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Tom Purdom is a science fiction writer and general freelance writer who has been writing about music ever since the opening of the 1988-89 season, when he became the classical music critic for a unique Center City weekly called the Welcomat. His musings on the Philadelphia culture scene have been circulated by several local publications and two online services.
Purdom has written non-fiction about subjects as varied as arms control and interior decorating for magazines such as Kiwanis and American Education and institutional clients such as the University of Pennsylvania and the United States Air Force. His science fiction credits include five novels, a 50-year string of highly praised shorter works, and translations into German, Chinese, Burmese, Russian, Czech and other widely spoken tongues.
Nowadays he usually writes novelettes (stories of around 10-15,000 words) which mostly appear in Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine. Reprints of his science fiction can be found in anthologies such as the 25th edition of Gardner Dozois’s Year’s Best Science Fiction. Electronic reprints can be purchased from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and Fictionwise.
His literary memoir, When I Was Writing, has attracted thousands of readers to his website. It can still be read for free on the Web, and it’s also available on the Kindle and the Nook, for those who prefer the convenience of an e-reader. An account of his metamorphosis into a music critic can be perused in the fourth installment, ”Through Time and Space with Giacomo Casanova.”
More articles by Tom Purdom, newest first
| Dolce Suono’s Debussy farewell |
May 21 2013 |
Dolce Suono ended its season-long tribute to Debussy by combining a Debussy retrospective with a new music event.
Dolce Suono: “Debussy as Painter of Song.” Debussy, six songs for flute and piano (arr. Mimi Stillman); world premieres by Michael-Thomas Fournai, Michael McMillan, Viet Cuong, Liza White, Kai-Young Chan, Chason Goldfinger, Hong-Da Chin. Sarah Shafer, soprano; Mimi Stillman, flute; Natalie Zhu, piano. May 19, 2013 at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 18th and Locust Sts. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare: Four Baroque entertainments |
May 14 2013 |
Baroque music languished in the 19th Century because it seemed tame next to Beethoven or Brahms. It was merely entertainment— albeit for musically sophisticated audiences, as Tempesta di Mare reminded us.
Tempesta di Mare: Purcell, Suite from The Fairy Queen; Telemann, Burlesque di Quixotte; Charpentier, Incidental Music for La Malade Imaginaire; Rameau, Ballet Music from Pygmalion. Emlyn Ngai, Concertmaster. May 11, 2012 at Arch Street Friends Meeting, Fourth and Arch Sts. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Yannick conducts Mahler and Hilary Hahn (2nd review) |
May 14 2013 |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin probed beyond the obvious in Mahler’s First Symphony, but I wish he’d pushed Hilary Hahn to play a less predictable work.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler, Symphony No. 1; Korngold, Violin Concerto I D Major; Richard Strauss, Love Scene from Feuersnot. Hilary Hahn, violin; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. May 3-5, 2013 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Rosetta Stone’ |
May 07 2013 |
Lyric Fest never does anything quite the way anyone else would do it. The group finished its season with another program on an odd theme: songs by composers who took their texts from foreign languages.
Lyric Fest: “The Rosetta Stone.” Songs by Stravinsky, Korngold, Barber, Liszt, Ives, Lieberson, Britten, Tedesco, Ravel and Weill. George Ross Summerville, tenor; Randi Marrazzo, soprano; Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo soprano; Laura Ward piano. May 5, 2013 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s ‘Debussy and The Baroque’ |
April 30 2013 |
Leave it to Dolce Suono to find a connection between Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and Baroque composers: The man incorporated early music movements into his work, just as he absorbed the influence of jazz and Asian art forms.
Dolce Suono: “Debussy and the Baroque.” Rameau, Pièces de clavecin en concerts #3 and #5; Couperin, Concert royaux #3; Stucky, Sonata en forme de preludes for Oboe, Horn, and Harpsichord; Newman, Gigue; Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp. Mimi Stillman, flute; Jonathan Blumenfeld, oboe; Shelley Showers, horn; Burchard Tang, viola; Nathan Vickery, cello; Elizabeth White, harp. April 28, 2013 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Piffaro showcases Laughing Bird |
April 23 2013 |
Piffaro gave a younger early music group a helping hand and hosted a Saturday night musical party.
“Piffaro Presents The Laughing Bird”: Vocal and instrumental music by Palestrina, Monteverdi, others. Leslie Johnson, soprano; Jennifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano; Stephen Bradshaw, tenor; Colin Dill, bass; Joan Kimball, recorder, bagpipe; Bob Wiemken, dulcian, recorders, percussion; Gwyn Roberts, recorders; William Sims, guitar, lute, thermo. April 20, 2013 at St. Clement’s Church, 20th and Appletree Sts. (215) 235-8469 or www.laughingbird.us or www.piffaro.com.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Crumb and Gorecki |
April 16 2013 |
Small music groups get short shrift in this year’s Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts. Orchestra 2001 earned a spot by contriving a program that focused on two wildly different historic events.
Orchestra 2001: Crumb, Night of the Four Moons; Gorecki, Third Symphony (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs). Ann Crumb, mezzo-soprano; Christina Jennings, alto flute and piccolo; Patrick Mercuri, banjo; Lori Barnett, electric cello; William Kerrigan, percussion; Tamara Matthews, soprano; James Freeman, conductor. April 13, 2013 at Church of the Holy Trinity, 1904 Walnut St. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Chamber Orchestra’s ‘Fall of the Berlin Wall’ |
April 09 2013 |
The Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts commemorated a major 20th Century event with the right music conducted by the right conductor.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: “The Fall of the Berlin Wall.” Meine, Wind of Change (orch. Capelletti); Smirnov, Epitaph for the Victims of Communism; Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor. Katie van Kooten, soprano; Marietta Simpson, mezzo-soprano; Adam Frandsen, tenor; Luis Ledesma, bass baritone; Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, chorus; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. April 7, 2013 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Bach’s Passions, two ways (2nd review) |
April 02 2013 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s dramatic production of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion won’t soon be forgotten. But it benefitted from its juxtaposition with a traditional performance by Vox Amadeus.
Philadelphia Orchestra: J.S. Bach, The Passion According to St. Matthew. Malin Christensson, soprano; Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano; Andrew Staples, tenor; Andrew Foster-Williams, Luca Pisaroni, bass-baritones; The Westminster Symphonic Choir; American Boychoir. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. March 28-30, 2013 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
Vox Ama Deus: Bach, The Passion According to St. John. Megan Monaghan, soprano; Jody Kidwell, alto; Kenneth Garner, tenor; Kevin Deas, Richard Shapp and Ed Bara, basses; Philadelphia Boy’s Choir. Valentin Radu, conductor. March 29, 2013 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| Temple Orchestra's hidden assets |
March 26 2013 |
Temple’s orchestra presented a varied program that showcased conductor Luis Biava and Philadelphia’s leading tuba virtuoso.
Temple University Symphony Orchestra and Combined Choirs: Barber, Prayers of Kierkegaard; Daugherty, Reflections on the Mississippi; Shostakovich, Symphony No. 9 in E Flat Major. Pei-Ju (Peggy) Yu, soprano; Carol Jantsch, tuba; Paul Rardin, choral conductor; Luis Biava, music conductor. March 24, 2013 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. www.temple.edu/boyer.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s ‘Messiah’ |
March 19 2013 |
Tempesta di Mare presented a St. Patrick’s Day reminder that there’s more to Irish culture than green hats and beer-soaked rowdies.
Tempesta di Mare: Handel, Messiah. Ah Young Hong, soprano; Jennifer Lane, alto; Aaron Sheehan, tenor; William Sharp, bass; Choral Arts Philadelphia (Matthew Glandorf, artistic director). Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. March 17, 2013 at Irvine Auditorium, 34th and Spruce Sts. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| The Crossing’s disappointing ‘Bonhoeffer’ (1st review) |
March 12 2013 |
The Crossing premiered a disappointing work on a promising subject: A theologian who sacrificed his life by opposing Hitler.
The Crossing: Lloyd, Bonhoeffer. Maren Montalbano, Rebecca Hoke, Rebecca Siler, sopranos; Maren Montalbano Brehm, alto; Guillaume Comber, violin; Ulrich Boeckheler, cello; Mike Sparhuber, percussion; John Bailey, organ and piano; Tim Early, Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch, dancers. Tim Early, choreographer; Donald Nally, conductor. March 10, 2013 at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 38th and Chestnut Sts. www.crossingchoir.com.
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| Across 500 years: Piffaro teams with Orchestra 2001 (1st review) |
February 26 2013 |
Although five centuries separate their music, Piffaro and Orchestra 2001 mounted a joint concert that celebrated two of Philadelphia’s happiest cultural developments of the last 40 years.
Piffaro/Orchestra 2001: “Winds of Yore….and Now.” Running, Renaissance Redux for brass quintet; Smith, Red-tail and Hummingbird for Renaissance consort, brass quintet and bassoon; Renaissance music for wind consort by Cavalli, Praetorius, Gabrieli, others. Julianne Baird, soprano. Piffaro, the Renaissance Band, Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, directors. Orchestra 2001, James Freeman Artistic Director. February 22, 2013 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com; (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s dialogue with Debussy |
February 19 2013 |
Dolce Suono exploited an extra-special Old School Tie and continued its celebration of Debussy’s 150th birthday with a program that included a composer Debussy didn’t like.
Dolce Suono: “Dialogue of the Winds.” Saint-Saëns, Tarantella for Flute, Clarinet, and Piano; Debussy, Premier-rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano; Prélude a l’après-midi d’un faune; Mozart, Trio for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano in E flat Major; Shostakovich, Four Waltzes for Flute, Clarinet and Piano. Mimi Stillman, flute, Anthony McGill, clarinet, Burchard Tang, viola; Charles Abramovic, piano. February 17, 2013 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Choral Arts sings Rossini’s ‘Petite Messe’ |
February 12 2013 |
Rossini, a master of comic opera, gave us a good-natured, beautiful mass for Saturday night— a piece that offers all the charm and grace of a romance with a happy ending.
Choral Arts Philadelphia: Rossini, Petite Messe Solennelle. Julianne Baird, soprano; Maren Montalbano, mezzo-soprano; Aaron Sheehan, tenor; Brian Mind Chu, baritone; Bernard Kunkel, harmonium; Alan Morrison, pianoforte; Matthew C. Glandorf, conductor. February 8 2013 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1625 Locust St. (267) 240-2586 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s Bach with alterations |
February 05 2013 |
Tempesta di Mare sustained an old Baroque tradition, remodeling six of Bach’s organ works to suit other instruments.
Tempesta di Mare: Bach, six trio sonatas for organ, arranged for period instruments. Gwyn Roberts, recorder; Emlyn Ngai, violin; Karina Fox, violin and viola; Lisa Terry, cello; Richard Stone, lute; Adam Pearl, harpsichord. February 2, 2013 at Arch Street Friends Meeting, Fourth and Arch Sts. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Shostakovich and free speech (3rd comment) |
February 02 2013 |
Even in a “free” society, creative people must confront the challenge that Shostakovich addressed in Stalin’s Soviet Russia with his “Classical Symphony”: What do you do when your creative impulses conflict with the demands of the people who pay for your work?
Philadelphia Orchestra: Dmitri Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5, Op. 47. Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Jan. 14-17, 2013 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts., and Carnegie Hall, New York. (215) 893.1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Michael Djupstrom’s contemporary pieces |
January 29 2013 |
Like many young composers, Michael Djupstrom gives his work titles that link to stories and personal experiences. But in his case that’s not necessary.
Concerts@First: Chamber Works by Michael Djupstrom. Djupstrom, Daydreams and Nightmares; Seidu majka budase; Walimai; Caprice; To the Eastern Sea; Long, long ago. Nigel Armstrong, Luosha Fang, violins; Ayane Kozasa, viola; Jeonghyoun Lee, cello; Michael Djupstrom, piano. January 26, 2012 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut Sts. www.fpcphila.org/concerts.
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| Clarinet debut: Romie de Guise-Langlois |
January 22 2013 |
In her Philadelphia recital debut, Romie de Guise-Langlois explored the development of the clarinet repertoire, including a premiere that may evoke her earliest memories.
Astral Artists: Azmeh, A Scattered Sketchbook; Brahms, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in F Minor; Debussy, Premiere Rhapsodie pour Clarinette et Piano; Langlois, Te Souviens-tu?; Bartok, Contrasts. Romie de Guise-Langlois, clarinet (Philadelphia recital debut); Kristin Lee, violin; Andrea Lam, piano. January 20, 2013 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 212 Spruce St. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
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| Orchestra’s maestro-less Mozart |
January 15 2013 |
Which conductor gets the most out of Mozart? The Philadelphia Orchestra’s recent program suggests that the answer may be: no conductor at all.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik; Piano Concerto No. 24 in C minor; Symphony No. 25 in G minor. Imogen Cooper, piano and leader; David Kim, leader. January 10, 2013 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series: Mozart, Fantasia in G minor for solo piano; Quintet in E-flat major for piano and winds; String quintet No. 5 in D major. Imogen Cooper, piano; Peter Smith, oboe; Samuel Caviezel, clarinet; Mark Gigliotti, bassoon; Jennifer Montone, horn; Amy Oshiro-Morales, David Nicastro, violins; Anna Marie Ahn Petersen, Renard Edwards, violas; Hai-Ye Ni, cello. January 13, 2013 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Lyric Fest, Astral Artists and a brief rant |
January 01 2013 |
A few comments (and a brief rant) on three pieces by contemporary composers that didn’t receive the attention they deserve.
Lyric Fest: Krantz, From On the Road; Primosch, Cinder. Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano; Randi Marrazzo, soprano; Laura Ward, piano. October 14, 2012 at the Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
Astral Artists: Uebayashi, Au-dela du Temps. Angel Hsiao, Ya-Ting Yu, flutes; Alexandre Montouzkine, piano. December 2, 2012 at Trinity Center, 212 Spruce St. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
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| Piffaro’s German holiday concert |
December 25 2012 |
Piffaro devoted its annual holiday concert to the music of the German tradition that gave us some of our best-loved holiday music— a throwback to a more austere time when Christmas was celebrated with song rather than gifts.
Piffaro: Christmas music by Praetorius, Jacob Handl et al. Laura Heimes, soprano. Joan Kimball and Bob Weimken, artistic co-directors. December 22, 2012 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| The audience gets into the act |
December 18 2012 |
When amateurs and children perform complex and demanding works, disaster is often the likely outcome. Nothing of the sort happened this weekend, which tells you something about the sophistication of Philadelphia music lovers.
Philadelphia Orchestra Cello Play-In: Hai-Ye Ni, Alisa Weilerstein and 175 other cellists. Brett Mitchell, Gianandrea Noseda, conductors. December 15, 2012 at Commonwealth Plaza, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
Choral Arts Philadelphia: Mozart, Ave Verum Corpus; Handel, Zadok the Priest. Philadelphia Bach Collegium, orchestra. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. December 16, 2012 at First Baptist Church, 17th and Sansom Sts. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare: After the Thirty Years War |
December 11 2012 |
Tempesta di Mare showcased the neglected German composers who plied their trade in the decades that followed the devastation of the Thirty Years War.
Tempesta di Mare: Bruhns, Jauchzet dem Herren alle Welt; Erlebach, Ouverture in C; Rosenmüller, O dives omnium bonarum dapum; Pez, Concerto Pastorale; J.C. Bach, Meine Freundlin, du bist schön. Laura Heimes, soprano; Jennifer Lane, alto; Aaron Sheehan, tenor; David Newman, bass. Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors; Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. December 9, 2012 at Arch Street Friends Meeting, Fourth and Arch Sts. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Meiravi Quartet contemplates Bartók |
December 04 2012 |
Was Bartók’s music about the clash of folk culture and the machine age? A new quartet added its bit to an old discussion.
Meiravi Quartet: Bartók, String Quartet No. 2 in a minor; Mozart, String Quartet No. 23 in F Major; Nocella, String Quartet No. 3 in Green (Movement III); Igor Szwec, Gregory Teperman, violins; Peter Nocella, viola; Vivian Barton Dozor, cello. November 25, 2012 at Academy of the Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (610) 662-7000 or www.meiraviquartet.com.
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| AVA’s ‘Jubilate’: Religion as opera |
December 04 2012 |
AVA’s budding opera stars added operatic flair to the school’s annual foray into religious music, performing as if they’d constructed characters who were singing their pieces.
Academy of Vocal Arts: Jubilate! Religious music by Bach, Verdi, Mendelssohn et al. Shelley Jackson, Alexandra Maximova, Chloe Moore, Jesse Nguenang, Marina Costa-Jackson, Youna Jang, Sydney Mancasola, sopranos; Margaret Mezzacappa, Chrystal E. Williams, Kristina Lewis, mezzo-sopranos; Mackenzie Whitney, William Davenport, Mo El Zein, Dominick Chenes, Nelson Ebo, tenors; Zachary Nelson, Stephen Barchi, Steven LaBrie, baritones; Musa Ngqungwana, bass-baritone. AVA Opera Theater Orchestra, Igor Szwec concertmaster; David Antony Lofton, conductor. December 2, 2012 at Holy Trinity Church, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| Spanish songs by Lyric Fest (1st review) |
November 20 2012 |
Lyric Fest transformed a concert of Spanish and Latin American songs into a complex historical trip through two continents.
Lyric Fest: “A Tu Corazon, To Your Heart.” Songs from Spain and Latin America by Falla, Piazzolla et al. Maria Aleida, soprano; Carla Dirlikov, mezzo-soprano; Diego Silva, tenor; Luis Ledesma, baritone; Laura Ward, piano. Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo, Laura Ward, artistic directors. November 18, 2012 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Chamber music: Philadelphia’s secret weapon |
November 13 2012 |
What do Philadelphia Orchestra musicians do in their free time? Many of them provide a rich talent pool for the city’s diverse chamber music groups.
Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble: Tournier, Suite for flute, violin, viola, cello and harp; Schumann, Quartet in E-flat major for piano, violin, and cello; Mozart, Quartet in A major for clarinet and string quartet. Jennifer Haas, William Polk, violins; Kerri Ryan, viola; John Koen, cello; David Cramer, flute; Donald Montanaro, clarinet; Margaret Csonka Montanaro, harp; Donald Montanaro, music director. November 9, 2012 at Old Pine Street Church, 412 Pine St. (215) 542-4890 or www.pceconcerts.org.
Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series: Mozart, Duo No. 1 in G Major; Dvorak, String Quintet in E-flat major; Brahms, Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor. William Polk, Kimberly Fisher, Paul Arnold, violins; Marvin Moon, Choong-Jin Chang, Kerri Ryan, violas; John Koen, Yumi Kendall, cellos; Cynthia Raim, piano. October 28, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Chamber Orchestra’s new face |
November 06 2012 |
Some artists appeal to the mind, others to the heart— and then there’s Bach. The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia made that distinction clear in the perceptive hands of guest violinist/conductor Adele Anthony.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Bach, Suite No. 1 in C minor; Violin Concerto No. 2 in E major; Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G minor; Suite No. 3 in D major. Adele Anthony, violinist and conductor. November 4, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Yannick: The flair and (mostly) the subtlety (3rd review) |
October 30 2012 |
Yannick Nézet-Séguin may not be a messiah, but his first regular-season concerts indicate that he’s the right person for the job at this turbulent moment in the Philadelphia Orchestra’s history.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Verdi, Requiem. Marina Poplavskaya, soprano; Christine Rice, mezzo-soprano; Rollando Villazón, tenor; Mikhail Petrenko, bass; Westminster Symphonic Choir (Joe Miller, director); Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. October 19-21, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Frank, Concertino Cusqueño; Bernstein, Serenade for Violin, Strings, Harp and Percussion; Brahms, Symphony No. 4. Joshua Bell, violin. October 25-28, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts.(215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s ‘Debussy and Jazz’ |
October 23 2012 |
Dolce Suono opened its season-long Debussy celebration by surveying the composer’s relationship with jazz and that often-disrespected instrument, the saxophone.
Dolce Suono: “Debussy and Jazz." Koechlin, Epitaph for Jean Harlow; Debussy, Golliwog’s Cakewalk; Rhapsody for Saxophone and Piano; Syrinx; Bolling, Suite for Flute and Jazz Trio; Levy, Soliloquy and Lament; Her August Touch; Ballad; Jelly Roll Morton, The Pearls; Fixel and Grosner, That Saxophone Rag. Matthew Levy, saxophone. Dolce Suono Ensemble: Mimi Stillman, artistic director and flute; Charles Abramovic, piano; Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, percussion. October 21, 2012 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Piffaro’s ‘Renaissance Towns’ |
October 16 2012 |
For 21st-Century Renaissance musicians, mastering a musical instrument is merely one of many challenges. They spend much of their professional lives studying the playing styles and even the ornaments of five centuries ago.
Piffaro: "Pieces for Renaissance Towns, Courts and Cathedrals.” By various composers, with arrangements by Piffaro and Grant Herreid. Joan Kimball, Robert Wiemken, artistic directors; Annette Bauer, guest player. October 13, 2012 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2012 Spruce St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Writers and copyright on the Internet |
October 09 2012 |
“Information wants to be free,” say Internet pirates. Their refusal to compensate writers (like me) for their work reflects a low opinion of writers and of information, too.
