Every day at noon, Nobel Peace Prize winning humanitarian doctor Albert Schweitzer would play Bach cantatas on the organ at his home in Lambarene, in what is now Gabon, west Africa. A visitor to the community of Lambarene was likely to hear the drums and traditional polyphonic chants of the townspeople mingle with the organ… Read More
Working with Wheeldon: A Dancer’s Perspective
Every once in a while, a dancer and a choreographer just hit it off. A creative spark occurs that can turn into years of inspired partnership. Christopher Wheeldon describes it like this: “There are times in your life,” says Wheeldon, “when you find dancers who speak your language. They start to turn your language into… Read More
Becoming Christopher Wheeldon
On the cusp of his career as a professional ballet dancer, Christopher Wheeldon scored a cheap ticket to New York City that came with the purchase of a Hoover vacuum cleaner. He headed straight for the New York City Ballet. He explains, ”I walked into Peter Martins’s office with a videotape and said, ‘And by… Read More
Listen: Christopher Wheeldon’s Liturgy
Prep your ears for Christopher Wheeldon’s Liturgy by checking out this slideshow recording of the music for the piece, Arvo Part’s “Fratres: For Violin, Stringed Orchestra and Percussion.” Arvo Part coined the term “tintinabuli” to describe the stylistic choice common in his work to use a triad of bell-like tones that repeat in simple combinations… Read More
Listen: The Stravinsky Violin Concerto
Give your ears a taste for what they’ll enjoy at Chromatic Quartet with this slide show recording of Stravinsky’s “Violin Concerto in D”, the music that inspired Balanchine’s iconic ballet homage to his longtime creative partner, Stravinsky Violin Concerto. You can see Oregon Ballet Theatre’s company premiere of Balanchine’s homage to Stravinsky, Stravinsky Violin Concerto,… Read More
