Culture Fiend

Seattle Symphony Announces New Season

Hum along if you’ve heard these before.

Posted by: Allison Williams on Jan 25, 2012 at 05:00PM 0 Comments

When else are you going to break out your tux and tails?

The Seattle Symphony makes its announcements in style; conductor Ludovic Morlot lugged his whole group down to City Hall for a free concert this afternoon before releasing the 2012–2013 lineup. Fine, Ludo—we’re listening.

Morlot’s second season invites back some of the same big names that paid us a visit in his first; Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax, and Hilary Hahn all return. But there’s new stuff, too, like revamped Rush Hour concerts—they’re now called Symphony Untuxed, and they’re followed by cocktail mingling with the musicians. Plus, there’s a new concertmaster, Alexander Velinzon, straight from the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Find the whole lineup here; book a subscription by March 3 to be entered into a contest for a free Alaskan cruise. Icebergs aside, here’s the big news from the new season:

• Joshua Bell is making an even bigger splash. The virtuoso violinist who rocked Benaroya a few weeks ago will return for the opening night gala on September 15, which features a program of George Gershwin, Aaron Copland, and Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.

• Sonic Evolution strikes again. Last year, brand-new compositions paid tribute to Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain; this year’s October 26 event will have new stuff inspired by Alice in Chains, Blue Scholars, and Yes.

• The Russians are coming. For two days in January, the symphony goes all Rachmaninov, all the time, playing his four piano concertos in Rach Fest. In May, Gerard Schwarz returns to conduct a Russian Spectacular series, featuring Tchaikovsky and a whole lot of Shostakovich (six pieces, to be exact). And don’t forget Rimsky-Korsakov’s Sheherazade, a haunting piece heard March 28–30.

• There’s a funky new sound in town. For the Turangalîla Symphony by Messiaen in January, soloist Cynthia Millar plays the ondes martenot. It’s a kind of proto-electrical instrument that uses vacuum tubes to create an eerie wail.

• Retro is in. The first of the Seattle Pops Series is the Cocktail Hour: Music from the Mad Men Era, with plenty of bossa nova; later Marvin Hamlisch conducts his own tunes from A Chorus Line and The Way We Were.

Symphony geeks should be satisfied, but will neophytes? Those who merely want to hear something they recognize—say, from a car commercial or a Bugs Bunny cartoon—can choose from mounds of blockbusters on the schedule: Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik, Rossini’s William Tell Overture, and Stravinsky’s The Firebird Suite.

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Tags: Seattle Symphony, Classical and More, 2011 Schedule

Lunch Break: Free Seattle Symphony Concert Today at City Hall

The show starts at 12:30.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 25, 2012 at 10:30AM 0 Comments

Photo: Courtesy Ben Vanhouten.

Take a long lunch today and head downtown to City Hall for the free Seattle Symphony community concert. Starting at 12:30, conductor Ludovic Morlot will lead the orchestra in Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz and Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7 in A major, Op. 92. Following the performance, Morlot will introduce the lineup for the 2012-2013 season, which kicks off in September.

SSO Community Concert
Jan 25, 12:30-1:30, City Hall

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Tags: Seattle Symphony, Free Show, Classical and More, City Hall

Five Things You Didn’t Know about Joshua Bell

The famed violinist is playing here next week. And he’s jealous of the Seahawks.

Posted by: Allison Williams on Jan 03, 2012 at 04:00PM 0 Comments

We demand a Tiger Beat cover.

Photo by Marc Holm

Let’s start with what you probably already know: Joshua Bell is one of the world’s foremost violin soloists. He’ll bring his furious bow strokes, 1713 Stradivarius, and signature floppy haircut to the Seattle Symphony on January 10, where conductor Ludovic Morlot will lead him in Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

But here’s what you probably don’t know about classical music’s hottest pinup (just look at him!):

•He’s a YouTube star. In 2007, a Washington Post writer asked Bell to busk in a D.C. Metro station to see if anyone recognized him. Almost no one did (and he made only $32.17). The writer won a Pulitzer for his article, the video received 2.5 million hits, and Bell hasn’t lived it down. “What surprised me is how it got sent around virally,” Bell told us in a recent interview. “Every country I go to, I’m asked about that story.”

