CITY’s classical music critics recap the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s 2016-17 season
classical music
Posted inMusic
Classical review: RPO performs Mahler’s Fifth
Mahler once claimed that “the symphony should contain the world.” His Fifth seems to contain a bit more of everything than the rest of his symphonies: austere funeral marches, bad-tempered jokes, over-the-top waltzes, a breathtakingly delicate love song, and a finale that exudes manic energy and contrapuntal wizardry. A modern therapist might express some worry […]
Posted inMusic
Classical review: RPO performs Mozart’s ‘Requiem’
On paper alone, the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s February 2 program already had me hooked: Mozart, Stravinsky, and Hovhaness is an intriguing combination of composers and styles, to be sure. The audible result was no less satisfying. Music Director Ward Stare continues to lead the RPO with a steady hand and a nuanced approach. Alan Hovhaness’s […]
Posted inSpecial Sections
Fall Guide 2016
There are the obvious reasons to love fall: changing leaves, Oktoberfest beers, and Halloween. But for us, the crisp air signals the beginning to the Rochester artistic seasons.
Posted inMusic
Jon Nakamatsu will be a common sight this classical season
For Jon Nakamatsu, performing in Rochester has been “a lot of fun,” as can be seen by his career. Since his first appearance with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in January 1999, the prizewinning pianist has returned time after time, performing as a soloist with the RPO and as a chamber musician with the Society for […]
Posted inMusic
Concert review: RPO performs Tyzik world premiere
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Pops concert was an intriguing blend of classical and jazz.
Posted inMusic
Concert review: Wooden Cities with Greece Olympia students
On Friday, January 15, the Greece Olympia School cafeteria doubled as an informal music venue when the Buffalo-based ensemble Wooden Cities along with Olympia students — led by their teacher, Aaron Staebell — presented “an evening of experimental music.” And yet the experiment started long before the performance itself. The student musicians learned how to […]
Posted inMusic
Concert review: RPO performs “Pathรฉtique”
After this performance one can only hope Fabien Gabel’s presence
becomes a lasting annual tradition.
Posted inMusic
Classical Review: Principal Brass Quintet at Kilbourn Hall
The Principal Brass Quintet on Sunday gave an attentive audience at Eastman School of Music’s Kilbourn Hall a taste of the New York Philharmonic with an engaging program that was accessible yet sophisticated. The group, comprised entirely of principals from that historic orchestra, did not disappoint. From the outset, the afternoon was all about the […]
Posted inMusic
The face of the franchise
The RPO and the Buffalo Sabres are
more alike than you thought
Posted inMusic
Opening the gates
Classical music boasts some stellar African-American names: composers Scott Joplin, William Grant Still, and George Walker; singers Leontyne Price, Shirley Verrett, and William Warfield; and pianist André Watts, not to mention the many black musicians in our symphony orchestras. For 22 years, Gateways Music Festival’s aim has always been the same: to “increase the visibility […]
Posted inMusic
Classic innovation
As Jamal Rossi was presented as the new dean of the Eastman School of Music earlier this month, both he and University of Rochester President Joel Seligman highlighted the school’s history. But they also addressed the task of operating in an increasingly changing music world. “Our challenge in the coming years,” Rossi said at the […]