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| Chamber Orchestra: Brossé, Beethoven and Gatto |
October 02 2012 |
Dirk Brossé opened the Chamber Orchestra season with one of his own pieces and introduced Americans to a high-powered fellow Belgian violinist.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Brossé, Sire; Haydn, Symphony No. 96 in D Major; Beethoven, Violin Concerto in D Major. Lorenzo Gatto, violin; Dirk Brossé, conductor. September 30, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Choral Arts’ Rachmaninov ‘Vespers’ |
October 02 2012 |
Choral Arts Philadelphia presented Rachmaninov’s Vespers in an ideal setting, even if the Cathedral of Sts. Peter and Paul rests on a slightly different religious tradition.
Concerts in the Cathedral Basilica: Rachmaninov, Vespers (All Night Vigil). Choral Arts Philadelphia; Jennifer L. Smith, alto; David Price, tenor; Matthew C. Glandorf, conductor. September 29, 2012 at the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 18th St. (215) 587-3696 or www.CathedralPhilaConcerts.org or www.choralarts.com.
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| 2012-13 music preview: Nine great coming attractions |
September 25 2012 |
Yannick, Ignat, Hilary Hahn, Natalie Zhu, bagpipes… my cup runneth over for Philadelphia’s coming music season. Here are nine programs I’m marking on my calendar.
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| Orchestra 2001’s John Cage centennial |
September 18 2012 |
How can anyone take an eccentric “composer” like John Cage seriously? The answer, as Orchestra 2001 demonstrated, involves looking beyond his admittedly bizarre antics.
Orchestra 2001: John Cage Centennial. Cage, Inlets, Credo in Us, Melodies for Violin and Keyboard, Sonatas and Interludes (sonatas I-IV, interlude I), Song Books, Solo for Sliding Trombone, 4’33”. Igor Szwec, violin; Robert Gale, trombone. Charles Abramovic, James Freeman, piano; Megan Bridge, dance; James Freeman, conductor. September 15, 2012 at Ibrahim Theater, International House, 3701 Chestnut St. Additional concerts: September 21 at the Barnes Foundation, September 23 at Swarthmore College. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Poor Richard’s ‘Falstaff’ at Fringe Festival |
September 11 2012 |
By raising surtitles to a supporting role, Poor Richard’s Opera multiplied the fun that Verdi and Shakespeare built into the adventures of Sir John Falstaff.
Falstaff. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi, from Shakespeare’s play. Siddhartha Misra, stage director; Laurie Rogers, music director/conductor/surtitles; Ting Ting Wong, piano; Jeremy Gill, alternate conductor. Poor Richard’s Opera production for Philadelphia Fringe Festival through September 15, 2012 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. livearts-fringe.ticketleap.com/falstaff.
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| Neil Armstrong: the engineer as celebrity (1st comment) |
August 28 2012 |
Neil Armstrong’s self-effacing manner mystified the news media. They wanted a celebrity; he gave them an engineer. But it’s the modest technologists like Armstrong, not the publicity-hungry actors and politicians, who transform our lives.
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| A writer contemplates posterity |
August 21 2012 |
As a science fiction author who specializes in writing about the future, I sometimes wonder: What about my future? What have I contributed to human progress? The answers have a way of popping up where you least expect— in South American dictatorships, for example.
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| Allen Krantz at Laurel Hill |
August 14 2012 |
Accidentally forced to give a rare solo program, the guitarist-composer Allen Krantz demonstrated his skills as a teacher and speaker.
Concerts by Candlelight: Sor, Andante; Milano, Four Fantasies; Matiegka, Sonata in B minor; Granados, Two Spanish Dances; Albeniz, Rumores de la Caleta, Leyenda. Allen Krantz, guitar. August 5, 2012 at Laurel Hill Mansion, Fairmount Park. (215) 643-7923 or mysite.verizon.net.
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| Tempesta di Mare at the Barnes |
August 07 2012 |
Tempesta di Mare’s first appearance at the Barnes triggered ruminations on concert settings, amplification and, of course, the wisdom of moving the Barnes itself.
Tempesta di Mare: Concertos and sonatas by Vivaldi, Telemann et al. Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone co-directors. August 3, 2012 at the Barnes Foundation, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Life lessons from professional soccer |
July 31 2012 |
Do sports really provide useful life lessons? In the age of globalization, the answer is yes— if the sport is professional soccer.
MLS All Star Game: MLS All Stars vs. Chelsea FC. July 25, 2012 at PPL Park, Chester, Pa. www.mlssoccer.com.
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| ‘Music As Alchemy’: Inside the great conductors |
July 24 2012 |
How do conductors elicit great sounds from their musicians? In Music As Alchemy, Tom Service follows six prominent conductors as they pursue their arcane trade. Who knew that Claudio Abbado steadfastly avoids unionized orchestras?
Music As Alchemy: Journeys with Great Conductors and their Orchestras. By Tom Service. Faber & Faber, 2012. 304 pages; cloth, $17; ebook, $12.24. www.amazon.com.
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| ‘Tubes’: Andrew Blum travels the Internet |
July 10 2012 |
So you think Internet service should be free? Andrew Blum’s cyber-travelogue demonstrates just how much time, effort, expertise and costly material our brave new cyberworld requires.
Tubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet. By Andrew Blum. HarperCollins, 2012. 294 Pages; $26.99. www.amazon.com.
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| Dolce Suono at Laurel Hill |
July 03 2012 |
Dolce Suono’s “Concert by Candlelight” at Laurel Hill contained enough depth to repay close attention without disturbing a relaxed summery mood.
Concerts by Candlelight: Ravel/Salzedo, Sonatine en Trio; Bach, Largo e dolce from Sonata in B Minor; Villa-Lobos, The Black Swan, The Jet Whistle; Foote, At Dusk; Piazzolla, Histoire de Tango; Rachmaninoff, Daisies. Dolce Suono Ensemble: Mimi Stillman, flute; Priscilla Lee, cello; Sarah Fuller, harp. July 1, 2012 at Laurel Hill Mansion, Fairmount Park. (215) 643-7923 or mysite.verizon.net/vzeqfkn7/id14.html.
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| Concert Operetta does Victor Herbert |
June 26 2012 |
Lasting romantic love, Victor Herbert-style, may be a delusion. But it’s a more useful delusion than many of the fantasies peddled by the arts these days.
Concert Operetta Theater: “Thine Alone.” Herbert, selections from Babes in Toyland, The Fortune Teller, Eileen, Naughty Marietta, The Enchantress, Princess Pat, Mlle. Modiste, Sweethearts and Zing-Zing. Jennifer Holbrook, Megan Monaghan, sopranos; Jeffrey Halili, tenor; Daniel Pantano, baritone; Jose Melendez, music director and piano. June 24, 2012 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 389-0648 or www.concertoperetta.com.
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| Ray Bradbury: science fiction writer (2nd tribute) |
June 24 2012 |
Literary pundits embraced Ray Bradbury because they mistakenly saw him as someone who shared their distaste for technology. On the contrary, he was a science fiction writer to the core, captivated by technology and its implications for humanity’s future.
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| Capanna and Maneval works at Curtis |
June 17 2012 |
The differences between Robert Capanna and Philip Maneval demonstrated, once again, the difference between the music that composers turn out today and the academic music that audiences endured for too many years of the 20th Century.
“The Sonata Today”: Capanna, Sonata for Violin and Piano; Maneval, Connections: Sonata in the Classical Style (Piano Sonata No. 4); Capanna, Sonata for Piano; Maneval: Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano. Diane Monroe, violin; Michal Schmidt, piano; Mikhail Yanovitsky, piano. June 1, 2012, at Field Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1725 Locust St. (215) 893-5252 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Spratlan’s ‘Hesperus’ by Network for New Music and The Crossing |
June 11 2012 |
For Hesperus Is Phosphorous, Lewis Spratlan created musical settings of three witty prose vignettes on the afterlife taken from Sum, an odd little international bestseller by the neuroscientist David Eagleman.
Network for New Music/The Crossing: Spratlan, Hesperus Is Phosphorous. Donald Nally, conductor. June 2, 2012 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org or www.crossingchoir.com.
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| Gene therapy and ‘The Forever Fix’ |
May 29 2012 |
If you don’t know about gene therapy, you will soon. Thanks to gene therapy, a boy destined to become totally blind has begun to see clearly for the first time in years. As Ricki Lewis persuasively argues in The Forever Fix, he’s just the beginning.
The Forever Fix: Gene Therapy and the Boy Who Saved It. By Ricki Lewis. St. Martin’s Press, 2012. 336 pages; $25.99. www.amazon.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s survival formula |
May 22 2012 |
Tempesta di Mare finished its celebration of its successful completion of ten full seasons— an achievement based on its founders’ application of a secret formula, known to a select few.
Tempesta di Mare: Opus 10 Orchestra. Works by Scarlatti, Stanley, Leclair, Vivaldi, Handel, Telemann. Gwyn Roberts, recorders; Adam Pearl, harpsichord; Emlyn Ngai, violin. Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. May 19, 2012 at Arch Street Friends Meeting, Fourth and Arch Sts. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s tenth birthday festival |
May 15 2012 |
For its tenth anniversary, Tempesta di Mare demonstrated that the Baroque repertoire is so rich and varied that you can assemble two meaty concerts even when you limit your selections with a gimmicky rule invented for a special occasion.
Tempesta di Mare: Opus 10 Chamber. Works by Couperin, Leclair, Telemann, Haydn, dall’Abaco, Vivaldi, Frescobaldi, Weiss, Mancini. Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. May 12-13, 2012 at Arch Street Friends Meeting, Fourth and Arch Sts. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Vox Ama Deus plays Beethoven |
May 15 2012 |
Why would a small ensemble like Vox Ama Deus take on two pieces normally reserved for major orchestras? For a very good reason, it turns out.
Vox Ama Deus: Beethoven, Concerto for Violin in D, Symphony No. 9 in D Minor. Thomas DiSarlo, solo violin; Megan Monaghan, soprano; Jody Kidwell, mezzo-soprano; Timothy Bentch, tenor; Ed Bara, bass; Valentin Radu, conductor. May 12, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| Chestnut Street Singers and the ‘Midnight Sun’ |
May 08 2012 |
Philadelphia’s newest volunteer chorus consists of 14 voices without a leader, a payroll or any accompaniment. This month they demonstrated that they’re up to the challenge.
Chestnut Street Singers: "Songs to the Midnight Sun." Rautavaara, Lahto; Ahlen, Sommarpsalm; Chydenius, I am the great sun; Tallis, O nata lux; Lauridsen, O nata lux; Wood, Hail, gladdening light; Willbye, Draw on sweet night; Runarsdottir, Syngur sumarregn; Whitacre, With a Lily in Your Hand (arr. Hyokki), On suuri rantas’ autius; Tormis, Sugismastikud; Elgar, My Love Dwelt in a Northern Land. May 6, 2012 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. www.chestnutstreetsingers.org.
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| Lyric Fest: Three operas for children |
May 01 2012 |
Lyric Fest, run by three mothers, opted for a riskier format for its annual children’s concert, introducing its young audience to three famous but abridged operas.
Lyric Fest: “Once Upon a Time.” Excerpts from Rossini, The Barber of Seville; Mozart, The Magic Flute; Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel. Abla Hamza, Maggie Moliterno, Randi Marrazzo, Sheryl Woods, sopranos; Katherine Pracht, Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-sopranos; Jeffrey Halili, tenor; Markus Beam, Daniel Pantano, baritones; Laura Ward, piano; Jake Miller, actor/narrator. Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo, Laura Ward, artistic directors. April 29, 2012 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8555 Germantown Ave. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Orchestra 2001 considers Bali (1st review) |
April 24 2012 |
Orchestra 2001 spotlighted the relationship between Western music and Bali, in a concert that resembles a journey through exotic, sometimes rough terrain.
Orchestra 2001: Boulez, Derive 1; Levinson, Black Magic/White Magic; Lotring, Tabuh Solo, Rejang Dewa; Suadin, Bangau Raja; Whitman, Inside/Outside. James Freeman conductor; Freda Herseth, mezzo-soprano; Indonesian Cultural Club Dancers; Gamelan Semara Santi of Swarthmore College, Thomas Whitman, co-director. April 21, 2012 at Philadelphia Ethical Society, 1906 Rittenhouse Square. (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s ‘Russian Roots’ |
April 17 2012 |
Shulamit Ran, ending her composer-in-residence stint with Dolce Suono, seems to have uncovered heavenly aspects of the flute and viola previously hidden from other inquiring theologians.
Dolce Suono: “Russian Roots.” Firsova, String Quartet #11, Purgatorio; Ran, East Wind for Solo Flute, Perfect Storm for Viola Solo; Gubaidulina, The Garden of Joy and Sorrow; Prokofiev, Sonata for Flute and Piano in D Major; Kagel, Pan for Piccolo and String Quartet. Mimi Stillman, flute; Sarah Fuller, harp; Marc Rovetti, Lisa-Beth Lambert, violins; Kerri Ryan, viola; Charles Abramovic, piano. April 13, 2012 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ by Vox Ama Deus |
April 10 2012 |
Valentin Radu once again expanded the range of Vox Ama Deus, taking on the passion and flamboyance of a 19th-Century masterpiece that’s generally performed by large modern orchestras.
Vox Ama Deus: Verdi, Requiem. Julie-Ann Green, soprano; Jody Kidwell, mezzo-soprano; Timothy Bentch, tenor; Ed Bara, bass. Valentin Radu, artistic director and conductor. April 6, 2012 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| Piffaro's 'West Becomes East' |
April 03 2012 |
The Spanish Conquistadores brought Renaissance and Baroque music to South America’s native cultures. But as Piffaro’s latest program demonstrated, the natives put their own stamp on everything from Psalms to Christmas.
Piffaro, “West Becomes East: Renaissance and Baroque Music from the New World.” Nell Snaidas, soprano; Danny Mallon, percussion; Charles Weaver, guitar; the Rose Ensemble, chorus; Jordan Sramek, director. Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, Piffaro artistic directors. March 30, 2012 at the Episcopal Cathedral, 38th and Chestnut Sts. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Lyric Fest’s salute to 1912 |
March 27 2012 |
Lyric Fest’s celebration of the music of 1912 provided a reminder of the cultural richness of La Belle Epoque, just before it died in the slaughter of the First World War.
Lyric Fest: “Happy Birthday to 1912.” Songs, arias, opera excerpts by Puccini, Herbert, Schoenberg, Massenet, Cage, Respighi, Korngold, Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Berlin, Strauss, others. Meagan Miller, Randi Marrazzo, sopranos; Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano; Zach Borichevsky, tenor; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Chamber Singers of Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges, chorus. Thomas Lloyd, director; Laura Ward, piano. March 25, 2012 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Pennsylvania Ballet’s ‘Messiah’ (2nd review) |
March 20 2012 |
If you’re a Baroque music purist who’s trying to be open-minded, the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Messiah will evoke cheers in its best parts and raised eyebrows in others.
Pennsylvania Ballet: Messiah. Choreography by Robert Weiss; music by George Frederic Handel. Through March 17, 2012 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 551-7000 or www.paballet.org.
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| Solzhenitsyn returns with the Chamber Orchestra |
March 06 2012 |
Ignat Solzhenitsyn demonstrated that he’s the ideal conductor for a symphony that’s supposed to be a “grand and inspiring essay.”
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major (“Eroica”). Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano and conductor. March 4, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Mendelssohn Club’s ‘Philadelphia Voices’ |
February 28 2012 |
In the process of showcasing works by five Philadelphia composers, the Mendelssohn Club and the Network for New Music also introduced a memorable way for choral groups to conclude their concerts.
Mendelssohn Club and Network For New Music: “Philadelphia Voices.” Folio, Music Box; Higdon, Three Songs and Four Songs; Whitman, At War’s End; Krzywicki, Lute Music; Primosch, Ariel Songs; St. Pierre, Morning Has Broken. Alan Harler and Jan Krzywicki, conductors. February 26, 2012 at Independence Seaport Museum, Penn’s Landing. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Buxtehude Consort plays Telemann and Handel |
February 21 2012 |
For us commoners whose living standards are slipping farther behind those of the super-rich, the Buxtehude Consort offered a rare chance to live like an 18th-Century aristocrat.
Buxtehude Consort: Telemann, Concerto a 6 in F Major (Gwyn Roberts, recorder; Ann Marsh, Baroque bassoon); Handel, Apollo e Dafne (Clara Rottsolk, soprano; John Fowler, baritone). John Fowler, Artistic Director. February 17, 2012 at St. Peter’s Church, Third and Pine Sts. www.buxtehudeconsort.org.
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| Brentano Quartet’s three tough pieces |
February 21 2012 |
The Brentano Quartet programmed three challenging pieces, in the process reminding the audience that artists deal with their inner conflicts not by resolving them, but by portraying them.
Brentano Quartet: Haydn, String Quartet in D Minor; Ginastera, Piano Quintet; Beethoven, String Quartet in B-flat Major. Mark Steinberg, Serena Canin, violins; Misha Amory, viola; Nina Lee, cello; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano. February 19, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Chamber Orchestra spotlights McGill and Mackey |
February 14 2012 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia paired the rising young clarinetist Anthony McGill with a world premiere by Steven Mackey, whose career straddles the worlds of rock and the Big Five orchestras.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mozart, Overture to Don Giovanni, Clarinet Concerto in A Major; Mackey, Tonic. Anthony McGill, clarinet; Dirk Brossé, conductor. February 12, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Dolce Suono: Mahler and Schoenberg |
February 07 2012 |
Mahler the traditionalist and Schoenberg the atonal apostate actually liked and respected each other. But at this concert, Shulamit Ran’s Moon Songs spoke to me above all.
Dolce Suono: “Mahler 100/Schoenberg 60.” Mahler, Piano Quartet in A Minor; Ran, Moon Songs; Schoenberg, Pierrot lunaire. Lucy Shelton, soprano; Mimi Stillman, artistic director. February 5, 2012 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s ‘Italians in Vienna’ |
February 07 2012 |
Tempesta di Mare’s “Italians in Vienna” raises an interesting question: Who was greater— Vivaldi, or the Hapsburg Emperor Leopold I?
Tempesta di Mare: “Italians in Vienna.” Vivaldi, Concerto for Two Flutes in C, and Perche son molli; Caldara, Concerto for Cello in D Minor; Parsile, Le sofferte; Jommelli, Trio No. 6 for Two Flutes and Cello in D; Fux, Trio Sonata in A; Badia, La Fenice. Michael Maniaci, soprano; Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. February 4, 2012 at Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| The true nature of economic growth |
February 07 2012 |
There’s more to economic growth than the mindless production of more and more material goods. As people get richer and smarter, other life forms benefit too. And so does the planet.
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| Leila Josefowicz at the Perelman |
January 31 2012 |
From de Falla to John Adams, the violinist Leila Josefowicz explored the world beyond the standard repertoire. I ended up getting my biggest satisfactions from the three pieces I had least looked forward to.
Leila Josefowicz, violin recital: De Falla, Suite populaire espagnole; Shostakovich, Violin Sonata; Messiaen, Theme et variations; Adams, Road Movies; Schumann, Violin Sonata in A Minor. John Novacek, piano. January 29, 2012 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Orchestra 2001 at Trinity Center |
January 31 2012 |
Orchestra 2001 ranged across the spectrum of modern musical styles, with the usual hits and misses, depending on your personal biases.
Orchestra 2001: Andriessen, Letter from Cathy; Boulez, Anthemes 2; Crumb, Voices from the Heartland, American Songbook VII. Ann Crumb, soprano; Patrick Mason, baritone; Gloria Justen, violin; Peter Price, live electronics; James Freeman, conductor. January 28, 2012 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Sylvia Nasar’s ‘Grand Pursuit’ |
January 24 2012 |
Why are we so much better off materially than our ancestors? The author of A Beautiful Mind tells the story of the economists who wrestled with the process that liberated humankind from “the nightmare of the past.”
Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius. By Sylvia Nasar. Simon and Schuster, 2011. 576 pages; $35. www.amazon.com.
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| ‘Townie,’ by Andre Dubus III |
January 17 2012 |
How could such a sensitive writer have been such an insensitive father? In Townie, the son wrestles with that puzzle.
Townie. By Andre Dubus III. W.W. Norton, 2011. 400 pages; $26.06. www.amazon.com.
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| Orchestra plays Beethoven’s Fifth |
January 10 2012 |
A typical Philadelphia Orchestra subscriber will encounter Beethoven’s Fifth only about 30 or 40 times in a lifetime. We watch our favorite movies more frequently.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Torke, Ash; Walton, Viola Concerto; Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 in C Minor. Choong-Jin Chang, viola; David Zinman, conductor. January 6, 2012 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Kile Smith’s ‘Vespers’ by Piffaro |
January 10 2012 |
Piffaro’s repeat performance of Kile Smith’s Vespers demonstrated that Smith has produced a work that could have staying power.
Piffaro: Smith, Vespers. The Crossing chorus and vocal solos, Piffaro Renaissance instruments. Donald Nally, conductor. January 6, 2012 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Who needs Christmas letters? |
December 27 2011 |
In the age of e-mail and Facebook, an annual Christmas letter seems a superfluous way to play catch-up with your friends. On the contrary, this fading institution provides a valuable assertion that real life persists beneath today’s floating world of mass culture.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s ‘Sound of Christmas’ |
December 20 2011 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Christmas program missed some golden opportunities to peddle the Orchestra’s wares to people who don’t normally attend Orchestra concerts.
