer. This recital by the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival started with his youthful string trio, the only one he wrote. This work is obviously not in the same class as his late chamber music masterpieces like the final three…
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Not All Schubert Program Closes 2015 Santa Fe Chamber Music Series
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 25th August 2015The 2015 Santa Fe Chamber Music series closed this evening at the Lensic Theater with what was supposed to be an all Schubert program. But alas the best laid plans of mice and musicians often go astray. Violinist William Preucil was indisposed which caused the program to be altered. “Indisposed” in the music business means…
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Di Stefano Sings Schubert's Ständchen
Written by Neil Kurtzman | 6th June 2010Schubert and Giuseppe Di Stefano is not a common association. But here he is singing Schubert’s Ständchen (Serenade Di Stefano) in Spanish. It’s from the soundtrack of a Mexican movie made in 1953. Below are the Spanish lyrics he sings followed by the original German. After these is an English rendition. So what we have…
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