Ewa at the Met

One-of-a-kind contralto, Ewa Podles (on Delos: Handel Arias DE 3253, Russian Arias DE 3298), rarely appears in American operatic productions. Her name crops up frequently in programs from European houses, but her unique mahogany-hued voice seems to present a roadblock to American producers. Ewa's presence, even in a small role, usually ends up dominating the entire stage, much to the discomfort of some other singers.

The new Metropolitan Opera brochure detailing the 2008-2009 season contains a surprise. Ewa will finally be singing again at the Met. Perhaps to quiet the insistent clamor of requests from rabid opera fans who crave any work that includes a battle of competing divas, the Met is reviving its venerable production of Ponchielli's "La Gioconda," a supreme example of the "diva-battle" genre. Three principal roles include: La Gioconda, soprano; Laura Adorno, mezzo-soprano; and La Cieca, Gioconda's blind mother, contralto.

Listed are Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham and Ewa Podles. A simple deduction leaves the blind-crippled mother-with-the-big-voice role to Ewa. Poor Cieca is falsely accused by practically everyone in Venice of being a sorceress or witch. In spite of flourishing her rosary beads to no avail she ends up being drowned by the opera's arch villain, Barnaba.

Whatever vocal opportunities the role affords we can be sure that Ewa will make the most of them. As a supreme scene-stealer in any role she tackles (even Erda!), Podles will probably make the minor role of La Cieca into a major reason to see and hear La Gioconda

Delos Diary

We've been waiting a long time to release the last recording American conductor James DePreist made while music director of the Oregon Symphony. Famous for his special affinity with 19th century classical masterpieces, Maestro DePreist is also an impressive orchestral technician who brings out the very best in every ensemble he conducts.
With the Oregon Symphony he has dazzled us in recent releases with his Respighi, Stravinsky, Korngold and Walton and more. In this new disc, he displays all of his and his orchestra's skills in selections by Wagner, Berlioz and Tchaikovsky. The CD, titled Tragic Lovers, is an apt description of the characters portrayed in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde and in Tchaikovsky's and Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet. All three are lush examples of 19th century symphonic works, but how differently they treat the same subject! Listen and learn.
Wagner's lovers, Tristan and Isolde, are mature beings, almost beyond passions of the flesh, yearning to fulfill their love in darkness, oblivion and death.
Both Berlioz' and Tchaikovsky's lovers are young, radiant with life and their passion, victims of the society around them… but each composer sees them differently.
Berlioz' music is a close-up of their love tryst. You are there, breathing with them, as close as they are to one another.
Tchaikovsky's music is a long-shot, a condensed retelling of the whole tragic tale… Friar Lawrence, the marriage, the feuding families, the intense love scene, the final death of the two lovers. One must remember, Tchaikovsky was still quite young when he wrote this piece.
Although familiar works, these three pieces have seldom sounded so eloquent. If there's a spark of romance in your heart, you'll surely find this a recording worth waiting for.

Delos Diary

To avoid being swamped by the summer heat, we at Delos keep busy finalizing preparations for Dmitri Hvorostovsky's new operatic blockbuster CD, soon to be released. The title "Heroes and Villains" sounds intriguing, but closely examined, leaves open some questions about the CDs contents. Hvorostovsky sings everything so convincingly that even his "villains" sound "heroic," while his actual "heroes" sound super-heroic.
For example, how could you not love the villainous Scarpia who trumpets his lustful desires for the diva Tosca so openly, and in church, too!
Or what about Rubinstein's "Demon" where the devil's minion spends all his energy mooning over one female, while thousands must be available to him.
Also, there's the wimpy hero, Valentin in "Faust," who gets killed very handily by Faust and Mephistopheles, for defending the honor of his sister who has already lost it. And then there's "Prince Igor" who heroically celebrates his defeat and capture after his first battle, while "Hamlet" ignores his own indecision by singing an elegant drinking song.
I could go on with these contradictions, but why bother when listening to Dmitri Hvorostovsky. In every instance he convinces us that he is the evil villain or sonorous hero he wants us to believe he is.
Remember, in opera, a beautiful voice and a masterful interpretation can make you believe anything. The new Hvorostovsky album will give you 15 opportunities to make up your own mind.
My personal favorite unlikely hero is the mellifluous lyrical baritone hero Wolfram in Wagner's "Tannhaüser" who spends his valuable time serenading an evening star while ignoring his possible true love, Elisabeth.

"Star Power, Charisma and Ardor in Onegin" — The New York Times

Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the great Siberian baritone, has done it again! His current stint at the Met in New York City is the title role in Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin. His appearances, which extend from February 9 to March 3, mark Hvorostovsky's debut in this role at the Met. As the New York Times commented in its review of opening night, "Dmitri Hvorostovsky …was born to play the role." It goes on "…you will seldom see better acting in opera than the scenes between Ms. [Renée] Fleming and Mr. Hvorostovsky. With his white mane, commanding physique and earthy voice, Mr. Hvorostovsky projects charisma naturally, making him perfect for this character."
As an interesting sidelight, the Met Saturday Matinée performance of this opera and cast on February 24 will be broadcast nationally and can be viewed simultaneously live on hundreds of movie theater screens all over the USA. Thousands of avid opera fans have made this new way to see and hear Met opera performances highly successful.
Mr. Hvorostovsky's stock should soar higher than ever when theater-going opera fans get giant closeups of the "white mane and commanding physique." And all this is in glorious digital sound as the opera is actually being performed on stage!
We at Delos are proud to offer six of Mr. Hvorostovsky's most recent recordings: Moscow Nights, Where Are You, My Brothers?, Sviridov: Petersburg, I Met You, My Love, Verdi Arias, and Passione di Napoli. By midyear of 2007 we hope to release his new recording of great opera arias. A short preview, heard by your correspondent, was most impressive, with Dmitri Hvorostovsky singing at the height of his powers.

A CHERRY RHODES SIGHTING!

CD auditors and organ aficionados with a sense of adventure may already be familiar with the Delos May 2006 release Cherry Rhodes, organist, in Concert (DE 3346). Cherry's virtuosity and rich musical insights are beautifully showcased in a recital featuring the majestic Dobson organ of Los Angeles' Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
Catching up with Cherry Rhodes in person is not easy. Like bird watchers who dissolve in ecstasy when they spot an unfamiliar species, lovers of organ artistry will go out of their way happily to hear a live performance from a "rare bird" like organist Cherry Rhodes who is always on the move maintaining a demanding international performance schedule.
The other day I had the privilege of being one of a small group of six, mostly professional, musicians and friends, invited to see and hear Cherry Rhodes up close previewing a demanding recital program she is preparing to help inaugurate the new Dobson organ in Philadelphia's Kimmel Center.
At mid-afternoon in the empty Cathedral we huddled close around the sanctuary console of the Los Angeles Cathedral organ and listened intently to over two hours of organ magic. Cherry's entire body (brain, too), including arms, hands and both well-shod legs and feet created a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of sound only achievable on a great organ.
Bach and Mozart were leavened with unusual repertoire by Clarence Mader, José Lidón and especially Jean Guillou, the French organist, arranger and teacher so important in Cherry Rhodes' career.
Most impressive of all was Jean Guillou's transcription of Franz Liszt's orchestral symphonic poem Orpheus, which incidentally is included on Cherry's Delos recording. In its orchestral form, Orpheus is a sensuous, highly romantic Lisztian bon-bon, but in Guillon's organ transcription it takes on a serious grandeur and delivers an impact I'm sure Liszt himself would have applauded.
After the demanding program and three encores, Cherry Rhodes added to my rare bird comparison by settling even further into the nest provided by the organ console and her performance bench, chatting warmly about the staggering program she had just dispatched with such brio.
Her Delos CD tells you a lot you need to know about Cherry Rhodes, but if she alights in your community and you get a chance to hear her in person, don't miss it. Such a musical plumage display is rare indeed.

Delos Diary

After a long silence, partially explained by our move from Hollywood and Highland to a fine new location on Wilshire Boulevard's Miracle Mile, we think we have a new release worth cheering about.
Early in June we will be issuing an exciting new recording by the Brazilian Guitar Quartet … nothing less than their own transcription for four guitars of Isaac Albeniz's piano masterpiece Iberia, a suite of 12 pieces evoking the spirit of Spain!
Raising eyebrows? Yes, it takes all four guitars — two 6-string and two 8-string — to cope with the fantastic difficulties Albeniz created in this stunning set originally composed to be played by two hands with 10 fingers.
The resulting recording is well worth the enormous effort the Quartet must have exerted to achieve the wonderfully idiomatic performance one hears on the CD. Albeniz, a brilliant pianist as well as composer, often conjured up fabulous ways to make his piano sound like a guitar. Our quartet returns this music to the guitar and in many ways it is a revelation.
If you love Spain or the idea of Spain with its history, romance, color and drama, you will surely find this recording a dazzler. You'll play it, and play it and play it.

