Dr. Bob Prescribes Béla Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra
January
29th,
2019
Béla Bartók, circa 1925 I am frequently asked “who is my favorite composer?” My typical response – flippant but not insincere – is that I am a musical slut: I love whomever I’m with at the moment. I mean, really: when listening to Sebastian Bach’s St. Matthew Passion or playing the Goldberg Variations, how in…
Music History Monday: Who Says There’s No Such Thing as a “Bad Review”?
January
28th,
2019
Pravda, page 3, January 28, 1936: “Muddle Instead of Music” is on the bottom left quadrant On January 28, 1936 – 83 years ago today – an article entitled “Muddle Instead of Music” appeared on page 3 of Pravda, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Communist Party. The article – dictated by…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: Richard Strauss – Four Last Songs
January
22nd,
2019
There are fighting words, and then there are FIGHTING WORDS. Maria Callas (1923-1977) as Floria Tosca As for the former, small-case version of “fighting words” I would lump political discourse (which can, admittedly, get pretty hot these days; I trust none of you are put off by the fact that I keep politics out of…
Music History Monday: Disco Inferno!
January
21st,
2019
Saturday Night Fever Album Cover On January 21, 1978 – 41 years ago today – the soundtrack album for the movie Saturday Night Fever, which featured the Bee Gees (the Brothers Gibbs), went to #1 on the Billboard Album Chart. It proceeded to stay at number one for an astonishing 24 weeks – nearly 6…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: A Franz Liszt Trilogy
January
15th,
2019
Ted in April, 2018 But first, we have a cat named Teddy. Ted is a rescue cat. He spent the first years of his life roaming the mean streets of Fresno, California. We got him (or more appropriately, he got us) in February of 2009, almost ten years ago. Based on the wear on his…
Music History Monday: Tosca
January
14th,
2019
Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924) On January 14, 1900 – 119 years ago today – Giacomo Puccini’s three-act opera Tosca received its first performance at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. Based on a play by the French playwright Victorien Sardou (1831-1908) and adapted for opera by the librettists Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Gioacosa, Tosca has been an audience…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: Shostakovich Symphony No. 10
January
8th,
2019
Dmitri Shostakovich in 1974 After Dmitri Shostakovich’s death in August of 1975 and his “posthumous rehabilitation” by the Soviet authorities (do you love that phrase “posthumous rehabilitation” as much as I do?), the Soviet authorities declared that their dear, departed Dmitri Dmitriyevich was: “Soviet Russia’s most loyal musical son.” Back in 1975, who could argue…
Music History Monday: Frances Poulenc: a votre santé!
January
7th,
2019
Frances Poulenc (1899-1963) We celebrate the birth – on January 7, 1899, 120 years ago today – of the French composer and pianist Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc. Long considered a compositional lightweight - a composer for whom (heaven forbid!) traditional tonality, attractive melody and musical charm assumed pride of compositional place – Poulenc’s music was…
Phoenix Symphony Hall
January
4th,
2019
Phoenix Symphony Hall I will admit to being a baseball fan. However, to be honest, I am no longer a fan of attending baseball games. Don’t get me wrong; I used to love going to games, where I was happy to submerge myself into the Zen of things baseball: the slowing of time; the sudden…
Dr. Bob Prescribes: A Book?
January
1st,
2019
This is my 21st Dr. Bob Prescribes (“DBP”), a post I began on August 6 of last year (that would be 2018). Up to now, each of these DBP posts has recommended (“prescribed”) something musical. Atypically, today’s prescription has nothing to do with music per se. However, the thought process that lead to offer up…