Music
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Page 189
Kim and Denk play Charles Ives
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
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
Articles
3 minute read
The Orchestra plays "Lady Macbeth'
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
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
Articles
4 minute read
Conductors Marin Alsop and JoAnn Falletta
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
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
Articles
7 minute read
Eschenbach conducts Vivaldi and Bruckner
Vivaldi and Bruckner don’t jibe at all; they represent not only different styles but different sonic universes. This is why programming is best left to music directors. But if the Bruckner Ninth is the standard by which Eschenbach’s successors are measured, their work is cut out for them.
Philadelphia Orchestra: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony. Christoph Eschenbach conducting. Jan. 17-20 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-
Philadelphia Orchestra: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony. Christoph Eschenbach conducting. Jan. 17-20 at Verizon Hall. (215) 893-
Articles
4 minute read
The Orchestra's loopy substitution
The Philadelphia Orchestra is substituting Vivaldi’s inappropriately cheerful Four Seasons for Mahler’s neurotic Kindertotenlieder. What on earth were they thinking?
Peter Gelb: Fresh Air At The Met
Peter Gelb, the Metropolitan Opera’s new general manager, is bound and determined to reach new audiences. Which explains how I wound up, on a recent Saturday afternoon, watching a live telecast of a Met performance of The Magic Flute at a movie theater in Neshaminy Mall. On the basis of this evidence, Gelb is off to an impressive start.
Articles
9 minute read
Maneval improves on Brahms
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,
Trio for Piano, Violin and French Horn,
by Philip Maneval. Thomas Sauer,
Articles
4 minute read
Why classical audiences don't boo
Why are classical concert audiences so much more staid than their operatic counterparts? The answer may lie in the difference between a church service and a battle of gladiators at the Roman Coliseum.
Why opera audiences boo
Why are opera singers so touchy and opera audiences so rowdy? Blame it on the instrument— the human voice— and the art form. Opera audiences are a lot like opera itself— that is, lacking in subtlety and excessively emotional.
Articles
9 minute read
What was Mozart thinking?
Throughout his life Mozart remained basically clueless when it came to understanding other people’s musical capabilities or perceptions. Beethoven’s struggles endowed him with empathy for the lesser musicians who performed his pieces. But was Mozart capable of intentionally writing an easy piece? I don’t think so.