This Week at the Library:
2/14, 12 pm – Plylar on Rachmaninoff (Lecture)
2/15, 12 pm – Baseball’s Greatest Hits (Gallery Talk)
2/17, 7 pm – The Nightmare Before Christmas (Film)
2/18, 12 pm – The Nightmare Before Christmas (Film)
2/18, 8 pm – Either/Or (Concert)
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Tuesday, February 14, 2017 – 12:00 pm [Lecture]
Rewriting Rachmaninoff:
Transcriptions and Revisions in the Library’s Collections
David H. Plylar, PhD, Music Specialist, Music Division
The Sergei Rachmaninoff Archive at the Library of Congress contains much of the composer’s later music, including the holograph manuscripts of major works like the Symphony no. 3, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, and the Symphonic Dances. This talk will be an exploration of some of the lesser-known treasures in the collection: Rachmaninoff’s revisions and transcriptions of earlier works (including parts of the Morceaux de fantaisie, op. 3, Moments musicaux, op. 16, Daisies, op. 38/3 and the Piano Concerto no. 4, op. 40), and transcriptions of other composers’ works (including extracts from Bach’s third violin partita, Kreisler’s Liebeslied, the Scherzo from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mussorgsky’s “Hopak,” part of Schubert’s F-minor Fantasie, and Tchaikovsky’s Lullaby, op. 16/1).
Whittall Pavilion, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
Free, tickets available
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Wednesday, February 15, 2017 – 12:00 pm [Gallery Talk]
Baseball’s Greatest Hits: The Music of Our National Game
Robin Rausch and Susan Clermont of the Music Division will share highlights from the Music Division’s latest exhibit, “Baseball’s Greatest Hits: The Music of Our National Game.” The exhibit features baseball sheet music from the Library’s collections that illustrate the congruence between the evolution of the sport from before the Civil War to the present and the musical counterparts that have chronicled in song baseball’s greatest moments.
Performing Arts Reading Room Gallery, LM-113, James Madison Memorial Building
Free, no tickets required
Explore the digital exhibit
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Friday, February 17, 2017 – 7:00 pm
Saturday, February 18, 2017 – 12:00 pm [Family-Friendly]
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) [Film]
Toon Tunes with Solomon HaileSelassie
The world of film animation displays great variety in the techniques used to produce the images and in how those images interact with the sound environment. We will explore four feature-length 35mm films and their music, along with a few classic animated shorts as an appetizer.
About The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) | 76 min.
Directed by Henry Selick
From the imagination of Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas offers a seamless marriage of music and animation, with stunning visuals and a soundtrack that hit just the right note of eeriness. The music and lyrics were written by Danny Elfman, who also serves as the singing voice of Jack Skelton. Other vocal talent includes Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, Paul Reubens and Ken Page.
Pickford Theater, Third Floor, James Madison Memorial Building
Free, tickets required
In the event that advance tickets are no longer available, a standby queue will form 30 minutes prior to the screening time in the Pickford Theater lobby.
Calling All Kids!
Visit the Library’s Young Readers Center before the The Nightmare Before Christmas screening on Saturday, February 18th for fun film-related activities with books and crafts. Wear your favorite costume! Kids are also invited to participate in the Young Readers Center Presidential Challenge. Click on the image below for more information.
The Library of Congress Young Readers Center
Thomas Jefferson Building, Room LJ-G29 (First Floor)
10 First Street, SE, Washington, DC 20540
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9:00 am-4:30 pm (Closed most federal holidays)
Contact: (202) 707-1950
NOTE: Families who visit the Young Readers Center prior to the film screening on Saturday, February 18th will be escorted to the film screening in the Madison Building by Library staff.
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Saturday, February 18, 2017 – 8:00 pm
Either/Or [Concert]
Winner of a 2015 CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, Either/Or offers a selection of works that explores the commonalities and distinctions between a wide range of composers. From Anthony Braxton to Anna Thorvaldsdottir, the program is full of energy and eloquence.
Program
BRAXTON | Composition no. 222
LIGETI | Selected Études
CARRICK | La Scène Miniature
FURRER | intorno al bianco (Washington, DC premiere)
THORVALDSDOTTIR | Ró
FURRER | Spur
Coolidge Auditorium, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
Free, tickets required
In the event that advance tickets are no longer available, RUSH passes (which provide space available admission) will be distributed at the box office beginning at 6:00 pm.
Pre-Concert Conversation with the Artists
(6:30 pm, Whittall Pavilion, Free, no tickets required)
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Around the Library
World War I: American Artists View the Great War
A Library of Congress Exhibition
Open through August 19, 2017, Monday-Saturday, 8:30 am-5:00 pm
Graphic Arts Galleries, Ground Floor, Thomas Jefferson Building
Heeding the call from artist Charles Dana Gibson to “Draw ‘til it hurts,” hundreds of leading American artists galvanized public interest in the Great War (1914–1918). Although the United States participated as a direct combatant in World War I from 1917 to 1918, the riveting posters, cartoons, fine art prints, and drawings on display chronicle this massive international conflict from its onset through its aftermath.