The Week in Hope-Inspiring Spontaneous Music Online, Op. 2

March 24, 2020, 1:08 PM · With symphony performances almost universally on hiatus, we are also going to put "The Week in Reviews" on hold and instead bring you a weekly roundup of performances to be found online. With so many people told to stay at home and keep a distance, artists around the world have been posting videos of spontaneous music performances and more. We invite you to also share your links to the most inspiring, comforting or humorous musical content you've found online during this time, so that we can all benefit from the power of music.

Here's what happens when a violinist and pianist isolate together...violinist Elena Urioste and pianist Tom Poster have started a series of daily videos "to provide some music and light in times of self-isolation, and we're taking repertoire requests!" You can find it on Elena's Instagram, as well as her Youtube (my preference - it's just a little nicer) as well as some excerpts on Twitter, #UriPosteJukeBox. Selections vary wildly: Send in the Clowns; A Brief History of Music through Nursery Rhymes; La Vie en Rosé, Come On Eileen-Toxic-Baby Shark medley. Below is Messiaen's "Louange à l'Immortalité de Jésus" from Quartet for the End of Time:

Violinist Tessa Lark has been posting on her Instagram feed, including this piece by Kreisler. She said, "Sending you all love and peace from New York City. Tons of thoughts to share....but tons of time to share it, so for now I simply offer you this sweet Kreisler arrangement..."

Violinist Timothy Chooi streamed a concert live for #CanadaPerforms, earlier today, for the National Arts Centre of Canada - looks like the camera mirror-imaged him! He even answers some questions afterwards, about his violin, etc.

If you are in the mood for a symphony orchestra concert, the streaming service Medici.TV is offering a playlist of concerts that you can watch for free, featuring the New World Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and a few more. Click here to access that.

What if you'd rather hear some chamber music? Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center if offering a "a curated, themed playlist each week, culled from its 50-year archive." You can find that by clicking here.

If you like Shakespeare (and English accents), actor Sir Patrick Stewart is reading a sonnet a day on his Twitter feed:

2. When I was a child in the 1940s, my mother would cut up slices of fruit for me (there wasn't much) and as she put it in front of me she would say, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." How about, “A sonnet a day keeps the doctor away”? So...here we go: Sonnet 1. pic.twitter.com/kDoMNhdqcI
— Patrick Stewart (@SirPatStew) March 22, 2020

Violinist Hilary Hahn may still be on sabbatical, but she still sends her love via silent animation:

Silent sabbatical performance (I’m not playing at the moment, midway through my year off the road). What piece do you see? Sending love and best wishes to all. #violin #animation #guess pic.twitter.com/RdTIhMs4wb
— Hilary Hahn (@violincase) March 22, 2020

...and finally, cellist Rylie Harrod-Corral provides some humor with a a very unique performance of "The Swan" by Camille Saint-Saens:

Find links to more artists' feeds in last week's edition!

If you would like to share links to performances you have found, please do so in the comments or e-mail me to include in next week's edition. Keep calm, keep your distance, wash your hands, and practice and listen to good music!

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Replies

Paul Deck

March 24, 2020 at 06:43 PM · So a friend of mine wants to get together and jam. We would play jazz with a saxophonist friend of ours. Maybe make a recording. Can we do that with the trend toward "sociopath distancing"?

(Please note that I began my paragraph with the word "So" because that's very stylish these days.)

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