The New York Times: Russian and Ukrainian Pianists Meet in Texas at Cliburn Competition
FORT WORTH, Texas — On a sultry recent morning, 30 young pianists from around the world gathered in an auditorium at Texas Christian University here for the start of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious contests in classical music.
The mood was celebratory. But politics also loomed. The Cliburn, defying pressure to ban Russian competitors after the invasion of Ukraine, had invited six Russians to take part, as well as two pianists from Belarus, which has supported the Russian invasion. A Ukrainian also made the cut.
The New York Times
By Javier C. Hernández
The war in Ukraine looms over the prestigious contest named for the pianist Van Cliburn, who was a symbol for art transcending global politics.
FORT WORTH, Texas — On a sultry recent morning, 30 young pianists from around the world gathered in an auditorium at Texas Christian University here for the start of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious contests in classical music.
The mood was celebratory. But politics also loomed. The Cliburn, defying pressure to ban Russian competitors after the invasion of Ukraine, had invited six Russians to take part, as well as two pianists from Belarus, which has supported the Russian invasion. A Ukrainian also made the cut.
As they signed posters outside the auditorium and were fitted for cowboy boots, a Cliburn tradition, several competitors from those countries said that they found it difficult to think beyond the war.
Read more here.
Photo: Jake Dockins for The New York Times
Gramophone: Anne Akiko Meyers on her new album, 'Shining Night'
Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers's new album, 'Shining Night' takes listeners on a musical journey through the passing of a day - via Villa-Lobos, Bach, Leo Brouwer and even Elvis - and features a number of duets with guitarist Jason Vieaux.
Gramophone
The violinist offers a musical journey through the day, much of it in the company of guitarist Jason Vieaux
Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers's new album, 'Shining Night' takes listeners on a musical journey through the passing of a day - via Villa-Lobos, Bach, Leo Brouwer and even Elvis - and features a number of duets with guitarist Jason Vieaux. She talks to Gramophone's Editor Martin Cullingford about how she developed this wonderful programme.
Read more here.
The New York Times: ‘It’s Anthony’s Time’: A Composer Gets His Due
With a new production of Anthony Davis’s pathbreaking Malcolm X opera opening in Detroit, we are on the cusp of a broader reappraisal of his work.
DETROIT — As the orchestra of the Detroit Opera tuned itself for a recent rehearsal, the outline of a vast spacecraft loomed over the pit.
Underneath that ship, you could see a contrasting image: a pastoral painting, of a mountain range, with a river slicing a path between peaks, redolent of the backdrop behind Malcolm X as he spoke at the Audubon Ballroom in New York on Feb. 21, 1965 — moments before his assassination.
The New York Times
By Seth Colter Walls
With a new production of Anthony Davis’s pathbreaking Malcolm X opera opening in Detroit, we are on the cusp of a broader reappraisal of his work.
DETROIT — As the orchestra of the Detroit Opera tuned itself for a recent rehearsal, the outline of a vast spacecraft loomed over the pit.
Underneath that ship, you could see a contrasting image: a pastoral painting, of a mountain range, with a river slicing a path between peaks, redolent of the backdrop behind Malcolm X as he spoke at the Audubon Ballroom in New York on Feb. 21, 1965 — moments before his assassination.
Already, before a single note had been drilled of Anthony Davis’s opera “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” — which opens on Saturday at the Detroit Opera House here and will travel to the Metropolitan Opera in 2023 — a conversation was in progress between imaginative and historical modes of thought.
Read more here.
Pianist Magazine: 3 Idyllic US Music Festivals to Attend This Summer
Pianist Magazine
We take a closer look at Bravo! Vail Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival and Sun Valley Music Festival
Summer is swiftly approaching, and with it comes the opportunity to take a road trip and enjoy music outdoors. The US is home to many summer festivals with robust offerings, but three in particular stand out for their idyllic settings and the spotlight they shine on the piano this season. The best news? With some planning, one could even make a journey out of it and attend all three for a summer to remember.
Read more here.
Blogcritics: Exclusive Interview: Marios Papadopoulos, Artistic Director and Conductor, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, on June 7 Carnegie Hall Debut
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra (OPO), under the baton of Artistic Director Marios Papadopoulos, was to make its long-awaited Carnegie Hall debut on May 4, 2020. One look at that date and you’ll know why it didn’t happen. Now it’s back on the marquee, rescheduled for June 7, 2022 and presented by MidAmerica Productions.
Blogcritics
By Jon Sobel
The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra (OPO), under the baton of Artistic Director Marios Papadopoulos, was to make its long-awaited Carnegie Hall debut on May 4, 2020.