•It takes him a year of “dabbling” to learn a new piece. That’s with four to six hours a day of practice; Bell plays each concerto for about a month before returning it to his repertoire. As for the Bruch he’ll play here, it was dropped from his rotation for five years, but it’s still the piece he’s performed the most in his life. “When I came back to it, I completely fell in love with it again,” he said.

•He doesn’t like gimmicks. To get the youth audience to attend classical concerts, Bell says, it’s more about quality and timing than tunes you can hum. “Even if you’re doing midnight concert, I don’t think you have to mess up the music," he said. “You don’t have to put in the Star Wars theme.”

•January 10 is a big day for him. Not only will Bell be performing with the Seattle Symphony, but he’ll release two albums that day. One is a collection of French works, and the other a soundtrack to the upcoming Christian Bale flick, Flowers of War. For the latter, Bell pays homage to the Chinese violin style: “There’s use of vibrato that’s wide and quite distinctive, and sliding between notes,” he said. It’s similar to how he plays bluegrass: “I allow their style to creep into my style, but when it becomes copying [the pros], I can’t compete with them.”

•He’s a stereotypical dude. When asked how Seattle differs from New York City, Bell doesn’t compare Benaroya Hall to Lincoln Center. His view: “Well, the Seahawks are doing better than the Giants.”

Joshua Bell and the Seattle Symphony perform January 10 at Benaroya Hall.

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Tags: Seattle Symphony, Benaroya Hall, Classical and More

The Sonic Evolution of Seattle Symphony

What’s that we hear? Chamber pop?

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Oct 19, 2011 at 04:00PM 0 Comments

Hey Marseilles

I knew it wasn’t going to be a typical night at the symphony when I saw the crowd. An army of Capitol Hill hipsters had taken Benaroya Hall, stopping only to retie their Converse and check their iPhones. There were as many pairs of jeans and boots as suits and hearing aides. Rumor had it Pearl Jam was in the audience. And for once, I wasn’t the youngest one there.

But what’s typical at the symphony these days, with new conductor Ludovic Morlot at the baton? Over a little more than a week, SSO was slated to host 10 drastically different concerts, including a performance of Star Trek anthems (“Sci-Fi at the Pops”), internationally renowned violinist Hilary Hahn, a Russian orchestra, Haydn’s Cello Concerto, and last night’s Sonic Evolution program of world premieres inspired by Jimi Hendrix, Quincy Jones, and Nirvana. It’s blissfully eccentric for someone who can’t tell the difference between Rachmaninov and Chopin— the kind of variety that draws the “enemy of the symphony” to orchestral music, as Morlot cheerfully noted in his opening remarks.

And considering the energetic fury with which the Seattle Symphony members opened last night, they were pretty excited, too. Vladimir Nikolaev’s The Sinewaveland: Homage to Jimi Hendrix was charged with frenetic glissandi, strings working together like Jimi’s whammy bar. Though the music itself didn’t mimic the guitar master’s chords, it was still exhilarating, conjuring an image of Hendrix atop Bald Mountain, lighting his guitar on fire.

The Cuong Vu Group performed its jazz-classical collaboration, a recognizable tribute to Quincy Jones called One, and the orchestra seemed to hit its stride with Bill Brittelle’s Obituary Birthday: A Requiem for Kurt Cobain. Kurt was only really a ghost in that song, but I eventually forgot I was listening for Nirvana because the music was so damn beautiful.

And then there was young Seattle chamber pop band Hey Marseilles, making their symphony debut wearing ties and worried grins. Their fans were vocal, clapping along to hit single “Rio,” but when the band was “backed” by the orchestra, the sound was richer. Like Hey Marseilles was infusing the orchestra with its nervous energy, and pros of the SSO were raising the chamber pop band to a new level. “We get astounding applause after every song,” lead singer Matt Bishop said, eyes wide. “We should do this more often.”

Yes, you should. These worlds aren’t mutually exclusive, and thankfully, Seattle Symphony has taken note.

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Tags: Seattle Symphony, Benaroya Hall, Classical and More, Hey Marseilles

New Conductor, New Season for Seattle Symphony

Incoming maestro Ludovic Morlot introduces his debut lineup at Benaroya Hall.

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 19, 2011 at 03:00PM 0 Comments

French conductor Ludovic Morlot will succeed Gerard Schwarz at the Seattle Symphony.