Philadelphia Orchestra: “The Glorious Sound of Christmas.” Works by Mendelssohn, Bach, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky/Ellington, Bonnet/Shaw, Bass, Puccini, Fry, Holcombe, Gruber, Handel. Anastasia Agapova, Rebecca Anderson, Maja Cabeza, Ji-Won Song, violins; Elizabeth Zharoff, soprano; Zach Borichevsky, tenor, Pat Ciarrocchi, narrator; Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, chorus; Rossen Milanov, conductor. December 15, 2011 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s Holocaust concert |
November 15 2011 |
Dolce Suono’s Holocaust concert passed the ultimate test for a concert devoted to an emotionally charged historic event.
Dolce Suono: “A Place and a Name; Remembering the Holocaust.” Ullmann, Herbst; Previn, A Love Song from Two Remembrances; Smit, Sonata for Flute and Piano; Weber, Wiegala, Und der Regen rinnt, Wiegenlied; Avni, Da R. M. Rilke; Avni, Cantata from Se questo a un uomo; Klein, Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cello; Ran, O the Chimneys. Lucy Shelton, soprano; Mimi Stillman, flute; Paul Demers, clarinet; Noah Geller, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, piano; Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, percussion. November 13, 2011 at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute, 18th and Locust Sts. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Network For New Music at World Café Live |
November 08 2011 |
The Network for New Music presented its first concert at the World Café, surrounded the music with a touch of the era of lung cancer and lengthy tirades against the restraints of middle class society.
Network for New Music: “The Poetry of Solo.” Arauco, Violiloquy; Running, Snippets; Karchin, Ricercare; Hallman, After the Burial; Kraines, Meditation and Toccata; Schultz, Autumn Squalls; Rudin, Portentum for Solo Percussion. Burchard Tang, viola; Hirono Oka, violin; Arne Running, clarinet; Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia, English horn; Thomas Kraines, cello; Edward Schultz, flute; Anthony Orlando, percussion; Lamont “Napalm” Dixon, Jeanne Minahan, guest readers; Linda Reichert, artistic director. November 6, 2011 at World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
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| Philadelphia Singers discover Mendelssohn's sister |
November 01 2011 |
As composers go, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel may have been as talented as her brother Felix. The Philadelphia Singers reminded us that she deserves our attention.
Philadelphia Singers: Mendelssohn, Magnificat in D; Christe, du Lamm Gottes; Jesu, meine Freude; Mendelssohn-Hensel, Hiob; Bach, Magnificat in D. Carole Latimer, Margaret Leone, Leslie Johnson, sopranos; Nancy Trauger, Maren Montalbano, Alyson Harvey, mezzo-sopranos; Steve Williamson, Wilson Jeffreys, Kenneth Garner, tenors; Franklin Phillips, baritone; Frank Mitchell, bass; David Hayes, conductor. October 29, 2011 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 751-9494 or www.philadelphiasingers.org.
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| Classical Symphony’s ‘likeable music’ |
October 25 2011 |
Karl Middleman presented five pieces, including a world premiere, that prove the music of the last 70 years can be just as likeable as any divertimento penned by Mozart and Haydn.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: Rautavaara, Divertimento for String Orchestra; Berio, Chemins IV for Soprano Saxophone and 11 Strings; Krzywicki, Concertino bucolico; Boutry, Divertimento for Saxophone and String Orchestra; Strauss, Duet Concertino. Ricardo Morales, clarinet; Daniel Matsukawa, bassoon; Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, saxophone; Karl Middleman, conductor; Jan Krzywicki, guest conductor. October 23, 2011 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. www.classicalsymphony.org.
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| Mendelssohn Club with Orchestra 2001 |
October 25 2011 |
The Mendelssohn Club and Orchestra 2001 presented a joint concert that spanned a broad range of modern musical styles.
Mendelssohn Club/Orchestra 2001: Gorecki, Totus Tuus; Adams, Shaker Loops; Boulez, Messagesquisse; Part, Adam's Lament. Lori Barnet, solo cello; Alan Harler, James Freeman, conductors. October 23, 2011 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. Mendelssohn Club: (215) 735-9922 or www.mcchorus.org. Orchestra 2001: (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Ama Deus Ensemble at the Perelman |
October 18 2011 |
Valentin Radu opened an ambitious series of concerts at the Perelman Theater with a program that includes his own uninhibited half-sitting, half-standing approach to playing and conducting Mozart’s 23rd Piano Cconcerto.
Ama Deus Ensemble: Mozart: Concerto for Flute No. 2 in D); Concerto for Piano No. 23 in A; Requiem. Valentin Radu, piano; Edward Schultz, flute; Andrea Lauren Brown, soprano; Jody Kidwell, mezzo-soprano; Kenneth Garner, tenor; Ed Bara, bass; Valentin Radu conducted. October 14, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s tenth birthday bash |
October 18 2011 |
Tempesta di Mare celebrated its tenth anniversary with pieces saluting a royal birthday, a military victory and the sheer joy of making music.
Tempesta di Mare: C.P.E. Bach, March for the Ark; Fasch, Overture in D, Concerto in F (“Konzertsatz”); Boyce, “Birthday” Symphony in A; Vivaldi, Concerto for Four Violins in B Minor; Rameau, Suite from Les Fêtes de Polymnie. Emlyn Ngai, Karina Fox, Fran Berge, Rebecca Harris, violins; Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. October 15-16, 2011 at Arch Street Friends Meeting, 320 Arch St., and Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8555 Germantown Ave. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| 1807 & Friends: Forgotten woman composer |
October 11 2011 |
1807 & Friends opened its 31st season with a rare work by an 18th-Century woman composer, a masterpiece for the oboe, and one of the best loved works in the string quartet repertoire.
1807 & Friends: Lombardini-Syrmen, String Quartet in No. 2 in B-flat Major; Bliss, Oboe Quintet; Dvořák, String Quartet in F Major (“American”). Richard Woodhams, oboe. The Wister Quartet: Nancy Bean, violin; Davyd Booth, violin; Pamela Fay, viola; Lloyd Smith, cello. October 10, 2011 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-4027 or www.1807friends.org.
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| Piffaro’s ‘Spanish Pipers in the New World’ |
October 04 2011 |
Piffaro explored a historical subject— the spread of European music to the Spanish conquests in the New World— without any of the extras the group usually likes to apply to historical themes.
“East Meets West: Spanish Pipers in the New World.” Music of Fernandes, Cabezon, Ortiz and other Spanish Renaissance composers. Piffaro Renaissance Band, Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken, artistic directors. September 30, 2001 at Episcopal Cathedral, 38th and Chestnut Sts. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Bawdy Bard’ |
September 27 2011 |
Lyric Fest joined forces with an early music expert to delve into celebrations of sex, nature and carousing from the era of Chaucer, Shakespeare and the medieval troubadours.
Lyric Fest: “The Bawdy Bard.” Songs by Dowland, Purcell, Rimple, de Dia et al. Leslie Johnson, soprano; Maren Montalbano, mezzo-soprano; Steven Bradshaw, tenor; Colin Dill, bass; Gwyn Roberts, recorder; Mark Rimple, lute; Rachel Cama, viola da gamba. Choral Arts Philadelphia, chorus; Matthew Glandorf, conductor. September 25, 2011 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Chamber Orchestra at the Perelman |
September 20 2011 |
Disparate works by Mendelssohn and Dirk Brossé beg a question: Should we insist that the music must stand by itself, without any reference to the subject matter?
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mendelssohn, The Hebrides (Fingal’s Cave); Hummel, Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat major; Brossé, Elegy for Strings; Schubert, Symphony No. 4 in D major. Alison Balsom, trumpet; Dirk Brossé, conductor. September 18, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Vox Renaissance Consort‘s ‘Angelus’ |
September 20 2011 |
Valentin Radu exercised his talent for pace and variety, astutely adapting Renaissance church music to the demands of a modern concert format.
“Angelus”: Renaissance religious music by Tallis, Byrd, Dufay, Monteverdi et al. Vox Renaissance Consort; Valentin Radu, conductor. September 16, 2011 at Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, 18th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway. (610) 688-2800 or www.voxamadeus.org.
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| Poor Richard’s ‘Opera a Day’ at the Fringe (1st review) |
September 06 2011 |
Poor Richard’s stripped-down productions of seven one-act operas present a good opportunity to sample an odd corner of the opera repertoire for $15 a ticket, if you can understand the words.
Poor Richard’s “Opera a Day”: Mozart, The Impresario (Katy Gentry, director); Vaughan Williams, Riders to the Sea (MarLee MacArthur, director). Poor Richard’s Opera Company productions through September 10, 2011 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 413-1318 or www.livearts-fringe.org or poorrichardsopera.wordpress.com.
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| David Goldblatt’s history of soccer |
August 27 2011 |
How did we arrive at a world in which half of mankind watches the World Cup final? And most Americans wonder why they bother?
The Ball is Round: A Global History of Soccer. By David Goldbatt. Penguin Group, 2008. 967 pages. Paperback $26; e-book $18.99. www.amazon.com.
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| Allen Krantz revives Wencelas Matiegka |
August 09 2011 |
Beethoven’s contemporary Wencelas Matiegka wrote 11 solos for guitar that were forgotten after his death. Now, thanks to the Internet and the guitarist/arranger Allen Krantz, they’ve been resuscitated.
Concerts by Candlelight: Handel, Sonata in E Minor; Burgmuller, Three Nocturnes; Matiegka, Sonata in G Major for Solo Guitar; Debussy, Reveries (arr. Allen Krantz); La Catedral for solo guitar; Saint-Saëns, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (arr. Krantz). Allen Krantz, guitar and commentary; Shannon Lee, violin. August 7, 2011 at Laurel Hill Mansion, Fairmount Park. (215) 643-7923 or mysite.verizon.net/vzeqfkn7/id14.html.
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| Surviving on the fringe: Tips for arts groups |
August 02 2011 |
How can the high arts survive economically in today’s mass pop culture? Simple: Stop wringing your hands and start reveling in the joys of life on society’s fringe. That approach worked for Bach and BMW, and for me too. Here are six simple suggestions for putting this notion into practice.
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| Wister Quartet’s ‘Summer Bits and Pieces’ |
July 26 2011 |
The Wister Quartet, reduced to a trio, responded by showcasing the overlooked talents of its three remaining members.
Concerts by Candlelight: Wister Quartet, “Summer Bits and Pieces.” Kroll, Polka; Giordani, Duetto No. 1; Leclair, Sonate; Mozart, Playful Duet; Tchaikovsky, Chanson Triste; Tartini, Presto in G Minor; Hummel, Romance; Reger, Introduction and Phantasie; Schubert, Ballet Music from Rosamunde; Martini, Gavotte; Mozart, Allegro from Divertimento in E-flat; de Falla, Danse Espagnole. Nancy Bean, violin and viola; Davyd Booth, violin; Lloyd Smith, cello. July 24, 2011 at Laurel Hill Mansion, Fairmount Park. (215) 643-7923 or mysite.verizon.net/vzeqfkn7/id14.html.
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| A lesson from the Women’s World Cup |
July 19 2011 |
Soccer is the national sport in every major country except the U.S. How, then, could a team of American women reach the finals of the World Cup? The answer provides a lesson for any society that hopes to advance itself— on or off a soccer field.
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| Dolce Suono at Laurel Hill |
July 12 2011 |
The Dolce Suono Trio manages a successful hop between 20th Century America and 18th Century Europe.
Concerts by Candlelight: Bach, Sonata in E Major; Handel, Sonata in A Minor; Vivaldi, Sonata in G Minor; C.P.E. Bach, Hamburg Sonata in G Major. Dolce Suono Trio: Mimi Stillman, flute; Priscilla Lee, cello; Charles Abramovic, harpsichord. July 10, 2011 at Laurel Hill Mansion, Fairmount Park. (215) 643-7923 or mysite.verizon.net/vzeqfkn7/id14.html.
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| Andrew Rudin’s 40-year retrospective |
July 02 2011 |
The new music composer Andrew Rudin has accumulated an impressive body of work for more than 40 years— not by imitating old masters, but achieving the same impact in his own way.
“Celebrations: Music by Andrew Rudin.” Rudin, Celebrations; Ephemera, Pages from a Sketchbook; Sonata for Violoncello and Piano; Overture/Rondo; Museum Pieces; Sonata for Violin and Piano. Stephanie and Saar, Beth Levin, Steven Beck, piano; Anthony Orlando percussion; Nell Rynston, clarinet; Eugene Moye, cello; Miranda Cuckson, violin. June 16, 2011 at Caplan Recital Hall, University of the Arts, 211 South Broad St.
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| The Crossing’s ’Month of Moderns’ |
June 28 2011 |
Kile Smith may be more comfortable with Christian texts, but his foray into Stoic philosophy displays all the inventive expressiveness that marks his Christian works.
“Month of Moderns, Concert Two.” Smith, The Waking Sun; Ince, Thyestes; Jackson, Not no faceless angel. The Crossing, chorus; Tempesta di Mare, orchestra; Eve Miller, cello; Mimi Stillman, flute; Donald Nally, conductor. June 18, 2011 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. www.crossingchoir.com.
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| Chestnut Street Singers: American songs |
June 20 2011 |
A new chamber chorus satisfies the four basic requirements of good a cappella choral music: Strong voices, good harmony, close coordination, and astute selections.
Chestnut Street Singers: “I Hear America Singing,” a cappella choral works by Billings, Copland, Tippet, Whitacre, Betinis, Hedges et al. June 12, 2011 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. www.chestnutstreetsingers.org.
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| Philadelphia’s Bach Festival |
June 08 2011 |
Modern arrangements of Baroque musicians require scholar-musicians steeped in a tradition that died 200 years ago and blessed with creativity and taste. Philadelphia’s Bach Festival provided an ample supply in a single packed weekend.
Bach Festival of Philadelphia: Cantatas, Suites, Trio Sonatas, and Masses by Johann Sebastian Bach. Julianne Baird, Jessica Beebe, Clara Rottsolk, sopranos; Jennifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano; Aaron Sheehan, tenor; Matthew Knickman, Jean Bernard Cerin, baritones; Bryan DeSilva, counter-tenor. Philadelphia Bach Collegium, orchestra; Choral Arts Philadelphia, chorus; Matthew Glandorf, conductor. Tempesta di Mare Chamber Players, Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, directors. June 3-5, 2011 at St. Mark’s Episcopal, Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 247.2224 or www.bach-fest.org.
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| Savoy Company’s ‘Iolanthe’ |
May 31 2011 |
At its 108th annual production, the theoretically amateur Savoy Company demonstrated once again that the enduring appeal of Gilbert and Sullivan is based on qualities that transcend nostalgia.
Savoy Company: Gilbert and Sullivan’s Iolanthe. Roberta Morrell, artistic director; Dan Rothermel, music director. May 26-27, 2011 at the Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. Also June 10-11, 2011 at Longwood Gardes, Kennett Square, Pa. (215) 735-7161 or www.savoy.org.
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| Orchestra’s ‘Damnation of Faust’ (1st review) |
May 31 2011 |
Charles Dutoit ended his penultimate year as chief conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra with a grand finale worthy of his long (albeit sometimes shabby) relationship with the Philadelphians.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Berlioz, The Damnation of Faust. Paul Groves, tenor; Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano; David Wilson Johnson and Lucas Harbour, baritones; Philadelphia Singers Chorale, David Hayes, music director; American Boychoir, Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, music director. Charles Dutoit, conductor. May 28, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare restores Telemann, Fasch and Janitsch |
May 24 2011 |
By scouring the Red Army archives, Tempesta di Mare resuscitated a few baroque gems, not to mention some quirky valveless horns.
Tempesta di Mare: Fasch, Concerto for Orchestra; Janitsch, Ouverture Grosso in G; Telemann, Ino, cantata for soprano and orchestra (Laura Heimes, soprano). Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster; Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. May 20, 2011 at Friends Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Orchestra plays Beethoven and Stravinsky (2nd review) |
May 24 2011 |
Charles Dutoit’s Ninth didn’t quite make it into the circle inhabited by Sawallisch and Milanov. But it came close, even if the soloists didn’t quite measure up to the occasion.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms; Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D Minor. Melanie Diener, soprano; Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano; Joseph Kaiser, tenor; Nathan Berg, bass-baritone. The Philadelphia Singers Chorale, chorus. Charles Dutoit, conductor. May 19-21, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Camerata Ama Deus’s all-Handel concert |
May 17 2011 |
Like all musical organizations, Valentin Radu’s Ama Deus mini-empire has its strengths and weaknesses. But you can be certain you’ll get your money’s worth when Radu leads his Camerata chamber orchestra through a Baroque period instrument concert.
Camerata Ama Deus: Handel, Suite in G Minor; Concerto Grosso in D Minor; Violin Concerto in B Flat; Suite in F Major; Trumpet Suite in D Major. Valentin Radu, conductor. May 13-15, 2011 at Old St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 321 Willings Alley (also St. John Vlanney Church in Gladwyne, Pa, and Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, Pa.). (610) 688-2800 or www.voxamadeus.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s Mahler/Schoenberg festival |
May 17 2011 |
Dolce Suono’s live-wire leader, Mimi Stillman, combined a new music mini-festival with memorable performances of two established works while demonstrating, once again, that her talent for creating fascinating programs rivals her abilities as a flutist.
Dolce Suono Ensemble: “Mahler 100/Schoenberg 60.” Ludwig, Ewigkeit (Eternity); Minakakis, Nepenthe; Schoenberg, Six Little Piano Pieces; Mahler/Schoenberg, Songs of a Wayfarer; Fang, Song of Sorrow; Mackey, Herr Gutmann; Stuckey, From Youthful Times. Eric Owens, bass-baritone; Mimi Stillman, artistic director. May 11, 2011 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Piffaro’s Heinrich Isaacs concert |
May 10 2011 |
In 25 years, Piffaro has evolved from musical brawls to more refined Renaissance repertoire. Are all of us mellowing as we age along with Piffaro’s musicians? Or is our appreciation of Renaissance music growing more sophisticated?
Piffaro: “The Musical Travels of Heinrich Isaac.” Songs, motets, instrumental works by Heinrich Isaac et al. Capilla Flamenca, vocalists (Dirk Snellings, bass; Lieven Termont, baritone; Tore Denys, tenor; Marnix De Cat, countertenor); Piffaro Renaissance Band, instrumentalists; Joan Kimball, Robert Wiemken, artistic co-directors. May 6, 2011 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Curtis Opera’s ‘Idomeneo’ |
May 09 2011 |
Idomeneo isn’t Mozart’s greatest musical creation, but it’s the opera he produced just before the ultimate flowering of his talent.
Idomeneo. Opera by W. A. Mozart; George Manahan, conductor; Chas Rader-Shieber, stage director. Curtis Opera Theater production May 5, 2011 at Prince Music Theater, Broad and Chestnut Sts. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| New works by Maneval, Levinson and DuBois |
May 03 2011 |
Three new works by Philadelphia composers added depth and zest to concerts that placed them shoulder-to-shoulder with music that has survived decades of scrutiny.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Debussy, Cello Sonata in D Minor; Maneval, Piano Trio No. 2; Ravel, Piano Trio in A Minor. Daniel Phillips, violin; Marcy Rosen, cello; Cynthia Raim, piano. April 29, 2011 at Independence Seaport Museum, Penn’s Landing. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
Orchestra 2001: Stravinsky, Concerto in D for Strings; Levinson, Now Your Colors Sing; Debussy, Danses Sacrée et Profàne (Madeline Blood, harp); DuBois, Harmonic Divertimento; Dutilleux, Mystère de l’Instant. May 1, 2011 at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Network For New Music: Debussy meets Japan |
April 26 2011 |
Network for New Music contributed to the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts with a program that mingled music and visuals, Eastern and Western musical traditions, and novel instrumental combinations.
Network for New Music: Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Takemitsu, Toward the Sea III; Fujikura, Okeanos, Halcyon. David Cramer, flute; Hirono Oka, violin; Rachel Ku, Burchard Tang, violas; Sarah Fuller, harp; Jennifer Kuhns, oboe; Benjamin Fingland, clarinet; Thomas Kraines, cello; Naoko Kikuchi, koto; Naomi Sato, sho. Jan Krzywicki, conductor; Gene Coleman, video. April 15, 2011 at International House, 3701 Chestnut St. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s French evening |
April 26 2011 |
Dolce Suono probed the music that underlies the French legend celebrated in the Philadelphia International Festival for the Arts. It also inadvertently provided a new slant on a Debussy sonata.
Dolce Suono Ensemble: Ravel/Salzedo, Sonatine en Trio for flute, viola, and harp; Clearfield, Rhapsodie for Flute, Harp and String Trio; Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp; Jolivet, Chant de Linos for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello and Harp. Mimi Stillman, flute; Coline-Marie Orliac, harp; Noah Geller, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello. April 13, 2011 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Chamber Orchestra’s ‘Histoire du Soldat’ |
April 19 2011 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia presented Philadelphia’s first full-dress version of L’Histoire du Soldat in 20 years— and the first to attract a decent audience.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Stravinsky, L’Histoire du Soldat (The Story of a Soldier). Dirk Brossé, conductor; Robert Smythe, stage director. April 11, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s Paris Festival |
April 12 2011 |
The Lyric Fest art song series made its contribution to the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts with a program it could stage at any time.
Lyric Fest: Songs by Debussy, Poulenc, Stravinsky, Delage, Ravel, Satie, Weil, Porter, Gershwin et al. Manon Strauss Evrard, Randi Marrazzo, sopranos; Clara O’Brien, mezzo-soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone. Lois Herbine, flute; Lynne Beiler, cello; Laura Ward, piano. Developed and produced by Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo, and Laura Ward. April 10, 2011 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut Sts. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Choral Arts Society’s Gesualdo program (2nd review) |
April 12 2011 |
Matthew Glandorf placed Renaissance Lenten music in context by juxtaposing it with modern artists like T.S. Eliot, Igor Stravinsky, Benjamin Britten, and Dame Edith Sitwell.