Delos Diary

Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Constantine Orbelian get their 2006 show on the road with a gala concert for LA Opera on Sunday, January 15

Last summer Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Constantine Orbelian, leading his Moscow Chamber Orchestra, gave an inspiring series of joint concerts honoring a number of so-called Russian "Hero Cities." Each of these cities had played a crucial role in the victory of Russia and its allies over Nazi Germany in World War II, exactly 60 years ago. These concerts featured Dmitri Hvorostovsky singing songs from the War period which helped to sustain the morale of the military and civilians during that horrendous time, songs still well known and beloved in Russia by both young and old. The response to these programs in Russia was unprecedented, culminating in a triumphant outdoor gala in St. Petersburg.
With their shared canny sense of showmanship, Dmitri and Constantine have brought virtually the same program to the U.S. this month. Audiences in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, New York, and Miami will all get to hear the music that proved so successful in Russia last summer.
Juding from the premiere concert in Los Angeles at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion sponsored by LA Opera on Sunday, January 15, the artists can look forward to large and enthusiastic audiences wherever they perform. In addition to seemingly every expatriate Russian in the L.A. area (and there are a lot of them), the usual crowd of opera fans showed up en masse. Everyone in the audience lived and breathed with the program of Russian opera arias and war songs from beginning to end.
Hvorostovsky looked splendid and sang this repertoire as only he can. Orbelian, with the augmented Philharmonia of Russia, provided his uniquely sympathetic accomaniments and added a number of stirring orchestra interludes. The wonderful Oakland-based Pacific Boys Choir and the Russian folk ensemble Style of Five gave the final gilding to the already heavily gilded lily.
The next performances took place at the Kennedy Center in Washington on January 18 and Davies Hall in San Francisco on January 22 to great acclaim. Tonight, January 25, New Yorkers get their turn in Avery Fisher Hall, and then Miamians at the Jackie Gleason Theatre on January 31. Dmitri rejoins the traveling Russian ensemble for a final re-creation of this concert in London at the Barbican on February 17. This program has turned out to have such universal appeal that it may yet rival the success of "The Three Tenors." No, signed t-shirts are not yet available.

Delos Diary

We at Delos were pleased by last week's announcement that conductor James DePreist, along with eight other distinguished artists, was slated to be a recipient of the 2005 National Medal of Arts.
The awards were presented on Thursday, November 10 in an Oval Office ceremony in the White House, by President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
On that very date Maestro DePreist was scheduled to be in Tokyo for concerts, but schedules were revamped to enable him to attend the ceremony (see photo).
Every year, since the era of President Ronald Reagan, this award has been presented to outstanding personalities in the arts to acknowledge their contributions to American cultural life. This year's medal award recipients are a diverse group, including Robert Duvall, the film star, Dolly Parton, who contributes much more to American Life than just her voice, and Wynton Marsalis, trumpet virtuoso and jazz authority.
All of us and I'm sure everyone involved with the Oregon Symphony congratulate James DePreist on this achievement.
We are proud to have him on our label.

Delos Diary

As recently as February 1st, 2005, we posted a diary entry updating our information on British composer and Delos recording artist, Richard Rodney Bennett.
As his 70th birthday appraoches, Bennett's career seems to have leaped onto the fast track. Between the 9th of March and the 8th of April 2006, several events in London will celebrate this 70th anniversary and Sir Richard's stature as composer and performer.
One that sounds especially interesting will be the world premiere on March 9, 2006 at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, of a piece commissioned on behalf of the Prince of Wales by the Peter Moore Foundation. Dedicated to the memory of recently deceased Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, the composition is called "Reflections on a Scottish Folk Song." It is scored for solo cello and orchestra and is about one half-hour in length.
Other events during this same time period include a March 28 Wigmore Hall, London, program entitled "A Richard Rodney Bennett Songbook." (This is one day before his actual birthday.) With longtime friends and musical partners joining him, Sir Richard will undoubtedly regale an enraptured audience with his songs, both popular and serious.
Finally on April 8 two concerts, one at St. Giles Cripplegate, London, and the other at Barbican Hall, will present a survey of Bennett's symphonic and choral works. These will include the world premiere of a new work for chorus and orchestra and will involve an impressive cast of performers, among them the BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, plus a number of soloists.
It's evident that having reached the age of 70 Richard Rodney Bennett does not intend to rest on his laurels.
Happy Birthday to a distinguished artist and colleague!

Delos Diary

Our beloved Moscow Chamber Orchestra has embarked on another of its exhausting and exhaustive North American tours — the kind that would try most mens' souls but on which they seem to thrive. Much credit must go to conductor Constantine Orbelian who inspires this group to play at their 100% best at every performance.
Please see our posting of two of their latest reviews, one from Toronto, Canada, and one from Wolf Trap near Washington, DC. Both are ecstatic about the sound of the orchestra and about the music it plays. Our recordings do not lie and on them the orchestra soulds great, but hearing them in person, if they're in your neighborhood, is a unique experience.
As the Canadian reviewer says, "the pleasure to be had from such a world-class ensemble rekindles a sense of optimism about just being alive. You could see that in the audience streaming out of the hall…"

Delos Diary

If you are a rising and personable young operatic tenor, surrounded by admiring fans who are quizzing you about roles you have sung or wish to sing, what answer will your admirers expect? Probably Rodolfo, Alfredo, Cavaradossi, Pinkerton, Don José or other familiar tenor opera heroes.
If your name is Daniil Shtoda, the sensational young Russian tenor debuting on Delos International, you could answer… Levko, Alesha, Tsar Berendey, Likov, Vakula, Lyonka, or Vaudémont… all tenor leads in various Russian operas little known outside of Russia but as familiar in Moscow as Verdi or Puccini.
Of course by now most U.S. operagoers recognize Lensky as the tenor who sings two heart-breaking arias in Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin," but beyond that, little else. And what treasures we've been missing!
Tchaikovsky, Rimksy-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Borodin, Arensky and other Russian masters saved some of their most inspired vocal writing for the tenor leads in their operas, most of them still a vital part of the repertoire in Russia.
Daniil Shtoda's new CD (DE 3348) is not only a feast of beautiful singing but will be a real voyage of discovery for most of us. So much beauty, with such dramatic texts, and we've never heard them before. What a humbling experience!
22 areas from operas by the above-mentioned composers and also Grechaninov, Spadavecchia, Nápravník, Dargomïzhsky, and Khrennikov. Accompanied by Constantine Orbelian conducting the Philharmonia of Russia.

Delos Diary

Recently, Robert A. Moog died at the age of 71. To the very young his name probably means very little, but to anyone middle-aged or older, the name "Moog" brings back vivid memories of the sensation created by Robert Moog's development of the Moog Synthesizer, an electronic musical instrument which had an enormous effect on the entire field of music and established itself and its successors as essential elements in the production of the music we hear today.
Going back to the beginning, Moog's interest in electronically produced music was first stimulated by his encounters with the synthesizer's predecessor and relative — the theremin — the electronic instrument developed in the 1920s and 1930s by Russian physicist Leon Theremin.
After a series of sensational debuts, the popularity of the theremin diminished. Diabolically difficult to play, and expensive to produce, it became a victim of the world depression of the 1930s. However, when played really well, it can produce sounds of a unique and eerily beautiful quality — ideal for supernatural, ethereal or spooky mood setting.
On Delos, we proudly feature a superb program of music played on the theremin and performed by Clara Rockmore, who coached with Theremin himself, accompanied by her sister, pianist Nadia Reisenberg.
There's nothing quite like it on the market, a claim underlined in the notes and album comments by none other than Robert A. Moog himself. The Art of the Theremin (DE 1014) is an irreplaceable document of a very special time and place in 20th century music-making.

Photo, left to right: Shirleigh Moog, Robert A. Moog, Clara Rockmore, Robert Sherman, Nadia Reisenberg.

Delos Diary

About this time every summer, we get hints of what repertoire principal U.S. opera companies are offering come September. When N.Y.'s Metropolitan Opera schedule arrives, it's always fun to see if any of our Delos vocal stars are appearing there during the new season. So, it was gratifying to find three familiar Delos artists prominently mentioned in the casting of several major productions.
Soprano Olga Guryakova sings the leading role of Mariya in the Met's new production of Tchaikovsky's opera "Mazeppa." She is booked for seven performances, including the premiere, during March 2006. Judging from reviews she has already garnered in London for this same role, her appearances should be something to look forward to.
Our other Russian beauty, mezzo-soprano Marina Domashenko, will take on one of her favorite roles, Prince Orlofsky, in J. Strauss's "Die Fledermaus," five times between December 19, 2005 and January 7, 2006. Then she'll doff her male attire for the seductive costume of Saint-Saëns's Dalila in three February 2006 performances of "Samson et Dalila."
On the male side we have Ukrainian baritone Vassily Gerello, who seems to have a special thing for Puccini. Last season he sang the troubled U.S. consul Sharpless in the Met's "Madama Butterfly." This year, in a role much more reflective of his real personality, he will sing the romantic bohemian painter Marcello in Puccini's "La Bohème six times during November 2005… and each time he gets the girl… Musetta.
Coming soon, hopefully before their appearances at the Met, Delos will be bringing out a spectacular new CD featuring both Olga Guryakova and Marina Domashenko in Tchaikovsky solos and duets. Samples I've heard sound wonderful. More later.

