Mellow and Musical

This week has been a good one, starting with last week's concert. It was a fabulous performance that got a very favorable review in the F W Star Telegram.  The second part of the concert was the Dvorak Cello Concerto with soloist Johannes Moser.  Prior to the concert I had purchased his CD with the Dvorak on it and I was lucky enough to be first in line to have him autograph the cover for me.  I really liked the little Cellist he drew on his shirt on the cover.  His performance was a rapturous rendition of one of my favorite concerti as was the rest of the concert.

The concert energized me for the week and it turned an ordinary week into an upbeat experience topped off with another raise on Friday as well as the weekend off.  I have been house vegging all weekend just because I could.  I spend so much time on the run it is nice to have nothing to do for a change

I have a check up appointment so my surgeon can look at my surgical wound and its healing.  It looks good in the mirror but there is a depression where the cyst was that I am hoping will fill back in over time.  but I have full use of my arm and shoulder which is the important thing.

I don't have much on the agenda this week, so I am hoping for and upbeat yet quiet week at work.  They have adjusted my schedule at my request and my doctors behest to slw down.  Like I mentioned earlier, the weekend is mine as I approached their wwallet and said surely there is someone you could pay less than me to stand at the register for 3 hours while Robin did the work which is basically my function on Saturday.  My replacement makes 2 dollars an hour less and I have one less work day in my week.  They have also adjusted the Tuesday Truck Night so I am only there from 10 pm to 2 am  help with the truck and then go home.  This will make it easier for me with a few less hours (which I don't need) and one less work day (which I do need).  Let's hope my upward trend and mellow mood continue into the coming weeks and months ahead.

The play list for today contains one of my all time favorite transciptions. The Sonata for Arpeggione and Pianoforte in A minor, D 821 by Franz Schubert was written for an instrument  very similar to the Violoncello.  The Arpeggione as an instrument is no longer around and this Sonata is the sole surviving composition for that instrument.  Today it is hauntingly beautiful in the modern transcription most often heard for Cello and Piano.  The first recording in the playlist is the 1976 recording featuring Lynn Harrell on Piano and James Levine of the NY Metropolitan Opera on Piano.  However I also find it wonderfully transcribed for Viola and Guitar and just as hauntingly beautiful.  The latest recording and the second in the playlist is by the duo of Andrea Dieci & Duccio Beluffi recorded live in Parma at the Auditorium Casa della Musica on May 29th 2016 at the Niccolò Paganini Guitar Festival.  It is posted just below for your listening pleasure followed in due course by some Eye Candy below the playlist. This is for those not into man art who may scroll no further than the play list after reading my c0mmentary of the week.  Thanks for the visit, please do come again.  As always, Enjoy!

Sunday Morning Concert

Hello and welcome to your Sunday Morning Concert.  Today we feature one group of Musical Artists, I Virtuosi del Teatro alla Scala and two Composers, Wolgang Amadeus Mozart and Arcangelo Corelli.  Both performances are recorded live at il Teatro alla Scala.   Posted down below are Mozart's first and last compositions with the play list reading:

Symphony Number 1in E flat major, K16
1. Allegro molto 12:00
2.Andante 04:22
3.Presto 07:18
Divertimento "Ein Musikalischer Spass ( A Musical Joke) " K. 522 in F major
5.Allegro 09:25
6.Menuetto Maestoso 24:22
7. Adagio cantabile 18:33
8. Soon 23:39
Divertimento K. 113 in E flat major
1. Allegro 27:48
2. Andante 30:42
3. Menuetto 34:06
4. Allegro 35:51
Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A major, K.622
1.Allegro 37:56
2.Adagio 50:02
3.Rondò- Allegro 57:30

Over on my tumblr you may join I Virtuosi for their performance of Corelli's Christmas Concerto  “Fatto per la Notte di Natale”.

Then to add some visual beauty to the aural, posted down below are some prime examples of Art in the Male Form from the Nichevo Archives, all of whom are Naked or Nearly So!.  Then on my tumblr you will find Your Hottie of the Day! to be 'Sultry, Sexy & Smokin' Hot!'.  Thanks for the visit, see you again real soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Sunday Morning Concert: The New York Philharmonic

Hello and Welcome to your Sunday Morning Concert.  Instead of featuring the works of a single Composer for our concert selections this morning, I have chosen rather to feature the performers instead.  When one thinks of the world's great orchestras, several come to mind.  Bothe the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonics and the London Symphony Orchestra most readily along with of course, the New York Philharmonic.  

The NYP is of course the shining star of the world of Classical Music in the United States.  I have chosen for these pages to feature a superb performance from the Summer of 2013 recorded live at the home of the New York Philharmonic, Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.  Under Conductor Bramwell Tovey, the Philharmonic embarks on a dynamic performance of Gustave Holst's "The Planets". Three days after this concert, Conductor Alan Gilbert took the Phil on a picnic in the park for their performance of Tchaikovsky's Symphony Number 5, Opus 64.  That concert was recorded live at Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and you may treat yourself to their performance over on my tumblr.   

For a little lascivious photographic augmentation of these marvelous performances for your visual pleasure to add to your listening experience.  You will find this week's titillating collection of lusty lads who are Naked or Nearly So! posted down below in all their deliciousness.  Over on my tumblr, I have a vintage BW photograph to delight you as Your Hottie of the Day! entitled 'Youth, Uncut'.   Thanks for sharing a part of your Sunday with me, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy

Sunday Morning Concert

Hello!  Welcome to your Sunday Morning Concert coming to you today from the new turbo charged Nichevo 2.0!  As you have surmised from the opening line, the building of my new computing platform is complete and running on all cylinders.  Ain't technology wonderful?  After the many days filled with equal parts of anticipation  and trepidation, the end result of Nichevo 2.0 is more wonderful than I had imagined and so much faster than anything I have ever had the pleasure of owning.  And it all started with this pile of parts:

And here is a first look at the new monitor and a close up of my new (Will's former) processor:

The only thing not shown in these two photos that became necessary was the video card which, at the time I took the photos, I did not know I needed. It turns out the Asus Motherboard Will had been using did not have integrated graphics so there was no video port on the board.  This made the addition of a video card necessary to be able to take advantage of all the features of the monitor.  Luckily, Will had retained his original  Nvidia Geforce GTX560 Ti when he went to his present graphics card.  The wow factor of the display went up about a 1000 % with its installation.  I can also watch video in full HD for the first time and boy that is a vastly improved and incredibly beautiful experience!