Choral Arts Society, ”Tenebrae: Shadows of Gesualdo”: Stravinsky, Pater Noster; Gesualdo, Tenebrae Responsoria de Sabbato Sancto; Britten, “Canticles”: Abraham and Isaac, Still Falls the Rain, The Journey of the Magi; Allegri, Miserere Mei (Psalm 51). Matthew C. Glandorf, conductor. April 8, 2011 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Trio Camille and Buxtehude Consort |
April 05 2011 |
Two musical go-getters, pianist Matt Bengtson and baritone John Fowler, enhance Philadelphia’s musical life while creating opportunities for themselves and their colleagues.
Trio Camille: Haydn, Piano Trio No. 39 in G Major; Tchaikovsky, Piano Trio in A minor. Min-Young Kim, violin; Michal Schmidt, cello; Matt Bengtson, piano. March 24, 2011 at Harnwell House, University of Pennsylvania. www.mattbengtson.com.
Buxtehude Consort: Buxtehude, Fuerwahr, er trug unsere Krankheit; J.C. Bach, Lamento; Provenzale, Dialogo a cinque voci con violini per la Passione; Pergolesi, Stabat Mater. Molly Quinn, soprano; Jenifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano; Ian Howell, countertenor; Steve Bradshaw, tenor; John L. Fowler, baritone; Daniel Elyar, Daniela Giulia Pierson, violins; Donna Fournier, Heather Miller Lardin, Amy Dominguez, viols; Katie Rietman, violoncello; Kevin Payne, theorbo; Zach Hemenway, organ. John L. Fowler, artistic director. April 2, 2011 at St. Clement’s Church, 20th and Appletree Sts. www.buxtehudeconsort.org.
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| Contemporary music: Two concerts |
April 05 2011 |
Philip Glass and George Rochberg may have revolutionized new music, but their work seems almost mannered next to two younger composers who took advantage of their rebellion.
Penn Contemporary Music: Moravec, Three Pieces for Violin and Piano; Reise, The Flight of the Red Sea Swallow, Ballad for Violin and Piano; Glass, Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano; Rochberg, Sonata for Violin and Piano. Maria Bachmann, violin; Jon Klibonoff, piano. March 29, 2011 at Amado Recital Hall, Irvine Auditorium, University of Pennsylvania. (215) 898-7544 or www.sas.upenn.edu/music.
Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series: Ludwig, Piccola musica notturna. Elizabeth Starr Masoudnia, English horn; Elizabeth Hainen, harp; Lisa-Beth Lambert and Yumi Ninomiya Scott, violins; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; Joseph Conyers, double bass. April 3, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s ‘Characters of the Dance’ |
March 29 2011 |
Tempesta di Mare combined a first-class Bach performance with a lesson in Baroque dance forms, not to mention a mysterious connection to Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky.
Tempest di Mare: “Characters of the Dance.” Fasch, Orchestra Suite in A Minor, Sinfonia in G Minor, Fugue in B-flat; Rebel, Les Caracteres de la Danse; Bach, Orchestra Suite No. 1 in C. Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster; Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. March 27, 2011 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Astral Artists showcases Aaron Jay Kernis |
March 22 2011 |
Aaron Jay Kernis finished his two-year stint as Astral Artists’ first composer in residence with two spectacular pieces that starred a spectacular soprano.
Astral Artists: Holtz, Terzetto for Flute, Violin and Viola; Kernis, Simple Songs and da l’Arte del Danssar; Harrison, Suite for Cello and Harp; Dohnanyi, Serenade for String Trio in C Major. Benjamin Bellman, violin; Teng Li, viola; Susan Babini, cello; Bridget Kibbey, harp; Jasmine Choi, flute; Don Liuzzi, percussion; Disella Larusdottir, soprano; Debra Scurto-Davis, piano. March 20, 2011 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 735-6999 or www.AstralArtists.org.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Hindemith |
March 22 2011 |
Hindemith and folk songs? It’s an odd juxtaposition, but the two halves created a thoroughly enjoyable Saturday night outing.
Orchestra 2001: Hindemith, Kammermusic No. 3, Kammermusic No. 2; Sierra, Cancionero Sefardi; Berio, Folk Songs. Lori Barnet, cello; Marcantonio Barone, piano; Julianne Baird, soprano; Mark Loria and James Freeman, conductors. March 19, 2011, at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Piffaro at the court of Ferrara |
March 15 2011 |
Philadelphia’s own Renaissance wind band joins forces with a traveling violin band to recreate the first outbursts of the modern multi-section orchestra.
Piffaro: Music from the court of Ferrara. Works by de Rore, Agostini, Luzzaschi, Gesualdo et al. Ellen Hargis, soprano; Kings Noyse, violins (David Douglass, director); Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken, artistic co-directors. March 12, 2011 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Chamber Orchestra: Solzhenitsyn returns (2nd review) |
March 08 2011 |
Ignat Solzhenitsyn returned to his old stomping ground to lead the Chamber Orchestra through two well-balanced classics and a moving mid-century experiment with 12-tone music.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466; Lutoslawski, Funeral Music; Haydn, “Drum Roll” Symphony No. 103 in E-flat Major. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, pianist and conductor. March 5, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Jeremy Gill works at Settlement (2nd review) |
March 01 2011 |
Composer Jeremy Gill placed two of his own works side by side with pieces by two of the 20th Century’s greatest composers and tapped into the deeper currents of the classical tradition.
Music of Gill, Reich, Britten, Messiaen. ToniMarie Marchioni, oboe; Feifei Zhang, piano; Jeremy Gill, piano; Mari Yoshinaga, percussion; Gabriel Globus-Hoenich, percussion. February 24., 2011 at Settlement Music School, 416 Queen Street. www.jeremytgill.com.
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| Higdon, Hahn and Curtis (2nd review) |
February 22 2011 |
What makes Curtis Institute one of the world’s great music schools? Jennifer Higdon’s Violin Concerto, written for her former Curtis student Hilary Hahn, is a touching portrait of the relationship between a powerful talent and the unique institution that nurtured her.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra: Higdon, Violin Concerto; Hindemith, Concert Music for Strings and Brass, Op. 50; Shostakovich Fifth Symphony. Hilary Hahn, violin; Juanjo Mena, conductor. February 14, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
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| Chamber Orchestra plays Faure, Mendelssohn and Beethoven |
February 15 2011 |
The Chamber Orchestra’s new leader programmed three widely varied pieces, introduced an electric young soloist, and led a post-concert discussion that was almost as interesting as the music itself.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Faure, Pavane; Mendelssohn, Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Minor (Elena Urioste, violin); Beethoven, Symphony No. 1 in C Major. Dirk Brossé, conductor. February 13, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org. (Repeated February 15, at Temple University Performing Arts Center, 1837 N. Broad St. www.thebaptisttemple.org.)
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| Vox Amadeus: all-Vivaldi concert |
February 08 2011 |
The Four Seasons is a nice piece, but I’ve heard it too often recently. Vivaldi’s enormous output includes dozens of entries that are just as inventive and charming.
Vox Amadeus: Vivaldi, Concerto for Recorder in C; Concerto for Two Violins and Cello in D Minor; Concerto for Trumpet in D Minor; The Four Seasons. Rainer Beckmann, recorder; Thomas DiSarlo, Thomas Jackson, violins; Vivian Barton Dozor, cello; Elin Frazier, trumpet. Camerata Amadeus Baroque Instrument Orchestra, Valentin Radu, conductor. February 4, 2011 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (610) 688-2800 or www.voxamadeus.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s Roman holiday |
February 01 2011 |
Tempesta di Mare recreates the musical pleasures of Baroque Roman drawing rooms in a promising new venue: the Arch Street Meeting House.
Tempesta di Mare: Alessandro Scarlatti, Sonata in C, Bella, s’io t’amo il sai, Bella dama di nome Santa; Handel, Alpestre Monte, Concerto No. 3, Trio Sonata in G Minor. Clara Rottsolk, soprano; Gwyn Roberts, recorder and flute; Emlyn Ngai, Karina Fox, violins; Eve Miller, cello; Richard Stone, theorbo and archlute; Adam Pearl, harpsichord. January 29, 2011 at Friends Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Concert Operetta’s ‘Remembering Romberg’ (1st review) |
February 01 2011 |
Concert Operetta’s recent Sigmund Romberg program provided an enjoyable afternoon, with two caveats. Even a hopeless Romberg addict like me learned a few things I never knew before.
Concert Operetta Theater: “Remembering Romberg.” Romberg, songs from The Desert Song, The Student Prince, New Moon, My Maryland, et al. Catharine Layton, Zulimar Lopez-Fernandez, sopranos; Patrick Layton, tenor; John-Andrew Fernandez, baritone; Michael Presser, narrator; Donald Yonker, writer. Daniel Pantano, artistic director. January 30, 2011 at Helen Corning Warden Theater, Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 389-0648 or www.concertoperetta.com.
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| Dolce Suono’s new collaborators |
January 25 2011 |
Dolce Suono Ensemble collaborates with an organist who understands the difference between art and megalomania, and a young soprano selected by a colleague with impeccable credentials.
Dolce Suono Ensemble: Works by Handel, Bach, Alain, Bloch, Dupré, Mozart. Jegyung Yang, soprano; Alan Morrison, organ; Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello. January 23, 2011 at First Baptist Church, 17th and Sansom Sts. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Alan Gilbert conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra |
January 25 2011 |
Alan Gilbert’s guest appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra combined two Philadelphia premieres with one of the all-time champions of the orchestral repertoire. Like Yannick Nézet-Séguin, he seems to understand how to reach today’s music audience.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Lindberg, Expo; Rouse, Oboe Concerto (Richard Woodhams, oboe); Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 in F Major (“Pastoral”). Alan Gilbert, conductor. January 22, 2011 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Natalie Zhu with Ricardo Morales |
January 18 2011 |
Without musicians like these three, conductors would just be well-dressed exhibitionists waving their arms. Oh, and keep your eye on the pianist Natalie Zhu.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Brahms, Clarinet Sonata in E-Flat Major; Saint-Saëns, Clarinet Sonata in E-Flat Major; Bassi, Concert Fantasia for Clarinet and Piano on Themes from Verdi’s Rigoletto; Brahms, Clarinet Trio in A Minor. Ricardo Morales, clarinet; Natalie Zhu, piano; Efe Baltacigil, cello. January 10, 2011 at Benjamin Franklin Hall, American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| On sitting in Verizon's ‘conductor’s circle’ |
December 28 2010 |
The conductor’s circle at Verizon Hall may not be the best place to hear violin concertos and subtle nuances. But sitting so close to the musicians should appeal to anyone who appreciates intensity and passion.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Smetana, Hakon Jarl; Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 5 in G Minor (Garrick Ohlsson, piano); Respighi, The Fountains of Rome, Roman Festival. Gianandrea Noseda, conductor. December 3, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Piffaro’s Renaissance Christmas |
December 21 2010 |
On a single Christmas program, Piffaro managed to combine our mix of pagan rite, Christian holy day and All-American party-time.
Piffaro: “Drive the Cold Winter Away.” Carols, ballads and dances from 15th- and 16th-Century English texts. Laura Heimes, guest soprano; Robert Wiemken and Joan Kimball, co-directors. December 17, 2010 at First Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare channels Couperin and Louis XIV |
December 14 2010 |
Some people spend Sunday reading the New York Times. Louis XIV summoned Francois Couperin and his court chamber players, who keenly understood audience psychology.
Tempesta di Mare: Couperin, Les Baricades Mysterieuses, La Francoise, Sonade, La Francoise Suite, Les Sylvains, La Sultane; Pièces de Violes; Concert “dans le gout théâtral.” Adam Pearl, harpsichord; Richard Stone, theorbo; Sarah Cunningham, viola da gamba; Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, co-directors; Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. December 11, 2010 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 320 Willings Alley. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Monteverdi Vespers by Choral Arts and Piffaro (1st review) |
December 07 2010 |
There’s no right way to perform the Monteverdi Vespers, because the composer didn’t specify which instruments played which passages. But Choral Arts and Piffaro collaborated on a performance that offered all the emotional pleasures we think of when we hear Monteverdi’s name.
Monteverdi, Vespers of 1610. Choral Arts Philadelphia, chorus; Matthew Glandorf, music director. Piffaro Renaissance Wind Band; Joan Kimball and Robert Weimken, co-directors. December 5, 2010 at First Baptist Church, 17th and Sansom Sts. Choral Arts: www.choralarts.com. Piffaro: (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
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| Dirk Brossé’s Chamber Orchestra debuts |
November 30 2010 |
Can nice guys create art? Beneath his amiable surface, the Chamber Orchestra’s new conductor reveals himself as a deadly serious musician.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Barber, Adagio for Strings; Vaughan Williams, Concerto in A Minor for Oboe and Strings (Geoffrey Deemer, oboe); Puccini, Crisantemi; Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Hai-Ye Ni, cello). Dirk Brossé, conductor. November 14, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-1739 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Garwood’s ‘Scarlet Letter,’ by AVA (1st review) |
November 23 2010 |
Margaret Garwood’s new opera may not contain any soaring arias, but its final moment is a monument to the immorality of overbearing morality.
The Scarlet Letter. Music and libretto by Margaret Garwood, from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel. Richard A. Raub, conductor; Dorothy Danner, director. Academy of Vocal Arts world premiere November 19-21, 2010 at Merriam Theater, 250 S. Broad St. (above Spruce). (215) 735-1685 or www.avaopera.org.
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| Astral Artists’ Brahms Festival |
November 16 2010 |
Astral showcased its young performers in an attention-getting event that crammed three concerts into a single day. It may be a stunt, but it’s a high-class stunt with a serious purpose.
Philadelphia Brahms Festival (three concerts): Works by Brahms, Strauss, Paganini, Lutoslawski and Schumann. Saeka Matsuyama and Kristin Lee, violin; Susan Babini, cello, Jennifer Montone, horn; Andrea Lam, Cynthia Raim, Natalie Zhu, Spencer Myer, Sara Daneshpour and Alexandre Moutouzkine, piano; Roberto Diaz, (Jennifer Stumm, viola; Jonathan Beyer and Randall Scarlata, baritones; Barbara Shirvis, soprano; Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano. November 13, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 735-6999 or www.AstralArtists.org.
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| Orchestra 2001: From China to Scotland |
November 09 2010 |
Orchestra 2001 presented a globetrotting program that bridged the divide between entertainment and art while it linked the Eastern and Western musical traditions.
Orchestra 2001, "Chinese Visions": Barker, Naibh Beags (Nyvaigs) (Jennifer Margaret Barker, narrator); Dun, Concerto for String Quartet and Pipa and Circle with Four Trios, Conductor and Audience; Chen, Transformation in Purple; Reise, Lunahuana. Wu Man, pipa soloist; Noel Archambeault, soprano; James Freeman, conductor. November 6, 2010 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1999 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Dolce Suono plays Danielpour’s trio |
October 30 2010 |
Dolce Suono premieres a new trio by Richard Danielpour that successfully navigates the rocky territory where art meets politics.
Dolce Suono: Gaubert, Three Watercolors; Ravel, Chansons Madecasses, La flute enchantée; Danielpour, Four Baritone Arias from Margaret Garner, and Remembering Neda: Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano. Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, piano; Randall Scarlata, baritone. October 22, 2010 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Piffaro’s 1616 baptism and ballet |
October 26 2010 |
Piffaro’s historical productions can’t create a full reproduction of the events they’re based on. But this simulation of a 17th-Century royal baptism provided some sense of the way their music felt when it was part of the day-to-day life of the court and the street.
Piffaro: “The Royals’ Baptism and Ballet.” Music by Lechner, Daser, Aichinger, et al. Parthenia (viol consort); Blue Heron (chorus); Piffaro (Renaissance winds); Laura Heimes, soprano; New York Historical Dance Company. October 23, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square, and Trinity Center, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
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| Philadelphia Harp Music Festival |
October 19 2010 |
The Philadelphia HarpMusicFest presents able musicians playing attractive programs. All it needs is an audience.
Philadelphia HarpMusicFest. Music by Salzedo, Debussy, Cherubini, Handel, et al. Harpists Erica Goodman, Saul Davis Zlatkovski, True North Harp Duo (Lynne Aspnes and John Wickey), Harps Afire Harp Duo (Virginia Flanagan and Alison Simpson). Lois Herbine, flute; Susan Arnold, viola; Susan Whitelack, Tracey Chebra, sopranos; Linda Mindlin, mezzo-soprano. Saul Davis Zlatkovski, director. October 7-12, 2010 at Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany, 330 South 13th St. www.harpmusicfest.com.
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| Philadelphia Singers’ all-American concert |
October 19 2010 |
The Philadelphia Singers’ new emphasis on American choral music wisely exploits conductor David Hayes’s conviction and understanding.
Philadelphia Singers: Betinis, Bar Xizam; Bryars, On Photography; Shapiro, Metamorphoses; Thompson, The Peaceable Kingdom. Luke Housner, piano; Bryan Anderson, organ; David Hayes, conductor. October 17, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, W. Rittenhouse Square. (215) 751-9494 or www.philadelphiasingers.org.
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| Choral Arts Society’s Salzburg Vespers |
October 12 2010 |
Matthew Glandorf embedded Mozart’s Salzburg Vespers in the musical elements of an actual church service. In the process he offered a new look at an old favorite.
Choral Arts Philadelphia: Mozart, Solemn Vespers of a Confessor; Ave Verum Corpus; Regina Coeli; Sonata in C for two violins, trumpets and organ; Sonata in C Major for two violins, continuo and organ. Julianne Baird, soprano; Leon Schelhase, organ. Bach Collegium of Philadelphia, orchestra. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. October 9, 2010 at Saint Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare revisits Dresden |
October 05 2010 |
Tempesta di Mare created a glimpse of an 18th-Century cultural center through music that has survived the defeats of the Seven Years’ War and the bombings of the Second World War.
Tempesta di Mare: Fasch, Concerto in D; Hasse, Sinfonia to Lucia Papirio; Weiss, Concerto à cinque in C (Richard Stone, lute); Fasch, Concerto in D; Zelenka, Hypochondria; Vivaldi, Concerto in D Minor. Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors; Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster. October 3, 2010 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| A composer’s intentions (Krantz’s ‘Trio’) |
September 28 2010 |
How much do we need to know when we listen to music that presents a portrait of a family? I posed that nagging question to Lynn Henson, who commissioned Allen Krantz’s Trio after a Harrowing ordeal.
1807 & Friends: Krantz, Trio (Nancy Bean, violin; Lloyd Smith, cello; Allen Krantz, guitar). April 12, 2010 at the Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-4027 or www.1807friends.org.
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| Marina Sirtis with Orchestra 2001 |
September 28 2010 |
For its season opener, Orchestra 2001 delivered the kind of near miss that an innovative organization has to produce now and then. The main event of the evening was a performance by a guest star who didn’t sing a note.
Orchestra 2001: Golijov, Last Round, Lullaby and Doina (James Freeman, conductor); Strauss, Enoch Arden (Marina Sirtis, narrator; James Freeman, piano). September 24, 2010 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce. (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Clint Eastwood’s ‘Invictus’ (2nd review) |
September 19 2010 |
The blurbs for Invictus give you the impression that South Africa’s victory in the rugby World Cup merely boosted the country’s morale during a difficult time. The movie actually concerns something more complicated.
Invictus. A film directed by Clint Eastwood. With Morgan Freeman (as Nelson Mandela), Matt Damon (as Francois Pienaar). Available on DVD.
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| ‘Late Renoir’ at the Art Museum (4th review) |
August 28 2010 |
Renoir grasped the poetry inherent in scenes of everyday life. In that case, what would he paint if he were alive today? Where is the artist who can bridge the chasm between technology and art?
“Late Renoir”: Through September 6, 2010 at Philadelphia Museum of Art, 26th St. and Benj. Franklin Pkwy. (215) 763-8100 or www.philamuseum.org.
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| The case for professional soccer |
August 16 2010 |
With its low-scoring games and British roots, soccer may never be America’s game. But for connoisseurs, it’s the ideal niche sport in an age of niche markets.
Major League Soccer: Philadelphia Union vs. Real Salt Lake. August 11, 2010 at PPL Park, Chester, Pa. (610) 497-1657 or www.philadelphiaunion.com.
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| Electronic books vs. ink on paper |
July 31 2010 |
Can a plastic rectangle produce the same habit-forming bliss as several hundred pages bound between two hard covers? My first experiment with e-books suggests that what really matters is The Word, not how it’s conveyed.
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| Orchestra's Chamber series: Maurice Wright |
July 20 2010 |
The once-underappreciated composer Maurice Wright rounds out a winning season with a romp from his past.
Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music series: Wright, Movement in Time, for two percussionists and tape. Don S. Liuzzi and Anthony Orlando, percussion. June 20, 2010 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
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| Stieg Larsson’s not-so-radical thrillers (2nd comment) |
July 03 2010 |
The novelist Stieg Larsson may have been a radical journalist, but his view of Swedish society doesn’t look that radical to a reader familiar with the thriller genre.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. By Stieg Larsson. Vintage, 2008. 608 pages; $14.95. www.amazon.com.
