Saturday, September 5, 2015

Conjectural "Completion" of Contrapunctus 14 Is Online!


Simone Stella's virtuosic recording of my "completion" of the last contrapunctus from Bach's unfinished masterpiece, The Art of Fugue, is now online:  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F76nQrSfIHs.  Simone had posted it earlier:
http://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/music/17633.  

Also, for those interested, I uploaded both the score (with my preface) and a short story (yes, fiction!) about the work in question.  These can be accessed at 
https://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=lenny+cavallaro&type=.  

This has certainly been a humbling experience, and has served to give me an even greater appreciation for the genius of Bach.

Monday, August 31, 2015

Organ Fugue Now On Second Site

Simone Stella has also uploaded the fugue (cf., posting of 25 August) to another site:  http://www.contrebombarde.com/concerthall/playmusic/17564.  This marks the first occasion on which one of my compositions has appeared on two different media (Youtube and Contrebombarde).

Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Simone Stella's Recording of the Organ Fugue.

Although I had earlier recycled this fugue as the third movement of my Suite for Oboe, Cor Anglais, and Bassoon, Op. 8, I nevertheless wanted to hear it on the organ.  Simone Stella delivered an absolutely wonderful performance, which I uploaded to Youtube today.  It is available at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq4QA8Ar09E.

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Oboe Sonata #2 in E Minor Released by Forton Music!

Forton Music released my Opus 8 earlier today.  I am honored to have this opportunity!

Audrey Markowitz and I recorded the sonata last year, and it can be heard on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3501Xr6vWuo.

The announcement from Forton can be accessed here:  http://www.fortonmusic.co.uk/product/oboe-sonata-no-2/.

Friday, July 3, 2015

Scientific Study Verdict: Singing, Attending Classical Music Concerts Reduce Stress

I am not certain how valid the conclusion is, given the size of the sample studied (15 singers; 49 audience members:  only 64 people in all).  However, investigators plan to repeat the experiment at concerts on the 7th and 11th of July.

The entire article, including composer Eric Whitacre's address, can be accessed at:

[This is a cross-post, also entered at FourLevelHealing.com.  Obviously, it is of interest to both musicians and therapists!]

Monday, May 25, 2015

Fernando De Luca has recorded by Partita!

The outstanding harpsichordist, Fernando De Luca, recently recorded my Partita #1 in E minor and uploaded it to Youtube.  You may catch this wonderful interpretation here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLQXRyqLpFs&feature=youtu.be

I am profoundly grateful to Fernando and somewhat in awe of his performance.  He had wonderful ornamentation throughout, and I was impressed by what he did in the Allemande, which he took at a slower tempo than I had originally imagined.  I also loved the improvisatory reprise he offered at the end of the Ricercare!  I intend to thank the harpsichordist with a keyboard partita dedicated to him at some point in near future.

Monday, March 9, 2015

"New York City's Last Classical Sheet Music Shop Closes Its Doors After Eight Decades"

The caption above is also the title of Lauren Gambino's article, which appeared in The Guardian on 6 March 2015.  I never used that shop, although I certainly remember buying music at Patelson's as late as the 1980s.

A single paragraph probably tells the story:  << Frank Music has struggled in the internet age, as more musicians turn to Amazon or other online sellers that sell scores for less than their brick-and-mortar counterparts charge. It has also had to compete with free downloads, found on websites such as IMSLP, a virtual music library that allows users to download scores at no cost. >>  I suppose I must adjust my expectations from the recent publications -- and I hope my second oboe sonata will make Op. 8! -- accordingly.

The article can be accessed here:  http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/mar/06/new-york-last-classical-sheet-music-shop-closes-frank-music?CMP=share_btn_fb

Personal Updates

I have been accepted as a member of Vox Saeculorum, through which I have met a number of marvelous neo-baroque composers -- some of whom write music from a time even earlier than mine! I can mention Gianluca Bersanetti, who channels Scarlatti, Miguel Robaina, a French clavecinist who also writes beautiful (Germanic) trio sonatas, and Grant Colburn, an English virginalist, among others.  It is an honor to call these people my colleagues.

I am also a member of the Delian Society, which is dedicated to tonal music (not necessarily baroque).
*****

My latest venture is a completion of Contrapunctus 14 from The Art of Fugue.  I am following the model of Indra Hughes, whose brilliant dissertation has opened my eyes to many ideas about the work, and who has kindly offered me criticism on my first draft.