Tag: classical

MVW and Lex Luger Deliver CLASSIC$

Opposites come together for a harmonious result on the first collab album between classical music composer, Michael Vincent Waller (MVW) and multi-platinum hip-hop producer, Lex Luger. Together, the duo combine to release a one-of-a-kind project. The 8-song LP sees them explore a sub-genre that has yet to be saturated and could possibly be the foundation for a brand-new wave of innovation.

The combination of course is the fusion between elements of classical and trap music where the former, which is considered formal, traditional and tedious, meets the laid-back, seemingly careless and braggadocious sub-genre of trap music.

I want to take the same attention to detail associated with classical and chamber music and apply it to one of the most viable, listenable, and casual genres, i.e. trap. It’s got freshness and energy, but there are a whole bunch of nuances and details you don’t typically hear in modern rap. I’m trying to take the best of both worlds.

MVW

Hailing from Staten Island, MVW has always been a hip-hop enthusiast and he developed a passion for classic hip-hop such as Wu Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G. and A Tribe Called Quest. As a classical composer, his music filled venues such as Carnegie Hall, ISSUE Project Room, Rouleee and Palais de Tokyo Museum. At the same time, he often listened to Biggie and Wu Tang for inspiration while composing.

When he began making his foray into the world of hip hop, he recruited Lex Luger to play his counterpart. Although the “Round Of Applause” producer is diversified in his own right, his production still contains trap elements (such as his distinctive snare drum and ihats) that make his presence on CLASSIC$ invaluable.

Working on this project was definitely a little challenging. Being in a comfortable zone is cool, but nothing ever grows there. That being said, working on this project helped me try new things and ultimately, I feel like it just made me a better producer.

Lex Lugor

The album is curated with artists that not only correspond with the suis generis blend of styles but thrive on it. Jamaican artist, Shanique Marie, brings much-needed energy. Southern Songstress, Jaydonclover — whom MVW discovered from a WIRE Magazine review — is featured on three of the tracks and since the classical instrumentation already perpetuates a solemn feel, her soulful croons become one with the music. Trap connoisseurs Duke Deuce and Lil Gotit also make appearances, while Good Music artist, Valee — who is featured throughout the album — is the missing link that connects everything, effortlessly riding each beat as he maintains the California cool of a long beach surfer with each luxurious idiom he drops.

I’ve been composing for 15 years, but I’ve been listening to hip-hop for 20 years. Somehow, they inform each other in my head. This project was a long-time brewing. I’m coming full circle

CLASSIC$ can be streamed here.

October 8, 2021
Opera Saratoga Celebrates 60th Anniversary with Summer Festival

This summer marks the 60th anniversary of the Opera Saratoga Summer Festival. Initially dubbed the Lake George Opera playing to a crowd of 230 people, Opera Saratoga regularly performs for over 25,000 a year. Having performed over 90 works by 52 composers, this summer’s festival commemorates the history and continued success of those who have put on these critically acclaimed productions. The festival features three concerts inspired by the literature of Miguel de Cervantes: Quixotic Opera, Man of La Mancha, and Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding.

Working with a team of those dedicated to ensuring safety in the time of COVID, Opera Saratoga has committed to bringing audiences back safety for this summer’s festival for an outdoor experience during the months of June and July. These performances, produced in partnership with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Spa State Park, and Pitney Meadows Community Farm, provide different performance spaces for a safe and enjoyable concert.

Via Opera Saratoga Official Site

“Quixotic Opera”

June 24th and 25th saw the kickoff of the festival with an 80 minute “Quixotic Opera” at Pitney Meadows Community Farm. Following a series of scenes from operas inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote, the concert brought the audience on the adventures of nobleman Alonso Quizano who became a knight to serve his nation under the name Don Quixote de la Mancha. Lead by musical director Laurie Rogers, it featured scenes from Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse (Boismortier / Favart), Die Hochzeit des Camacho (Mendelssohn / Voigts), Il furioso all’isola di San Domingo (Donizetti / Ferretti), Don Quixote (Kienzl) and more.

“Man of La Mancha”

Via Opera Saratoga Official Site

July 8th, 9th, and 10th will feature the 120 minute musical “Man of La Mancha” at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center Amphitheater. Written by Dale Wasserman, the Tony Award winning musical, which features Broadway and Opera star Zachary James in the lead role as Cervantes/Don Quixote, tells the story of Don Quixote with music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion.

“A universal tale of love, hope, and adventure, Man of La Mancha celebrates the perseverance of one man who refuses to relinquish his ideals, and who is determined to see life not as it is, but as it ought to be.”
Opera Saratoga Official Website

“Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding”

Via Opera Saratoga’s Official Site

For lovers of more traditional classical music, Opera Saratoga will be presenting the 50 minute “Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding” with twelve performances scheduled between July 14th and 18th. A one-act comic serenata, the performances will feature artists from Opera Saratoga’s Young Artist Program. Written by Georg Philipp Telemann with a libretto by Daniel Schiebeler, the concert incorporates an episode from Part Two of Don Quixote where the knight and his squire stumble upon unusual weddings while exploring the world.

Tickets for both the musical Man of La Mancha and the serenata Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding on Opera Saratoga’s website. Ensured audience safety amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has limited tickets this season and Opera Saratoga anticipates that performances will sell out in advance of the show date. Advance ticket purchases are required for Don Quichotte at Camacho’s Wedding and while not required for Man of La Mancha, they are strongly advised to ensure a spot at the special 60th anniversary performance.

July 3, 2021
The 31st Bard Music Festival Announces Programming

The Bard Music Festival will return for its 31st season with an exploration of the life and work of Nadia Boulanger. Nadia Boulanger is the pioneering Parisian pedagogue, composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and indomitable personality who shaped more than a generation of American musicians.

