Culture Monster Jonathan Gresl

Episode 18: American Conductor Leonard Slatkin
For the Culture Monster season finale, I speak with conductor Leonard Slatkin about his remarkable career and his new book, “Classical Crossroads.” I also endorse music by David Lang and Alan Hovhaness.
 
LINKS
The film “Olympia” documenting the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin
https://thesportjournal.org/article/leni-riefenstahls-olympia-brilliant-cinematography-or-nazi-propaganda/
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3LOPhRq3Es
 
David Lang is an American composer known for his association with “Bang on a Can”
https://www.npr.org/2011/01/24/89442735/david-lang-wins-music-pulitzer
https://bangonacan.org/about_us/
 
“Cheating, Lying, Stealing” originally for chamber ensemble, heard here in a later version for band.
https://davidlangmusic.com/music/cheating-lying-stealing-arr-band/
 
Leonard Slatkin conducted the premiere of Lang’s first orchestral work with the Boston Symphony in 1991. 
“International Business Machine”
https://davidlangmusic.com/music/international-business-machine/
 
Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000)
https://hovhaness.com/hovhaness-biography.html
Mysterious Mountain- Symphony no. 2
https://hovhaness.com/hovhaness-mysterious-mountain.html
 
“Five Sacred Trees” Album from John Williams & London Symphony Orchestra which includes “Mysterious Mountain”
https://open.spotify.com/album/4pjd4sL03OuKTp9nxsyAJo
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/hovhaness-mysterious-mountain/263090524
 
Leonard Slatkin is an internationally acclaimed conductor, most recently Music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
https://www.leonardslatkin.com/timeline/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit_Symphony_Orchestra
 
in 2016, Slatkin made a series of videos showing how conducting works.
Conducting School 1.0
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2_S0hFw3zDl47TtV7iYbu-XhiuSrkgaW
 
Slatkin’s latest book is entitled “Classical Crossroads.”
https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538152225/Classical-Crossroads-The-Path-Forward-for-Music-in-the-21st-Century
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/classical-crossroads-the-path-forward/9781538152225-item.html?ikwid=classical+crossroads&ikwsec=Home&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=83201876771428de3e0ddae5987b9caa
 
Slatkin wrote about his appearance at the Aspen Music Festival at his blog
https://www.leonardslatkin.com/august-2021-a-tale-of-two-orchestras/
 
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony has had many differing interpretations 
https://medium.com/the-gleaming-sword/socially-distant-beethovens-fifth-symphony-5b457b0bb019
 
Leonard Slatkin referred to Leonard Bernstein’s deconstruction of Beethovens’s fifth for a 1950s Television show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mu2HJerMp8A&t
Julia Perry “Short Piece for Orchestra”
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/short-piece-for-orchestra/554425306?i=554425313
Brahms Serenade no. 1
Brahms Serenade No. 1 in D major, Op. 11
Copland “Organ Symphony” recorded by Leonard Slatkin and the St Louis Symphony Orchestra
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/copland-dance-symphony-short-symphony-organ-symphony/1362101560
Mason Bates “B-Sides” performed by Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrnsy9KHdwQ
Slatkin also recommended music by James Lee III
https://www.jameslee3music.com
 
Support the podcast at
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/culturemonster
Published August 2021
https://www.culturemonster.ca

I speak with Holly Mathieson about her personal musical journey and endorse a Giller Prize winner. 
 
LINKS
NYTimes on subway chimes:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/08/13/arts/subway-train-sounds.html?unlocked_article_code=AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACEIPuonUyYiZ_tU1Gw5CRWySB4B991re1b-Wm_s1nGPlazOIQylL3qEJGYGB_QLWYrdla8B13yieQJUJFo4Tc8FI770VOV1xGU7vo52YlY4MKDk0t4_0Bjxu08KdBL59rTS3Pizkc-wkge3nsUjDbmbtXKbf1yd1cQwysoIlIQ_xoQEAxqjCGuBw0tZ-zK1hUsg8HWFcEXHM6_r4CBx-OMGEZwXc6GQ1XeJYWTLSmr2M-u5KMVUSWR-dEiQJsStr48hcOdgUIK_0MxckHcL7ir8SAWZtR5y7pmYAt83CIxgl0vBWC_GFfg&smid=url-share
 
Do Not Say we have nothing, by Madeline Thien
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/259732/do-not-say-we-have-nothing-by-madeleine-thien/9780345810434
 
