Steve Smith
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Nonclassical with Gabriel Prokofiev, the Elysian Quartet, Samuel Z. Solomon, the Now Ensemble and more at (Le) Poisson RougeThe New York Times, March 20, 2009
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Laura Karpman's Ask Your Mama! at Carnegie HallThe New York Times, March 18, 2009
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Sarah Cahill: A Sweeter Music at Merkin Concert HallThe New York Times, March 17, 2009 See also Lisa Hirsch's excellent review of a similarly constituted program Cahill recently presented in San Francisco.
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The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie HallThe New York Times, March 16, 2009
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Rusalka at the Metropolitan OperaThe New York Times, March 11, 2009
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The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center at Alice Tully HallThe New York Times, March 10, 2009 It was a treat to finally hear Measha Brueggergosman in person for the first time; that the encounter also brought out-of-the-ordinary music by Poulenc, Satie and Prokofiev, all accompanied by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, was a special bonus.
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Evgeny Kissin at Carnegie HallThe New York Times, March 7, 2009 How is it that I didn't know what a stupendous piece Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat is? Holy smokes. I seldom make requests here, but I'm asking readers who know and care about this piece to recommend their favorite version or versions, and to succinctly…
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The Belcea Quartet at Alice Tully HallThe New York Times, March 6, 2009 Admittedly not one of my snappiest header quips, "Four shadowing" does at least indicate that the Belceas' concert was an unofficial prelude to the deluge that is the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's "Around Prokofiev" series. The Belceas return to Alice…
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[Posted this afternoon on The Volume.] You don’t need us to tell you how much the Bad Plus kicks ass, but we’re still amazed at the frequency with which this combo continues to top itself. TBP’s new disc, For All I Care, breaks ground in a couple of interesting ways. It’s the first time this…
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Most of my local culturati pals know that Elisabeth Vincentelli, my longtime colleague and aesthetic soulmate-cum-sparring partner at TONY (and the diligent blogger behind The Determined Dilettante), flew the coop some weeks ago in order to become the new chief theater critic at the New York Post. Strange and wonderful as that development was, another…
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Daniel Hope: "War and Pieces" at Alice Tully Hall and Donald Berman: "When Brahma Sleeps" at (Le) Poisson RougeThe New York Times, March 3, 2009
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Pinchas Zukerman and Marc Neikrug at the 92nd Street YThe New York Times, February 28, 2009
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Mark Padmore and Imogen Cooper at Alice Tully HallThe New York Times, February 27, 2009 JSU, the always admirable commentator at An Unamplifed Voice, was far less impressed with this concert than I was, raising pertinent points about both performers. His comments about the less attractive features of the new Tully Hall are right on…
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Jennifer Curtis at Weill Recital HallThe New York Times, February 24, 2009 Simply stated, this was one of the gutsiest, most individual recital programs I've ever had the privilege to attend. What made it exciting wasn't just the variety—though that was certainly part of the fun in this violinist's equivalent of hitting for the cycle—but…
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[Posted this afternoon on The Volume] Not many artists can claim as broad a CV as that of Nico Muhly, a young Juilliard-trained composer who has worked with Björk, Antony, Philip Glass, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and many, many others. If you plan to catch Grizzly Bear with the Brooklyn Philharmonic this Saturday, you'll be…
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American Composers Orchestra at Zankel HallThe New York Times, February 23, 2009 In an exciting new development, some of the ACO's recent concerts are now available for streaming at InstantEncore. You can already hear pieces by Anna Clyne, Jonathan Dawe, Charles Mason, Ned McGowan, Dan Trueman, Kamran Ince, Fred Ho, Gregory Spears, Keeril Makan, Clint…
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The New York Philharmonic at Carnegie HallThe New York Times, February 20, 2009 Honest, it's not my fault this time. This was published in Friday's New York Times, but didn't reach the paper's the website until a few moments ago; somehow it got lost in transit, apparently. I actually didn't know that it had run…
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Veronika Eberle and Oliver Schnyder at Weill Recital HallThe New York Times, February 17, 2009 An auspicious debut by a 20-year-old German violinist whose poise, insight and originality are already well beyond her years. Prior to each half of this concert, I was treated to an earful from two audience members seated directly behind me:…
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[Posted this afternoon on The Volume.] It would be foolish to imagine that any production of Il Trovatore could meet the insane demands Verdi wrote into it: The opera requires four of the world's greatest singers, a superlative chorus, an imaginative staging that allows for improbably fast changes of scene and—last but not least—a willful…
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While I'm on the subject of The Volume (which I'm not being paid extra to flog, I promise), I've just remembered that I uncorked a secret scoop over there last Thursday afternoon, regarding some very special unannounced guests who'll join the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Clogs and Bell Orchestre in "Shuffle Mode," a concert coming up on…
Night After Night 