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Remembering Heather Harper
April 22, 2019 in Uncategorized | Tags: Anima, Arleen Augér, Barry McDaniel, Boris Carmeli, Carlo Maria Giulini, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, David Harvey, Doreen Rao, Giorgio Tozzi, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Gordon Parry, Grammy Award, Gwynne Howell, Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Helmut Froschauer, Jerry Jennings, John Shirley-Quirk, Julia Hamari, Kenneth Wilkinson, London Records, Lucia Popp, Mallory Walker, Margaret Hillis, Martti Talvela, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Norbert Balatsch, Philip Booth, Raffaele Arié, René Kollo, Richard Lewis, Robert Johnson, Singverein Chorus, Sir Georg Solti, Sir Michael Tippett, Stuart Burrows, Veriano Luchetti, Vienna Boys' Choir, Yvonne Minton | Leave a comment
We have just heard news of the death of the wonderful Irish soprano Heather Harper, as reported in The Guardian. She was 88.
Harper appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on a number of notable occasions, as listed below (all appearances are subscription concerts at Orchestra Hall, unless otherwise noted):
April 3, 4, and 5, 1969
MAHLER Symphony No. 2 in C Minor (Resurrection)
Georg Solti, conductor
December 11 and 12, 1969
HAYDN The Creation
Stuart Burrows, tenor
Giorgio Tozzi, bass
August 30, 31 & September 1, 1971 (recording sessions at the Sofiensaal in Vienna)
MAHLER Symphony No. 8 in E-flat Major
John Shirley-Quirk, bass-baritone
Mahler's Symphony no. 8 in E-flat Major, recorded in Vienna in 1971
March 30, 31, and April 1, 1972
HANDEL Jephtha
Margaret Hillis, conductor
Richard Lewis, tenor
Robert Johnson, tenor
Barry McDaniel, baritone
Boris Carmeli, bass
October 12, 13, and 14, 1972
VIVALDI Gloria
ROSSINI Stabat mater
Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor
Julia Hamari, mezzo-soprano
Veriano Luchetti, tenor
Raffaele Arié, bass
March 7, 8, and 9, 1974
TIPPETT Symphony No. 3
Sir Michael Tippett, conductor
April 12 and 13, 1974
BACH Saint Matthew Passion, BWV 244
Jerry Jennings, tenor
Mallory Walker, tenor
Gwynne Howell, bass
Philip Booth, bass
Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus
Doreen Rao, director
Happy birthday, Barbara Hendricks!
November 20, 2018 in Uncategorized | Tags: Ann Murray, Anthony Paratore, Barbara Hendricks, Carnegie Hall, Christiane Eda-Pierre, Donald Gramm, Doreen Rao, Ellen Stanley, Erich Leinsdorf, Gilbert Amy, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Helen Watts, James Lock, James Mallinson, Jan DeGaetani, John Dunkerley, Joseph Paratore, Kenneth Riegel, London Records, Lucia Popp, Margaret Hillis, Mechthild Gessendorf, Michael Mailes, Sir Georg Solti, William Walker | Leave a comment
Wishing a very happy seventieth birthday to the wonderful American soprano, Barbara Hendricks!
Hendricks has appeared as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on a number of notable occasions between 1974 and 1985, indicated below:
December 5, 6, and 7, 1974, Orchestra Hall
AMY D'un epace deploye (U.S. premiere)
Barbara Hendricks, soprano
Anthony Paratore, piano
Joseph Paratore, piano
Gilbert Amy, conductor
MOZART Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio!, K. 418
October 7, 8, and 9, 1976, Orchestra Hall
DEL TREDICI Final Alice (world premiere)
March 3, 4, and 5, 1977, Orchestra Hall
March 7, 1977, Uihlein Hall, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
DEBUSSY La Damoiselle élue
Ellen Stanley, mezzo-soprano
Women of the Chicago Symphony Chorus
Gennady Rozhdestvensky, conductor
October 27 and 28, 1977, Orchestra Hall
October 31, 1977, Carnegie Hall
Sir Georg Solti, conductor (October 27 and 28)
Margaret Hillis, conductor (October 31)
Christiane Eda-Pierre, soprano
Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano
Kenneth Riegel, tenor
William Walker, baritone
Donald Gramm, bass
David Del Tredici with Sir Georg Solti and Barbara Hendricks in Chicago, October 1976 (Terry's photo)
DEL TREDICI Final Alice
Recorded by London Records on October 27, 1979, January 29, and 30, 1980, in Orchestra Hall. The recording was produced by James Mallinson; James Lock, John Dunkerley, and Michael Mailes were the recording engineers.
December 19, 20, and 21, 1985
STRAUSS Scenes from Der Rosenkavalier, Op. 59
Mechthild Gessendorf, soprano
Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano
Erich Leinsdorf, conductor
Happy birthday, Gywnne Howell!
June 13, 2018 in Uncategorized | Tags: Anne Gjevang, Anne Sofie von Otter, Carnegie Hall, David Frost, David Kübler, David Schrader, Dennis Bailey, Dominic Cossa, Donald Gramm, Doreen Rao, Elizabeth Hynes, Emily Golden, Felicity Lott, Gabriele Schnaut, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Grammy Award, Gwynne Howell, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Hans Sotin, Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Hermann Becht, Hildegard Behrens, James Lock, Jan DeGaetani, Jerry Jennings, John Cheek, John Dunkerley, Josephine Veasey, Keith Lewis, Kenneth Wilkinson, Leontyne Price, London Records, Lucia Popp, Luciano Pavarotti, Malcolm Smith, Mallory Walker, Margaret Hillis, Mary Jane Johnson, Medinah Temple, Michael Haas, Michael Mailes, Michelle Harman-Gulick, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Peter Hofmann, Peter Pears, Philip Kraus, Ray Minshull, Robert Johnson, Robert Tear, Siegfried Jerusalem, Siegmund Nimsgern, Simon Eadon, Sir Georg Solti, Sona Ghazarian, Stanley Goodall, Theo Adam, Tony Griffiths, Victor Aitay, Werner Klemperer, Yvonne Minton | Leave a comment
Wishing a very happy eightieth birthday to the wonderful Welsh bass, Gwynne Howell!
Gwynne Howell (Guy Gravett photo)
Howell has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on a number of notable occasions and on several award-winning recordings between 1974 and 1990. A complete list is below (concerts at Orchestra Hall, unless otherwise noted).
April 30, 1975 (Carnegie Hall)
Leontyne Price, soprano
Luciano Pavarotti, tenor
January 29, 30, and 31, 1976
STRAVINSKY Oedipus Rex
Peter Pears, tenor
Josephine Veasey, mezzo-soprano
Donald Gramm, bass-baritone
Dominic Cossa, baritone
Werner Klemperer, narrator
Men of the Chicago Symphony Chorus
May 5, 6, and 7, 1977
May 13, 1977 (Carnegie Hall)
BEETHOVEN Missa solemnis, Op. 123
Victor Aitay, violin
The work was recorded in Chicago's Medinah Temple on May 16, 17, and 18, 1977. For London Records, Ray Minshull was the producer and Kenneth Wilkinson, John Dunkerley, and Michael Mailes were the engineers. The recording won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance, Classical (other than opera) from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
May 10 and 12, 1979
BEETHOVEN Fidelio, Op. 72
Hildegard Behrens, soprano
Sona Ghazarian, soprano
Peter Hofmann, tenor
David Kübler, tenor
Theo Adam, baritone
Hans Sotin, bass
Philip Kraus, baritone
The opera was recorded at Medinah Temple on May 21, 22, 23, and 24, 1979. For London Records, Ray Minshull was the producer, Michael Haas was the assistant producer, and James Lock, David Frost, and Tony Griffiths were the engineers.
April 7, 9, and 12, 1983
WAGNER Das Rheingold
Siegmund Nimsgern, bass-baritone
Hermann Becht, baritone
Gabriele Schnaut, mezzo-soprano
Siegfried Jerusalem, tenor
Robert Tear, tenor
Malcolm Smith, bass
Mary Jane Johnson, soprano
John Cheek, bass-baritone
Dennis Bailey, tenor
Michelle Harman-Gulick, soprano
Elizabeth Hynes, soprano
Emily Golden, mezzo-soprano
September 27, 28, and 29, 1984
HANDEL Messiah
Anne Gjevang, contralto
Keith Lewis, tenor
David Schrader, harpsichord
The work was recorded in Orchestra Hall on October 1, 2, and 9, 1984. For London Records, Ray Minshull was the producer, and James Lock and Simon Eadon were balance engineers.
BACH Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Felicity Lott, soprano
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano
Hans Peter Blochwitz, tenor
William Shimell, baritone
The work was recorded on January 25, 26, and 28, 1990, in Orchestra Hall. For London Records, Michael Haas was the recording producer, and Stanley Goodall and Simon Eadon were the balance engineers. The recording won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Performance of a Choral Work from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Check out the video below, produced by Wild Plum Arts, in which Howell talks about working with Solti and many others.