Delos Diary

Something to really celebrate is the addition this month of American Bach Soloists releases to the Delos label.
One of the finest early music groups in America, the ABS, led by Jeffrey Thomas, debuts with discs of Corelli Concerti Grossi and Bach Harpsichord Concertos.
Later this fall comes a real blockbuster: the Handel oratorio Messiah, performed in much the way it was originally conceived by the composer, using a modestly-sized group of superbly skilled artists-soloists, chorus and orchestra, all well versed in 18th century performance style.
Soloists include soprano Arianna Zukerman (Eugenia Zukerman, one of our favorite flutists', daughter, no less), countertenor Daniel Taylor, tenor Steven Tharp and baritone William Sharp, these last three all ABS regulars. The indispensable chorus sings with the deft flexibility and emotional range you expect in a great Messiah.
And let's not forget conductor Jeffrey Thomas, a supreme stylist and master of Baroque musicmaking.
With this release we'll all get a chance to savor what audiences in the San Francisco Bay Area have been raving about for years.

Delos Diary - The War Songs Tour VI

Constantine Orbelian's tight schedcule of concerts and travel has delayed the final two chapters of his "Tale of Eight Cities… the Hvorostovsky-Orbelian Hero Cities Tour."
Here, at last, is his account of the concert in city No. 7, Ekaterinburg, scheduled for Thursday, June 9.
Constantine describes the colorful and tragic history of thisfascinating locale just beyond the Ural Mountains. His narrative, which combines history, personal anecdotes, and a review of the concert itself, is vivid and perceptive. The reader gets a unique picture of great artists, welcomed, feted and fed, and deeply appreciated by an adoring public fully aware of the fact that they are participating in a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Ekaterinburg

We arrived at the VIP section of the Novosibirsk airport and checked in for our early afternoon departure for Ekaterinburg. We landed in Ekaterinburg at the same time we departed because of the two-hour time change and we were whisked away to the Governor’s guest house, where we were to spend the next two days.

Delos Diary - The War Songs Tour V

Eureka! Constantine Orbelian has been able to eke out enough time from his impossibly busy schedule to continue his wonderful series of articles narrating the fascinating story of the Hvorostovsky-Orbelian-Moscow Chamber Orchestra tour of Russian "Hero Cities."
This tour, remember, was to be an 8-city celebration of the end of World War II, climaxing on Sunday June 12 with an open-air concert in Palace Square, St. Petersburg.
This Novosibirsk segment (concert of June 7) should be especially intriguing to the American music lover. Few realize that this enormous Siberian metropolis ranks with Moscow and St. Petersburg as a major music center with its own great cultural institutions which produce world famous artists on a regular basis… but let Constantine continue this story in his own words.

Novosibirsk

He sang and the people wept! ( Headline from Novosibersk’s "Vedomosti" Newspaper)

David Diamond 1915 – 2005

Just this morning we heard the announcement on news broadcasts of the death of American composer David Diamond. Next month he would have celebrated his 90th birthday. His reputation as one of America’s finest composers is secure. Here at Delos we have had the privilege of working with him on a number of recordings covering a wide range of his finest work.
During the course of preparing these recordings, we at Delos, and especially Amelia Haygood and Carol Rosenberger, became close friends and participants in a continuing dialogue and correspondence, both social and musical, with the composer. His unfailing graciousness, cooperation, intellectual input and whimsical, piquant humor made for music-making and recording on a very high level.
A survey of the Delos catalog reveals the current availability of a number of Diamond’s finest and most representative works. While the actual recordings were accomplished from 1990 to 1994, the pieces themselves range from early 1940 to 1993 when Diamond was a very active 78.
On Delos DE 3708 Great American Composers Collection you can find Diamond’s masterful Music from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet of 1947, a suite many consider one of his finest romantic works, and also his Concerto for Small Orchestra of 1940, a tightly organized composition for strings and winds, “made of the finest musical materials” as Virgil Thomson noted. Gerard Schwarz leads the New York Chamber Symphony in both selections.
Diamond’s special love of chamber music shines through on Delos DE 3088 American Chamber Music. The Chamber Music Northwest group and David Shifrin, clarinet, play Diamond’s 1950 Quintet for Clarinet, Two Violas and Two Violoncellos. As Diamond commented, “the instrumental choice… was made to capture a quality of Rembrandtian, Brahmsian, even Regerish autumnal richness of texture and emotion. Many decades of admiration for Brahms and Reger chamber works surely influence the glow of my work. This admiration remains constant today.”
This work is in strong contrast to the 1989 Concert Piece for Flute and Harp written for the Glorian Duo, Wendy Kerner Lucas, harp, and Donna Milanovich, flute, which received its premiere recording on Delos DE 3143 Sounds of the Seine. It reveals another facet of Diamond’s talents, music inspired by the French composer Albert Roussel, whom Diamond admired… lyrical, songful, sparkling and sophisticated.
Finally, the competitive “anything you can do, I can do” Diamond shows up in the Two Barcarolles for Piano of 1993. During a meeting with Amelia Haygood and Carol Rosenberger, Diamond learned that Carol was recording an album of piano barcarolles, mostly by famous composers of the past. Diamond offered to add two new compositions of his own to the list and followed through with two contrasting pieces, one gentle and reflective, the other strong and passionate, dedicated respectively to Carol and Amelia. These can be found on Delos DE 3172, Singing on the Water and add a touching contribution to our Delos portrait of David Diamond and his long relationship with Delos both as recording artist and valued friend.
The obituaries are already piling up. One and all seem to recognize that this man and his brand of American music, often called “20th Century Romantic Classicism,” represent the music which will survive in this new century, sounding better all the time.

Delos Diary - The War Songs Tour IV

Upon receiving this new installment of Constantine Orbelian's journal describing Dmitri Hvorostovsky's "Hero Cities" tour, we took out our trusty atlas and an old-fashioned ruler and made a few guesses at the total number of miles this ambitious project will finally cover.
Our estimate comes to well over 5,000 miles in about two weeks. The longest hop seems to be the one between Volgograd and Krasnoyarsk (Dmitri's hometown) — around 2,000 miles. The next longest is about 1,000 miles between Yekaterinburg and St. Petersburg.
As this narrative continues, we are now in Siberia. Both Krasnoyarsk and the next stop Novosibirsk are very large, thriving industrial cities and areas with formidable cultural and scientific establishments. During World War II both cities supplied thousand of soldiers and manufactured much of the weaponry which helped defeat the Nazi invaders.
Constantine Orbelian makes clear that even less than ideal Siberian weather can't put a damper on Hvorostovsky's enthusiastic reception. The story continues to be heartwarming.

We arrived at the Krasnoyarsk airport and were met with some "gorgeous" Siberian weather; it was raining! Nevertheless, we knew that we had come to Dmitri's home town; loads of people at the airport and TV cameras from all sides.

Delos Diary - The War Songs Tour III

The continuing saga of Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s War Song Tour of Russian "Hero Cities" is taking on legendary proportions as you will see as you read about the open-air concert which took place on June 3… the Volgograd Concert.
Formerly known as Stalingrad, this heroic city, and the battle that took place there, marked the turning point of World War II when Russia, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives, repelled the Nazi invasion.
Constantine Orbelian's Chapter III narrative continues on the same high level as Chapters I and II — Tula and Smolensk. His account of the immense public response to this tour is engrossing. We beg you to pay particular attention to the quotes from the Governor and Mayor of Volgograd, the region and the city. Their comments underline and clarify Dmitri Hvorostovsky's overriding decision to sing songs glorifying Russia as Motherland, for transcending the philosophies of the former Soviet Union and the political system it sponsored.
Pride in Russia, the Motherland, and the sacrifices Russians made to preserve its integrity, is the ultimate aim of this ongoing songfest now approaching its halfway mark.
Critical and public response to this Constantine Orbelian journal of the "Hero Cities" tour have been numerous and enthusiastic. We at Delos have every intention of following up the completion of the tour narrative on the web with a brochure or book which will include the story of the entire experience illustrated with photos to bring to life even more vividly the events Orbelian describes so well in his text.

Delos Diary - The War Years Tour II

As a preface to this 2nd installment of Constantine Orbelian's account of Dmitri Hvorostovsky's War Song Tour of Russian "Hero Cities," we urge you to read this chapter and not to miss any of those yet to come. If Orbelian were not a famous musician he would certainly qualify as a first-rate writer-historian-journalist! The deatils of the journey, the historical background and the heart-felt reception of the SMolensk audience are all brought to life in his account.
Smolensk should have special meaning to lovers of Russian literature since its importance during Napoleon's invasion figured prominently in Tolstoy's War and Peace.
Let's hope that in future this long-suffering city is allowed to recover and continue to develop in peace with only music like the "War Years" songs recalling its tragic past. --

The road to Smolensk

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Moscow, when Hvorostovsky; his manager from London, Mark Hildrew; his Moscow secretary, Elena Nedosekina; and I met at the entrance to the Byelorussian Train Station in Moscow.

Emanuele Segre - The Spanish Guitar - 1535-1962 (DE 3347)

This April 2005 Delos release demonstrates that you don't have to be Spanish to be a masterful interpreter of Spanish music. Emanuele Segre, Italian Guitarist, proves this point as he surveys a wide swath of Spanish guitar music ranging from 1535 to 1962.
On two discs and 30 tracks, Segre plays the music of a pantheon of Spanish classical composers, including Milán, Mudarra, Sanz, Narvaéz, Murcia, Aguado, Sor, Albéniz, Granados, Tárrega, Llobet, Falla, Turina, Moreno-Torroba, and Mompou. The results are impressive, convincing and beautiful sounding. Segre makes his instrument sing and dance as he uses creative phrasing, fingering and ornamentation to bring new life to old music.
Segre's fresh look at more familiar 19th and 20th century composers is equally original. Even Albéniz and Granados selections have been restudied and newly transcribed when needed.
As Segre notes "…in the relationship between the guitar and Spain … the horizons of research are always wide open."

