The Arts Blog

crab on beach with musical notes

Is a Cassation a Crustacean?

December 17, 2019

A Play On Words by All Classical Portland’s Music Researcher & Archivist Emma Mildred Riggle When I was a kid my little brother and I liked to play Name That Tune when we turned on the radio in the middle of a classical piece, because we were geeks with a bad case of sibling rivalry. …

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brown paper present

Classical Composers’ Holiday Gifts

December 13, 2019

What’s more meaningful than a homemade gift – especially when the giver is a composer and the gift is music? Here’s a list of five classical compositions that were given as holiday gifts! Johannes Ockeghem (c.1410-1497): An Illuminated Chanson Johannes Ockeghem was a brilliant 15th-century Franco-Flemish composer. Gifted with a deep and beautiful bass voice, …

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green grass and violin

John Pitman Review: Violinist Margaret Batjer and the LA Philharmonic

December 10, 2019

Violinist Margaret Batjer has been associated with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for a number of years. In their first CD for the Swedish BIS label, Batjer and the LACO begin with a new violin concerto by Quebec-born composer, Pierre Jalbert. With movements titled “Soulful, mysterious”, and “With great energy”, Jalbert’s concerto is in good …

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list of composers and drawing of an elephant

Classical Music Inspired By Young People

November 19, 2019

Inspiration for classical music comes in endless forms. Here’s a look at five classical music pieces inspired by young people. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): The Well-Tempered Clavier Johann Sebastian Bach was surrounded by children for most of his life. In addition to fathering more than twenty (!) kids, he also taught choirboys at the St. …

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woman playing piano in white suit

John Pitman Review: Self-titled debut – Pianist Wei Luo

November 18, 2019

To introduce a pianist saying that he or she started lessons at the age of five is probably not going to raise eyebrows. However, to say that this particular pianist advanced at such a rate that she entered the Curtis Institute at age 13 is something that might catch notice. That’s the first part of …

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5 vintage photos of composers in the military

Composers in the Great War

November 10, 2019

The “war to end all wars” claimed many lives, and forever altered the lives of those who survived. Here’s a look at some of the composers who served in World War 1 and the music they created. George Butterworth (1885-1916) George Butterworth (1885-1916) was a promising young English composer who collected folk songs and found …

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classical musicians in front of italian coast

John Pitman Review: Sharon Isbin’s “Souvenirs”

November 4, 2019

Guitarist Sharon Isbin has recorded nearly everything in her instrument’s repertoire. Still, it’s refreshing to hear that, when an artist such as Ms. Isbin revisits a work (such as the Vivaldi D Major concerto), she gives us an interpretation with subtle differences from what came before. On “Souvenirs of Spain and Italy”, Isbin partners with …

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Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month

October 8, 2019

In the United States, National Hispanic Heritage Month is recognized from September 15th to October 15th. It is a time allotted to recognize the influence of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the history of the country. Although Hispanic and Latino are often used interchangeably, they mean two different things. The term Hispanic refers to people …

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album cover for "lamentationes"

New York Polyphony’s “Lamentations”

October 4, 2019

New York Polyphony‘s bass, Craig Phillips, shares the story of how his group rediscovered music of the 16th century composer, Francisco de Peñalosa, and how that composer’s “Lamentations of Jeremiah” are so perfectly suited to his group’s voices, that it seems Peñalosa wrote the work for them. On the recording, New York Polyphony include works …

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cd cover with cartoon of man playing violin

Augustin Hadelich links Brahms to Ligeti

September 24, 2019

German-American violinist Augustin Hadelich says that he is attracted to the idea of contrasts in music, and in making choices of repertoire. Mr. Hadelich tells program director John Pitman that despite those contrasts, often similarities arise by putting two disparate works together. In this case, Mr. Hadelich leads with the familiar and beloved concerto by …

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