125 Moments: 123 Mahler's Fifth Symphony
October 11, 2016 in Uncategorized | Tags: 125Moments, Béla Bartók, Carnegie Hall, CSO125th, Dale Clevenger, Gustav Mahler, Helen Watts, Medinah Temple, Sir Georg Solti, Winthrop Sargeant, Yvonne Minton | 1 comment
Georg Solti and the Orchestra onstage at Carnegie Hall on January 9, 1970 (Robert M. Lightfoot III photo)
In January 1970, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and its new music director traveled to New York for their first concerts together in Carnegie Hall. The concert on January 8 included Georg Solti leading Haydn's Symphony no. 102, Bartók's Dance Suite, and Brahms's First Symphony; and the following evening, the program was Mahler's Kindertotenlieder with contralto Helen Watts and the Fifth Symphony.
Solti and the Orchestra were hardly prepared for the reception following the January 9 concert. Multiple accounts reported the thunderous cheers and applause—calling Solti to the stage for twelve curtain calls—that continued even after the performers had left the stage.
"Is the Chicago Symphony the greatest orchestra in America? Stravinsky has said so, and it was impossible not to agree with him when this orchestra appeared in Carnegie Hall last Friday night in an all-Mahler program under the baton of Georg Solti," wrote Winthrop Sargeant in The New Yorker. "Its brass section is unique in its power and beauty of tone, and its first horn player [Dale Clevenger] is a virtuoso who has a huge tone or a delicate tone—whichever you prefer—and who can hit his upper notes with exemplary accuracy. The woodwinds and strings are not far behind. There is a solid craftsmanship about the whole ensemble, which leaves the conductor nothing to do except exert his leadership and artistic ideas. The Orchestra itself is already trained in everything that pertains to technique, intonation, beauty of tone, and accuracy of attack. Add to all this a conductor of Mr. Solti's stature (there is none greater at this moment in history), and you have an unusual treat. . . .
"Mahler's Fifth Symphony was something of a sensation," Sargeant continued. "There is a special brilliance and drive about Mr. Solti's conducting that illuminate and emphasize not only large lines but details that escape one in most performances of this symphony. . . . The conclusion of the final Allegro was the occasion for the largest ovation I have seen any conductor receive since the time of Toscanini."
In March and April 1970 at Medinah Temple for London Records, Solti and the Orchestra—collaborating in recording sessions for the first time—recorded Mahler's Fifth and Sixth symphonies along with the Songs of a Wayfarer and selections from Des Knaben Wunderhorn with mezzo-soprano Yvonne Minton.
This article also appears here and portions previously appeared here.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra celebrates 100 years of recording
April 26, 2016 in Uncategorized | Tags: Adolph Herseth, Aleksandrs Antoņenko, Angel, Anna Clyne, Arleen Augér, Artur Rodzinski, Artur Schnabel, Barbara Frittoli, Benny Goodman, Bernard Haitink, Bernd Weikl, Carlo Guelfi, Carlo Maria Giulini, Carlos Kalmar, Carnegie Hall, CBS Records, Cedille Records, Chicago Bears, Chicago Children's Choir, Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, Civic Opera House, Clark Brody, Claudio Abbado, Columbia Graphophone Company, Columbia Records, Dale Clevenger, Daniel Barenboim, Désiré Defauw, Deutsche Grammophon, Disney, Donald Koss, Donald Peck, Duain Wolfe, eather Harper, Erato, Erich Leinsdorf, Frederick Stock, Fritz Reiner, Gérard Depardieu, George Szell, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Grammy Award, Hans Sotin, Helen Watts, Hildegard Behrens, Ildar Abdrazakov, International Tchaikovsky Competition, Isaac Stern, Jacqueline du Pré, James Levine, Jay Friedman, Jean Martinon, Jennifer Larmore, Jessye Norman, John Corigliano, John Shirley-Quirk, John Williams, Josephine Lee, June Anderson, Kirsten Flagstad, Krassimira Stoyanova, Kyle Ketelsen, Leopold Stokowski, London Records, Lucia Popp, Margaret Hillis, Mario Zeffiri, Martti Talvela, Mason Bates, Medinah Temple, Mercury Records, Michelle DeYoung, Millennium Park, Nicholas Phan, Olga Borodina, Peter Hofmann, Phillip Creech, Plácido Domingo, Rachel Barton Pine, Rafael Kubelík, Ravinia Festival, Ray Still, RCA, Reinhild Runkel, René Kollo, Riccardo Muti, Robert Schunk, Rosalind Elias, Roxana Constantinescu, Seiji Ozawa, Sergei Prokofiev, Set Svanholm, Sir Georg Solti, Sofiensaal, Sony Classical, Steven Spielberg, Sviatoslav Richter, Teldec, Van Cliburn, Victor Records, Vienna Boys' Choir, Wiener Singverein, Willard Elliot, Yo-Yo Ma, Yvonne Minton | 4 comments
The commercial recording legacy of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra—under second music director Frederick Stock—began on May 1, 1916. For the Columbia Graphophone Company (at an undocumented location in Chicago), they recorded Mendelssohn's Wedding March from A Midsummer Night's Dream; Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries from Die Walküre; and Grieg's Two Elegiac Melodies, Heart Wounds and The Last Spring.
Mendelssohn's Wedding March and Grieg's The Last Spring were each on the first 80-rpm disc issued in October 1916, and a Columbia Records sales brochure raved, "The deepest glories vibrant in such a familiar composition as Mendelssohn's Wedding March are unguessed until interpreted by such an orchestra as this. From the first trumpet fanfare to the great central crescendo is very joy and glory articulate! . . . There can be no pleasure beyond enjoying such music as the Chicago Symphony here brings to every music-loving home."
To commemorate this legacy, this collage of record and CD labels is on display in the first floor of Symphony Center's Rotunda through the end of the Orchestra's current—the 125th—season. Details of all of the recordings included are below (all recordings were made at Orchestra Hall unless otherwise noted).
Austrian pianist Artur Schnabel made his debut with the Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival on July 11, 1942, performing Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto with George Szell conducting. On July 22 and 24, Schnabel and the Orchestra recorded the Fourth along with Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto at Orchestra Hall for Victor Records. Frederick Stock conducted these, his last, recording sessions with the Orchestra; he died a few short months later on October 20.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra gave the U.S. premiere of Prokofiev's Scythian Suite under the baton of the composer on December 6, 1918. On March 16, 1945, third music director Désiré Defauw recorded the work for RCA.
Fourth music director Artur Rodzinski led the Orchestra in a complete performance of Wagner's Tristan and Isolde—with Set Svanholm and Kirsten Flagstad in the title roles—at the Civic Opera House on November 16, 1947. A month later on December 14, he led the Orchestra in recording sessions for the Prelude and Liebestod at Orchestra Hall.
For Mercury Records, fifth music director Rafael Kubelík led the Orchestra's first recording of Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition on April 23 and 24, 1951. Principal trumpet Adolph Herseth performed the opening fanfare.
On March 6, 1954, sixth music director Fritz Reiner and the Orchestra recorded together for the first time: Strauss's Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome and Ein Heldenleben for RCA. (Reiner's complete CSO catalog recently was re-released by RCA.)
At the third annual Grammy awards ceremony on April 12, 1961, the Orchestra's recording of Bartók's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta received the award for Best Classical Performance–Orchestra. Reiner had conducted the RCA release. That same evening, the Orchestra's recording of Brahms's Second Piano Concerto—also on RCA and with Erich Leinsdorf conducting—earned the award for Best Classical Performance–Concerto or Instrumental Soloist for Sviatoslav Richter. These were the first two Grammy awards earned for recordings by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Reiner led the Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Chorus (prepared by its founder Margaret Hillis), and mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias in Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky for RCA—the first recording collaboration with the Orchestra and the Chorus—on March 7, 1959, at Orchestra Hall.
Two years after winning the prestigious 1958 Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, Van Cliburn made his first recording with the Orchestra on April 16, 1960: Schumann's Piano Concerto with Reiner conducting for RCA. (A complete list of Cliburn's appearances and recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra can be found here.)
On March 19, 1966, seventh music director Jean Martinon led the Orchestra in recording sessions for Martin's Concerto for Seven Wind Instruments, Timpani, Percussion, and String Orchestra for RCA. Featured soloists were CSO principals Clark Brody (clarinet), Willard Elliot (bassoon), Donald Peck (flute), Dale Clevenger (horn, in his first week on the job), Ray Still (oboe), Adolph Herseth (trumpet), Donald Koss (timpani), and Jay Friedman (trombone). (Martinon's complete CSO catalog recently was re-released by RCA.)
Benny Goodman recorded Nielsen's Clarinet Concerto with the Orchestra on June 18, 1966, for RCA. Morton Gould conducted. (Gould's complete CSO catalog recently was re-released by RCA.)
At Medinah Temple on February 20 and 21, 1968, Leopold Stokowski and the Orchestra recorded Shostakovich's Symphony no. 6 for RCA.
Carlo Maria Giulini—the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's first principal guest conductor—recorded selections from Berlioz's Romeo and Juliet for Angel on October 13 and 14, 1969, at Medinah Temple.
The Orchestra made its second recording of Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade on June 30 and July 1, 1969, at Medinah Temple for Angel. Seiji Ozawa, the Ravinia Festival's first music director, conducted and concertmaster Victor Aitay was violin soloist.
During eighth music director Georg Solti's first season as music director, the Orchestra performed Mahler's Fifth Symphony at Carnegie Hall on January 9, 1970, and were called back for twelve curtain calls. Beginning on March 26 at Medinah Temple, Solti and the Orchestra committed their performance to disc—their first recording together—for London Records.
