Music Appreciation with Moby Pearson
Winter (4 - 8.5 hours) | This course is completed
The four-week course will touch on four triumphant musical achievements: the work of Robert Shaw, Dvorak’s chamber music, the road to Mozart’s Figaro, and the Budapest String Quartet playing Beethoven.
King of Choral Conductors: Robert Shaw
The sound of a Shaw chorus is unlike that of any other. His life is fascinating tale, one that takes him from a minister’s family in southern CA to training radio pop choruses in NYC. Then suddenly switching gears to classical choral music and being noticed by the greatest maestro of the age, Arturo Toscanini. Eventually he moved on to Cleveland and George Szell for 11 years, and in 1967 proceeded to turn the Atlanta Symphony and Chorus into a world renowned organization.
Dvorak’s Chamber Music
In Dvorak’s writing for chamber music there is an abundance of pure Bohemian joy and heartfelt Slavic lament. Other than Brahms, no one wrote for more combinations in the genre. During his 1893 visit to Spillville, Iowa, he produced two marvelous works which combine Slavic elements with those of Afro and Native American music.
The Road to Figaro
As Mozart worked on his most significant opera to date, his muse was overflowing with one compositional gem after another. 1785-86 turned out to be a highly productive time in his life. We will sample the works composed during this time as well as view some of the opera itself. Also available for viewing is a facsimile of the complete autograph score of The Marriage of Figaro.
Beethoven by the Budapest
An in depth hearing of the Budapest String Quartet playing the Beethoven cycle. These four Russians are playing on loaned Stradivarius instruments. The venue is the Library of Congress; the recordings took place in 1951-2 and have been excellently remastered.
Optional text: Con Brio - Nat Brandt (ISBN-13: 978-0595010110)
Moby Pearson
A graduate of Oberlin Conservatory, violinist Moby Pearson has performed with chamber ensembles and orchestras for over 45 years. He has toured the great concert halls in Europe with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and coached student ensembles in the middle east as a member of the Apple Hill Chamber Players. Presently he resides in Brattleboro and is on the faculty of the Brattleboro Music Center, where he teaches, conducts, and offers courses in music appreciation.