a virtual journal and blog of the classical music scene in Boston
Robert Levin, editor; Bettina A. Norton, executive editor; Lee Eiseman, publisher
Miscellaneous
July 19, 2010
Musical Just-Rightness in Aston Magna’s Artemisia
by Mary Wallace Davidson
On July 17, Aston Magna Festival closed this summer’s season with 17th-Century Italian Art and Music: What Artemisia Heard, centered around projected works by Artemisia Gentileschi and her teacher Caravaggio, at Simon Rock College in Great Barrington. Reflecting Artemesia’s mobile life, the program was divided into five parts: Rome, Florence, Venice, Naples, England, and finally, Tutta L’Italia, altogether a splendid array of multi-faceted music, ordered to provide both continuity and contrast, by first-rate musicians. There were groans from the audience at repeated close-ups of the most brutal details of three paintings on subject “Judith Slaying Holofernes” two by Artemesia. Looking away, however, the music was glorious. [Click title for full review.]
June 14, 2010
Less Commonly Heard 15th-Century Polyphony Well Delivered by Blue Heron
by Virginia Newes
In its concert on Saturday, June 12 at the First Church in Cambridge, the Renaissance choir Blue Heron presented a sampling of sacred and secular music by three generations of Franco-Flemish composers of the 15th century.
For most of the 15th century, the singing schools of an area comprising parts of present-day Belgium, southern Netherlands, and northern France supplied the courts and cathedrals of Europe with a highly sophisticated repertory of sacred and secular music along with the skilled performers capable of doing it justice.
Director Scott Metcalfe’s tempi throughout seemed about ideal: fast enough to preserve the sense of horizontal line so important to this music, yet leisurely enough to do justice to the many rhythmic subtleties that are the hallmark of 15th-century polyphony, still less known to most audiences than 16th-century polyphony, but richly rewarding in its wayward and sometimes angular beauty. Despite the occasional jagged entrance, and the need for better projection of the texts, particularly in French, this was virtuoso ensemble singing, lovingly prepared and convincingly presented. [Click title for full review.]
May 31, 2010
Shuann Chai Shows Frederick Collection Érard’s Tonal Expression
by Marvin J. Ward
For her fourth appearance on the Frederick Collection’s Historical Piano Concerts Series on May 30, Chinese-American pianist Shuann Chai chose to perform on the 1840 Érard. It is less powerful than the 1877 “Extra-grand modèle de concert” heard in the previous two recitals, but what it loses in power, it gains in tonal expression. Chai’s program was tailor-made to show off this richness and to showcase the year’s two bicentennial luminaries: Chopin and Robert Schumann, with a few short showpieces by their contemporaries and one of their successors, some now forgotten, others now rarely performed, thrown in. Her performance was as competent as her comments, and as sparkling as the compositions. All of this was eminently apparent in her masterful exploiting of the full potential of the 1840 Érard. [Click title for full review.]
May 18, 2010
Concord Pops Concert Worthy of the Genre
by Eric Culver
The Concord Orchestra Pops concerts on May 16 in at 51 Walden in Concord was not easy-listening pablum, but real music on a diverse menu, showing the Concord Orchestra in great shape after a busy season. Pittman’s conducting brings out exuberant, crisp, full range of dynamics and phrasing from his orchestra.
A classic opener, the Russlan and Ludmilla Overture of Glinka, set the virtuosic tone for the concert. We also heard the world premiere of a classy new brass and percussion piece, Fanfare for Dick, by Bernard Hoffer, written in honor of Richard Pittman’s 40th anniversary with the Concord Symphony Orchestra, parent of the Concord Pops. Arthur Foote’s 1918 A Night Piece was given a clear and lyrical performance by principal flutist Susan Jackson and the orchestra strings. The light touches of the cymbals were effectively discreet. Soprano Karyl Ryczek sang Zerlna’s “Batti, batti” from Mozart’s Don Giovanni beautifully and with perfect diction, as well as leading the Arlen, Rodgers and Duke sing-along; the arrangements were quite lush and elegantly underplayed. The audience singers faded quickly from her rendition of April in Paris, however, and let her beautiful tone carry the day. [Click title for full review.]
October 23, 2009
Yeghishe Manucharyan worth noticing in Tancredi
by Bettina A. Norton
Excitement is building about the production of Tancredi from Opera Boston, being held tonight (October 23) and on October 25 and 27. Boston opera fans by now know Amanda Forsythe, and recent media coverage had touted Eva Podles. For good reasons.
But Yeghishe Manucharyan is also a singer who is, or certainly should be, eliciting excitement [...]