Cavani & Shostakovich

Cavani String Quartet

Annie Fullard, Mari Sato, violins ; Kirsten Docter, viola ; Merry Peckham, violoncello

On December 1, the Cavani String Quartet will perform an all Shostakovich program at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a part of the chamber music festival. Besides performing the 7th and 8th quartets, Sergei Babayan will join them in a performance of the Quintet for Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 57.

This week’s Classical Music Library featured playlist includes this repertoire as performed by the Manhattan Quartet, the St. Petersburg Quartet, and the Boston Symphony Players.

The Naxos Music Library features recordings of the quartets by the Yggdrasil and Eder Quartets (no. 7, no. 8). You can listen to recordings of the Quintet as performed by the Vermeer Quartet (with Boris Berman, piano) and the Borodin Trio (with Mimi Zweig, violin & Jerry Horner, viola).

Want to hear more of the Cavani? Check out the following:

CDc 1967
Maurice Ravel, Quartet in F major.
Béla Bartók, Quartet no. 4.

CDc 1158
Donald Erb, String quartet no. 2.

CDc 4293
Antonín Dvorák, Quartet in F major, op. 96, “American.”
Robert Schumann, Quartet no. 1 in A minor, op. 41, no. 1.

CDc 7890
Johannes Brahms. Quartet no. 3, op. 67.
Johannes Brahms. Quintet no. 2, op. 111 (with Donald Weilerstein, viola).

CDc 4517
Dmitrii Shostakovich, String quartets nos. 1, 7 and 14.

CDc 4439
Dan Welcher, Harbor music.

CDc 9000
Margaret Brouwer, Demeter prelude.

The links to the Classical Music Library & the Naxos Music Library are specific to the Case/CIM network community.

Beethoven’s Early Quartets

In its current issue (Nov/Dec 2006), the American Record Guide provides an overview of Beethoven quartet recordings and lists their editors’ top picks. As we have introduced several digital music collections in the past week, today we will explore which of Beethoven’s early quartets are accessable from the library’s digital and physical collections.

The Classical Music Library features all six op. 18 quartets as recorded by the New Budapest Quartet for Hyperion Records. This week’s CIM Library featured playlist includes these recordings.

The Naxos Music Library features the Kodaly Quartet’s interpretation of op. 18, no. 1-6. The ARG article observes that “Tempos are relaxed, tone is warm and sweet, sound is pleasant, and they play expressively, with plenty of feeling–though they are never intense or gripping.”

Listen to the Kodaly recordings via the Naxos Music Library:

• String Quartets Op. 18, Nos. 1 and 2
• String Quartets Op. 18, Nos. 3 and 4
• String Quartets Op. 18, Nos. 5 and 6

The following recordings are among the American Record Guide’s top picks (CIM CD numbers are indicated):

• Alban Berg Quartet (EMI Classics) – Cdc 2712, Cdc 2713
• Guarneri Quartet (BMG) – Cdc 625
• Tokyo String Quartet (RCA Victor) – CDc 2868
• Italiano String Quartet
• Borodin String Quartet
• Kodaly String Quartet

What is your perspective of these recordings?

American Music in celebration of Thanksgiving

CDc 5602
Aaron Copland the populist
Contents: Billy The Kid; Appalachian Spring; Rodeo: Buckaroo Holiday, Corral Nocturne, Saturday Night Waltz, Hoe Down.
Performers: San Francisco Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor

CDc 6462
A Copland celebration. Vol. 3, Vocal and choral works
Contents: Old American Songs, Sets 1 And 2; Twelve Poems Of Emily Dickinson; In The Beginning; Lark; The Tender Land.
Performers: New England Conservatory Chorus; Columbia Symphony Orchestra; Choral Art Society, New York Philharmonic; Aaron Copland, piano and conductor

CDc 10,569
Ives plays Ives
Contents: Transcriptions from Emerson; Studies; Improvisations; Piano Sonata No. 2; Largo; They are there! March for piano No. 6

CDc 939
John Adams conducts American elegies
Contents:
Ives: The Unanswered Question; Five Songs
Ingram Marshall: Fog Tropes
Morton Feldman: Madame Press Died Last Week At Ninety
John Adams: Eros, Piano
David Diamond: Elegy In Memory Of Maurice Ravel
Performers: Orchestra of St. Luke’s; John Adams, conductor

