Chopin ca. 1849

It’s Chopin’s 200th birthday year and my friends at Earthbound Expeditions have put together a once in a lifetime 10 day tour, beginning May 14th, tracing Chopin’s life. From his birthplace to scenic sights in his homeland, concert experiences and even an option after to tour Paris for three days in his beloved adopted home, it will be a journey we’ll never forget. So why don’t you join me and a small group of fellow classical music fans for this memorable celebration of one of the greatest figures in music.

Some of the highlights include:

- Two special Chopin concerts in Warsaw

- An evening dinner concert in Krakow featuring traditional Klezmer music

- Tickets to two concerts during the 65th annual Prague Spring Music Festival

- Walks and lectures led by local experts in the historic city centers of each city visited

Follow this link to Earthbound Expeditions, or call 800 723-8454 for details about what awaits as we journey “In Pursuit of Chopin“.  I can’t wait.

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KDFC welcomes Quartet San Francisco to Yoshi’s SF on Monday January 25.  Be there!  I introduced these guys at the Oakland Yoshi’s a couple of years ago and it was such a great show.  It’s amazing how many different things a string quartet can be!  The Quartet SF is famous for their tango playing (award-winning in fact) but they do it all.  Straight ahead classical, TV show themes, jazz and now they’re nominated for 2 Grammys for their Dave Brubeck CD. Another great reason to join us on the 25th is that the tickets are a steal at just $10 in advance.  Here’s a link to buy them now at kdfc.com.

Well, I can say that because I don’t have to live in it. I know it can be overwhelming sometimes in “real” winter weather so I asked for response on the Morning Show today. Interestingly enough most people didn’t seem to mind the snow, it was the cold that bothered them.

Like Kathy in New  England…

“This comes from Alton Bay New Hampshire. We will have a very white Christmas with our 2nd snow fall this week. 8-10 inches shrank down to about 5-6 inches when this last storm finished in rain. Relatively chilly 30 degrees and very windy. But, that’s New England!”

We heard from Leslie in Utah…

“Enjoying your wonderful music from the Salt Lake Valley, at the western slopes of the Rockies in Utah, just 14 miles from the ski resort of Alta.  Cold, 15′ F with snow on the ground but sunny and blue skies.  Nice day to go skiing, but very cold.”

Ah, Alta. I had one of my best ski experiences there. Finally there’s Katie in not too far away Placerville, Ca with this…

“Hi Hoyt Snow and no power here in Placerville leads to some creative problem solving…like how to make my mornin’ coffee!! My Honda Accord with an inverter plugged in gave me my ground coffee beans. And the barbeque boiled the water!!”

She even sent proof!

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, thanks for sharing the Sounds of the Season with us (and with your freinds, too).

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A tweet message came in just moments ago referring to this article from New Scientist about a recent performance of the Stanford Mobile Phone Orchestra or MoPho. It’s the perfect melding of music and technology for the orchestra’s co-director Ge Wang, assistant professor at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. He believes that the iPhone may be the first instrument that millions of people will carry in their pockets. Read a review of a recent performance of MoPho here. Want to make music with your I-phone or I-pod Touch? Check this out.

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Selecting the Top 10 CDs of 2009 was tough ‘cuz there were so many outstanding possibilities.  My thoughts on the final  KDFC line-up:

1.Homage:James Ehnes-Canadian violinist Ehnes is a kid in a candy shop as he gets to play on some of the world’s most valuable violins and violas.

2.Mahler/MTT-Our hometown band hits it out of the park with this stunning recording. 3 Grammy nominations!

3.Bach:Brandenburgs-My first thought, “Not another set of Brandenburgs!” but this one is different. With just one instrument per part, the sound is very crisp and light.  Love it.

4.Dudamel Discoveries-As much as I try to avoid jumping on bandwagons, I love me some Gustavo!  His endless enthusiasm makes him pretty much irresistable.  And then there’s the hair.

5.Catrin Finch:Goldberg Variations on Harp-Proving once again that Bach’s music can be stretched and arranged in a million different ways.  New and nice.

6. Sharon Isbin:Journey to the New World-The gifted American guitarist is all over the map with this collection.  From Renaissance stuff to new music inspired by Joan Baez.

7.Stephen Osborne:Rachmaninoff-Sometimes a recording captures your heart and you’re not sure why.  This one is like that.  We all wanted copies!

8.James Rhodes:Razor Blades- This young Englishman is a Twitter friend of Hoyt’s!  An exciting debut from a guy with a harrowing story.

9. Alexander Tharaud: Satie-After you have fun reading the titles of Satie’s works, listen to these insightful performances from this popular French pianist.

10.Beethoven for Cello and Piano-Both Zuill and Simone are alums of our KDFC Casual Concerts and together they bring something extraordinary to these venerable pieces.

Simone Dinnerstein and Zuill Bailey