Music

1916 results
Page 134
Urioste: Block out the audience.

Chamber Orchestra plays Faure, Mendelssohn and Beethoven

When everything clicks into place

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.
Tom Purdom

Tom Purdom

Articles 4 minute read
Costello (left) and Pérez: An improbable virgin.

OCP's high-fashion "Roméo et Juliette' (1st review)

Gounod goes Prada

Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, generally well sung in a noisy production originating in Italy, works best when the principals themselves hold the stage. Unfortunately, its visual elements too often pre-empt the music.
Robert Zaller

Robert Zaller

Articles 3 minute read

St. Lawrence Quartet at the Perelman

Fewer contortions, more intensity

The St. Lawrence Quartet played beautifully, albeit like a group of hyperactive teenagers. If there was a flaw in their performance of Mozart's G Minor String Quartet, it was, ironically, their subtle lack of intensity.
Dan Coren

Dan Coren

Articles 5 minute read
Costello, Pérez: Impossible love?

Can real-life opera marriages survive?

Is that your heart or your ego? Or: Operatic marriages, pro and con

The trials of Verdi's Violetta or Puccini's Tosca are child's play next to the challenge of holding an operatic marriage together. Ailyn Pérez and Stephen Costello, currently appearing in Roméo et Juliette, are the latest to try. Wish them well.

Diana Burgwyn

Articles 6 minute read
I was about to give up on Babbitt (above), when it all came together.

How I learned to love Milton Babbitt

Milton Babbitt's ultimate message: Stop trying to hold on

Audiences didn't understand Milton Babbitt's music. For a long time, I didn't, either. But as he would say, who understands particle physics? For that matter, who understands James Joyce?
Kile Smith

Kile Smith

Articles 4 minute read
Menotti (center) with Eugene Ormandy and Efrem Zimbalist at Curtis, 1952: Is popularity a crime?

Menotti Centenary concert at Curtis

Will the real Menotti please stand up?

The late composer Gian-Carlo Menotti was so prolific, gregarious and commercial that serious music critics often dismissed his work. But the “best of Menotti” excerpts assembled for his Centenary concert sounded better than the original operas. What he needed, apparently, was a good curator.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 4 minute read
Beckmann: A much-abused instrument.

Vox Amadeus: all-Vivaldi concert

Hold the entrée, bring on the hors d'oeuvres

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.
Tom Purdom

Tom Purdom

Articles 3 minute read
Pantano: Pleasant surprise.

Concert Operetta's "Remembering Romberg' (2nd review)

Why Sigmund Romberg succeeded (and why he's been forgotten)

Some critics find Sigmund Romberg's exotic operettas schmaltzy and outdated. I disagree, and the recent production of Romberg highlights by the Concert Operetta Theater reinforced my feeling.
Steve Cohen

Steve Cohen

Articles 3 minute read
Rottsolk: Ideal choice.

Tempesta di Mare's Roman holiday

Rome, with a touch of Casablanca

Tempesta di Mare recreates the musical pleasures of Baroque Roman drawing rooms in a promising new venue: the Arch Street Meeting House.
Tom Purdom

Tom Purdom

Articles 3 minute read
Fernandez: The words matter.

Concert Operetta's "Remembering Romberg' (1st review)

When Sigmund stood his ground

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.
Tom Purdom

Tom Purdom

Articles 3 minute read