The process did present its challenges as I had only ever modified an existing build.  I had never taken an empty box and turned it into a working, viable computing platform.  The experience was definitely educational.  It was also stressful, volatile, emotional, frustrating, joyful, sometimes tearful and yet ultimately satisfying at the end of the more than three hours it took to accomplish.  The end result was this sleek, powerful platform sitting at my side, ready to do my bidding:

The Fractal R4 Scandinavian designed, German engineered case is minimalist, beautiful and contains many hidden and some readily apparent features.  

The front panel opens to reveal two DVD burners and the pop out front fan module that has space for two fans although only one is installed.  There is also a rear fan, a fan on the power supply and one on the CPU.  The only fan not behind a removable filter is the one on the CPU, but it only moves already filtered air so one there is not really necessary:

The side of the case has a window through which to observe the inner workings of Nichevo 2.0 which has room for up to 10 HDD or SSD easy out trays in two cages that can be removed or rearranged to support various configurations: 

Thus we have Nichevo 2.0 Unleashed on the world: 

I am still discovering the many wonderful aspects of having a computer that accomplishes what you want almost simultaneously with the thought to do so.  The real estate available on my desktop allows me to multitask with ease with and see what is happening in both tasks at the same time.  

The operating parameters as recorded by Speccy as I am writing this look like this: 

I can put my hand on the window on the side and it feels cold which means the temperatures inside the case are well within established the safe operating limits. The most amazing thing so far is the speed at which tasks are accomplished. Web pages render almost before the thought to open them is completed, uploads and downloads a blindingly fast and the visual experience is marvelously magnificent. I also will not have to upgrade for my computing needs for quite some time into the future.  Of course my requirements are much less demanding than Will's as he Games and I generally do not.  Although, now I could if that was what I wanted to do.  However, I think I already have quite enough activities to keep me more than occupied.  Adding Gaming to the mix would probably cause a meltdown of my inner core causing massive damage to my psychological capacity to generate rational thought.  

Bur before proceeding with further explorations into the world of modern computing, I guess I had better get on to this morning's concert lineup and the male art you have come to expect before it becomes afternoon.  I am in a deeply satisfied and mellow mood this morning so I thought I would go with a little Johannes Brahms to ease our way into Sunday.  Posted down below is his Piano Concerto Number 2, Opus 83 with today's performance coming to you from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and was their Sunday Morning Concert on January 16, 2011 in the Great Hall.  On stage is the Radio Chamber Philharmonic under the baton of Michael Schønwandt with Ronald Brautigam as your Piano Soloist.  Over on my tumblr is a beautifully intimate performance of Brahms' Piano Trio Number 1, Opus 8 coming to you from the Jurriaanse Doelen Auditorium in Rotterdam.  That performance is by Hagai Shaham on Violin; Arnon Erez on Piano and Raphael Wallfisch on Cello.

Your fine male art selection this morning come from deep in the Nichevo archives for these smoldering studs who are Naked or Nearly So! which you will find posted down below.   Over on my tumblr, Aden and Jordan are your intimately  entwined double play Hottie of the Day!  Thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with me, tune in tomorrow as we began another week of Music, Men & More! powered by Nichevo 2.0!!  See you then, until next time as always, Enjoy!

Sunday Morning Concert: "The Gourmet Blend of the Week"

Welcome to the Weekend and your Sunday Morning Concert.  I really excited about today's program as it blends some of my favorite elements together for a marvelous and magnificent concert experience.  Naturally there is a story behind the reason for my excitement, or I would not be Uncle Gerry, right?  So let me tell you all about it.  

The other evening at work a lovely young women comes strolling up the aisle to my register saying: "It is so wonderful to Classical Music as I walk through your store".  This of course led to a discussion of our shared love of Classical Music in general, the Cello in particular and my blog/tumblr.  The lady was a Cellist with the Brazos Chamber Orchestra and she really made my night with our conversation.  In honor of our mutual love of the Cello and Classical Music I embarked on a search for something really appropriate for today's concert footage.  I think I found the perfect blend for program today.  

In 2011, after meeting as teenage Classical Musicians, and idea was conceived to fill a concert arena with only the sound of their two instruments.  That bit of creative genius began a series of events that leads to this morning's concert presentation.  The two musicians made a trip to one of their hometowns where they met with another friend.  This meeting produced the concept for their first You Tube video which went viral with over 3 million views in the first weeks it was up.  I am talking about the amazing duo of Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser, the two drop dead gorgeous Cellist of 2Cellos and their video of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal.  

In 2013, after a whirlwind of activity that included touring with Elton John and appearances on Ellen, the Tonight Show and a great number of Classical venues across the world.  These two guys have damn near perfected the blend of the Classical with the Avant Garde for a truly unique concert experience for young and old alike.  As they say, their audience is form 7 to 77, no one is excluded.  This morning I therefore bring you their celebration of success with the self described "Concert for the Whole Life" in an exciting, unforgettable and emotional evening at the beautiful Roman Colosseum in Stjepan's hometown of Pula, Croatia. The concert took place on 3rd of July, 2013 and is posted down below.  Be ready to Rock the House as this concert will bring you to your feet and keep you there.  Over on my tumblr is the Red Bull Documentary "From Pula 2 Pula" telling the story of Luka and Stjepan's journey from "zero to hero" that culminated in the concert footage down below.  

