Hank Reynolds
Sondheim, Send in the Clowns Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) had one of the longest and most successful careers on Broadway, spanning almost 70 years. His musical A Little Night Music premiered in 1973. Sondheim had, by that time, an impressive list of successes, beginning with West … Read more
Varèse, Ionisation Edgard Varèse (1883-1965) was born in Paris. He moved to America in 1915 and spent most of his professional life here. He studied music at the Schola Cantorum and the Paris Conservatory. He also spent a good deal of time studying engineering in … Read more
Massenet, Méditation The Belle Époque describes a peaceful and prosperous era between two catastrophic European wars: the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and the onset of World War I in 1914. Major advances in science and technology were accompanied by a flourishing of … Read more
Telemann, Sonata for Bassoon in F Minor Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) tends to be grouped with his famous contemporaries Handel and J. S. Bach. Four years their senior, he would outlive both—Handel by 9 years and Bach by 17. The three represent in many ways … Read more
Mahler, Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen I had a conversation a few weeks ago with a friend who dismissed Gustav Mahler’s music as too emotional. Or perhaps he said it was too personal. It is both highly emotional and intensely personal, although I think … Read more
Carol will be speaking Saturday at the online conference of the Circe Institute. The conference theme is “Teaching in Place: Education Like Your Child Belongs.” The conference runs from Friday afternoon through Saturday evening, April 26-27. Circe explains the topic this way: What if education … Read more
Hefti, Li’l Darlin’ Neal Hefti (1922-2008) was born and raised in Nebraska. He took up the trumpet and, while still in high school, began arranging for the Nat Towles band. Towles’ band was one of the territory bands that played a significant role in spreading … Read more
Mendelssohn, Hebrides Overture Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) traveled to England in 1829. His journey included a tour of the Scottish Highlands, and there, on the Hebrides islands, he was inspired to sketch out what would become his Hebrides Overture. Among the Hebrides, Fingal’s Cave lies on … Read more
Brahms, Paganini Variations The theme of Paganini’s Caprice No. 24 has inspired numerous composers to craft a set of variations based on it. In this series, we have already featured the variations of Rachmaninov, Liszt, Lutoslavksi, and Fazil Say. But I don’t think we can … Read more
Imogen Holst, A Hymne to Christ Imogen Holst (1907-1984) was the daughter of composer Gustav Holst. She received a composition scholarship at the Royal Conservatory of Music. She worked as a composer, writer, educator, performer, conductor, and arts administrator. Her writings include the definitive biography … Read more