The prolific Irish dramatist Brian Friel’s first international success was the bittersweet comedy “Philadelphia, Here I Come!” Produced in the UK in 1964 and on Broadway in 1966, it is still one of his most popular plays. It takes place the night before a young man named Gareth (or Gar) emigrates from his small Irish […]
David Raymond
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CLASSICAL | Publick Musick with Brian Shaw
During the baroque era, the trumpet was at the top of the instrumental tree. It was a popular instrument on the battlefield, and after the development of a more refined style of playing in the 1600’s, it caught on in drawing rooms and concert halls. Contemporary trumpeters will attest that much of the trumpet writing […]
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Classical review: SCMR’s ‘Bach to the Future’
In a long-ago “Young People’s Concert” on TV, Leonard Bernstein took as his theme the idea of “Bach Transmogrified.” To his audience of captive tykes, he presented numerous examples of the sturdy old baroque master’s sturdy old music re-arranged not only for symphony orchestras, but also for such then-up-to-date phenomena as a rock band and […]
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CLASSICAL | “Bach to the Future”
Johann Sebastian Bach would have been 232 years old on March 21, 2017, but musically he’s as young as ever. This Sunday, the Society for Chamber Music in Rochester proves the point by rounding up a list of notable players for a different kind of Bach birthday tribute. Most of the music on the program […]
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VOCAL | “A Narrow Bridge”
Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus Artistic Director Robert Strauss describes the group’s concert this weekend, “A Narrow Bridge,” as “about being a light in the darkness — a call to be a beacon of hope for those who feel hopeless.” RGMC will do that, and inspire others, through its performances of songs like “Bridge over Troubled […]
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CLASSICAL | “Symphonic Tales from Around the World”
The RPO will travel around the world while staying home during its next family concert. Conductor Michael Butterman will lead the orchestra in “Symphonic Tales from Around the World,” a musical journey illustrating famous children’s stories from all over. The hour-long trip begins in the Middle East, via Denmark, with Carl Nielsen’s “Aladdin,” and includes […]
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THEATER | “Magic and Madness”
For 10 years, Method Machine has had a method in its madness, or madness in its method — or probably both, since it’s one of Rochester’s most enterprising performance companies. Method Machine, led by artistic director David Henderson, over the last decade has presented a wide variety of plays by writers from Brecht to Tony […]
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Classical review: Pegasus’s “The Secret of the Muses”
The 17th century French lutenist and composer Jacques Gaultier was once praised for “the goodness of his hands — the most swift, the neatest, and most even that ever were.” That’s also an accurate paean for 21st century lutenist Paul O’Dette, who offered a blissful solo recital on Sunday afternoon as part of the Pegasus […]
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THEATER | “Festival of Ten”
Ten is the magic number this weekend and next at SUNY Brockport as the college’s Department of Theatre and Music Studies presents its 10th “Festival of Ten.” Each evening features 10 plays by 10 playwrights, presented by students and each lasting 10 minutes. The characters in this year’s selections include financial planners, astronauts, basketball players, […]
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CLASSICAL | “The Secret of the Muses”
A good early music rule of thumb is if it’s a concert with Paul O’Dette, just drop everything and go. This world-renowned lutenist lives in Rochester (he teaches at the Eastman School of Music), but is celebrated around the world. He does not perform all that often here, so his recital this weekend, sponsored by […]
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CLASSICAL | “A Tale of Two Angels”
Rochester’s stellar early-music organization, Pegasus, not only puts on excellent concerts, it fosters young musicians at the beginning of their careers in its Pegasus Rising programs. The first Pegasus Rising concert of 2017, titled “A Tale of Two Angels,” will take place Tuesday, February 21, at Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word. The “angels” are […]
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THEATER | Bronze Collective Theatre Fest
The Bronze Collective annually brings together local performers and theater groups of color at MuCCC for a week of drama, dance, storytelling, comedy, and music. It returns for its third festival next week, running from Monday, February 20, to Sunday, February 26, with new work by local writers, and a classic play by the great […]
