downtown phoenix events
‘Four Hands, Two Hearts, One Piano’ Playing Bach
Posted on 1/12/13 by Katrina Becker » No Comments
Johann Sebastian Bach (portrait by Elias Gottlob Haussmann, 1748, after an original of 1746; photo by Willard Starks)
The Arizona Bach Festival continues its third season of performances through this weekend with an organ recital, a chamber orchestra performance, and last night’s unusual piano duo program of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos.
When German organist and composer Max Reger arranged the concertos – originally written for various configurations of strings, winds, and harpsichord — for piano four hands between 1905-1906, he was taking another step in a long tradition. Bach often rearranged his own works for different instrumentations, recycling his melodies and themes over the years, and he was one of Reger’s favorite composers; “Bach was his big, big idol,” says pianist Eckart Sellheim. “Bach, Beethoven, Brahms…those three…were Reger’s spiritual and compositional mentors.”
Dian Baker and Eckart Sellheim
A former professor at the University of Michigan and Arizona State University, Sellheim has served on the faculty and as guest lecturer at conservatories across Germany, earning a respected reputation for historical performance accuracy, with a particular interest in the fortepiano (the modern piano’s predecessor). He and his wife, collaborative piano specialist Dian Baker, performed three of the six Brandenburgs last night at Central United Methodist Church.
The appeal of the Brandenburgs is complex, says Sellheim. “It’s this mixture of very recognizable melodies…the rhythm, the incredibly clear structure, and the beauty of the slow movements.” He elaborates, “They’ve become sort of a main staple of the repertory, and many people grew up with them.”
Bach wrote the six concertos in the early 18th century for the noble court in Brandenburg, a northeast German state. Perhaps because of its difficulty, his music languished unheard for over a century, but today it’s nearly as popular as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
Max Reger and friend
Max Reger systematically studied Bach’s keyboard works and also created numerous transcriptions and arrangements of music by composers ranging from Bach to Hugo Wolf, his own contemporary. A friend of Richard Strauss and Hans Pfitzner, Reger is sometimes considered the musical link between Brahms and Schoenberg. “He was highly controversial,” says Sellheim. “He ventures out into unknown fields, particularly the piano music, but never crosses the line.”
“You have to realize,” he continues, “it was an incredible time around the turn of the century, 1900 – there was Wolf, and Strauss, and Ravel, and Debussy…they changed the course of music.” Born in 1873, Reger was a renowned organist known as “the second Bach” because of his keyboard skills. His compositions include modulations and structure flirting with 12-tone rows, but looking back to Baroque and Classical styles.
“Reger had no sympathy for the harpsichord,” Sellheim says, “but Bach on the modern piano is really no problem at all – it works very fine.” Reger’s transcriptions are hugely challenging for the performers – according to Sellheim, the composer said he had the “greatest fun” writing them, interweaving complex lines from numerous instruments into just 20 fingers on a single keyboard.
Excerpt from primo part, first movement, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 (Bach/arr. Reger)
“It’s fun to play,” he adds, “and as always Bach is so enticing and so interesting, fascinating…not only in the technical and musical aspects, but also rhythm.” Sellheim pauses. “The feeling is always that Bach goes back to the core of music – he makes us clean and clear…it’s so revealing.” He laughs. “The cleaning process makes you sober, if you’re not sober before, and gets you back to the origins…you need to confess something – there is no hiding. Everything is completely open.”
The Festival’s president, Arizona native Scott Youngs, created a seven-year “American Bach” series in his position as director of music at All Saints’ Episcopal Church and Day School. After offering more than 50 cantatas along with Bach’s St. John and St. Matthew Passions, he continued by developing the Festival, a non-profit organization with its own board.
“We strive to present Bach’s music in a variety of ways,” says Youngs. “The music is so versatile and today’s taste so eclectic that we don’t feel constricted by any convention. At least one concert each year is slightly ‘off the wall.’” He continues, “This year’s concert for piano four hands…some portions are strictly from Bach’s scoring, and some portions are…through a much more Romantic and contemporary lens. Lots of notes!”
If you go
- Friday, January 11, 7:30PM at Central United Methodist Church, 1875 N. Central
Eckart Sellheim and Dian Baker play Reger’s transcriptions of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos - Saturday, January 12, 3PM at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 6300 N. Central
David Enlow performs a dramatic recital on the Visser tracker organ - Sunday, January 13, 3PM at Camelback Bible Church, 3900 E. Stanford Dr., Paradise Valley
The Festival Chamber Orchestra welcomes violin soloist Stephen Redfield and flute soloist Elizabeth Buck
Your Downtown Beer | Can the Phoenix Brewers Invitational Transform Phoenix Culture?
Posted on 12/06/12 by Rob Fullmer » No Comments
It’s Friday afternoon and half of your office has joked about cutting out early and having a beer. You daydream about it but you stay at your desk. Our unwritten rules about when we drink are ingrained. We’re supposed to cram it into a happy hour, often Thursday or Friday. The drinks are big, the food is small. That’s our workplace culture–the larger culture.
