Happy 300th Franz Xaver Richter

Today marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of composer Franz Xaver Richter in Holleschau, Moravia.

The video below features the first movement from Richter's 5th Concerto for Clarino (or piccolo trumpet) from Brian Shaw's album "Virtuoso Concertos for Clarino," recorded on baroque trumpet and a New-York based period instrument orchestra in June, 2008. The video includes some fascinating images of Richter's manuscript (located in the Library of Congress).

It's a really fun piece--hope you enjoy!

La Triviata 2.0 available for you!

I hope that you were listening last Saturday morning at 10 to La Triviata 2.0, broadcast live from WFMT's Levin Performance Studio. Even if I say so myself, it was a big success. George Preston was again a great host, our six panelists - three music professionals and three very knowledgeable listeners - were terrific, the studio audience participated very well, and a good time was had by all. My thanks to my co-producer Matt DeStefano, our engineer Eric Arunas, WFMT's operations manager Don Mueller, as well as Peter Whorf and Andi Lamoreaux, and of course, our general manager Steve Robinson, who dreamed up the game show in the first place. While it is a work in progress - you can look forward to some changes and improvements for the next one - I think we got a lot of things very right. And it was REALLY FUN!

If you missed the show - or even if you didn't - you can listen to it on our website, wfmt.com. Go to the home page and in the middle you will see a box called "Featured Programming." Just click on it and you will be taken to a page with lots of information on what's happening on WFMT in August. And just a little way down the page is the button for La Triviata 2.0. I hope you enjoy it- test your knowledge and answer our questions as you listen.

Carolyn Paulin

The Merry Isle

Following today's 4:00pm newscast, we continue our month-long celebration of composer Claude Debussy with his work for piano, "L'isle joyeuse" (translation: "The Merry Isle"). The piece was inspired by this 1718 Jean-Antoine Watteau painting, titled "The Embarkation for Cythera," which depicts a Louis XV-era French aristocrat love party (I'm lacking an effective, equally clean term here--you fill in the blank) taking place on the Greek island Cythera, once thought to be the birthplace of Venus, the goddess of love.

Curbing A Producer's Carpal Tunnel

Before I ever thought about producing radio programs for a living, I've been playing the drums. I've heard horror stories of these cats that just couldn't play anymore because their sticking technique was too forceful on their wrists, resulting in Carpal Tunnel syndrome. I've read umpteen articles on the topic over the last decade which covered the causes, the symptoms, and some treatments (the one that sticks in my mind is the guy who had to spend two or three hours-a-day in a 100-some degree sauna just to get back to the point where he could grip his sticks again). So, I've been cautious in my grip and sticking technique, and hadn't any problems...

...until this year. I've got it bad (and that ain't good) in my right wrist--palms up, it's where the wrist meets the hand in-line with the pinky. The cause of my Carpal Tunnel isn't drumming--no, no, no. It's 4+ years of hour upon hour of daily digital editing here at WFMT--I'm sure of it--and I'm not the only one. A handful of my fellow production colleagues at the station are developing the same condition--all due to overuse of a standard computer mice. Some wear wrist braces while they edit. Others have special mouse pads--I wore an athletic wrist band for a few months to at least cushion the pain (although many thought it was a fashion statement).

I'm happy to report that the advancement of my Carpal Tunnel finally took a hit--just last night. I received a "vertical mouse" for my birthday (pictured above), recommended to me by the gentleman from Relax The Back who brought in that crazy-awesome ergonomic chair which we gave away during our recent membership drive. At $99, it's pricey, yes--but the pain is gone--for the first time in well over a year! I recommend one of these to anyone who, like me, spends 8 hours a day (or more) with their palm stuck to a computer mouse.

If you think you may have early stage Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, click here for a list of symptoms and more resources concerning the condition. Be careful out there!

-Matt

Mount Mr. Messiaen

We held an August programming meeting yesterday in which our program and music directors, producers and some hosts gathered around the table to discuss ideas for themes, etc. There are great ideas each month that remain unaired as there aren't enough hours in a day to fit them all.

In researching ideas for August we found that August marks an anniversary of the re-naming of southern Utah's White Cliffs to honor the composer who visited the spot in 1973, inspiring the composition "Des canyons aux étoiles" ("From the Canyons To the Stars").

Mount Messiaen's 29th anniversary falls on August 5th of this year. We had a laugh in the meeting when a typo had us thinking that the mountain's name was Mister Messiaen (Mr. instead of Mt.)

Here's part 1 of a performance of "Des canyons aux étoiles" -- You'll find the rest of the piece once you click. Enjoy!

Messiaen Goes Math Rock

I caught a show at Schubas Tavern last week headlined by District 97, CSO cellist Katinka Kleijn's metal/math rock band. The group is currently finishing up their new studio record for which I will be attending a mixing session a week from today.

