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If the reviews of Waiting for the Barbarians, the announcement of Satyagraha at the Met and ENO, and the news of Appomattox hadn’t already tipped you off, 2007 is a Philip Glass year: the composer celebrates his 70th birthday on January 31. But he’s wasted no time getting the celebration underway: a new recording of…
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Sometimes a vacation just isn’t a vacation. That’s why I’m at home today, recovering from a four-day excursion in which practically nothing — apart from attending the Philip Glass opera and spending some quality time with my sister (whose birthday is today — cheers!) and nephew in Houston — went according to plan. I’ve been…
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Waiting for the Barbarians at Austin Lyric OperaThe New York Times, Monday, January 22, 2007 Edit: Mark Swed liked the opera, too. Playbillarts.com has a recap with photos.
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The Daedalus String Quartet at Alice Tully HallThe New York Times, January 19, 2007
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For lovers of Robert Ashley’s oeuvre, Concrete is a wonderfully revealing, even intimate experience. At first I missed the rigor of Ashley’s earlier operas, but the improvisatory freedom of this work had its own rewards. Plus, Joan La Barbara = funny! More than that I can’t say, because I’m reviewing the piece for The Wire.…
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The New York Collegium at the Church of St. Vincent FerrerThe New York Times, Monday, January 15, 2007
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The jazz world lost two greats this weekend: pianist-harpist Alice Coltrane and saxophonist Michael Brecker. Both were musical titans who never entirely received their due. Coltrane, in particular, was the focus of much criticism for her role in husband John’s final bands. I’ve always found this inexplicable; listening to any one of those late sessions,…
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"An Opera Full of Secrets From a Master of the Opaque"The New York Times, Sunday, January 14, 2007 An article about composer Robert Ashley’s latest opera, Concrete, which runs at La MaMa E.T.C. Annex in the East Village on Wednesday, January 17 through Sunday, January 21. The opera deals with the sometimes surprising secrets harbored…
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From colleague Kurt Gottschalk’s "Metal Friday" e-mail newsletter comes news that veteran rock record producer Sandy Pearlman—pseudonymously immortalized by Christopher Walken in the infamous "More Cowbell" sketch on Saturday Night Live—is teaching a seminar titled "Bruckner and Heavy Metal: From Chord Power to Power Chord" at McGill University’s Schulich School of Music in Montréal. An…
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Bachiana Chamber Orchestra at Carnegie HallThe New York Times, January 8, 2007 (The blogging drought is about to end, I promise.)
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From the December 28 issue of Time Out New York (on newsstands this afternoon), here are my lists of the year’s top ten classical events, classical recordings and non-classical recordings. TONY‘s list of top non-classical live events, which was assembled by the entire music staff, included two of my choices: Anthony Braxton’s 12(+1)tet at Iridium…
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Trinity Choir and Rebel Baroque Orchestra at Trinity ChurchThe New York Times, December 19, 2006
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So Much More Than ‘Messiah’: Appreciating Handel in All SeasonsThe New York Times, December 15, 2006 I’ve always loved it when the Times staff has done these single-composer record round-ups, in which each critic gets to sound off about a handful of favorites. This one, in which the mandate was everything by Handel except Messiah,…
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I should have guessed that spotting Elliott Carter at Monday night’s recital by pianist Pierre Laurent Aimard at Zankel Hall portended something out of the ordinary. Carter has been a genial presence at practically every performance of his music that I’ve caught in recent years, but nothing of his was scheduled for Aimard’s concert —…
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Arnaldo Cohen at Town HallThe New York Times, December 12, 2006
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CD review: Augusta Read Thomas – Prairie SketchesTony Arnold, soprano; Amy Briggs Dissanayake, pianist; Callisto Ensemble, conducted by Cliff ColnotART 19912005; CDThe New York Times, December 10, 2006(Amazon.com) Fortunate and few are the contemporary composers whose works have been documented by record labels in a timely manner. But Augusta Read Thomas provides a shining example…
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The Tallis Scholars at St. Thomas ChurchThe New York Times, December 7, 2006
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Remember the recent flurry of activity that surrounded Dave Douglas’s call to arms with regard to the overlooked heroes of jazz in the ’70s and ’80s — the period in which the music was allegedly dead? Remember Ethan Iverson’s response, and his subequent challenge to the Internet masses, summoning proof to the contrary? Remember how…
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Chanticleer at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe New York Times, December 5, 2006 (Headline inspired by Time Out New York theater and cabaret critic Adam Feldman.)
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"I know what’s on your minds, because it’s on our minds, too," saxophonist Phillip Johnston announced from the stage of Joe’s Pub shortly into a set by his temporarily reunited Microscopic Septet on Saturday night. "’The Micros aren’t as good as they used to be,’" he deadpanned. He added, "I’m here to say, we never…
Night After Night 