All In For Modernism, Dauntless Orchestra Celebrates 25 Years
BOSTON – Hundreds of works by a host of composers who can claim many awards, but not much of an audience, have been performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and recorded with founding director Gil Rose.
As Marin Alsop Leads Chicago SO, Ravinia Affirms Their Rapport
CHICAGO – On the same day Alsop led a rewarding concert with the Chicago Symphony at Orchestra Hall, the Ravinia Festival, where the CSO has a summer residency, announced her three-year extension as chief conductor.
America’s Voices Ring Grand And Diverse In Premieres, Retrospect
PHILADELPHA – Two world premieres, This Is Not a Small Voice by Valerie Coleman (pictured) and a suite from Matthew Aucoin's opera Eurydice, topped a wide-ranging Philadelphia Orchestra program conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
Covid As Music: ‘Today And Today And Today…’ Then, In Sibelius, Hope
SEATTLE – Two momentous events marked the Seattle Symphony's concert. First came the world premiere of Ellen Reid’s pandemic-inspired Today and Today and Today.... In the end, conductor Ruth Reinhardt set a capstone of optimism.
In Fresh NY Phil Series, A Countertenor Brings Zest Of Counterculture
NEW YORK – Anthony Roth Costanzo starred in a world premiere by Joel Thompson, then on the same program joined with trans-genre artist Justin Vivian Bond for a cabaret set. All part of the Phil's series "Authentic Selves: The Beauty Within."
Dual Opera Premieres Reflect One Composer’s Stage Savvy And Range
NEW YORK – In Ricky Ian Gordon's two operas that opened almost together in January, his adaptability lit up stories about the fate of upper-class Jews in 1940s fascist Italy and Black women in 1905 America struggling for a viable future.
Kernis’ ‘Earth’ Conjures A Melancholy Portrait Of An Endangered Orb
SEATTLE – Composer Aaron Jay Kernis led the long-delayed world premiere of his work about climate change and its threat to life, performed by tenor Nicholas Phan and a septet, at the Seattle Chamber Music Society's Winter Festival.
O Freude! Orlando Tests New Hall On Beethoven: The Answer Resounds
ORLANDO – Steinmetz Hall, a first-class concert venue in downtown Orlando, saw a two-week opening celebration, including a stellar Beethoven Ninth Symphony by London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Edwin Outwater.
Playing To Eager Crowd, Resurgent Bang On Can Delivers Winning Fare
NEW YORK – The ensemble's first live performance since "before the world changed" was loud, pushy, jazz-inflected, rhythmically simple, appealing, and harmonically familiar. Listeners dug in for a good time.
Duke Ellington Tribute Pays Concert Homage To An American Master
LOS ANGELES – The great jazz composer aspired to have his music played by symphony orchestras. The LA Philharmonic's "Symphonic Ellington" program, led by Thomas Wilkins, was in effect a giant concerto grosso for jazz band and orchestra.
Bounding Across Styles, Bates Piano Concerto Honors Era Of Virtuoso
PHILADELPHIA – In a sweep from the Renaissance to the present, Mason Bates' new work met Rachmaninoff head on, all delivered in style by pianist Daniil Trifonov and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
MTT Surges Back In LA, Even As Omicron Makes Its Fierce Presence Felt
LOS ANGELES – Rebounding from surgery for a brain tumor, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas flashed his wonted energy and musical acuity in a concert with the LA Philharmonic. But concerns about the virus seemed to cut into attendance.
With Mälkki’s Guidance, In Carnegie’s Embrace, NY Philharmonic Glows
NEW YORK – Awaiting the makeover of its Lincoln Center home, the Philharmonic, conducted by Susanna Mälkki, returned to its original habitat: Carnegie Hall. The sonorous effect was transformative – warm, full, ideally blended.
Weimar-Era ‘Rigoletto’ Accents A Dark Tragedy With Luminous Singing
NEW YORK – When silver confetti rained down on the Met Opera audience on New Year's Eve after Barlett Sher's impressive staging, the onset of 2022 was the least of the celebration. A cast that looked good on paper proved to be even better.
Carols Solemn, Joyous, And A Beat Ahead Of The Omicron Humbug
NEW YORK – Frederick Renz led Early Music New York in a rewarding and far-ranging program of English Christmas music from the 16th and 17th centuries. I was lucky to hear it: Omicron shut down performances set for Dec. 25-26.
Taking Hike In The Park (Or Memory Lane Stroll) With An App Obbligato
LOS ANGELES – Ellen Reid's SOUNDWALK is described as a free "GPS-enabled work of public art that uses music to illuminate the natural environment." The path you choose dictates the music you hear. Headphones in place, off I went.
A ‘Messiah’ As Theater, Where Historical Style Meets Modern Staging
NEW YORK – Led by Jeannette Sorrell, founder of the period-instrument ensemble Apollo's Fire, the New York Philharmonic, Apollo's Singers and soloists offered a fluid and (by design) theatrical performance of Handel's beloved oratorio.
LA Phil Tops Off Bold, Inclusive Autumn With Splash Of New Music
LOS ANGELES – Julia Adolphe’s new violin concerto, Woven Loom, Silver Spindle, received its COVID-delayed premiere in the hands of concertmaster Martin Chalifour. For the fourth time this fall, a woman was on the LA podium.
Sprung From Canada, Critic Harvests Bounty In America’s Midwest
PERSPECTIVE – When U.S. authorities decided to let Canadians back into their country, I headed to concerts by the Cleveland Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony under new music director Jader Bignamini. Getting back to Canada was the trick.
Playing In New Spaces, Dispossessed NY Phil Revels In Fresh Light
NEW YORK – While its acoustically problematic home David Geffen Hall undergoes major renovation, the New York Philharmonic has shone in the musically friendly environs of Alice Tully Hall and Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