As for your Sunday dose of Male Art, I delved into my archives for these classic photos from my earliest days on the internet in this week's edition of  Naked or Nearly So! posted down below.  Over on my tumblr you will find the Hottie of the Day! who is "Wet, Blond and Beautiful".  Thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with me, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Sunday Morning Concert

Welcome to the Weekend and Your Sunday Morning Concert.  It is a 3 day weekend for most in the US with tomorrow being the last official day of the Summer season as we celebrate Labor Day.  Rather than feature a single composer's works in today's concert performances, we are celebrating the 'labors' of Dutch Violinist Janine Jansen.  Janine began to study the violin at age 6. Her father and both her brothers are also musicians. Her mother is a classical singer and is a sister of the bass Peter Kooy. Jansen studied with Coosje Wijzenbeek, Philippe Hirschhorn, and Boris Belkin. She is married to Swedish conductor Daniel Blendulf. 

She has eschewed tradition by recording with only five solo strings rather than an orchestra, including her brother as cellist and father playing continuo. In live concerts, she has received standing ovations from enthusiastic audiences, for example at the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra 2006 concert at Berlin's Waldbühne, with a full attendance of 25,000, and in Los Angeles at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008 to a sold-out audience. Jansen has performed on the 1727 Stradivari "Barrere" violin, which was on loan from the Stradivari Society of Chicago.  She currently plays on the "Baron Deurbroucq", also crafted in 1727 by Stradivari, which is owned by the Beare's International Violin Society.  She has begun her own chamber music festival in Utrecht. She has been a member of Spectrum Concerts Berlin since 1998.

Earlier this summer, the 2015  International Chamber Music Festival was held in Utrecht, Netherlands in the comfortably intimate confines of the TivoliVerendenberg Theater.  Janine is joined by a great number of her musical friends to celebrate Chamber Music in June of each year.  The Opening Concert from this year's Festival, recorded on June 24 at the TivioliVrendenberg Theater is posted below.  Janine is joined by friends Gregory Ahss [Violin], Nimrod Guez [Viola], Nicolas Alstaedt [Cello], Rick Stotijn [Double Bass], Andreas Ottensamer [Clarinet], Fredrik Ekdahl [Bassoon] and Radek Barborák [Horn] for a superb performance of Franz Shubert's Octet in F Major.  Over on my tumblr, Janine is joined by Denis Kozhukhin [Piano], Boris Brovtsyn [Violin], Amihai Grosz [Viola] and Julian Steckel [Cello] for their performance of Bela Bartók's Piano Quintet in C, Sz23 recorded on June 26.  

Finally for this Sunday morning, this week's celebration of the au natural beauty of the male form, Naked or Nearly So!, is posted down below for your visual appreciation.  Meanwhile over on my tumblr, your Hottie of the Day! is one hot 'Art Deco Adonis'.  Thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with me, see you again tomorrow as we begin another week of Music, Men & More! here on Nichevo.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Sunday Morning Concert

While listening to the radio in the car on Saturday, the program host began an introduction of Beethoven's favorite among his String Quartets, Number 14 in C Sharp Minor, Opus 131.  In his introduction, the host mentioned a 2012 film, A Late Quartet, in which the Fourteenth played a prominent role.  Here is a brief synopsis of the film:

A Late Quartet is a 2012 American drama film co-written (with Seth Grossman), produced, and directed by Yaron Zilberman.^[3][4] The film uses chamber music played by the Brentano String Quartet and especially, Beethoven's Op. 131.

As the Fugue String quartet approaches its 25th anniversary, the onset of a debilitating illness to cellist Peter Mitchell (Christopher Walken), forces its members to reevaluate their relationships. After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Peter announces his decision to play one final concert before he retires. Meanwhile the second violinist, Robert (Philip Seymour Hoffman), voices his desire to alternate the first violinist role, long held by Daniel (Mark Ivanir). Robert is married to Juliette (Catherine Keener), the viola player of the group. Upon discovering Juliette does not support him in this matter, Robert has a one-night stand. Further complicating matters, their daughter, Alexandra (Imogen Poots), begins an affair with Daniel, whom her mother once pined for. Yet bound together by their years of collaboration, the quartet will search for a fitting farewell to their shared passion of music and perhaps even a new beginning. 

It was an entertaining film filled with great music.  The music in the film thus inspired research into Beethoven's Late Quartets and consequently today's concert selections.  These six quartets (counting the Große Fuge) comprise Beethoven's last major, completed compositions. Although dismissed by the musicians and audiences of Beethoven's time, they are widely considered to be among the greatest musical compositions of all time, and have inspired many composers and musicians. Igor Stravinsky described the Große Fuge as "an absolutely contemporary piece of music that will be contemporary forever". Richard Wagner, when reflecting on Op. 131's first movement, said that it "reveals the most melancholy sentiment expressed in music". The quartets have been performed and recorded by string quartets worldwide.

At one time the most famous String Quartet in the world was the Alban Berg Quartet (retired, 2008) who in 1989 recorded all of Beethoven's Late String Quartets in a live performance in what could only be described as an intimate setting.  Posted down below are two excerpts from that concert, String Quartet Number 14 in C Sharp Minor, Opus 131 a work in seven movements.  Beethoven intended for this Quartet to be performed 'attacca' which is defined as : Attack or attach; go straight on (i.e. at the end of a movement, a direction to attach the next movement to the previous one, without a gap or pause).  Beethoven himself rated the Fourteenth as his most perfect single work.

The second excerpt in the play list is Beethoven's String Quartet Number 15 in A Minor, Opus 132 which holds a beauty all its own.  To complete today's concert selections, over on my tumblr, you may join the ABQ for a final excerpt from their 1989 performance, the String Quartet Number 16 in F Major, Opus 135.

To heap incredible beauty on top of glorious music is the aim of this fabulously sexy edition of Naked or Nearly So! posted down below.  Meanwhile your Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr is full of 'Anticipation...'  just waiting for you.  Thanks for sharing part of your Sunday Morning with me, join me again tomorrow as we being another week of Music, Men & More!  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Saturday Evening Concert

Welcome to the Weekend and your Saturday Evening Concert.  I have a couple of terrific classic live performance recordings lined up for you tonight.  The concerts, both here in these pages and over on my tumblr, offer excellent interpretations of the Music of my favorite Russian Gay Icon & Composer, Pyotr Tchaikovsky.  Tonigh's performances feature all star casts, the recordings of which I am sure will last forever. 