Interview with the Author in The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/08/madeleine-thien-interview-do-not-say-we-have-nothing
 
R. Murray Schafer
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/r-murray-schafer-emc
 
50th Anniversary of the World Soundscape Project
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/world-soundscape-project-1.4640278
Acopolypsis-2015
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/the-end-is-nigh-apocalypsis-production-to-blow-people-s-minds-1.3129522
 
A CBC story about another long-running participatory project
https://www.cbc.ca/music/why-people-gather-each-year-in-the-haliburton-forest-to-take-part-in-murray-schafer-s-wolf-project-1.5406731
 
 
Holly Mathieson is music director of Symphony Nova Scotia
https://www.hollymathieson.com
https://symphonynovascotia.ca
 
Excerpts from R Murray Schafer’s Trio for Flute Viola and Harp-performed by Trio Verlaine
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/trio-for-flute-viola-and-harp-ii-slowly-calmly/905067700?i=905067733
https://open.spotify.com/album/4rEp8TtftbHqIaK6GJNdiI?si=Nihhj1O-S960-sQiDPKH9A&dl_branch=1
 
Holly Mathieson recommended——
William Grant Still - Symphony No. 5 “Western Hemisphere”
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/still-w-g-symphonies-nos-4-autochthonous-and-5/332767908
https://open.spotify.com/album/6H5G9x9y5suBLveGNtq3zk?si=0CmfLQ2ZSUqrAmiox9hjEA&dl_branch=1
Franz Schreker - “Der Geburtstag der Infantin” (Birthday of the Infanta)
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/zemlinsky-die-seejungfrau-schreker-der-geburtstag-der/1562851792
Thea Musgrave “Phoenix Rising”
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/thea-musgrave-phoenix-rising/1440067691
 
Franz Schreker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Schreker
William Grant Still
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Grant_Still
Rebecca Thomas (Halifax Poet Laureate 2016-2018)
https://www.dal.ca/about-dal/dalhousie-originals/rebecca-thomas.html
 
 
Published August 2021
https://www.culturemonster.ca
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/culturemonster

I speak with conductor Dina Gilbert about her life and career and tell the story of the great Olympic Hymn by Richard Strauss, that time forgot.
 
LINKS
Darius Milhaud was a busy well-known composer during the 20th Century.
The New Yorker published a guide to his music in 2017
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-indomitable-humanism-of-darius-milhaud
 
Arthur Fiedler conducted the Boston Pops for 50 years.
https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1217.html
 
The “Boston Pops” an offshoot of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is one of the most recorded ensembles in the world—known for its association with Arthur Fiedler, John Wiliams, and current conductor Keith Lockhart
https://www.bso.org/brands/pops/about-us/historyarchives/the-history-of-the-boston-pops.aspx
 
Richard Strauss was an important German composer who lived from 1864-1949
ClassicFM’s 15 facts about Strauss
https://www.classicfm.com/composers/strauss/guides/facts-gallery/
 
“Olympische Hymne” by Richard Strauss was premiered August 1, 1936 during the opening ceremony of the Berlin Olympics
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympische_Hymne
Photo of Strauss in rehearsal at the Olympic Stadium
https://web.archive.org/web/20091027074318/http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Studio/2891/olympia.htm
 
Dina Gilbert is Music director of the Kamloops Symphony
http://www.dinagilbert.com
https://www.kamloopssymphony.com
Gilbert is also directrice musicale of Orchestre Symphonique de l’Estuaire
https://ose.qc.ca
and principal conductor Les Grand Ballets’ Orchestra
https://grandsballets.com/en/
 
Kent Nagano is a notable American conductor who was Music Director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra from 2006-2020. https://www.kentnagano.com/about-kent/
The english language version of his memoir “Classical Music: Expect the unexpected” is published by McGill-Queen’s University Press
https://www.mqup.ca/classical-music-products-9780773556348.php?page_id=73&
 
Samy Moussa is a busy Canadian composer with a long association with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra
http://www.samymoussa.com/biography
 
Moussa’s Violin Concerto has been recorded by Andrew Wan-with Nagano conducting the OSM
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/ginastera-bernstein-moussa-works-for-violin-and-orchestra/1533874089
https://open.spotify.com/album/6nTReYFzI0mZHhco5cX7Q3
 
