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February 6, 2023 in Uncategorized | Tags: Alan Opie, Alan Taylor, Alexandru Agache, Alfredo Kraus, Alison Krauss, Anima, Ann Murray, Anne Sofie von Otter, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Anton Neyder, Arleen Augér, Ben Heppner, Benjamin Luxon, Bernd Weikl, Beyoncé, Birgit Nilsson, Bryn Terfel, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Children's Choir of Hungarian Radio and Television, Choir of the Hungarian Radio and Television, Christa Ludwig, Christina Deutekom, Claire Watson, Cornell MacNeil, Dame Janet Baker, David Corkhill, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Doreen Rao, Douglas Robinson, Duain Wolfe, Eberhard Wächter, Edita Gruberová, Eva Randová, Evelyn Glennie, Felicity Lott, Franz Mazura, Frederica von Stade, Gabriel Bacquier, Gabriella Thész, Gösta Winbergh, Geraint Evans, Gerhard Stolze, Giorgio Tozzi, Giulieta Simionato, Giuseppe Conca, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Gottlob Frick, Grace Hoffman, Gustav Neidlinger, Gwynne Howell, Hans Hotter, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Hans Sotin, Heather Harper, Heinz Zednik, Helen Donath, Helen Watts, Helga Dernesch, Helmut Froschauer, Henry Mancini, Herbert Lippert, Hermann Prey, Hildegard Behrens, Ilva Ligabue, Iris Vermillion, Isobel Buchanan, István Sztankay, James King, James Levine, James Morris, Janet Baker, Janis Martin, Júlia Várady, Jean Povey, Jessye Norman, Joan Sutherland, John Aldis, John Aldis Choir, John Culshaw, John Shirley-Quirk, Jon Vickers, José van Dam, Judith Blegen, Karita Mattila, Kathleen Battle, Kálmán Strausz, Kenneth Riegel, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kolos Kováts, Kurt Moll, Leontyne Price, London Opera Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra Chorus, London Voices, Lucia Popp, Luciano Pavarotti, Malcolm King, Mallory Walker, Manfred Jungwirth, Margaret Hillis, Margaret Price, Marie Collier, Martha Heigl, Martti Talvela, Michele Pertusi, Mira Zakai, Mirella Freni, Monica Groop, Montserrat Caballé, Murray Perahia, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Nino Antonellini, Norbert Balatsch, Norma Burrowes, Norman Bailey, Olaf Bär, Philip Langridge, Pierre Boulez, Pilar Lorengar, Plácido Domingo, Quincy Jones, Régine Crespin, Rüdiger Wohlers, RCA Italiana Opera Chorus, RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra, Recording Academy, Regina Resnik, Reinhild Runkel, Renato Bruson, René Kollo, René Pape, Renée Fleming, Rita Gorr, Robert Merrill, Robert Scaltriti, Robert Schunk, Rome Opera House Chorus, Rome Opera House Orchestra, Rosalind Elias, Royal College of Music Junior Department Chorus, Royal Opera House Chorus, Ruggero Raimondi, Russell Burgess, Ryland Davies, Schola Cantorum Budapestiensis, Sherrill Milnes, Siegfried Jerusalem, Siegmund Nimsgern, Singverein Chorus, Sir Georg Solti, Stuart Burrows, Sumi Jo, Sylvia Greenberg, Sylvia Sass, Tamás Bubnó, Tatiana Troyanos, Teresa Berganza, Teresa Stratas, Terry Edwards, Tom Krause, Vaughan Meakins, Veriano Luchetti, Vicente Sardinero, Vienna Boys' Choir, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna State Opera Concert Chorus, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Waldemar Kmentt, Wandsworth School Boys' Choir, Wilhelm Pitz, William Shimell, Wolfgang Windgassen, Yvonne Minton, Zoltán Kelemen | Leave a comment
In early 1973, Sir Georg Solti Solti receives Grammy statuettes for the CSO's recordings of Mahler's Seventh and Eighth symphonies. (Terry's Photography)
Georg Solti—who would serve as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's eighth music director from 1969 until 1991—received his first Grammy at the Recording Academy's fifth awards ceremony in May 1963, for the RCA recording of Verdi's Aida with Leontyne Price in the title role. Over the next two decades, he steadily increased his count, and at the 26th ceremony in February 1984, Solti received four awards, bringing his total to twenty-three and surpassing Henry Mancini's record of twenty awards. Ultimately, Sir Georg would receive thirty-one awards—twenty-four with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus—and he reigned as the all-time Grammy champ for nearly forty years.
At the the 65th Grammy Awards on February 5, 2023, Beyoncé received four statuettes, bringing her total to thirty-two and crowning her as the new champ. Quincy Jones follows Solti with twenty-eight awards, Alison Krauss and Chick Corea each has twenty-seven, and Pierre Boulez—former CSO conductor emeritus and principal guest conductor—is in fifth place, with twenty-six Grammy awards, including eight with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
In addition, Solti and producer John Culshaw received the Academy's first Trustees' Award in 1967 for their "efforts, ingenuity, and artistic contributions" in connection with the first complete recording of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen with the Vienna Philharmonic. Sir Georg also received the Academy's 1995 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Following is a complete list of Sir Georg Solti's thirty-one Grammy awards and seventy-four nominations.*
5th Annual Grammy Awards (1962)
Best Opera Recording (nom 1, win 1)
VERDI Aida
Georg Solti, conductor
Leontyne Price, Rita Gorr, Jon Vickers, Robert Merrill, Giorgio Tozzi
Rome Opera House Orchestra
Rome Opera House Chorus
Giuseppe Conca, director
STRAUSS Salome
Best Opera Recording (nom 2)
Birgit Nilsson, Gerhard Stolze, Grace Hoffman, Eberhard Wächter, Waldemar Kmentt
Vienna Philharmonic
WAGNER Siegfried
Birgit Nilsson, Wolfgang Windgassen, Hans Hotter, Gerhard Stolze, Gustav Neidlinger, Joan Sutherland
Album of the Year–Classical (nom 4)
VERDI Falstaff
Geraint Evans, Giulieta Simionato, Ilva Ligabue, Robert Merrill, Mirella Freni, Alfredo Kraus, Rosalind Elias
RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra
RCA Italiana Opera Chorus
Nino Antonellini, director
WAGNER Götterdämmerung
Birgit Nilsson, Wolfgang Windgassen, Gottlob Frick, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Christa Ludwig, Claire Watson, Gustav Neidlinger
Men of the Vienna State Opera Chorus
Wilhelm Pitz, director
WAGNER Die Walküre
Birgit Nilsson, Régine Crespin, Christa Ludwig, James King, Hans Hotter, Gottlob Frick
10th Annual Grammy Awards (1967)
Best Classical Performance–Orchestra (nom 9)
Heather Harper, Helen Watts
London Symphony Orchestra Chorus
John Alldis, director
Best Opera Recording (nom 10)
STRAUSS Elektra
Birgit Nilsson, Marie Collier, Regina Resnik, Gerhard Stolze, Tom Krause
Vienna State Opera Chorus
Best Classical Performance–Orchestra (nom 11)
MAHLER Symphony No. 6 in A Minor
STRAUSS Der Rosenkavalier
Régine Crespin, Yvonne Minton, Helen Donath, Luciano Pavarotti, Manfred Jungwirth
Norbert Balatsch, director
14th Annual Grammy Awards
MOZART The Magic Flute, K. 620
Pilar Lorengar, Christina Deutekom, Stuart Burrows, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hermann Prey, Martti Talvela