Down below you will find Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio, Opus 50, the recording of which comes from a 9 CD box set featuring the artistic talents of Pinchas Zuckerman on Violin, Daniel Barenboim on Piano and the late Jacqueline Du Pre on Cello.  The Amazon.com Editorial Review reads:

"In the main, the youthful Beethoven chamber music collaborations between Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zuckerman, and the late Jacqueline du Pré are characterized by broad, liberally fluctuating tempos, ripeness of tone, and a tendency to place expression ahead of stylistic considerations. Zuckerman's sweet vibrato, for instance, seems misplaced in Beethoven's terse, combative syntax (the earlier trios and violin sonatas, for example). Likewise, du Pré's throbbing solo lines impose a late-Romantic patina on the music that some listeners will find more appropriate to Arensky or Glazunov. More often than not, Daniel Barenboim's piano provides the decisive voice, by way of setting tempos and effecting transitions.

While the leaner, more economically expressive Abegg Trio (Tacet) and Vienna Piano Trio (Nimbus) Beethoven Trio offerings better reflect the composer's headlong brio and nervous energy, the Barenboim-Zuckerman-Du Pré team oozes sheer musicality and involvement in every bar. For this reason, one might well prefer Zuckerman and Barenboim's overwrought rapport in the Violin Sonatas to the violinist's tighter RCA remakes with Marc Neikrug at the piano. Du Pré's tragic illness prevented her and Barenboim from tackling the Cello Sonatas in the studio. Happily, their exciting, communicative live 1970 Edinburgh Festival traversals (plus the variation sets) were broadcast by the BBC and captured in excellent sound. So was a touchingly indulgent Tchaikovsky Trio preserved from one of Du Pré's final concerts, included as both a bonus and a memento. Tully Potter's excellent booklet notes give equal time to music and artists, and rightly discuss the performances in the context of their time. It's good to have these recordings gathered in a budget-priced, space-saving box. --Jed Distler"

While over on my tumblr you may join the legendary figures of Arturo Toscanini and Vladimir Horowitz along with the NBC Symphony Orchestra for their 1943 performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto Number 1 in B Flat Major recorded live at Carnegie Hall.  

Then to top off the evening with more beauty to behold in all its glory is this week's edition of  Naked of Nearly So posted down below.  Cruise on down and you will find it chock full of sizzling studs all of whom are hale and hearty, while some are even horny!  Then over on my tumblr, Marco Scott, Your Hottie of the Day! will make you want to dive right in and suck him right up, dammitall!  Thanks for sharing a part of your Weekend with me, see you again on Monday for another week of Music, Men & More!  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Saturday Evening Concert

Welcome to the Weekend and you Saturday Evening Concert.  We have been featuring the Great Concerti and Sonatas for the Violin all week and we conclude our exploration in Grand Style with tonight's Fabulous Live Performances.  Getting right into it, you may have guessed already that the Music I  am featuring tonight is composed by perhaps the world's acknowledged 'greatest Violinist of all time', Nicolo Paganini.  After all, what exploration of the Violin and its music would be complete without the inclusion of this Violin Virtuoso.  All week I have been pairing Concerti with Concerti or Sonatas.  Paganini composed 6 of the most difficult Violin Concerti ever written to showcase the ease with which he could play them.  They have been a challenge to all Violinists ever since.  Paganini also wrote 24 Capriccios for Solo Violin which are among his most famous works, especially number 24.  Therefore tonight's performances feature Paganini's Concerti and his Capriccios.  

On February 20, 2014, the 6 Concerti of Niccolo Paganini were performed in one historic concert by Violinist Nikolay Madoyan.  Madoyan was accompanied by the National Academic Theater Symphonic Orchestra, conducted by Karen Durgaryan.  This is first time all of Paganini concerti were played live in a one concert.  A feat not even accomplished by Paganini himself.  Usually violinists play only one concerto in a concert due to the extreme difficulty of the concerti.  The cadenza of E. Sauret, which is the most difficult cadenza in the world for Violinists to play, was included and performed with the first concerto.  You will will find this 4 hour Passionate Paganini Performance posted down below.  Likewise in another historic concert, Nikolay Madoyan for the first time by any Violinist including Paganini performed all 24 Capriccios in the order they were written.  This intimate performance by Madoyan can be enjoyed over on my tumblr. 

Then to set your heats a pumping along with the Music for a very different reason, cruise on down the page to peruse this week's prime candidates for 'my next future ex husband', all of whom are Naked or Nearly So (Choose Wisely, Grasshopper).  Additionally, Your Hottie of the Day!, J R over on my tumblr will definitely add fuel to any fantasy fire you wish to conjure in your lascivious minds.  Thanks for sharing part of your Weekend with me.  Tune in again on Monday for another exciting week of Music, Men & More!  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Saturday Evening Concert

Welcome to the Weekend and your Saturday Evening Concert. I have quite the program lined up for your entertainment this evening. 'The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC, is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in London. Founded in 1895, each season currently consists of more than 70 concerts in the Albert Hall, a series of chamber concerts at Cadogan Hall, additional Proms in the Park events across the United Kingdom on the last night, and associated educational and children's events. In 2009 the total number of concerts reached 100 for the first time. In the context of classical music festivals, Jiří Bělohlávek has described the Proms as "the world's largest and most democratic musical festival".[1] (*source Wikipedia) 

