Classical Connection

Welcome to the Classical Connection

dean.frey — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 11:05:06 -0700

Welcome to the Classical Connection, a showcase for Red Deer Public Library's collections, programs and services relating to classical music. The classical music scene in Red Deer and Central Alberta is an exciting place right now - I'll keep an eye on upcoming events, and post them here. I'll also add regular stories about interesting sites I come across on the web. Stay tuned!

Do you have a classical music event to announce? Contact us at info [at] rdpl [dot] org

Piano Project at CUC

dean.frey — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 09:43:21 -0600

Learn more about The Piano Project, an ambitious fundraising and musical undertaking at Canadian University College at Lacombe.

Coming up: two Benefit Concerts, one in Lacombe, and the other in Red Deer:

Benefit Concerts - Three Pianos & an Orchestra

Two benefit concerts for the Piano Project, with works for orchestra, piano & orchestra, and THREE pianos & orchestra!

With CUC CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Saturday, April 12, 2008 at 8:00 p.m.
College Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church

AND

Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.
Gaetz Memorial United Church (Red Deer, AB)

An exciting presentation of orchestral and soloist repertoire for orchestra, orchestra + piano, and orchestra + three pianos!. CUC venue: freewill offering / Red Deer venue: $10 Adults (18 and over), $5 Children (under 18)

RDSO's Final Concert coming up

dean.frey — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:04:11 -0600

Spring into Passion
Saturday, April 26, 2008, 8:00 pm
Red Deer College Arts Centre

Guest Artist: Daniel Moran

Beethoven Coriolanus Overture, Op. 62
Rakhmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 in c minor, Op. 18
Brahms - Symphony No. 3 in F, Op. 90

[Classical Connection]

Pulitzer Prize for Music 2008

dean.frey — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:53:10 -0600

The winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Music is Bang on a Can founder David Lang's amazing piece "The Little Match Girl Passion." Read this story from NPR. Better still, you can listen to the entire piece online, at the Carnegie Hall Commissions website.

Two other interesting music bits from the Pulitzer announcements:

Alex's Ross's The Rest is Noise was shortlisted for the non-fiction book prize, and Bob Dylan was given a "Special Citation in Music" due to his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."

Toronto Consort at CUC

dean.frey — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:21:06 -0700

This looks like an interesting concert in Lacombe. Check out the Toronto Consort website.

Toronto Consort
Sunday, February 3, 2008 at 7:00 p.m.

Canadian University College Admin. Building Auditorium

Toronto Consort is Canada's leading early music chamber ensemble, specializing in the vocal and instrumental music of the Middle Ages, Renaissance and early Baroque. Their captivating performances include voice, lute, recorder, guitar, flute, early keyboards and percussion. Experience a magical journey to earlier times!

Dale Wheeler in Concert

dean.frey — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:47:30 -0700

Here's a concert to note in your calendar. The repertoire and pianist sell this concert, but everyone is dying to hear the new piano!

Dale Wheeler in Concert February 10
January 28, 2008

The Department of Music and RE/MAX present Dale Wheeler In Concert
Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue
Sunday, February 10
Studio A at 2pm

Piano instructor and Chair of the Performing Arts, Dr. Dale Wheeler, brings his unique style and repertoire to an afternoon recital in the intimate setting of Studio A. Dale will perform an eclectic mix of styles, genres and composers. The recital opens with a dramatic Classical sonata by Joseph Haydn and concludes in the 20th century with Béla Bartók's dynamic Rumanian Dances.

In between, works also to be featured include the French Baroque and American Impressionism. Also included is a brief, but fascinating, work by Red Deer composer Vernon Murgatroyd. Birds, fountains, royalty, gypsies, the blues - these subjects all make their appearance during the course of the program. This is your opportunity to hear the College's magnificent new Steinway concert grand - every note will be used!

RDSO Sold Out, but...

dean.frey — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:48:58 -0700

Here's the latest news from the Red Deer Symphony:

Cowboy Celtic: Sagebrush and Heather is now SOLD OUT. In response to this demand, the RDSO will be selling the Dress Rehearsal at our January pops concert. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.

The next concert features the Brahms Requiem:

Shine Eternal Light
Saturday, March 15, 2008, 8:00 pm
Red Deer College Arts Centre

Guest Artist: Festival Chorus with soloists Eve-Lyn de la Haye, Soprano and John Conlon, Baritone

This piece is performed in its entirety without a break. 70 min

Brahms German Requiem, Op. 45

Metropolitan Opera in Red Deer

dean.frey — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:11:17 -0700

It was great to see the recent article in The Advocate: Opera on the big screen in Red Deer. The Park Plaza Theatre - right here in our own town! - is offering live performances from The Met in New York. Check out this page at cineplex.com for upcoming events.

I'm excited about the performance of Wagner's Tristan & Isolde on March 22 (encore presentation April 12), which features Canadian superstar Ben Heppner, along with Deborah Voigt as Isolde. We have three Heppner discs at the Classical Connection on Level 2 in the Downtown Branch, and plenty of good opera-related reading in our non-fiction collection. Also, check out our growing selection of operas on DVD.

Park Plaza Red Deer
Address: 5214 47TH Ave.
Tel: 403-347-6440

Free Bach - Free Ysaÿe

dean.frey — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:55:37 -0700

Here's a story that's making a big splash: Violinist Tasmin Little is giving away her new studio recording of Bach and Ysaÿe - entitled The Naked Violin - free on the Internet. Check out her website here, and watch for a story in the upcoming BBC Music magazine, which you can read at the Library. This marketing strategy, borrowed from the recent, fabulously successful Radiohead album launch on the Internet, seems like a great idea to build new markets for classical music.

We'll make sure we order a copy of the CD for our collection.

Upcoming RDSO Concert

dean.frey — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:24:22 -0700

The next Red Deer Symphony Orchestra concert is less than a month away. For tickets, call Ticketmaster at 340-4455.

Tinsel and Tradition
Saturday, December 8, 2007, 8:00 pm
Red Deer College Arts Centre

Guest Artists: Voicescapes

Charpentier Une jeune pucelle
Kelly-Marie Murphy - Huron Carol Interlude **
A selection of Christmas music
Bach Cantata No. 80, Wachet Auf

Highlighting Calgary's vocal quartet Voicescapes, this concert will celebrate Christmas through miniatures and masterpieces. Experience the genius and humanity of Johann Sebastian Bachs Cantata Wachet Auf as well as a variety of antique favourites.