While the music plays and I eat my lunch, I often spend a few minutes catching up on news online. Last week those minutes found me in tears. Let's mark the one-week anniversary of the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan Province with a Chinese piece about love, in life and after death: the "Butterfly Lovers" Violin Concerto by Gang Chen and Zhanhao Ha. Violinist Gil Shaham performs it in our noon hour. Leading into that we'll hear "Prayer Circle" from Terry Riley's recent piece for Chinese lute (pipa) and string quartet, The Cusp of Magic, with Wu Man and the Kronos Quartet. The rest of the noon hour is not Asian-related but it's mostly subdued in tone as well. (If you know of classical-compatible music with a Burmese connection, please tell me.)Also on Midday Music: voiceless highlights from Wagner's opera Tristan and Isolde, Schumann's entire Fourth Symphony and music from Spain, France, England and Finland.
11 AM
- Fasch: Concerto in B-flat. Tempesta di Mare. Chandos 0751.
- Schumann: Symphony No. 4 in D minor. Cleveland Orch, Dohnanyi. London 421 643.
- Klami: The Cobblers on the Hearth, Overture. Lahti Sym Orch, Vanska. BIS 676.
- Albeniz: La Vega. Marc-Andre Hamelin. Hyperion 67476/7.
- Portal: Minor Waltz. Korvia, Portal, Boussaguet. Naive 5066.
- Riley: The Cusp of Magic: Prayer Circle. Kronos Quartet, Wu Man. Nonesuch 360508.
- Chen/He: Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto. Gil Shaham, Singapore Sym, Shui. Canary 04.
- Urcullu: Capriccio on Tunes by Bellini and Donizetti. Eugenio Tobalina. Naxos 8.570715.
- Parker/Grainger: Down Longford Way; Ferrabosco/Grainger: Four-Note Pavan. Royal Northern College of Music Wind Orch, Rundell. Chandos 10455.
- Wagner/Stokowski: Tristan and Isolde, Symphonic Synthesis (Prelude to Act 1, Liebesnacht, Liebestod). Bournemouth Sym, Serebrier. Naxos 8.570293.