Daniel Barenboim, who would later become ninth music director, made his first recording with the Orchestra on November 11, 1970, at Medinah Temple. For Angel, he led sessions for Dvořák's Cello Concerto with his wife Jacqueline du Pré as soloist. (A summary of du Pré's association with the Orchestra is here.)
Before the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed the first concert of its first tour to Europe in 1971, Solti led recording sessions for Mahler's Eighth Symphony at the Sofiensaal in Vienna on August 30, 31, and September 1. Soloists included Heather Harper, Lucia Popp (more about Popp's performances with the Orchestra is here), Arleen Augér, Yvonne Minton, Helen Watts, René Kollo, John Shirley-Quirk, and Martti Talvela. The recording won three 1972 Grammy awards for Album of the Year–Classical, Best Choral Performance–Classical (other than opera) (for the Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, Singverein Chorus, and Vienna Boys' Choir), and Best Engineered Recording–Classical.
On December 13, 1977, Barenboim and the Orchestra recorded Bruckner's Sixth Symphony for Deutsche Grammophon, part of a complete cycle of the composer's symphonies that also included the Te Deum, Helgoland, and Psalm 150.
Following concerts in Orchestra Hall and Carnegie Hall, Solti led the Orchestra, Chorus, and soloists (including Hildegard Behrens as Leonore and Peter Hofmann as Florestan) and in recording sessions for Beethoven's Fidelio—"the first digitally recorded opera to be released," according to Gramophone—at Medinah Temple on May 21, 22, 23, and 24, 1979.
Second music director of the Ravinia Festival, James Levine led the Orchestra, Chorus, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, and soloists (June Anderson, Phillip Creech, and Bernd Weikl) in sessions for Orff's Carmina burana on July 9 and 10, 1984, for Deutsche Grammophon. The recording was awarded the 1986 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance (other than opera).
At the end of a subscription concert at Orchestra Hall on January 23, 1986, Solti led the Orchestra and Chorus in a spirited encore of the Chicago Bears' fight song "Bear Down, Chicago Bears" in anticipation of the team's Super Bowl victory. The day after the game, the work was recorded by London Records.
Solti led recording sessions at Medinah Temple for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony—the second time he and the Orchestra and Chorus had recorded the work—on September 28, 30, and October 7, 1986, for London. Soloists were Jessye Norman, Reinhild Runkel, Robert Schunk, and Hans Sotin. The release was awarded the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance.
Claudio Abbado, second principal guest conductor, led the Orchestra in Brahms's Double Concerto with Isaac Stern and Yo-Yo Ma (future Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant) as soloists on November 7 and 8, 1986, for CBS Records.
Closing the 97th season in June 1988, Leonard Bernstein led the Orchestra in performances of Shostakovich's First and Seventh symphonies. Recorded live by Deutsche Grammophon, the release received the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance.
On March 15, 16, and 17, 1990, Barenboim led the world premiere performances of composer-in-residence John Corigliano's Symphony no. 1, commissioned for the Orchestra. The live recording—Barenboim and the Orchestra's first on the Erato label—was awarded two 1991 Grammy awards for Best Orchestral Performance and Best Contemporary Composition.
The recording of Bartók's The Wooden Prince and Cantata profana led by Pierre Boulez for Deutsche Grammophon—recorded on December 19, 20, and 21, 1991—was awarded four 1993 Grammy awards: Best Classical Album, Best Orchestral Performance, Best Performance of a Choral Work, and Best Engineered Recording–Classical. (A complete list of Boulez's recordings with the Orchestra is here and his complete Grammy awards are here.)
Between 1993 and 1996, Levine led the Orchestra and Chorus in recording sessions at Medinah Temple for Disney's feature film Fantasia 2000. The movie was released on January 1, 2000.
Shortly after being named the Orchestra's third principal guest conductor, Boulez led sessions for Varèse's Amériques, Arcana, Déserts, and Ionisation in December 1995 and 1996. The Deutsche Grammophon release was awarded the 2001 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance.
In May 1997 at Medinah Temple, the Orchestra recorded Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain and The Three-Cornered Hat for Teldec. For Nights in the Gardens of Spain, Barenboim was piano soloist and Plácido Domingo conducted; for The Three-Cornered Hat, Jennifer Larmore was mezzo-soprano soloist and Barenboim conducted.
A former Youth Auditions winner and member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Rachel Barton recorded Brahms's and Joachim's violin concertos for Cedille Records on July 2 and 3, 2002. Carlos Kalmar conducted.
In his first concerts as principal conductor on October 19, 20, and 21, 2006, Bernard Haitink led the Orchestra, women of the Chorus (prepared by Duain Wolfe), the Chicago Children's Choir, and mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung in Mahler's Third Symphony. The work is recorded as the inaugural release on CSO Resound.
In May 2008, Haitink and the Orchestra recorded Shostakovich's Fourth Symphony for CSO Resound. The release was awarded the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance.
Boulez led the Orchestra in Stravinsky's Pulcinella, Symphony in Three Movements, and Four Studies in February and March 2009 for CSO Resound. Soloists in the Pulcinella were Roxana Constantinescu, Nicholas Phan, and Kyle Ketelsen.
On January 15, 16, and 17, 2009, Riccardo Muti—in his first concerts as music director designate—led the Orchestra, Chorus, and soloists (Barbara Frittoli, Olga Borodina, Mario Zeffiri, and Ildar Abdrazakov) in Verdi's Requiem. The subsequent CSO Resound recording was awarded 2010 Grammy awards for Best Classical Album and Best Choral Performance.
Following his first concert as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's tenth music director (for more than 25,000 people in Millennium Park) in September 2010, Muti led the Orchestra, Chorus, and soloists (Gérard Depardieu, Mario Zeffiri, and Kyle Ketelsen) in Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique and Lélio. The two-disc set was released on CSO Resound in September 2015.
On April 7, 9, and 12, 2011, Muti led concert performances—recorded by CSO Resound—of Verdi's Otello at Orchestra Hall. Along with the Orchestra, Chorus, and Chicago Children's Chorus, soloists included Aleksandrs Antonenko in the title role, Krassimira Stoyanova as Desdemona, and Carlo Guelfi as Iago.
In February 2012, Muti led world premieres by the Orchestra's Mead Composers-in-Residence: Anna Clyne's Night Ferry and Mason Bates's Alternative Energy. Both works were recorded for CSO Resound and released as digital downloads.
For Sony Classical, composer John Williams led the Orchestra and Chorus in recording sessions at Orchestra Hall for his soundtrack for the motion picture Lincoln. Director Steven Spielberg was on hand to supervise.
Cheers to the next 100!
125 Moments: 056 1971 Europe Tour
March 17, 2016 in Uncategorized | Tags: 125Moments, Arleen Augér, Carlo Maria Giulini, Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, CSO125th, Edward Greenfield, Grammy Award, Gramophone, Heather Harper, Helen Watts, John Shirley-Quirk, London Records, Lucia Popp, Martti Talvela, René Kollo, Singverein Chorus, Sir Georg Solti, Sofiensaal, Vienna Boys' Choir, Yvonne Minton | 2 comments
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra embarked on its first overseas tour to Europe in 1971, with music director Georg Solti and principal guest conductor Carlo Maria Giulini sharing conducting duties. The Orchestra was on the road for nearly six weeks, leaving Chicago on August 26 and returning on October 6, for a tour that included twenty-five concerts in fifteen venues in nine countries (Austria, Belgium, England, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, and Sweden), performing sixteen different works. No other international tour since has included more concerts or a wider variety of programming.
Tickertape parade down State and LaSalle streets on October 14, 1971 (Robert M. Lightfoot III photo)
Consistently welcomed and cheered by capacity audiences, the Orchestra received overwhelmingly favorable critical response. Upon their return to Chicago, the musicians received a hero's welcome: a tickertape parade down State and LaSalle streets on October 14, 1971.
Recording Mahler's Eighth Symphony at the Sofiensaal in Vienna (Robert M. Lightfoot III photo)
Before the Orchestra performed a single concert, there were four recording sessions for Mahler's Eighth Symphony at the Sofiensaal in Vienna beginning on August 30. The cast included sopranos Heather Harper, Lucia Popp, and Arleen Augér; mezzo-soprano Yvonne Minton; contralto Helen Watts; tenor René Kollo; baritone John Shirley-Quirk; bass Martti Talvela; and three choruses: the Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, the Singverein Chorus, and the Vienna Boys Choir.
In Gramophone, Edward Greenfield wrote, "Now at last Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand can be heard on record at something approaching its full, expansive stature. Here is a version from Solti which far more clearly than any previous one conveys the feeling of a great occasion. Just as a great performance, live in the concert hall, takes off and soars from the very start, so the impact of the great opening on 'Veni, creator spiritus' tingles here with electricity . . . [with] playing from the Chicago orchestra that shows up all rivals in precision of ensemble, Solti's performance sets standards beyond anything we have known before."
The London Records recording won three 1972 Grammy awards for Album of the Year–Classical, Best Choral Performance–Classical (other than opera), and Best Engineered Recording–Classical.