Through a series of themed concert programs, Nadia Boulanger and Her World pays tribute to one of the most important female figures in the history of classical music.

Works will be featured by Nadia Boulanger, J. S. Bach, Grażyna Bacewicz, Lili Boulanger, Johannes Brahms, Elliott Carter, Aaron Copland, Gabriel Fauré, Walter Piston, Raoul Pugno, Francis Poulenc, Jean Françaix, Peggy Glanville-Hicks, Philip Glass, Adolphus Hailstork, Dinu Lipatti, Marcelle de Manziarly, Olivier Messiaen, Claudio Monteverdi, Thea Musgrave, Julia Perry, Astor Piazzolla, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Erik Satie, Ethel Smyth, Igor Stravinsky, Germaine Tailleferre, Louise Talma, Louis Vierne, George Walker, and Charles-Marie Widor.

Weekend One: Music in Paris

August 6
Program One: The Exemplary Musician

August 7
Program Two: Contemporaries and Colleagues

Program Three: 88 x 2: Music for 2 Pianos

August 8
Program Four: The Epitome of Chic: Paris Between the Wars

Program Five: Teachers, Mentors, and Friends of the Boulanger Sisters

Weekend Two: The 20th Century Legacy of Nadia Boulanger

August 12
Program Six: L’Esprit de Paris

August 13
Program Seven: Crosscurrents: Salon and Concert Hall

August 14
Program Eight: Boulanger the Curator

Program Nine: Remembering Ethel Smyth and Boulanger’s Circle at Home and Abroad

August 15
Program Ten: The Catholic Tradition in France: Clarity and Mysticism

Program Eleven: Boulanger’s Legacy: Modernities

Program Twelve: Boulanger’s Credo

Check out more articles from NYS Music on the Bard Music Festival here.

June 18, 2021
MVW, Valee and Lex Luger Come Together for “Still Do”

East Coast meets the Midwest on the Lex Luger assisted banger featuring Chicago rapper, Valee. From Staten Island bred, classical music composer, MVW (Michael Vincent Waller), the two-minute long record is the second single released from his upcoming project, Classic$ (the first hip-hop project from Michael Vincent Waller after releasing three classical albums). With “Still Do” following the Shanique Marie and Lex Luger assisted, “Survey Says.”

A sui generis collaboration, MVW is recognized in the classical world for his portrayal of “melodic classicism.” Something that this record subtly and blatantly emphasizes.

On the vision behind his upcoming project, MVW explains,

My core intention on Classic$ is to get classical music into hip-hop without dissolving either. It’s about allowing the production and samples to breathe organically. We’re not simply trying to add orchestral heavy strings. Instead, we’re relying on dark and episodic chamberal moments, which fit naturally. I hope people are like, I didn’t know classical music could be so funky. I can’t believe trap [music] is so sensuous and beautiful.

Michael Vincent Waller

“Still Do,” is rich in production. It begins with a sensual violin solo which loops throughout before light strings and a thumping drum track starts the record. Light keys are sprinkled throughout the loop and Valee echoes his rhymes of a luxurious life, with trap and classical genres working together symbiotically.

Still do, get the guap we still do. B*tch want to hit up 90210 to shop we still do.
The production on the song just spoke to me, Valee says of the record. I knew I had to do something different and use a brand new flow for it.

Valee

On Classic$, MVW also recruits multi-platinum producer Lex Luger (known for his extravagant sounding orchestral beats and unique use of ihats to open records), whose work with the likes of Rick Ross, Kanye West, Waka Flocka Flame amongst others have made him world renowned.

The two have co-produced multiple records for the album as they have unlocked a bridge between their two worlds.

Lex Luger on the beat

I want to take the same attention to detail associated with classical and chamber music and apply it to one of the most viable, listenable, and casual genres, i.e. trap, explains MVW.
It’s got freshness and energy, but there are a whole bunch of nuances and details you don’t typically hear in modern rap. I’m trying to take the best of both worlds.

June 4, 2021
The Orchestra Now (TŌN) to livestream Two Concerts

The Orchestra Now, aka TŌN, will be conducting two shows to livestream on April 10 and May 1. With 72 young musicians from 14 different countries, The Orchestra Now seeks to make symphonic music relevant today.

Photo Credit: David DeNee

Conductor, educator, and music historian Leon Botstein founded TŌN in 2015. This graduate program at Bard College has grown exponentially and has undoubtedly begun to leave its mark. The concerts are free, with a suggested donation of $25-50.

On April 10, Leon Botstein leads TŌN in Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony and Berstein’s Serenade. This performance will feature violinist Zongheng Zhang also. The program additionally will have the work of Ácana from Tania León and Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments, performed alongside pianist Blair McMillen. RSVP here for a direct link to the livestream on the day of the concert.

On May 1, the show is dedicated to the memory of Stuart Strizler-Levine, a beloved Bard faculty member since 1964. Leon Botstein will conduct the Orchestra in the first of two concerts in the Beethoven tribute. This first program will present the composer’s 5th and 7th Symphonies in addition to his Triple Concerto for violin, cello, and piano. This start to the Belated Beethoven Birthday Celebration will feature violinist Adele Anthony, cellist Peter Wiley, and pianist Shai Wosner. RSVP here for a direct link to the Livestream on the day of the concert. This commemoration will continue on May 8.

Photo Credit: Matt Dine

Members of The Orchestra Now are hand-picked from the world’s leading conservatories. With The Orchestra Now offering onstage introductions and demonstrations, writing concert notes, and having one-on-one discussions with patrons, TŌN musicians can further share their unique visions.

March 27, 2021

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