The Proms in the summer of 2008 offered a very special performance by one of China's gifts to the world of Classical Music. On the occasion of his 26th Birthday, Chinese Piano Virtuoso Lang Lang was in Recital at Royal Albert Hall on a specially built dais raised in the center of the Hall. Lang Lang performed beautifully in his usual evocative style, surrounded by his mesmerized British fans. The program was rather lengthy and included:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Piano Sonata in B flat major, K 333 Proms premiere
Sergey Rachmaninov - 10 Preludes, Op 23 No. 2 in B flat major & No. 5 in G minor
Chopin - Andante Spianato in G major, Op 22a
Franz Schubert - Fantasie in F minor, D 940
Claude Debussy - Préludes Book 1 No. 8 La fille aux cheveux de lin & No. 5 Les collines d'Anacapri
Traditional - Moonlight Reflections
Traditional - Spring Dance
Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsodies, S 244 (solo piano version)
Chopin - 12 Études, Op 10 No. 3 in E major - encore
Traditional - Two Horses - encore

The concert offered two very special moments. The first was during the Schubert Fantasie in F minor (arranged for Piano 4 Hands) where Lang Lang introduced his young protege and student Chinese American Prodigy Marc Yu. Marc then made his London concert debut playing alongside his mentor exhibiting how well he has absorbed the signature style and emotional caressing of the music to go along with his already superb technique. Marc and Lang met through Jay Leno and now Marc travels to China regularly for lessons at the hand of his idol. Not only is Marc a budding Concert Pianist, he is also a prize wining Cellist and all this at the tender age of 9.

The second very special moment came during the encore when Lang Lang introduced his Father, Lang Guoren. The encore was the Chinese Traditional melody Two Horses and Guoren joined his son, playing his instrument of choice, the Erhu, a two stringed bowed musical instrument whose sound is generated by the thrumming of the strings on the Python skin covering the front end of the resonator body (or sound box if you will). A delightful ending to a marvelous Birthday Celebration Concert.

Additionally you may join Vladimir Horowitz in Concert at the White House on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of his first appearance in America at Carnegie Hall in 1928 over on my tumblr. So an evening of great Piano Music which is to be complimented by the accompaniment of the fine art and other remarkable photographs in this scrumptious edition of Naked or Nearly So down below. Then there is the Hottie of the Day! who is 'A Real Sweetheart' over on my tumblr. Thanks for sharing a part of your Weekend with me, see you again on Monday for another week of Music Men and More! Until next time as always, enjoy!

Grand Masters of the Cello IV

It has been a busy day for me already as is typical of a payday.  However I do have some great stuff lined up for you as we continue this week's series on the Grand Masters of the Cello.  Today's Grand Master is the only female among our Elite Musical Artists this week whose career was but a brief shining moment before Multiple Sclerosis stilled her voice.  Jacqueline du Pré was an English cellist. At a young age, she achieved enduring mainstream popularity unusual for a classical performer.  Despite her short career, she is regarded as one of the more uniquely talented cellists of the second half of the twentieth century.  Du Pré is most famous for her iconic recording of Elgar's Cello Concerto in E Minor, her interpretation of which has been described as "definitive" and "legendary".  

From an early age, du Pré was entering and winning local music competitions alongside her sister, flautist Hilary du Pré.  In 1959 she began appearing at children's and young musicians' concerts, including with fellow students at the Guildhall end-of-term concert in March, followed by an appearance on BBC Television, playing the Lalo Cello Concerto.  

She started studying with the renowned cellist William Pleeth at age ten, won the Gold Medal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama at 15, and studied with Pablo Casals at a master class held in Zermatt, Switzerland, before being taught by both Paul Tortelier and Mstislav Rostropovich.  In 1961, she made her formal debut at the age of 16 at London’s Wigmore Hall. She followed that the next year with her debut at the Royal Festival Hall playing the Elgar Cello Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Rudolf Schwarz. She soon became an international soloist.

Raymond Ericson, reviewing a 1965 performance of the Elgar work for The Times, observed that ''Miss du Pre and the concerto seemed made for each other, because her playing was so completely imbued with the romantic spirit.  Her tone was sizable and beautifully burnished. Her technique was virtually flawless, whether she was playing the sweeping chords that open the concerto, sustaining a ravishing pianissimo tone, or keeping the fast repeated note figures in the scherzo going at an even pace.''

 

In 1966 she met Argentinian Pianist/Conductor Daniel Barenboim at the home of a mutual friend in December.  Instead of saying 'hello or good evening, they sat down and played the Brahms Cello Sonata in F Major.  They were immediately taken with each other and soon fell in love.  In 1967 Jackie followed Daniel to Israel just prior to the 6 Day War.  Daniel and Jackie gave a series of concerts prior to the war and a celebration concert afterwards.  It was a time of great joy for them, so Jackie converted to Judaism and they married during the victory celebrations.  

They became the celebrated couple in classical music circles, touring and concertizing with much success.  The first recordings the couple made together in 1967 were the Haydn C major and Boccherini cello concertos. “She had a capacity to imagine sound such as I never met in any other musician,” Barenboim has written. “She was really a child of nature—a musician of nature with an unerring instinct.” 

The effect on the British public of this impossibly romantic, classical-music soap opera was total—the relationship turned the two stars into the golden couple of the musical world of their day. When doctors diagnosed her with multiple sclerosis in 1972, a year after she had begun to lose feeling in her fingers at age 26, the public’s devastation and sorrow ran deep.  Her last public concerts took place in New York in February 1973, completing three of four scheduled performances of the Brahms Double Concerto with Pinchas Zukerman and Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic.  Isaac Stern stepped in to cover that last cancelled concert, performing Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto.  “My hands no longer worked,” she said in a 1978 interview. “I simply couldn’t feel the strings.”

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, in conjunction with the Jacqueline du Pré Research Fund, presented several benefit concerts for du Pré at Carnegie Hall.  Participants included violinist Pinchas Zukerman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Eugene Istomin, and several others.  In his review in the New York Times of a 1980 benefit concert, John Rockwell wrote: “The consistently high quality of these particular benefits can be traced to the close professional and social circle in which Miss du Pré and her husband move.  They know the best, and the best play at their benefits.”  

