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I’ve just learned, thanks to Ron Silliman, that Norman Lebrecht threw his tuppence into the ongoing debate over minimalism a few days ago. Herb Levy then chipped in with some useful clarification. Update: The redoubtable Pliable has something to say on this, as well. Elsewhere, Daniel Wolf offers another view of the debate, with some…
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Congratulations and warmest wishes to Molly Sheridan of NewMusicBox renown, a dear friend and valued colleague who quietly dispelled last week’s marital mystery in a commentary thread on Sequenza 21 this morning. And, naturally, congratulations once again to Brian Sacawa. It couldn’t have happened to two nicer, more brilliant people. (I almost wrote the proverbial…
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Zefiro at the Kaplan Penthouse and Walter Reade TheaterThe New York Times, August 14, 2007
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The brush fire touched off by last Friday’s minimalist round-up in The New York Times continues to smolder both here and on Kyle Gann’s blog, as well as in recent posts on the blogs of Anthony Cornicello, Marc Geelhoed and Nico Muhly. Personally, I’m loving the passions this exercise has stirred, as well as all…
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"Just Don’t Call It Minimalism"The New York Times, August 10, 2007 My second Times record round-up. I wish my tone was a bit more personable here, especially as compared to those of Bernard and Anne. (I might have been a little distracted!) I also kind of wish I’d picked something as deliberately provocative as Bernard’s…
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My wedding had a positive impact on more lives than just mine and Dr. LP’s, it seems. Brian Sacawa, a fabulous musician and a genuinely good soul, has given me more credit than I perhaps deserve for introducing him to the woman of his dreams — who happens to be one of my most cherished…
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While I’m getting back into the swing of things, I hope you’ll allow me to divert your attention toward a couple of recent CD reviews published in Time Out New York. Neither of these discs falls neatly into the "classical" or "new-music" categories. But they’re unique, special and memorable, and I can’t help but think…
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Normal life resumes, with this morning’s citywide transit malaise providing a bracing dose of reality. But thankfully, there are many, many photos — like this one, by bridesmaid and flute artiste Katherine Teitler — to prove that the end of last week wasn’t just a beautiful, elaborate dream. Thanks to one and all for the…
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Elizabeth Keusch at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Performing ArtsThe New York Times, August 1, 2007
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"Concerto Retinkered (for Youthful Soloist)"The New York Times, July 31, 2007 An article about the outstanding cellist Alisa Weilerstein, who plays the New York premiere of Osvaldo Golijov’s cello concerto Azul tonight (July 31) during the opening-night gala of the Mostly Mozart Festival at Avery Fisher Hall. The piece was originally unveiled by Yo-Yo Ma…
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Marc-André Hamelin at the International Keyboard Institute & Festival at Mannes CollegeThe New York Times, July 30, 2007
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Apologies for the lack of scintillating bloggery this week — less than a week to go before the big day, and I’m completely manic with work and other planning. Still, I wanted to break radio silence long enough to call attention to two comments, one here on the blog and one received elsewhere. Earlier in…
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If you, like me, are feeling more than a little bit jealous after reading glowing accounts of Unsuk Chin’s new opera Alice in Wonderland from Alex Ross, Mark Swed and Alan Rich, then I’ll leave it to you to decide whether to go to this page on the Munich Opera Festival website, where you can…
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The Miller Theatre at Columbia University has just announced its 2007–08 season, and as usual there are some choice events on the horizon. Probably the most important is the local premiere of Elliott Carter’s opera What Next?, to be presented by the Juilliard ensemble AXIOM Dec. 7-11. This year’s batch of Composer Portrait concerts includes…
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Olga Kern at the International Keyboard Institute & Festival at Mannes CollegeThe New York Times, July 23, 2007
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(Posted this afternoon on the TONY Blog) We can’t remember the last time we were more pleased to admit we’d picked the wrong horse in a race. As officially announced in a press conference at Avery Fisher Hall this morning — although the news actually broke late last night, and had hit blogs by midnight…
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Bel Canto at Caramoor’s Il Trovatore at the Caramoor International Music FestivalThe New York Times, July 16, 2007
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At 70, Philip Glass is still full of surprises. And it’s no exaggeration to state that Book of Longing, his new 105-minute song cycle based on poetry and images from a recent book by Canadian singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen, includes some of the most surprising music he has ever composed. Specifically, I’m thinking of five unaccompanied…
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How long does a band actually have to be gone in order for a new tour to be properly billed a reunion? And is an official break-up required to qualify? The Norwegian black-metal trio Immortal called it a day in 2003 after 13 years of steady activity, with members scattering to pursue other projects. It…
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I try to keep up with current political events to the best of my abilities: I’m on all the right mailing lists, I scan breaking news headlines every chance I get, and I’ve recently started reading The Nation and The New Republic on a regular basis for the first time since my immediate post-college years.…
Night After Night 