National Gallery Of Art | Music

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Bora Yoon considers whether we carry the sounds and memories of our people within us. In her response to Nam June Paik’s video sculpture, she brings together both traditional Korean instruments and eclectic electronic music. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/bora-yoon-and-ommah.html. Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app

Program: Solstice: Darkness Is Your Candle In this program you will hear East of the River perform “Groong” (Komitas Vardapet), “Achot Ktana” (Moroccan), “Lama bada” (Andalusian), “Adío Querida” (Sephardic), Sandansko Horo (Bulgarian), Solstice (Shane Shanahan), Petrone (English), Makedonsko Sedenka (Macedonian), Belasicko Horo (Bulgarian), Bučimiš (Bulgarian), “Slide Dance” (Ara Dinkjian), and “Hija Mia” (Sephardic Song). East of the River was founded by internationally renowned recorder players Nina Stern and Daphna Mor. The project explores gems of the European classical repertory together with haunting melodies and virtuosic dances of traditions to the East, arranged and interpreted by musicians whose backgrounds include classical, jazz, and world music. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Saturday, December 21, 2019.

Musician Rafiq Bhatia feels compelled to capture his improvisations—fleeting moments of sound—in recordings. Like sound, light is transient. But James Turrell’s works, which inspired Bhatia’s composition, contain and present light, allowing us to forge a deeper relationship with an ephemeral substance. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/rafiq-bhatia-james-turrell-new-light.html.Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app

For classical pianist and activist Lara Downes, Romare Bearden’s collage is a puzzle full of questions and unfinished business. In response, she brings together different musical sources, overlaying sounds to create both harmony and tension. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/lara-downes-and-tomorrow-i-may-be-far-away.html. Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app

Program: Si Otsedoha (We’re Still Here) This program features the Cherokee Chamber Singers performing Si Otsedoha (We’re Still Here) (William Brittelle), “Amazing Grace” (Traditional), and “Shoshone Love Song” (“The Heart’s Friend”) (Traditional Native American) with Winston-Salem Symphony musicians and soprano Jodi Burns. Telling the remarkable story of the Eastern Band of Cherokee through powerful vocals that express the tribe’s unique and vibrant history, the chamber singers are from Cherokee High School in Cherokee, North Carolina. Their director is Michael Yannette. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, November 24, 2019.

Hip-hop artist Jasiri X looks at Kerry James Marshall’s woodcut almost like he’s looking into a mirror. It captures the experience of a Black man: resilient but restrained from being his authentic self. Jasiri responds to the work through two songs that reflect on his internal struggle. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/jasiri-x-untitled-man.html. Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app

When her sister was dying, composer Kamala Sankaram was drawn to Mark Rothko’s painting: it both captured her grief and calmed her. That experience influenced Sankaram’s approach to creating a musical score, which she shares in this episode. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/kamala-sankaram-mark-rothko.html. Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

Composer-pianist Vijay Iyer describes the East Building as a work of art that does what music does: invites you in—to inhabit, explore, and be among others. He responds with pieces that balance pattern and structure with leaving room to wander. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/vijay-iyer-im-pei-east-building.html. Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app

Composer/producer Emily Wells sees us as the buffalo: frozen before downfall, but still alive—which is why she includes so much breath in her song. Wells, whose work deals with the climate crisis, looks to David Wojnarowicz’s AIDS activism for lessons. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/emily-wells-david-wojnarowicz.html. Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.

In this program you will hear the U.S. Army Chorus and Brass Quintet perform Fanfare for a Festival (Ron Nelson), “O Jesu Christ Meins Lebens Licht” (Johann Sebastian Bach), “Ain’t-a That Good News” (William Dawson), “Now Look Away” (Norman Merrifield), “Keep in the Middle of the Road” (Marshall Bartholomew), “Soon-Ah Will Be Done” (William Dawson), selections from the Marriage of Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), “Simple Gifts” (Aaron Copland), “Buccinate in neomenia tuba” (Giovanni Gabrieli), “My Spirit Be Joyful” (Johann Sebastian Bach), Second Prelude (George Gershwin), “Blue Bells of Scotland” (Arthur Pryor), “Ubi Caritas” (Ola Gjeilo), “Lux Arumque” (Eric Whitacre), “Mansions of the Lord” (Nick Glennie-Smith and Randall Wallace), “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (Julia Ward Howe), and “God Bless America” (Irving Berlin). The U.S. Army Brass Quintet has gained a reputation as one of the most highly respected and sought after groups of its kind. The ensemble has appeared before audiences and dignitaries in 4