Album of the Year–Classical (nom 14, win 3)
Best Choral Performance–Classical (other than opera) (nom 15, win 4)
MAHLER Symphony No. 8 in E-flat Major
Heather Harper, Lucia Popp, Arleen Augér, Yvonne Minton, Helen Watts, René Kollo, John Shirley-Quirk, Martti Talvela
Singverein Chorus
Helmut Froschauer, director
Best Classical Performance–Orchestra (nom 16, win 5)
MAHLER Symphony No. 7 in E Minor
Album of the Year–Classical (nom 17)
WAGNER Tannhäuser
René Kollo, Christa Ludwig, Hans Sotin, Helga Dernesch
BEETHOVEN Piano Concertos
BEETHOVEN Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125
Pilar Lorengar, Yvonne Minton, Stuart Burrows, Martti Talvela
WAGNER Parsifal
René Kollo, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Hans Hotter, Gottlob Frick, Zoltán Kélémen, Christa Ludwig
Anton Neyder, director
Best Opera Recording (nom 24, win 8)
PUCCINI La bohème
Montserrat Caballé, Judith Blegen, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Vicente Sardinero, Ruggero Raimondi
John Alldis Choir
Wandsworth School Boys' Choir
Russell Burgess, director
MOZART Così fan tutte, K. 588
Ryland Davies, Tom Krause, Gabriel Bacquier, Pilar Lorengar, Teresa Berganza, Jane Berbié
Royal Opera House Chorus
Douglas Robinson, director
Album of the Year–Classical (nom, 26, win 9)
Beethoven's Symphonies
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 36
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 3 in E flat Major, Op. 55 (Eroica)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 in B flat Major, Op. 60
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 (Pastoral)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93
BEETHOVEN Overture to Coriolan, Op. 62
BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b
Best Classical Orchestral Performance (nom 28, win 10)
STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30
BIZET Carmen
Tatiana Troyanos, Kiri Te Kanawa, Plácido Domingo, José van Dam
Boys' Chorus from Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree
Alan Taylor and Jean Povey, directors
Best Classical Orchestral Performance (nom 31)
ELGAR Symphony No. 2 in E-flat Major
Best Choral Performance (other than opera) (nom 32, win 11)
VERDI Messa da Requiem
Leontyne Price, Janet Baker, Veriano Luchetti, José van Dam
DEBUSSY Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun and La mer
RAVEL Boléro
WAGNER The Flying Dutchman
Norman Bailey, Martti Talvela, Janis Martin, René Kollo
Men of the Chicago Symphony Chorus
21st Annual Grammy Awards (1978)
Best Choral Performance, Classical (other than opera) (nom 36, win 12)
BEETHOVEN Missa solemnis in D Major, Op. 123
Lucia Popp, Yvonne Minton, Mallory Walker, Gwynne Howell
Best Choral Performance, Classical (other than opera) (nom 37)
WALTON Belshazzar's Feast
Benjamin Luxon, baritone
London Philharmonic Choir
22nd Annual Grammy Awards (1979)
Best Classical Album (nom 38, win 13)
Best Classical Orchestral Recording (nom 39, win 14)
Brahms's Symphonies
BRAHMS Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90
BRAHMS Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98
BRAHMS Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80
BRAHMS Tragic Overture, Op. 81
BRAHMS A German Requiem, Op. 45
Kiri Te Kanawa, Bernd Weikl
Best Classical Orchestral Recording (nom 41)
HOLST The Planets
Women of the London Philharmonic Choir
23rd Annual Grammy Awards (1980)
Best Classical Album (nom 42)
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 6 in A Major
BARTÓK Bluebeard's Castle
Kolos Kováts, Sylvia Sass, István Sztankay
Isobel Buchanan, Mira Zakai
Frederica von Stade, Kenneth Riegel, José van Dam, Malcolm King
Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus
Doreen Rao, director
Best Opera Recording (nom 51, win 22)
MOZART The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492
Kiri Te Kanawa, Lucia Popp, Frederica von Stade, Samuel Ramey, Thomas Allen, Kurt Moll
London Opera Chorus
This recording tied with the soundtrack for Verdi's La traviata with James Levine conducting the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, and Cornell MacNeil.
HAYDN The Creation
Norma Burrowes, Sylvia Greenberg, Rüdiger Wohlers, James Morris, Siegmund Nimsgern
MAHLER Symphony No. 4 in G Minor
Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano
SCHOENBERG Moses und Aron
Franz Mazura, Philip Langridge
LISZT A Faust Symphony
Siegfried Jerusalem, tenor
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 (Scottish)
MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 4 in A Major, Op. 90 (Italian)
VERDI Un ballo in maschera
Margaret Price, Kathleen Battle, Christa Ludwig, Luciano Pavarotti, Renato Bruson
National Philharmonic Orchestra
Terry Edwards, director
Royal College of Music Junior Department Chorus
Vaughan Meakins, director
Best Orchestral Recording (nom 59, win 26)
Jessye Norman, Reinhild Runkel, Robert Schunk, Hans Sotin
MOZART The Abduction from the Seraglio, K. 384
Edita Gruberová, Kathleen Battle, Gösta Winbergh, Heinz Zednik, Martti Talvela
Vienna State Opera Concert Choir
Martha Heigl, director
WAGNER Lohengrin
Jessye Norman, Eva Randová, Plácido Domingo, Siegmund Nimsgern, Hans Sotin, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Best Chamber Music Performance (nom 63, win 28)
BARTÓK Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion
Sir Georg Solti and Murray Perahia, pianos
Evelyn Glennie and David Corkhill, percussion
Best Orchestral Recording (nom 64)
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7 in E Major
Best Choral Performance (other than opera) (nom 65)
BACH Saint Matthew Passion, BWV 244
Kiri Te Kanawa, Anne Sofie von Otter, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Olaf Bär, Tom Krause
33rd Annual Grammy Awards
Best Orchestral Performance (nom 66)
Best Performance of a Choral Work (nom 67, win 29)
BACH Mass in B Minor, BWV 232
Felicity Lott, Anne Sofie von Otter, Hans Peter Blochwitz, William Shimell, Gwynne Howell
STRAUSS Die Frau ohne Schatten
Hildegard Behrens, Júlia Várady, Sumi Jo, Reinhild Runkel, Plácido Domingo, José van Dam
Helmuth Froschauer, director
WAGNER Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Karita Mattila, Iris Vermillion, Ben Heppner, Herbert Lippert, José van Dam, Alan Opie, René Pape
MOZART Don Giovanni, K. 527
Bryn Terfel, Renée Fleming, Ann Murray, Michele Pertusi, Herbert Lippert, Monica Groop, Robert Scaltriti, Mario Luperi
London Voices
Best Choral Performance (nom 74)
BARTÓK Cantata profana
WEINER Serenade for Small Orchestra, Op. 3
KODÁLY Psalmus Hungaricus, Op. 13
Tamás Daróczi, Alexandru Agache
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Choir of the Hungarian Radio and Television
Kálmán Strausz, director
Children's Choir of Hungarian Radio and Television
Gabriella Thész, director
Schola Cantorum Budapestiensis
Tamás Bubnó, director
*A database of former Grammy Award winners can be found using the search function here; category titles have changed over the years. For opera recordings, only principal soloists are listed.
