'River Spirits' by Susan Botti lives up to its dual billings as a 'theatrical motet' and a 'futuristic abstract fable.'
Read More »Jon Sobel
Music Review: ‘Then and Now: Chamber Music of Richard Festinger’
A lot of contemporary music comes my way, and rarely do I hear a collection as appealing as this one, full of interesting ideas and curiously beautiful sounds.
Read More »Concert Review: Boulder Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie Hall with Pianist Adam Żukiewicz
A "virtuosic display of youthful joy" is how the pianist described the finale, but he also displayed a mature mastery of dynamics and flow, abetted by an orchestra that bloomed to match him.
Read More »Concert Review: ‘Taking Flight’ with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Anne Akiko Meyers
As the solo violin laments the destruction of homes and neighborhoods, the orchestra contextualizes that lone voice into a chorus of community. Terrible circumstances can indeed inspire work of aesthetic beauty.
Read More »Opera Review (NYC): Heartbeat Opera Reimagines Gounod’s ‘Faust’
A gripping, innovative production, reduced to two hours but still full of Gounod's glorious music, boasts a terrific cast and smart, sinewy staging.
Read More »Music Review: Adam Mirza – ‘Partial Knowledge’
The language comes not from notes and rhythms but the physical parameters of how an instrument is played.
Read More »Exclusive Interview: Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers
The virtuoso talks about her recent and upcoming albums and her premiere of Eric Whitacre's 'The Pacific Has No Memory' honoring victims of the California wildfires.
Read More »Theater Review (Off-Broadway): ‘Maddie: A New Musical’
Timeworn tropes of hauntings and show business come to life with just the right balance of silliness and earnestness in this old-school new musical.
Read More »Concert Review: American Classical Orchestra – ‘Magnificently Mozart’
A period-instrument concert revealed Mozart and Beethoven as they were heard in their own time, including a concerto played on the fortepiano.
Read More »Music Review: Exceptet – ‘Tree Lines’
Exceptet's debut album explores the sonic possibilities of a lineup inspired by Stravinsky, with music by Katherine Balch, Paul Kerekes and Sarah Goldfeather.
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