George Shirley's spellbinding performance of Roland Hayes' "Lit'l Boy," filmed last July at the Brevard Music Festival, was a highlight of twin Brevard initiatives: a week-long "Dvorak's Prophecy" festival inspired by my recent book Dvorak's Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music, and the "Brevard Project," a think-tank/seminar pondering the fate of the American … [Read more...] about The Brevard Project: Orchestras, American Roots, and Appropriation
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Toradze Memorial Concert
The recent Alexander Toradze Memorial Concert, featuring more than a dozen pianists, is now accessible online here. In addition to a lot of music, this event features three video clips of Lexo speaking and performing. A Toradze memorial festival will be held in Tbilisi, beginning May 30, 2023, (Lexo’s birthday) with a concert including Vladimir Feltsman performing … [Read more...] about Toradze Memorial Concert
Did Kurt Weill “Look Back”?
My favorite recording of any Kurt Weill song – as I have occasion to remark at the close of my recent NPR documentary on Weill’s immigrant odyssey – is Weill’s own rendition of “That’s Him.” Re-encountering this remarkable performance, with the composer accompanying himself at the piano, I feel a need to ponder what makes it so special. As I observed on … [Read more...] about Did Kurt Weill “Look Back”?
Kurt Weill’s Immigrant Odyssey on NPR
Kurt Weill, a refugee from Nazi Germany, turned himself into one of Broadway’s leading composers – an amazing feat of assimilation. After the war, he only returned to Europe once, in 1947 – and reported: “Strangely enough, wherever I found decency and humanity in the world, it reminded me of America.” How does that sentiment play today? It’s a question posed and … [Read more...] about Kurt Weill’s Immigrant Odyssey on NPR
Mocking Freedom? What To Do With the “Star-Spangled Banner”
My July 4 "More than Music" special for National Public Radio seems to me the hottest radio show I’ve ever managed to produce. The topic is The Star-Spangled Banner – as an instrument for exploring issues of race and national identity. You can hear it here. The Star-Spangled Banner is controversial today for three reasons. The first is that Francis … [Read more...] about Mocking Freedom? What To Do With the “Star-Spangled Banner”