“His friends call him Ludo.” That got a few giggles this afternoon, as a room full of symphony subscribers imagined addressing the conductor like he was a bridge buddy. But such casual conversation seems plausible with new maestro Ludovic Morlot, the 36-year-old Frenchman who will succeed Gerard Schwarz as musical director in the 2011-12 season. With a bounce to his step and an infectious smile, Morlot presented his debut lineup to the crowd gathered at Benaroya Hall: a predominantly white-haired crew that was visibly energized by the young gun on stage. “I promise this could be quite explosive,” Morlot said. Someone in the crowd whooped.

Though the season may look familiar—Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Josh Roman, and soprano Renee Fleming all return—there a few Morlot touches. Of particular note is the Sound Evolution performance on October 18, a new collaboration with young composers commissioned to create work inspired by local music legends: Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, and Quincy Jones among them. Seattle chamber pop band Hey Marseilles will perform, and you already know how much I love them. Also exciting: Herbie Hancock playing Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue on November 18.

Popular series Seattle Pops, Beyond the Score (a traveling multimedia performance), Baroque and Wine, and Masterworks are back in the lineup, in addition to concerts by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Orchestra with conductor Valery Gergiev.

Morlot still has to finish out an extensive guest conductor schedule this year—with some 35 performances scheduled around the world—but he’ll be on hand to lead the symphony in nine Masterworks concerts, including Beethoven’s Eroica symphony, Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Holst’s The Planets and Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust to close out the season. “There’s a little something for everyone,” he said. “I’m most excited about…pretty much everything.” Smile.

Read on for the full 2011-12 Seattle Symphony schedule and more on Ludovic Morlot. The symphony continues to celebrate Gerard Schwarz’s 26th and final season as its chief; he conducts Mozart’s chilling Requiem this weekend.

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Tags: Seattle Symphony, Classical and More, Ludovic Morlot

With ‘Haiti We Stand’

Local A&E organizations host benefits for the earthquake victims (updated).

Posted by: Laura Dannen on Jan 15, 2010 at 05:00PM 0 Comments

Jeff Antebi, Cite Soleil 3, 2009, digital.

UPDATED 1/18/10. Seattle arts and entertainment organizations are rallying all week to send disaster relief to Haiti. Here’s what we know:

The Seattle Symphony will accept donations on behalf of the Red Cross at its free community concerts. Performances of Samuel Jones’s Benediction on January 15 at South Seattle Community College and his Elegy on January 19 at Mercer Middle School will be dedicated to the victims of Haiti’s earthquake.

On Monday, Fremont’s Nectar Lounge will host a concert, “Haiti We Stand!”, with proceeds from 42Below Vodka sales going to the earthquake victims through Convoy Of Hope. Expect performances by DJ Supreme La Rock, DJ B Mello, DJ DV One, and DJ Vitamin D, with Sonny Bonoho emceeing. 7pm, $10 suggested donation.

The Stranger reports that Re-bar will also host a benefit concert on Wednesday, January 20, with sets by DJs Robwhy, Recess (Shameless), Queen Lucky, and more. Proceeds from the door and PBR sales will be divided between the Red Cross and Yele Haiti. 8pm, $8 or $5 with a nonperishable donation.

Also on January 20: The Seattle jazz community rallies behind one of its own to organize a series of live jazz acts at seven University District venues, from 9pm-midnight. Checks, cash, and emergency donations will be accepted and will go straight to Haiti, thanks to David Pierre-Louis, owner of LUCID Jazz Lounge who just flew to Haiti to check on his mother (she’s okay) and plans to return ASAP to provide aid. For more information and a complete lineup of bands, click here or visit LucidSeattle.com.

Photographer Jeff Antebi, whose photograph of the Haitian slum Cite Soleil is on display in wall space gallery’s New Directions 2010 exhibit, will donate all money made from the sale of those prints to Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam. $25.

Gethsemane Lutheran Church and Happy Hour Concerts will co-host a classical music benefit at the church’s downtown location (911 Stewart Street) on January 25 at 7pm. Suggested $25 donations be forwarded to the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) International Disaster Response.

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Tags: Haiti, Seattle Symphony, Seattle jazz, LUCID Jazz Lounge, Nectar Lounge, Re-bar, Jeff Antebi, Gethsemane Lutheran Church,