The Girl Who Played with Fire. By Stieg Larsson. Vintage, 2009. 630 pages; $15.95. www.amazon.com.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest. By Stieg Larsson. Alfred Knopf, 2010. 576 pages; $27.95. www.amazon.com.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s lightweight Mann season |
June 26 2010 |
In the past, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s opening night at the Mann initiated a group of programs that resembled the concerts it presents during its regular subscription season. Those days seem to be over.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler, Third Symphony. Mihoko Fujimura, mezzo-soprano; Charles Dutoit, conductor. June 10, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1955 or www.philorch.org.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor (Haochen Zang, piano). Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Heidi Melton, soprano; Katherine Lerner, mezzo-soprano; Kevin Ray, tenor; Jonathan Beyer, baritone; The Philadelphia Singers Chorale). Rossen Milanov, conductor. June 15, 2009 at the Mann Center, Fairmount Park. (215) 878-0400 or www.manncenter.org.
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| Dolce Suono: Lessons from two old masters |
June 08 2010 |
Dolce Suono’s final concert of the season opened with a masterpiece, closed with a surprise and sparked some reflections on aesthetic theories that over-emphasize just one aspect of an art.
Dolce Suono: Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp; Takemitsu, And Then I Knew ‘Twas Wind; Fang, Larkspur for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Rochberg, Slow Fires of Autumn (Ukiyo-e II); Ravel. Sonatine en Trio (arr. Carlos Salzedo). Mimi Stillman, flute; Burchard Tang, viola; Coline-Marie Orliac, harp. May 19, 2010 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Barber and Maggio |
May 25 2010 |
Laura Heimes and Orchestra 2001 gave Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 a reading that was more dramatic than the other performances I’ve heard. Then Robert Maggio’s Summer: 2 A.M. provided an intriguing counterpart from a parent’s perspective.
Orchestra 2001: Rudin, Concerto for Piano and Small Orchestra (Marcantonio Barone, piano); Barber, Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Laura Heimes, soprano); Maggio, Summer: 2 A.M. (Laura Heimes, soprano); Moravec, Violin Concerto (Maria Bachmann, violin). James Freeman, conductor. May 23, 2010 at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pa. (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Philadelphia Classical Symphony at Holy Trinity |
May 25 2010 |
Mark O’Connor’s Strings and Threads is an enjoyable collection of Irish folk pieces. But the complexity of Maurice Wright’s Wissahickon Scenes makes it a far more powerful and musically interesting work.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: O’Connor, Appalachia Waltz and Strings and Threads; Wright, Wissahickon Scenes; Peter, String Quintet in D Major, Finale, arranged by Karl Middleman; Diamond, Rounds for String Orchestra. Hirono Oka, Jason DePue, violin; Janet Witman, harp; Karl Middleman, conductor. May 21, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 228-2224 or www.classicalsymphony.org.
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| Historical venues for Chamber Orchestra and Vox Ama Deus |
May 18 2010 |
Temple’s renovated Lew Klein Hall and Old City’s Old St. Joseph’s Church are great places to hear Vivaldi and Rossini, underscored by an added touch of Philadelphia history.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Rossini, Overture to The Italian Girl in Algiers; Brossé, I Loved You (Kirsten MacKinnon, soprano); Beethoven, Symphony No. 8 in F Major. Dirk Brossé, conductor. May 10, 2010 at Lew Klein Hall, Baptist Temple at Temple University, Broad and Berks St. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
Vox Amadeus: Vivaldi, Concerto for Violin in C Minor; Concerto for Lute in D Major; Concerto for Viola and Lute in D Minor; Concerto for Cello in C Minor; Concerto for Oboe in D Minor; Concerto for Two Violins in C Minor; Sinfonia No. 1. Thomas DiSarlo and Thomas Jackson, violins; Daniel Boring, lute; Patricio Diaz viola; Anthony Pirollo, cello; Sarah Davol, oboe; Camera Ama Deus Baroque Instrument Orchestra, Valentin Radu, conductor. May 14, 2010 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley. (610) 688-2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| From Schubert to John Adams, in three days |
May 11 2010 |
Two concerts from the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society hop from the tried and true to the new and noisy. I enjoyed both.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Musicians from Marlboro III. Boccherini, String Quintet in F Major; Stravinsky, Three Pieces for String Quartet; Schubert, String Quintet in C Major. David Bowlin, violin; Hiroko Yajima, violin; Rebecca Albers, viola; Amir Eldan, cello; Marcy Rosen, cello. May 5, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Ensemble ACJW. Adams, Son of Chamber Symphony; Stravinsky, Concerto for Piano and Winds; Andriessen, De Staat. John Adams, conductor. May 9, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Philadelphia Singers and Bach Festival |
May 04 2010 |
The Philadelphia Singers apply their talents to a Rachmaninoff work that combines creative genius with one of the world’s most appealing liturgical traditions.
Philadelphia Singers: Rachmaninoff, Vespers (All Night Vigil). Philadelphia Singers, David Hayes conductor. May 1, 2010 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 751-9494 or www.philadelphiasingers.org.
Bach Festival of Philadelphia: Bach, Easter and Ascension Oratorios. Clara Rottsolk, soprano; Jenifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano; Steven Bradshaw, tenor; Sumner Thompson, baritone. Choral Arts Society of Philadelphia, Matthew Glandorf, conductor. May 2, 2010 at St. Paul’s Church, 22 E. Chestnut Hill Ave., Chestnut Hill. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Roberto Diaz, master of the viola |
May 04 2010 |
At his recent recital, the violist Diaz made no effort to woo the audience with flashy movements. His demeanor provided appropriate visual backup nevertheless.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Paganini, Quartet No. 15 in A Minor for Guitar, Violin, Viola, and Cello; Hindemith, Sonata for Solo Viola; Shostakovich, Viola Sonata. Roberto Diaz, viola; Allen Krantz, guitar; Rebecca Anderson, violin; Summer Hu, cello; Meng-Chieh Liu, piano. April 30, 2010 at American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Violinists Matsuyama and Kim |
May 01 2010 |
Saeka Matsuyama and Soovin Kim: two violinists with impressive range.
Astral Artists: Bruch, Scottish Fantasy in E-flat Major. Saeka Matsuyama, violin; Symphony in C, Rossen Milanov, conductor. April 7, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Brahms, Violin Concerto in D Major. Soovin Kim, violin; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. March 28, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Weil, Concerto for Violin and Winds. Curtis Chamber Orchestra, Soovin Kim, violin; Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor. April 21, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Piffaro’s ‘Music From 17th-Century Spain’ |
April 20 2010 |
Piffaro mounts a song and dance variety show and places 17th Century Spanish music in a well-researched context.
Piffaro, the Renaissance Band: Music from 17th-Century Spain by Briceno, de Murcia, Guerrero, Velasco et al. Ellen Hargis, soprano; Drew Minter, countertenor; Julie Andrijeski, violin; Pat O’Brien, Daniel Swenberg, Charles Weaver, lute and guitar. Joan Kimball, Robert Wiemken, co-directors. April 16, 2010 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
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| New music: Three concerts |
April 13 2010 |
The new music played at Philadelphia concerts may or may not be the music of the future. But it can be pretty satisfying in the present, as its growing audiences attest.
Astral Artists: Kernis, Colored Field (Susan Babini, cello), Symphony in C (Rossen Milanov, conductor). April 7 2010 at Perelman Theater. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
Network for New Music: Caltabiano, Lines from Poetry (Hirono Oka, violin); Jaffe, Light Dances; Hersch, A Forest of Attics. Network for New Music Ensemble, Jan Krzywicki, conductor. April 9 2010 at Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
Boyle-Gill: Gill, Helian; Schumann, Spanische Liebeslieder; Boyle, Le Passage de Rèves. Maren Montalbano, mezzo-soprano; Jeremy Gill, Benjamin C.S. Boyle, pianos. March 20, 2010 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. www.jeremytgill.com or www.benjamincsboyle.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s ‘Lamentations of Jeremiah’ |
March 30 2010 |
In the hands of Tempesta di Mare, an 18th-Century Holy Week lament becomes a warm and sensual Saturday night serenade.
Tempesta di Mare: Zelenka, The Lamentations of Jeremiah; Six Cantatas for Holy Week. Lori Gratis, alto; Aaron Sheehan, tenor; David Newman, bass. Tempest di Mare Baroque Orchestra, Gwyn Roberts and Richard Stone, artistic directors. March 27, 2010 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Jurowski conducts the Orchestra (3rd review) |
March 23 2010 |
Vladimir Jurowski’s intensity made three of the most popular works in the repertoire sound fresh and immediate. His seating arrangements may seem like a minor matter, but they tell us something important about his attitude toward his craft.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Third Symphony (“Eroica”); Schumann, Piano Concerto; Brahms, Tragic Overture. Vladimir Jurowski, conductor; Benedetto Lupo, piano. March 18-20, 2010 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. Free pre-concert conversation 7 p.m. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Chamber Ensemble’s instrument mix |
March 23 2010 |
The Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble specializes in pieces that employ an unusual mix of instruments, but its musicians outdid themselves at their latest concert, with music that ranges from Mozart to ballets for dancing mummies and tangoing kitchenware.
Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble: Mozart, Trio in E-flat major; Pierne, Voyage au “Pays du Tendre”; Villa-Lobos, Jet Whistle; Hindemith, Three Pieces; Martinu, La Revue de Cuisine. David Cramer, flute; Donald Montanaro, clarinet; Mark Gigliotti, bassoon; David Bilger, trumpet; Noah Geller, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; John Koen, cello; Margarita Csonka Montanaro, harp; Kiyoko Takeuti, piano. March 21, 2010 at Old Pine Church, 412 Pine St., Philadelphia. (215) 542-5890 or www.pce.libertynet.org.
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| Choral Arts Society sings Castaldo’s ‘Ancient Liturgy’ |
March 16 2010 |
Can the rituals of an obsolete religion teach us anything about the relationship between music and the classic Western religious texts?
Choral Arts Society: Harvey, Come Holy Ghost; Castaldo, Ancient Liturgy (Nicholas Muni, narrator); Part, Te Deum; Whitacre, Cloudburst. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. March 14, 2010 at Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, 38th and Chestnut. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Solzhenitsyn in a chamber trio |
March 16 2010 |
Playing piano in a trio (instead of conducting an orchestra), Ignat Solzhenitsyn’s big revelation was the sensitivity and control he brings to chamber music.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Beethoven, Horn Sonata in F Major; Schubert, Piano Sonata in C Minor, “Relique”; Brahms, Trio for Violin, Piano and Horn in E-flat Minor. Jennifer Montone, horn; Ida Levin, violin; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano. March 12, 2010 at Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S., Columbus Blvd. (Penn’s Landing). (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Jasmine Choi flute recital |
March 09 2010 |
The impressive young flutist Jasmine Choi explores the border between East and West and invades the empire of the Great Romantics.
Jasmine Choi in Recital: Bach, Sonata in E Minor; Franck/Choi, Sonata for Violin and Piano in A Minor; Yun, Garak; Schoenfield, Four Souvenirs; Taffanel, Fantasie on Themes from Der Freischutz. Jasmine Choi, flute; William Hong-Chun Youn, piano. Presented by Astral Artists on March 7, 2010 at Trinity Center, 22nd and Spruce. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Tchaikovsky: A Biography in Music’ |
March 02 2010 |
Lyric Fest again combines words and music to create a well-designed portrait of Tchaikovsky the man: a hard-working, troubled and not terribly likeable composer.
Lyric Fest: “Tchaikovsky, A Biography in Music.” Jessica Julin, soprano; Tatyana Rashkovsky, mezzo-soprano; Michael Fabiano, tenor; Anton Belov, baritone; Ghenady Meirson, piano. Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo and Laura Ward, music directors. February 28, 2010 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut Streets, Philadelphia. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Dolce Suono honors Barber, again |
February 27 2010 |
Dolce Suono offers a reminder that Samuel Barber isn’t a one-piece composer, along with a performance that proves That Piece is still worth listening to.
Dolce Suono: “Samuel Barber at 100, the Composer and His World.” Barber, Three Songs, Canzone for Flute and Piano, Souvenirs, Song for a New House, String Quartet in B Minor, Dover Beach; Boyle, Sonata-Cantilena for Flute and Piano. Mimi Stillman, flute; Hirono Oka and Igor Szwec violins; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic and Charles Wadsworth, piano. February 17, 2010 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Network for New Music tackles Darwin (2nd review) |
February 23 2010 |
A museum exhibit inspires five successful settings and a major work worthy of a major subject: Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution through natural selection.
Network for New Music: Nelson, Megathere, Multiplexing; Shapiro, The Monogamous Man; Litts, Transmutation; Carpenter, The Monogamous Man; Munro, Megathere, Multiplexing; Wright, Darwiniana. Jeremy Gill, conductor; Randall Scarlata, baritone. February 19 and 21, 2010 at Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 848-7647 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
“Dialogues With Darwin.” Through October 17, 2010 at American Philosophical Society, 104 S. Fifth St. (215) 440.3442 or www.pachs.net/dialogues-with-darwin.
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| Premieres from Orion Quartet and Dolce Suono |
February 16 2010 |
The Orion Quartet and Dolce Suono present two new works that span the gamut from musical farce to starry nights and gentle funeral songs-- just like Haydn did.
Orion Quartet: Haydn, String Quartet in B-flat Major; Dzubay, String Quartet No. 1 (Astral). David Phillips and Todd Phillips, violins; Steven Tenenbom, viola; Timothy Eddy, cello. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society concert February 12, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
Dolce Suono Trio: Haydn, Piano Trio in G Major; Abramovic, Laus D. Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, piano. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society concert January 31, 2010 at American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Bachfest by Vox Ama Deus at the Perelman |
February 09 2010 |
Valentin Radu’s idiosyncratic personal vision shapes a winter Bachfest at “Castle Perelman.”
Vox Ama Deus Bachfest. Bach, Second and Fourth Brandenburg Concertos; Orchestra Suite No. 1 in C; Orchestral Suite No. 4 in D. Camerata Ama Deus Baroque Instrument Orchestra; Valentin Radu, conductor. Elin Frazier, trumpet; Colin St. Martin and Steven Zohn, flutes; Sarah Davol, oboe; Thomas DiSarlo, violin. February 5, 2010 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts.(610) 688.2800 or www.VoxAmaDeus.org.
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| Chamber groups and the Orchestra |
January 26 2010 |
Two of our local chamber music groups present programs that serve as relevant reminders of our city’s debt to the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble: Menotti, Cantilena and Scherzo for harp and string quartet; Brahms, Trio in A minor for clarinet, cello and piano; Mendelssohn, Quintet No. 2 in B-flat major for 2 violin, 2 violas and cello. Noah Geller, Yumi Ninomiya Scott, violins; Burchard Tang, Che-Hung Chen, violas; John Koen, cello; Donald Montanaro, clarinet; Margarita Csonka Montanaro, harp; Kiyoko Takeuti, piano. January 24, 2010 at Old Pine Church, Fourth and Pine Sts. (215) 542-4890.
1807 & Friends: Smith, String Quartet No. 2; Barber, String Quartet in B Minor; Dohnanyi, Piano Quintet in C Minor. Nancy Bean, Davyd Booth, violins; Pamela Fay, viola; Lloyd Smith, cello; Marcantonio Barone, piano. January 25, 2010 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-4027 or www.1807friends.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s Barber celebration (1st review) |
January 19 2010 |
Dolce Suono and the Curtis Institute celebrated the 100th birthday of an odd kind of iconoclast—- an individualist who refused to enlist in the avant-garde.
Dolce Suono: “Samuel Barber at 100: The Composer and his World.” Barber, Summer Music; Higdon, Autumn Music ; Rorem, Trio for flute, cello, and piano; Ludwig, Haiku Catharsis ; Barber, Capricorn Concerto. Mimi Stillman, flute; Geoffrey Deemer, oboe and English horn; Samuel Caviezel and Paul R. Demers, clarinets; Michelle Rosen, bassoon; Shelley Showers, horn; Hirono Oka, Mu Na, violins; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello; Robert Kesselman, double bass; Gabe Globus-Hoenich, percussion; Charles Abramovic, piano. January 17, 2010 at Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music. (215) 893-7902 or www.mimistillman.org/dolcesuono/index.html.
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| Chamber Music Society’s all-Schubert program |
January 16 2010 |
For its all-Schubert program, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society had to replace two of its scheduled soloists. No problem, because that’s pretty much the way Schubert himself got started.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society all-Schubert program: Notturno in E-Flat Major for violin, cello, and piano; Drei Klavierstucke for solo piano; “Trout Quintet.” Soovin Kim, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Peter Wiley, cello; Harold Robinson, double bass; Cynthia Raim, piano. January 11, 2010 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| David Owen’s ‘Green Metropolis’ |
January 05 2010 |
A Connecticut suburbanite extols the environmental virtues of dense big cities.
Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability. By David Owen. Riverhead Books, 2009. 357 pages; $25.95. www.amazon.com.
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| Tempesta di Mare plays Bach |
December 22 2009 |
Tempesta di Mare, in one of its best concerts, surrounded Bach’s Fifth Brandenburg Concerto with four well-chosen pieces by his contemporaries and forerunners.
Tempesta di Mare: Telemann, Concerto No. 2 in D; Pachelbel, Partita a 4 in G; Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5; Fasch, Concerto No. 5 in D; Graupner, Suite in F. Gwyn Roberts, flute and recorder; Emlyn Ngai, violin; Edmund Chan, violin; Karina Fox, viola; Eva Miller, cello; Andrew Arceci, bass; Richard Stone, lute; Adam Pearl, harpsichord. December 20, 2009, at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley (Fourth and Walnut). (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Roundup: Orchestra's Wagner, Dolce Suono's Tango, Trio Cavatina |
December 15 2009 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Dolce Suono chamber players presented two contemporary additions to the grand tradition of instrumental suites taken from opera and ballet music.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Walker, Violin Concerto; Wagner/de Vlieger, The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure. Gregory Walker, violin; Neeme Järvi, conductor. December 10, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce Sts. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
Dolce Suono: Piazzola/Ribchester, Suite from Maria de Buenos Aires. Mimi Stillman, flute; Burchard Tang, viola; Allen Krantz, guitar; Ranaan Mayer, double bass; Tim Ribchester, piano; Gerardo Razumney, Ronni L. Gordon, David Stillman, narrators. December 9, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street. (267) 252-1803 or www.mimistillman.org/dolcesuono.
Trio Cavatina: Schumann, Piano Trio in G Minor; Martino, Piano Trio; Brahms, Piano Trio No. 2 in C Major. Harumi Rhodes, violin; Priscilla Lee, cello; Leva Jokubaviciute, piano. December 11, 2009 at Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catharine St. Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: (215) 569-8080 or www.pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Chamber concerts: 1807 and Amerita |
December 08 2009 |
In two local chamber concerts, the retired Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Lloyd Smith teamed up with his young successor, Yumi Kendall.
1807 and Friends: Boccherini, Quintet in C Major; Schubert, Quintet in C Major. Nancy Bean and Davyd Booth violins; Pamela Fay, viola; Lloyd Smith and Yumi Kendall (guest), cello. December 7, 2009 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Spruce St. (215) 438-4027.
Amerita Chamber Players: Vivaldi, Concerto in G minor for Two Violoncelli, Strings and Basso Continuo; Boccherini, Quintet in C Major; other works by Conti, Marcello, Somis, Tartini. Boccherini, musicians as above; Vivaldi, Yumi Kendall, Lloyd Smith, cellos; Nancy Bean, Barbara Govatos, violins; Pamela Fay, viola; Michael Shahan, bass; Davyd Booth, harpsichord December 2, 2009 at Temple Beth Zion, 18th and Spruce Sts. (215) 735-3250 or www.aisphila.org.
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| Orchestra plays Mozart and Bruckner (2nd review) |
December 01 2009 |
Guest conductor Jaap van Zweden proved he could jump from the small-scale grace of Mozart to the somber massiveness of Bruckner.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 19 in F Major; Bruckner, Symphony No. 9 in D Minor. Horacio Gutierrez, piano; Jaap van Zweden, conductor. November 29 2009 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-1999 or www.philorch.org.
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| Dolce Suono: From Clearfield to Mozart |
November 17 2009 |
Dolce Suono presents a program that ranges from Mozart to Clearfield and glows from start to finish.
Dolce Suono: Roussel, Serenade for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello and Harp; Clearfield, Rhapsodie for Flute, Harp, and String Trio; Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Mozart, Quartet in D Minor for Flute, Violin, Viola, and Cello. Mimi Stillman, flute; Coline-Marie Orliac, harp; Paul Arnold, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello. November 15, 2009 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. (267) 25201803 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Piffaro’s ‘Portuguese Vespers’ |
November 17 2009 |
Piffaro presents a historically accurate Vesper service that combines good-humored Portuguese nationalism with a tribute to the Virgin Mary.
Piffaro, “A Portuguese Advent Vespers”: Hymns, Psalms, Motets, Magnificats, Villancicos and other works by Fernandez, Mendes, Rebelo, Sao Jao, de Brito, Salaverde, Pinheiro, de Cruz, Martins, Coelho, Lesbio, and Melgas. Choral Arts Society members, choir. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. November 14, 2009 at St. Mark’s Church, 1625 Locust St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
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| Classical Symphony’s 19th-Century musicale |
November 17 2009 |
Karl Middleman presents a 21st- Century version of a 19th-Century event that acquired a history without actually taking place.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: Hexameron and the Clash of Piano Titans. Schubert, Du Bist di Ruh; Liszt, Sextet for Piano and Strings, Malediction Concerto; Mendelssohn/Middleman, Octet for Strings (string orchestra arrangement); Mendelssohn, Fantasia on a Favorite Irish Melody for piano solo; Liszt, Thalberg, Herz, Czerny, Chopin, Pixis, Hexameron for Piano and Orchestra; Bellini, Suoni la Tromba from I Puritani. Michael Riley, bass-baritone; Kenneth Hamilton, piano; Karl Middleman, conductor. November 13, 2009 at Arch Street Presbyterian Church, 18th and Arch Sts. (215) 228-2224 or www.classicalsymphony.org.
