John Clare's Composing Thoughts LIVE: February 2010

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Composing Thoughts Heggie

A talk with Jake Heggie and host John Clare.

Don't miss a chance to hear Jake's amazing music:
Apr 30, May 2-16
Dallas Opera presents the world premiere of Moby-Dick, a new opera by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer. The cast features Ben Heppner (Ahab), Stephen Costello (Greenhorn), Morgan Smith (Starbuck), Jonathan Lemalu (Queequeg), Talise Trevigne (Pip), Robert Orth (Stubb), Allan Glassman (Flask), and Jonathan Beyer (Captain Gardiner). Patrick Summers conducts and Leonard Foglia directs. Production design is by Robert Brill with lighting by Donald Holder and costumes by Jane Greenwood. Co-commissioned by Dallas Opera, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, State Opera of South Australia and Calgary Opera.

And also in May 2010:
May 8-16
Chicago Opera Theater presents Three Decembers by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer. Frederica von Stade stars as Madeline Mitchell with Sara Jukubiak (Beatrice) and Matthew Worth (Charlie); conducted by Stephen Hargreaves, production by Leonard Foglia.

Friday, February 19, 2010

New film music?

Martin Scorsese's new film Shutter Island (Paramount Pictures) debuts in theatres on today (February 19) and features the music of composers Krzysztof Penderecki and György Ligeti on an immense and haunting soundtrack produced by Robbie Robertson of The Band. Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane, the film features music from Penderecki's Symphony No. 3 and Fluorescences as well as Ligeti's Lontano and Two Etudes for Organ. Each of these monolithic scores plays a vital role in the ominous, sinister world that Scorsese creates in this film about a US Marshall investigating the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane off the coast of Massachusetts. The soundtrack to Scorsese's film is already available on the commercial recording Shutter Island: Music from the Motion Picture, released by Rhino on February 2. Produced by Robbie Robertson, the soundtrack features a number of modern classics, in addition to the Ligeti and Penderecki works, performed by the San Francisco Symphony, the National Polish Radio Symphony, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Vienna Philharmonic and other leading orchestras and ensembles.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Composing Thoughts Hagen

Daron Hagen recently visited San Antonio for the world premiere of his Northern Lights. He spoke with John Clare about this new work:

Hear Northern Lights with the YOSA Philharmonic and Troy Peters:

You might also enjoy these podcasts of previous interviews with Daron in preparation of Northern Lights for YOSA players:

YOSA Podcast: Daron Hagen 4 from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

YOSA Podcast: Daron Hagen 3 from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

YOSA Podcast: Daron Hagen 2 from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

YOSA Podcast: Daron Hagen 1 from Classical Spotlight on Vimeo.

Composing Thoughts LIVE

Composing Thoughts LIVE covered the world premiere of Souviners by Richard Danielpour in June 2009.
John Clare's Composing Thoughts LIVE was presented twice with the Cypress String Quartet and composer Kevin Puts in the Bay area in April 2009.
When the Austin Symphony gave the world premiere in May 2009 of Dan Welcher's Symphony #5, John had his cameras rolling at the composer's studio at UT Austin.
Composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez's Musica pur una tiempo got coverage by Clare when SOLI Chamber Ensemble premiered the work in March 2009.
Composer Jennifer Higdon joined in a conversation at WITF's Public Media Center, Saturday March 8th, 2008 from 3 to 5 p.m.
Higdon spoke with WITF host John Clare about her music, creativity, and answered questions from the audience.
Her Percussion Concerto, as well as String Poetic, were on the program.

About the host

John Nasukaluk Clare is a classical music enthusiast. A broadcaster for National Public Radio, Voice of America, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation and stations in Texas, Kansas, Nevada, California and Pennsylvania, programs and interviews by John have been heard around the world.
Clare accepted the 38th Annual Deems Taylor Award from ASCAP in December 2005. In 2004 Mr. Clare received the Electronic Media Award for Best Radio Show in Las Vegas, and the same evening, the award for Best OnAir Talent. The following year, John was a finalist for Best Radio Show and for Radio Manager of the Year.
He has played the violin for over twenty eight years, from New York to Nevada, including performances with tenors Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli. He has also been a member of the Nevada Chamber Symphony, Southern Nevada Musical Arts Society, Glen Willow Symphony Orchestra, Shreveport Symphony, Abilene Philharmonic and Wichita Symphony Orchestra. An avid chamber music lover, John founded the Las Vegas Chamber Music Society in 2004.
John is a new music aficionado and Polish Music Scholar who is also a webmaster for ClassicallyHip.com and WalterMays.com. Currently Clare works at Texas Public Radio ands serves as a media consultant to New Music USA; he was the Executive Director of SOLI Chamber Ensemble, on the board of the American Music Center and the San Antonio Chamber Music Society. He plays with the Mid Texas Symphony.