I brought by recorder along and plugged into the sound board for their cover of Olivier Messiaen's ("Messy Anne" as Katinka calls him) Dance of Fury for Seven Trumpets from Quartet for the End of Time. Katinka has been telling me about this rendition since we were in Beijing on the CSO's Far East Asia Tour--at which time I suggested the band cover Electric Light Orchestra's Mr. Blue Sky (and it better be ready the next time I see you guys!). You'll find the audio (in multiple MONO--my only option for plugging-in to the board) below along with pics from the show.

Ozoned_Dist97Messiaen_forBlogger.mp3

(Click to listen or right-click to Save As... Cntl+click on a Mac to do the same)

District 97 takes the stage at Schubas Tavern and opens with the Messiaen.

Katinka gets Messy on the Messiaen with her electric cello.

Terri Hemmert (Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (!) and my radio instructor from Columbia College) [L]--didn't catch your name in the middle, sorry--Katinka Kleijn [R].

La Triviata: The WFMT Game Show!

You may have heard that WFMT is debuting it's very own classical music game show (to take place via an April 16th live broadcast at 5:00pm (CST) from Marbles The Brain Store's downtown Chicago location.

It's been a lifelong dream of mine to have my hand in the creation of a game show. I am thrilled and honored to be involved with "La Triviata: The WFMT Game Show!" from the development stage. Really, I'm a game show junkie--my all-time favorites are (click for videos) The 25,000 Pyramid, The Price Is Right, Jeopardy! and an obscure one--Press Your Luck.

Here's where we stand (without spoiling any of the surprises):The assembly of our buzzer system is almost complete and should arrive sometime this week! I'm predicting many challenges in rigging this up and assigning our own buzzer sounds to them. I love me a frustrating, technical challenge!

Carolyn Paulin and I are working out the kinks in the show's formatting. She (and a few other contributors) are working hard to challenge our contestants in writing/creating trivia and music identification questions, among other surprises.

Noel Morris has been an absolute force in creating audio clues--I can't say more about that now, but I am REALLY looking forward to that round of the show.

Peter Whorf has been coming up with some great questions that may be used in some sort of a lightning round...

WFMT's "New Kid in Town," announcer George Preston is excited to host (and we're excited to hear him)!

I'm currently working on preparing theme music, sound effects, and general technical aspects of the show. The debut is only 3 weeks away and there is so much to do to polish this up. It's so exciting to be asked to create something from scratch with virtually no creative boundaries, and I can't wait 'till we go live on the 16th. We hope you'll love what you hear!
Feel free to send suggestions our way. You may just hear yours in the show's debut!

Back from Asia--Stay Tuned for Even More!

Whew! It's been a little more than a week since we and the CSO returned from their 2009 Far East Asia Tour--I can't speak for the musicians, but I am just nearly recovered from the jet lag and the 14-hour time difference (I'm told it takes a day for each hour, so I'm ahead of schedule).

I will continue to post things here, much more often than in weeks past as I have a consistent internet connection and no planes or trains to catch!

We found people ballroom dancing to "Jingle Bells" (in FEBRUARY, mind you) from a park at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, China. Here's Andrew with more:

Seeing The Hall And Climbing The Wall

We head back to sweet home Chicago tomorrow. Interestingly, our flight leaves at 5:30pm and arrives at O'hare at 4:20pm, SAME DAY. Yes, we're landing before we take off!

We're going to record more audio tomorrow at the Forbidden City (just two blocks from the hotel), then get our bags on the bus and go through customs to head back. Keep watching this blog next week, when surely I'll be posting extras from everywhere--believe me, I have more audio, photos and videos than I know what to do with!

That said, here is the final photo post before we come back.


This is what they call "The Egg" in Beijing--it holds 3 concert venues and a couple of art galleries. This is where the CSO played their final concert tonight on their Far East Asia tour.


The inside of the egg is even more incredible than the outside.


There was plenty of coverage for the press conference with violist Li-kuo Chang, CSO President Deborah Rutter and Maestro Bernard Haitink.


Here Li-kuo is interviewed--after the press conference. He played a major role in the CSO coming to China.


We climbed the Great Wall of China today with the CSO. Before the climb, I stopped at the gift shop for a cup of coffee, gloves and this very righteous hat. Grand total: $10.95 US.

Here's Andrew with a Postcard from the Wall:



CSO flutist Mathieu Dufour made friends with this camel at the base of the Wall.


Having been a swell travel companion on this entire tour, our very good friend Snoutface (the stuffed sheep) was able to made the trek with us up the Wall today.


Had we not been native speakers of Cellphone, we may have missed this message.

Failed Postcards From Hong Kong

A walk through Kowloon's Flower Street in Hong Kong. I was hoping to see the bird market, but it had closed two hours early.