Get Crafty – Heritage Square beer festival challenges your assumptions about beer.
Welcome to Beer Culture.
The Phoenix Brewers Invitational (PBI) in Phoenix Heritage Square is a new event for Arizona and it is billed as, “an opportunity to provide the Arizona craft beer scene and the City of Phoenix with a signature event to help generate awareness of our developing craft beer culture.” Craft beer culture says that it’s OK for your local community to be involved in beer and beer events and this extends to our city leaders.
In most parts of the country, it wasn’t politically acceptable for politicians to be seen with a glass of beer. President Obama is credited with changing that thinking with his beer summits. He’s been photographed raising a pint of Guinness. He’s bought a round of Buds at the Iowa state fair. He’s had his chefs brew beer in the White House kitchen and famously shared them on the campaign trail.
Phoenix joins other great cities as Mayor Greg Stanton opens the PIB with a toast.
The Mayors of beer culture-centric cities have always embraced beer. In San Diego, Mayor Jerry Sanders openly courts breweries to locate in San Diego County. Former Denver Mayor and now Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper once owned a brewery and is heavily involved in the Great American Beer Fest. Portland’s Mayors have traditionally opened the 25 year old Oregon Brewers Festival (OBF) by tapping the first cask following a downtown parade. On Friday, December 7 at Noon, Phoenix Mayor is slated to open the Phoenix Brewers Invitational with a toast.
Did you miss that? Noon. Friday.
Famously, Postino Winecafe has a bumper sticker that reads, “Drinking Wine at Lunch is not a Crime.” That is true of wine culture and it is also true for those that enjoy good beer. If you’re not able to make the leap from work culture to beer culture you can still check out the fest with your worker-bee cred intact. The PIB is free to enter. You can check it out during your lunch hour and see what is being offered without paying. The PIB will have Food Trucks on hand and there is craft root beer.
If you want to partake, there will be over 60 breweries each offering a single beer. Over 25 styles will be represented. You need to purchase a commemorative mug and drink tickets. The glass will cost you $10. Tickets are $1 each for a 3 oz sample. The mug and the tickets can be used when you return after work on Friday, or Noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday.
Another tenet of beer culture is that beer should be enjoyed with food. Often at a festival, you’re enjoying great food with a tiny beer. The PIB will let you trade in four tokens for a full 12 oz serving. You can wash down the fare from Aji Mobile Food, Ole Dixie Southern Food, Torched Goodness, Emerson Fry Bread, Luncha Libre and Epic Hot Dogs with a hearty pour! Beer was meant to be enjoyed by the glass.
The Invitational is patterned after Portland’s Oregon Brewer’s Festival and it is one of the reasons that the city is referred to as Beervana. We expect that type of an event from such a beer city. Will Phoenix rise to the challenge? Will your Downtown Beer be a Friday afternoon one?
If you go:
Saturday features reggae rock from headliner 80 Proof
Phoenix Brewers Invitational (PBI)
Location: Phoenix Heritage Square, 115 N. Sixth St., Phoenix, AZ 85004
Dates: Friday & Saturday, Dec 7 & 8
Times: Noon to 10PM
Cost: Admission into the festival grounds is free, In order to consume beer, purchase of a 2012 souvenir mug is required & costs $ 10.00. Beer is purchased with wooden tokens. Tokens cost $ 1.00 per. Patrons pay four tokens for a full 12 oz. mug of beer or one token for a 3-oz. taste.
Music
Friday, December 7th:
Headliner – Bird City,
Support – Versions of You, Cartoon Lion, We are Searchers, Inept Hero, Cosmic Goat, Libertine Social, Johnny Lee
Saturday, December 8th:
Headliner – 80 Proof,
Support – Black Bottom Lighters
Proceeds of the event benefit The Beer for Brains Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises money for the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix.
Wire | 3rd Annual Phoestivus Market Promotes Local Holiday Shopping
Posted on 12/05/12 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
DPJ’s Wire series delivers news and information straight from the source without translation.
Phoestivus will be returning once again for two fun Wednesday evenings of holiday cheer on December 5th and 12th from 4:00 pm to 8:30 pm at 14 E. Pierce St. in Downtown Phoenix. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase unique hand-crafted gifts from 70+ local vendors. The event will also feature the World’s Largest Phoestivus Pole, Feats of Strength, Airing of Grievances, holiday entertainment and much more. Last year’s Phoestivus event saw over 2000 attendees! Bring your friends and family to enjoy dinner from the food trucks and drinks at our Phoestivus beer garden, sponsored by Phoenix’s own Phoenix Ale Brewery.
Ken Clark, Phoestivus Market Founder says: “We have always believed that this time of the year calls for an open air festival, which supports local business and that everybody can enjoy. We are honored to have a seasonal brew from Phoenix Ale Brewery named after our event. Eat your heart out, Adolph Coors!”
Proceeds will benefit the Phoenix Public Market, a program of Community Food Connections, a 501c3 non-profit organization. “Community Food Connections sees this as a great opportunity to solidify the important role that we play in the community, as a meeting place, a place to shop for healthy foods and a place to generate new business for downtown. We are happy to play a part in Phoestivus for the third year in a row”, said Dan Klocke, Community Food Connections board member.
