This Week in Classical Music-August 10, 2008

by: Randy Kinkel

August 10, 2008

Marta Argerich

( Phoenix, AZ )
•Argerich documentary on DVD
•New Opera Company goes Baroque
•Maestro BBC reality show

This week in Classical music 8/10/08

It’s this week in classical music, an update on what’s hapenning in the classical music world, I’m Randy Kinkel.

A Documentary Film newly released on DVD gives some insight into reclusive pianist Marta Argerich. The Film, “Martha Argerich: Evening Talks”, by Georges Gachot ( who had been trying to get such an interview for 20 years) first released in 2002, is the result of one three-hour interview shot between a rehearsal and a performance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto with the Wurttemburg Chamber Orchestra in Germany. The 67-year-old pianist describes her first Musical epiphany at the age of 6 when she heard Claudio Arrau play Beethoven’s 4th concerto. She won’t play it to this day because it’s so important to her. She describes her debilitating stage fright and breakdown as a teenager. The film features close up interview shots, plus rehearsal footage and archival photos of Argerich. It is available on the Medici Arts label.

Does New York City really need another opera company? Wesley Chinn thinks so. He’s the founder and artistic director of “Opera Omnia”, a Baroque opera company currently in rehearsal for Monteverdi’s “Coronation of Poppea”. Opera Omnia consists of performers in their 20s and 30s, with an orchestra of period instruments. Organizers describe the style as “accessible and engaging, even raunchy”. In keeping with the spirit of 17th century performances, the bar will be open and socializing encouraged. Founder and AD Chinn is artistic administrator for the Little Orchestra Society; He founded an early-music society at Harvard, where he graduated in 1998, and that’s where he first put on a production of “Poppea”. Chinn says he is not that much of a stickler for authentic performances; “Authenticity is all well and good,” he says, “but the only reason to do period performance practice is because it works better.” Performances begin August 21st.

The BBC will unveil it’s latest reality show this week; it’s called “Maestro”, and it features 8 celebrities competing with each other to become conductors, and then showing their talents at the BBC Proms in the Park Concert, in front of a live audience of 30,000 people, not counting TV viewers. The celebrities were sent to “Baton Camp” earlier this year to learn the basics of music and how to engage and inspire an orchestra, and interact with an audience; in addition each was assigned their own conductor-mentor to help them along the way. According to a BBC spokesman, “Maestro contestants will "delve into the practicalities, magic and mystery of what a conductor actually does to make great music happen". Among the contestants are a former bassist from the Britpop band Blur and Starsky and Hutch’s David Soul.

For more on these and other items and events, go to the website, kbaq.org, be listening every week at this time for another update, and join me each weekday for the Mozart Buffet, an hour of music by Mozart and his contemporaries; I’m Randy Kinkel, for “This Week in Classical Music, on 89-five KBAQ Phoenix, a service of Rio Salado College and Arizona State University.

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