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Notes from David Yang

Winter Baroque!

Why exactly did they wear wigs in the 17th Century? Set aside Sunday, December 22nd for our annual winter  baroque concert.

Notes from David Yang

The origin of language and readers’ submissions of favorite concerts

It isn’t that music is a language, but, as it turns out, language is a type of music.

Notes from David Yang

The Mount Rushmore of classical music?

If I could carve my own personal Mt. Rushmore of music, who would I choose to deface the side of a beautiful mountain? 

Notes from Alessandra Yang

Debussy Quartet Digital Open Rehearsal

This summer, I attended the Taos School of Music, a chamber music program in the mountains of New Mexico.

Notes from David Yang

Five concerts to remember

Thinking about concerts – not ones I’ve played, but ones I have attended. Here are the top five that jumped out at me, in no particular order.

Notes from David Yang

Reflections on an NCMF summer

Maybe it is the action of sitting in a concert or lecture or open rehearsal or Hausmusik with others.

Notes from David Yang

How is the week going?

We’re somewhere around the mid-point of the festival which began with a talk last Monday on Kurtág and ends with our final concert this Sunday.

Notes from David Yang

11:00 Storytelling and Puppet show at Maudslay cancelled due to weather

The first Storytelling and Music and Puppet show outside today at 11:00 at Maudslay has been cancelled due to weather

Special post-lecture follow-up note on Marta and György Kurtág

The couple’s performances on stage were legendary, literal embraces at the piano, their hands interlocking over the keys.

Notes from David Yang

A postcard from England

Transplanted to a different continent, these sold-out concerts feel like a vindication of the vision I call “community-oriented” chamber music.

Notes from David Yang

Violinist Stephanie Zyzak

‍Musicians are modern-day itinerant minstrels. Stephanie, one of our festival artists this summer (violin) and I have been trying to find a time to record a conversation.

Notes from David Yang

The “Lightbulb Aria” from Rural Electrification for theremin

When rural Americans finally got electricity in the 1930’s and 40’s, decades after the cities, many went outside just to look back at their illuminated houses.

Notes from David Yang

“If I am not writing, I really don’t know what I think or feel” - A conversation with Alfred Nicol

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you already know that for NCMF this summer, Alfred Nicol has written a poem about local birds

Notes from David Yang

Ligeti’s solo cello sonata: “To the edge of virtuosity”

Hungarian composer György Ligeti was born into a Jewish family in 1923 and grew up under the vile reigns of both the Nazi and Soviet regimes.

Notes from David Yang

Schumann's irresistible Piano Quintet

He then had the idea of adding to the four instruments a piano part for his wife Clara, and the resulting piano quintet was written in less than three weeks.

Notes from David Yang

Work as play: a conversation with Edward Speck

This summer marks another joyful collaboration with the actor, director, impresario, and his band of merry puppeteers. 

Notes from David Yang

György Kurtág and the fulsome gesture

Long-time NCMF audience members are aware that I am an ardent fan of 98-year-old composer György Kurtág

Notes from David Yang

“I’m a music addict” - 2024 Composer-in-Residence Patrick Castillo

Composers are a curious lot, interested in everything and anything. 

Notes from David Yang

Twelve iconic birds of Newburyport

This was decided upon in a highly scientific manner. Take a look and let me know which favorite bird I left out...

Notes from David Yang

“A Bookmobile for Dreamers”

Sometimes I’d buy a book, often I’d just browse, open up a volume, read the first paragraph. 

Notes from David Yang

The commissioned work for 2024

Twelve iconic birds of Newburyport for string quartet and...theremin? 

Notes from David Yang

Ravel's String Quartet and the Age of Opulence

Ravel was an ardent collector of Art Nouveau and Art Deco with its stylized and stylish ideals

Notes from David Yang

Pianist Ilya Poletaev, a musician’s musician

This summer, we’ll be performing piano quintets by Schumann (happy!) and Schnittke (maybe not so happy…).

Notes from David Yang

Summer 2024: July 29th to August 11th - an overview

Brahms, Schumann, Kurtag, Schnittke, Ligeti, Liszt, a world premiere by Castillo with theremin, puppet shows, oh my!

Notes from David Yang

Joseph Haydn and the art of happiness

Haydn's music reflects a time of great political and social upheaval.

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