Event sponsors include: 180 Degree Automotive , CenPho.com , Core Crossfit , The Crescent Ballroom , Downtown Phoenix Partnership , Downtown Voices Coalition , FM Solutions , Local First Arizona ,Phoenix New Times , Oasis on Grand , REALTOR Ken Clark and Yelp.
For more information on Phoestivus, visit: http://www.phoestivus.com or the event page on Facebook.
About Get Your PHX: Get Your PHX was started in Jan 2009 by long-time Phoenix activist and realtor, Ken Clark. With the help of a well-connected steering committee, Get Your PHX monthly gatherings have grown to become a regular event, averaging close to 100 community leaders, business owners and friends of Central Phoenix. The goal of Get Your PHX is to show up, en masse, to support those who pioneer new restaurants, stores, bars and event spaces to provide them a boost as they put their sweat, tears and wealth on the line to make life great downtown. http://www.GetYourPHX.com
About Community Food Connections: Community Food Connections (CFC) exists to support small businesses and local farmers while simultaneously creating community around healthy food. As a program of Community Food Connections, a 501c3 non-profit organization, the Phoenix Public Market consists of the Open-Air Markets on Wednesday nights (4-8 pm) and Saturday mornings (8 am to 1 pm), and Food Truck Fridays (11 am to 1:30 pm). The Market’s goals are to: Increase access to fresh, healthy food in an underserved area, help micro-businesses get started and build their capacity, create jobs and family self-sufficiency, help farmers stay on the land and to create a vibrant gathering place in the heart of our community. http://foodconnect.org
Call for Artists | Art Detour 25
Posted on 11/30/12 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
DPJ’s Wire series delivers news and information straight from the source without translation.
Artlink Phoenix seeks an original artwork or artworks for Art Detour 25. The work will be used in a designed format as the basis for the Art Detour 25 poster, postcard and other marketing materials.
This artwork should:
- Create excitement and interest for the community
- Potentially (but not necessarily) honor and commemorate the history of Art Detour.
- Celebrate the artistic community in the downtown Phoenix area.
- Inspire people to remember the past, and to appreciate the cultural legacy that belongs to them and to future generations
The artwork (s) must be a flat work in any medium – but will be represented digitally in all paper and electronic collateral. The original piece will be displayed during Art Detour 25 at the A.E. England gallery. The size of original piece does not matter – it will be represented as a poster, postcard and online in various sizes.
Art Detour 24 art by Jenny Ignaszewski.
The artist may be asked to work with designers to help format the poster, etc. The original artwork will remain the property of the artist.
Eligibility: Any artist currently living and working in Arizona.
Deadline for submissions: December 15, 2012
Digital representations must reach the Artlink board via email or flash drive. The work will be chosen and the announcement made on December 31, 2012.
The Artlink board reserves the right to change the project timeline.
How to Apply
Artists interested in this project must prepare and submit the following:
- A digital representation of the piece. No larger than 1 MB. This should be a JPG, TIFF. PDF or PNG file. Submission files will not be returned.
- A note with current contact info.
- A maximum of three works.
- Titles, dates of completion, materials used in the original work, any other background information deemed necessary.
Please submit all materials to: nancy@artlinkphoenix.com
Wire | Artlink Launches ‘Third Fridays Collectors Tour’ Series
Posted on 11/14/12 by DPJ Staff » No Comments
DPJ’s Wire series delivers news and information straight from the source without translation.
On November 16, from 6-9 p.m., Artlink is launching a new series of Third Friday Collectors Tours. These exclusive guided trolley tours will take participants “behind the scenes” of the most exciting exhibitions and artist studios in downtown Phoenix. Knowledgeable Artlink guides will share their insights on the contemporary art scene in downtown Phoenix and provide background on the artist spaces and galleries the participants will visit on the tour.
Sue Chenoweth, “Applied Grace,” 2012, Gouache, acrylic, graphite, Letraset and Pantone paper on paper. Photo courtesy of Phoenix Institute of Contemporary Art.
The tour begins with a welcome reception at the Artlink table outside of the Phoenix Art Museum. Tour participants can park in the museum parking lot before boarding the trolley for their private hosted tour. This first tour will include viewing the work and meeting the artists at:
• Willo North Gallery, featuring “Fauna/Fauna” with work by Christy Puetz and Carolyn Lavender;
• Michael Marlowe Studio at Jackson Street Studios, and
• Modified Arts, featuring Sue Chenoweth’s “Real and Applied.”
The galleries/artist spaces will provide light refreshments, and tour participants will enjoy a private viewing of the work and the opportunity to meet the curators and artist(s) in an intimate setting to learn more about their processes and vision.
Tickets are $35 and seating is limited. To reserve your space for Artlink’s Third Friday Tour, please go to Eventbrite at http://artlinkphoenix.com/third-friday-collectors-tours-begin-november-16/ or email info@artlinkphoenix.com with your name, number of seats, contact information and best time to reach you.