The Virtuoso Flute - Raffaele Trevisani / Paola Girardi (DE 3340)

Never was a CD more aptly titled than this recent Delos release featuring the artistry of flutist Raffaele Trevisani and pianist Paola Girardi.
This new flute and piano CD of 19th century repertoire demonstrates the enormous advances in virtuosic playing made possible with mechanical improvements added to the instrument in the first third of the century.
Composers of the age of romanticism including Donizetti, Sarasate, Boehm, Massenet, Doppler, Borne and Bazzini all created music which reveled in emotion, virtuosic execution and individual indulgences of all kinds.
Raffaele Trevisani, playing his 14-carat gold Miramatsu flute, illustrates the period’s special qualities brilliantly with his unique sound and masterful technique, unsurpassed by any other flutist playing today.
The pianist’s contribution to this recording is also estimable. Paola Girardi responds to and supports Mr. Trevisani’s most extravagant and demanding outbursts. Her musicianship and grasp of the romantic style blend seemlessly with Trevisani’s own vision.
Donizetti’s almost operatic sonata, flute transcriptions of Sarasate and Bazzini’s violin showpieces, and Massenet’s Meditation from Thaïs are only part of the dazzling repertoire. Selections by Boehm, Doppler and Borne complete the picture, especially Borne’s “Fantaisie brilliante sur Carmen” in which Mr. Trevisani’s flute solos are guaranteed to leave the listener, if not Mr. Trevisani, breathless.

Delos Diary - War Songs Tour

The saga of the Hvorostovsky War Songs Tour which we described in our entry of May 19 has finally begun with new and dramatic developments leading up to the first concert in Tula scheduled for May 25.
No one knew in advance that this would be the day of the great Moscow area power outage, the worst and most extensive in years.
The intrepid and fearless conductor Constantine Orbelian has sent us an eyewitness account of the entire hair-raising first day, as suspenseful and entertaining as any soap opera.
It would be difficult to improve, so we will let you access it in Orbelian's own words:

Hvorostovsky/Orbelian 60th Anniversary "Hero Cities" tour, commemorating the end of WW II

Concert No. 1

The Trip to Tula

The first concert in our tour dedicated to the 60th Anniversary of the end of WW II was scheduled to take place in the ancient Russian town of Tula, known for its arms manufacturing plants and its citizens' enormous contribution to the War effort. This town is located 150 kilometers southwest of Moscow.

Everything began as a normal morning,

Delos Diary

Better late than never! Big things are happening in the next few days which are bound to add to the luster of Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and Constantine Orbelian, all Delos favorite artists.
Monday, May 9th is the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, an event celebrated almost universally, but an especially big event in Russia where the conflict created havoc and destruction beyond description.
To commemorate this occasion Russia is staging a major parade and public gathering in Red Square and a gala concert at the Kremlin Palace, over 80 heads of state including U.S. President George Bush are slated to attend and hear the offerings of the creme de la creme of Russian artists, including Dmitri Hvorostovsky, who will sing a selection of War Songs… some of the very ones you can hear on his Delos CD Where are You, my Brothers?
Busy Dmitri then rushes back to New York's Metropolitan Opera to finish his run as Valentin in the Met's new Faust, then back again to Russia to join Constantine Orbelian and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in an intense 2 1/2 week tour of Russian cities which figured prominently in World War II's pivotal battles and glorious victories. Between May 25 and June 12, Hvorostovsky, the MCO and Constantine will give concerts highlighting the War Songs in eight locations: Tula, Moscow, Smolensk, Volgograd, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and St. Petersburg.
Those of you who have access to the RTV channel on your own TV at home can view a little preview this very weekend. Saturday night May 7 at 8 p.m. Constantine Orbelian is being interviewed about these coming events. He will probably add valuable insights and fascinating anecdotes, enriching the whole story of the war years and the ultimate survival with his unique viewpoint.

Delos Diary

Talk about being put in your place! Time Magazine, the issue dated April 18, 2005, features the magazine's choice of the world's 100 most influential people as of spring 2005.
A careful scan of the list reveals that not one individual in the classical music field is even so much as mentioned. Not one conductor, composer, vocalist, instrumentalist, producer, or critic! Popular music gets some recognition under the subheading of Artists and Entertainers, with the inclusion of Alicia Keys, Juanes, Kanye West, Melissa Etheridge and Jay-Z, all estimable artists in their own fields, but hardly classical celebrities. So whether your name happens to Placido Domingo, James Levine, Renée Fleming, John Adams, Simon Rattle, Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman or any of the other musicians we prize so highly, you can consider yourself relegated to the also-rans.
What is there to do about it? We can simply sit back and recognize that ours is a specialized field not really relevant in today's world, or become much more aggressive in promoting the art we cherish. Here at Delos we will continue to practice the latter option by bringing out new records of quality and integrity.

p.s.: How about getting Dmitri Hvorostovsky to do an Arnold Schwarzenegger and run for some political office in Russia? He's got the looks and a much better voice. He might be our best bet to break into next year's 100 best list.

Delos Diary

One of the most valuable contributors to Delos' reputation for its top quality recorded releases has been Shirley Fleming.
Her notes, which accompany many Delos CDs, have been exemplary for their graceful writing, readability and accuracy.
Shirley Fleming's distinguished career in the classical music world as writer, editor, and critic is legendary. Publications, such as Musical America, High Fidelity and American Record Guide, have all been enhanced by her writing, editing and critical skills. For Delos, she approached every editorial assignment with care and integrity and consistently supplied written notes as understandable to the average layman as to the trained musician.
When asked to rework her notes into a new format called "Young People's Notes," she revised her copy with practical skill and submitted new versions, ideally edited for children and young people just becoming familiar with classical music.
Shirley Fleming, a dear friend, a beautiful and talented woman and a wonderful personality, died on Thursday, March 10 in Augusta, Georgia, at the age of 75.
Unhappily, when we want new notes, beautifully written, that meet our deadline and fulfill our needs, we can no longer simply reach for the phone and say, "Let's call Shirley!"

Delos Diary

This March and April the sounds of Delos are dazzlingly diverse. Releases include music for full orchestra with solos for bandoneón, piano, soprano… also music for string quintet, flute with piano, and classic Spanish guitar.
Preparing such a wide bounty for CD publication is more complex than you might think. Editor's ears have to shift gears back and forth, copywriters and graphic artists scurry about searching for biographical data and suitable artwork and photos, album notes must be written and checked for accuracy, and printers must be cajoled into meeting release date schedules.
When, finally, the packaged CD, in its pristine and impenetrable plastic wrap, is plopped into your hands, you realize that its release is finally beyond your control, and the disc is out there in the cruel world, waiting to be sniped at or adored… or sometimes simply ignored.
This particular foursome definitely should not be ignored. There's a lot of content to delight any classical music fan. You can cry with Schubert, applaud Starker, tango to Piazzolla, meditate with Trevisani and Massenet's Thaïs, and revel in Segre's Albeniz and Granados… and all this in the next 60 days.

Janos Starker Celebration - Schubert & Boccherini String Quintets
Soovin Kim, Kurt Nikkanen, violins; Kirsten Johnson, viola; Janos Starker, Zuill Bailey, cellos

The Soul of Tango - Music of Luis Bacalov & Astor Piazzolla
Gisèle Ben-Dor, conductor; Santa Barbara Symphony; Juanjo Mosalini, bandoneón; Luis Bacalov, piano; Virginia Tola, soprano

The Virtuoso Flute - Music of Donizetti, Sarasate, Boehm, Massenet, Doppler, Borne, Bazzini
Raffaele Trevisani, flute; Paola Girardi, piano

Spanish Guitar Music from the 1500s to Our Time
Emanuele Segre, guitar

Delos Diary

More about the MCO and Bermuda

Recently we described the glowing reception Carol Rosenberger and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Constantine Orbelian received at the orchestra's second concert in Hamilton, Bermuda on February 15th. This was not meant to slight the equally enthusiastic audience the MCO entertained the night before with a concert featuring the orchestra and its own musicians… every one a virtuoso!
The Hamilton Royal Gazette published a glowing review the very next morning, headlining the concert as "intimate and exquisite." Cellist Alexander Zagorinsky was singled out for his Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff and four violinists and the same cellist also wowed the audience with one of their specialties, the Vivaldi Concerto for Four Violins and Cello. These, plus Mozart, Piazzolla and numerous encores, apparently made for an exceptional program. Many of these pieces are featured on the Delos CD Stars of the MCO (DE 3327).
The newspaper review ends "the audience rose in appreciation. Too soon, literally, the concert was over, although there seemed nothing but looks of satisfaction on their faces as they prepared to depart."
I add a random thought about the MCO now that its tours have begun to include island hopping. How long until they travel to the Azores, St. Helena, the Falklands, then on to Pitcairn and Easter Island? I'm sure music-starved locals in these remote outposts would love to welcome and listen to this incredible band of musicians and their indomitable leader, Constantine Orbelian. I can almost see him in a parka, his orchestra behind him, at the prow of a long boat, landing on a remote beach to the huzzahs of the enthusiastic natives.

