Word: harpsichordists
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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REQUIEM, K. 626 (Telefunken). Mozart's liturgical music is tricky to interpret. But Karl Richter, an organist and harpsichordist as well as conductor, creates a performance that combines operatic grandeur in the Dies Irae with the religious awe attending death that is heralded by the sepulchral drumbeats at the close of the Agnus Dei. The four first-class soloists (Maria Stader, soprano; Hertha Töpper, alto; John van Kesteren, tenor; Karl-Christian Kohn, bass) enter into the spirit of their conductor's classical conception: they never struggle to achieve Wagnerian eminence of tone but modestly blend into...
...eleven-month season by presenting church performances of two 12th cen-tury music dramas, The Play of Daniel and The Play of Herod. Staged and costumed in period style, these productions unfold in vocal chants and instrumental passages of austere elegance and moving simplicity. White, 43, a musicologist and harpsichordist who took over the Pro Musica after Founder Noah Greenberg died in 1966, has no intention of abandoning such efforts. In fact he plans more: the group will soon start rehearsals for a production of Jacopo Peri's 1600 opera Euridice, the earliest opera for which all the music...
...acting and (one hopes?) interacting on stage. A production needs to be seen as a whole; and this demands perspective and objectivity. It was for this reason that the job of directed evolved in the first place--and, analogously, that the orchestral conductor superseded the head-bobbing harpsichordist or violin list. Is the indulging of theatrical egotism and arrogance worth a return to the old-time lack of focus, balance, and precision? Both Sir Laurence and Saint Cyril should attend to wending their ways by mending their maze...
Happily, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.5 matched the brilliance of the Mozart. Harpsichordist G. S. Rousseau ripped through his part with a technical virtuosity that left listeners breathless. His concern with speed caused him to rush in all three movements, but his control and clear phrasing helped make up for this. Violinist Marylou Speaker and flutist Leslie Claff both played very sensitively, executing their imitative sections elegantly. Miss Speaker's tone was rich and warm; Miss Claff's was clear but, unfortunately, was often covered by the orchestra. The strings, especially the violins, were astonishing: their sound blossomed...
Levin won the concerto contest here last year. He is active as a pianist, harpsichordist, a conductor and composer. He is chief producer at WHRB and has two weekly programs...