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| Philadelphia Singers: A lesson in economy |
November 10 2009 |
The Philadelphia Singers have largely abandoned the Baroque and classic choral repertoire to focus on more modern scores. Their first concert this season produced a triumph for the new approach, as well as a four-part lesson in the relationship between music and words.
Philadelphia Singers: Stanford, Beati quorum via; Martin, Mass for Double Chorus: Ginastera, Lamentaciones de Jeremias Propheta; Bach, Jesu, meine Freude. David Hayes, conductor. November 8, 2009 at Holy Trinity Church, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 751-9494 or www.philadelphiasingers.org.
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| Critic’s Notebook: Five concerts |
November 03 2009 |
Eight days, five concerts. If a music critic like me blogged or twittered, here’s what I’d say.
Lyric Fest: Works by Bach, Mozart, Kile Smith, Ned Rorem, Bernstein, etc. al. Randi Marrazzo, Lorraine Hinds, sopranos; Suzanne DuPlantis, Jennifer Hsiung, mezzos; Timothyjavascript:void(0); Bentch, tenor; Steven LaBrie, baritone; Michael Locati, violin and viola; Laura Ward, piano. With Motet Choir of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Mark Anderson, conductor. November 1, 2009 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
Curtis Orchestra: Strauss, Don Juan; Ranjbaran, Violin Concerto; Rimsky-Korsakov, Sheherazade. Elissa Lee Koljonen, violin; Joann Falletta, conductor. October 27, 2009 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-7902 or www.curtis.edu.
“Music from the Houses.” Min-Young Kim, violin and piano; Michal Schmidt, cello and piano; Matthew Bengtson, piano. October 29, 2009 at Harnwell College House Rooftop Lounge, University of Pennsylvania. www.sas.upenn.edu/music/performance/collegehouse/index.html.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Nielsen, Little Suite; Sibelius, Romance in C Major; Wiren, Serenade; Hanson, Pastorale; Grief, Suite From Holberg’s Time. Dirk Brosse, conductor. October 25, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
Philadelphia Chamber Ensemble. Beethoven, Serenade in D Major; Garfield, Brief Interludes; Schmitt, Suite en rocaille; Berwald, Grand Septet in B-flat major. Che-Hung Chen, viola; Angela Cordell, horn; David Cramer, flute; Mark Gigliotti, bassoon; Jennifer Haas, violin; John Koen, cello; Donald Montanaro, clarinet; Margaret Montanaro, harp; Michael Shahan, bass. October 30, 2009 at Old Pine Church, 412 Pine St. (215) 542-4890.
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| Mendelssohn Club: ‘Battle Hymns' |
October 20 2009 |
The Mendelssohn Club offers a second look at David Lang’s new Battle Hymns. Four other Philadelphia music organizations collectively demonstrated the range and variety of Philadelphia’s music season.
Mendelssohn Club: Ives, They are There!; Lang, Battle Hymns; Thompson, Frostiana, Seven Country Songs; Sierra, Offertorium (excerpt) from Missa Latina (Pro Pace); Ives, Serenity, Circus Band. Donald St. Pierre, David Pasbrig, pianos; Daniel Schwartz, military drum and percussion; Alan Harler, conductor. October 17, 2009 at Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square. (215) 735-9922 or www.mcchorus.org.
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| How newspapers will survive |
October 13 2009 |
Are major local newspapers doomed in the age of electronic publishing? The futurist Tom Purdom recently argued that publishers always manage to make money off new developments. Here he offers five concrete thoughts on how they may do it. And if Tom can think of five, surely Rupert Murdoch can think of 50.
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| Lyric Fest: Brahms and American comedy |
October 10 2009 |
In another gutsy program, Lyric Fest combined Brahms’s appealing waltz songs with a pair of American comedy turns.
Lyric Fest: “Four Hands, Warm Hearts.” Bernstein, Selections from Arias and Barcarolles; Brahms, Liebeslieder Waltzes; Lieberman, Appalachian Liebeslieder; Brahms, Neue Liebeslieder; Greer, Selections from Liebesleid-Lieder. Elizabeth Weigle, Randi Marrazzo, sopranos; Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano; Thomas Lloyd, Benjamin Sosland, tenors; Randall Scarlata, baritone. Laura Ward, Harold Evans, piano (four hands). October 4 2009 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s season kickoff |
October 06 2009 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra kicked off its season with the kind of big, spectacular music that requires a major orchestra with an organ at its disposal.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Berlioz, Resurrexit and Te Deum; Saint-Saëns. Third Symphony (“Organ”). John Tessier, tenor; Michael Stairs, organ; Philadelphia Singers Chorale. Charles Dutoit, conductor. September 29, 2009 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Chamber Orchestra’s Haydn concert |
September 26 2009 |
The Chamber Orchestra opens its season with a program that provokes ruminations: Who was Hubert Schoemaker? Why do we tend to equate fame with importance? And would you rather be an elephant or an antelope?
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Haydn Symphony No. 16 in B-flat Major; Cello Concerto in D Major (Wendy Warner, cello); Symphony No. 49 in F Minor. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. September 20, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| George Crumb turns 80 |
September 21 2009 |
The composer George Crumb, now approaching 80, is a true American individualist who created his own style during the years when American composers mostly seemed to be writing for the approval of their academic promotion committees.
Orchestra 2001: Crumb, selections from American Songbooks. Ann Crumb, Jamie Van Eyck, Barbara Ann Martin, vocal soloists; James Freeman, conductor. September 25, 2009 at Volumes I, II, III: Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. Volumes IV, V, VI: September 27, 2009 at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College.
267-687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Writers and publishers in the electronic age |
September 06 2009 |
In an age when people can read Proust and Zola on a portable handheld electronic device, is commercial publishing doomed? If so, how will writers make a living? Not to worry, says a veteran author. Publishers will find a strategy that works. They always have.
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| Bartusiak’s ‘The Day We Found the Universe’ |
August 25 2009 |
A talented science writer tells the story of one of history’s great intellectual sagas: how a group of semi-rational primates on an obscure planet discovered the true size and scope of the universe.
The Day We Found the Universe. By Marcia Bartusiak. Pantheon Books, 2009. 337 pages; $27.95. www.amazon.com.
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| The Orchestra’s final Mann week |
August 04 2009 |
The Orchestra’s summer series at the Mann may be strapped for cash, but the last three concerts introduced a conductor who deserves an unqualified rave, showcased a rising young soprano, and added another chapter to Lang Lang’s artistic development.
Philadelphia Orchestra Tchaikovsky program: Capriccio Italien, Violin Concerto in D Major, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, 1812 Overture. Juanjo Mena, conductor; Juliette Kang, violin (July 29, 2009).
Vaughan Williams, Concerto in C Major for Two Pianos and Orchestra; Ravel, Mother Goose Suite for two pianos; Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue for two pianos and orchestra. Herbie Hancock, Lang Lang, pianos, John Axelrod, conductor (July 30, 2009).
Verdi: “Ritorna vincitor” from Aida; “Tu che le vanita,” from Don Carlo. Angela Brown, soprano; Rossen Milanov, conductor (July 28, 2009). At Mann Music Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Buxtehude Consort’s religious cantatas |
July 14 2009 |
In the last few years Philadelphia’s music season has grown steadily shorter— until this year. Half a dozen music groups extended their seasons into June, and the Buxtehude Consort made its debut in a perfect setting. Good news for tourists and musicians alike.
Buxtehude Consort: Buxtehude: Praeludium in D Minor, five religious cantatas for various combinations. Molly Quinn, soprano; Jennifer L. Smith, mezzo-soprano; John L. Fowler, baritone; Daniel Elyar, Daniela Giulia Pierson, violins; Katie Rietman, violoncello; Joshua Stafford, organ. June 24, 2009 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 17th and Locust. www.buxtehudeconsort.org.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra with Curtis soloists |
July 07 2009 |
Instead of big-name soloists at the Mann, last week the Philadelphia Orchestra spotlighted students from Curtis Institute. The collaboration must have looked like an attractive way to save money, but the product was by no means inferior.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major; Kyu Yeon Kim, piano. Vivaldi, The Four Seasons; Yu-Chien Tseng, violin; Lio Kuokman, conductor and harpsichord. Mozart, Concerto in E-flat major for two pianos; Lutoslawski, Variations on a Theme by Paganini; Saint-Saëns, Carnival of the Animals; Christina and Michelle Naughton, pianos. Theofanidis, Rainbow Body. Rossen Milanov, conductor (except for Vivaldi). June 29, 30, July 1, 2009 at Mann Music Center, Fairmount Park. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Dolce Suono’s ‘New Voices’ |
June 30 2009 |
Dolce Suono and the American Composers Forum present seven world premieres for an unconventional foursome— a good showcase for the variety and sheer likeability of the work that young composers are turning out.
Dolce Suono: New Voices. Dougherty, Karlsplatz; Djupstrom, Sejdefu majka budase; Thomas, Whim; Hallman, Lullaby; Ceurvost, The Exchange; Clark, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock; Smith, Changing Elevations. Mimi Stillman flute; Allen Krantz, guitar; Burchard Tang, viola; Emilio Gravagno, double bass. June 27 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. 267-252-1805 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Opera Company’s ‘Rape of Lucretia’ (2nd review) |
June 25 2009 |
The Rape of Lucretia is the only musical creation I know of that places both the Judeo-Christian and the Greco-Roman traditions on the same stage.
The Rape of Lucretia. Opera by Benjamin Britten; directed by William Kerley. Opera Company of Philadelphia production June 5-14, 2009 at the Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1018 or www.operaphila.org.
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| ‘Battle Hymns’ at Hidden City Philadelphia (1st review) |
June 19 2009 |
The Hidden City Arts Festival presents a remarkable choral and dance response to war that merits comparison with the works of writers like Hemingway and George Orwell.
Battle Hymns. David Lang, composer; Leah Stein choreographer; Heidi Barr, costumer. Mendelssohn Club of Philadelphia, Leah Stein Dance Company. Toshi Makihara, percussion; Don St. Pierre, keyboard; Daniel Schwartz, drum; Alan Harler, conductor. June 13 and 20, 2009, at Armory of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry, 22 South 23rd St. (267) 597-3808 or www.hiddencityphila.org.
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| The Crossing's unique niche |
June 13 2009 |
Donald Nally’s choir, The Crossing, occupies a unique niche in the musical ecosystem: Its singers perform new and unfamiliar music for a small chamber choir. It presents novel, beautiful, complex music that requires precise coordination and first-class voices.
The Crossing chamber choir: McCabe, Scenes in America Deserta; Fowler, Potter’s Clay; Moore, I saw him standing; Smith, Where flames a word; Holten, Rain and Rush and Rosebush; Part, I am the true vine; Hill, Voices of Autumn. Donald Nally, conductor. June 5, 2009 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. www.crossingchoir.com.
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| 1807 & Friends season finale |
June 12 2009 |
Three of the city’s most active chamber musicians transmit a chronic infection to their audience.
1807 & Friends: Dvorak, Sonatina in G Major; Rachmaninoff, Cello Sonata in G Minor; Beethoven, Piano Trio in B flat Major (“Archduke”). Nancy Bean, violin; Lloyd Smith, cello; Marcantonio Barone, piano. June 1, 2009 at Academy of Vocal Arts, 1920 Chestnut St. astro.temple.edu/~rgreene/1807/index.html.
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| Harp Music Festival’s third edition |
May 30 2009 |
Harpist Saul Davis Zlatkovski mounted the third edition of his welcome addition to the fading days of the Philadelphia music season. Zlatkovski has put some impressive organizational work into this project, but he can use help with the administrative details.
Harp Music Festival of Philadelphia: Works for flute and harp by Debussy, Persichetti, Still et al. Adria Sternstein Foster, flute; Susan Robinson, harp.
Music for harp duo and harp quartet by Bizet, Rameau, de Falla et al. Jude Mollenhauer, Yan Ni, Virginia Flanagan, Alison Simpson, harpists. Phyllis Rubin-Arnold, mezzo-soprano. May 23 & 25, 2009, Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany, 13th and Pine. (215) 563-4848 or www.harpmusicfest.com.
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| Orchestra 2001: Three composers, four soloists |
May 26 2009 |
Orchestra 2001 ended its season with a program guaranteed to please most audiences: four attractive concertos featuring four first-class soloists.
Orchestra 2001: Finko, Moses; Finko, Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra; Rudin, Concerto for Viola, Strings, Harp, Piano and Percussion; Corigliano, Suite from The Red Violin. Marcantonio Barone, piano; Mimi Stillman, piccolo; Brent Deubner, viola; Elizabeth Pitcairn, violin; James Freeman, conductor. May 23, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (267) 687-6243 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Four Mother’s Weekend concerts (1st review) |
May 12 2009 |
With masterpieces by Bach, Beethoven and Debussy, and a historical range that covered 1496 to 2009, these four Mother’s Weekend concerts should have satisfied any reasonably cultured mother’s tastes.
Dolce Suono: Casadesus, Quintet for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello and Harp; Debussy, Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp; Clearfield, Rhapsody for Flute, Harp and String Trio; Jolivet, Chant de Linos for Flute, Violin, Viola, Cello and Harp. Mimi Stillman, flute and director; Coline-Marie Orliac, harp; Paul Arnold, violin; Burchard Tang, viola; Yumi Kendall, cello. May 8, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.mimistillman.org/dolcesuono/.
Choral Arts Society: Bach, Mass in B Minor. Julianne Baird, Laura Heimes, sopranos; Ian Howell, countertenor; Tony Boutte, tenor; Sumner Thompson, baritone. Matthew Glandorf, conductor. May 9, 2009 at First Baptist Church, 17th and Sansom St. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
Piffaro: “The Harmony of the Spheres.” Created by Grant Herreid. Ellen Hargis, soprano; Grant Herreid, Greg Ingles, Joan Kimball, Christa Patton, Priscilla Smith, Robert Wiemken, Tom Zajac, instrumentalists. May 9, 2009 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Rd. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.org.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major; Beethoven, Symphony No. 8 in F Major. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano and conductor. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Orchestra’s ‘Damnation of Faust’ |
May 02 2009 |
The Damnation of Faust is the kind of work that throws the literary half of my personality into a state of head-shaking bemusement. The musical half, on the other hand, revels in every bar. And this time I had no complaints with Simon Rattle.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Berlioz, The Damnation of Faust. Magdalena Kozena, mezzo-soprano; Gregory Kunde, tenor; Eric Owens and Thomas Quasthoff, bass-baritones; Philadelphia Singers Chorale, chorus; Simon Rattle, conductor. April 29, 2009 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| The Baroque revival: Three concerts |
April 25 2009 |
For musicians, today’s Baroque revival has created new opportunities and challenges. For those of us who sit in the audience, it has broadened our experience and added new names to the musical firmament that were once long forgotten.
American Society of Ancient Instruments: Music by Scarlatti, Byrd, Telemann et al. Rainer Beckman, recorder; Heather Gardner, soprano; Paul Miller, viola d’amore; Vivian Barton Dozor, director. April 19, 2009 at Old First Reformed Church, Fourth and Race St. (610) 935-4579 or www.baroque-asai.org.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Handel, Concerto Grosso in A Major; Bach, Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor; Bloch, Concerto Grosso No. 1; Telemann, Don Quichote Suite. Scott Yoo, conductor and violin. April 20, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
Dolce Suono: Trio sonatas by Corelli, Purcell, Couperin, Handel, C.P.E. Bach, Vivaldi. Hyun Ju Lee, violin; Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, harpsichord. April 22, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1805 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Masur conducts the Philadelphia Orchestra |
April 21 2009 |
By opening with a symphony, the popular guest conductor Kurt Masur challenged the established order of things at the Philadelphia Orchestra. In his closing piece he demonstrated a dash of audience savvy as well.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D Major; Shostakovich, Violin Concerto in A Minor; Strauss, Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks. Kurt Masur, conductor; Sergey Khachatryan, violin. April 18, 2009 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Time-hopping with Ancient Instruments |
April 14 2009 |
America’s oldest active period instrument organization presented one of the most educational interludes I’ve experienced at a concert. The moment the big emotional voice of Vivian Barton Dozor’s cello filled Old First Reformed, I understood why the Romantic movement had captivated Europe and swept away most of the music that preceded it.
American Society of Ancient Instruments: Hugard, Suite No. 2; Le Roux, Suite in G Minor; Bach, Cello Suite 6 in D Major (transcribed); Burgmuller, Three Nocturnes; Paganini, Quartet No. 1 in D Major. April 12, 2009 at Old First Reformed Church, Fourth and Race. (610) 935-4579 or www.baroque-asai.org.
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| Network For New Music: Composing for painting |
April 07 2009 |
The Network for New Music asked three composers to create works based on paintings— and these composers actually did what they were asked to do.
Network for New Music: Harbison, Six American Painters; Laganella, Unattainable Spaces; Brodhead, Concerto in Light and Shadow, Echoes of Four American Artists. Jan Krzywicki, conductor. April 3, 2009 at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118 N. Broad St. (at Cherry). (215) 972-7600 or www.networkfornewmusic.org.
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| ‘The Loathly Lady’ at Penn |
April 07 2009 |
What do women want? The Penn Humanities Forum recruits a world-class early music team for the world premiere of a musical comedy about an endlessly fascinating quest. It’s a stimulating evening, albeit one skewed against men.
The Loathly Lady. Music by Paul Richards; libretto by Wendy Steiner; from a story by Geoffrey Chaucer. Gary Thor Wedow, conductor. Penn Humanities Forum production April 3, 2009 at Irvine Auditorium, 34th and Spruce St. (215) 573-8280 or www.phf.upenn.edu.
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| Classical Symphony’s ‘Americans in Paris’ |
March 28 2009 |
The Classical Symphony’s music director, Karl Middleman, spotlights a fruitful combination: Paris and jazz.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: “Americans in Paris.” Stravinsky, Ragtime; Antheil, Concerto for Chamber Orchestra/Octet for Winds; Milhaud, La Création du Monde; Piston, Divertimento for Nine Instruments; Gershwin, Rhapsody in Blue. Jonathan Hulting-Cohen, saxophone; Hugh Sung, piano; Karl Middleman, conductor. March 20, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (610) 664-8481 or www.classicalsymphony.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare recreates Madame Levy’s Salon |
March 24 2009 |
Tempesta di Mare visits the salon of a musically sophisticated Berlin lady who helped revive Bach and launch the career of her grandnephew, Felix Mendelssohn.
Tempesta di Mare: Janitsch, Sonata di Camera in C; J.S. Bach, Sonata sopr’il Soggetto Reale in C Minor; W.F. Bach, Sonata in B-flat; C.P.E. Bach, Quartet in D Major; Quantz, Quartet in E Minor. Gwyn Roberts, flute; Emlyn Ngai, violin; Karina Fox, violin and viola; Eve Miller, cello; Richard Stone, lute; Adam Pearl, harpsichord. March 22, 2009 at Old St. Joseph’s Church, 321 Willings Alley. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Voices of the Sea’ |
March 17 2009 |
Lyric Fest made its debut on the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society schedule with a program that could have used more of its customary narrative drive.
Lyric Fest: “Voices of the Sea.” Songs by Elgar, Berlioz, Schumann, Schubert, Brahms, Britten, Mendelssohn, Porter, et al. David Adams, tenor; Jennifer Casey Cabot, Randi J. Marrazzo and Leslie Johnson, sopranos; Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Laura Ward piano. March 12, 2009 at American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org
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| Dolce Suono’s search for the ancient Greeks |
March 03 2009 |
What did ancient Greek music sound like? We’ll never know. But Dolce Suono took us on a worthy quest to provide an answer.
Dolce Suono: Haydn, Trio in G Major; Ravel, Chanson Madecasses; Ravel, La flute enchantée; Gill, Ode: A Dramatic Cantata. Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, piano; Donna Morein, mezzo-soprano. February 27, 2009 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1805 or www.dolcesuono.com.
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| Curtis grads play Schubert trios |
February 24 2009 |
Three of Curtis Institute’s most successful graduates of the past 20 years took on two of Schubert’s best-loved trios in a concert that explained, among other things, why chamber music audiences tend to be older than Olympic swimmers.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Schubert, Piano Trio in B-Flat Major; Piano Trio in E-Flat Major. Soovin Kim, violin; Sophie Shao, cello; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano. February 22, 2008 at American Philosophical Society, Benjamin Franklin Hall, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Brahms German Requiem by Chamber Orchestra (2nd review) |
February 17 2009 |
Ignat Solzhenitsyn leads a moving performance of a work that ventures into the deepest emotional areas of human life.
Brahms German Requiem. Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia with Choral Arts Society. Susanna Phillips, soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. Feb 13 & 15, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Verizon Hall. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Music in the White House’ |
February 10 2009 |
Lyric Fest sampled the tastes of U.S. presidents, whose musical interests could be surprisingly sophisticated. In the process, “Music in the White House” inadvertently reflected another important aspect of American culture: our inherent cosmopolitanism.