Delos Diary

Bermuda and Bridge

Devotees of TV nature series know all about the famed Bermuda Triangle, a mysterious area south of the resort island which seems to lure seafarers and airliners into unexplained disappearances.
We have now restored Bermuda's good name and reputation by creating a new Delos version of the triangle, a threesome consisting of conductor Constantine Orbelian, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, and pianist Carol Rosenberger.
On Tuesday February 15th at the Ruth Seaton James Center in the capital city of Hamilton, Bermuda, the Moscow Chamber Orchestra gave the second of two concerts conducted by music director Constantine Orbelian. Pianist Carol Rosenberger was the featured soloist and as a tribute to the island's British heritage she played the wonderful Chamber Concerto version of Frank Bridge's Quintet for Piano and Strings in D Minor (H. 49).
Delos fans are probably already familiar with the very successful CD of this music the same threesome recorded for Delos in 2001 (DE 3263).
From all reports, the Bermuda audience was delighted with the concert and Carol's stunning pianism. After the concert and post-concert jubilation they all disappeared into the Bermuda night happily humming the enchanting Bridge melodies.
Constantine, Carol, and the Orchestra, our golden triangle, defied the Bermuda legend and have all returned to mainland USA safe and sound with no enforced side trips to the Sargasso Sea.

Delos Diary

The diversity of population in Los Angeles continues to surprise. In West Hollywood alone, over 6,000 Russian-speaking immigrants have found new homes. Many are Russian Jews who fled post-World War II persecution for our friendlier clime, and now are living out their old age surrounded by the glitz of Hollywood.
Among these thousands, over 500 men are veterans of what the Russians still call the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. To pay tribute to their honorable military service, private and public money has been raised to sponsor a monument in West Hollywood's Plummer Park. The face of the seven-ton granite memorial will feature carvings of three white cranes and four lines from the famous poem "Cranes" by Soviet poet Rasul Gamzatov.
Here's where Delos comes into the picture. In 2002, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the internationally renowned. Russian baritone, recorded an album for Delos entitled Where Are You, My Brothers? (DE 3315). Along with 16 other songs from the war years, the musical setting of the poem "Cranes" by composer Yan Frenkel stands out as almost unbearably poignant. The four lines of the song-poem that will be featured on the monument are probably these:
It seems to me sometimes that soldiers
Who didn't come home from the blood-soaked battlefields
Weren't laid to rest in the earth.
But turned into white cranes.
If the final monument lives up to the beauty and emotional appeal of the war songs included in Hvorostovsky's album, it will be a sight to see when it is unveiled on May 8.
Meanwhile there is the Delos album in which Hvorostovsky's art is enhanced by the accompaniment of Constantine Orbelian conducting the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the Style of Five and the Spiritual Revival Choir of Russia.

Delos Diary

Lurking in the depths of the Delos catalog are two CDs highlighting the works, the pianism and the singing voice of distinguished British composer and musician, Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. These recordings date back to 1990 when sir Richard — not yet a "Sir" — was also 15 years younger. At that time Bennett recorded an album for Delos here in Los Angeles entitled I Never Went Away (DE 5001). It featured 15 popular songs, mostly classic standards. In his own inimitable vocal style, Bennett sings each number accompanying himself on the piano in a manner comparable to the best cabaret artists of the time — in fact, superior to most.
Anyone old enough to remember and still love the great songs of the mid-20th century should make an effort to look up this recording. Younger listeners too might be surprised to find that such tunes ever existed — tender, witty, touching, sentimental, literate, and melodic.
Meanwhile Bennett's career has flourished, with movie scores and more recently a commission from Charles, Prince of Wales, for a piece commemorating the late Queen Mother, plus the issuance of a new multi-volume CD set of all Bennett's works for piano.
Two of these, Partridge Pie and Suite for Skip and Sadie can already be found on Delos' My Keyboard Friends (DE 6002). As an additional surprise, Carol Rosenberger's solo album Singing on the Water – Piano Barcarolles (DE 3172) contains a "smoky and sensuous" barcarolle written for and dedicated to Carol by the composer, Richard Rodney Bennett, himself.

Delos Diary

While compiling information for a press release announcing the final volume of Shostakovich's Complete Songs, we were surprised to see what a big project it turned out to be. For a small company like Delos, it's like bringing out a new Wagner Ring Cycle.
For starters, Dmitri Shostakovich was a prolific song writer. From his early youth on to the period immediately preceding his death, he never stopped writing songs. Here are the facts… from 1932 to 1974 he wrote a total of 101 songs either as individual entities or as parts of diverse song cycles. His texts derive from the writings of great and obscure poets and authors alike, from Blok, Lermontov, Pushkin, Dolmatovsky, Svetlov, Krylov, Shakespeare, Walter Raleigh and Robert Burns to quotes from press clippings and personal ruminations. Put end to end these songs comprise over 5 hours of words and music.
Collating all this material, finding singers to interpret so many different styles, moods and emotions with authority must be a daunting task, but Yuri Serov, Russian pianist, accompanist, teacher and writer, accomplished it all and even wrote the liner notes. Throughout the five volumes in various combinations, he utilizes nine vocalists and even a youth chamber choir.
Delos is bring out the final volume (No. Five) of this series later this month and it provides a satisfying finale to the project.
From Jewish Folk Poetry, a vocal cycle of 14 songs composed in 1948, contrasts strikingly with Suite to Words by Michelangelo Buonarroti, eight songs with perhaps the most significant words Michelangelo ever wrote summing up his life and art. Shostakovich, in this late cycle, provides music worthy of the master artist.
Anyone interested in song literature should indulge themselves in this song series, even if it means buying one at a time. Together, they make up a unique segment of Shostakovich's total musical output, as significant in their own way as his symphonies and chamber works.

Delos Diary

Year End Summary

The end of the year is a time for making lists … lists of what we've accomplished in the last twelve months, and lists of things we hope to achieve in the new year — 2005.
Here at Delos we've compiled our list of things we've done in 2004 and it's a little surprising, even to us.
Since January 2004 we have released 17 new CDs bearing the Delos label. This doesn't include re-releases or a few distributed CDs. These 17 Delos discs encompass a wide variety of music. Each one deserves a few words of comment, so here goes.
January 2004

The Premiere Organ Recording from the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Sal Soria, organist (DE 3331). A sound spectacular featuring a great new instrument, wonderful playing and a beautiful package.

February 2004

Beethoven Quartets, Op. 59, Nos. 2 & 3, The Shanghai Quartet (DE 3320). Long awaited, the result of much preparation, precursor of other Beethoven quartets to follow. The Shanghai Quartet gives nonpareil readings.

March 2004

Hear My Prayer, Voices of Ascension, Dennis Keene, conductor, Hei Kyung Hong, soloist (DE 3300). A long wait — too long — for this new Dennis Keene release… but how beautiful his "Voices" sound. Wonderful repertoire plus world-class soprano Hei Kyung Hong as soloist.

The Sound of the Italian Saxophone Quartet (DE 3333). Live from Verona, these four Italian saxophone virtuosi, led by Federico Mondelci, play as if joined at the hip, with flawless ensemble. Engaging music, lots of ebullient fun, a sheer delight!

Delos Diary

In this era of blockbuster movies and cinema epics which appear one weekend and vanish the next, we are not often concerned with objective historical truth when we go to the theatre.
This also holds true in opera where librettos are not noted for historical accuracy even when they're dealing with well documented facts.
A new release on Delos, Anton Arensky's Raffaello (De 3319), a one-act opera about the Italian Renaissance painter Raphael, is a good example of a fanciful libretto giving a 19th century gloss to the true story of Raphael's love life.

Delos Diary

Years ago there was a popular play which made the rounds of regional theatres called "Springtime for Henry."
This coming year, 2005, will see a period during April and May which opera lovers may dub "Springtime for Dmitri."
Between Thursday April 21 and Saturday May 21, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Delos' Russian baritone par excellence, will appear at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in eight performances of Gounod's Faust. The opera is being given a new production to be conducted by James Levine. Other celebrated singers in the cast include Soile Isokoski, Roberto Alagna and René Pape.
Hvorostovsky will portray Valentin, Marguerite's soldier-brother who gets to sing one of Gounod's most renowned arias. He also will be a guest artist at a Met Gala Concert honoring Mirella Freni on Sunday May 15th. Sharing this event, conducted by James Levine, will be mezzo Frederica von Stade and tenor Salvatore Licitra.
Hopefully by this time, Hvorostovsky's newest Delos CD Moscow Nights will have been released. Although the songs recorded on this CD are primarily popular, their lyricism and melodic beauty bear favorable comparison with many operatic favorites.
Hvorostovsky brings the same attention to musical detail and his signature dramatic involvement to the selections in Moscow Nights which he gives to his operatic offerings. Supported by the loving accompaniments of the Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Constantine Orbelian, Hvorostovsky's newest release should get the spring season off to a rousing start.