Carlo Maria Giulini and Georg Solti (Robert M. Lightfoot III photo)
This article also appears here. Some of this content previously appeared here and here.
Remembering Lucia Popp
November 12, 2014 in Uncategorized | Tags: Alexander Oliver, Anja Silja, Arleen Augér, Barbara Hendricks, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, Christiane Eda-Pierre, Covent Garden, Daniel Nelson, David Harvey, Donald Gramm, Doreen Rao, Frank Porretta, Frederick Swann, Gary Kendall, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Gordon Parry, Grammy Award, Gwynne Howell, Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Helmut Froschauer, Henry Mazer, Herbert Fliether, Jan DeGaetani, Jess Thomas, John Dunkerley, John Shirley-Quirk, Kenneth Riegel, Kenneth Wilkinson, Kurt Böhme, Leonard Slatkin, London Records, Louise T. Guinther, Lucia Popp, Malcolm King, Mallory Walker, Margaret Hillis, Maria Venuti, Martti Talvela, Möller, Medinah Temple, Michael Mailes, Mira Zakai, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Norbert Balatsch, Opera News, Rafael Kubelík, Ray Minshull, René Kollo, Samuel Jones, Singverein Chorus, Sir Georg Solti, Sofiensaal, Thomas Paul, Unitel, Victor Aitay, Vienna Boys' Choir, Walton Grönroos, WFMT, William Wahman, William Walker, Yvonne Minton | 5 comments
On November 12, 2014, we celebrate the seventy-fifth birthday of the extraordinary Slovak soprano Lucia Popp, a favorite soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra between 1970 and 1984.
According to Sir Georg Solti, one of her frequent collaborators in Chicago and at Covent Garden, "To my mind, there will never be a Sophie (in Der Rosenkavalier) or a Susanna (in The Marriage of Figaro) to equal hers." Popp's career was tragically cut short and she succumbed to brain cancer in 1993, only days after her fifty-fourth birthday.
Popp appeared and recorded with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on a number of notable occasions. Her complete performance history and discography is listed below:
March 12, 14 & 16, 1970, at Orchestra Hall
Anja Silja, soprano
Jess Thomas, tenor
Frank Porretta, tenor
Herbert Fliether, baritone
Kurt Boehme, bass
Thomas Paul, bass
William Wahman, tenor
Gary Kendall, bass-baritone
August 30, 31 & September 1, 1971, at Sofiensaal in Vienna (recording sessions only, no public performances)
May 5, 6 & 7, 1977, at Orchestra Hall
May 13, 1977, at Carnegie Hall
BEETHOVEN Missa solemnis in D Major, Op. 123
Following the Carnegie Hall performance, the work was recorded for London Records with multiple sessions in Chicago's Medinah Temple. Ray Minshull was the producer and Kenneth Wilkinson, John Dunkerley, and Michael Mailes were the engineers. The recording won the 1978 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance, Classical (other than opera) from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Lucia Popp in Strauss's Four Last Songs at Orchestra Hall in October 1977. Sir Georg Solti conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
October 17 & 19, 1977, at Orchestra Hall
STRAUSS Four Last Songs
These performances originally were recorded by Unitel for television broadcast and recently were commercially released on the four-DVD set Sir Georg Solti: The Maestro.
October 31, 1977, at Carnegie Hall
Sir Georg Solti, conductor (October 27 & 28)
November 1 & 2, 1977, at Carnegie Hall
Henry Mazer, conductor (November 1)
Sir Georg Solti, conductor (November 2)
December 13, 14, 15 & 16, 1978, at Orchestra Hall
MOZART Mass in C Minor, K. 427
Maria Venuti, soprano
Daniel Nelson, tenor
Samuel Jones, bass
March 13, 14, & 15, 1980, at Orchestra Hall
MOZART Mass in C Major, K. 317 (Coronation)
Rafael Kubelík, conductor
Mira Zakai, mezzo-soprano
Alexander Oliver, tenor
Malcolm King, bass
Originally recorded by WFMT for radio broadcast, this was released on the CSO's From the Archives, vol. 13 (Chicago Symphony Chorus: A Fortieth Anniversary Celebration).
October 21, 22, 23 & 24, 1981, at Orchestra Hall
MOZART Nehmt meinen Dank, K. 383
MOZART Ah, lo previdi, K. 272
December 7, 1981, at Orchestra Hall (special concert dedicating the newly installed Möller pipe organ)
HAYDN Benedictus from Missa brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo, Hob. XXII, No. 7
HANDEL "But oh! what art can teach" and "Orpheus could lead the savage race" from Ode for Saint Cecilia's Day
Frederick Swann, organ
March 19, 1984, at Uihlein Hall, Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee
MAHLER Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor
Walton Grönroos, baritone
A marvelous tribute to Lucia Popp by Louise T. Guinther appears in the November 2014 issue of Opera News.
Remembering John Shirley-Quirk
April 8, 2014 in Uncategorized | Tags: Aage Haugland, Arleen Augér, Benita Valente, Bradley Nystrom, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chorus of the Vienna State Opera, Claudio Abbado, Cyndia Sieden, Dale Prest, Donald Kaasch, Doreen Rao, Eugene Ormandy, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, György Fischer, Hartmut Welker, Heather Harper, Helen Watts, Helmut Froschauer, Isobel Buchanan, István Kertész, James Levine, Jennifer Jones, John Shirley-Quirk, Jon Frederic West, Josephine Veasey, Kaludi Kaludov, Katherine Ciesinski, Kurt Hansen, Kurt Link, Lucia Popp, Lucia Valentini-Terrani, Luigi Alva, Margaret Hillis, Margaret Price, Maria Ewing, Martti Talvela, Maximilian Schell, Norbert Balatsch, Paul Grizzell, Philip Langridge, Phyllis Curtin, Ravinia Festival, Raymond Leppard, René Kollo, Richard Cohn, Robert Tear, Rockwell Blake, Ruggero Raimondi, Samuel Ramey, Sergei Koptchak, Singverein Chorus, Sir Georg Solti, Sofiensaal, Vienna Boys' Choir, Yvonne Minton, Zehava Gal | 2 comments
Earlier today we heard of the news of the death of the remarkable English bass-baritone John Shirley-Quirk, as reported in The Telegraph.
Shirley-Quirk appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on a number of important occasions, as listed below (all appearances are subscription concerts at Orchestra Hall, unless otherwise noted):
December 16, 17 & 18, 1971
BACH Mass in B Minor
Margaret Price, soprano
Luigi Alva, tenor
June 27, 1972 (Ravinia Festival)
BRITTEN War Requiem
István Kertész, conductor (orchestra)
György Fischer, conductor (chamber orchestra)
Margaret Hillis, conductor (children's chorus)
Phyllis Curtin, soprano
Northwestern University Chorus and Concert Choir
Glen Ellyn Children's Theatre Chorus
July 3, 1975 (Ravinia Festival)
MAHLER Selections from Des Knaben Wunderhorn
James Levine, conductor
Maria Ewing, soprano
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS A Sea Symphony
Raymond Leppard, conductor
Isobel Buchanan, soprano
March 5, 6 & 7, 1981
Claudio Abbado, conductor
Maximilian Schell, narrator
Philip Langridge, tenor
Lucia Valentini-Terrani, mezzo-soprano
Aage Haugland, bass
Rockwell Blake, tenor
June 3, 4 & 5, 1982
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125
Eugene Ormandy, conductor
Benita Valente, soprano
Katherine Ciesinski, mezzo-soprano
Jon Frederic West, tenor
Kurt Link, bass (Shirley-Quirk canceled due to illness and was replaced by Link on June 5 only)
November 1, 2 & 4, 1984
MUSSORGSKY Boris Godunov
Ruggero Raimondi, bass
Zehava Gal, mezzo-soprano
Cyndia Sieden, soprano
Jennifer Jones, mezzo-soprano
Hartmut Welker, baritone
Kaludi Kaludov, tenor
Sergei Koptchak, bass
Kurt Hansen, tenor
Bradley Nystrom, bass-baritone
Donald Kaasch, tenor
Paul Grizzell, bass
Dale Prest, bass
Remembering Claudio Abbado, part 1
January 21, 2014 in Uncategorized | Tags: Aage Haugland, Adolph Herseth, Anna Larsson, Barbara Born, Benjamin Luxon, Berlin Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, Carol Neblett, Carter Brey, Cecile Licad, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Claudio Abbado, Claudio Desderi, Dale Clevenger, David Schrader, Donald Gramm, Duain Wolfe, Ellen Shade, Emily Ellsworth, Francisco Araiza, Frank Miller, Gabriela Beňačková, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Gwynne Howell, Hanna Schwarz, Helen Watts, Hildegard Behrens, Isaac Stern, Ivo Pogorelich, John Shirley-Quirk, Josef Suk, Ken Noda, Kennedy Center, Lucia Valentini-Terrani, Margaret Hillis, Margaret Price, Maria Ewing, Marilyn Horne, Mary Sauer, Maurizio Pollini, Maximilian Schell, Midori, Natalia Gutman, Pabst Theater, Philip Langridge, Pinchas Zukerman, Ray Still, Riccardo Muti, Rockwell Blake, Rudolf Serkin, Ruggero Raimondi, Salvatore Accardo, Samuel Magad, Samuel Ramey, Shlomo Mintz, Victor Aitay, Viktoria Mullova, Willard Elliot, Yo-Yo Ma, Yuzuko Horigome, Zoltán Kocsis | 3 comments
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the loss of Claudio Abbado, who served as our principal guest conductor from 1982 until 1985. Abbado died peacefully on Monday, January 20 in Bologna, Italy, following a long illness. He was 80.