CDc 6311
Amy Beach, Arthur Foote, Arthur Farwell, Preston Ware Orem
Contents:
Preston Ware Orem: American Indian Rhapsody
Arthur Farwell: Navajo War Dance; Pawnee Horses; The Old Man’s Love Song
Amy Beach: Sonata For Piano And Violin In A Minor, Op. 34
Arthur Foote: Sonata For Piano And Violin In G Minor, Op. 20
Performers: Peter Basquin, piano; New World Singers, John Miner, conductor; Gilbert Kalish, piano, Joseph Silverstein, violin

CDc 407
Samuel Barber: Orchestral & Chamber works
Contents: Adagio for strings; Summer music; Four excursions; Dover Beach; String quartet.; Vanessa, Intermezzo from Act II; Toccata festival.
Various Performers

Please welcome DRAM

We are proud to welcome the Database of Recorded American Music to our ensemble of digital streaming services. DRAM is a digital streaming service that provides access to CD quality audio, complete and original liner notes and essays from New World Records, Composers Recordings, Inc. (CRI) and other important labels dedicated to preserving contemporary American music. DRAM offers the educational community on-demand, high-quality (192kbps/MP4) streaming access to complete works.

Currently, there are over 1,200 CDs (7,500 compositions) in DRAM. The basis for the current collection is the diverse catalogue of American music recordings by New World Records. From folk to opera, Native American to jazz, 19th century classical to early rock, musical theater, contemporary, electronic and beyond, New World has served composers, artists, students and the general public since its inception in 1975 with a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

The Database of Recorded American Music may be browsed by several indexes including composer, artist, ensemble, instrument, and record label. QuickTime 6.5.2 or later is the preferred media player.  This resource may be accessed from the library webpages under the link Find Streaming Audio. DRAM is accessible from any campus-networked computer or off-campus using Case’s VPN Client.

The CIM Library welcomes your feedback about the Database of Recorded American Music.

Announcing the Classical Music Library

This academic year, the CIM library will be introducing several new digital streaming services. Today, we are happy to announce a new subscription to the Classical Music Library. It joins other digital streaming services such as the Naxos Music Library & Naxos Fantasy Jazz. A product of Alexander Street Press, the Classical Music Library provides online access to an extensive body of music recordings. This collection features labels such as EMI, Sanctuary Classics, Hyperion, CBC, and others. The Classical Music Library was developed to serve as a comprehensive resource for libraries. We hope you will take advantage of this new service. This resource may be accessed from the CIM Library webpages under the link Find Streaming Audio.

Highlights of ClassicalMusic.com

• Create your own free account within the Classical Music Library. This enables you to develop your own playlists.
• The Classical Music Library has developed themed playlists. You will find playlists that coordinate with the Norton Anthology of Western Music and other anthologies, including Wright, Stolba, and Kerman. Students can now prepare for listening exams from the comfort of their dorm room.
• Faculty members may develop their course playlists and make them available to all students. Please contact Bonnie Houser if you would like to provide this service to your students.
• The option to download recordings for a fee to your personal computer or mp3 player. This is a service of Alexander Street Press (similar to iTunes).

These resources are accessible via any campus-networked computer. CIM & Case sudents and faculty members may access these services off-campus using Case’s VPN Client.

The World of Period Instrument Recordings

All these recordings feature performances on authentic (or reproductions of) period instruments.

CDc 8982 – Franz Joseph Haydn, 6 great Masses.
The Monteverdi Choir; The English Baroque Soloists; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

CDc 5121, 5122 – Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphonies.
Orchestre révolutionnaire et romantique; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

CDc 2045 – Claudio Monteverdi, L’incoronazione di Poppea.
Sylvia McNair; Anne Sofie von Otter; Dana Hanchard; Michael Chance; Francesco Ellero d’Artegna; Catherine Bott; Bernarda Fink; Roberto Balconi.
The English Baroque Soloists; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor

CDc 6610 – George Frederick Handel, Theodora.
Susan Gritton, soprano; Susan Bickley, alto; Robin Blaze, countertenor; Paul Agnew, Angus Smith, tenors; Neal Davies, baritone.
Gabrieli Consort & Players; Paul McCreesh, conductor

CDc 4489 – Johann Sebastian Bach, St. Matthew Passion.
Barbara Schlick, soprano; René Jacobs, alto; Howard Crook, Hans-Peter Blochwitz, tenors; Ulrik Cold, Peter Kooy, basses.
Chapelle Royale; Collegium vocale de Gand; Philippe Herreweghe, conductor.