Lyric Fest: “Music in the White House.” Emily A. Bullock and Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-sopranos; Takesha Meshe Kizart, Sally Wolf and Randi J. Marrazzo, sopranos; Kevin Langan, bass; John Packard, baritone; Laura Ward, piano. With Tracey Matisak, narrator. and The Chamber Singers of Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges (Thomas Lloyd, director). February 8, 2009 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut Sts. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| ‘A Scandal in Bohemia,’ by Orchestra 2001 |
February 10 2009 |
This new opera about Sherlock Holmes creates a true Holmesian atmosphere, obviously written by someone who understands the Holmes legend. Thomas Whitman’s music ranges from workmanlike to inspired.
A Scandal in Bohemia. Opera based on a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Thomas Whitman score, Nathalie Anderson libretto. Julian Rodescu (The “Reader”/King/Minister), David Kravitz (D. John Watson/Mr. Godfrey Norton), Laura Heimes (Irene Adler), Markus Beam (Sherlock Holmes); James Freeman, conductor. Orchestra 2001 performance February 6, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (610) 544-6610 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Astral’s Saeka Matsuyama violin recital |
February 07 2009 |
A young violinist traverses 200 years of musical styles with the skill of a talented actor hopping through a series of costume changes and radically different characters.
Saeka Matsuyama in violin recital. Novacek, Moto Perpetuo; Lutoslawski, Subito; Brahms, Sonata No. 2 in G Major; Bach, Solo Sonata No. 2 in A minor; Saint-Saens, Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor. With Charles Abramovic, piano. Astral Artists presentation February 1, 2009 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. (215) 735-6999 or www.astralartists.org.
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| A few words about adventurous programming |
January 27 2009 |
BSR contributor Beeri Moalem has issued a plea for more performances of new music. But the Western art music repertoire is essentially a huge library containing more than six centuries of music that no one can explore all of in a single lifetime. Two recent concerts offer cases in point.
Cynthia Raim: All-Schubert piano recital. Presented by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, January 21, 2009 at American Philosophical Society, 427 Chestnut St. (215) 569-8080 www.pcmsconcerts.org.
Philadelphia Orchestra Chamber Music Series: Glinka, Grand Sextet: Elina Kalendareva, Paul Arnold, violins; Judy Geist, viola; Kathryn Picht Read, cello; Robert Kesselman, bass; Sonya Ovrutsky, piano. Schumann, Andante and Variations: Natalie Zhu, Kiyoko Takeuti, pianos; Hai-Ye Ni, Kathryn Picht Reid, cellos; Jeffrey Lang, horn. January 18, 2009 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| ‘Sextet Spectacular’ by 1807 & Friends |
January 17 2009 |
The latest 1807 & Friends program did everything a good chamber music session is supposed to do. So what else can you say?
1807 and Friends: Sextet Spectacular. Dvorak, String Sextet in A Major; Tchaikovsky, Souvenir de Florence. Nancy Bean, David Booth, violins; Pamela Fay, Kerri Ryan, violas; Lloyd Smith, Yumi Kendall, cellos. January 12, 2009 at Academy of Vocal Arts. (215) 438-4027 or www.1807andfriends.org.
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| ‘Freeway Philharmonic’: California’s freelance musicians |
January 13 2009 |
In 55 well-edited minutes, an insightful documentary captures the challenging life style of California’s freelance classical musicians. Philadelphia freelancers— who constitute the backbone of a dozen local musical groups— will find here a reflection of their own unpredictable lives.
Freeway Philharmonic. DVD documentary produced and directed by Tal Skloot. 55 minutes; $25. Shira Records. (Aired on WHYY-TV, January 7, 2009.) www.freewayphil.com.
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| Unsung musical heroes: The entrepreneurs |
December 30 2008 |
Performers and music lovers alike owe a debt to the unsung heroes of Philadelphia’s cultural scene. This New Year, let’s pause to toast the small but growing band of visionaries who create and maintain our musical organizations.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Messiaen |
December 16 2008 |
Orchestra 2001 marks the 100th birthday of Olivier Messiaen with two pieces that capture the cosmic and deeply personal feelings behind his work.
Orchestra 2001: Messiaen, Fantasie for Violin and Piano (Barbara Govatos, violin; Marcantonio Barone, piano); Levinson, Morning Star; Messiaen, Visions de L’Amen for Two Pianos (Barone and James Freeman, piano). December 10, 2008 at Lang Concert Hall, Swarthmore College. (610) 544-6610 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference |
December 14 2008 |
I've been defending science fiction against various onslaughts ever since I started reading it. For me, it’s a literary response to the knowledge that the future will be different from the present-- probably very different.
The Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference, Philcon 2008. November 21-23, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Cherry Hill, N.J. www.philcon.org.
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| Ricardo Morales plus |
December 14 2008 |
Novel programming adds extra spice to a recital that features clarinetist Ricardo Morales and two other local stars.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Debussy, Premier Rhapsodie; Dunhill, Phantasy Suite; Bernstein, Clarinet Sonata; Zemlinsky, Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in D Minor. Ricardo Morales, clarinet; Natalie Zhu, piano; Efe Baltacigil, cello. December 1, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 569-8080 or pcmsconcerts.org.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Carter and Copland |
November 18 2008 |
Orchestra 2001 looks at four pieces, each built around a distinctive framework, including two written by the durable Elliot Carter in his 90s.
Orchestra 2001: Piston, Divertimento for Nine Instruments; Carter, Asko Concerto; Carter, Dialogues (Emmanuel Arciuli, piano); Copland, Appalachian Spring. James Freeman, conductor. November 15, 2008 at Independence Seaport Museum. (610) 544-6610 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Conductors and ‘the vision thing’ |
November 15 2008 |
If they have the right vision, lesser known regional conductors can outperform stars as lustrous as Riccardo Muti. Both Karl Middleman and Mischa Santora have lately demonstrated visions of their own.
Philadelphia Classical Symphony: Saint-George, Symphonie Concertante in G Major for Two Violins and String Orchestra; Mozart, Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra in E Flat Major. Hirono Oka, violin; C.J. Chang, violin and viola; Karl Middleman, conductor. October 31, 2008 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (215) 228-2224 or www.classicalsymphony.org.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Rossini, Overture to L’Italiana in Algieri; Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major. Shai Wosner, piano. Haydn, Symphony No. 86 in D Major. Mischa Santora, conductor. November 9, 2008. At Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce. (215) 545-5451 or www.chamberorchestra.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘World of Friends’ |
November 11 2008 |
Lyric Fest offered children an international song and dance extravaganza with the quality and sophistication that kids should be exposed to when they make their first acquaintance with the arts.
Lyric Fest: “A World of Friends.” Songs by Mozart, Ravel, Poulenc, Brahms, Barber, Shostakovich, et al. Suzanne DuPlantis, Jennifer Hsiung, mezzos; Cara Latham, Randi J. Marrazzo, Maggie Moliterno, sopranos; Mark Moliterno, baritone; Richard Troxell, tenor. Motet Choir of the Pennsylvania Girlchoir, Mark A. Anderson, conductor; Caroline Foley and the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble; Lisa Lovelace and Her Dancing Friends; Jake Miller and Wilder Troxell, actors. November 9, 2008 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 438-1702 or www.lyricfest.org.
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| Piffaro’s Catherine de’ Medici concert |
October 28 2008 |
Catherine de’ Medici encountered her problems as queen of France. But Piffaro reminds us that she got to listen to some great music while she was dealing with them.
Piffaro: “Italy and France, A Florentine Patroness at the Parisian Court.” Verdelot, Pisano, Certon, other Italian and French composers. Shari Alise Wilson, soprano; Grant Herreid, Greg Ingles, Joan Kimball, Christa Patton, Priscilla Smith, Robert Wiemken, Tom Zajac, musicians. Joan Kimball and Robert Wiemken, co-directors. October 25, 2008 at Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, 8855 Germantown Ave. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Choral Arts Society’s Eric Whitacre concert |
October 28 2008 |
The Choral Arts Society bet its season opener on a single popular young choral composer— Eric Whitacre, who’s not yet 40. Call it another example of the Society’s intelligent adventurousness under conductor Matthew Glandorf.
Choral Arts Society: Whitacre, i thank You God for most this amazing day, Five Hebrew Love Songs, This Marriage, Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine, When David Heard, Water Night, Cloudburst. Joshua Stafford, piano; Patricia Franchescy and Gabriel Globus-Honic, percussion; Matthew Glandorf, conductor. October 26, 2008 at Philadelphia Cathedral, 3723 Chestnut St. (215) 240-6417 or www.choralarts.com.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s concerto feast |
October 14 2008 |
Charles Dutoit may have emphasized Berlioz in his pre-season remarks, but the Philadelphia Orchestra’s first three concerts indicated he’s prepared a more balanced menu. The big winners in all three events were the concertos.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Haydn Sinfonia concertante in B-flat major. Juliette Kang, violin; Daniel Matsukawa, bassoon; Hai-Ye Ni, cello; Richard Woodhams, oboe; Rossen Milanov, conductor.
Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-flat major; Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 in C-minor. Martha Argerich, piano; David Bilger trumpet; Charles Dutoit, conductor.
Penderecki Concerto Grosso No. 1 for three cellos and orchestra. Han-Na Chang, Daniel Miller-Schott, Arto Noras, cello; Charles Dutoit, conductor.
September 30, October 2 and 11, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Crumb’s American classics, by Orchestra 2001 |
October 07 2008 |
George Crumb is one of the most outlandish living American composers and one of the most accessible, because you know he always has a reason for the things he does. At 80, he applied his inventiveness to ten American classics.
Orchestra 2001. Crumb, Voices from the Morning of the Earth; Vigue, Tides; Schwantner, Distant Runes and Incantations. Ann Crumb, soprano; Randall Scarlata, baritone; Marcantonio Barone, piano; William Kerrigan, Susan Jones, David Nelson, Angela Nelson, percussion. James Freeman, conductor. October 3, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (610) 544-6610 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Tempesta di Mare’s Hamburg concert |
October 07 2008 |
The Tempesta di Mare Baroque Orchestra artfully showcased the musical culture of an 18th-Century city governed by businessmen.
Orchestra Music from Hamburg: Tempesta di Mare Philadelphia Baroque Orchestra. Emlyn Ngai, concertmaster; Gwyn Roberts, flute. October 4, 2008 at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church. (215) 755-8776 or www.tempestadimare.org.
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Mahler Resurrected’ |
October 04 2008 |
The Lyric Fest song series opened its season with a portrait of Gustav Mahler, consisting of letters, music and songs assembled by performers who’ve spent a significant portion of their careers mastering his work.
Lyric Fest: Mahler Resurrected. Kendra Colton and Randi Marrazzo, sopranos; Marquita Raley and Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo sopranos; Christopher Bolduc, baritone; Laura Ward, piano; Ellen Tobie and Jim Bergwall, narration and readings. September 28, 2008 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut. (215) 438.1702 or http://www.lyricfest.org.
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| Critic's music picks for 2008-09 |
September 16 2008 |
A few highly personal selections from a coming musical season that encompasses six hundred years of styles and passions.
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| ‘4x4’ at Fringe Festival |
September 09 2008 |
Todd Holtsberry’s tour de force marches audiences through the back rooms of the Plays and Players Theater, where four different plays by four different Philadelphia playwrights are in progress. It’s a good example of the intriguing, generally inexpensive evenings the Fringe Festival adds to the Philadelphia season.
“4X4”: Crumbled Worlds, By Robin Rodriguez; The Last Dance, by Sam Toll; The Opposite of Moths, by Brian Grace
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| Olympic (and artistic) geeks |
August 19 2008 |
Once every four years, table tennis sharks and air rifle sharpshooters emerge from obscurity and become the standard bearers of mighty nations, just as great writers emerge from obscurity every four years or so with a new book. The true spirit of the Olympics is the force that has shaped much of the modern world: the relentless drive of the obsessive-compulsive personality.
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| Philadelphia Orchestra’s Mann roundup |
July 26 2008 |
The "other" soloists on the Orchestra’s summer schedule failed to draw the crowds that Yo Yo Ma attracted. But their Fairmount Park audiences heard some first-class music making.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major: Leon McCawley, piano; Rossen Milanov, conductor. Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini: Kirill Gerstein, piano; Thomas Wilkins, conductor. Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor: Jon K
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| Concert Operetta Theater’s ‘Naughty Marietta� |
July 03 2008 |
Some people get all warm inside when they hear a snatch of Frank Sinatra or the rock group that happened to be leading the charts when they first started dating. I have a weakness for Sigmund Romberg's "Wanting You" and "The Riff Song." That should be everyone’s worst vice.
Naughty Marietta. Music by Victor Herbert; lyrics by Rida Johnson Young; Jose Melendez, music director and piano. Concert Operetta Theater production through June 21, 2008
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| Philadelphia Harp Festival |
June 17 2008 |
Harpist Saul Zlatkovsky joins the hardy band of part-time impresarios who keep Philadelphia lively.
Harp Music Festival of Philadelphia: Music by Loeillet, Rodrigo, J.C. Bach, Ravel, Malecki, others. Joan Holland, Helen Gerhold, Jude Mollenhauer, Virginia Flanagan, Alison Simpson, harp; Bruce Zhang, Grace Kim, Chi Park, Claudia Pellegrini, violin. Susan Arnold, viola; Samuel Soltoff, Steven Duckworth, cello; Marja Kaisla, piano. June 14-15, 2008, at Church of
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| Pretensions of ‘Bigger, Stronger, Faster’ |
May 25 2008 |
Bodybuilding may indeed be an interesting phenomenon, as Chris Bell contends in Bigger, Stronger, Faster. But please— spare us the half-baked sociological punditry.
Bigger, Stronger, Faster. Documentary film directed by Chris Bell. Beginning May 30, 2008 at Ritz at the Bourse, Fourth and Ludlow Sts. . (215) 925-7900.or www.biggerstrongerfastermovie.com.
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| Chamber Music Society with Mitsuko Uchida |
May 17 2008 |
The great pianist Mitsuko Uchida and five younger colleagues end the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society season with a military recruiting piece and an apocalyptic response to World War II.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Bartok, Contrasts (Soovin Kim, violin; Martin Frost, clarinet; Llyr Williams, piano); Messiaen, Quartet for the End of Time (Mitsuko Uchida, piano; Martin Frost, clarinet; Soovin Kim, violin; Christian Poltera, piano). May 15, 2008
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| Classical Symphony plays Bernstein et al |
May 17 2008 |
Karl Middleman, one of Philadelphia’s embattled conductor/organizers, demonstrates the individualistic variety he and his fellows add to our music season. If only they were as good at fund-raising as they are at programming.
Classical Symphony: Canning, Fantasy on a Hymn by Justin Morgan; Tate, Shakamaxon; Bernstein, Serenade After Plato’s Symposium. Hirono Oka, solo violin; Karl Middleman, conductor. May 9, 2008 at Trin
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| Orchestra’s ‘Symphony of a Thousand’ (2nd re |
May 10 2008 |
Mahler experimented with the big orchestra in the same way George Crumb experiments with prepared pianos. The Symphony of a Thousand may not be his most successful experiment, but it’s a beautiful, unique experience.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mahler Symphony of a Thousand (Eighth Symphony in E-Flat major). May 1-3 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Society of Ancient Instruments |
May 06 2008 |
Elin Frazier, a notably musical Baroque trumpeter, shows her stuff in perfect balance with the Society’s viol and harpsichord ensemble.
American Society of Ancient Instruments: Cazzati Sonata a 5, La Bianchina; Baldassare Sonata in F. No. 2; Vivaldi Concerto in B Flat Minor; other works by various composers for viols and harpsichord. May 4, 2008 at Old First Reformed Church, Fourth and Race Sts. (610) 935-4579 or Network for New Music |
May 03 2008 |
The Network for New Music ends its season with a program that combines the attractions of pure music with the profundities of music that communicates strong personal feelings.
Network for New Music: Ran, Song and Dance; Tsontakis, Gymnopedies; Currier, Static. April 27, 2008 at Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Square. (215) 848-7647 or http://www.networkfornewmusic.org
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| Chamber Orchestra plays Mahler (1st review) |
April 19 2008 |
The conductor and the soloists at the latest Chamber Orchestra concert all did their jobs, but the gang sitting behind them deserves some special attention.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mahler, Das Lied von der Erde (arranged Arnold Schoenberg, completed Rainer Riehn). Mary Ann McCormick, mezzo-soprano; Jason Collins, tenor; Gloria Justen, Robert Martin, violins; Alexandra Leem, viola; James J. Cooper III, cello; Miles B. Davis, bass; Edward Schultz flute, Geoff
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| Lyric Fest: Philadelphia composers |
April 19 2008 |
One of the two most consistently enjoyable series in the city produces another wide-ranging spectacular. A program devoted to music by composers who spent part of their lives in Philadelphia provided a long list of surprises.
Lyric Fest: Songs by Bernstein, Barber, Rochberg, Rorem, Crumb, Menotti, Higdon, Garwood, et al. Jennifer Aylmer, Randi J. Marrazzo, Sally Wolf, sopranos; Markus Beam, baritone; Timothy Bentch, tenor; Megan Dey-Toth, Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzos; Tr
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| Orchestra 2001, French style |
April 15 2008 |
Orchestra 2001 presents two works its conductor considers 20th Century masterpieces and provides the evidence to support his opinion.
Orchestra 2001: Milhaud, La Creation du Monde. Reise, The River Within. Maria Bachmann, violin; Honegger, Symphony No. 2. James Freeman, conductor. April 12, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 922-2190 or www.orchestra2001.org.
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| Philadelphia Singers: Haydn and Mozart |
April 12 2008 |
The Philadelphia Singers celebrated their 35th birthday-- and a more secure future-- with two of their all-time favorites.
Philadelphia Singers: Haydn, Missa in Angustiis (“Nelson Mass”) in D minor: Rachel Levine, soprano; Sandra Carney, mezzo-soprano; Kenneth Garner, tenor; James Stieber, bass. Mozart, Vesperae Solennes di Confessore: Heidi Kurtz, soprano; Alyson Harvey, mezzo-soprano; Steven Bradshaw, tenor; Franklin Phillips, baritone. Ch
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| Astral’s ‘Zlabys and Friends’ |
April 05 2008 |
Astral Artistic Services demonstrates that an organization devoted to helping young performers can showcase young composers, too.
Andrius Zlabys and Friends: Levkovich, Piano Trio; Mahler, Piano Quartet; Prado, Suite de Baile piano quintet. Sharlat, piano quartet. Pavel Ilyashov, Yayra Matyakubova, Anton Jivaev, violins; Wendy Warner, cello; Andrius Zlabys, piano. Presented by Astral Artistic Services, March 30, 2008 at Trinity Center, 22
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| Orchestra’s ‘Popul vuh’ |
April 01 2008 |
Ginastera’s Popul vuh lends the Mayan creation myth a musical evocation worthy of its imagery.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Ginastera, Popul vuh, the Creation of the Mayan World. Leonard Slatkin, conductor. March 27-29, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or www.philorch.org.
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| Bach Festival’s Brandenburg Concertos |
March 29 2008 |
Bach may have thought of the Brandenburg Concertos as ensemble pieces, but they pack more oomph when they’re played like concertos. In conductor Jonathan Sternberg’s version, the soloist was just another member of the orchestra.
Bach Festival of Philadelphia: Bach Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 6, 1, 3, 2, 4, 5. Mimi Stillman, flute; Hirono Oka, violin; Geoffrey Deemer, oboe; Rachel Serber, trumpet; Charles Abramovic, harpsichord. Musicians from the Chamber Orchestra
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| Vox Ama Deus Mass in B Minor |
March 25 2008 |
Should a conductor interrupt a secular performance of a religious work with a statement that clearly reflects his own religious views? How do we define the limits of appropriate behavior in a multi-religious society?
Vox Ama Deus: Bach Mass in B Minor. Bonnie Hoke, soprano; Jody Kidwell, alto; Timothy Bentch, tenor; Ed Bara, bass. Valentin Radu, conductor. March 21, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (610) 688-2800 or Rhorer conducts Chamber Orchestra |
March 15 2008 |
The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia introduces another winner from the Solzhenitsyn Generation: the 35-year-old French conductor Jeremie Rhorer.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Rameau, Suite from Hippolyte et Aricie; Boieldieu, Harp Concerto in C Major; Debussy, Danses sacrées et profane (Elizabeth Hainen, harp); Rameau, Suite from Les Indes galantes. Jeremie Rhorer, conductor. March 9, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel C
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| Tempesta di Mare with puppets |
March 11 2008 |
Tempesta di Mare presents a half-successful attempt to create the spectacle of Baroque opera with puppets.
Tempesta di Mare Baroque Orchestra: Monteverdi, Il Combattimento di Tancredi e di Clorinda. Handel, Tra la Flamme; Marguerite Krull, soprano; Aaron Sheehan, tenor, David Allan Newman, baritone. Richard Stone, music director. Mock Turtle Marionette Theater: Doug Roysdon, stage director and master puppeteer. March 7-9, 2008 at Plays and Players Theat
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| Orchestra’s ‘Eirene’ and ‘Carmina Burana |
March 08 2008 |
Music isn’t limited to the simple expression of feelings. And peace is just as dynamic as war— and much more complex. Willi’s Eirene, like Orff’s Carmina Burana, lets us see old subjects in a new light.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Tomasi, Fanfares Liturgiques. Ignat Solzhenitsyn, conductor. February 24, 2008 at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (215) 545-5451 or Chestnut Brass turns 30 |
February 26 2008 |
The globetrotting Grammy winner that resurrected the special sound of 19th-Century brass instruments returns to the city of its origin for a 30th anniversary celebration.