January 31, 2023 in Uncategorized | Tags: Alan Opie, Alan Taylor, Alexandru Agache, Alfredo Kraus, Alison Krauss, Anima, Ann Murray, Anne Sofie von Otter, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Anton Neyder, Arleen Augér, Ben Heppner, Benjamin Luxon, Bernd Weikl, Beyoncé, Birgit Nilsson, Bryn Terfel, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Children's Choir of Hungarian Radio and Television, Choir of the Hungarian Radio and Television, Christa Ludwig, Christina Deutekom, Claire Watson, Cornell MacNeil, Dame Janet Baker, David Corkhill, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Doreen Rao, Douglas Robinson, Duain Wolfe, Eberhard Wächter, Edita Gruberová, Eva Randová, Evelyn Glennie, Felicity Lott, Franz Mazura, Frederica von Stade, Gabriel Bacquier, Gabriella Thész, Gösta Winbergh, Geraint Evans, Gerhard Stolze, Giorgio Tozzi, Giulieta Simionato, Giuseppe Conca, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Gottlob Frick, Grace Hoffman, Gustav Neidlinger, Gwynne Howell, Hans Hotter, Hans Peter Blochwitz, Hans Sotin, Heather Harper, Heinz Zednik, Helen Donath, Helen Watts, Helga Dernesch, Helmut Froschauer, Henry Mancini, Herbert Lippert, Hermann Prey, Hildegard Behrens, Ilva Ligabue, Iris Vermillion, Isobel Buchanan, István Sztankay, James King, James Levine, James Morris, Janet Baker, Janis Martin, Júlia Várady, Jean Povey, Jessye Norman, Joan Sutherland, John Aldis, John Aldis Choir, John Culshaw, John Shirley-Quirk, Jon Vickers, José van Dam, Judith Blegen, Karita Mattila, Kathleen Battle, Kálmán Strausz, Kenneth Riegel, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kolos Kováts, Kurt Moll, Leontyne Price, London Opera Chorus, London Philharmonic Choir, London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra Chorus, London Voices, Lucia Popp, Luciano Pavarotti, Malcolm King, Mallory Walker, Manfred Jungwirth, Margaret Hillis, Margaret Price, Marie Collier, Martha Heigl, Martti Talvela, Michele Pertusi, Mira Zakai, Mirella Freni, Monica Groop, Montserrat Caballé, Murray Perahia, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Nino Antonellini, Norbert Balatsch, Norma Burrowes, Norman Bailey, Olaf Bär, Philip Langridge, Pierre Boulez, Pilar Lorengar, Plácido Domingo, Quincy Jones, Régine Crespin, Rüdiger Wohlers, RCA Italiana Opera Chorus, RCA Italiana Opera Orchestra, Recording Academy, Regina Resnik, Reinhild Runkel, Renato Bruson, René Kollo, René Pape, Renée Fleming, Rita Gorr, Robert Merrill, Robert Scaltriti, Robert Schunk, Rome Opera House Chorus, Rome Opera House Orchestra, Rosalind Elias, Royal College of Music Junior Department Chorus, Royal Opera House Chorus, Ruggero Raimondi, Russell Burgess, Ryland Davies, Schola Cantorum Budapestiensis, Sherrill Milnes, Siegfried Jerusalem, Siegmund Nimsgern, Singverein Chorus, Sir Georg Solti, Stuart Burrows, Sumi Jo, Sylvia Greenberg, Sylvia Sass, Tamás Bubnó, Tatiana Troyanos, Teresa Berganza, Teresa Stratas, Terry Edwards, Tom Krause, Vaughan Meakins, Veriano Luchetti, Vicente Sardinero, Vienna Boys' Choir, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna State Opera Concert Chorus, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Waldemar Kmentt, Wandsworth School Boys' Choir, Wilhelm Pitz, William Shimell, Wolfgang Windgassen, Yvonne Minton, Zoltán Kélémen | Leave a comment
Georg Solti—who would serve as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's eighth music director from 1969 until 1991—received his first Grammy at the Recording Academy's fifth awards ceremony in May 1963, for the RCA recording of Verdi's Aida with Leontyne Price in the title role. Over the next two decades, he steadily increased his count, and at the 26th ceremony in February 1984, Solti received four awards, bringing his total to twenty-three and surpassing Henry Mancini's record of twenty awards. Ultimately, Sir Georg would receive thirty-one awards—twenty-four with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus—and has continued to reign as the all-time Grammy champ for nearly forty years.
Beyoncé and Quincy Jones currently tie for the number two slot with twenty-eight awards each, Alison Krauss has twenty-seven, and Pierre Boulez—former CSO conductor emeritus and principal guest conductor—is number four, with twenty-six Grammy awards, including eight with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.
But keep an eye on Queen Bey . . . she goes into this Sunday's Grammy Awards ceremony with nine nominations—including Album, Song, and Record of the year. If she receives three wins, she will tie with Sir Georg; if she takes home four or more, she will become the all-time champ. The 2023 Grammy Awards will air live on CBS on Sunday, February 5.
In the meantime, following is a complete list of Sir Georg Solti's thirty-one Grammy awards and seventy-four nominations.*
Remembering Christa Ludwig
April 25, 2021 in Uncategorized | Tags: Aage Haugland, Alfred Wallenstein, Ann Murray, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Christa Ludwig, Francis Egerton, Fritz Reiner, Gary Lakes, Guillermo Sarabia, Heinz Zednik, Isobel Buchanan, István Kertész, Kathleen Battle, Katia Ricciarelli, Margaret Hillis, Ravinia Festival, Riccardo Muti, Richard Lewis, Sir Georg Solti, Wolfgang Brendel, Yordi Ramiro | Leave a comment
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the loss of German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, who died yesterday at her home in Klosterneuburg, Austria. She was ninety-three.
Riccardo Muti, writing from Ravenna, Italy, expressed, ′′The passing of Christa Ludwig, an immense artist, is a huge loss to the music world. She honored me with her friendship and gave me unforgettable artistic collaborations, both at the Musikverein in Vienna and La Scala in Milan. I will never forget her."
Christa Ludwig in 1967 as Fricka in Wagner's Die Walküre (Metropolitan Opera photo)
Ludwig appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on numerous occasions, at Orchestra Hall, the Ravinia Festival, and Carnegie Hall, as follows:
February 20, 21, and 25, 1958, Orchestra Hall
MAHLER Das Lied von der Erde
Fritz Reiner, conductor
Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano
Richard Lewis, tenor
October 26 and 27, 1967, Orchestra Hall
MAHLER Songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Alfred Wallenstein, conductor
MAHLER Kindertotenlieder
May 2 and 3, 1980, Carnegie Hall
Isobel Buchanan, soprano
Christa Ludwig in 2014 (Ernst Kainerstorfer photo)
April 29, 1985, Carnegie Hall
Sir John Falstaff Guillermo Sarabia, baritone
Ford Wolfgang Brendel, baritone
Fenton Yordi Ramiro, tenor
Dr. Caius Heinz Zednik, tenor
Bardolph Francis Egerton, tenor
Pistol Aage Haugland, bass
Mistress Alice Ford Katia Ricciarelli, soprano
Nannetta Kathleen Battle, soprano
Mistress Quickly Christa Ludwig, mezzo-soprano
Mistress Meg Page Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano
Gary Lakes, tenor
Numerous tributes have appeared online, including The New York Times, BBC News, and OperaWire, among several others.