Delos Diary

Christmas approaches!
Depending on your state of readiness, these two words, plus the exclamation point, may delight or depress you. The weary grind of sending cards, shopping for gifts, wrapping them, decorating the house, etc., etc., can be daunting, especially if you've already gone through the entire cycle thirty or forty times over the years. On the other hand, for those who are relatively young, mobile and prosperous, the holidays can be a time of great delight.
A Christmas manifestation I personally dread is the prospect of hearing the same dozen or so Christmas carols being sung or played over and over on radio, TV, store and mall sound systems, by church choirs, amateur choruses, and local glee clubs from mid November through December 25.
Here at Delos we have a couple of antidotes to alleviate this glut of Christmas standards. A Kremlin Christmas (DE 3271) for one. The wonderful Capella of the Moscow Kremlin Museum, under its director Gennady Dmitriak, dips into the rich reservoir of Russian Orthodox Christmas music developed over the last four centuries and comes up with a recording, rich in Christmas spirit, with music mostly unfamiliar to western listeners.
Closer to home, Christmas by the Bay (DE 3238), brings us the renowned San Francisco Symphony Chorus, conducted by Vance George, in a concert with some familiar holiday favorites but many other rarely heard gems extending from the French and Italian Renaissance to contemporary compositions such as Eric Whitacre's setting of e.e. cummings' poem little tree. Truly refreshing, touching and unhackneyed music.
Enough said. Now get back to your wrapping and decorating. It's closer than you think.

Delos Diary

Scanning music reviews published in the New York Times from our home base in Hollywood, California sometimes yields pleasant surprises, especially when something is said we can relate to Delos.
In the Wednesday November 10th edition, Allan Kozinn gave a very favorable review of a Saturday, November 6th concert by a group called Music from China. The event was part of a new music series at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City.
Music from China, founded in 1984, was organized to acquaint Western audiences with traditional Chinese music and, more recently, with music by contemporary Chinese composers.
Mr. Kozinn focused on two pieces by composer Zhou Long, the organization's music director, another composition by composer Chen Yi, and the virtuosic playing of erhu soloist Wang Guowei.
Two recent Delos CD releases can bring you up to date on this very special group, both composers mentioned, the erhu soloist and many other personalities and composers involved in the contemporary Chinese music scene.
Zhou Long - Tales from the Cave (DE 3335), features five compositions by Zhou Long played by Music from China, conducted by the composer. Wang Guowei, the brilliant erhu player mentioned, can be heard on several tracks on this recording.
Another Delos release, HUAXIA (DE 3299), was recorded with a completely different group of musicians playing works by other contemporary Chinese composers, among them Tan Dun and Chen Yi.
So there you have it! Much of this week's revelation in New York City is already available on Delos.

Delos Diary

This past weekend a news release from Associated Press caught my eye. November 6, 2004 was the 150th anniversary of John Philip Sousa's birth. The great "march king," once the most famous American musician alive, is now largely neglected, at least as a "serious" composer. A number of his marches such as Stars and Stripes Forever and Semper Fidelis are still enormously popular, but not much else.
The newspaper article goes on to say that Sousa's complete archive of compositions and arrangements is housed at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Ill. During his long career Sousa composed 137 marches, 5 overtures, 15 operettas, 11 suites, 24 dances, 28 fantasies, and 322 arrangements of 19th century symphonic works for band. Today, of these hundreds of entries, we hear only a few of the more famous marches. One would think that there ought to be at least a few other musical gems to be mined from this mass of musical material stashed away in Illinois.
Fortunately, for Sousa's sake, we at Delos can boast of being well ahead of the curve. Delos' CD DE 3102, The Original All-American SousaThe Original All-American Sousa featuring Keith Brion and his New Sousa Band, offers a generous sampling of thirteen Sousa marches, famous and less well-known, all played by Keith Brion's re-creation of the authentic Sousa touring band (In fact, in live concerts, Brion often conducts costumed and made up to resemble old photos of the real John Philip Sousa).
As a bonus, the album includes a number of historical "acoustic" recordings of the real Sousa band, dating from 1917–1923, plus a half-minute introduction spoken by Sousa himself in 1929.
It all makes for a very exhilarating mix.
Now, what about those 15 operettas, 5 overtures and other works? When will some group take the plunge and give us a chance to hear a few of them? Hopefully before the Sousa Bicentennial in 2054.

Delos Diary

Hello again! Yes, we're still here at Delos International, working like Santa's helpers, trying to survive the rigors of the autumnal political season, to make sure that classical music fans will have some fascinating new recordings to listen to and hopefully buy in the very near future.
One long awaited project involves a new CD featuring Paul Galbraith, our distinguished 8-string guitarist. His previous releases of Bach, Haydn and folk song transcriptions, plus his light-hearted collaborations with the Brazilian Guitar Quartet, have all been Delos bestsellers and have helped build Paul's international fan following, whose members wait impatiently for every new Galbraith release.
Even ordinary music lovers and concertgoers are intrigued by Paul's 8-string guitar and the unique way he plays it (in cello position) with its long spike inserted in his custom-designed acoustical enhancement box, which nests between his feet.
On his new recording, Galbraith is devoting himself to what he calls music of the French Impressionists school, principally Debussy and Ravel. Transcribing these pieces from their origins as piano solos, so that they retain their special qualities on the 8-string guitar, is no mean feat. Paul has been laboring over just the right notes and fingering and the endless chore of bringing the interpretation of these pieces close to perfection by repeated performances for at least two years.
We were lucky enough to hear a live recital Paul gave in Dabney Lounge at Cal Tech on Sunday afternoon, October 3rd, before an overflow crowd. For his program he played virtually the same pieces slated for the new recording.
The audience sat in rapt attention and seemed mesmerized by the music. Much applause and stand ovations!
A few days later Paul began recording this very same music for Delos. All reports from Delos producers and engineers point to outstanding results.
Just wait till you hear Paul's Golliwog's cake walk and the enchanting final movement from Ma Mere l'Oye (The Mother Goose Suite). The French title of this piece — Le jardin fèerique — just begins to describe the wonderful uplift Paul achieves simply by using his few fingers and his ever-amazing instrument.

Delos Diary

We are now on the verge of releasing two new CDs, both featuring wonderful music as well as suggesting social messages relevant to current news and today's interests.
The first, Anton Arensky's melodious one-act opera "Raffaello" (Raphael, in English), tells the story of the great Renaissance painter Raphael, who uses his mistress Fornarina as his model for a painting of the Madonna. An outraged cleric and patron, Cardinal Bibiena, condemns Raphael's morals and the painting even though he hasn't yet seen it. Upon the unveiling of the work of art he decides that its beauty transcends everthing else and gives Raphael, the painting, and the mistress his forgiveness and blessing.
This narrative seems strangely familiar in today's atmosphere of name calling and condemnation before facts are fully known.
To add to the piquancy of the work, Arensky composed the male role of Raphael to be sung by a female mezzo-soprano.
Our own glorious Marina Domashenko tackles the trouser role with gusto, and encores the short opera with an aria and six songs and romances also by Arensky. It's a star turn for her and something to look forward to for all of us.
The other recording to anticipate will be Behzad Ranjbaran's "Persian Trilogy", three symphonic poems based on stories from the ancient Persian saga "The Book of Kings" Shahnameh. Ranjbaran, the composer, born in Iran and long an American citizen, has retold three classic tales in a musical language, lush and romantic, eminently accessible to most music lovers. The nation of Persia, now modern Iran, both pre- and post-Islam, is as rich in art, literature, folklore and architecture as any other great civilization of the ancient world. This is something we must remember in our current difficulties with reality in the Middle East.
The dramatic orchestrations and the power of Behzad Ranjbaran's music comes through with maximum impact in performances by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by (another surprise) JoAnn Falletta, the distinguished American musician who made waves for many years with the Long Beach (California) Symphony and who actually commissioned one of the three works recorded.

Delos Diary

Coming up with an interesting addition to this on-again, off-again column in the middle of August is not the easiest thing to do.
Fortunately, the Wednesday August 11 issue of the Wall Street Journal included a review which sparked a thought about Delos repertoire I'd like to share with you.
It seems that the Glimmerglass Opera of Cooperstown, NY unearthed what the reviews called a "forgotten gem" of an opera — The Mines of Sulphur (1965), a taut theatrical drama by Richard Rodney Bennett, a British composer best known for a string of distinguished film scores. The very favorable reviews characterize the music as "serial … with an astringent tang … a brooding gothic atmosphere, vivid orchestration and stark vocal writing."
All this is a world apart from the Richard Rodney Bennett music you can sample on Delos. It seems that Mr. Bennett, as well as being a highly regarded "serious" composer of film scores, operas and symphonies, is also an authority and ardent fan of American popular music and has loved it since childhood. Gershwin, Porter, Kern, Berlin and Arlen hold no mysteries for him. Since he also happens to be a first-rate pianist and has the vocal ability to sing as if born in a nightclub, the happy result can be heard on Delos' DE 5001, I Never Went Away. Richard Rodney Bennett plays the piano and sings fifteen great songs by Arlen, Porter, Mercer, Kern, Duke, Berlin, and others, plus his own title tune. It's a truly delectable feast of cabaret singing at its best.
There are even more surprises. Delos' DE 6002 My Keyboard Friends features Richard Rodney Bennett and Carol Rosenberger in four-hand piano renditions of music by both Bennett and William Walton specifically composed for young people. The results are irresistible.
Finally on Delos' DE 3172 Singing on the Water — Carol Rosenberger plays Piano Barcarolles — there is one special treat: track three features an exquisite Richard Rodney Bennett barcarolle composed for and dedicated to Carol Rosenberger. The composer describes it as "feverishly romantic." Others have called it "smoky and sensuous." Listen to it, make up your own mind and apply your own adjectives.
The chameleon-like character of Richard Rodney Bennett's music seems to call for a whole dictionary to describe it adequately.