A frequent and beloved guest conductor, Abbado made his debut with the Orchestra in January 1971, leading three weeks of subscription concerts at Orchestra Hall as well as a run-out concert to Milwaukee:
January 7, 8 & 9, 1971
January 11, 1971 (Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
BERG Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 3 in G Major, K. 216
Josef Suk, violin
BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73
. . . and Abbado's program book biography
January 7, 8 & 9, 1971, program page . . .
January 14 & 15, 1971
MAHLER Symphony No. 3 in D Minor
Barbara Born, director
January 21, 22 & 23, 1971
BARTÓK Piano Concerto No. 2
Maurizio Pollini, piano
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 1 in C Minor
He returned to Chicago frequently, both before and after his tenure as principal guest conductor—also leading domestic tour concerts including stops at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and New York's Carnegie Hall—and his final appearances with the Orchestra were in March 1991. Abbado's residencies included numerous collaborations with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and he also led the Civic Orchestra of Chicago on multiple occasions.
His repertoire with the Orchestra covered a broad spectrum including symphonies by Beethoven, Berlioz, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, and Tchaikovsky; concertos by Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, Berg, Brahms, Bruch, Chopin, Hindemith, Mozart, Prokofiev, Rachmaninov, Schoenberg, Schumann, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky; as well as twentieth-century works by Boulez, Ligeti, Rihm, and Webern. Some of Abbado's most memorable concerts included complete performances of Berg's Wozzeck, Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky, Schoenberg's Ewartung, Stockhausen's Gruppen for Three Orchestras, Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex and Pulcinella, and Verdi's Requiem.
Abbado acknowledges applause following a performance of Berg's Wozzeck on May 24, 1984 (J. Wassman photo)
Abbado collaborated with a vast array of soloists including instrumentalists Salvatore Accardo, Carter Brey, Natalia Gutman, Yuzuko Horigome, Zoltán Kocsis, Cecile Licad, Yo-Yo Ma, Midori, Shlomo Mintz, Viktoria Mullova, Ken Noda, Ivo Pogorelich, Maurizio Pollini, David Schrader, Rudolf Serkin, Isaac Stern, Josef Suk, and Pinchas Zukerman; vocalists Francisco Araiza, Hildegard Behrens, Gabriela Beňačková, Rockwell Blake, Claudio Desderi, Maria Ewing, Donald Gramm, Aage Haugland, Marilyn Horne, Gwynne Howell, Philip Langridge, Benjamin Luxon, Carol Neblett, Margaret Price, Ruggero Raimondi, Samuel Ramey, Hanna Schwarz, Ellen Shade, John Shirley-Quirk, Lucia Valentini-Terrani, and Helen Watts; narrator Maximilian Schell; and CSO members Victor Aitay, Dale Clevenger, Willard Elliot, Adolph Herseth, Samuel Magad, Frank Miller, Mary Sauer, and Ray Still.
Following his last CSO guest conducting engagement in 1991, Abbado returned to Chicago on three occasions with the Berlin Philharmonic:
Abbado's final appearance in Chicago, with the Berlin Philharmonic on October 10, 2001
MAHLER Symphony No. 9 in D Major
Anna Larsson, contralto
Duain Wolfe, director
Emily Ellsworth, director
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 (Pastoral)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
Statements on Claudio Abbado's passing from Maestro Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra can be found on CSO Sounds and Stories.
Solti 6: At Carnegie Hall
October 15, 2012 in Uncategorized | Tags: Adolph Herseth, Alan Opie, Alfred Brendel, Alfred Reichel, Alicia de Larrocha, Ann Murray, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Arthur Berg, Barbara Born, Barbara Pearson, Benjamin Matthews, Bernd Weikl, Birgit Nilsson, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Christa Ludwig, Cory Winter, Curtis Dickson, David Kübler, David Ward, Dimitri Kavrakos, Donald Gramm, Doreen Rao, Earl Wild, Elena Doria, Elizabeth Muir-Lewis, Elzbieta Ardam, Emilie Miller, Eugene Johnson, Faye Robinson, Francis Egerton, Franz Mazura, Frederica von Stade, Gabriele Schnaut, George Shirley, Gerhard Stolze, Gershon Silin, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Guillermo Sarabia, Gwendolyn Jones, Gwynne Howell, Hans Hotter, Hans Sotin, Heinz Zednik, Helen Watts, Helga Dernesch, Henry Mazer, Hermann Becht, Hildegard Behrens, Huguette Tourangeau, Isaac Stern, Isobel Buchanan, Isola Jones, Jack Abraham, Jan DeGaetani, Janis Martin, Jerry Jennings, Jess Thomas, Jo Ann Pickens, John Cheek, John Keyes, John Lanigan, José van Dam, Josephine Veasey, Julia Hamari, Karen Altman, Kathleen Battle, Katia Ricciarelli, Kenneth Riegel, Kiri Te Kanawa, Leo Nucci, Leontyne Price, Lucia Popp, Luciano Pavarotti, Malcolm Smith, Mallory Walker, Margaret Hillis, Martti Talvela, Mary Jane Johnson, Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus, Mignon Dunn, Nancy Clevenger, Norman Bailey, Peter Hofmann, Peyo Garazzi, Philip Creech, Philip Kraus, Ragnar Ulfung, Ralph Zeitlin, Ray Still, René Kollo, Richard Boldrey, Richard Cohn, Richard Lewis, Robert Johnson, Robert Savoie, Robert Tear, Roger Soyer, Rolf Kuhne, Ruth Hesse, Salvatore Accardo, Samuel Magad, Sandra Walker, Sarah Beatty, Sharon Powell, Shirley Verrett, Siegfried Jerusalem, Siegmund Nimsgern, Sir Georg Solti, Solti 100, Sona Ghazarian, Stephen Swanson, Stuart Burrows, Tamás Vásáry, Tatiana Troyanos, Terry Edwards, Theo Adam, Thomas Paul, tours, Werner Krenn, William Wahman, Wolfgang Brendel, Yordi Ramiro, Yvonne Minton, Zoltán Kelemen | 1 comment
During his tenure as music director, Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra traveled to Carnegie Hall nearly every season. A complete list of those concerts are below:
HAYDN Symphony No. 102 in B-flat Major
BARTÓK Dance Suite
BRAHMS Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68
MAHLER Kindertotenlieder
MAHLER Symphony No. 5
LEVY Concerto for Piano No. 1
Earl Wild, piano
MAHLER Symphony No. 7 in E Minor
Woglinde Karen Altman, soprano
Wellgunde Huguette Tourangeau, mezzo-soprano
Flosshilde Helen Watts, contralto
Alberich Rolf Kuhne, bass
Wotan David Ward, bass
Fricka Mignon Dunn, mezzo-soprano
Freia Karen Altman, soprano
Fasolt Martti Talvela, bass
Fafner Hans Sotin, bass
Donner Thomas Paul, bass
Froh Kenneth Riegel, tenor
Loge Gerhard Stolze, tenor
Mime John Lanigan, tenor
Erda Helen Watts, contralto
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (Rhenish)
BARTÓK Concerto for Orchestra
WAGNER Prelude to Act 1 of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
SCHOENBERG Moses and Aron
Moses Hans Hotter, speaker
Aron Richard Lewis, tenor
A Young Girl Karen Altman, soprano
A Young Man Kenneth Riegel, tenor
Another Man Benjamin Matthews, baritone
Priest Donald Gramm, bass-baritone
An Invalid Woman Emilie Miller, mezzo-contralto
Ephraimite Stephen Swanson, baritone
A Naked Youth Kenneth Riegel, tenor
Four Naked Virgins Barbara Pearson and Nancy Clevenger, sopranos; Sharon Powell, mezzo-soprano; Elizabeth Muir-Lewis, alto
Three Elders Alfred Reichel and Jack Abraham, baritones; Eugene Johnson, bass
Six Solo Voices in the Orchestra Barbara Pearson, soprano; Sharon Powell, mezzo-soprano; Elizabeth Muir-Lewis, alto; William Wahman, tenor; Stephen Swanson and Arthur Berg, baritones
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, D. 759 (Unfinished)
Shirley Verrett, mezzo-soprano
CARTER Variations for Orchestra
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14A
BERLIOZ The Damnation of Faust, Op. 24
Marguerite Josephine Veasey, contralto
Faust Stuart Burrows, tenor
Mephistopheles Robert Savoie, baritone
Brander Roger Soyer, bass
MENDELSSOHN Overture to Fingal's Cave, Op. 26
BARTÓK Concert for Violin, No. 2
STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40
WAGNER Act 3 of Götterdämmerung
Gutrune Karen Altman, soprano
Brunnhilde Helga Dernesch, soprano
Woglinde Barbara Pearson, soprano
Wellgunde Gwendolyn Jones, mezzo-soprano
Flosshilde Sandra Walker, mezzo-soprano
Siegfried Jess Thomas, tenor
Gunther Donald Gramm, bass
Hagen Martti Talvela, bass
Richard Boldrey, assistant director
MOZART Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 (Jupiter)
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7 in E Major
WEBER Overture to Oberon
HENZE Heliogabalus Imperator
BEETHOVEN Symphony No.3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55 (Eroica)
BACH Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068
MAHLER Symphony No. 6 in A Minor
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120
BARTÓK Bluebeard's Castle
Judith Tatiana Troyanos, mezzo-soprano
Bluebeard Zoltán Kelemen, baritone
MOZART Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385 (Haffner)
ELGAR Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 (Enigma)
STRAVINSKY The Rite of Spring
BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047
Samuel Magad, violin
Ralph Zeitlin, recorder
Ray Still, oboe
Adolph Herseth, trumpet
