No Shortages

I didn’t want to alarm anyone.  But I wanted to pass along to Classic Mornings listeners my observation that the price of the sheet music for a particular selection I played on the program had skyrocketed since the beginning of the year. It’s a work for piano 4-hands: La gallina (The Hen) by Louis Moreau Gottschalk.

OK, it was a rare moment of April Fools Day playfulness, which I included as a part of the 15th anniversary of Classic Mornings on April 1. And it was a last minute thought to include it. 

What took more preparation and thought was choosing selections which featured performers we didn’t even know about 15 years ago. Once I began to recall some of them, I realized that the list went on and on! And although it was something of a nightmare trying to decide which to include on the program, it was exciting to realize how much richer the program repertoire has become over the past decade and a half. In case you weren’t listening, I’ll share the names of some of the newcomers, though actually hearing the music is so much more special than just seeing the names.

I pre-announced a recorder concerto as the opening work on the April 1 program. But I played music for brass. In the spirit of April Fools Day, it was a brass arrangement of a recorder concerto by John Baston, which we’ve heard over the years with Michala Petri and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. The version I played, featuring the ensemble German Brass, arrived in 2018. Since then, it’s been tough to decide which one to play.  And Michala Petri has been back in the recording studio, making it tough to choose between her earlier and more recent recordings of the music of Bach.

We’ve welcomed an ongoing Canadian musical invasion, led by conductor Kevin Mallon. Gradually, we acquired many 18th century works performed by his various ensembles, including the Toronto Chamber Orchestra, the Aradia Ensemble, and the Thirteen Strings Chamber Orchestra. Some of their CDs have been available for decades. But I found out about them only more recently.  It’s no less exciting when I introduce for the first time a recording that was made years ago. It’s new to the Friends of WILL Library, and probably to most listeners. Mallon’s ensembles have explored some repertoire that hasn’t been recorded by other groups. And conductor Howard Griffiths’s recordings with a variety of orchestras have also introduced us to fine performances of lesser-known 18th century orchestral works.

There’s been a Neeme Järvi renaissance during the years of Classic Mornings.  He and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic, and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra have brought us music of Jules Massenet, Emmanuel Chabrier, Camille Saint-Saëns, Johan Halvorsen, and others. Järvi is yet another champion of works that are not often heard. And his recordings have made some of those works standard repertoire on Classic Mornings.

Just before our 10th anniversary, we were introduced to violinist Karen Gomyo, who was born in Japan and raised in Canada. She now lives in Germany. She and the Finnish guitarist Ismo Eskilinen gave us a wonderful first recording with music by Paganini and Corelli. And recorder players Stefan Temmingh and Thomas Triesschijn were welcome newcomers with their releases.

On the anniversary program, I also wanted to feature lots of soloists, ensembles, and conductors who are audience favorites. It didn’t take long to realize that it was impossible to include many who’ve been a part of Classic Mornings.

All of this is great news!. There’s a lot of classical music being performed and recorded, even with a pause during the time of the lockdown. Yes, we’ve lost some of the legendary players of the past. But musicians of our time continue to present memorable performances. It takes a bit of effort to sift through sound samples from the ongoing flow of new releases. But the end result is that I’ve been able to bring the music of some previously unknown performers into the program’s repertoire to complement the favorites we continue to enjoy. And the new recordings have included musical works from the 17th through 21st centuries.

New listeners continue to join us for Classic Mornings too! I’ve heard lots of appreciative comments over the years, assuring me that it’s worth all the time it takes to prepare a special program each weekday morning. I’m also aware that there has been ongoing support for Classic Mornings during our fund drives. Another one of those is coming up April 30-May 2. I hope you’ll be a part of the program’s 15th anniversary celebration with a gift of support. You may contribute online at willgive.org or by calling 217-244-9455. Thank you!