CDc 9269 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Le nozze di Figaro.
Véronique Gens, Patrizia Ciofi, Marie McLaughlin, Nuria Rial, sopranos; Angelika Kirchschlager, mezzo-soprano; Kobie van Rensburg, tenor; Simon Keenlyside, baritone; Lorenzo Regazzo, Antonio Abete, basses.
Collegium Vocale Gent; Concerto Köln, René Jacobs; conductor.

CDc 7838 – George Frederick Handel, Messiah.
Barbara Schlick, Sandrine Piau, sopranos; Andreas Scholl, alto; Mark Padmore, tenor; Nathan Berg, bass.
Les Arts Florissants; William Christie, conductor.

Question of the week: How do I locate an analysis?

Student: I need to find an analysis of Bernstein’s Jeremiah Symphony for a paper I’m writing for a class?

Analyses of music may be found in a variety of sources including journal articles, books, dissertations and on the Internet. Here are some tips for the search:

• Does the library have a bio-bibliography of the composer? These bibliographies will lead you to sources that discuss your composition. Check the library’s reference collection at ML 134. These books usually have “bio-bibliography” or “guide to research” as a sub-title.
• Books? To find books, look up the composer as a subject heading in the library catalog. Look through the list for the genre or the name of the piece as a sub-heading. Also check out the books listed under “Composer name – criticism and interpretation.” See the U-T Analysis Index. This will list books that discuss the composition.
• The best way to access the literature in journals and magazines is by searching RILM Abstracts of Music and Music Index. You can even include the word “analysis” in your search. Who knows, there may be a dissertation devoted to your piece.
• Musical Analyses: an annotated guide to the literature by Henry Diamond (Collier Macmillan Canada, c1991) is another favorite resource. Although dated, it lists analyses of music in the canon of Western art music. This book is located in our reference collection at ML128.A7 D541 1991.

For some compositions, the analytical literature is pretty sparse. Bonnie Houser, reference librarian, would be happy to assist you. Don’t hesitate to drop her an email or stop by her desk for advice.

NewMusicBox

NewMusicBox is an innovative resource developed by the American Music Center that provides news, information and forums for the American composer and those interested in American music. NewMusicBox provides opportunities for editorials and discussions about current issues in music. The site provides an RSS feed. You will also find online concert web-casts. There is also a companion site to NewMusicBox, the NewMusicJukebox that enables composers to submit profiles, sound files and scores to the online community. Explore NewMusicBox and feel free to post your comments about it below.

John Mack (1927-2006)

Yesterday at Severance Hall, a prolific musical tribute was offered in memory of oboist John Mack. As a performer and pedagogue, John Mack had an immense impact on the Cleveland Institute of Music and its students/alumni, many who performed at the memorial. In his tenure at CIM, John Mack performed many recitals both as a soloist and chamber musician. The library collection includes 36 recordings of CIM recitals featuring John Mack. This brief glimpse at selected pieces in this collection provides a perspective of the breadth of his repertoire and the musicians he collaborated with.

Library Recordings featuring John Mack
A selective list of repertoire

CIM-CD 1059
Bach, Johann Sebastian. Weihnachts-Oratorium. Flosst mein Heiland, flosst dein Namen. John Mack, oboe; Elizabeth DeMio, piano; Christiana Pierce, soprano.
February 21, 2001.

CIM-CD 1059
Griebing-Haigh, Margaret. Bocadillos Floridianos. John Mack, oboe; Elizabeth DeMio, piano. February 21, 2001.

Cassette 719
Holst, Gustav. Terzetto, flute, oboe & viola. John Mack, oboe; Joshua Smith, flute; Robert Vernon, viola. January 11, 1995.

Cassette 235
Loeffler, Charles. Rapsodies, oboe, viola & piano. John Mack, oboe; Robert Vernon, viola; Eunice Podis, piano. October 12, 1983.

Cassette 354
Martin, Frank. Piece breve, flute, oboe & harp. John Mack, oboe; Jeffrey Khaner, flute; Yolanda Kondonassis, harp. April 30, 1986.

Cassette 318
Poulenc, Francis. Trio, piano, oboe & bassoon. John Mack, oboe; Eunice Podis, piano; George Goslee, bassoon. May 12, 1985.

CIM-CD 1119
Prokof’ev, Sergeii Sergeevich. Quintet, woodwinds & strings, op. 39. John Mack, oboe; Peter Salaff, violin; Jeffrey Irvine, viola; Lawrence Angell, double bass; Daniel McKelway, clarinet. February 13, 2002.

CIM-CD 1240
Ravel, Maurice. Sonatina, piano; arr. John Mack, oboe; Elizabeth DeMio, piano. January 23, 2004,

These recordings are available for in-library use only.