Miss du Pré died an untimely death at the age of 42  in 1987.  In her obituary, the Times noted that throughout her illness, du Pré remained sanguine about the future. “Nobody knows if I’ll ever regain mobility,” she had said in 1978. “It could be that next week I’ll find myself walking down the road. I believe in realistic optimism, but not wishful thinking.”  

The video presentation today was mostly filmed in 1967, then re edited with additional footage and commentary in 1982.  The film, Jacqueline du  Pré and the Elgar Concerto, is a terrific look at the life and music of Jackie.  It is obvious from the film that Daniel and Jackie were hopelessly in love with each other and their respective talents.  She was but a candle in the wind, but oh what a beautiful candle she was.  The film includes a full performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto with Barenboim conducting.  The companion piece for today over on my tumblr is the Suites for Solo Cello I & II by Johann Sebastian Bach recorded in 1962 when Jackie was just 17 and already a powerhouse in the world of classical music. 

** The New York Times, Wikipedia & All Things Strings all contributed to this post **

Then your visual edification will be enhanced when you cruise these Men In Jeans down below and the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.   Tune in tomorrow to see who is our next Grand Master of the Cello.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Basic Beethoven Blitz, Part II

Whew!  After having worked all night, I have finished the payday chores and errands and have finally made it to the blog.  TG!  Did not think I was going to make it for a bit there.  I haven't worked a nap in yet, but hey, I'm here.  I get brownie points for that, don't I?  At any rate, now that I have arrived, let's see what we have on tap for today, shall we?

This is Day 2 of the Basic Beethoven Blitz as we join Daniel Barenboim in his 1983-84 Sonata-thon of the 32 Piano Sonatas in the order they were composed by Beethoven.  Today's play list is comprised of the following Sonatas:

Piano Sonata No.12 in A♭ major, Op.26 ("Funeral March")
Piano Sonata No.13 in E♭ major, Op.27/1 ("Quasi una fantasia")
Piano Sonata No.14 in C♯ minor, Op.27/2 ("Moonlight")
Piano Sonata No.15 in D major, Op.28 ("Pastoral")
Piano Sonata No.16 in G major, Op.31/1
Piano Sonata No.17 in D minor, Op.31/2 ("The Tempest")
Piano Sonata No.18 in E♭ major, Op.31/3 ("The Hunt")
Piano Sonata No.19 in G minor, Op.49/1 ("Leichte Sonata")
Piano Sonata No.20 in G major, Op.49/2 ("Leichte Sonata")
Piano Sonata No.21 in C major, Op.53 ("Waldstein")
Piano Sonata No.22 in F major, Op.54
Piano Sonata No.23 in F minor, Op.57 ("Appassionata")

You may join Daniel, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and Itzhak Perlman over on my tumblr for Beethoven's Violin Concerto in D Major, Opus 61 in a live performance as we continue the BBB over on my tumblr, also.  Before heading over there for the Blitz and the Hottie of the Day!, be sure to catch the Denim Delights in today's edition of Men In Jeans down below.  Thanks for hanging around until I arrived, have a terrific Thursday and we will see you here tomorrow.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Basic Beethoven Blitz

It is going to be exciting times here in the Metroplex for Classical Music Enthusiasts this weekend.  Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoon Miguel Harth-Bedoya and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra will be in concert in Bass Hall in downtown Fort Worth.  Here is the concert synopsis from the FWSO website:

"2013 Cliburn Gold Medalist Vadym Kholodenko makes his second appearance of the season to perform Prokofiev's boisterous final piano concerto. The FWSO opens the concert with Richard Strauss' virtuosic tone poem, Don Juan, and closes with Beethoven's awe-inspiring Fifth symphony, whose opening motif is now engrained in pop culture."

But that is not all that is happening.  In a series of 3 concerts spaced throughout the day on Saturday at the Dallas City Performance Hall, there will be a Sonata-thon.  Stewart Goodyear will perform all 32 of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas between the 10 AM, 3 & 8 PM performances.  "Known for imagination, a graceful, elegant style and exquisite technique, Stewart Goodyear is an accomplished young artist whose career spans many genres—concerto soloist, chamber musician, recitalist and composer. Mr. Goodyear has performed with many of the major orchestras of the world...This very special engagement will find Mr. Goodyear performing a one-day cycle of the complete piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven. The day will be broken up into three separate performances, Part 1: 10 a.m. – 1:40 p.m. - Sonatas No. 1 through 11, as well as 19 and 20, including Pathetique and the Grand Sonata, Part 2: 3:00 pm – 6:30 p.m. - Sonatas No. 12 through 23 (except 19 & 20) including the Moonlight, Pastoral, Tempest, Waldstein and Appassionata and Part 3: 8:00 p.m. – 10:50 p.m. - Sonatas No. 24 through 32, including Les Adieux and Hammerklavier."

While I cannot simulcast the concerts, I can do the next best thing and bring the music that we will be hearing to you.  So in the days leading up to this bounty of beautiful Beethoven being brought to us here in town, I will be doing a Basic Beethoven Blitz where I bombard you with boatloads of the best of Beethoven.  In 1983 and 84, Daniel Barenboim recorded the entire Sonata cycle in the order they were composed.  He later in 2005 performed this Sonata-thon in a series of concerts in Berlin.  The performances from the 80's are gathered in 3 videos which I will share with you over the next three days here at Nichevo while over on my tumblr I will be sharinig some of my favorites of Beethoven's other compositions as the week goes by.  

The play list for today goes like this:

Piano Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.2/1
Piano Sonata No.2 in A major, Op.2/2
Piano Sonata No.3 in C major, Op.2/3
Piano Sonata No.4 in E♭ major, Op.7 ("Grand Sonata")
Piano Sonata No.5 in C minor, Op.10/1 ("Little Pathétique")
Piano Sonata No.6 in F major, Op.10/2
Piano Sonata No.7 in D major, Op.10/3
Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 ("Pathétique")
                          ** my favorite among his Piano sonatas
Piano Sonata No.9 in E major, Op.14/1
Piano Sonata No.10 in G major, Op.14/2
Piano Sonata No.11 in B♭ major, Op.22

While over on my tumblr, you may hear Quartet No. 1 in F Major,  Op. 18, No. 1 performed by the Afiara String Quartet (Live).  Then there has got to be some visual  inspiration to go along with all this beautiful music.  And I have that covered in spades with this Wet Wednesday collection down below and the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for the visit, stay tuned for more Beethoven and more Men as the week goes on.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

The Evening Concert & Some Good News!

