Hank Reynolds
Piazzolla, Tango-Étude No. 3 The powers that be are extending many of the closings and social distance rules, so I am extending my series of performance picks for solo instruments. As a practical matter, a tuba requires a certain amount of social distancing just because … Read more
Puccini, Nessun dorma A snazzy style of television “talent” contests gained popularity some years back. Either the audience or a panel of judges I didn’t know would vote thumbs up or down on a steady stream of musical acts trying to achieve instant stardom. I … Read more
Donaldson, You’re Driving Me Crazy Tin Pan Alley exerted a strong influence on American music for more than half a century beginning in the late 1880s. The name refers to a specific block in Manhattan, 28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue. Music publishing houses … Read more
Stradella, Sinfonia in D Minor, No. 22 Alessandro Stradella (1643-1682) gives us one of the more colorful composer biographies. A couple of years ago we said a few words about Gesualdo’s colorful history—the fact that he murdered his wife and her lover. Stradella found himself … Read more
Visée, Prelude & Chaconne If you’re still cooped up at home and have run out of things to keep you busy, you might want to dust off your theorbo and imagine that your house is actually the palace at Versailles. If, like me, you never … Read more
Arnold, Fantasy for Horn Continuing from last week’s theme of music for quarantine, we turn to a work for solo horn by Sir Malcolm Henry Arnold (1921-2006). Arnold composed the score for numerous films from 1947 to 1969. He won an Academy Award in 1957 … Read more
Kuhlau, Fantasy for Flute Solo, Op. 38 As tiresome as talk of sheltering-in-place may be, it does prompt me to return to a theme we explored more than three years ago: music for solo, unaccompanied instruments. This week’s feature was filmed, appropriately enough, in an … Read more
Bach, Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 277 “Motet” often means a sacred polyphonic work with a Latin text. But motets took different forms over a long history from the 13th to the 18th century, varying from place to place and era to era. Secular motets dominated … Read more
Byrd, Ne Irascaris Domine/Civitas Sancti Tui As I thought about using this selection by William Byrd (c. 1543-1623) as today’s performance pick, I recalled that Byrd had appeared here somewhat recently. So I looked back at the list and discovered, of course, it was during … Read more
Children Go Where I Send Thee I thought about posting this week’s performance previously, but the occasion never seemed quite right. Christmas perhaps, or as part of a series focused on pop/folk music or vocal ensembles. But on hearing that Kenny Rogers (1938-2020) died last … Read more