Contemporary

'River Spirits' by Susan Botti lives up to its dual billings as a 'theatrical motet' and a 'futuristic abstract fable.'

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.

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.

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.

The language comes not from notes and rhythms but the physical parameters of how an instrument is played.

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.

Exceptet's debut album explores the sonic possibilities of a lineup inspired by Stravinsky, with music by Katherine Balch, Paul Kerekes and Sarah Goldfeather.

Mark O'Connor's compositions made the juxtaposition of styles and centuries work smoothly, and created a joyful concert experience.

In all these works, played magnificently by Jing Yang, Vigeland makes conscious and effective use of the piano's acoustical properties to create sound worlds that couldn't exist in the same way if played by orchestral instruments.

When is an improvisation more than an improvisation? When a spontaneous collaboration gels into something that's more the sum of its parts.