Welcome to the Weekend and The Evening Concert.  Before we get to the Fabulous Live Performance on tap for this evening, I have some rather Good News to impart.  This regarding the recent Content Policy controversy embroiling Blogger at the moment.  Apparently the powers that be at Blogger/Google encountered a shit storm of negative feedback to their proposed policy changes.  The storm was of such magnitude that it moved Blogger/Google to rescind their plans to change the current policy, opting instead to stay the course without any policy changes.  This is indeed Good News as it means life can continue as it has in the blogosphere for the foreseeable future.

I would also like to address my conspicuous absence from these pages the last few days.  I have been in a bit of a funk with the whole content policy thing hanging over the blog.  I asked for reader response as to what I should do when the policy changed.  Of course now the policy is not changing, never the less... it does not negate the fact that to day I have received only one solitary response to my query.  The reader was generous in his praise and suggested taking Nichevo private and not making any content changes.  The reader felt that no one else publishes blog with my particular combination of Beautiful Music, Commentary, Witty Reparte'/Snarkiness and of course Stunning Photographic Portraits of Extraordinary Gentlemen.   However, his was the only response which led me to think that maybe no one other than this kind gentleman was paying any attention to what goes on here at all.  I know, depressing thought, which of course caused the aforementioned funky mood.  Be that as it may, I had just about decided to either privatize Nichevo of offer it a merciful euthanasia.  After all, if no one was listening, what was the point of speaking?  At this point, I am still in a quandry but am resolved to continue as is for the time being and play the next few months by ear.  

If you care about what I put forth on these pages.  If my humble efforts bring some joy, comfort or pleasure to your lives.  Then I would certainly love to hear from you, and soon...

Your Evening Concert features another Fabulous Live Performance with this evening's selection, the Piano Concerto Number 1 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.  Georgii Cerkiin is your Piano Soloist and he is joined by the FM Orchestra under the baton of Maxim Eshkenazy for tonight's performance.  For a little Accoustic Guitar Exploration and Innovation, head on over to my tumblr for Berlin concert footage from the Guitar Masters Tour 2012 with Antoine Dufour in Concert along with Andy McKee and Preston Reed. 

Before heading over to my tumblr for Antoine and company and of course the Hottie of the Day!, be sure to check out the Sexy Shots of Hunks and Hotties who are Naked or Nearly So! in the post down below.  Thanks for sharing a part of your Weekend with me, see  you again on Monday for another week of Music, Men & More!  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Saturday Evening Concert

Welcome to the Weekend and your Saturday Evening Concert.  As I wander around You Tube in my searches for great musical moments, I keep finding these live performances which stretch the bounds of Classical Music and do so fabulously!  Case in point, Vivaldi's Four Seasons is one of the world's most popular and widely recorded collections of music, a set that instantly became an international hit after it was first published at part of the composer's Opus 8 in 1725. No doubt it was its imitative directness -- extra musical occurrences/phenomena evoked in an extremely suggestive manner and even written into the score, such as 'the barking dog' or 'the drunkards' sleep' etc. -- that caused such as sensation in its time, effortlessly bridging the gap between the salons of the highborn and the alehouses of the lowly. Today nothing has changed: the concerti are performed both by great violin virtuosos and famous hard rockers; they are works that are constantly being presented in new guises through the re-imagining and re-working of the musical score.

Such is the standpoint adopted in this performance from The Hague by Erik Bosgraaf.  Hailed as one of the most gifted and versatile Recorder players of the new generation, Erik Bosgraaf has a colourful past in a rock band and as an oboe player. He believes that good music is irrespective of style and feels equally at home in early and contemporary music as well as commissioning new works including several concerti incorporating new media.  He has chosen here to adapt the Violin part for Recorder, explaining how 'the Violin part can be played on the Recorder with surprising ease, without many changes. In some ways it works even better than concertos Vivaldi wrote specifically for the Recorder!'  Bosgraaf's aim is to make the four legendary concerti sound as if they had been written for the Recorder in the first place -- and the results are laudable, with the contrasts between the wind instrument and the accompanying strings revealing previously unheard stratifications and details. As the soloist himself puts it, 'Listen to Vivaldi with fresh ears and enjoy!'  In tonight's performance Erik Bosgraaf and The Hague Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with DJ DNA play an adaptation of the Four Seasons in what is a truly unique musical arrangement.  

Bosgraaf awakens the Four Seasons to life with an arsenal of Recorders (which he makes between seasons) in this special musical outing with DJ DNA (Arjen Peace Urban Dance Squad). In a musical adventure they make a connection between the old Venice of Vivaldi and The Hague of today. DJ DNA makes it a spectacle with an arsenal of 12 turntables and his entire record collection of bird sounds.  Recorded in Trojan Horse on December 6, 2014 by Dutch television broadcasting company AVRO TROS.

For a different fusion of two genres of music, just head over to my tumblr where I have something really special for this evening's concert with an excellent example of “East Meets  West”.  In days gone by (ie…when I was young) it was Yahudi Menuhin & Ravi Shankar. Today it’s Joshua Bell and Ravi’s daughter Anoushka in concert.  Tonight’s performance was recorded live at the Summer Music Festival in 2007 in Verbier, Switzerland.

