Music
1916 results
Page 164
AVA's "La Fiamma' (2nd review)
The good old days of witchcraft
The Academy of Vocal Arts presented three performances of Respighi's 1934 opera, La fiamma, that were a treat. Whether this rarely heard opera deserves to be added to the standard repertoire is another question.
Articles
4 minute read
A few words about adventurous programming
So you want adventurous programming? (A reply to Beeri Moalem)
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.
Articles
4 minute read
AVA's "La fiamma' (1st review)
Oh, those sexually repressed women
Ottorino Respighi as an opera composer? Yes, he wrote ten of them, and La fiamma, in a 75th-anniversary concert revival by the Academy of Vocal Arts, showed itself worthy of a place on the international stage.
Articles
4 minute read
Christoph Eschenbach returns
Eschenbach returns— twice, with no hard feelings
Christoph Eschenbach, the former and (by some) lamented music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, returned to take over the city's symphonic January in concerts with the Orchestra and the Curtis Symphony. If he was trying to suggest what Philadelphia has lost with his departure, he mostly made his case.
Articles
7 minute read
Orchestra's biggest problem: Its board
The trouble with the Orchestra: It's the board, not the musicians
Why is the Philadelphia Orchestra stuck in its rut? One spoiler has been obvious over 30 years: a board that cares more about its sovereignty than about what will make the Orchestra the best in its field.
Articles
3 minute read
"Sextet Spectacular' by 1807 & Friends
Reviewing the unreviewable
The latest 1807 & Friends program did everything a good chamber music session is supposed to do. So what else can you say?
Articles
2 minute read
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Diaz, Denk et al at the Perelman
A classical music lover's plea: Can we please try the road less taken?
We all love Brahms, Mozart and Dvorak. Especially for these seasoned musicians, it's much easier to put together a Mozart Piano Quartet that they've all played before than to learn a contemporary piece. But seriously, there are other composers out there.
Articles
5 minute read
Do happy musicians play better?
Do happy musicians play better? (A rejoinder to Dan Rottenberg)
Does it matter whether or not musicians”“ especially musicians in a classical orchestra”“ seem to be personally enjoying the music they're playing? Given a certain level of musical excellence, it's really a very simple question in the end.
Philadelphia Orchestra: The old vs. the new
The 'old' Orchestra and the new
Was the old Ormandy Orchestra of blessed memory superior to today's? The question is really irrelevant. I've found sublime experiences in both. Consider, for example, the contrast between William de Pasquale (old) and Yumi Kendall (new).
Articles
3 minute read
"Freeway Philharmonic': California's freelance musicians
The life of a freelance musician: California vs. Philadelphia
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.
Articles
3 minute read