In this program you will hear the Janoska Ensemble perform “Die Fledermaus Overture a la Janoska” (Overture of the operetta Die Fledermaus); “Those Were the Days” (Dorogoi dlinnoju, Le temps des fleurs, Den langen Weg entlang) (Johann Strauss II/Boris Fomin); “Love’s Sorrow” (Fritz Kreisler/ Sergei Rachmaninoff); “Musette pour Fritz” (Homage for Fritz Kreisler) (František Janoska); “Thais Meditation” (Meditation from the opera Thaïs) (Jules Massenet); Carmen Fantasie (Georges Bizet/ Franz Waxman); “Adios Nonino” (Astor Piazzolla); “Melodie for Melody” (Roman Janoska); “Rumba for Amadeus” (Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor, KV466, Allegro, Main Theme) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart/František Janoska); “Tarantella vs. Niška Banja” (Introduction et Tarantella, op. 43 / Niška Banja) (Pablo de Sarasate/Serbian Traditional); and “Paganinoska” (Caprice no. 24) (Niccolo Paganini). The four musicians of the Janoska Ensemble are brothers Ondrej, Roman, and František Janoska and their brother-in-law Julius Darvas. Their vision

Program: Viajes Latinos (Latin voyages) In this program you will hear the Sphinx Virtuosi and the Catalyst Quartet perform Libertango (Astor Piazzolla), Metro Chabacano (Javier Álvarez Fuentes), Prélude Ibérique (César Espejo), Bachianas Brasileiras, Aria no. 5 (Heitor Villa-Lobos), La Muerte del Ángel (Astor Piazzolla), Last Round (Osvaldo Golijov), and Finale Furioso from Concerto per Corde, op. 33 (Alberto Ginastera). The Sphinx Virtuosi, led by the Catalyst Quartet, is one of the nation’s most dynamic professional chamber orchestras. Eighteen of the nation’s top Black and Latinx classical soloists—all alumni of the internationally renowned Sphinx Competition—come together each fall to reach new audiences as cultural ambassadors. The New York Times raved about this unique ensemble’s debut at Carnegie Hall in December 2004. Describing the performance as “first-rate in every way,” Allan Kozinn noted that “the ensemble produced a more beautiful, precise, and carefully shaped sound than some fully professional

Hosted by musician and journalist Celeste Headlee, each episode focuses on a work of art in the National Gallery’s collection. Learn about the work and its context and hear a musician respond to that work through sound, creating a dialogue between visual art and music. Sound Thoughts on Art tells the stories of how we experience art and how it connects us.Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts.html.

Program: To Travel Is to Live Trio con Brio Copenhagen performs Three Songs from the Hjertets Melodier (Edvard Grieg), Piano Trio in F Major, op. 42 (Niels W. Gade), Piano Trio no. 2 in C Minor, op. 66 (Felix Mendelssohn), and Piano Trio in A Minor, op. 50 (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky). Trio con Brio Copenhagen is considered one of the finest piano trios performing today. Founded in Vienna in 1999, the trio is now based in Copenhagen and tours extensively worldwide. They have gained a reputation for their fresh and contemporary approach to the core repertoire of piano trios. This concert was recorded at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, February 18, 2018.

Joel Fan performs tango for piano: Vem cá, branquinha (Ernesto Nazareth), Chôros no. 5 (Heitor Villa-Lobos), Troubled Water (Margaret Bonds), La nuit du destin (Dia Succari), Sonata no. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110 (Ludwig van Beethoven), Sonata no. 5, op. 53 (Aleksandr Scriabin), Three Piano Pieces op. 11 (Arnold Schönberg), and Piano Sonata no. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 35 (Frédéric Chopin). Joel Fan is an acclaimed pianist who combines virtuosity with a gift for lyricism. He began his performing career with the New York Philharmonic and has since appeared in recital and with orchestras throughout the world. This concert was recorded at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, June 5, 2011.

Program: An American View: Whitman and the American Pre-Raphaelites. This program was in honor of the exhibition The American Pre-Raphaelites: Radical Realists and featured music by Tom Benjamin, William Grant Still, and André Previn. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, May 5, 2019.

Program: An Ancient Walkabout. This program, featuring music by J. S. Bach, Gabriela Lena Frank, Henry Purcell, Benjamin Britten, highlighted the chaconne, a musical form which originated in Latin America in the late sixteenth century and has inspired composers ever since. Starting off the program is likely the most well-known chaconne in classical music, the last movement from the Second Violin Partita by Johann Sebastian Bach. The concert concludes with Brittan’s 20th-century Chacony. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, April 14, 2019.

Program: Absolute Art and Jazz between the Wars This program explored the seemingly opposite ideals of absolute art and popular music which found expression in the work of artists and composers in the aftermath of World War I. The works performed include Anton Webern’s Quartet, op. 22, Erwin Schulhoff’s Hot-Sonate., and Bela Bartok’s Contrasts. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, March 3, 2019

Program: The Keyboard Re-imagined So Percussion performs works originally composed for keyboard instruments including selections from Elliot Cole’s Postludes for Bowed Vibraphone; Vijay Iyer’s Torque; Jason Treuting’s Nine Numbers 4; and Caroline Shaw’s Taxidermy. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, February 10, 2019.

Sung and Unsung: Weill and Poulenc. This program was a rare performance of two composers, Kurt Weill and Francis Poulenc, known primarily for song juxtaposed in both vocal and instrumental repertoire. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, December 23, 2018.