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Music has become synonymous with the holidayseasonsome of it inspired, some of it trite. If you are looking for somethingmore sophisticated than the conventional Christmas carol, tune in to Boswell Book Co. on Monday, Nov. 30,for Steve Basson's presentation on the recently released book Kurt Oppens on Music: An Aspen Legacy,edited by Nancy Thomas and Jane Vial Jaffe. The book includes more than 180program notes and two-dozen essays on performances conducted during Oppens'30-plus years at the Aspen Music Festival and School, where he served as musiccritic and primary program annotator from 1957 to 1995. This master craftsman,born in 1910 in Hamburg, Germany, came to America as a refugee of World WarII. Armed with a musical passion for classical works by Mozart, Bach andBrahms, Oppens traveled to Aspento embark upon an impressive writing career actualized through the language ofmusic. A journalist in his own right, Oppens wrote such insightful programnotes on festival performances that some concertgoers even took them home. Kurt Oppens on Music demonstrates howOppens' writings weave together musical commentary with deep personal musingsand multifaceted lyrical prose.
Steve Basson is a name that Milwaukee symphony-lovers may recognize.Basson, a musician who developed his talents under the tutelage of Oppens,spent 32 years as the principal bassoonist with the Milwaukee SymphonyOrchestra (MSO). Basson is known for his many contributions to the Milwaukee arts scene,from teaching music in his own home to numerous MSO pre-concert lectures anddecades performing in the orchestra. During his time as a student at the AspenMusic Festival and School, Basson says he viewed Oppens as an icon. He willhave an opportunity to expound upon Oppens' rare musical gifts when hediscusses Kurt Oppens on Music onMonday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m. at Boswell Book Co.
