Steve Smith
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Frustrating to be posting an ostensibly timely feature a day late, but life and work sometimes collude to prevent free time. On the other hand, curiously enough, I hadn't made note of any particular events for Monday or Tuesday — go figure. My agenda for The New York Times this week is lively and diverse,…
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The New Silence aims to further specify and articulate the site of an event by manually adjusting the background noise during a performance situation, redefining the threshold of silence, thus revealing the new silence. Sounds from everyday life in the urban surroundings as well as from the building itself are examined and re-contextualized; one hears…
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Trinity Choir, by Tina Fineberg for The New York Times Trinity Choir at Trinity Wall Street, March 9, 2014The New York Times, Mar. 12, 2014 A very impressive new concert series is underway at historic Trinity Church: six concerts (not five, as I erroneously reported at first) running each Sunday afternoon through April 13. You…
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A week of big orchestral concerts ahead for coverage in The New York Times, and, as ever, plenty that I'd like to see were sleeplessness (well, additional sleeplessness) or cloning available options. Wednesday, March 12: New York PhilharmonicAvery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center; 7:30pm; $39–$59 Alan Gilbert and the Phil continue the outstanding cycle of Carl…
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Shared on Facebook by Larry Appelbaum, here's a video I've never seen before: a documentary about Ornette Coleman's 1966 Parisian trek to record the soundtrack for Who's Crazy? with bassist David Izenson and drummer Charles Moffett. Happy 84th birthday, Ornette, with profound thanks for the music and its message.
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We had already agreed in principle that the entire structure of the piece would be derived from Mozart’s 40th Symphony, and that obviously, “White Metal” should carry a variation of the concept “Black Metal” and the term “white noise”.—Miguel Prado Having declared last week in my initial Wandelwatching post that this series of essays is…
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Talea Ensemble at the Austrian Cultural Forum, March 4, 2014The New York Times, March 6, 2014 My report on a Talea Ensemble performance at the Austrian Cultural Forum New York, one of many fruitful intersections between those two important institutions. Since there was no Times photographer on hand, I've chosen an older video of Talea's…
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Nicholas Phillips Classical Playlist: Stephanie Blythe, Eva-Maria Houben, Nicholas Phillips and MoreNew York Times ArtsBeat, March 5, 2014 My contributions: HOUBEN: ‘Lost in Dreams — Works for Piano’ Eva-Maria Houben, pianist (Edition Wandelweiser) ‘AMERICAN VERNACULAR — NEW MUSIC FOR SOLO PIANO’ Nicholas Phillips (New Focus Recordings) CAMPBELL: ‘Things You Already Know’ Christopher Campbell and ensemble…
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After more than a month off the beat—and after a quiet soft-start (in multiple senses) with the very impressive opening event of the new series Music for Contemplation last Saturday night—I'm finally heading back out into concert life. There are three events on my agenda this week: two on assignment for The New York Times,…
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Robert Fripp – Exposure (DGM) Zachary James Watkins – Moveable (Cassauna) Heat Sureens – I Am Just a Pupil (Light Tapes) Grateful Dead – Dave's Picks, Vol. 9: Harry Adams Field House, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, May 14, 1974 (Grateful Dead) Heldon – Allez Teia (Cuneiform) Craig Shepard – On Foot: Brooklyn (Edition Wandelweiser)…
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Eva-Maria Houben Silence in music was not the cessation of sound, or even a gesture: it was a different sound, one with more density than those sounds made by instruments.—Michael Pisaro If my social-media communities are any indication, Wandelweiser is finally arriving here in New York City. Formed in 1992 by composers Antoine Beuger and Burkhard…
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King Crimson – Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium, June 28, 1996 (DGMLive) King Crimson – Congresgebouw, Den Haag, Netherlands, June 29, 1996 (DGMLive) Ryoko Akama – Code of Silence (Melange Edition) Morton Feldman – Triadic Memories; Howard Skempton – Notte stellate a Vagli – John Tilbury (Atopos) King Crimson – Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, England,…
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King Crimson – Petofi Csamok, Budapest, Hungary, June 19, 1996 (DGMLive) King Crimson – Fiera Milano, Milano, Italy, June 21, 1996 (DGMLive) Nickel Creek – A Dotted Line (Nonesuch; due April 1) King Crimson – Arena Alpe Adria, Lignano, Italy, June 22, 1996 (DGMLive) King Crimson – Tenda Partenope, Naples, Italy, June 24, 1996 (DGMLive)…
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A comprehensive list of the recordings I've covered in Classical Playlist on The New York Times ArtsBeat blog since the series started on November 6, 2013, in reverse chronological order. I've listed only my own contributions here; click on each header for the complete ArtsBeat post. Classical Playlist: George Antheil, Haydn, Sibelius and MoreMarch 19,…
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Classical Playlist: Jenny Lin, Joshua Rubin, David Aladashvili and MoreThe New York Times ArtsBeat, February 19, 2014 My contributions: ‘THERE NEVER IS NO LIGHT’ Joshua Rubin, clarinetist; Cory Smythe, pianist (Tundra/New Focus) PAINE: Orchestral Works Ulster Orchestra, conducted by JoAnn Falletta (Naxos) WORTHINGTON: ‘Even the Light Itself Falls’ ensemble et cetera (Populist; available via Bandcamp)…
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Classical Playlist: Danish String Quartet, Thomas Meglioranza, Gidon Kremer and MoreThe New York Times ArtsBeat, February 12, 2014 My contribution: ‘THE GOOD SONG’ Thomas Meglioranza, baritone; Reiko Uchida, pianist (self-released; available via CD Baby)
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Inscape*, by Jennifer White-Johnson Classical Playlist: Andrew Parrott, Jeroen Van Veen, Ildar Abdrazakov and MoreThe New York Times ArtsBeat, February 5, 2014 My contributions: ‘SPRUNG RHYTHM’ Inscape*; Abigail Lennox, soprano (Sono Luminus) MONTSALVATGE: ‘Madrigal’ and Other Works Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Tim Fain, violinist; Perspectives Ensemble, conducted by Angel Gil-Ordoñez(Naxos)
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Suzanne Ciani Having taken 2013 off to venture into world domination elsewhere around the globe, the Unsound Festival plants its flag anew in New York City in early April. I wrote about this groundbreaking Polish fest and its founder, Mat Schulz, for The New York Times in 2010, so I'll refer you to that article…
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Oskar Merikanto, "Annina"Lyrics by Daniel FallströmJorma Hynninen, baritone; Ralf Gothóni, pianofrom Best of Merikanto (Finlandia) Annina, viel' valvotko, kulta, Annina,tulen luoksesi venhollain,tulen luoksesi venhollain.Ei taloista välky nyt tultacanalezza se loistavi vain, se vain. Annina, ma hiljalleen soudan Annina,niin kevyt on aironi tää,niin kevyt on aironi tää,vaikk' äitisi valvois, sun noudan,hän venhett' ei kuule, ei nää,…
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King Crimson – Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany, June 5, 1996 (DGMLive) King Crimson – Congress Hall, Warsaw, Poland, June 7, 1996 (DGMLive) King Crimson – Tanzbrunnen, Cologne, June 9, 1996 (DGMLive) King Crimson – Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany, June 10, 1996 (DGMLive) King Crimson – Meistersingerhalle, Nurnberg, Germany, June 11, 1996 (DGMLive) King Crimson – Westfalenpark,…
Night After Night 