New Music: The Next Round

After a one week hiatus from our weekly practices, Bayshore rehearsals resumed this evening with the issuing of new music as the first order of the day.

As in the past, we will learn four pieces. Here's what's in store:

1. Kol Nidre - Max Bruch
2. Symphony No. 25 - Wolfgang Mozart
3. Overture to La Gazza Ladra - Gioachino Rossini
4. L'Estro Armonico Op. 3 No. 1 - Antonio Vivaldi

And here is some trivia about each of these fine composers:

1. Bruch - a German Romantic, he was a teacher for many years, and contrary to popular assumptions, (due to composing Kol Nidre based on the Hebrew incantation used to open the Yom Kippur service) Bruch was not Jewish, but Protestant, and some have accused him of anti-Semitism.

2. Mozart - this musical genius needs little introduction. The symphony we are learning, No. 25, was written when the composer was only 17 years old.

3. Rossini - nicknamed "the Italian Mozart", Rossini was the most popular opera composer until his retirement in 1829. He was born into a family of musicians and his father was a horn player and -- a slaughterhouse inspector.

4. Vivaldi - born in Venice, Italy, Vivaldi is considered one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era, and ranks among the most popular and most widely recorded composers, second only to Bach.

We sight-read through all four pieces and I'm looking forward very much to hearing our cello soloist, Nick Stroble, when he joins us on Kol Nidre.