Remembering Mira Zakai
May 28, 2019 in Uncategorized | Tags: Alexander Oliver, Anima, Barbara Bonney, Brent Ellis, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Christa Ludwig, Daniel Harper, Dennis Bailey, Doreen Rao, Faye Robinson, Franz Mazura, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Grammy Award, Herbert Wittges, Isobel Buchanan, James Lock, James Mallinson, Jan DeGaetani, Jill Gomez, Jo Ann Pickens, John Dunkerley, John Pellowe, Kenneth Riegel, Kurt Link, London Records, Lucia Popp, Malcolm King, Margaret Hillis, Medinah Temple, Mira Zakai, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Philip Langridge, Rafael Kubelík, Sir Georg Solti, Teresa Cahill, Theo Adam, Thomas Dymit, WFMT | 3 comments
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra family joins the music world in mourning the death of Israeli mezzo-soprano Mira Zakai, who died on May 20, 2019. She was seventy-six.
Mira Zakai in 2013 (Daniel Tchetchik photo)
Zakai appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus on several notable occasions, both in the concert hall and in the recording studio. A complete list is below.
MOZART Mass in C Major, K. 317 (Coronation)
March 13, 14, and 15, 1980, Orchestra Hall
Rafael Kubelík, conductor
Lucia Popp, soprano
Mira Zakai, mezzo-soprano
Alexander Oliver, tenor
Malcolm King, bass
Originally recorded by WFMT for radio broadcast, this was released on the CSO's From the Archives, vol. 13 (Chicago Symphony Chorus: A Fortieth Anniversary Celebration).
May 5, 6, 7, and 8, 1980, Medinah Temple, (recording sessions only)
The symphony was performed in Orchestra Hall on April 24, 25, and 26 in Orchestra Hall and on May 2 and 3, 1980, in Carnegie Hall with Buchanan and Christa Ludwig as soloists. James Mallinson produced the recording, and James Lock and John Dunkerley were the balance engineers for London Records. The recording won the 1981 Grammy Award for Best Classical Album and Best Classical Orchestral Recording from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
October 2, 3, 4, and 6, 1980, Orchestra Hall
Faye Robinson, soprano (October 2, 3, and 4)
Jill Gomez, soprano (October 6)
Teresa Cahill, soprano
Jo Ann Pickens, soprano
Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano
Kenneth Riegel, tenor (October 2, 3, and 4)
Dennis Bailey, tenor (October 6)
Brent Ellis, baritone
Theo Adam, bass
April 19 and 21, 1984, Orchestra Hall
Franz Mazura, speaker
Philip Langridge, tenor
Barbara Bonney, soprano
Daniel Harper, tenor
Kurt Link, baritone
Aage Haugland, bass
Herbert Wittges, baritone
Thomas Dymit, tenor
Members of the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus
The opera was recorded in Orchestra Hall on April 23, 24, 30, and May 1, 1984. James Mallinson produced the recording, and James Lock and John Pellowe were the engineers for London Records. The recording won the 1985 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Happy birthday, Kathleen Battle!
August 13, 2018 in Uncategorized | Tags: Aage Haugland, Adolph Herseth, Alfred Muff, Allan Glassman, Andrea Veils, Ann Murray, Ara Berberian, Arnold Voketaitis, Arthur Thompson, Benita Valente, Beverly Wolff, Bobby McFerrin, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Christa Ludwig, Christoph Eschenbach, Christopher Trakas, Clarice Carson, Claudine Carlson, Daniel Barenboim, Daniel Beckwith, David Huneryager, David Kuebler, Dawn Upshaw, Denyce Graves, Disney, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Donald Gramm, Doreen Rao, Edda Moser, Edward Ozaki, Florence Quivar, Francis Egerton, Gail Dobish, Gary Lakes, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Grammy Award, Guillermo Sarabia, Guy Chauvet, Gwendolyn Killebrew, Håkan Hagegård, Heinz Zednik, Hermann Prey, Hillary Johnsson, Hugh Wolff, Isola Jones, James Courtney, James Kalkbrenner, James Levine, James Winfield, Jeffrey Wells, Jessye Norman, John Cheek, John Nelson, John Newton, Julien Robbins, Justino Díaz, Karen Huffstodt, Kathleen Battle, Katia Ricciarelli, Kenneth Riegel, Kirk Stuart, Lawrence Shadur, Lenus Carlson, Luciano Pavarotti, Lynn Harrell, Margaret Hillis, Margaret Price, Maria Ewing, Mark Oswald, Mary Sauer, Medinah Temple, Nadine Denize, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Nico Castel, Patricia O'Neill, Patricia Schuman, Paul Goodman, Paul Plishka, Philip Creech, Philip Kraus, Ravinia Festival, RCA, Renato Capecchi, Richard Cohn, Seth McCoy, Sherrill Milnes, Shirley Verrett, Sir Georg Solti, Susanne Mentzer, Thomas Hampson, Thomas MacCluskey, Thomas Z. Shepard, Vinson Cole, Wolfgang Brendel, Yordi Ramiro | 3 comments
Wishing a very happy seventieth birthday to the remarkable soprano Kathleen Battle! She has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on a number of occasions, in Orchestra Hall, at the Ravinia Festival, and in Carnegie Hall, as follows:
Edda Moser, soprano
Clarice Carson, soprano
Kathleen Battle, soprano
Beverly Wolff, contralto
Gwendolyn Killebrew, contralto
Kenneth Riegel, tenor
Lawrence Shadur, baritone
Justino Díaz, bass
MOZART Mass in C Minor, K. 427
Kathleen Battle
Maria Ewing, soprano
Ara Berberian, bass
MOZART Bella mia fiamma . . . Resta, o cara, K. 528
Beverly Wolff, mezzo-soprano
MOZART Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio, K. 418
HADYN The Creation
Benita Valente, soprano
Seth McCoy, tenor
Donald Gramm, bass-baritione
Arnold Voketaitis, bass-baritone
June 24 1978, Ravinia Festival
MENDELSSOHN Selections from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Op. 61
Claudine Carlson, mezzo-soprano
June 30, 1978, Ravinia Festial
BERLIOZ Les Troyens, part 1
A Trojan Soldier, Pantheus John Cheek, bass
Cassandra Nadine Denize, soprano
Chorebus Lenus Carlson, baritone
Aeneas Guy Chauvet, tenor
Helenus David Kuebler, tenor
Ascanius Kathleen Battle, soprano
Hecuba Patricia O'Neill, soprano
Priam, The Ghost of Hector Ara Berberian, bass
A Greek Captain Philip Kraus, bass
Dido Shirley Verrett, soprano
Anna, Ghost of Cassandra Claudine Carlson, mezzo-soprano
Iopas David Kuebler, tenor
Pantheus, Mercury, Ghost of Priam John Cheek, bass
Narbal, Ghost of Hector Ara Berberian, bass
Hylas Philip Creech, tenor
First Sentry, Ghost of Chorebus James Kalkbrenner, bass
Second Sentry Philip Kraus, bass
MENDELSSOHN Elijah, Op. 70
Jessye Norman, soprano
Isola Jones, mezzo-soprano
Philip Creech, tenor
Kirk Stuart, tenor
John Cheek, bass-baritone
David Kuebler, tenor
Arthur Thompson, bass
Glen Ellyn Children's Theatre Chorus
SCHUBERT Mass No. 6 in E-flat Major, D. 950
Florence Quivar, mezzo-soprano
Vinson Cole, tenor
Håkan Hagegård, baritone
Brahms's Requiem was recorded in Orchestra Hall on July 5 and 6, 1983, for RCA. Thomas Z. Shepard was the producer, Paul Goodman the recording engineer, and John Newton and Thomas MacCluskey were engineers. The recording won the 1984 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