I swear to you, this was the one and only time there weren't at least 10 people in front of the hotel incessantly begging for my business. This was also the emptiest the hallway (up the steps) had been during our stay. I wish you could have seen it when it was busy--which it was all the time.

Last Day in Shanghai, China

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra completed their final concert at the Shanghai Grand Theatre last night.


It was the second night straight with hundreds of music fans outside the gates hoping for the chance at purchasing somebody's extra ticket before being turned away.


The theatre's artistic director, Qian Shi Jin, told us in an interview in his office Wednesday morning that Tuesday's concert was the first he had seen sans-ticket scalpers, as the concerts' tickets had been long sold-out and held by only the most serious of music fans.


Internet connections in China thus far have been less than spectacular to say the least, hence the lack of posts since our last in Hong Kong. We hope that our computer connections will be better in Beijing, where we'll arrive by train tomorrow morning around 8 o'clock. Keep checking here for more posts, as we have tons of photos and hours of audio and video to share. Until then, tsei wei (Shanghainese for goodbye)!

Extras From Tokyo

The life of a radio producer on the road (as I'm learning for the first time) is exciting - and hectic. There are no amount of tour books or English-speaking locals in faraway lands to guide one to where he wants to go or create enough time in a day to record, edit, post and send back to his hometown all the things he's done before packing up and starting from scratch in a new faraway land.

We're in Hong Kong, yes--but there are a number of pieces that I just haven't had the opportunity to post to the site. Alas, here are some of a working series of "Extras from Tokyo." These posts are from load-in day #1 at Suntory Hall in Karajan Plaza, Tokyo. The accompanying photos were shot by most-excellent master photographer, Todd Rosenberg.



Stage Manager Kelly Kerins carries one of what must be hundreds of equipment cases onto the stage at Suntory Hall. I followed him and asked what goes into setting-up for a CSO concert.

Listen:
Kelly Explains



Percussionist Cynthia Yeh and Stage manager Kelly Kerins discuss the placement of that night's percussion rig for Mahler 6.

Listen:
Cynthia Percussion Setup

Hong Kong - Pirate Ships (fishing and tourist boats)

Have you seen The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou lately (Bill Murray, 2004)? Fishing boats (and some tourism boats--we think) look much like the pirate ships that take captive Bill Murray's crew in the film. Here's Andrew with another Postcard from Hong Kong.

Ferry Boats to Downtown Hong Kong

Greetings from Hong Kong! Firstly, I must say that the climate here is incredible--humid and roughly 65 degrees Fahrenheit--a huge difference from what locals called a "mild winter in Japan" (we could see our breath on the streets a couple of days).

Many commuters that come to Tsim Sha Tsui (the island on which the Hong Kong Cultural Center is located) travel by train from the mainland via an underwater passage. For those that live directly across the water (downtown Hong Kong), however, it's easier to take these green and white ferries across the water. Here's Andrew Patner with this Postcard from Honk Kong.

General Nogi's Garden

This is just a block and a half from our hotel in Akasaka, Tokyo. Recorded our final day in Tokyo.


General Nogi House and Garden

Postcard from Tokyo - Suntory Hall

Hey everyone! I recorded this postcard yesterday during load-in just after an early morning earthquake (!), and just prior to the CSO's rehearsal of Mahler 6 for last night.


Audio postcard from Tokyo Suntory Harp



It was a wonderful performance, and the orchestra received a 10 minute ovation. Most of the players left the stage around the 9 minute mark, but the applause kept on and Maestro Haitink walked out to a nearly empty stage to receive the finale of the applause!

There was another impromptu autograph session--this time the crowd was at the back door in the parking garage.







I'm off to edit tonight's Critical Thinking which includes an interview with Li-kuo Chang...



...as well as some audio from a Tage Larsen's post-concert masterclass with students of his longtime buddy, Hiro.

CSO Concert #1 - Yokohama, Japan

We're back at the hotel from tonight's concert at Minato Mirai Hall in Yokohama, Japan. The program was Mozart's Symphony 41 in C-Major K. 551 (the "Jupiter") and Strauss' "Ein Heldenleben," Op. 40. The hall, in its 10th anniversary year, sounded great. The players tell us it sounded great on-stage as well. The concert concluded with 8-minutes of applause. Afterwards, audience members were lining the sidewalk and stairs for autographs.

Critical Thinking on Tour: Tokyo Swing-Era Music

A taste of Tokyo Swing-Era Music

Critical Thinking on Tour: Spice Shop in Tokyo

Spice shop in Old Tokyo

Critical Thinking on Tour: Radish Shop

A radish shop in Tokyo.

Critical Thinking on Tour: Lutes

A shop containing frames for building lutes.

Critical Thinking on Tour: Pachinko in Tokyo

Matt talks about Pachinko.