Teacher's PET (Audio)

Author and legendary athlete Kareem Abdul-Jabbar highlights remarkable African-American contributions to American society. Series: "Writer's Symposium By The Sea" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Education] [Show ID: 33606]

An American in Paris has always been one of Gershwin's most popular scores, and deservedly so. It offers great tunes, a breezy charm that evokes both the City of Light and the Jazz Age, and Gershwin's obvious affection for the French capital. Gershwin argued that this piece is structured in sonata form and is not just a series of episodes & impressions strung together with great skill; perhaps so, but no matter. Above all else, this is fun music. Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33379]

Composer Francis Poulenc maintained that one need not be solemn to praise God, and that belief is echoed is his "Gloria." Indeed, listeners not otherwise informed may not guess it's the setting of a sacred text (in this case, the second part of the Roman Catholic Mass liturgy). Poulenc's score is by turns melodic, rhythmic, serene, piquant, high-spirited, slightly dissonant, subdued, or strident, but is never less than charming. Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33377]

Aaron Copland originally composed "Quiet City" in 1939 for the play of the same name. The play failed, but Copland's piece went on to become one of his best-loved & most frequently performed works. "Quiet City" is essentially an urban nocturne, the aural equivalent of Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks," and is built around two themes: an evocative trumpet call, and a dotted figure for the strings. To round out the piece Copland added haunting interludes performed either by an English horn or an oboe (in this case an oboe). Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33383]

As was the practice in a time (14th Century) before the delineation between poet and composer was as sharply drawn as today, Guillaume de Machaut set his own texts to music. "Je vivroie liement" for solo soprano, solo violin, and chamber orchestra is an homage to courtly love set to a lively fiddle dance tune that evokes both Celtic & Gypsy styles. Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33374]

There are no opening notes more famous or thrilling than the clarinet trill at the start of Rhapsody in Blue that suddenly spirals upward and broadens into a seductive, near-sleazy glissando, followed by the main theme. Arguably the single best-known piece of American symphonic music, Rhapsody is not quite a true piano concerto, nor is it pure jazz; rather, it's a musical melting pot that proceeds in a series of artfully connected episodes to a jazzy, triumphal conclusion. If you've ever wondered if an orchestra can swing, Rhapsody in Blue dispels all doubts. Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33380]

Luis Urrea is a prolific writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph. Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother, Urrea is the critically acclaimed, best-selling author of 16 books. He talks with Steven Schick about his life and work, and their collaboration on a new version of Stravinsky's "L'Histoire du Soldat" with texts from Urrea's writings. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33265]

The String Quartet in B Minor (Op. 33, No. 1) was the first of six quartets composed in 1781 by Franz Josef Haydn and popularly known as the "Russian" quartets. By this point in his career Haydn was a master of his craft, and with that confidence he began to experiment with the sonata form. This quartet is one of two that Haydn set in the key of B minor, a rare key for both Haydn and the string repertoire, and it has an uncharacteristically adventurous, questing quality. It moves from B minor through several keys, restlessly exploring rhythms, melodies, and modulations before "landing" back upon its home key in the breathless, virtuosic final movement. This piece amply demonstrates why Mozart held Haydn in high esteem. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33220]

"Like a semi-formal family dinner, this piece offers an environment for free interaction that is both structurally rigid & weirdly volatile. In this piece, the three principal actors - 2 solo pianos & a symphony orchestra - behave like relatives. We get along, we shout over each other, we stand at a respectful distance, and we shock each other into bemused & resentful silence. This is a work that calls for trust, sympathy & humor; I couldn't have written it unless I felt for the people involved a musical kinship verging on the familial." - Composer/Pianist Asher Tobin Chodos Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33385]

Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo" is a splendid example of what his collaborator Billy Strayohorn dubbed the "Ellington Effect," a sonic texture achieved through imaginative orchestration and unique to Ellington. Duke began with basic elements and tropes of jazz, then proceeded to filter those materials through his own indiosyncratic sense of rhythm and texture to fashion a sound that seems at once familiar yet exotic. Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33384]