Delos Diary

There has been a noticeable lapse in the sequence of our informal news bulletins during the past few weeks. The reason: Delos International has moved from one end of Hollywood Boulevard to the other. Our offices, which were located at Hollywood and Vine in what was once a leading department store — The Broadway-Hollywood — boasted a fine view of the Capitol Tower and the famed Hollywood sign. Our new offices are at Hollywood and Highland and are directly across the street from the Kodak Theatre of Academy Award renown, and Grauman's Chinese movie palace. We are in the historic El Capitan building with the entire second floor at our disposal.
The move was not easy and not voluntary.
The rather shabby Hollywood and Vine building is being converted into residential lofts by its New York-based corporate owners who seem to envision a new Tribeca-type neighborhood developing at the site. We think they're in for a surprise, but who's to know for sure.
The view from the large windows in the new office is quite exhilarating. Just across the boulevard the two famous theatre facades, the Chinese and the Kodak, vie with specialty shops and the grandiose Babylonian staircase leading into the courtyard of the Hollywood & Highland shopping complex. All of these attractions are enhanced by the presence of hundreds and hundreds of pedestrians, tourists, guides, celebrity doubles and bewindered natives mulling about from morning till night. It's almost a West Coast version of Times Square.
The new Delos quarters will eventually prove a more efficient space and morale booster for the entire staff. Nearly everyone is finally together in one place on one floor. Fitting the contents and documentations of the last ten years into the very different layout will test the stamina, ingenuity and patience of everyone involved, but it is already succeeding.
Hopefull, new exciting releases on Delos will be issuing from this elegant headquarters in a very short time. The only problem — getting staff members to stop staring out the windows at the glamorous crowds strolling past just below.
The new address: 6834 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 200, Hollywood, CA 90028. Phones unchanged.

Delos Diary

Always fascinated by things Russian, especially people, places and events in its long, colorful and often tragic history, I have been reading the reissue of Prince Felix Yusupov's memoir entitled Lost Splendor. Yusupov, to refresh your memory, was the fabulously wealthy young Russian nobleman chiefly responsible for the murder — or assassination if you will — of Rasputin, the evil genius-starets-monk, who exerted hypnotic and disastrous influence over the last tsar and tsarina of Russia.
In the course of retelling his riveting story, Prince Yusupov reveals that he would often entertain his noble friends by singing old Russian romances, folksongs and gypsy tunes, accompanying himself on the guitar. He must have had a pleasant voice, since his guests kept requesting more. Even the doomed Rasputin, on the actual night of his murder, asked for and listened happily to Prince Felix singing some of his favorite songs, as he munched on an assortment of poisoned cookies.
What a coup it would have been if this fatal serenade had been recorded! I hesitate to suggest my listening choice as the next best thing but its very possible that some of the very same old Russian romances Yusupov sang on that fatal night in 1916 are included among those offered by baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky on Delos' I Met You, My Love (DE 3293).
Rather than guitar, Hvorostovsky is accompanied by the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and the Style of Five folk ensemble conducted by Constantine Orbelian. This entire group would have been a tight fit in Yusupov's basement apartment, but they definitely add a rich veneer to Hvorostovsky's traversal of these traditional Russian gems.
Cookies and wine would go quite well while listening to this recording. Just be sure you test them on the dog or cat first.

Delos Diary

A report in the New York Times of Saturday, May 29, seems to promise more gadgetry invading the symphonic world.
Recently, a New York Philharmonic audience got to "test-drive" a device called the Concert Companion. Described as a hand-held object that delivers on screen a play-by-play analysis of the music as it unfolds, it has been nicknamed CoCo by its creators. It also features program notes and video images, all delivered in real time from a computer backstage.
We can only conjecture how long it will be until commercial messages are added to this visual mix. It would seem to be a natural for the big drug companies which even now run lengthy commercials on any TV program (i.e.: the Tony Awards) which appeals to an older audience. Viagra, Vioxx, arthritis, and migraine remedies all may find their place between analyses of selections by Mozart, Beethoven, Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky.
As we've grown accustomed to seeing art museum-goers moving en masse from painting to painting as instructed by their acoustiguides, so concertgoers may soon react simultaneously to the important moments in the classic masterpieces they are hearing.
Meanwhile the poor souls without a CoCo in hand will simply have to remain in blissful ignorance and listen to the music unadorned, unabashed and unashamed.

Delos Diary

Chamber Music Northwest, the five week music festival which is a summer highlight every June and July in Portland, Oregon, has published a very attractive brochure outlining its programs and artists for the 2004 season. Rabid chamber music lovers will surely salivate over all the wonderful programs Oregon audiences will soon enjoy.
Which brings us back to our amazing Delos catalog. We have six CDs available, all of which feature Chamber Music Northwest. Many of the artists we recorded will play in the upcoming festival. The repertoire on these CDs is overall as exciting as the 2004 offerings, and the quality of the recordings is up to the best Delos standards.
If it is impossible to get to Portland, these Delos recordings should help fill the gap. Eleven of the artists listed in the new brochure also play on our recordings. They include outstanding instrumentalists such as David Shifrin, clarinet; Theodore Arm, Ida and Ani Kavafian, violins; Paul Neubauer and Steven Tenenbom, violas; Fred Sherry, cello; Edgar Meyer, bass; Allan Vogel, oboe; Julie Feves, bassoon; and Ransom Wilson, flute (in the 2004 brochure he is listed only as a conductor). The repertoire on these six CDs ranges from compositions by Mozart and Brahms to Bartok and Messaien and also includes seldom-heard scores by Bernard Hermann, David Diamond, Quincy Porter, Charles Ives, Carl Nielsen, Charles Loeffler, David Schiff and Sergei Prokofiev.
Surely a true festival of chamber music to rival any live offering this summer. Here are the numbers: DE 3020, DE 3043, DE 3058, DE 3066, DE 3088, and DE 3136.

Delos Diary

In a Diary entry dated April 30, 2004, I mentioned the imminent release of a Delos CD featuring James DePreist and the Oregon Symphony playing Sibelius Symphonies No. 2 and No. 7. It is now available in stores and is well worth the wait. Maestro DePreist's mission with his latest series of recordings has been to take a fresh look at favorite classics from his repertoire and to try once more to document his thoughts and feelings about these pieces in state-of-the-art recorded sound.
Supported financially by the Gretchen Brooks Recording Fund for the Oregon Symphony, the series has gone from strength to strength and, in my opinion, has reached new heights in this Sibelius pairing. As with other DePreist recordings, everything sounds solid, authoritative, logical, yet exciting. The Oregon musicians play for DePreist with love and respect. The results are exceptional.
Once upon a time, the Sibelius symphonies were played by American orchestras almost to excess. Symphony No. 2 is still heard quite frequently and seldom fails to please. Lavish orchestration, big tunes and grand climaxes all give the ordinary music lover what he or she craves… emotional satisfaction and release.
The Symphony No. 7, on the other hand, is not performed nearly as often. Listening to it with fresh ears, however, is a revelation. Within its one movement 20-minute span you hear the very best of Sibelius. The vigor of invention in the piece makes it hard to believe that this symphony was to be his last.
This recording makes it easy to see and hear why James DePreist insisted that these two works be included in his personal parade of all-time favorites.

Delos Diary

Thursday, April 29
Jackie Gleason Theater
Miami, Florida

Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Constantine Orbelian and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra came to Florida, sang, played, and conquered, judging from reviews which appeared on May 3rd in the Miami Herald and Miami Sun-Sentinel.
A few excerpted quotes will illustrate what we mean.

Concerning Hvorostovsky: "his super-human breath control, his honeyed-sound, his legato subtle dynamic shadings and portamento, all placed in the service of musical expression at its most sublime … in Handel's popular "Ombra mai fu" from Serse, Hvorostovsky's column of sound was almost impossibly rich, stunning in every sense."
"It was hard not to be moved by the singer's intensity. And his way with a set of soulful Russian romances and another, even more soulful, set of Italian chestnuts had the crowd cheering with joy."
"The silver haired Siberian swain …sang with his customary firm line and tonal refinement." "In Russian romances, Hvorostovsky is unassailable."
"… Hvorostovsky's burnished singing and plangent tautly-focused expression starkly conveyed the world-weary essence of the song's mournful stoicism."

And the following comments on Orbelian and the MCO:
"Constantine Orbelian supported his soloist with superbly refined and well-blended orchestral playing. The pianist-turned conductor has grown into a very fine musician and clearly enjoys a strong rapport with his players."
"Everything from the seductive oboes to the sensual strings, (Orbelian's orchestra decidedly does not go for the cold vibrato-less sound of most Western chamber ensembles) gave notice of a contemporary sensibility looking back at our musical past with a smile."

