Music
1939 results
Page 150
Three Finns and Liszt, by the Orchestra
A Finn's fresh take on Sibelius
The Sibelius Second Symphony is almost the Philadelphia Orchestra's signature piece, but visiting conductor Osmo Vänskä brought a refreshing perspective. The program also included the local premiere of Kalevi Aho's busy Minea, and a fine-tooled performance of the Liszt Second Piano Concerto by young French soloist Jean-Frédéric Neuburger.
Articles
4 minute read
Jasmine Choi flute recital
Between East and West
The impressive young flutist Jasmine Choi explores the border between East and West and invades the empire of the Great Romantics.
Articles
4 minute read
Reich, Glass and Bryars at Annenberg
Steve Reich, forever young
The Zellerbach's dry acoustics and a battery of mirambas and xylophones almost swamped the Philadelphia Singers' delivery of Steve Reich's You Are. And I loved every minute of it.
Marcantonio Barone piano recital
Barone's cast of keyboard characters
Barone's exceptionally vivid and smart playing pulled a diverse program together, with music that sprang to life as if the composers were all vivacious and engaging guests at a really good party (even if one or two of them might have had too much to drink).
Articles
3 minute read
Lyric Fest's "Tchaikovsky: A Biography in Music'
He wrote songs, too
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.
Articles
3 minute read
Orchestra's odd couple: Brahms and Shostakovich
What Dutoit doesn't understand about Shostakovich (or Brahms)
There's nothing wrong with hearing the Brahms Violin Concerto and Shostakovich's 11th Symphony, as in last week's Orchestra performances. They just don't inhabit the same musical universe.
Articles
6 minute read
Tan Dun's "Tea' by the Opera Company (3rd review)
Turandot meets The Ring
The music of Tea is both an aural and a visual delight, and the Opera Company's staging offered moments of flawless beauty. Alas, composer Tan Dun has been fiddling with his opera since its debut in 2002, and it's lost some of its subtleties.
Articles
3 minute read
Bellini's "Sleepwalker' by Curtis Opera
Magnificent surprises
Curtis Opera's unstaged production of Bellini's The Sleepwalker featured terrific choruses and a first-rank soprano in Elizabeth Reiter. Would that some staged operas worked as well.
Articles
2 minute read
Tan Dun's "Tea' by the Opera Company (2nd review)
The sound of water, wind and fire
I wouldn't go out of my way to see Tan Dun's Tea: A Mirror of the Soul for its story. But its music is tantalizing and provocative.
Articles
3 minute read
Orchestra's new season (good news)
The Orchestra's good news (for a change)
The Philadelphia Orchestra's newly announced 2010-2011 season is the most attractive I have seen in years, a felicitous blend of standard repertory and new music.