Last but not least, there is beau coup beauty au natural in the Naked or Nearly So post down below and in the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for sharing part of your Weekend with me, see you again on  Monday for another week of Music, Men & More! Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Festival Friday

Every summer since 1994, deep in the heart of the Alps in the village of Verbier, Switzerland, the Verbier Festival has literally made the hills come alive with the Sound of Great Classical Music.  Year round, the renowned Verbier Festival Academy is the crucible into which aspiring Classical Musicians enter to acquire knowledge and experience at the hands of the current Grand Masters of Classical Music.  How did this all get started?  here is a brief excerpt from the History Page of the Verbier Festival Website:

A success chronicle

In the early nineties, after twelve years working as an artists’ agent, Martin T:son Engstroem had an ambitious idea-to create a summer festival in the heart of the Swiss Alps, far from the major cities where most festivals take place. Verbier had the intimate atmosphere he felt was necessary to encourage musical excellence, and at the same time be open to the world. He imagined a festival with a resident youth orchestra and an academy where renowned artists would teach the next generation and audiences would have a wide choice of activities from early morning until late at night. In 1994, his vision became a reality.

With help from his friend Avi Shoshani, Secretary General of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the first season’s line-up was spectacular. Evgeny Kissin gave his first piano recital, and violinist Maxim Vengerov ended his concert with the audience gathered around him on stage - a magical moment of pure intimacy. Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Mischa Maisky, Gidon Kremer, Yefim Bronfman, Yuri Bashmet and Frans Helmerson were also present, and the Festival’s musical family began to take shape. In this idyllic setting, artists who had never played together before agreed to collaborate in programmes of original chamber music--the now-famous “Rencontres Inédites”.

The Verbier Festival Academy’s reputation also began to grow: with legends such as Isaac Stern teaching the very young David Garrett and Renaud Capuçon, long before they became household names. Music poured out from everywhere in Verbier – even from the mountain-tops – in true festival style!

Your Feature Musical Presentation today then is from the 2011 Verbier Festival and the recording of a live Concert Telecast of Chamber Music to open the Festival.  The playbill  for today's performance reads like a Who's Who of Classical Music:

Mendelssohn: Piano Trio 2, op. 66 (Yuja Wang, Leonidas Kavakos, Gautier Capuçon)
Ysaÿe: Sonata for Two Violins (Leonidas Kavakos, Joshua Bell)
Monti: Csardas (Denis Matsuev, Julian Rachlin, Roby Lakatos)
Brahms: Piano Quartet, op. 25 (Mischa Maisky, Evgeny Kissin, Vadim Repin, Yuri Bashmet)
Lutoslawski: Paganini Variations (Martha Argerich, Evgeny Kissin)

Meanwhile over on my tumblr, from Verbier Festival 2014 the final weekend opened with a chamber concert celebrating one of those musical partnerships that brings years of history with it. British cellist Steven Isserlis and American violinist Joshua Bell came together with pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin to create a starry classical supergroup. Brahms’ Trio No. 1 in B Major is one of the great works of the chamber repertoire – a miniature that packs symphonic scope and weight into its slight frame, setting cello and violin in an impassioned dialogue. Isserlis’s instinctual style shares little with Bell’s polished sweetness of delivery except an expressiveness that both arrive at by very different means.  In this performance, Isserlis responded to the music’s every mercurial twitch and glance with vivid shifts, leading us in movement and muscular tone from the fugal Bach-inspired moments of the Allegro to its expansive moments of lyricism. Bell’s approach to performance is more crafted, but was no less striking in scope or depth.

Finally on this Friday, please remember to check out the freakin' fiery hot Fantasy Fuel found in the post below and in the Hottie of the Day!  Thanks for the visit today, be sure to stop in for tomorrow's Saturday Evening Concert when I have another fabulous live performance lined up featuring the Music of Antonio Vivaldi presented in a whole new way.  We'll see you there!  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Joshua Bell Live

Well I finally got all my chores and errands done making it possible to now listen to some excellent Music.  And ogle some magnificent Men in the course of enjoying the rest of my day off, lol.  Your featured Artist today is American Violinist Joshua Bell, one of the premier Violinists in the world today.  (It does seem I have been on a Violin Concerto binge this week.  Does it not?) I have two live performances to share with you today.  Here in these pages I have Joshua Bell in concert with the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America under the baton of Valery Gergiev in their performance of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Opus 35.  While over on my tumblr, you may catch Josh's live performance of the Sibelius Violin Concerto in D Minor, Opus 47 with the Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester under the baton of Vasily Petrenko live from the Konserthus in Oslo.  Do remember to see what deliciousness is on the denim menu in Men In Jeans post down below and check out the view of the Hottie of the Day! over on my tumblr.  Thanks for hanging about waiting for me to show up, see you again soon.  Until next time as always, Enjoy!

Saturday Evening Concert

Welcome to the Weekend and your Saturday Evening Concert.  As always, I have a stellar live performance lined up for you this evening.  But first I must tell you, today is a special day here in Fort Worth, marking the end of the 2015 Stock Show and Rodeo (Oh, Thank You, Jesus!).  But that is not the only reason today is special here in Fort Worth.  Across from the Stock Show Festivities sits the Kimball Art Museum, recently expanded and World Class, whose facilities include a concert venue in their Piano Pavillion.  This evening the Piano Pavillion plays host to one of the premier masters of the accoustic Classical Guitar, Pepe Romero.

While I cannot live stream the simulcast of Pepe in Concert from the Kimball, I do have a Concert Performance from September of 2007 to share with you.  In this concert appearance Pepe Romero plays the world premier of Federico Moreno Torroba's Sabicas Concierto en Flamenco and also the Concierto de Malaga written by his father, Celedonio Romero, with his son, Angel Romero, conducting the Orquesta Filarmonica de Málaga from his hometown of Malaga Spain.  

For another classic live performance, head on over to my tumblr.  There you will find the 1954 recording of then 77 year old Pablo Casals performing the Suite Number 1 for Solo Cello by Johann Sebastian Bach.  You will also find the Hottie of the Day!, Brandon to put the cherry on the top of the sundae after  you cruise the Naked or Nearly So in the post down below.  Thanks for sharing part of your Weekend with me, see you again on Monday for another week of Music, Men & More! Until next time as always, Enjoy!