SCHOENBERG Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64
STRAUSS Salome
Salome Birgit Nilsson, soprano
Herodias Ruth Hesse, mezzo-soprano
Herod Antipas Ragnar Ulfung, tenor
Jokanaan Norman Bailey, baritone
Slave Sarah Beatty, soprano
The Page of Herodias Sandra Walker, mezzo-soprano
Narraboth George Shirley, tenor
Cappadocian Gershon Silins, bass
Two Nazarenes Cory Winter, tenor; Franz Mazura, bass-baritone
Four Jews Philip Creech, Jerry Jennings, John Lanigan, and William Wahman, tenors; Eugene Johnson, bass
Two Soldiers Curtis Dickson and Thomas Paul, basses
MOZART Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543
MAHLER Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
ELGAR Symphony No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 63
STRAVINSKY Symphony in C
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major
HAYDN Symphony No. 101 in D Major (The Clock)
LISZT Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major
Tamás Vásáry, piano
STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36
MENDELSSOHN Selections from A Midsummer Night's Dream
MOZART Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major, K. 595
Alicia de Larrocha, piano
DEBUSSY La mer
WAGNER Der fliegende Höllander
The Dutchman Norman Bailey, bass-baritone
Senta Janis Martin, soprano
Daland Martti Talvela, bass
Erik René Kollo, tenor
The Steersman Werner Krenn, tenor
Mary Isola Jones, mezzo-soprano
MOZART Adagio and Fugue in C Minor, K. 546
VERDI Four Sacred Pieces
Jo Ann Pickens, soprano
WALTON Belshazzar's Feast
David Ward, bass
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 70
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (Pathétique)
RAVEL Le tombeau de Couperin
DEBUSSY Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun
RAVEL La valse
HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major
WAGNER Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde
Solti was scheduled to conduct four concerts at Carnegie Hall in October and November 1977; however after suffering a fall in Chicago, he was forced to cancel the first two appearances. The October 31 performance of Mahler's Eighth Symphony was conducted by Chorus Director Margaret Hillis, and the November 1 program (identical to the November 2 concert) was led by Associate Conductor Henry Mazer.
ROSSINI Overture to The Barber of Seville
STRAVINSKY Jeu de cartes
BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15
Alfred Brendel, piano
BRAHMS Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98
BRAHMS Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90
BRAHMS Tragic Overture, Op. 81
BRAHMS A German Requiem, Op. 45
Bernd Weikl, baritone
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 6 in A Major
MUSSORGSKY/Rimsky-Korsakov Prelude to Khovanshchina
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 1, Op. 10
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 (Great)
Leonore Hildegard Behrens, soprano
Marzelline Sona Ghazarian, soprano
Florestan Peter Hofmann, tenor
Jaquino David Kübler, tenor
Don Pizarro Theo Adam, baritone
Rocco Hans Sotin, bass
Don Fernando Gwynne Howell, bass
Two Prisoners Robert Johnson, tenor and Philip Kraus, baritone
April 28 & 30, 1980
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 (Pastorale)
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 (Scottish)
WAGNER "Dich, teure Halle" from Tannhäuser
MUSSORGSKY/Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition
Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano
BRUCKNER Symphony No.4 in E-flat Major (Romantic)
Marguerite Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano
Faust Kenneth Riegel, tenor (May 1); Peyo Garazzi, tenor (May 2)
Mephistopheles José van Dam, baritone
Brander Malcolm King, bass
Wotan Siegmund Nimsgern, bass-baritone
Alberich Hermann Becht, baritone
Fricka Gabriele Schnaut, mezzo-soprano
Loge Siegfried Jerusalem, tenor
Mime Robert Tear, tenor
Erda Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano
Fafner Malcolm Smith, bass
Fasolt Gwynne Howell, bass
Freia Mary Jane Johnson, soprano
Donner John Cheek, bass-baritone
Froh Dennis Bailey, tenor
Woglinde Michelle Harman-Gulick, soprano
Wellgunde Elizabeth Hynes, soprano
Flosshilde Emily Golden, mezzo-soprano
MOZART Overture to The Magic Flute, K. 620
DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 (From the New World)
VERDI Falstaff
Sir John Falstaff Guillermo Sarabia, baritone
Ford Wolfgang Brendel, baritone
Fenton Yordi Ramiro, tenor
Dr. Caius Heinz Zednik, tenor
Bardolph Francis Egerton, tenor
Pistol Aage Haugland, bass
Mistress Alice Ford Katia Ricciarelli, soprano
Nannetta Kathleen Battle, soprano
Mistress Quickly Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano
Mistress Meg Page Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (Unfinished)
BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op 56a
LUTOSŁAWSKI Symphony No. 3
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67
BERG Concerto for Violin
Salvatore Accardo, violin
HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major (Drumroll)
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, D. 485
SCHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 65
BARTÓK Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin
TIPPETT Byzantium
Faye Robinson, soprano
VERDI Otello
Otello Luciano Pavarotti, tenor
Desdemona Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano
Iago Leo Nucci, baritone
Emilia Elzbieta Ardam, mezzo-soprano
Cassio Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor
Roderigo John Keyes, tenor
Montano Alan Opie, baritone
Lodovico Dimitri Kavrakos, bass
A Herald Richard Cohn, baritone
Terry Edwards, guest chorus master
Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus
Elena Doria, director


Like many South Africans I normally head for the coast over the holiday break, but not this year: I went to Iraq instead.
It's Christmas in Baghdad, and once again Iraq's Christians are celebrating behind blast walls and barbed wire.
Police on Tuesday said the explosion is an apparent attempt to destabilise the Shiite-led government.


EU Court Expands Penalties for Independent Contractor Misclassification – Who Is My Employee?
Crikey! Across the pond, worker misclassification is a hot topic, and the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has turned up the heat on companies using independent contractors.
In a closely watched case, the ECJ ruled that a commission-only sales contractor who was misclassified was entitled to receive payment for four weeks of annual holiday pay for the entirety of his engagement, 13 years, covering 1999 to 2012. The case is King v Sash Window Workshop Ltd., decided 29/11/2017 (US translation: 11/29/2017).
In the US, back pay in misclassification cases is often limited to two or three years. Statutes of limitation generally limit how far back a worker can go when seeking a recovery. But what about Europe?
Let's see. The European Court acknowledged that UK law allows four weeks of annual leave and does not allow unused weeks to be carried over to the following year. Ok, that's a good start and suggests back pay should be limited.
So when a salesman like Mr Conley King alleges that he was denied four weeks of annual leave for a 13-year period, shouldn't the recovery be limited? The most he could ever have is four weeks, right? In the US, the recovery likely would be limited, either because a court would apply the no-carryover rule or because the statute of limitations would limit the recovery to two or three years of lost leave.
Not so under UK and EU law, the European Court ruled.
The court awarded the salesman pay for four weeks of paid leave for all 13 years. That's a 42-week paid vacation. Call my travel agent, honey. We're going around the world!
The court ruled that, while a UK business may prevent carryover of unused holiday leave for its workers, its failure to offer holiday leave required a different result. Since the business prevented the worker from using any of his four weeks of leave in each of his 13 years, the business was now on the hook for the full four weeks for all 13 years that it deprived the worker of his paid holiday leave.
The case now goes back to a UK Court of Appeal.
Meanwhile, the decision raises the stakes on European companies who misclassify workers as independent contractors. The lookback period for lost benefits may now be unlimited, with statutes of limitation being ignored.
US companies with overseas independent contractors should pay close attention to those relationships. If the independent contractor status of those relationships is challenged, the business may be liable for substantially more past benefits than previously thought. That may mean rough seas ahead.
This entry was posted in Consequences, Contingent Workers, Gig Economy, Independent Contractor, Independent Contractor vs. Employee, Non-Employee Workers, Uncategorized and tagged EU, European Union, Independent Contractor, Independent Contractor Misclassification, Independent Contractor vs. Employee, UK. Bookmark the permalink.


