Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, January 29, 4PM at Hill Auditorium.

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A round-up of all Lobby Einstein on the Beach coverage is here.

From Friday night’s video booth:

Two attendees share their excitement prior to the performance:

Paul Sinclair had some realizations due to Einstein:

Ellen, a part of a group visiting with Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, on how her experience of Einstein has changed since she last saw it at BAM:

Two University of Michigan freshmen share their experience of Einstein after the performance:

From Saturday night’s video booth:

“A once in a lifetime event”

“We brought pillows to Einstein on the Beach because…”

“I think this is one of Philip Glass’s best operas about Einstein.”

“A fiendishly difficult piece to perform…”

From Sunday’s video booth:

Second-time attendee:

Opera buff:

See someone with this button? Start a conversation about ‘renegade’ works.

SYLLABUS

Course Syllabus

HOMEWORK

“Required Reading” from Professor Mark Clague

Philip Glass on Einstein on the Beach

“Required Listening” from UMS Director of Programming Michael Kondziolka

Two conductors talking about Messiaen:
Jeffrey Tate Introduction
Tate is the conductor of our concert here in Ann Arbor. The concept of From the Canyons to the Stars with film was really his doing. He is a brilliant conductor and noted Messiaen enthusiast.

Esa-Pekka Salonen
Salonen is a conductor and composer most recently at the LA Philharmonic. Please watch this brief video he created when his London-based Philharmonia Orchestra was preparing to present a concert of Messiaen’s Turangalila-Symphonie.

Listening Assignments:
Please take the time to listen to these five various clips of the music of Messiaen. It think the most important preparation for our upcoming concert in Hill Auditorium is for everyone to get a sense of the unusual sounds — harmonies, rhythms and textures – which make up Messiaen’s very unique voice. The more your ear is tuned to the sound of his music, the quicker your journey into his sonic world will be once you get to the concert itself and are hearing the music live. It is all about tuning the ear. I must say that I hesitate to give only clips of his music taken out of context as the time within which his music unfolds is as important a style feature as anything – and contributes greatly to the overall effect that the music can have on one’s perception. But…in the spirit of “let’s get those ears tuned up”, here goes. Please try and listen to them all…over even multiple times before the concert itself.

Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie; Mvmt 5
“Joie du sang des étoiles” (Joy of the Blood of the Stars)

Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie; Mvmt 6
“Jardin du sommeil d’amour” (Garden of Love’s Sleep)

Messiaen: From the Canyon to the Stars; Mvmt 2
“ Les Orioles” (The Orioles)

Messiaen: O sacrum convivium!
Sung by Antony Walker with Cantillation

Messiaen: St. Francis of Assisi; Act 2-Scene 6
“The Sermon to the Birds”
This is one of the most surreal moments I have even had listening to live music. This this clip is set at Assisi, with a large green oak tree in spring with many birds singing. Saint Francis preaches a sermon to the birds and solemnly blesses them. The birds reply with a great chorus in which are heard not only birds of Umbria, especially the blackcap, but also birds of other countries, of distant lands, notably the Isle of Pines, close to New Caledonia. When you listen to his clip, close your eyes and think of what it sounds like when you come upon a huge flock of birds all making their sounds together. Magic.

UMS Video Producer Sophia Kruz interviews filmmaker Daniel Landau:

YOU SUGGESTED…

Podcast interview with Robert Wilson by American Theatre Wing and SDCF (“rare insights into the working process of America’s most seminal directors and choreographers”)

Alex Ross on Messiaen

Physicist Richard Feynman, a graphic novel

Coverage of last night’s session: On the topic of “maverick”

What did you think of the first session of Night School? What’s still not making sense? What are you excited to experience at Einstein on the Beach?

Tell us what you thought! This is the place to comment on the performance and talk to other people about what you saw and heard. Don’t forget to click the option to be notified when new comments are posted.

Tonight’s encore: William Byrd’s “Vigilante.”

Tell us what you thought! This is the place to comment on the performance and talk to other people about what you saw and heard. Don’t forget to click the option to be notified when new comments are posted.

Tonight’s encore: Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux #14 from The Nutcracker Suite