Much of what thrilled the Floridians is available to you on Delos CDs — Hvorostovsky, Orbelian and the MCO —in all their glory.

Delos Diary

James DePreist may have relinquished his duties as Music Director of the Oregon Symphony, but he certainly isn't resting on his laurels. This next autumn he will become director of the Juilliard School of Music's Conducting and Orchestral Studies Department, one of the most prestigious teaching positions in the U.S.A.
As a foretaste of what's to come, he conducted the Juilliard student symphony a few nights ago at Carnegie Hall in a program which would test the skills of any major professional orchestra. The program: Aaron Kernis's "New Era Dance," Mozart's Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter," and Mahler's Symphony No. 1.
A review reports that "the Juilliard players responded well to him in a program that pushed their limits." Undoubtedly a lot more limits will be pushed when DePreist takes over completely in the fall. We predict the results will justify the hard work.
Listen to any of James DePreist's recordings with the Oregon Symphony on Delos and you'll see (and hear) what we mean.

Delos Diary

If I had a choice I would have liked to spend the afternoon of Saturday, May 1st, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Not only would I renew my memories of the fabulous 94-foot long model of a blue whale which hangs from the ceiling of the renovated Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, but I could also hear the East Coast premiere of Composer Bruce Adolphe's new composition "Oceanophony." The performance included hip-hop dancers and nine video screens showing underwater images. It must have been an exciting event.
Anyone interested in Bruce Adolphe's music can hear a generous sample of this work on Delos' Five American Clarinet Quintets (DE 3183), which features David Shifrin, clarinet, and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Adolphe's offering, entitled "At the Still point, there the dance is" is played by Shifrin, Ida and Ani Kavafian, violins, Paul Neubauer, viola, and Fred Sherry, cello.
A most accessible composer, Adolphe is also an enthusiastic advocate of music education for young people. His output of over 100 compositions covers a wide range of commissions aimed at adult and young audiences. His own production company is named, rather whimsically, after his 37-year old parrot "Polly Rhythm."
Not to be outdone by its owner, the parrot is said to be "very serious about its singing" and does imitations of Beverly Sills and Teresa Stratas. Quite a stretch for a most unusual bird, I'd say.
I wonder if it's heard any of our recordings of Ewa Podles'? They would really test its talents.

Delos Diary

James DePreist's newest recording with the Oregon Symphony will be released by Delos late in May. The CD will feature two symphonies by Jean Sibelius: No. 2 & No. 7, both long-time favorites of DePreist.
In many ways the last few years have been wonderful ones for DePreist's music-making. Philanthropist Gretchen Brooks of Vancouver, Washington (just across the river from Portland) and her Recording Fund for the Oregon Symphony have provided funds covering much of the costs of recording to ensure that Maestro DePreist could set down a permanent record of his mature thoughts and interpretations of some of his favorite classical works.
Delos International has done its part by furnishing technical and merchandising expertise. The results have been impressive.
These include new looks at Stravinsky's Firebird and Rite of Spring (DE 3278); Respighi's Rome (DE 3287) (a dazzling smorgasbord, or, more correctly, antipasti of the famous Roman tone poems); a new Shostakovich 11th Symphony (DE 3329) with state-of-the-art sound; a generous sampling of interesting American works by Lees, Persichetti and Daugherty (DE 3291); and still to come, after the Sibelius, some very special favorites by William Walton.
In all of these recordings the playing of the Oregon Symphony, as it has developed under James DePreist, is of the very highest caliber meeting the maestro's demands on every level.
Watch for the new Sibelius in just a few weeks!

Delos Diary

Britain's RAC Foundation for Motoring issues safe-driving bulletins on a regular basis. A recent release lists five tunes that should not be played while driving… the implication being that exposure to these melodies could encourage reckless driving, excessive speed and general lawlessness. Two of the five are classical: Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and the Dies Irae from Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem.
I find it hard to believe that either of these selections could turn a classical music-loving motorist into a menace. Visions of drivers as Valkyries carrying dead pedestrians draped over their hoods on the way to a drive-in Valhalla come to mind. Also, Verdi's dire warnings of eternal damnation in his Dies Irae would seem to encourage better rather than more reckless driving.
To play it safe, however, you can avoid these adrenalin-rousing selections and, instead, opt for any number of Delos CD soothers.
How about Mozart Adagios (DE 3243), In a Quiet Cathedral (DE 3145) or Music of Hildegard von Bingen, Voices of Angels (DE 3219)?
Of course, there's always the possibility of becoming so sedated by the music that you fall asleep at the wheel. So do include an occasional rouser in your car's CD changer. Perhaps DE 3328, the Khachaturian Centennial Album, which is loud enough in part to rouse the dead.

Delos Diary

Sunday night, April 18, was a memorable one for us at Delos as well as for all devotees of great singing here in Los Angeles. Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the outstanding Russian baritone who records for Delos, was presented in a full vocal recital at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion under the auspices of the Los Angeles Opera. Beginning with songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, he continued with a generous group of arias from three Russian operas: Rubinstein's Demon, Rachmaninoff's Aleko, and Borodin's Prince Igor. After intermission he continued with lengthy samplings from his Verdi repertoire… arias from Stiffelio, Masked Ball, Don Carlos and Otello. Ecstatically received encores included two Neapolitan songs and an unaccompanied Russian folk song, now almost his trademark final encore.
On a personal level the entire evening was a complete triumph. Dmitri's innate dignity framed his opulent vocalism and impeccable artistry. The capacity audience cheered as each number seemed to bring on an additional ovation.
Dmitri's new accompanist, Ivari Ilja, added unerring technical skills and sensitive support to the artist in what seems to be developing into a great partnership.
Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed says it this way: "it is hardly a secret in the opera world anymore, Hvorostovsky has grown into this music to the point where he has become the Verdi baritone of our time, and just possibly the finest singer of Verdi we have."
Of the specific Verdi arias sung the other night, he continues, "Hvorostovsky found an ideal balance between elegance of phrase, sumptuous sound, dramatic ferocity and careful attention to small musical details… he was true to the music, true to the character, true to his voice and true to himself." What more could we add?
Listen to Hvorostovsky's Verdi on Verdi Arias (DE 3292) and Italian songs on Passione di Napoli (DE 3290).

Delos Diary

The long-awaited release late last month of Dennis Keene and the Voices of Ascension's new disc Hear My Prayer (DE 3300) prompted me to look at the eight other CDs already recorded by this same group over the last decade. The breadth of repertoire they have offered is amazing. Works by 31 composers*, ranging from medieval and Renaissance giants like Hildegard von Bingen and Palestrina to the mid-twentieth century musical comedy immortal Jerome Kern, have been given deluxe treatment by Dennis Keene and his outstanding ensemble.
On this newest release Keene adds 10 more** composers to the list. A first time for Mozart, Franck and Tchaikovsky as well as American and British choral stalwarts Bainton, Thompson, Howells and Stanford. Taken as a group, these nine discs offer a broad survey of choral excellence and of the immense variety that can be achieved with 30 or 40 first class vocalists (except for the Berlioz Te Deum where several hundred were involved. But that's another story.).

*Palestrina, Desprez, von Bingen, Dufay, Byrd, Tallis, Isaac, Farrant, Lotti, Ingegneri, Weelkes, Berlioz, Victoria, Bruckner, Fauré, Holst, Casals, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Duruflé, Bach-Gounod, Kern, Lassus, Sweelinck, Gibbons, Tye, Viadana, Hassler, Schütz, Batten, Leo

**Bainton, Thompson, Mozart, Parry, Franck, Howells, Tolstiakov, Tchaikovsky, Stradella, Stanford

Delos Diary

While checking facts and figures in the notes accompanying Delos' new recording of Flute Concertos played by Italian virtuoso Raffaele Trevisani with Constantine Orbelian and the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, I was struck by an interesting biographical phenomenon, revealed by the birth and death dates of the six Italian composers involved. Five of the six — Albinoni, Tartini, Vivaldi, Galuppi, and Boccherini — all lived lives comparable in length to what we consider normal today, ranging from 62 years to 79 years. Only Pergolesi died very young at 26.
In contrast, a comparable number of great composers who lived a little later in Germany and Austria all died much younger: Mozart at 35, Beethoven at 57, Schubert at 31, Schumann at 46, Mendelssohn at 38, and Weber at 40.
What conclusions, if any, can we draw from this melancholy data? Probably none, but we can conjecture. Perhaps the Italian diet helped. More pasta, wine, fruit, and vegetables plus a more salubrious climate.
Less angst than creative people encountered confronting the new Romantic era of the early nineteenth century could have contributed. While the Italians, Vivaldi, et al, ground out literally hundreds of concertos, cantatas, and operas, our Romantic-era Germanic composers produced a much leaner mass of music… still a lot from today's standards but not comparable, in quantity at least, to the mass of work the Italians wrote while feasting on abundant wine and pasta.
The new Delos CD Flute Concertos with Raffaele Trevisani (DE 3332) will delight you with six enchanting examples of music which kept these musicians alive and active for all those extra years. Listen to them often, they may add to your longevity.

Delos Diary

"The more I studied both music and cooking, I began to realize how alike they are" … a quote from famous chef Emeril Lagasse, reported recently in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. It seems that a "Family Concert" to be given by the Louisiana Philharmo