One look at that date and you’ll know why it didn’t happen.
Now it’s back on the marquee, rescheduled for June 7, 2022 and presented by MidAmerica Productions. Grammy-winning violinist Maxim Vengerov will be the featured soloist at the 7:30 PM concert. Brahms’s Symphony No. 1, Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, and the Navarra (Danza Espagnole) for Two Violins and Orchestra (1889) by Pablo de Sarasate constitute the program.
Read more here.
The New York Times: Review: A Chinese Concerto and a Romantic Classic Gaze Back
The New York Philharmonic, under Long Yu, played works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Qigang Chen and Rachmaninoff at the Rose Theater.
The New York Times
By Zachary Woolfe
The New York Philharmonic, under Long Yu, played works by Rimsky-Korsakov, Qigang Chen and Rachmaninoff at the Rose Theater.
The New York Philharmonic played Russian music on Thursday, for the third week in a row. It was yet another argument against President Vladimir V. Putin’s claims that his country’s culture is being canceled in the West.
That wasn’t the only political resonance of the orchestra’s concert on Thursday at the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. It is still all too uncommon for Chinese composers and artists — especially conductors — to be featured by American orchestras outside of Lunar New Year celebrations. But this program was led by Long Yu, experienced with the Philharmonic over the past decade, and included a substantial work by Qigang Chen.
Read more here.
Photo: Chris Lee
The New York Times: 5 Things to Do This Weekend
The pandemic gave the composer Andy Akiho some extra time to complete “Seven Pillars,” an evening-length work for the virtuosos in Sandbox Percussion. He collaborated with the quartet intimately over that extended period, before releasing a recording of the opus last year.
The New York Times
By Seth Colter Walls
5 Things to Do This Weekend
The pandemic gave the composer Andy Akiho some extra time to complete “Seven Pillars,” an evening-length work for the virtuosos in Sandbox Percussion. He collaborated with the quartet intimately over that extended period, before releasing a recording of the opus last year.
Read more here.
Photo: Nathan Bajar for The New York Times
Strings Magazine: A String Player's Guide to New York City
Even the most jaded New Yorkers cherish iconic New York City moments—walking in Central Park, sitting by the Lincoln Center fountain, savoring a pizza at Grimaldi’s. But the reason string players love Gotham goes further, to its constant embrace of new experiences—performance venues, chamber ensembles, jam sessions. Here are some of the myriad venues, ensembles, restaurants, and cultural institutions that make this musical city great.
Strings Magazine
By Brian Wise
Even the most jaded New Yorkers cherish iconic New York City moments—walking in Central Park, sitting by the Lincoln Center fountain, savoring a pizza at Grimaldi’s. But the reason string players love Gotham goes further, to its constant embrace of new experiences—performance venues, chamber ensembles, jam sessions. Here are some of the myriad venues, ensembles, restaurants, and cultural institutions that make this musical city great.
Read more here.
Photo: Stephan Kelle
Bachtrack: Bach and Mendelssohn: Jennifer Koh and Vijay Iyer in a wintry Sun Valley
A festival appearance in Sun Valley, Idaho, put violinist Jennifer Koh in a number of spotlights over the long weekend of 24th-26th February. She served as curator for the winter Sun Valley Music Festival, crafting a program that repeated (with slight variation) in each of the four concerts, spanning centuries and celebrating a return to coming together in a common space.
Bachtrack
By Kurt Gottschalk
A festival appearance in Sun Valley, Idaho, put violinist Jennifer Koh in a number of spotlights over the long weekend of 24th-26th February. She served as curator for the winter Sun Valley Music Festival, crafting a program that repeated (with slight variation) in each of the four concerts, spanning centuries and celebrating a return to coming together in a common space. She also featured several of her own commissions and was featured soloist for the series.
That common space was a black box theater in the Argyros Performing Arts Center in the small town of Ketchum, a new and flexible room (opened in 2018) with beautiful lighting design and outfitted with a Meyer Constellation Acoustic System.
Read more here.
The Columbian: Guitarist returns to play with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Although the pandemic may have slowed down some musicians, Adam Levin stayed as busy as ever. For one thing, the virtuoso guitarist, who will perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra this weekend, is now the proud father of a 10-month-old son.
The Columbian
By James Bash
Adam Levin to perform Rodrigo’s Spanish concerto
Although the pandemic may have slowed down some musicians, Adam Levin stayed as busy as ever. For one thing, the virtuoso guitarist, who will perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra this weekend, is now the proud father of a 10-month-old son.
Read more here.