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Latest Listeners’ Club Posts

Sibelius’ “The Origin of Fire”: A Cantata Based on Finnish Mythology January 30, 2026

The Kalevala, the national epic poem of Finland, contains a myth with overtones of Prometheus. Ukko, the life-sustaining god of thunder, weather, and fertile fields, recreates fire after Louhi, the goddess of death and disease, steals it, along with the sun and moon. The story is the subject of Jean Sibelius’ 1902 cantata, The Origin of Fir […]

Remembering Richie Beirach January 28, 2026

Richie Beirach, an American jazz pianist and composer, passed away last Monday, January 26 in southern Germany. He was 78. Born in Brooklyn, Beirach collaborated with saxophonist David Liebman, beginning in the late 1960s. Additionally, he was celebrated as a soloist and collaborator. Later, Beirach settled in Leipzig, Germany where he taug […]

Rameau’s “Les Boréades” (Entrée de Polymnie): “The Arts and the Hours” January 26, 2026

Les Boréades was the final opera of French Baroque composer Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764). The story of the five-act tragédie lyrique is based loosely on the Greek legend of the sage and healer, Abaris the Hyperborean. Although the work was rehearsed at the Paris Opera in 1763, it was never performed. Rameau died the following year at th […]

Remembering Ralph Towner January 23, 2026

Ralph Towner, an American guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer, passed away in Rome on January 18, 2026. He was 85. A founding member of the groundbreaking ensemble, Oregon, Towner’s music is a fusion of jazz, rock, and folk influences. In an interview, he listed George Gershwin, John Coltrane, John Dowland, and Bill Evans among h […]

Bartók’s Violin Sonata No. 1: Ancient Folk Influences and Strange New Sounds January 21, 2026

Describing Béla Bartók’s Violin Sonata No. 1, Sz. 75, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja notes The power in the first movement, the loneliness of the violin melody and the states of panic in the second; the almost grotesquely joyful and folk-like character of the third — it’s a special joy if you can play it with pleasure and without stress, […]

“Sweet, Sweet Spirit”: Doris Akers January 19, 2026

It has been said that American gospel composer Doris Akers (1923-1995) provided the soundtrack for the civil rights movement. Born in Missouri as the eighth of ten children, Akers moved to Los Angeles at the age of 22. Here she published her first song while performing with the Sallie Martin Singers. In 1957, Akers was invited to direct the […]

Mendelssohn’s “Athalie” Overture: Triumph Over a Villainous Queen January 16, 2026

A notorious villain of the Hebrew Bible, the Baal-worshiping Athalia usurped the throne of Judah, attempted to kill all royal heirs, and ruled as Queen for six years (c. 841–835 BC) before being overthrown. The dramatic story is the subject of Jean Racine’s 1691 play, as well as Handel’s 1733 oratorio. King Frederick William IV of Prussia c […]