I enjoyed last season’s recital at Alice Tully Hall by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, which I reviewed for Classical Source. This season’s recital on the big stage at Carnegie Hall was even more satisfying.
Category Archives: Blog
This section contains news, updates and oress releases about our company.
Sergiu Luca, 1943-2010
Another passing, this one of an enterprising violinist and festival impressario. Allan Kozinn at the NY Times has the details.
In Which the New York Times catches up with me
Allan Kozinn’s review of the fine Talea Ensemble’s Monday evening all-Boulez program in today’s Times is well worth a look, but I couldn’t help but chuckle when I read the headline. I was saying the same thing a decade ago.
Hughes Cuénod, 1902-2010
He lived to the amazing age of 108 — and made his critically-acclaimed MET debut when he was 85! He was an early music revivalist whose repertoire also included songs by Noel Coward. Read Margalit Fox’s obituary from the New York Times. UPDATE: The post on Cuenod at Classical Iconoclast will bring a smile — guaranteed!
Sunday Arts and Leisure: Passings, Panic, and Puccini
Here’s a heads-up to three Sunday reads from the New York Times: Continue reading Sunday Arts and Leisure: Passings, Panic, and Puccini
Rachel Rocks the House (okay, the barge)
Rachel Barton Pine brought both her daring approach to programming and dynamic artistic personality to a demanding program of solo violin music last night at Bargemusic.
Peter Hofmann, 1944-2010
Tenor Peter Hofmann started his musical career as a rock singer, and switched to opera, showing enough talent to be one of Bayreuth’s busiest heldentenors during the late 1970s and 1980s and make 29 appearances at the Metropolitan Opera. He even looked like both Siegfried and the frontman in a heavy metal hair band. When his voice began to show some strain in the late 1980s, he left opera and became the German-speaking world’s definitive Phantom of the Opera, bringing gravitas, electricity, and a strongly expressive voice to the title character in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s cheesy musical. Margalit Fox has a detailed obituary at nytimes.com.
Grisey Kid Stuff
My review of the New York Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble’s terrific Saturday evening concert at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was posted to Classical Source yesterday, but I wanted to add a few personal observations here.
Turmoil in Detroit Having Nothing to Do with the Auto Industry
Go read the Guardian‘s Ed Pilkington on the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s continuing strike.
American piano company CEO pleads guilty to smuggling ivory into US
Pascal Vieillard, CEO of Atlanta-based A-440 Pianos Inc., has entered a guilty plea after having been charged with violating the Lacey Act by smuggling elephant ivory, an internationally protected commodity, into the US. The ivory was concealed in (not so carefully) hidden compartments inside furniture and supply crates. Atlanta Business Chronicle has the details.