Gustavo Dudamel was supposed to be the conductor on this program but cancelled due to flu. In his place, Pittsburgh Symphony conductor, Manfred Honeck stepped in to conduct the Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 and a work by Canadian composer, Claude Vivier, Orion.
I always enjoyed listening to Joshua Bell play the violin. His sense of musical line is pretty extraordinary. As the new director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, he clearly inspires the orchestra to passionate performances. It was an interesting experience to be sitting in the front row at Avery Fischer Hall and watch Bell lead the orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”) and play/direct the Brahms Violin Concerto. Another evening of incredible virtuosity on display.
I was glad to have the chance to see the re-imagined revival of Les Miserable on Broadway. The reviews seemed pretty positive, so I thought I’d get a ticket, knowing full well that Ramin Karimloo does not play the role of Valjean on Wednesday matinees. I do love the score and enjoyed the new turntable-less staging. I also thought there was some odd casting and that the voices were generally underwhelming, including the chorus. Do we really need this revival? I’m not so sure it’s not all about money and cashing in on the recent success of the movie.
True virtuosity was on display this evening, not only from the New York Philharmonic but pianist and conductor, Jeffrey Kahane. Yes, Kahane served as both conductor and pianist on two concertos – Ravel in G and Gershwin in F.
In addition to the two concertos, Kahane conducted the Philharmonic in Kurt Weil’s second symphony.
Sirius XM radio host and Broadway junkie, Seth Rudetsky and Broadway star, Patti Lupone, joined forces for an evening of music and gossip. Thoroughly entertaining although I could have done without the crummy meal and over-booked room. It would have been nice if the atmosphere was a little more intimate and the food less commercial. Enjoyed the stories, though!
This was a very enjoyable evening. If you like the sound of a big band but want to hear it in the context of original compositions, the Maria Schneider Orchestra is worth checking out.
Be sure to visit her YouTube channel for performances of the Maria Schneider Orchestra and her latest Grammy-winning recording, Winter Morning walks, a collaboration with soprano, Dawn Upshaw, the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Learning Enthusiast 