HANDEL L'Allegro ed il Penseroso from L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato
James Winfield, associate director
BACH Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51
VILLA-LOBOS Bachiana Brasileira No. 5
MAHLER Symphony No. 4
Lynn Harrell, cello
STRAUSS Ariadne auf Naxos, Op. 60
A Music Master Hermann Prey, baritone
The Major-Domo Nico Castel, tenor
The Composer Susanne Mentzer, mezzo-soprano
The Tenor, Bacchus Gary Lakes, tenor
An Officer Edward Ozaki, tenor
A Dancing Master Andrea Velis, tenor
A Wig Maker David Huneryager, bass
A Lackey Richard Cohn, baritone
Zerbinetta Kathleen Battle, soprano
Prima Donna, Ariadne Margaret Price, soprano
Harlequin Christopher Trakas, baritone
Scaramuccio Allan Glassman, tenor
Truffaldino James Courtney, bass
Brighella Philip Creech, tenor
Naiad Gail Dobish, soprano
Dryad Hillary Johnsson, mezzo-soprano
Echo Dawn Upshaw, soprano
Alfred Muff, baritone
Margaret Hillis, chorus director
Leporello Renato Capecchi, baritone
Donna Anna Karen Huffstodt, soprano
Don Giovanni Thomas Hampson, baritone
Commendatore Jeffrey Wells, bass-baritone
Don Ottavio Vinson Cole, tenor
Donna Elvira Patricia Schuman, soprano
Zerlina Kathleen Battle, soprano
Masetto Julien Robbins, baritone
DONIZETTI The Elixir of Love
Giannetta Dawn Upshaw, soprano
Nemorino Luciano Pavarotti, tenor
Adina Kathleen Battle, soprano
Belcore Mark Oswald, baritone
Dulcamara Paul Plishka, bass
PREVIN Honey and Rue
DONIZETTI C'en est donc fait . . . Par le rang et par l'opulence from The Daughter of the Regiment
GOUNOD Je veux vivre from Romeo and Juliet
BERLIOZ Je vais le voir from Beatrice and Benedict
Hugh Wolff, conductor
September 16, 1994, Orchestra Hall
MOZART Exsultate, jubilate, K. 165
STRAUSS Ständchen, Op. 17, No. 2
STRAUSS Morgen!, Op. 27, No. 4
STRAUSS Ich schwebe, Op. 48, No. 2
GERSHWIN Summertime from Porgy and Bess
BERNSTEIN Somewhere from West Side Story
PREVIN Take My Mother Home from Honey and Rue
ELLINGTON/Sadin Come Sunday
Daniel Barenboim, harpsichord, piano, and conductor
MOZART Deh vieni non tardar from The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492
MOZART Misera! dove son . . . Ah! non son io che parlo, K. 369
MOZART Un moto di gioia mi sento, K. 579
STRAVINSKY No word from Tom from The Rake's Progress
VERDI Sul fil d'un soffio estesio from Falstaff
ROSSINI Una voce poco fa from The Barber of Seville
ROSSINI Dunque io son from The Barber of Seville
MOZART Crudel! perchè finora from The Marriage of Figaro, K. 492
KORNGOLD Glück, das mir verblieb from Die tote Stadt
Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baritone
GOUNOD Amour ranime mon courage from Romeo and Juliet
GABRIEL/Sadin His Eye is on the Sparrow
TRADITIONAL/Smith Witness
TRADITIONAL/Bonds He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
Bobby McFerrin, conductor
Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano
Josephine Lee, director
Between 1993 and 1996, James Levine led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in recording sessions at Medinah Temple for Fantasia 2000, the long-awaited sequel to Disney's classic 1940 Fantasia. One of the works recorded was excerpts from Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches featuring Battle and the Chicago Symphony Chorus.
Under the auspices of Allied Arts, CSO Presents, and Symphony Center Presents, Battle also gave recitals in Orchestra Hall on the following dates:
Happy birthday, Christa Ludwig!
March 16, 2018 in Uncategorized | Tags: Aage Haugland, Alfred Wallenstein, Ann Murray, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Christa Ludwig, Francis Egerton, Fritz Reiner, Gary Lakes, Guillermo Sarabia, Heinz Zednik, Isobel Buchanan, István Kertész, James Levine, Kathleen Battle, Katia Ricciarelli, Margaret Hillis, Ravinia Festival, Richard Lewis, Sir Georg Solti, Wolfgang Brendel, Yordi Ramiro | Leave a comment
Wishing a very happy ninetieth birthday to the wonderful mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig!
Ludwig has appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on numerous occasions, at Orchestra Hall, the Ravinia Festival, and Carnegie Hall, as follows (concerts at Orchestra Hall, unless otherwise noted):
February 20, 21, and 25, 1958
October 26 and 27, 1967
July 7, 1970 (Ravinia Festival)
April 24, 25, and 26, 1980
May 2 and 3, 1980 (Carnegie Hall)
April 29, 1985 (Carnegie Hall)
Guillermo Sarabia, baritone
Wolfgang Brendel, baritone
Yordi Ramiro, tenor
Heinz Zednik, tenor
Francis Egerton, tenor
Katia Ricciarelli, soprano
Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano
Antonino Votto: the teacher to the maestro
February 7, 2014 in Uncategorized | Tags: Antonino Votto, Arturo Toscanini, Boris Christoff, Carlo Bergonzi, Carol Fox, Christa Ludwig, Claudia Cassidy, Cristina Muti, EMI, Erich Leinsdorf, Fritz Reiner, Giulietta Simionato, Guiomar Novaes, Ilva Ligabue, Joan Sutherland, Jon Vickers, La Scala, Leontyne Price, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Margherita Roberti, Milan Conservatory, Riccardo Muti, Richard Tucker, Robert Merrill, Robert Shaw, Shakeh Vartenissian, Sviatoslav Richter, Tito Gobbi, Walter Hendl | 4 comments
Just before the opening of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's seventieth season, our sixth music director Fritz Reiner suffered a heart attack on October 7, 1960. He had been scheduled to conduct the first four weeks of concerts, but his recuperation forced the cancellation of his remaining appearances for the calendar year.
Antonino Votto was one of Maria Callas's integral collaborators, leading many of her important productions at La Scala in the 1950s. He also was conductor of several of her landmark recordings on EMI including Puccini's La bohème, Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, Bellini's La sonnambula, and Ponchielli's La Gioconda.
Replacement conductors included CSO associate conductor Walter Hendl, Robert Shaw (leading Beethoven's Missa solemnis), Erich Leinsdorf (to conduct a special Saturday evening concert on October 15 featuring the U.S. debut of Sviatoslav Richter as soloist in Brahms's Second Piano Concerto), and Antonino Votto (who would soon become Riccardo Muti's conducting teacher).
Votto was in Chicago to make his debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago and (according to their Performance + Cast Archive) he led the season opening performances of Verdi's Don Carlo on October 14, 21, and 24. The cast included Giulietta Simionato, Margherita Roberti, Richard Tucker, Tito Gobbi, and Boris Christoff. Votto also conducted performances of Verdi's Aida on October 17, 19, 22, and 28, with a cast that included Leontyne Price, Simionato, Carlo Bergonzi, and Robert Merrill.
