Classical Music Theater Reviews: Best Shows & Critic Recommendations Page 25

BWW Reviews: DiDonato Trades Pyrotechnics for Mood on A JOURNEY THROUGH VENICE at Carnegie Hall
by Richard Sasanow - November 10, 2014

With a pair of soulful arias by Vivaldi, mezzo Joyce DiDonato and her pianist David Zobel let the audience know right away that they were in for a different part of her artistry than we heard at her concert performance of Handel's ALCINA (also at Carnegie) a week earlier. With an emphasis on thought...

BWW Reviews: New York Philharmonic's SHOW BOAT
by Stephen Raskauskas - November 07, 2014

All aboard! The Cotton Blossom has docked at Lincoln Center for this week only. Wednesday night, the New York Philharmonic opened its semi-staged production of Show Boat. Featuring a star-studded cast, the Philharmonic's short run of this American masterpiece is not to be missed....

BWW Reviews: Britten's RIVER of No Return at Lincoln Center's White Light Festival
by Richard Sasanow - November 06, 2014

“Ideas of darkness and light, obscurity and illumination” are at the heart of the Benjamin Britten-William Plomer CURLEW RIVER. Called “a parable for church performance,” it was performed in New York at the Synod of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, as part of Lincoln Center's White Light Festiv...

BWW Reviews: New Jersey Symphony Performs STRAVINSKY and RIMSKY-KORSAKOV at Bergen PAC
by Peter Danish - November 04, 2014

Petrouchka is an often performed piece that can sometimes feel tired and perfunctory. Along with The Firebird and The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky's other two big ballets from the same period (all of which remarkably flowed from the composer's pen within five years), Petrouchka requires a deft hand at...

BWW Reviews: MOZART's THE MAGIC FLUTE: IMPEMPE YOMLINGO at the New Victory Theater supplies charm and creativity but lacks true resonance
by Rachel Weinberg - November 04, 2014

The South African Isango Ensemble's production of 'The Magic Flute: Impepe Yomlingo,' strips away some of the glossy sheen of Mozart's master work, leaving a show that is more down to earth and yet still revels in the joy of the composer's music. Under Mark Dunford May's direction, this 'Magic Flute...

BWW Reviews: Sorcery from DiDonato and English Concert at Carnegie Hall in Handel's ALCINA
by Richard Sasanow - October 31, 2014

The great mezzo Joyce DiDonato stripped for her art at Sunday's wonderful performance of Handel's ALCINA with the English Concert under conductor Harry Bicket. For the first act, when she was still at the height of her powers as a sorceress, she came out in a gorgeous black and gray gown with the pu...

BWW Reviews: Well-Strung's POPSSICAL is Astoundingly Vibrant
by David Clarke - October 29, 2014

Well-Strung is impressing audiences with their brilliant mash-ups of classical hits and modern pop standards. Touring their latest show POPSSICAL, Well-Strung visited New York City's 54 BELOW last night and left the assembled audience both awestruck and invigorated. Their pulled from the pages of a ...

BWW Reviews: THE NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY with VIOLINIST GIL SHAHAM at NJ PAC
by Peter Danish - October 29, 2014

If Gioacchino Rossini had written no music in his career other than his overtures, he would still hold a great place in the pantheon of music history. Despite the fact that they tend to follow a formulaic pattern - invariably beginning slowly, frequently just a solo cello, then slowly adding instrum...

BWW Reviews: Here, There, Everywhere - All Over Town with PRETTY YENDE
by Richard Sasanow - October 20, 2014

Pretty Yende--a name that in itself brings certain expectations as well as smiles--burst on the New York opera scene at the start of 2013, in a baptism by fire. At just 27, the South African soprano from Piet Retief, Mpumalanga memorably stepped into one of the lead roles in the revival of Rossini's...

BWW Reviews: Cancellations Galore Don't Put a Damper on the Richard Tucker Gala at Avery Fisher Hall
by Richard Sasanow - October 17, 2014

Soprano Anna Netrebko was AWOL. Tenor Marcello Giordani wasn't there. Mezzo Isabel Leonard didn't make it either. At least tenor Richard Tucker (1913-1975) had the best excuse for not being at Avery Fisher Hall on Sunday evening. But, as they say “the show must go on”--and the annual gala of The Ric...

BWW Reviews: Keith Emerson With the South Shore Symphony
by Peter Danish - October 15, 2014

As birthday celebrations go, Saturday night's concert at the Madison Theater of Molloy College has to be close to the top of the list. Rock Music legend Keith Emerson celebrated his 70th birthday with pianist extraordinaire Jeffrey Biegel and the South Shore Symphony in an eclectic program entitled:...