Chestnut Brass Company: Works by Praetorius, Weber, Morton, Rossini, Clark, Conner, Foster, Gershwin, Berlin, Vierk, Schickele, Krzywicki, Higdon. Bruce Barrie and John Charles Thomas, trumpets; Marian Hesse, horn; Larry Zimmerman, trombone; Jay Krush, tuba. February 18, 2008 at Ethical Society, 1906 S. Ritte
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| The tango and young musicians |
February 26 2008 |
Can a pair of tangos tell us something about the direction of our culture? You don’t need Rudolf Valentino when musicians play the tango the way Mimi Stillman and Astral’s young artists play it.
Dolce Suono: Piazzolla, Canto un Tango. Mimi Stillman, flute; Allan Krantz, guitar. February 13, 2008 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St. (267) 252-1803 or www.dolcesuono.org.
As
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| Opera Company’s ‘Cyrano’ (4th review) |
February 19 2008 |
David DiChiera’s Cyrano succeeds if you’re satisfied with an opera that uses music to tell a story. But it sacrifices the quixotic character who first stirred my adolescent soul.
Cyrano. Opera by David DiChiera (music) and Bernard Uzan (libretto). Opera Company of Philadelphia production through February 17, 2008 at Academy of Music, Broad and Locust Sts. (215) 732-8400 or www.operaphilly.com.
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| Gilbert leads the Orchestra (3rd review) |
February 16 2008 |
Ten years ago, when he was a student, I concluded that Alan Gilbert possesses the basic qualities a conductor should posses. With one qualification, I stand by that assessment.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Hillborg Exquisite Corpse; Bartok Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion; Nielsen Second Symphony. Emanuel Ax and Yoko Nozaki, piano; Alan Gilbert, conductor. February 7-9, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or Chamber Orchestra’s two Randalls |
February 03 2008 |
In the wrong hands, this could have been a so-so concert, since none of the pieces on the program could be considered major attractions. Two Randalls— Scarlata and Fleischer— turned it into one of the most enjoyable Chamber Orchestra concerts I’ve attended.
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia: Mozart, Symphony No. 28 in C Major; Ravel, Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé; Stravinsky, Deux Poèmes de Paul Verlaine (Randall Sc
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| Tempesta di Mare revives Janitsch |
February 02 2008 |
Five pieces by one of Frederick the Great’s court composers received their first performances in two centuries and warmed the hearts of 21st-Century Philadelphians. You couldn’t hear these pieces without visualizing the private, cultivated setting they were written for.
Tempesta di Mare: Janitsch Sonata die Chiesa in A Minor, Sonata da Camera in C, Sonata da Camera in E-flat, Sonata da Camera in G Minor, Quadro in G. Gwyn Roberts, flute and recorder; Geoff
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| Jennifer Higdon Festival (third review) |
January 27 2008 |
Both Jennifer Higdon works premiered at the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Leonard Bernstein Festival were seriously flawed. Her song sequence Bentley Roses, on the other hand, was a pure delight.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Higdon, The Singing Rooms. Jennifer Koh, violin; Philadelphia Singers Chorale; Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. January 17 and 23, 2008 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 Music or performers? (Critic’s reply) |
January 22 2008 |
Corbin Abernathy, of Voces Novae et Antiquae, complains in a letter that my recent review of For So The Children Come focused solely on the poet and the composer, to the neglect of the performers. He’s right, and he deserves a response.
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| Voces Novae’s ‘For So The Children Come’ |
January 13 2008 |
Sophia Lyon Fahs knew what she was talking about when she said fathers and mothers “feel glory in the sight of a new life beginning.” Elizabeth Alexander’s musical adaptation was the most personally moving piece I encountered this past Christmas season.
Voces Novae et Antiquae: Alexander, For So the Children Come. Jody Applebaum, soprano; Jodi Nieman, alto; Peter de Mets, tenor. Robert A.M. Ross, conductor. Through January 6, 2008 at Fleisher Art Memorial,
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| New City’s ‘Extremities’ |
January 13 2008 |
Extremities is a strong play with a powerful central idea: What do you do when the law can’t— or won’t— protect you? The New City production is believably acted and efficiently and unobtrusively directed.
Extremities. Drama by William Mantrosimone; directed by William Roudebush. Presented by New City Stage Company through January 20, 2008 at Mumpuppetheater, 115 Arch St. (215) 563-7500 or Piffaro’s ‘Vespers’ |
January 13 2008 |
Piffaro, Philadelphia’s Renaissance band, gambled a major program on a single work by one Philadelphia composer. Kile Smith gave them one of the major events of the music season.
Piffaro: Smith’s Vespers. The Crossing chorus and vocal solos, with Piffaro Renaissance instruments. Donald Nally, conductor. January 5, 2008 at Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, 2110 Chestnut St. 215-235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
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| Dolce Suono: Triumph of the winds |
December 11 2007 |
After 19-plus seasons as a reviewer, our critic admits he’s undervalued a major musical form. In appropriate hands, the wind quintet can produce an interplay of tone colors and well-defined instrumental voices that puts it in a class by itself.
Dolce Suono: Ibert’s Trois Pieces Breves, Reicha Quintet #20 in D minor, Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin (arr. Mason Jones), Barber’s Summer Music (Mimi Stillman, flute; Geoffrey Deemer,
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| Orchestra’s ‘Das Paradies und die Peri’ (1st |
December 01 2007 |
Sir Simon Rattle’s devotees may have come mostly to see him bounce around the podium, but they got to hear some beautiful music, too.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Schumann, Das Paradies und die Peri. Simon Rattle, conductor; Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano; Christine Brandes, soprano, Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano; Mark Padmore, tenor; Joseph Kaiser, tenor; Luca Pisaroni, bass-baritone; The Philadelphia Singers Chorale. November 29, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 89
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| Miró Quartet’s ‘Necronomicon’ |
November 24 2007 |
With John Zorn’s fantastic and magical Necronomicon Quartet, the pulp horror writer H.P. Lovecraft has once again risen from his grave and triumphed over his critics. Or has he?
Miró Quartet: Zorn, Necronomicon (Daniel Ching, Sandy Yamamoto, violins; John Largess, viola; Joshua Gindele, cello). Program also includes Mozart String Quartet in D Major K. 499, Brahms String Quartet
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| ‘Last Songs’ by Lyric Fest |
November 13 2007 |
The Lyric Fest art song series devoted its latest program to the last songs of European and American composers. This was a great idea for a program, with one slight problem: A composer’s final melody isn’t necessarily his best one.
Lyric Fest: Last Songs. Songs by Beethoven, Purcell, Bernstein, Britten, Brahms, etc. David Adams, Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo, Stephen Powell, Katherine Pracht, Julian Rodescu, Barbara Shirvis, vocalists; Laura Ward, Harold
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| Orchestra's postlude concert |
November 13 2007 |
I’ve never understood why many people think spontaneous outbursts are more artistically fulfilling than music played from carefully thought out scores. Does anybody think an actor could have come up with “To be or not to be” on the spur of the moment?
Network for New Music, Philadelphia Orchestra postlude: Mandat, Folk Songs (Paul Demers, clarinet); Sierra, Bongo-0 (Anthony Orlando, bongos). November 8, 2007 at Verizon Hall. (215) 848-
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| Orchestra 2001, Phila. Classical Symphony |
November 06 2007 |
Mozart comes in second to the flutist Valerie Coleman at an Orchestra 2001 concert. And how would Handel and Scarlatti react to high fives by performers?
Orchestra 2001: Bazza, Scherzo; Ravel, Le Tombeau de Couperin; Franck, Scherzo; Mozart, Divertimento in B-flat Major; Coleman, Concerto Afro-Cuban for Wind Quintet and Orchestra. James Freeman, conductor. November 3, 2007 at Port of History Museum, Penn’s Landing. (215) 92
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| French music: Three concerts |
October 27 2007 |
Three musical organizations explore French music and French influence on American music from the Baroque to the present. How many American cities could team a fully professional chorus with a violist like Roberto Diaz and a percussionist like Don Liuzzi?
Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra: Ravel Mother Goose Suite; De Malaret Chants D’Auvergne (Leslie Johnson, soprano); Debussy Petite Suite; Ravel Bolero. Daniel Spalding,
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| Orchestra’s ‘Discovery’ concert |
October 13 2007 |
How to reach a younger audience? The Orchestra is currently trying a policy that puts unfamiliar music in front of people who actually want to give it a try. At this concert, the crowd was definitely coffeehouse age.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Rihm, Verwandlung 2; Reinecke, Flute Concerto in D Major (Jeffrey Khaner, flute); Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring. Christoph Eschenbach, conductor. September 27, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center. (215) 893-1900 or
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| Dolce Suono: Trios by four composers |
October 13 2007 |
Dolce Suono spotlights the creativity of four Philadelphia composers and the potential of an unfamiliar form: the trio for flute, cello and piano. Are we living in a second Baroque period without realizing it?
Dolce Suono: Rorem Trio for Flute, Violoncello, and Piano; Cacioppo Snake Dance Trio (Soyohim Kachina); Abramovic Beasts; Crumb Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whales). Mimi Stillman, flute; Yumi Kendall, cello; Charles Abramovic, pia
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Shakespeare: A Biography in Music |
September 25 2007 |
Lyric Fest presents a crowded profile of an internationally successful songwriter and librettist.
Lyric Fest: “William Shakespeare, a Biography in Music.” Lyrics by William Shakespeare, music by various. Markus Beam, Kiera Duffy, Suzanne DuPlantis, Bryan Hymel, Jody Kidwell, Randi Marrazzo, Jaquita Mitchell, Mark Moliterno, vocalists; Laura Ward, piano. Jim Bergwall, actor. September 23, 2007 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut. (215
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| Purdom’s picks for 2007-08 |
September 25 2007 |
A reviewer with oscillating tastes lists his higher hopes for the new season.
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| Orchestra 2001 plays Crumb |
September 18 2007 |
George Crumb plays around with doctored pianos and odd effects, but he uses novel means to achieve classic ends. His techniques may look outré, but he’s doing the same thing that good accompanists do when they create scenes and moods as they play a standard piano accompaniment.
Orchestra 2001, James Freeman, conductor. Crumb’s Otherworldly Resonances (Marcantonio Barone and James Freeman, amplified piano); Tchaikovsky Concert Piece for Flute and Str
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| Alan Gilbert: The conductor as leader |
August 28 2007 |
Conductors must possess three critical personal qualities. Alan Gilbert, the new music director of the New York Philharmonic, displayed two of them the first time I saw him conduct at Curtis. And that was before I heard him conduct a major symphony.
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| Those who can, should |
August 28 2007 |
After I’d spent 50 years as a check-depositing writer, it took a chance remark by Yumi Kendall, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s young assistant principal cellist, to convince me once and for all that I hadn’t wasted my life.
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| ‘Peter and the Wolf” at the Mann |
July 31 2007 |
If you feel children can’t achieve full adulthood without learning that an oboe can imitate a duck, you’d probably find this animated film version of Peter and the Wolf is less successful than a traditional narrated performance. But the kids on hand learned that a trip to the orchestra can be fun.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Britten Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Purcell, Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf, Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Min
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| Orchestra's second ‘East Meets West’ program |
July 24 2007 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s second “East Meets West” program at the Mann explored more aspects of the musical interchange. But the Mann’s cavernous space requires a bigger tone than Midori produced on this occasion.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Ravel Suite from Mother Goose; Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D Major; Tan Dun Overture: Dragon and Phoenix from Heaven Earth Mankind; Debussy La Mer. Rossen Milanov, conduct
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| Lang Lang at the Mann |
July 24 2007 |
Yellow River is that rare item, a successful piece of democratic art. But Lang Lang’s histrionics are no substitute for the passion he should communicate through his piano.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart Overture to The Marriage of Figaro, Piano Concerto No. 17 in G Major; Various China Air Suite, Yellow River, concerto for piano and orchestra. Lang Lang, piano; Long Yu, conductor. July 18, 2007 at Mann Music Center. (215) 893-1900 or
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| Eschenbach vs. Milanov |
July 07 2007 |
When Milanov conducted the Shostakovich, I realized it was a perfect expression of the feelings I associate with the quiet, sober veterans I met immediately after World War II. I didn’t hear any of that in Eschenbach’s performance.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Higdon Concerto for Orchestra, Beethoven Symphony Number Nine. Arianna Zukerman, soprano; Jennifer Hines, mezzo-soprano; Stephen Tharp, tenor; Stephen Powell, baritone; Philadelphia Singers Chorale; Ro
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| Milanov vs. Eschenbach |
July 07 2007 |
When Milanov conducted the Shostakovich, I realized it was a perfect expression of the feelings I associate with the quiet, sober veterans I met immediately after World War II. I didn’t hear any of that in Eschenbach’s performance.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Higdon Concerto for Orchestra, Beethoven Symphony Number Nine. Arianna Zukerman, soprano; Jennifer Hines, mezzo-soprano; Stephen Tharp, tenor; Stephen Powell, baritone; Philadelphia Singers Chorale; Ro
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| Orchestra’s ‘Best Of…’ concerts |
June 26 2007 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s “Best of...” concerts were obviously designed to attract people who aren’t familiar with the Orchestra’s wares. Rossen Milanov gave them useful guides when he talked, and the real unadulterated stuff when he conducted. And yes, he did indeed crowd a portrait of Beethoven’s development into a single evening.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Best of Mozart, Best of Beethoven, Best of Tchaikovsky. Excerpts from works b
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| Center City Opera’s ‘Dorian Gray’ (2nd review) |
June 19 2007 |
The Picture of Dorian Gray is over a century old, but it’s a story that speaks to modern audiences. It will probably seem even more relevant as life spans continue to lengthen and medical progress continues to reduce the effects of aging.
Lowell Liebermann’s The Picture of Dorian Gray. Jorge Garza (Dorian Gray), Jason Switzer (Lord Henry), Megan Marie Hart (Sibyl Vane), Richard Ziebarth (Basil Hallward), Joseph Specter (James Vane). An
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| Lyric Fest’s ‘Once Upon a Time’ |
May 22 2007 |
There’s nothing like the sound of a classically trained, unamplified voice singing at full power at the end of your pew, a few feet from your ear. It’s something every child of the Stereo Age should experience at least once.
“Once Upon a Time.” Lyric Fest, with Youngjo An, Amerew Cummings, Suzanne DuPlantis, Mega Day-Toth, Jeffrey Halili, Randi Marrazzo, Sheryl Woods, vocalists; Laura Ward, piano; Jake Miller and Yes!…And Studio, The Motet
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| Music Group’s ‘Winging Wildly’ |
May 22 2007 |
Second hearings are actually rarer than premieres. Most music organizations are happy to schedule a premiere now and then. Repeat performances are less glamorous.
“Winging Wildly: Music for Chamber Chorus.” Mechem’s Winging Wildly, Convery’s Israfel; Copland’s In the Beginning. Music Group of Philadelphia; Sean Deibler conducting; Janice Fiore, soprano; Terence Belzer, oboe. May 18, 2007 at Trinity Center for Urban
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| A trio of violin concerts |
April 28 2007 |
The Philadelphia Orchestra, Orchestra 2001 and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia inadvertently present an unplanned three-concert violin festival, covering the Western tradition of violin music from 1733 to sometime around ten p.m. EDT on April 14, 2007.
Orchestra 2001: Clearfield Romanza for Violin and Orchestra with Gloria Justin; James Freeman conducting. April 14 2007 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Sts. 215-922-2190 or Lyric Fest's 'American Poets in Song' |
April 24 2007 |
The Lyric Fest song series surveys the huge library of songs based on American poetry created by American composers. Every selection met my primary test for song settings: The music always added something extra to the words.
Lyric Fest: American Poets in Song. Timothy Bentch, Suzanne DuPlantis, Leslie Johnson, Randi Marrazzo, Randall Scarlata, Elizabeth Weigle, Paul Sperry, vocalists; Laura Ward, piano. April 15, 2007 at First Presbyterian Church, 21st and Walnut.
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| Vox Ama Deus performs Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ |
April 21 2007 |
Verdi’s Requiem was a good choice for a Good Friday tribute to the fallen of Iraq and Afghanistan, but it’s also a piece that moved Vox Ama Deus out of its normal range of the Renaissance, Baroque and Classical periods.
Verdi Requiem. Vox Ama Deus: Tatyana Galitskaya, soprano; Tatyana Rashkovsky, mezzo-soprano; Kenneth Garner, tenor; Ed Bara, bass; Valentin Radu, conductor. April 6, 2007, at Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center. (610) 688-2800 o
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| Philomel and Piffaro do the Hapsburgs and Louis XI |
April 10 2007 |
Most history texts will tell you the Hapsburgs married their way to the top. But how many historians could play the music composed for one of those marriages?
Philomel: “The Princess and the Flea: A New Look at Music and Manners in the Court of Louis XIV.” March 23, 2007 at Christ Church, Second and Market Sts. (215) 487-2344 or www.philomel.org.
Piffaro and Parthena: Music by Or
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| Beaux Arts Trio plays Schubert and Shostakovich |
April 10 2007 |
The opening of Schubert’s Notturno did everything it’s supposed to; the opening of Shostakovich’s Second Piano Trio didn’t. You can’t play Shostakovich’s music if you can’t work your way into the tensions that harry a creative artist trapped in a society dominated by the tragedies of war and the whims of a capricious tyrant.
Beaux Arts Trio: Schubert Notturno, Shostakovich Piano Trio No. 2 in E Minor, Turnage A Slow Pav
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| Abramovic and Stillman at Bach Festival |
March 31 2007 |
Charles Abramovic soothed most of my biases in favor of historical instruments when he accompanied flutist Mimi Stillman during the Bach festival. I don’t make a fuss about the instrumentation when music of this quality is played by musicians of this caliber, with a full understanding of the issues raised by modern instruments.
Bach Works for Flute. Mimi Stillman, flute; Charles Abramovic, piano. March 17, 2007 at First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut Street.
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| AVA’s ‘Jubilate!’ |
March 22 2007 |
An unexpected bit of jubilation opens Jubilate!, the annual program of religious music presented by the Academy of Vocal Arts. But the finale raises questions. Can we listen to a contemporary song about the Second Coming in the same way we listen to a 19th-Century setting of the Latin Mass?
Jubilate!: Rossini’s Stabat Mater, other works. AVA Resident Artists soloists, New Jersey MasterChoir, David Anthony Lofton conductor. March 11, 2007 at Chu
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| Orchestra 2001 and New Philadelphia Classical Symphony |
March 13 2007 |
Do these settings add anything to the poems? In this case, the answer is a definite yes. Luis Prado’s music has the same impact as a reading by a good actor.
Orchestra 2001: Kim, Three Poems in French; Prado, Two Poems of Joan Hutton Landis (Jodie Karin Applebaum. Soprano). Ligeti, Violin Concerto (Jennifer Koh, violin, James Freeman, conductor). February 25, 2007 AT Annenberg Center, 3680 Walnut St. (215) 922-2190 or Guide to Philadelphia music groups |
March 11 2007 |
These days Philadelphia abounds in serious music groups. How is a music lover of limited time and budget supposed to sort them out? Our highly opinionated critic, Tom Purdom, takes a stab at that challenge in the guide that follows. Bookmark this guide, or print it out and stick it on your refrigerator for quick reference, and your musical life is likely to become infinitely richer.
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| A cornucopia of “new” classical music |
February 17 2007 |
Contrary to popular belief, we classical music lovers don’t spend our evenings listening to Beethoven’s Fifth over and over again, night after night. Consider the banquet of “old” musical novelties I consumed this past month.
Dolce Suono: Schulhoff Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass with Mimi Stillman, Burchard Tang, Emilio Gravagno. January 24, 2007 at Rosenwald Gallery, Van Pelt Dietrich Library, University of Pennsylvania. 215-898-7088 or
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| Kim and Denk play Charles Ives |
January 27 2007 |
Soovin Kim and Jeremy Denk have never sung hymns in church or attended a Protestant revival. Yet they played the sonatas with the understanding of people who carried 19th Century New England in their genes. Perhaps we American have more of a common culture than we sometimes think.
Philadelphia Chamber Music Society: Four violin sonatas by Charles Ives. Soovin Kim, violin; Jeremy Denk, piano. January 18, 2007 at Fleisher Art Memorial, 719 Catherine St. 215-569-8080 or
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| The Orchestra plays ‘Lady Macbeth’ |
January 20 2007 |
Have you ever heard the Shostakovich opera Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District? Neither have I. But James Conlon’s performance of his suite from that work was one of the events of the season.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Mozart Overture to The Impresario; Mozart Piano Concerto No. 21 in C Major with Jonathan Bliss; Shostakovich/Conlon Suite from Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District. James Conlon conducting. January 11, 2007 at Verizon Hal
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| Conductors Marin Alsop and JoAnn Falletta |
January 20 2007 |
Instead of scouring the globe for a music director with a big reputation, the Philadelphia Orchestra might do well to look at promising young talent closer to home. Two such prospects recently passed this reviewer’s test with flying colors— both of them women.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Wagner Prelude to Act 1 of Tristan and Isolde; Harbison Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra with Harold Robinson; Copland Symphony No. 3. Marin Alsop conducting. January 9, 2
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| Maneval improves on Brahms |
January 05 2007 |
The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society’s first public performance of Philip Maneval’s variation on a Brahms trio was one of the big moments in my decades of concertgoing. If you like the Brahms, you will like the Maneval because it exudes the same poetry and passion, plus something more: Unlike Brahms, Maneval makes the horn an equal partner.
Trio for Piano, Violin and French Horn,
by Philip Maneval. Thomas Sauer,
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