Archive for December, 2008
Classical Year in Review
TOP TEN PERFORMANCES OF 2008
Inspirational keyboard performances dominated local stages in 2008 with a third of…
Wed Dec 24, 2008
at 12:59 pm
1 Comment
Two hornists to the fore in New World chamber finale
The French horn is the wild card of the orchestra, an instrument that can be majestic, thrilling, evocative and richly expressive. It’s also a tortuous device to play and…
Mon Dec 22, 2008
at 1:30 pm
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The Gringo’s, er, Dummy’s Guide to zarzuela
This weekend offers a unique opportunity to experience a musical form that is indigenous to Spanish culture but remains as distant and mystifying to most non-Latin classical audiences as Cervantes’…
Sat Dec 20, 2008
at 3:01 pm
1 Comment
Seraphic Fire serves up a stylish, springy “Messiah”
Tradition is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action or behavior.” By that standard, Seraphic Fire’s performance of…
Sat Dec 20, 2008
at 1:56 pm
2 Comments
New “Amahl” makes a timely Christmas treat
It’s hard to believe there was once a time when a commercial television network would not only air regular classical performances but actually commission a new opera and broadcast it…
Fri Dec 19, 2008
at 1:40 pm
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Young cellist Weilerstein shows mature artistry in Dvorak
A decade ago, a teenage cellist performed a demanding recital of Bach, Brahms and Tchaikovsky at North Park College in Chicago. While interpretively unseasoned in some respects, her passionate…
Thu Dec 18, 2008
at 1:43 pm
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The fourth hunchback is the charm
Rigoletto ain’t pretty. Sorry to be so blunt. But for pretty, go to later Verdi calling cards, the likes of La Traviata, A Masked Ball, Otello. This…
Tue Dec 16, 2008
at 12:29 pm
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Dvorak shines brightest in Delray Quartet opener
It’s not for nothing that the twelfth string quartet published by Antonin Dvorak is one of the most popular works in the entire genre.
Few string quartets can boast the…
Mon Dec 15, 2008
at 2:56 pm
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MTT and Ax close year with powerful Brahms and gracious Beethoven
The New World Symphony’s final orchestral program of 2008 centers on cornerstone German repertoire, with two works by Beethoven and Brahms that, surprisingly, have been infrequently presented by the Miami…
Sun Dec 14, 2008
at 12:14 pm
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Russian soprano luminous in Palm Beach “Rigoletto”
What a bleak, pitiless landscape Rigoletto inhabits. Even by the standards of Verdi’s cold-eyed Realpolitik, the Mantua court is godless and unforgiving, a milieu where rape is sport, murder…
Sat Dec 13, 2008
at 4:14 pm
1 Comment
Master Chorale and friends bring a joyful holiday spirit
People coming together in order to accomplish something of a positive nature seems to be a rarity in these times. Yet the Master Chorale of South Florida, the Empire Brass,…
Sat Dec 13, 2008
at 12:16 pm
1 Comment
Plain Dealer music critic sues, wants his paper and Cleveland Orchestra to face the music
Donald Rosenberg, former classical music critic of The Plain Dealer, is suing his paper and the parent company of the Cleveland Orchestra following his reassignment after protests about overly negative reviews from…
Fri Dec 12, 2008
at 4:00 pm
1 Comment
Pianist shows poetry, needs interpretive seasoning
The major piano suites of Maurice Ravel have for years been among the most reliable tests of a pianist’s technique.
And judging by that criteria alone, Di Wu, a…
Wed Dec 10, 2008
at 12:00 pm
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Basel weekend brings varied palette of Beethoven
Beyond paintings, palettes, and parking and traffic hassles, Art Basel has provided music audiences with some benefits, notably an added New World Symphony program timed to take advantage of last…
Tue Dec 09, 2008
at 11:05 am
1 Comment
Gluzman’s Tchaikovsky ignites Boca Symphonia opener
The Ukrainian-born Israeli violinist Vadim Gluzman gave a blazing performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Sunday afternoon in Boca Raton, using the very violin once owned by the man to…
Mon Dec 08, 2008
at 5:22 pm
1 Comment
Florida Symphony makes impressive debut in mixed program
Since taking over as Concert Association of Florida CEO from founder and long-time guiding light Judy Drucker, Al Milano’s tenure has been most visible on two fronts: adding pop and…
Sun Dec 07, 2008
at 1:56 pm
4 Comments
Miami Symphony, harmonica soloist mix it up with Latin flair
Conductor Eduardo Marturet has chosen a popular program with a Latin twist for his latest outing with the Miami Symphony Orchestra. Saturday’s concert at the University of Miami’s Gusman Concert…
Sun Dec 07, 2008
at 11:17 am
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Feldman’s “Rothko Chapel” a fascinating journey
Few composers offer such a study in stark contrast between their art and their person as Morton Feldman. Burly and cigar-chomping, Feldman worked in the garment district during the day…
Sat Dec 06, 2008
at 3:12 pm
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Feldman’s “Rothko Chapel” on tap Friday night
There is a plethora of musical events to choose from this Art Basel weekend, including Michael Tilson Thomas leading the New World Symphony in Beethoven’s mighty Fifth Symphony and the Boca…
Thu Dec 04, 2008
at 4:18 pm
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December Concert Calendar
Dec. 4. Florida Grand Opera: Verdi’s La Traviata. Ailyn Perez, Leonardo Capalbo, Mark Walters/Aldo Sisillo 8 p.m. Broward Center, Fort Lauderdale. $21-$200. 800-741-1010; www.fgo.org.
Dec. 5. SoBe Music Institute: Morton…
Tue Dec 02, 2008
at 1:27 pm
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