by Peter Cates Verdi Requiem Fritz Reiner conducting the Vienna Philharmonic and the Society of the Friends of Music Chorus with soprano Leontyne Price, mezzo-soprano Rosalind Elias, tenor Jussi Bjoerling and baritone Giorgio Tozzi; RCA Victor LD-6091, 2 LPs, recorded 1960. Composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was an unwavering supporter of the Italian Risorgimento, the unification […]
by Peter Cates Meyer Davis plays the Twist Cameo 1014, vinyl LP, recorded 1960. Band leader, Meyer Davis (1895-1976) ran a multi-million dollar empire of dance music several decades for coming-out parties, and seasonal galas hosted by the folks living in West Palm Beach, Newport, the Bahamas, Houston’s River Oaks, Greenwich, Paris, and the Mediterranean […]
by Peter Cates One of the most gifted and, nowadays, under-appreciated actors in Hollywood for over 30 years, Robert Ryan (1909-1973) played many character roles, being his best in films as evil men who were often neurotic, driven, complex. One great performance was in the 1962 film, Billy Budd, based on Herman Melville’s novel. The […]
by Peter Cates The Atlantic Music Festival Presented annually at Colby College Since 2008, our local, world-renowned Colby College has been hosting the Atlantic Music Festival for the month of July. The festival brings composers, instrumentalists and vocalists together to make music and perform concerts free of charge to the public. Because of my abysmal […]
by Peter Cates Robert Frost American poet American poet Robert Frost (1874-1963) was one of the very few who could earn a living from poetry alone, not having to do other jobs . He was also the only winner of four Pulitzer prizes for poetry. Frost’s main subject material was living in New England, mostly […]
by Peter Cates The Desert Song Mario Lanza, Judith Raskin etc.; RCA Victor LSC-2440, LP, recorded 1959. Mario Lanza (1921-1959) was one of the finest tenors who ever lived, when it came to beauty, tone, powerful one-on-one communication and love of singing. I have a number of his recordings covering opera arias, popular songs from […]
by Peter Cates Peace Pilgrim became renowned during her lifetime for crossing the entire United States at least six times on behalf of peace, feeling this leading from God. She began her 29 years of walking in 1952 with hiking the entire Appalachian Trail in one season. The trail is 2,200 miles/3,500 kilometers of length, […]
by Peter Cates Adagio and 2 Rondos Lena Neudauer, violinist, with Bruno Weil conducting the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrucken Kaiserslautern; SWR Music, 2 CDs, recorded 2013. Lena Neudauer, born in 1984, displayed extraordinary talent early in her childhood, but steered clear of starting her career during adolescence. In quoting her from the set’s liner notes, […]
by Peter Cates The Man Who Came to Dinner starring Monte Woolley, Bette Davis, Reginald Gardner, Ann Sheridan, Jimmy Durante, Mary Wickes, Richard Travers etc.; directed by William Keighley; Warner Brothers, dvd, released New Year’s Day, 1942, 112 minutes. Although Monty Woolley (1888-1963) appeared in a number of other films and plays, his most well-known […]
by Peter Cates Leonard Cohen Songs from a Room Columbia/Legacy-88697047402, CD, recorded 1968. Quebec-born singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) was arguably most well-known for Hallelujah but, back in the 1960s, his Suzanne and That’s No Way to Say Goodbye held their own as very frequently sung. The lyrics dealt with politics, loneliness, integrity, faith – the […]