This was not a standard concert concert of music; the music was presented as part of a three-day academic conference, “Collecting Byron: A Conference in Celebration of the Byron Society Collection.” The collection is housed at Drew University.

My piece was performed in the setting of a lecture, “Musical Byron.” The lecturer was my colleague Robert Butts, who spoke on aspects of Romanticism that are shared in the disciplines of music and poetry. Examples were cited from from Romantic giants such as Beethoven and Verdi, along with, of course, Lord Byron. Musical examples were performed live, employing pieces from the age of Byron on through to a slightly later age (Verdi). My piece represented a modern take on “Musical Byron.”

The venue was Mead Hall at Drew University in Madison, NJ. The superb performers were Emily Clare Thompson, soprano; Stanichka Dimitrova, violin; Nancy Connell, cello; Andy Cap, piano. I should single out the singer, Emily, a specialist in English literature. It was her encouragement that led me to write this song cycle in the first place!

Here are a few pictures. Click for a larger view.

Mead Hall, Drew University

“Musical Byron” program

Emily Clare Thompson with the ensemble

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Enthusiastic students!

Once again, my frequent collaborator, Emily Thompson, asked me to lecture to her class of youngsters at the school where she teaches: Central School in East Hanover, NJ. I went on February 22, 2013 and arrived spoke to 5 different classes throughout the day.

The lecture is about how inter­dis­ci­pli­nary think­ing can lead to more cre­ativ­ity. I present the exam­ple of mix­ing lit­er­a­ture and music, draw­ing con­nec­tions between hero mythol­ogy and Beethoven’s music.

The Beethoven image on the wall reads: “Beethoven: Why is he interested in being a romantic hero? What is his famous problem?” Sometimes the kids get it right away — he was deaf! But sometimes I hear “He was grumpy because he asked three women to marry him and they all said no.” Hmm, I wonder what movie that is from?

Here is a picture from the day, but unfortunately I was cropped out!

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At Central School

This past Halloween season I presented a lecture and demonstration to young grade schoolers at Central School in East Hanover, NJ. The subject was how the literary tradition of the heroic quest can be found in the music of Beethoven.

I presented the lecture six times in a row to different visiting classes — you teachers out there know how it is!

A special thanks to all the students who asked such interesting questions (“Where does inspiration come from?” “How long does it take to write a piece of music?” etc.) and to my host, Emily Thompson Schweer.

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Richard D. Russell will have three pieces performed on October 24, 2010 at the Bell and Barter Theater in Rockaway, NJ. Details are on the poster, please click for a larger view. All of the day’s pieces will have a theme tied in with Edgar Allan Poe.

Russell’s compositions include “A Poe Fantasia” plus two new premieres: “Eldorado” and “Annabel Lee” both for voice and piano trio.

There will be a premiere of a new mini-opera by Robert Butts, a re-imagining of Poe’s classic short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

The concert starts at 3pm, and tickets are available for $15 by emailing your total tickets desired to: seasonal.sunday.salons@gmail.com

Tickets at the door are $25, so save $10 by registering early!

A wine and cheese reception is included in the ticket’s cost.

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