Sisseton, in the northeastern corner of South Dakota, sits within a Dakota Indian reservation called Sisseton Wahpeton. The population – 2,500 – is half Native American, half non-Native. Last Monday night, Sisseton hosted the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra in a program, “Dvorak and America,” at the local high school auditorium. This multi-media production, which … [Read more...] about Dvorak on the Reservation
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Wagner’s “Tristan” at the Met — Then and Now
I am in Ann Arbor, participating in a Mahler project with Ken Kiesler and his fervent University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra – the group with which I memorably toured South Africa a year ago (and about which I blogged and broadcast). Addressing a class of young conductors this morning, I was reminded by one of them of a promotional video that I stumbled upon a few days … [Read more...] about Wagner’s “Tristan” at the Met — Then and Now
Who Was the American Bartok?
Who was the American Bartok? The most plausible candidate, I would say, is Arthur Farwell (1872-1952), who led the “Indianists” movement in American music beginning around 1900. Here is a sampling – his “Pawnee Horses” for 16-part a cappella chorus, sung in Navajo. Farwell is one of the most fascinating figures in the history of American classical music. … [Read more...] about Who Was the American Bartok?