text:
Armstrong offers students hands-on learning opportunities at UD's Webb Farm
As he took night classes in ornamental horticulture at the University of Delaware, Larry Armstrong realized something about the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (CANR) of which he had been previously unaware — the college had a livestock farm. Having grown up on a 400-acre farm with sheep, beef cattle and horses, Armstrong said to himself that if a job ever opened up on the farm, he would jump at the opportunity. Sure enough, in 1997, not a year after he started taking classes, a farm assistant position became open and Armstrong applied and set himself off on an 18-year journey that sees him now serving as farm manager for UD's Webb Farm. There, he oversees 20 beef cows, around 50 sheep and six horses. "It's a great multi-species farm and I started doing a lot of research and learning about multi-species grazing and actually breaking up the parasite cycle. We'll put cows out first and that will end the life cycle of a certain parasite that affects sheep, and then the horses can come through. They all graze a little bit differently. That's been working really well and it's beneficial for each species involved," said Armstrong. Animal health and natural resource management are two of the large priorities on the farm, but perhaps most important is the education component for UD undergraduate students. "That's really why we're here," Armstrong said. "We want to show them how we're doing the right things, the right way." At the Webb Farm, students from freshmen in the introductory animal and food sciences laboratory classes through seniors working on their capstone courses — as well as volunteers who work at the facility — get to experience hands-on learning opportunities with the animals, something that Armstrong said is vital to the farm's success. "So many universities with agriculture colleges of our size have gotten rid of or downsized their farms and it's a huge disservice," Armstrong said. "It's awesome and it's amazing to have the farm. The number one thing I hear from undergraduates and alumni is that their hands-on experience here, whether it's been on Webb or in the dairy, has really allowed them to apply their knowledge and to better understand through problem-based learning. What they've learned has been invaluable." Armstrong noted that he recently heard from a colleague that a CANR alumna who is now at veterinary school said her class is currently learning how to trim sheep's hooves, something that she learned at the farm as a freshman. "It's great when we can give them that foundation, and it's really about that foundation because, especially working with the animals, a big part of it is the confidence," Armstrong said. "If you've got a big cow and she's breathing in your ear and you're trying to work with her and give her medication, it can be a little unnerving. A lot of it is just practice and building that confidence. We try to give them that experience here because it's hard to find." Farm changes Armstrong said he has seen a lot of positive change over the years on the farm and one thing he is proudest of is the fact that he and Scott Hopkins, farm superintendent, were able to plant trees along the Cool Run stream corridor that runs through the farm and see those trees grow. "We called it 'Making Cool Run Cool Again,' as cool water supports more aquatic life and biodiversity," Armstrong said. "When the water heats up, it grows algae, lowering available dissolved oxygen and riparian buffers [a vegetated area near a stream] help prevent this by shading the water and capturing nutrients. I can go on and on about how awesome trees and buffer zones are. We started planting trees there and did two or three phases. Some of the oldest trees go back to that first summer I worked here in 1998, and they're beautiful big oak trees now, so it's pretty cool." Armstrong is also proud of the fact that the farm started a compost operation about 10 years ago, taking all the organic material generated and composting it, then reapplying it on the parts of the farm that can best use the matter. "We always pick the field with the lowest organic matter and focus on that. That really helps lock up the nutrients. We're not putting raw manure out on the field, we're composting it and locking it up," said Armstrong, who added that one of the things he finds fascinating about composting is watching up to 20 tons digest and work down to half of that. "It's amazing. It just slowly biodegrades and it's beautiful stuff. That's the new thing I geek out on is the compost, that's what we're sort of experimenting with. We keep data and have sheets from 10 years worth of temperatures on this stuff," said Armstrong. Well-rounded students Being well-rounded and well-versed on a multitude of topics, from pasture rotation to animal health to composting, as well as being able to adapt and think outside the box, are among the core tenets that Armstrong hopes to instill in the students who come through Webb Farm during their time at UD. "It's really great to see them apply what they've learned and be able to problem solve because I don't want to be that guy who is like, 'Do this, this and this and don't ask questions.' They need to learn how to figure it out because it's biology, there's no constant, there's no absolute. Things are always changing, we always have these X-factors come up and that's exciting. If you can think it out, it really teaches them to problem solve and I think that's a big thing a lot of students are missing these days," said Armstrong. Armstrong also said that his goal in exposing students to life on the farm is to help them become not only great veterinarians and farm managers in the future, but also more well-rounded as individuals. "They can be brilliant scholars but so many people are missing that agricultural foundation now. It used to be a given. Almost everyone came or knew somebody and did some farm work, but we've shifted almost the other way," Armstrong said. "There are suburban areas growing and our farms are getting bigger and there's less need for labor, which is more efficient, but you miss some of those nuances, for sure. It's all connected, and I think it's going to make them not only great veterinarians and farm managers but also good people because they're learning where their food comes from, whether it's vegetables or animals. They're learning the foundation and the basics." Article by Adam Thomas Photos by Wenbo Fan This article can also be viewed on UDaily.
December 8, 2015 CANR News, Spotlight on SuccessAnimal and Food Sciences, department of animal and food sciences, Larry Armstrong, Scott Hopkins, UD Farm, UD Webb Farm, University of Delaware Farmanthomas
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Home / Articles / Out There
Restructuring for Dummies
If you know how to swing the restructuring axe with flair then your future is assured. Places like this near Green Lake, Fiordland, on the other hand aren't so lucky.
Mark Banham
1 June 20131 Jun '13
Our beloved leaders are sharpening up the secateurs and getting ready to give DOC a prune. But do they really know what they're doing? Surely they do. But just in case, here's a few words of advice for those politicians in charge to help them along the way
Congratulations on deciding to downsize the Department of Conservation! A downsize (you might like to call it a 'restructure', it sounds nicer) is a great way to shave a few bucks off the national budget, but there are a few things you should know before you begin.
No doubt this whole restructure thing was as big a surprise to you as it was to everyone else. At the last election, when the New Zealand public voted with an emphatic shrug of the shoulders to bring National back for another term, nobody thought the former foreign-exchange trader turned PM would choose cash over conservation.
But he did. And that decision has trickled down the chain of command like so much dairy farm runoff a chance to pass it on to the folk at DOC.
In private business it's rare to get an opportunity like this; the massive public relations and employee relations fall-out of laying off staff means that when most companies want to adapt, they simply stop hiring in certain areas, retrain in others and let the process happen gradually.
The 'turning the place upside down and shaking it' technique you're using on DOC is usually reserved for really short-sighted companies who don't see a crisis coming until it's too late – and organisations at the whim of elected officials who change every few years.
Sadly you probably won't get the chance to fire as many people as you'd actually hoped. You see as soon as you make the announcement that you're going to get rid of those useless 'back office bureaucrats', it's pretty safe to say that any employees with in-demand skills will be updating their résumés, resigning and shuffling off to Australia ASAP.
Once that happens, the staff you'll be left with are those who are either suffering from some sort of learned helplessness disorder (Think: Stockholm syndrome – "they're doing it because he loves us") or who are just hanging on for a few years until they retire.
But that's okay, an organisation entirely devoid of movers and shakers is placid and subservient; it doesn't complain about digging mines in Paparoa or tunnels to Milford and it politely acquiesces to intensive tourism – but it's best not to talk too loudly about that – we're officially doing this to "make the organisation more efficient", shifting the balance of power away from the tree huggers is just a bonus.
The best bit about this is that Kiwis love their national parks, so after you've sacked those professionals, you can just recruit an army of volunteers to do a lot of the work. Yep, people will do the darndest things for free these days; they'll pull up weeds, trap pests, maintain and staff huts; but sadly, it's tough to get volunteers to do boring desk work, so you'll need to make sure you have a good collection of middle managers and administrators to look after them.
What's that? You just fired them? Oh well, never mind. You can just hire in consultants to do that stuff – that'll give all those out of work bankers who didn't make the jump in to politics before the financial crisis something to do.
So much fun to look forward to.
But it's not just fun, it's serious business that'll look great on your resumé. You're about to join the ranks of people like Al Dunlap and Roger B. Smith; two of the business world's revered executives.
Roger Smith is a household name thanks to Michael Moore's film Roger and Me. Smith's leadership of General Motors through the worst decade of the company's history, complete with a ham-fisted restructure is the stuff of legend. But Al Dunlap is really the master when it comes to downsizing.
Dunlap, who's lovingly known as 'Chainsaw Al' spent his career hopping from company to company applying what Time magazine called 'a myopic obsession with his companies' financials at the expense of absolutely everything else' before getting the chop himself in 1995 and walking away with a hundred-million-dollar golden handshake. Great men indeed – and sought after too; as you will be if you can pull this off smoothly.
If you can show the world that you look snazzy in a black hood and know how to swing an axe, you've set yourself up for life. Because chances are Teflon John and Co. aren't going to be around for much longer and whoever replaces them inevitably have their own opinions on how things should be run, which means a fresh round of reorganisation – re-restructures!
If you can pull it off, your future is assured, unlike the future of our threatened species, wild places, and talented people… but they don't have a value you can measure, so it's best not to worry about them.
It takes more than just your average idiot to downsize an organisation as important as DOC, but we're sure you're the right idiots for the job. Good luck!
More from June 2013:
Simple Thai stir fry
More from Out There:
More from Out There
Building boardwalks from the forest
The taxonomy of concern
Sensing the wild
Made of New Zealand
I walk, therefore I am
Boredwalks
Contradictions abound in Denniston and Milford proposals
A virtual backcountry world
Welcome to Fiordland!
Preconceived ideas
Cook's Classroom
Exploration to be remembered
Potamophobia and the politics of fear
The highs and lows of going hard and how to push through
Our Wild Heart
Time for a brew
Bonsai, luck and adversity
Bright young things
Voices from the cold
'Bloody DOC'?