Benjamin Britten originally composed his Gemini Variations for the Hungarian twins Zoltan and Gabor Jeney, who were talented players capable of performing all the instrumental parts. However, Britten knew it would be difficult to find two players with the same abilities as the twins, so he composed this alternate version featuring four musicians playing flute, violin, and piano four-hands (i.e., two pianists at one piano). Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33142]

One of the most important composers in jazz history, Charles Mingus documented his lively impressions of Tijuana in "Tijuana Moods," a rarely performed suite. Join Grammy-winning jazz author Ashley Kahn; eminent alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, a longstanding member of Charles Mingus' band; Anthony Davis, UC San Diego professor of music and noted composer, pianist and improviser; and Steven Schick, UC San Diego professor of music, percussionist, and conductor, for an exploration of the legacy of African-American composer Charles Mingus and his historic Tijuana Moods album. Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 32750]

The serenade is a venerable 18th-century form as practiced by Haydn, Mozart and others. In his "Serenade in D Minor" Antonin Dvořák adapted the form to his own purposes, scoring for an unusual combination of instruments and introducing an unusual thematic unity. The result is a piece of good-spirited, sunny music that reflects Dvořák's own optimistic personality. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33144]

Franz Schubert's String Quartet in C minor, D. 703 from 1820 is popularly known as the "Quartettsatz" because only a single movement of the piece was finished. The "Quartettsatz" marked something of a coming of age for Schubert, as he began to find ways to combine the rich Viennese heritage he absorbed during his student years with his own evolving dramatic ambitions. Structurally the piece dips and swells as it progresses through a series of dramatic extremes, assuming the shape of an advanced sonata design while avoiding the limitations of that form. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33219]

The Quintet in E-flat Major amply supports the contention that Mozart wrote superbly for wind instruments. Composing for an unusual combination of instruments, Mozart speaks directly to the character of each; the short and often rapid phrases for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, & horn are beautifully supported by the piano's rippling, fluid lines. This piece is not about virtuosity, but about musicians putting themselves at the service of the music. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33154]

The city flower of Yueyuang City in China's Hunan Province is the gardenia. In creating his Gardenia for String Quartet & Pipa, composer Xiaogang Ye adapted folk songs and operas from the region to convey a sense of loss, and his longing for the beautiful scenery of Southern China. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33139]

The "Flute Quartet in C Major" is one of two Mozart quartets discovered fairly recently, and whose authorship is uncertain. Certainly the piece has all the hallmarks of Mozart's classical style: smoothly flowing melodic lines, nimble interaction between flute and strings, and a familiar theme-and-variation section. Whatever its provenance, this is graceful, pleasing music. Series: "La Jolla Music Society: SummerFest" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 33153]

La Jolla Symphony & Chorus performs excerpts from the season-opening "Crossing the Rue St. Paul" concert, with commentary from the stage by Conductor Steven Schick and questions from the audience. Series: "La Jolla Symphony & Chorus" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 32618]

"Short Tales from the Mothership" celebrates an elegant genre by presenting condensed stories from fellow futurists, time-travelers, inventors, artists, and writers. This evening is inspired by the short postcard stories that magazine editor George Hay encouraged in the 1970’s. He dared such authors as Arthur C. Clarke to send sci-fi stories that easily fit onto a postcard. In that spirit, Geisel Library invited writers to submit fantasy or science fiction pieces of no more than 250 words, to be read aloud. Series: "Writers" [Humanities] [Show ID: 32844]

For more than a half century, John Lithgow has been delighting audiences on stage, in movies and on television. In a lively discussion with Peter Gourevitch, distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at UC San Diego, Lithgow reflects on his preparations for the wide diversity of roles that have shaped his career and influenced the larger culture, from his star turn in “The World According to Garp” to his SAG-award-winning role as Winston Churchill in the Netflix original series “The Crown.” Series: "Helen Edison Lecture Series" [Humanities] [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 32265]