BWW Reviews: VIVA PIAZZOLLA Invigorates at The Shabazz Center
by Matt Hanson - October 14, 2014

Uruguayan tango pianist Polly Ferman invited a warm audience to her neighborhood of Washington Heights for the second night of the “Shall We Tango?” festival, titled Viva Piazzolla, a special concert featuring virtuosic violinist Eddy Marcano. Through her charismatic eloquence, Ferman introduced the...

BWW Reviews: HOMAGE TO ANIBAL TROILO Inspires at Symphony Space
by Matt Hanson - October 14, 2014

After one hundred years, Anibal Troilo is remembered ever so fondly as the late Argentinean master musician. He lived from 1914-1975, though his music continues to enlighten as delicately and pointedly as the sound of a trilling bandoneón. In his honor, over thirty performing artists have gathered t...

BWW Reviews: Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's BROADWAY STANDING OVATIONS! Provides A Fun Night of Theatre Memories
by Heather Nadolny - October 13, 2014

To celebrate Strathmore's 10th Anniversary Season, The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has created an enjoyable, albeit predictable collection of Broadway favorites, with a cast that brings new life to songs you may or may not have heard before....

BWW Reviews: NY Philharmonic Premieres Spectacular New Concerto
by Peter Danish - October 01, 2014

NY PHILHARMONIC PREMIERS SPECTACULAR NEW CONCERTO...

BWW Reviews: Jessie Chang and Friends Shine in San Diego
by Erica Miner - September 30, 2014

Jessie Chang is known for her virtuosity, lovely tone, and unique, distinctive piano style....

BWW Reviews: OZASIA FESTIVAL 2014: TAN DUN - NÜ SHU: THE SECRET SONGS OF WOMEN Took Us into An Unexpected World
by Barry Lenny - September 29, 2014

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra was conducted by the composer, Tan Dun, in a new work, Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women....

BWW Reviews: BEETHOVEN FESTIVAL 2 Showed Many Facets of Beethoven's Oeuvre
by Barry Lenny - September 29, 2014

Bravo maestro, bravo soloist, bravo orchestra. Such excitement, such a memorable night....

BWW Reviews: TWISTED Enthralls Columbus on Opening Night
by Amanda Etchison - September 26, 2014

From the first bombastic notes of Richard Wagner's "Prelude to Act III from Lohengrin" to the last pieces of gold confetti raining down onto the stage after the show-stopping finale, "Twisted: A Trio of Excellence" delighted opening night audiences with a unique fusion of movement and sound set to c...

BWW Reviews: Phoenix Symphony Maestro Tito Muñoz Seals His Triumphal Debut with Breathtaking CARMINA BURANA
by Herbert Paine - September 22, 2014

On the occasion of his debut as Phoenix Symphony's new Music Director, Tito Muñoz regaled his audience with a rich and robust performance of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Among the coterie of young conductors seizing the baton of major metropolitan orchestras, Muñoz will certainly be among the luminar...

BWW Reviews: Isango Ensemble Brings Magical Stagecraft to Mozart's MAGIC FLUTE
by Jeffrey Walker - September 16, 2014

Offering a South African spin on Mozart's beloved opera, the Isango Ensemble brings simple stagecraft and a unique musical flair to Washington for a limited run. Performing in repertory with Shakespeare's VENUS AND ADONIS for a limited run, Isango displays their expert ensemble in a must-see produc...

BWW Reviews: ADELAIDE YOUTH ORCHESTRAS GALA CONCERT: YOUTH REVOLUTION Presented 240 Young Musicians in Four Orchestras
by Barry Lenny - September 08, 2014

The Adelaide Youth Orchestras give hundreds of musicians a chance to play the great repertoire to the highest possible standard at a crucial part of their musical lives....

BWW Reviews: Pérez and Costello Heat Up San Diego Opera's Stage
by Erica Miner - September 08, 2014

The 'red hot' Ailyn Perez-Stephen Costello duo, having been likened to rock star couples, rarely perform together....

BWW Reviews: BOUNDLESS: AUSTRALIAN STRING QUARTET Reinvigorated the Classics
by Barry Lenny - August 21, 2014

The Australian String Quartet have chosen three sensational pieces for their Boundless Australian national tour....

BWW Reviews: OUR DON: ADELAIDE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Unveiled a Brand New Work
by Barry Lenny - August 18, 2014

The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra today world premiered a new work by ex-patriot South Australian composer, Natalie Williams, Our Don - A Symphonic Tribute to Sir Donald Bradman....