Steve Smith
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Yale in New York: "The Classical Legacy of Benny Goodman" at Zankel HallThe New York Times, September 29, 2009 Kudos to all the fine clarinetists who participated in this fun, lively program. And I'm just going to come right out and say this: Romie de Guise-Langlois — remember the name. Not that I remembered having…
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For St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble, 'Trout' and Rain in Bryant ParkThe New York Times ArtsBeat, September 29, 2009 Shortest concert I've ever reviewed. For a complete schedule of what's in store at the Bryant Park Fall Festival this week and next—including presentations by Bargemusic, Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera—go here.
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The International Contemporary Ensemble and the Talea Ensemble at RouletteThe New York Times, September 28, 2009 Most of the pieces by composer Mario Diaz de León detailed in this review — and one more piece I omitted due to space concerns, 2.20 for string trio and electronics — are included on his excellent new CD,…
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"Embracing the Orchestra as Alive"The New York Times, September 27, 2009 An article about Magnus Lindberg, recently appointed the composer in residence at the New York Philharmonic. It's nearly always impossible to summarize the entirety of an interview in a print article, no matter how ample the allotted space (and this was indeed spacious, by…
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Album review: Andrew ByrneWhite Bone CountryStephen Gosling, piano; David Shively, percussionNew World RecordsTime Out New York, September 24–30, 2009(Amazon, ArkivMusic) Stephen Gosling and David Shively will be playing selections from White Bone Country on Sunday, September 27 at (Le) Poisson Rouge. Completing a most complementary program are Peter Garland's Peñasco Blanco and two pieces by…
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The Voxare String Quartet and the NeoLit Ensemble at the TankThe New York Times, September 21, 2009 Here's my review of the first concert in the Ear Heart Music series, a new programming initiative at The Tank in Hell's Kitchen, curated by flutist Amelia Lukas of the NeoLit Ensemble—which, you might remember, I reviewed once…
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As is frequently the case, I return to this blog in a state of utter exhaustion, and as usual that mostly has to do with my extensive work load. I won't bother you with the minutiae, except to say that a 24-continuous-hour stretch of work was involved. Near the end, I think it took me…
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Trey Anastasio with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie HallThe New York Times, September 14, 2009 Tomorrow's news, today! Short of blogging, this is the fastest anything of mine has ever been published. (Amazingly, audio and video recordings reached the web even faster.)
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(photograph by Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times) "Out of School, Into the Nightclubs"The New York Times, September 13, 2009 My contribution to the annual "New Season" roundup in the Times is a brief piece about a new working collaboration among (Le) Poisson Rouge, Carnegie Hall and the Juilliard School. The benefits on all sides…
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Emmeline at the Dicapo Opera TheaterThe New York Times, September 12, 2009
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Nico Muhly, Thomas Bartlett and Sam Amidon at Miller TheatreThe New York Times, September 12, 2009
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"Haydn Recordings: A Legacy Reconsidered"The New York Times, September 11, 2009 As I've stated on several previous occasions, as a New York Times reader I always enjoyed the record-roundup features the paper has run for composers' birthdays and other auspicious occasions. For the last three years I've also enjoyed the privilege of contributing to those…
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In which your humble narrator resists alt-rock media kingpin Matt Pinfield's attempt to force alterations in the Top 20 Rock Songs list I painstakingly compiled for a Labor Day Weekend countdown on WRXP-FM. Cinema verité at its pithiest. The station posted the results of its "Definitive 1019" listener survey, and I'm only vaguely surprised to…
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Fall and all attendant memoriesCrowd the day with unrelated historiesEach year leaves its unresolving fantasiesTo hang around each cornerHang around each street. Thick with ghosts, the wind whips round in circuitriesCarrying words as strangers exchange pleasantriesDo they intrude upon your private reveriesAs they meet you on each cornerMeet you on each street. Watch for daily…
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Andrea Bocelli with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie HallThe New York Times, September 10, 2009
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Native sonGotham-born maestro Alan Gilbert takes up the reins at the New York PhilharmonicTime Out New York, September 10–16, 2009
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Every Tuesday morning I make a brief appearance on 101.9 RXP, a local radio station that serves up a remarkably fresh mix of classic rock, alternative rock and contemporary hits. You're probably familiar with the station's morning-show host, Matt Pinfield, essentially the face of alternative rock on MTV during the late 1990s as the host…
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The Chelsea Symphony at BargemusicThe New York Times, August 24, 2009 I've nothing to add except… yummmm, ice cream.
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Bard Music Festival: Wagner and His World at Bard CollegeThe New York Times, August 17, 2009 There are two things I omitted from this Bard Music Festival review that I wish I'd said, and one thing I wish I'd had space to elaborate upon. So, in order… First: I wanted to mention, but just plain…
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"It's Her Turn to Call the Tune"The New York Times, August 14, 2009(photograph by Ángel Franco) A brief article about Melissa Smey, the new executive director of the Miller Theatre at Columbia University, one of New York's most significant musical institutions. Melissa is no newcomer to Miller, having served as the venue's general manager since…
Night After Night 