Antonino Votto and Guiomar Novaes's program book biographies
According to an October 16, 1960, CSO press release: "Antonino Votto will conduct the subscription concerts in the third week of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's current season. The concerts of Tuesday afternoon, October 25, and the subscription pair of Thursday-Friday, October 27-28, originally scheduled for music director Fritz Reiner, will be directed by the Italian conductor who is currently in Chicago for his first season with the Lyric Opera. A leading conductor of both opera and symphony concerts at La Scala in Milan, Maestro Votto's appearance with the Orchestra has been made possible through the courteous cooperation of Miss Carol Fox, General Manager of the Lyric Opera."
October 25, 1960 – revised program
October 25, 1960 – original program advertisement
Both programs were modified (see images right and below) to accommodate conductor and soloist. According to Claudia Cassidy in the Chicago Tribune regarding the first concert on October 25: "From the start of Haydn's London Symphony thru the Mozart with Guiomar Novaes and Debussy's Faun to the perfectly planned and executed climax of a stunning Pictures at an Exhibition this was a major concert on the sounder shores of style" (complete review is here). Also according to Cassidy, word traveled fast and the following two concerts on Thursday and Friday quickly sold out: ". . . Votto is a man to respect a score, an orchestra and a soloist. When you add that to knowing your business and you can work with other musicians on a high level remarkable things can happen. Such as orchestral equilibrium, a sense of proportion in displaying a soloist, a mounting excitement on the stage and in the audience. In other words, quite a concert" (complete review is here).
October 27 & 28, 1960 – revised program
October 27 & 28, 1960 – original program advertisement
According to a newspaper account, Reiner—from his hospital bed at Presbyterian/Saint Luke's—was able to hear a portion of the Friday afternoon matinee via "telephone from a remote pickup thru a microphone in the concert hall to a loudspeaker in the manager's office." Reiner's statement: "Please convey my warm compliments on the splendid performance of Mme. Novaes and Maestro Votto. I enjoyed very much the finesse and style of the orchestra, which has been inoculated in the years of our association."
Votto was re-engaged at Lyric the following season for Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor on October 14, 16, and 18, 1961 (with Joan Sutherland, Bergonzi, and Tucker); Giordano's Andrea Chenier on October 20, and 25, 28 (with Shakeh Vartenissian and Jon Vickers); and the company premiere of Boito's Mefistofele on October 21, 23, and 27 (with Ilva Ligabue, Christa Ludwig, Christoff, and Bergonzi).
Votto returned to Italy and in November 1962, twenty-one-year-old Riccardo Muti met him during his first year as a student at the Milan Conservatory. Muti remembers: "And then there was Votto, whom I recall so vividly. He was solemn and incredibly strict, and had worked with [Arturo] Toscanini during his years at La Scala. . . . Within a few days, however, I realized that Votto had taken a liking to me, to the point of giving me—as if to prefer me over less talented students, or ones he didn't like as much—some pieces to conduct for the performances the following year. Not only did I take a class with him, but I also attended some of his rehearsals at La Scala. . . . I was particularly struck when he did Falstaff: he didn't have the score! Now, it's one thing to conduct from memory, but to try that with Falstaff is one of those things that just leaves you flabbergasted and makes you think that maybe, with such experts around, you'd best find another job. I asked him something along those lines, and he replied: 'If you had worked with Him, you would do the same.' 'Him,' of course, meant Toscanini, with whom such work was an intense, special months-long undertaking; after that, going on memory became spontaneous, the natural result of having complete mastery of the score. . . .
"Votto's approach was based on conductorial efficiency, music for music's sake, no frills, no bells and whistles, going straight to the heart of opera, only essential gestures, nothing more than was absolutely necessary. In his classes he'd often repeat, 'Don't annoy the orchestra.' To the uninitiated that phrase might seem absurd or misleading, calling into question the orchestra conductor's usefulness. In reality he just wanted to advise us that, once the orchestra was on an orderly, rhythmic path (the obvious outcome of long rehearsing), the maestro mustn't disturb that natural gait, and must therefore avoid rash gestures while on the podium, steering clear of any temptation to become a court jester; basically, he mustn't alter what the nature of the piece itself had established. And such a position was a clear, complete reflection of Arturo Toscanini's."
Their friendship continued well beyond the conservatory, and when Muti married Maria Cristina Mazzavillani on June 1, 1969, in Ravenna, Votto was best man ("while Sviatoslav Richter became our ad hoc photographer and took some of the best photos").
Excerpts from Riccardo Muti, An Autobiography: First the Music, Then the Words.
Solti 6: At Carnegie Hall
October 15, 2012 in Uncategorized | Tags: Adolph Herseth, Alan Opie, Alfred Brendel, Alfred Reichel, Alicia de Larrocha, Ann Murray, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Arthur Berg, Barbara Born, Barbara Pearson, Benjamin Matthews, Bernd Weikl, Birgit Nilsson, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Christa Ludwig, Cory Winter, Curtis Dickson, David Kübler, David Ward, Dimitri Kavrakos, Donald Gramm, Doreen Rao, Earl Wild, Elena Doria, Elizabeth Muir-Lewis, Elzbieta Ardam, Emilie Miller, Eugene Johnson, Faye Robinson, Francis Egerton, Franz Mazura, Frederica von Stade, Gabriele Schnaut, George Shirley, Gerhard Stolze, Gershon Silin, Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus, Guillermo Sarabia, Gwendolyn Jones, Gwynne Howell, Hans Hotter, Hans Sotin, Heinz Zednik, Helen Watts, Helga Dernesch, Henry Mazer, Hermann Becht, Hildegard Behrens, Huguette Tourangeau, Isaac Stern, Isobel Buchanan, Isola Jones, Jack Abraham, Jan DeGaetani, Janis Martin, Jerry Jennings, Jess Thomas, Jo Ann Pickens, John Cheek, John Keyes, John Lanigan, José van Dam, Josephine Veasey, Julia Hamari, Karen Altman, Kathleen Battle, Katia Ricciarelli, Kenneth Riegel, Kiri Te Kanawa, Leo Nucci, Leontyne Price, Lucia Popp, Luciano Pavarotti, Malcolm Smith, Mallory Walker, Margaret Hillis, Martti Talvela, Mary Jane Johnson, Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus, Mignon Dunn, Nancy Clevenger, Norman Bailey, Peter Hofmann, Peyo Garazzi, Philip Creech, Philip Kraus, Ragnar Ulfung, Ralph Zeitlin, Ray Still, René Kollo, Richard Boldrey, Richard Cohn, Richard Lewis, Robert Johnson, Robert Savoie, Robert Tear, Roger Soyer, Rolf Kuhne, Ruth Hesse, Salvatore Accardo, Samuel Magad, Sandra Walker, Sarah Beatty, Sharon Powell, Shirley Verrett, Siegfried Jerusalem, Siegmund Nimsgern, Sir Georg Solti, Solti 100, Sona Ghazarian, Stephen Swanson, Stuart Burrows, Tamás Vásáry, Tatiana Troyanos, Terry Edwards, Theo Adam, Thomas Paul, tours, Werner Krenn, William Wahman, Wolfgang Brendel, Yordi Ramiro, Yvonne Minton, Zoltán Kelemen | 3 comments
During his tenure as music director, Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra traveled to Carnegie Hall nearly every season. A complete list of those concerts are below:
HAYDN Symphony No. 102 in B-flat Major
BARTÓK Dance Suite
Helen Watts, contralto
LEVY Concerto for Piano No. 1
Earl Wild, piano
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 8 in C Minor
WAGNER Das Rheingold
Woglinde Karen Altman, soprano
Wellgunde Huguette Tourangeau, mezzo-soprano
Flosshilde Helen Watts, contralto
Alberich Rolf Kuhne, bass
Wotan David Ward, bass
