by Kenneth Woods | Apr 24, 2020 | Explore the Score
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770-1827) Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto had one of the longer gestations of any of his works. He first began sketching ideas for the piece in 1796, and did most of the main work on the piece in 1800,...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 23, 2020 | A view from the podium
Re-blogged from the Colorado MahlerFest website. During the Mahler anniversaries of 2010-11, Norman Lebrecht published a book called Why Mahler? Now, as then, even the most fervent Mahlerian might well ask of any book on this subject, “Why Another Book About Mahler?”...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 22, 2020 | A view from the podium, Explore the Score
This essay was written for the launch of the now hugely- disrupted English Symphony Orchestra celebrations of Beethoven’s 250th birthday ahead of wonderful performances of the 7th and 8th Symphonies in January and early February. I hope we’ll all be...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 15, 2020 | A view from the podium, News and Reviews
In the absence of any forthcoming concerts, we did the best we could!...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 15, 2020 | News and Reviews
A new five-star review in Musical Opinion from Guy Rickards for the 2nd, 10th and 12th Symphonies of Christopher Gunning with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on Signum Records. Christopher Gunning – Symphonies 2, 10 and 12, BBC National Orchestra of Wales,...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 9, 2020 | Explore the Score
TUNE IN Broadcast Premiere with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales BBC Radio 3 Afternoon Concert Friday, 10 April 2020 The large-scale symphonic poem Hommage to Kandinsky was commissioned by the Grand Rapids Symphony in celebration of the tenure of their longstanding...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 2, 2020 | A view from the podium
A new review from Graham Rickson at The Arts Desk for Christopher Gunning’s 2nd, 10th and 12th Symphonies with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on Signum Records Read the whole thing here. Christopher Gunning – Symphonies 2, 10 and 12, BBC National...
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 2, 2020 | News and Reviews
Translated from the original Finnish Christopher Gunning – Symphonies 2, 10 and 12, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Kenneth Woods (Signum) £12.00 Symphonies of aromas of rosemary and thyme SHARE:189 AKI YLI-SALOMÄKI PUBLISHED 1/21/2020 – 8:01 AM....
by Kenneth Woods | Apr 2, 2020 | A view from the podium, News and Reviews
I’m so pleased to see this perceptive and insightful review of Christopher Gunning’s 2nd, 10th and 12th Symphonies with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on Signum Records in the current issue of BBC Music Magazine. Christopher Gunning – Symphonies...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 16, 2020 | A view from the podium
A question from a friend prompted a quip which amused us both enough that we thought I should share it on Facebook: Q: “So Ken, what are you going to do if everything gets shut down [for coronavirus]?” A: “Study [scores] like a m*therf@cker, and try...
by Kenneth Woods | Mar 13, 2020 | A view from the podium, Not quite the news, Satire
A new study shows that introverts worldwide are actually kind of looking forward to the progression of the COVID-19 epidemic, so long as it results in a period of prolonged “social distancing.” “Of course, I worry a lot about people becoming ill as a result of this...
by Kenneth Woods | Feb 21, 2020 | News and Reviews
Great to see another really insightful take on Christopher Gunning’s 2nd, 10th and 12th Symphonies with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales on Signum Records, this one from Richard Whitehouse at Gramophone, who call’s Gunning’s works...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 24, 2020 | Not quite the news
This is a story which has gone un-told for too long. Every time I conduct Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, I am reminded of the viola terrorist. She was a very GREAT LADY, and the PRINCIPAL VIOLIST of the very slightly larger orchestra in the very slightly more populous town...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 12, 2020 | rock
Like a lot of my friends and contemporaries, the death of Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist of the band Rush, hit me hard. When I decided I wanted an electric guitar, my parents rightly decided that if it wasn’t to be a faddish thing that I lost interest in...
by Kenneth Woods | Jan 4, 2020 | ESO LvB 250, Lists
The 10 Best Beethoven Symphony Finales Yes, I know, he only wrote 9 symphonies, but nobody does ‘top 9’ lists. So: best Beethovenian finale in a non-Beethoven symphony? It could be Brahms 1, in which Brahms masterfully integrates some of the formal complexities...
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