Hank Reynolds
Weber, Huntsmen’s Chorus I had planned to spend part of this fall in Germany, once again soaking up the local culture, but other events intervened. I first went to Germany courtesy of the U.S. Army and was assigned the task of performing with the band … Read more
Johnson, Failing The American composer Tom Johnson (b. 1939) describes himself as a minimalist. The term was first applied to the music of Steve Reich, Philip Glass and others in the 1960s denoting music that used limited resources or materials and that tended to be … Read more
Dowland, Flow My Tears Flow My Tears has a prominent place in our Discovering Music course. Despite the often sad, even morose, themes of Dowland’s songs, they have an immediate appeal. Maybe it’s the melancholy that attracts young listeners who tend to believe that their … Read more
Vasks, Evening Music Pēteris Vasks is a contemporary Latvian composer born in 1946. His compositions have attracted increasing attention around the globe, and he has a good claim to being the most prominent composer from the Baltics. Vasks points to his Baptist roots, somewhat unusual … Read more
Froberger, Allemande from Suite XIX Johann Jakob Froberger (1616-1667) was the pre-eminent German composer of keyboard music in the mid 17th century. Few details are known about his biography, however. His father was Kapellmeister in Stuttgart, and Froberger presumably received his training there. He went … Read more
Zemlinsky, Waldgespräch “It is already late, already cold,” says the knight to a lady riding alone through the woods. He will save her and guide her home. She is broken-hearted and riding after the sound of the hunting horn. “Flee,” she tells the knight. “You … Read more
Mendelssohn, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a classicist and promoter of Baroque music who built on the Romantic ideal of using literary forms and other extra-musical material for his inspiration. He shared with Mozart the fate of being an astonishing child prodigy … Read more
Obrecht, Laudes Christo Redemptori We know that Jacob Obrecht was born in the Netherlands on St. Cecelia’s Day, November 22, but there is no record of the year. Historians offer dates ranging from 1450 to 1458. The earliest date of 1450 is derived from the … Read more
Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), Norway’s most celebrated composer, composed incidental music to Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt in 1875. After the work’s premiere in 1876, he distilled his 90 minutes of music for the play into two relatively short suites, … Read more
Orlando di Lasso, Chanson on Dessus le marché d’Arras Once before I featured a high school choir that turned in a truly top-notch performance. As we enter a new school year, I offer this performance by the Houston High School for the Visual and Performing … Read more