Just back from a brief but thoroughly enjoyable concert by Ne(x)tworks, a new music ensemble that deserves more attention.
Category Archives: Blog
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Terfel/Martineau @ Carnegie Hall
My review of their terrific recital at Carnegie Hall can be found at Classical Source.
Shining a Little Sunlight in the Berkshires
Just a few miles south of the town in which I grew up, and a little north of Tanglewood and Berkshire County’s summer “Theater District,” the largest solar power plant in New England is going online not far from where General Electric used to be the region’s powerhouse employer. You can read about the project (via AP) at what I still lovingly call the Berkshire Bird (with more local perspective from last week here).
Midori / Gilbert / NYPhil @ Carnegie
The program: Beethoven and Adams. My review is up at Classical Source.
Henryk Górecki, 1933-2010
I first became familiar with his music via the Erato LP cited in Allan Kozinn’s NY Times obit.
LA Phil Jumps on Theatercast Bandwagon
The NY Times’ ever-vigilant Daniel Wakin has the details. I can’t see the proliferation of theatercasting as anything but a good thing, despite the fact that multimiking gives you nothing resembling the acoustical experience of the “real thing”. On the other hand, if the engineering is half as good as the “forest of mikes” approach used for the video release of Dudamel’s debut as LA Phil music director on DG — which sounded like an old Decca Phase Four session done to astonishingly good effect — I may hav elittle to complain about.
Rudolf Barshai, 1924-2010
The NY Times has not yet posted an obituary for violist and conductor Rudolf Barshai, who died early last week. There are articles on AOL, the Telegraph (London), and Google via Agence-France Presse. And you shouldn’t miss the article in The Globe and Mail (hat tip: Sybille Werner). Barshai had a huge repertoire as both soloist and conductor, and his recordings of the complete Shostakovich symphonies with the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln that were released on Brilliant Classics remain one of the best CD bargains ever, particularly for the late symphonies.
UPDATE: Via Anne Ozorio comes this link to Classical Iconoclast on Barshai’s passing.
UPDATE, 11/10/10: NY Times finally posts their Barshai obit. There’s also a fine tribute by David Nice (along with some streaming music) and commentary on a particularly uplifting recording made by Barshai with a terrific youth orchestra at Classical Iconoclast.
Quick Take — Riverside Symphony @ Alice Tully Hall
An out-of-towner may be led to believe, given press coverage and recording activity, that the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra are the only professional small orchestra action in New York City. This is of course far from the case, and one of the most interesting of the lesser-knowns is the Riverside Symphony, now in its 31st season.
Continue reading Quick Take — Riverside Symphony @ Alice Tully Hall
Shirley Verrett, 1931-2010
Philharmonic Road Trip!
The US Department of the Treasury (yes, these matters fall within their puirview) has green-lighted a Cuba visit by the New York Philharmonic. Daniel Wakin at the NYTimes has the details.