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False Flag Dog-Wag Warning
by Paul Street
I'm not a Truther and never have been. I don't obsess over the JFK assassination, which (however) always sort of struck me as a CIA and/or Mafia and Cuban exile hit. My interactions with conspiracy theorists over the years since 9/11 have been ugly and close at times to violent.
I have never run across a nastier group of fake-macho paranoid-style know it all Know Nothing bullies in all my life. In my experience, the 9/11 truth crowd makes the Spartacus Youth League look like a nice little tea party when it comes to flinging venomous abuse at serious left intellectuals and activists.
That said, let me declare something else I've been thinking since the Inauguration of the Orange Haired Beast as President of the United States: the time has never been riper for a false flag terror attack. Reality television product Donald Trump and his top political advisor, Steve Bannon, a veteran right wing propaganda filmmaker, need a dog to wag.
Think about it. The BannonTrumPence administration came in with the lowest popularity numbers in the history of the modern U.S. presidency. Herr Donald lost the popular vote by nearly 2 million tallies. His presidency has been one Twitter-fueled travesty after another, from his ridiculous Day One trip to the CIA headquarters to his clumsy, unconstitutional, and widely protested Muslim travel ban to his bizarre charge that Barack Obama bugged his phones to his epic fail on Obamacare. The ridiculous Trump's current approval rating (36%) fell to new record lows twice this week. What a loser!
Trump will at some point face backlash from the white middle and working class constituency that voted him into office because he wasn't Hillary Clinton and because of his fake-populist promise that he would represent their interests in the White House. There's nothing forthcoming for working class families and rural Americans from Trump's arch-plutocratic agenda of tax-cuts and de-regulation. Many of his backers are going to realize that they were played and that his pledges were nothing but hot air.
What to do? Trump and Bannon are certainly cognizant of two key bits of history. First, they remember George W. Bush's low-popularity prior to the September 11, 2001 jetliner attacks. Dubya also came into the White House after losing the popular vote. He was also widely understood to be an arrogant and moronic jackass. Then the planes hit the towers and the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania and Bush Junior's popularity numbers went through the roof. It was an overnight transformation – enough to embolden Bush43 and his neocon handlers to go ahead with their longstanding dream of invading Iraq (despite the curious fact that Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks).
Second, Trump and Bannon certainly recall the roles that the Paris and Sacramento attacks played in boosting his white nationalist paranoid-style candidacy. As Mike Lofgren reminds us in the preface to the paperback edition of his widely-read volume The Deep State: The Fall of the Constitution and the Rise of a Shadow Government, the nation's ubiquitous, elite-generated, paranoia-inducing "message of fear about terrorism…helps explain why Trump's candidacy took off like moon rocket in November and December of 2015, the period of the terrorist attack in Paris and the murders in San Bernardino." As Lofgren recalled:
"Government officials and corporate media whipped up a mood in the country that approached hysteria. Trump deftly exploited that mood to his advantage. By being the only politicians brazen enough to openly advocate torture – not merely to gain information, but to inflict pain for its own sake – he tapped into the revenge fantasies of millions of Americans who have been fed a steady diet of fear since 9/11…Voters in the Republican primary in South Carolina who handed Trump a walkover victory declared terrorism to be their foremost concern, one that eclipsed a low-wage economy — deteriorating living standards that have led to an actual increase in the death rate of the GOP's core demographic of late-middle-aged, non-college educated whites; and the most expensive and least available health care in the so-called developed world. So while Trump — a Vietnam-era draft avoider who appeared not even to know what the nuclear triad was — could hardly be considered a product of the national security sector, his demagogic skills and authoritarian demeanor placed him in a far better position than his rivals to exploit the national neurosis created by the war on terror."
Note the wry look of confidence on Trump's face even as his promise to repeal Obamacare went up in flames. Maybe he's got Bannon and others at work producing a great new propaganda film to be released this spring: "ISIS Attacks the Homeland 2017." I wonder if he'll be willing to sacrifice one of his Trump buildings to the production.
Whoever gets the job a few rungs down the ladder of plausible deniability is going to have to do better than Kellyanne Microwave Conway's "Bowling Green Massacre."
But seriously, you don't have to be "Truthy" to worry about false flags these strange dystopian days. Noam Chomsky has taken massive abuse from the 9/11 conspiracy crowd for not buying the "Inside Job" storyline on the jetliner assault. He's a noted and longstanding critic of conspiracy thinking. Listen however to Chomsky's response to Alternet's Jan Frel when she recently asked him if Trump's supporters will turn against the freaky new royal brute in the Oval Office anytime soon:
"I think that sooner or later the white working-class constituency will recognize, and in fact, much of the rural population will come to recognize, that the promises are built on sand. There is nothing there. And then what happens becomes significant. In order to maintain his popularity, the Trump administration will have to try to find some means of rallying the support and changing the discourse from the policies that they are carrying out, which are basically a wrecking ball to something else. Maybe scapegoating, saying, "Well, I'm sorry, I can't bring your jobs back because these bad people are preventing it." And the typical scapegoating goes to vulnerable people: immigrants, terrorists, Muslims and elitists, whoever it may be. And that can turn out to be very ugly. I think that we shouldn't put aside the possibility that there would be some kind of staged or alleged terrorist act, which can change the country instantly."
It isn't just that the current historical moment cries out big dog wag. This is a presidency that has merged fact and fiction to a degree that is off the historical scale. One of Trump's senior counselors, the bizarre Conway, has openly advanced the notion of "alternatives facts." Trump's top political advisor Steve Bannon is a noted war geek and has produced films and run a website designed precisely to twist current events in accord with a hard-right white nationalist/fascist agenda. Bannon's whole life is all about Fake News and Fake History. A dominant narrative in his rich propaganda resume is the notion that Wester Judeo-Christian "civilization" is in a life or death struggle with radical Islam. Now he sits in a high seat on the National Security Council, itching for a pretext to unleash a New Crusades, replete with the use of tactical nuclear weapons and the torture of Islamo-terrorists' family members.
Besides building both his real estate career and his political rise largely on the manipulation of the news media and on Unreality Television, Trump is addicted to falsification and lies. He is a one-man Fabrication Machine, armed with a "big beautiful Twitter account" that regularly spits out absurd and false charges ("Obama tapped my phones") and claims (he "won the popular vote") without the slightest hint of remorse.
The Trump White House's serial falsifications are straight out of Goebbels, Hitler's Third Reich propaganda minister. "Repeat a lie a thousand times," Goebbels said, "and it becomes the truth." Goebbels used that principle to run his horrific campaign against Jews and he succeeded in the most dreadful way imaginable.
It's the same idea with Trump's preposterous assertions that the United States is being ravaged by wild hordes of illegal alien criminals or that climate change is not indisputably the result of human activity. Recite the myth again and again and – like the insane right wing talk radio claim that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were radical Marxists (ask a radical Marxist like me about that!) – it becomes comes a material force in history.
That certainly happened with the Bush administration's claims that Saddam Hussein's Iraq was linked to al Qaeda and 9/11 and stockpiled with deadly weapons of mass destruction – gigantic deceptions that were disseminated with no small help from the mass media (including no less of a "liberal" outpost than The New York Times) that the right-wing noise machine loves to absurdly and ubiquitously describe as "liberal" and even "left."
Of course, the White House and its more well-placed "deep state" backers could be egged on to the commissioning of a false flag operation by the Democrats' own impressive Fake News operation – Russiagate. Maybe the Democrats' effort to preposterously portray Trump as a Manchurian president under the control of the Kremlin will encourage him to direct his dog-wag at the Russians. What better way to undermine the Russia charges than to engage in a hopefully controlled military conflict with Moscow in Ukraine or Syria?
A real terrorist attack is probably more likely than a "staged or alleged one." Trump has clearly kept the U.S. imperial military machine set on kill in the Muslim world. His body count already includes some big, mass-murderous, women- and child-killing assaults on civilians in Yemen and Iraq. He's got U.S. killers on the ground in Syria. He's only getting started. This and his travel ban and more are certainly inciting Islamo-terrorist cells and fans at home and abroad. And who's to say that many in and loyal to the current presidency wouldn't be more than happy to let a major ISIS-like attack occur in a major U.S. city one of these days? They'd figure it would be just the Reichstag Fire they need to make their liberal and left critics shut the Hell up – something Bannon told media operatives to do just five days into the current presidency.
According to a 1990 Vanity Fair interview, Trump's first wife Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that Trump kept a book of Hitler's speeches near his bed: "Last April, perhaps in a surge of Czech nationalism, Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler's collected speeches, My New Order, which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed … Hitler's speeches, from his earliest days up through the Phony War of 1939, reveal his extraordinary ability as a master propagandist," Marie Brenner wrote.
Having followed Trump's speeches and Tweets (at no small cost to my own mental health) over the last few months, I don't find it at all difficult to believe that Trump was an enthusiastic reader of Hitler's 1930s speeches.
Truth these days is stranger than dystopian political science fiction (Orwell, Huxley, Bradbury, Philip K. Dick, etc.) in the U.S. Along the way the boundaries between political truth and such fiction have merged to a frightening degree. We may have a short window to undertake a democratic people's revolution to save social justice, livable ecology, popular governance, and truth itself.
More articles by:Paul Street
Paul Street's latest book is They Rule: The 1% v. Democracy (Paradigm, 2014)