by Kenneth Woods | Feb 16, 2021 | A view from the podium, Piano, pianists and pianism
Gunnar Johansen was a legendary figure in my home town of Madison, Wisconsin. He retired from the University of Wisconsin in 1976, when I would have been seven, so he was practically the stuff of legend throughout most of my youth (we never met). He died in...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 17, 2021 | A view from the podium
Why 7 is the symphony’s lucky number? While there are far fewer 7th symphonies than 2nds or 3rds, one very rarely encounters a sour seventh. Perhaps it’s just a result of the fact that with six previous attempts, most would-be composers of 7ths have either given up or...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 3, 2021 | News and Reviews
KENNETH WOODS NAMED 2020 MEAD WITTER SCHOOL OF MUSIC DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI American conductor Kenneth Woods has been selected as recipient of the 2020 UW-Madison Mead Witter School of Music Distinguished Alumni Award. Woods was nominated for the award by James Smith,...
by Kenneth Woods | Dec 23, 2020 | A view from the podium, News and Reviews
A perceptive response to Matthew Taylor’s two most recent symphonies and his stunning Romanza for String from Paul Conway in the latest edition of Musical Opinion. Matthew Taylor – Symphonies 4 and 5, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, English...
by Kenneth Woods | Oct 30, 2020 | A view from the podium
I pity pianists and I pity singers. The rest of us have the luxury of choosing the instrument which best allows us to express ourselves. I found my cello, a somewhat motley Italian instrument made in the 1600’s but with a ‘modern’ (ie 100-year-old) top in 1991. Within...
by Kenneth Woods | Oct 28, 2020 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective
This article (from 2016, but circulating this week online) is simply not on. The Neurotic Genius – Inside Mahler’s Mind by Alicia Watson Not at all. The author (a therapist) says “”neurotic” has been clinically retired,” and I wish she...
by Kenneth Woods | Oct 12, 2020 | A view from the podium, Explore the Score
I’m excited to share my thoughts on the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies of Matthew Taylor. His Fifth Symphony was written as part of the English Symphony Orchestra’s 21st Century Project, and premiered by the orchestra in Cadogan Hall in June, 2019. His Fourth...
by Kenneth Woods | Oct 11, 2020 | A view from the podium
English Symphony Orchestra Presents “Visions of Childhood” on Music from Wyastone, 16 October BBC Radio 3 to broadcast Matthew Taylor’s Fourth Symphony with KW and BBC National Orchestra of Wales on 13 October Ken’s recording of Taylor’s...
by Kenneth Woods | Oct 11, 2020 | A view from the podium
“The emergence of Philip Sawyers as a major symphonist of his generation has been among the more significant aspects of latter-day British music.” A wonderful interview with composer Philip Sawyers by critic Richard Whitehouse in the October 2020 issue of...
by Kenneth Woods | Sep 15, 2020 | A view from the podium
I was deeply saddened today to hear of the passing of composer Paul Méfano. He died today at the age of 83. Méfano was the founder of the well-known French contemporary music ensemble, Ensemble 2e2m. As a composer and former pupil of Messiaen, we was in the very thick...
by Kenneth Woods | Aug 14, 2020 | A view from the podium
So today, I have to give a big shout-out to my dad, Claude Woods. Pop retires today from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he has served on the faculty of the Chemistry Department as Professor of Chemistry for 53 years. Fifty-three years! My dad is too...
by Kenneth Woods | Aug 14, 2020 | News and Reviews
Sawyers Symphony No 4. Hommage to Kandinsky BBC National Orchestra of Wales / Kenneth Woods Nimbus Alliance F NI6405 (65’ • DDD) Philip Sawyers – Symphony No. 4, Hommage to Kandinsky (NIMBUS)Rated 5.00 out of 5 £12.00 Like all great symphonists, Philip...
by Kenneth Woods | Aug 13, 2020 | Mahler, Mahler- Performer's Perspective
As a young musician for whom the music of Mahler was the most remarkable and unexpected discovery, I never thought that performances of his music would become so frequent and routine that music industry colleagues would begin to speak of “Mahler fatigue.” Although the...
by Kenneth Woods | Jun 14, 2020 | A view from the podium, News and Reviews
Philip Sawyers – Symphony No. 4, Hommage to Kandinsky (NIMBUS)Rated 5.00 out of 5 £12.00 The prolific and erudite Twitter commentator, Adam Philp, AKA “The Symphonist”, has dedicated an extensive thread to celebrating the music of Philip...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 26, 2020 | A view from the podium
This article was originally written for the Catholic Herald Next time you are listening to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or Mahler’s Second, imagine what it would have been like to be there for the first performance. Imagine the excitement of buying a ticket to...
Recent Comments