Fricka Mignon Dunn, mezzo-soprano
Freia Karen Altman, soprano
Fasolt Martti Talvela, bass
Fafner Hans Sotin, bass
Donner Thomas Paul, bass
Froh Kenneth Riegel, tenor
Loge Gerhard Stolze, tenor
Mime John Lanigan, tenor
Erda Helen Watts, contralto
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 97 (Rhenish)
WAGNER Prelude to Act 1 of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
SCHOENBERG Moses and Aron
Moses Hans Hotter, speaker
Aron Richard Lewis, tenor
A Young Girl Karen Altman, soprano
A Young Man Kenneth Riegel, tenor
Another Man Benjamin Matthews, baritone
Priest Donald Gramm, bass-baritone
An Invalid Woman Emilie Miller, mezzo-contralto
Ephraimite Stephen Swanson, baritone
A Naked Youth Kenneth Riegel, tenor
Four Naked Virgins Barbara Pearson and Nancy Clevenger, sopranos; Sharon Powell, mezzo-soprano; Elizabeth Muir-Lewis, alto
Three Elders Alfred Reichel and Jack Abraham, baritones; Eugene Johnson, bass
Six Solo Voices in the Orchestra Barbara Pearson, soprano; Sharon Powell, mezzo-soprano; Elizabeth Muir-Lewis, alto; William Wahman, tenor; Stephen Swanson and Arthur Berg, baritones
Barbara Born, director
Shirley Verrett, mezzo-soprano
Stuart Burrows, tenor
CARTER Variations for Orchestra
STRAUSS Don Juan, Op. 20
BERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14A
Marguerite Josephine Veasey, contralto
Faust Stuart Burrows, tenor
Mephistopheles Robert Savoie, baritone
Brander Roger Soyer, bass
MENDELSSOHN Overture to Fingal's Cave, Op. 26
BARTÓK Concert for Violin, No. 2
STRAUSS Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40
WAGNER Act 3 of Götterdämmerung
Gutrune Karen Altman, soprano
Brunnhilde Helga Dernesch, soprano
Woglinde Barbara Pearson, soprano
Wellgunde Gwendolyn Jones, mezzo-soprano
Flosshilde Sandra Walker, mezzo-soprano
Siegfried Jess Thomas, tenor
Gunther Donald Gramm, bass
Hagen Martti Talvela, bass
Richard Boldrey, assistant director
HENZE Heliogabalus Imperator
BEETHOVEN Symphony No.3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55 (Eroica)
BACH Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068
SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120
Judith Tatiana Troyanos, mezzo-soprano
Bluebeard Zoltán Kelemen, baritone
MOZART Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385 (Haffner)
ELGAR Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 (Enigma)
Samuel Magad, violin
Ralph Zeitlin, recorder
SCHOENBERG Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31
Salome Birgit Nilsson, soprano
Herodias Ruth Hesse, mezzo-soprano
Herod Antipas Ragnar Ulfung, tenor
Jokanaan Norman Bailey, baritone
Slave Sarah Beatty, soprano
The Page of Herodias Sandra Walker, mezzo-soprano
Narraboth George Shirley, tenor
Cappadocian Gershon Silins, bass
Two Nazarenes Cory Winter, tenor; Franz Mazura, bass-baritone
Four Jews Philip Creech, Jerry Jennings, John Lanigan, and William Wahman, tenors; Eugene Johnson, bass
Two Soldiers Curtis Dickson and Thomas Paul, basses
MOZART Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543
MAHLER Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Julia Hamari, mezzo-soprano
ELGAR Symphony No. 2 in E-flat Major, Op. 63
STRAVINSKY Symphony in C
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major
VERDI Requiem
Leontyne Price, soprano
Yvonne Minton, mezzo-soprano
Luciano Pavarotti, tenor
Gwynne Howell, bass
HAYDN Symphony No. 101 in D Major (The Clock)
Tamás Vásáry, piano
BARTÓK Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta
MENDELSSOHN Selections from A Midsummer Night's Dream
Alicia de Larrocha, piano
DEBUSSY La mer
WAGNER Der fliegende Höllander
The Dutchman Norman Bailey, bass-baritone
Senta Janis Martin, soprano
Daland Martti Talvela, bass
Erik René Kollo, tenor
The Steersman Werner Krenn, tenor
Mary Isola Jones, mezzo-soprano
MOZART Adagio and Fugue in C Minor, K. 546
VERDI Four Sacred Pieces
David Ward, bass
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 70
RAVEL Le tombeau de Couperin
RAVEL La valse
HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major
BEETHOVEN Missa solemnis, Op. 123
Mallory Walker, tenor
Solti was scheduled to conduct four concerts at Carnegie Hall in October and November 1977; however after suffering a fall in Chicago, he was forced to cancel the first two appearances. The October 31 performance of Mahler's Eighth Symphony was conducted by Chorus Director Margaret Hillis, and the November 1 program (identical to the November 2 concert) was led by Associate Conductor Henry Mazer.
STRAVINSKY Jeu de cartes
STRAUSS Four Last Songs
TIPPETT Symphony No. 4
Alfred Brendel, piano
Bernd Weikl, baritone
May 14 & 15, 1979
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 in B-flat Major, Op. 60
MUSSORGSKY/Rimsky-Korsakov Prelude to Khovanshchina
SHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 1, Op. 10
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944 (Great)
BEETHOVEN Fidelio, Op. 72
Leonore Hildegard Behrens, soprano
Marzelline Sona Ghazarian, soprano
Florestan Peter Hofmann, tenor
Jaquino David Kübler, tenor
Don Pizarro Theo Adam, baritone
Rocco Hans Sotin, bass
Don Fernando Gwynne Howell, bass
Two Prisoners Robert Johnson, tenor and Philip Kraus, baritone
April 28 & 30, 1980
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 (Pastorale)
WAGNER "Dich, teure Halle" from Tannhäuser
May 2 & 3, 1980
BRUCKNER Symphony No.4 in E-flat Major (Romantic)
Marguerite Frederica von Stade, mezzo-soprano
Faust Kenneth Riegel, tenor (May 1); Peyo Garazzi, tenor (May 2)
Mephistopheles José van Dam, baritone
Brander Malcolm King, bass
Wotan Siegmund Nimsgern, bass-baritone
Alberich Hermann Becht, baritone
Fricka Gabriele Schnaut, mezzo-soprano
Loge Siegfried Jerusalem, tenor
Mime Robert Tear, tenor
Erda Jan DeGaetani, mezzo-soprano
Fafner Malcolm Smith, bass
Fasolt Gwynne Howell, bass
Freia Mary Jane Johnson, soprano
Donner John Cheek, bass-baritone
Froh Dennis Bailey, tenor
Woglinde Michelle Harman-Gulick, soprano
Wellgunde Elizabeth Hynes, soprano
Flosshilde Emily Golden, mezzo-soprano
MOZART Overture to The Magic Flute, K. 620
BRUCKNER Symphony No. 9 in D Minor (Unfinished)
BRAHMS Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op 56a
LUTOSŁAWSKI Symphony No. 3
BERG Three Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6
BERG Concerto for Violin
Salvatore Accardo, violin
HAYDN Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major (Drumroll)
SCHUBERT Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major, D. 485
SCHOSTAKOVICH Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 65
BARTÓK Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin
TIPPETT Byzantium
Faye Robinson, soprano
VERDI Otello
Otello Luciano Pavarotti, tenor
Desdemona Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano
Iago Leo Nucci, baritone
Emilia Elzbieta Ardam, mezzo-soprano
Cassio Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor
Roderigo John Keyes, tenor
Montano Alan Opie, baritone
Lodovico Dimitri Kavrakos, bass
A Herald Richard Cohn, baritone
Terry Edwards, guest chorus master
Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus
Elena Doria, director
Solti 28: Verdi's Requiem
August 15, 2012 in Uncategorized | Tags: Angel, Carlo Maria Giulini, Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Christa Ludwig, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Grammy Award, Gramophone, Gwynne Howell, Janet Baker, John Warrack, José van Dam, Leontyne Price, London Records, Luciano Pavarotti, Margaret Hillis, Marilyn Horne, Martti Talvela, Medinah Temple, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Paul Goodman, Philharmonia Chorus, Philharmonia Orchestra, recording, Sir Georg Solti, Solti 100, Thomas Z. Shepard, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna State Opera Chorus, Yvonne Minton | 8 comments
Solti leading a Verdi Requiem recording session at Medinah Temple in June 1977
Sir Georg Solti twice led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Verdi's Requiem, with concerts in Orchestra Hall and Carnegie Hall.
