Music
1928 results
Page 170
Sonata-form, Part 9: The augmented sixth
Sonata-form, Part 9: Beethoven's miraculous device, the augmented sixth
In Part 9 of his series on sonata-form, Dan Coren discusses one of the most sophisticated devices available in the toolkit of classical harmony: “For me, hearing a dominant seventh become an augmented sixth is one of the miracles of the natural world, something akin to seeing a chameleon change color.”
Simone Dinnerstein: A concert not to miss
Advance notice: Simone Dinnerstein in full flower
The young pianist Simone Dinnerstein makes a practice of playing complicated works and making them look easy.
Center City Opera's "ConNEXTions' (2nd review)
Operas that ought to be musicals
Center City Opera Theatre performed parts of three new operas at the recent Philadelphia Fringe Festival. It's an estimable service, but I wonder whether these works stand a chance for future performances.
Articles
4 minute read
Critic's music picks for 2008-09
A few highly personal selections from a coming musical season that encompasses six hundred years of styles and passions.
Articles
3 minute read
Center City Opera Theater's "ConNEXTions'
From an initial stack of more than 100 submissions, Center City Opera Theater selected three pieces that best presented “new work, new artists,” while building “new audiences.” I can’t speak for the 97 rejected short operas, but on the basis of "ConNEXTions," I’d say contemporary opera faces a tough sledding ahead.
“ConNEXTions.” The Golden Gate: music by Conrad Cummings. Fade: music by Stefan Weisman, libre
“ConNEXTions.” The Golden Gate: music by Conrad Cummings. Fade: music by Stefan Weisman, libre
Articles
6 minute read
Fringe Festival: ""¦And Piano Make Three'
Philip Seward’s short one-act opera serializes the love triangle between a pianist, his girlfriend and… his piano. If only the lyrics had lived up to this unusual idea and Seward’s pleasing melodic lines.
…And Piano Make Three. Music by Philip Seward. Through September 6, 2008 at Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. (215) 925-9914 or www.livearts-fringe.org/2008/det
…And Piano Make Three. Music by Philip Seward. Through September 6, 2008 at Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St. (215) 925-9914 or www.livearts-fringe.org/2008/det
Articles
1 minute read
The piano teacher's quandary
My daughter, myself
God gave my daughter a professional pianist for a mother. But she detested her lessons. If I forced her to continue, maybe one day she’d thank me. Then again, she might hate me— and the instrument— forever. What to do? I, the holder of a doctorate from Juilliard, was clueless in this area of mothering.
Articles
6 minute read
Prokofiev festival at Bard College
Searching for classical music in the summertime? Philadelphia is a certifiable wasteland, but challenging repertory can be found in the hinterlands of New York and New England, as Leon Botstein’s ten-concert series at Bard College, “Prokofiev and His World,” recently demonstrated.
“Sergei Prokofiev and His World.” Weekends through October 25, 2008 at Bard Music Festival, Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.
“Sergei Prokofiev and His World.” Weekends through October 25, 2008 at Bard Music Festival, Sosnoff Theater, Richard B. Fisher Center, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, N.Y.
Articles
6 minute read
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Frank Zappa's prophecy
An unexpected and much needed musical kick in the pants stimulates Dan Coren to revisit one of the great musical artifacts of the 1960s: Frank Zappa’s “Trouble Comin’ Every Day.”
Nicole Atkins on the cusp
Nicole Atkins writes her own material, and her best compositions are ambitious and demanding in terms of range. But given the absurdly fragmented, modern music scene, she’s in danger of being lost in the shuffle.
Articles
4 minute read