The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and its music director Ward Stare are making subtle but important changes to the way its programming connects with audiences heading into its 2019-20 concert season.
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
Posted inMusic
Classical review: RPO with Augustin Hadelich
At first, putting Sibelius and Shostakovich on the same orchestral program sounds like a dark and weighty proposition. In reality, when the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director Ward Stare presented the two modern classical masters side by side on Thursday, the sound was much more nuanced.
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Classical review: RPO performs ‘Mahler 7’
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra last performed Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 in 1982. RPO Music Director Ward Stare is bringing Mahler’s Seventh Symphony back this week and Stare and the orchestra are doing a bang-up job with this huge, difficult work.
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Ward Stare leads RPO in Mahler, Shostakovich symphonies
Ward Stare returns to the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra next week with two ambitious programs: On February 28 and March 2, he’ll essay Mahler’s enormous Symphony No. 7, and on March 7 and 9, he’ll highlight another 20th-century masterpiece, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10.
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Classical review: RPO with Jon Nakamatsu
On Thursday, Jon Nakamatsu’s finely judged reading of Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra was not only drop-dead elegant, but also full of the composer’s signature energy.
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Classical review: RPO with Vadym Kholodenko and Gemma New
It’s interesting to see which guest conductors and soloists Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra audiences
will take to, and wonder why they make that connection. This week the RPO invited a young conductor and a young pianist, and the crowd went wild, as they say.
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Jeff Tyzik and the RPO play early-20th-century hits
This weekend’s Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Pops program follows a playlist ranging from 1900 to 1925 – mostly popular songs from that era, with a few
classical works included side-by-side. And it’s typically imaginative programming from Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik.
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Classical review: RPO performs ‘Hungarian Harmonies’
This week’s Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concert is an engaging RPO debut for guest conductor Carlos Kalmar, in a program that also features a refined, confident solo performance from Principal Cellist Ahrim Kim.
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Classical review: RPO’s 2018-19 season opener
Music Director Ward Stare kick-started the 2018-19 Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra season last night, with music by three very familiar composers. But when the program includes a powerhouse soloist, and the musicians acquit themselves so well, that familiarity is very satisfying.
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Chow Hound: Summer dining events
We’re deep in the throes of summer which means there are loads of opportunities to wine and dine outside (or indoors for those that prefer that sweet relief of air conditioning).
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Opera review: RPO performs ‘Carmen’
Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” is the perfect opera for people new to the art form: It’s a fast-paced, lively crime drama with captivating characters, irresistible rhythms, and indelible melodies for days. But the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra’s Thursday performance of the operatic classic — a semi-staged production directed by Sara Widzer — also provided more than enough […]