April 24 and 26, 1975, at Orchestra Hall (special non-subscription concerts)
April 30, 1975, at Carnegie Hall
May 31, 1977, at Orchestra Hall (Musicians' Pension Fund concert)
Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano
Veriano Luchetti, tenor
José van Dam, bass-baritone
The work was recorded in Medinah Temple on June 1 and 2, 1977.
John Warrack's review in Gramophone magazine noted: "Much credit for bringing four strong and distinctive artists into a unified performance, of distinctive character, clearly resides with Solti. Either he now takes a less hectic, more consolatory view of the work, or he has let the quality of his soloists make this the shaping element of the performance. He is fortunate in an outstanding choir and orchestra, and in a recording that encompasses all the vehemence of the 'Dies irae' and also the cool sound of the three flutes accompanying Dame Janet's beautiful singing of the 'Agnus Dei', without any sense of a change of perspective.
"There are sections where he has allowed the choir to let vehemence do duty for real emphasis—a case in point is the 'Te decet hymnus'—and the renewal of the main 'Dies irae' theme has a slight note of an automatic return to a sensational moment, rather than a re-intensification of the moment of Judgement.
"But this is a fine performance, and one which can stand beside any which has been recorded. To choose between this and the Giulini performance listed above is not really reasonable: Giulini has qualities which are unique, and close to the heart of the work; Solti has his own qualities, and is favoured with at least two incomparable performances among his soloists. We are fortunate to have both interpretations recorded."
(Warrack refers to Carlo Maria Giulini's 1964 recording of Verdi's Requiem on Angel with the Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra. The soloists were Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Christa Ludwig, Nicolai Gedda, and Nicolai Ghiaurov. Solti also recorded the Requiem in November 1967 for London Records with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera Chorus. Joan Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, and Martti Talvela were the soloists.)
Thomas Z. Shepard produced the recording, and Paul Goodman was the engineer for RCA (this was one of the few records Solti made independent of London/Decca). The recording won the 1977 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance (other than opera) from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.
Solti 34: Happy 75th birthday (part 1)
July 24, 2012 in Uncategorized | Tags: András Schiff, Andrzej Panufnik, Anja Silja, Ann Murray, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Ardis Krainik, Barbara Hendricks, Birgit Nilsson, Carlo Maria Giulini, Chicago Symphony Chorus, Christa Ludwig, Christoph von Dohnányi, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, David Del Tredici, Elliott Carter, Erich Leinsdorf, George Rochbertg, Gunther Herbig, Gwynne Howell, Hans Werner Henze, Harold Washington, Henry Fogel, Henry Mancini, Herbert Blomstedt, Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, James R. Thompson, John Corigliano, José van Dam, Josef Suk, Karel Husa, Kenneth Jean, Kiri Te Kanawa, Klaus Tennstedt, Leonard Bernstein, Leonard Slatkin, Leontyne Price, Margaret Hillis, Michael Morgan, Michael Tilson Thomas, Mira Zakai, Morton Gould, Mstislav Rostropovich, Murray Perahia, Philip Langridge, Pierre Boulez, Pierre Vozlinsky, Plácido Domingo, Rafael Kubelík, Ray Minshull, Raymond Leppard, Ronald Reagan, Rudolf Serkin, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Georg Solti, Sir Michael Tippett, Solti 100, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Werner Klemperer, Witold Lutosławski, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Yvonne Minton | 3 comments
To honor Sir Georg Solti's seventy-fifth birthday, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus gave a gala concert of the highest order on October 9, 1987.
Governor James R. Thompson opened the concert with welcoming remarks, and after the intermission, Mayor Harold Washington presented Sir Georg with the City of Chicago's Medal of Merit. The concert program was as follows:
CORIGLIANO Campane di Ravello (world premiere)
Kenneth Jean, conductor
J. STRAUSS Overture to Die Fledermaus
Plácido Domingo, conductor
MOZART Concerto for Two Pianos in E-flat Major, K. 365
Sir Georg Solti, conductor and piano
Murray Perahia, piano
Plácido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa perform a scene from Verdi's Otello (Jim Steere photo)
VERDI Excerpts from Act 1 of Otello
Plácido Domingo, tenor
Kurt R. Hansen, tenor
Joseph Wolverton, tenor
Richard Cohn, baritone
David Huneryager, bass
The commemorative program contained letters and testimonials from numerous public officials, conductors, musicians, and industry professionals, including: Ronald Reagan, James R. Thompson, Harold Washington, Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Carlo Maria Giulini, Rafael Kubelík, John Corigliano, Christoph von Dohnányi, Rudolf Serkin, Henry Fogel, Michael Tilson Thomas, Christa Ludwig, Birgit Nilsson, Witold Lutosławski, Sir Charles Mackerras, Mstislav Rostropovich, Klaus Tennstedt, David Del Tredici, Leonard Bernstein, Leonard Slatkin, Werner Klemperer, José van Dam, Elliott Carter, Karel Husa, Isaac Stern, Morton Gould, Hans Werner Henze, Itzhak Perlman, Anja Silja, Erich Leinsdorf, Josef Suk, Plácido Domingo, Michael Tippett, Kiri Te Kanawa, Murray Perahia, Leontyne Price, András Schiff, Kenneth Jean, Andrzej Panufnik, Dame Janet Baker, Pierre Boulez, Yvonne Minton, Herbert Blomstedt, Mira Zakai, Margaret Hillis, Gunther Herbig, Ray Minshull, Ann Murray, Philip Langridge, Raymond Leppard, Vladimir Ashkenazy, George Rochberg, Gwynne Howell, Ardis Krainik, Michael Morgan, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Henry Mancini, and Barbara Hendricks.
Solti and Perahia as soloists in Mozart's Concerto for Two Pianos (Jim Steere photo)
The concert was covered widely in the press, in the Chicago Tribune (here, here, and here) and Sun-Times (here and here), as well as Time, Newsweek, the Post-Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle, among many others.