American Symphony Orchestra, by Hiroyuki Ito

American Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall, November 17, 2013
The New York Times, Nov. 19, 2013

The other of my two reviews that ran on November 19. Another satisfying outing with the A.S.O., and maybe the first review in which I came right out and said that anyone still getting hung up on specifics of Leon Botstein's conducting technique is missing the point. I don't care to think about a world in which Botstein and his players aren't around to provide an alternative to the standard-issue orchestral program.

Seriously: solid performances of well-chosen works you're unlikely to hear anywhere else, plus terrific, charismatic soloists. What's not to admire?