Ideal Chrastmas Program-letter to Chris

Walberg is the arranger of the music. The conductor's name who unfortunately selected so many Walberg arrangements for this event is Jack Lanz.

As for the Christmas program I would organize, thinking of the ideal, turning to the programs that were aired on Public Television, KCET, years ago when it existed (before it was revealed that the CEO was earning millions/year and no one wished to donate to the greedy pig's wages). Several years in succession before Christmas they broadcast Vivaldi's Four Seasons with Gidon Kremer on solo violin  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbwVJVNvMh4 

KCET would follow that up with a performance from Germany of Bach's Christmas Oratorio  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHA-tJGOXtk

Then for New Years they would play Carl Orff's Carmina Burana  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRjyxr1ysKw 

Thereby, I would get my sacred/secular fix for the year.

If I was organizing a practical program my selection would include nice arrangements of interesting and popular seasonal pieces. Jack Lanz made the mistake of choosing many arrangements by the same mediocre arranger, Walberg. A composer like Bach writes with infinite variety. Lesser lights get in compositional ruts. If you choose a variety of arrangers the ruts remain invisible; however, with the repetition of a single arranger the ruts become a painful disturbance.

Colburn Concert

Absolutely fabulous all 20th century concert tonight by the Colburn kids at the Ambassador Auditorium: Avro Part, Fratres for String Orchestra and Percussion, 1991: Witold Lutoslawski, Concerto for Cello, 1970, and Copland, Symphony No 3, 1946.

Benjamin Manis, cello was fantastic, quite a contrast to the ho-hum "saws" I've been suffering through lately.

The conductor, Robert Spano, from the Atlanta Symphony, was a miracle. I was sitting in the 2nd row and could see everything the cellist and conductor were doing.

Letter to Chris about the 2015 Christmas Program

Excellent! You ask the best questions.

Your question: "Do you like the music for the Christmas rehearsal?"

For the Presbyterian Church's "Christmas 2015: What Shall We Give Him" concert out of 15 compositions eight are arranged by Mack Wilberg. My criticism focuses on him. Christmas programs in general; however, tend to be filled with the necessary musical schlock unless it's a performance of Handel or Bach.

Wilberg arrangements cast the violins and violas in their extreme upper range so they hover in the heavens above the range of the choir. In addition, he challenges them with unusually difficult  and fast technical passages wondering without warning from one complex key to another. I mean, what is the point in giving musicians an unnecessary headache  in writing continually in keys with 5 or 6 sharps, or flats.

Meanwhile, he writes a dreadfully boring parts for the cellos and basses where their only challenge is keeping alert to quick key changes.

Looking at the entire range of Mozart String Quartets (I have fun playing the cello part along with the recording) you can see that the early quartets have a simple cello line, but after Mozart travelled to Vienna and wrote the "Haydn" quartets for Haydn (in the original manuscript you can see that Mozart was very careful writing these because there are many revisions, unlike his many other compositions which show none because they just flowed out of him fully formed) you can see an enlived cello line due to the senior master's influence.

So, my conclusion is that Wilberg in his maturity, unlike Mozart, alas has not experienced a beneficial progression. Maybe he was not lucky enough to meet a "Haydn."

Also, if I remember correctly, I opine that the few great composers writing for orchestra most often seem to write interesting parts for every individual member of the ensemble. Their music not only is a delight for the ear, but also for the fingers.

Conclusion: I'm playing as a volunteer for a seasonal program that may delight and inspire many. No one is twisting my arm.