The announced artist for this afternoon’s Peoples’ Symphony Concerts program at New York’s Town Hall was the eminent Hungarian pianist, Radu Lupu. But, alas, Mr. Lupu was ill and had to cancel several concert dates, including this one. In his place, we had a young fellow, Kuok-Wai Lio, in his mid-20s and just starting out on the concert circuit. This recital was undoubtedly a big break for him, and he made the most of it.… <Read More>
Music
Weekend Music in NYC: New York Polyphony & R. Strauss’s “Feuersnot”
Quite a combination, this…. On Saturday evening, I battled through the snow to Columbia University’s St. Paul’s Chapel to hear New York Polyphony present a splendid Christmas season program under the auspices of the Miller Theatre Early Music Series. On Sunday afternoon, it was much less of a battle to get to Carnegie Hall and hear Leon Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra present Richard Strauss’s early, and forgotten, opera, “Feuersnot.”
From the sublime to … <Read More>
The Miraculous Martin Frost with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Last night I attended Orpheus Chamber Orchestra’s second concert in its 2013-14 subscription series at Carnegie Hall, with soloist Martin Frost in the Mozart Clarinet Concerto.
That one-line is enough to communicate that it was a fabulous concert, because Frost is fabulous, and so is Orpheus CO!
I heard Frost play this concerto with the Mostly Mozart Orchestra not too long ago, followed by the same encore he played last night, his brother’s arrangement of … <Read More>
Chelsea Opera’s Lovely “More Songs for My Brother” on December 6
Having responded affirmatively to an invitation from Lynne Hayden-Findlay, the treasurer of Chelsea Opera, to attend their December 6 program and write a review, I am herewith holding up my side of the bargain, having attended last night and greatly enjoyed “More Songs for My Brother.” The brother of the title is the late Nicholas S. Priore, a central New York lawyer and avid participant as singer and actor in musical/theatrical performances, who died tragically … <Read More>
Zinman/Goode/New York Philharmonic on December 5, 2013
Last night I attended the New York Philharmonic’s first presentation of a program that will be repeated on December 6 and 7, led by guest conductor David Zinman with Richard Goode as piano soloist. The program included “Three Studies from Couperin” by Thomas Ades in a first performance by the orchestra, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 18, K. 456, and Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony, Op. 56.
I was surprised that I was not as enthusiastic after the … <Read More>
Current Theater: Metropolitan Opera’s “Rigoletto”; Atlantic Theater Company’s “The Night Alive”; Lincoln Center Theater’s “MacBeth”
Over the past several days I’ve had three intense, but very different, theatrical experiences. On Saturday night, I finally caught up with the Metropolitan Opera’s “new” production of Giuseppe Verdi’s “Rigoletto,” which was introduced last season. Then on Sunday afternoon I attended Atlantic Theater Company’s presentation of the Donmar Warehouse production of Conor McPherson’s “The Night Alive.” Finally, last night, I was at a performance of Shakespeare’s “MacBeth” presented by Lincoln Center Theater. All were … <Read More>
Recent theatrical and concert doings – “Little Miss Sunshine”, Orchestra of St. Luke’s & Ivan Fischer, “And Away We Go”
Last Wednesday I attended a perform of William Finn and James Lapine’s new musical show, “Little Miss Sunshine,” at the Second Stage Theatre off-Broadway. This show as inspired by the movie of the same name from several years back. Mr. Lapine directed. I thought the production was well-designed, given the limitations of the small stage, but I did not think this story was crying out for musical treatment. It seemed more like a play with … <Read More>
From Machaut to Sondheim – A NYC Weekend Cultural Diary
This was a very busy weekend on my concert schedule — actually, an extended weekend since it began on Thursday night — so I have much to report. On Thursday night I was at the New York Philharmonic from a program that included the NYC premiere of Christopher Rouse’s Oboe Concerto, played by the NY Philharmonic’s excellent principal oboe player, Liang Wang. On Friday night I attended “Armida: A Baroque Opera Celebration” presented by New … <Read More>
Busy Culture Week: Kill Your Darlings, A Time to Kill, Peoples’ Symphony Concerts (Borromeo Quartet & Richard Stoltzman), Thor
A little bit of this, a little bit of that…. I already wrote about the Ned Rorem 90th Birthday Concert that I attended on Tuesday night (Nov. 5), but wanted to mention my other expeditions of the week.
On Monday night, I saw “Kill Your Darlings” at Film Society of Lincoln Center. I thoroughly enjoyed this tale based on real events. It focuses on Allen Ginsberg’s first year as a student at Columbia University, and … <Read More>
Ned Rorem 90th Birthday Celebration at NY Festival of Song
Last night the New York Festival of Song saluted Ned Rorem on his 90th birthday year with a special concert at Merkin Hall. I was delighted to be there for the festivities. NYFOS co-director Steven Blier provided informative notes in the program describing the long relationship between Rorem and NYFOS, which has presented special birthday celebration concerts for him several times over the past few decades. All deserved, of course, as Rorem is one of … <Read More>