Dinuk Wijeratne is an award-winning composer who lives in Nova Scotia
https://www.dinukwijeratne.com/biography/
Dina recommended his Tabla Concerto
https://www.dinukwijeratne.com/tablaconcerto/
You can support the podcast at
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/culturemonster
Published August 2021

Episode 15: Paul Dornian and spectacle of the Olympics
 
As he exits his role at the Calgary Philharmonic, Paul Dornian chats with me about his life and career. Also 
 
LINKS
“Rhapsody in Blue” from the 1984 Olympic opening ceremony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylUF32pwvtI
Premiere of John Williams “Olympic Fanfare and theme”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF0fEAFBOoM&t=168s
Lighting the 1984 Olympic Cauldron, featuring music by Philip Glass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbbVk3AGVhE
 
“The Raven Conspiracy” by Carmen Braden, performed by members of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iphtKI_Mg6M&t=135s
 
The Edmonton Symphony returns to perform in Symphony under the sky
https://www.winspearcentre.com/more/visit/symphony-under-the-sky/
 
Paul Dornian has been CEO of the Calgary Philharmonic since 2015
https://calgaryphil.com
In August 2021, the Calgary Philharmonic announced March Stevens would be its new CEO
https://calgaryphil.com/portfolio-items/marc-stevens/
 
Carmen Braden is an award-winning composer/performer from Yellowknife, NWT
https://www.carmenbraden.com
 
Paul Dornian mentioned the CalgaryPhil Project “an Orchestra Adventure with Maestro Karl and friends”
https://calgaryphil.com/kids-project/
 
support the podcast at
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/culturemonster
Published August 2021

I speak with violist Nick Pulos about his life and career, and recommend a new novel heating up the Alberta Bestseller list. 
 
Unlocking, by Amy Leblanc — published by UCalgary Press
https://press.ucalgary.ca/books/9781773851396/
 
Amy Leblanc received the 2020 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award:
https://artsawards.ca/artist/amy-leblanc/
 
 
Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, Ottawa was formed in 1969.
https://nac-cna.ca/en/orchestra/about/history
 
Nick Pulos was principal violist of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra for many years.
https://www.winspearcentre.com/more/about/about-eso/
 
Josef Suk “Into a new Life” March
performed by Czech Philharmonic Orchestra - Vaclac Talich, conductor
historical performance from 1938 available here
https://music.apple.com/ca/album/v-novy-zivot-into-a-new-life-op-35c/369420608?i=369420621
 
Support the podcast at
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/culturemonster
published Aug 2021

I speak with multi-instrumentalist and conductor Jeremy Brown about his varied career and endorse a book which isn’t a book. Also, can cats compose?
 
LINKS
 
Zez Confrery, jazz pianist and composer:
https://syncopatedtimes.com/zez-confrey/
 
Sacrlatti, “Fuga del Gatto”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhCBn3-4JKI
 
Amy Beach, American Composer (1867-1944):
https://www.amybeach.org/about/biography/
 
 
Jeremy Brown is a professor at the School for Creative and Performing Arts, University of Calgary:
https://contacts.ucalgary.ca/info/scpa/profiles/204-29912
 
His book “The Wind Band Music of Henry Cowell”
The Wind Band Music of Henry Cowell
https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781351239264/wind-band-music-henry-cowell-jeremy-brown-michael-budds
 
Audio of Andrew MacDonald’s Concerto for tenor saxophone “Orchid Garden” featuring Jeremy Brown, Ottawa Symphony orchestra, Alain Trudel, Conductor:
https://ottawasymphony.com/rejoyce-episode-9
 
Kelly Marie Murphy is a Canadian composer:
https://kellymariemurphy.com
“I will dream Beyond the Stars” for Band:
https://kellymariemurphy.com/i-will-dream-beyond-the-stars/
“Fallibility, Logic, and the Return of Wonder” Alto Saxophone Concerto, commissioned by Jeremy Brown:
https://kellymariemurphy.com/fallibility-logic-and-the-return-of-wonder/
Fantasy for saxophone and string quartet by Nova Pon:
http://novapon.com/music/chamber-music/fantasy
 
 
Jeremy Brown is on the board of JazzYYC:
https://www.jazzyyc.com
Jeremy Brown is music director of the Calgary Wind Symphony
https://calgarywindsymphony.com/about-cws/directors/jeremy-s-brown/
 
Claude Lapalme is music director of the Red Deer Symphony:
https://www.rdso.ca
 
Listen to the complete archive of Culture Monster:
https://www.culturemonster.ca
June 2021