The temperature at Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre rose considerably Thursday night, owing to the sheer madness of the bowing of Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concertmaster Juliana Athayde, as the violin soloist for Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons.” Athayde attacked the score with a determination to seize its glory, and, in doing so, she made each note sparkle, […]
RPO
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ARTS: RPO musicians release statement supporting RPO Board
Late Thursday night a committee of musicians from the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra released a statement in support of the RPO Board in light of recent developments. The full statement appears below. In light of recent developments, the musicians of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra would like to stress our commitment to bringing the highest level of […]
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ARTS: RPO Board releases statement clarifying Remmereit decision
UPDATED 12/3/12 with a statement of support from the Wilson Foundation. The Board of Directors of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra has released a statement detailing the process that led to its termination of music director Arild Remmereit. The full statement appears below. In the statement, the board says the decision to end the RPO’s association […]
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ARTS: RPO terminates Remmereit contract
UPDATED 11/30/12 with statement from RPO Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik. The board of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra on Wednesday voted to terminate the four-year contract of Music Director Arild Remmereit two years early; his tenure is now set to expire at the end of the current 2012/2013 season. A statement by RPO Board Chair […]
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Concert Review: RPO’s Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique”
The headline number from last night’s Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concert, conducted by Arild Remmereit, was the 45-minute performance of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 in b-minor, Op. 74 (the “Pathétique”). Unfortunately, instead of being a headline in all caps, it came in lower case as a missed opportunity. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1940-1893) is one of the […]
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Concert Review: RPO: Copland, Bernstein, and Tyzik
Last night’s concert by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Jeff Tyzik was fabulous, and you shouldn’t miss the program when it is performed again this weekend. The concert had all the right elements: a cohesive program, modern American composers, an amazing soloist, a world premiere work, and Tyzik at the podium with the RPO. […]
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Concert Review: RPO’s Debussy at 150
Thursday night’s Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra concert included the orchestra’s tribute for the 150-year celebration of French composer Claude Debussy, along with a symphony by Belgian composer César Franck. First up was the “Petite Suite” (the “Little Suite”) of Claude Debussy, the master of our romantic hearts. A lovely 15-minute piece, “Petite Suite” was everything one […]
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Concert Review: RPO’s Mahler, Grieg, Nakamatsu
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Musical Director Arild Remmereit, spared no expense last night to pack the stage of Kodak Hall to perform Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. By my count there were 26 violins, nine violas, eight cellos, eight bass, harp, seven French horns, four trumpets, three trombones, one tuba, six oboes, three clarinets, four […]
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Concert Review: RPO season opener
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra opened its 90th season on Thursday night with all the fanfare of an opening day of a major-league sports season. The orchestra sported red carnations. Maestro Arild Remmereit led the RPO and the audience in the singing of the national anthem. And Remmereit offered play calls about pieces — several of […]
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CONCERT REVIEW: Sarah McLachlan and the RPO at CMAC
Tuesday night, Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan, performing with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, brought down the house at the Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center in Canandaigua (CMAC). For a good two hours McLachlan sang from more than 20 years of songs, ranging from classics we know by heart (“Adia,” “Building a Mystery”) to selections from her […]
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The Tyzik twist
Although no one (as far as I know) in the audience at the Eastman Theatre has ever shouted “Freebird,” The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra is, in essence, this town’s biggest cover band. Principal Pops Conductor Jeff Tyzik is an outstanding composer, musician, and Grammy Award-winning producer. But the majority of the music he conducts was written […]
