Month: February 2010
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By Harlan Glotzer Entering the Chapel at the Good Shepherd Center this evening, I was struck with the calm and focus of a dedicated artistic space. This was largely due to the beautiful ambiance of the stage and sonic arena created by the Fisher Ensemble for the world premiere of the piece At the Hawk’s…
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You can watch/read the live blog of Mikhail Shmidt and Agata Zubel’s performance of Kurtag’s “Kafka Fragments” here (after the jump) starting at 7:30 pm PST.
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By R.M. Campbell Joni Mitchell, who made her name in the late 1960s and 1970’s as a folk singer, has spent most of her career in the United States. However, she was born in Canada and is still recognized as a Canadian artist. A few years ago Jean Grand-Maitre, artistic director of Alberta Ballet, approached…
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download movie the green hornet hq Here is my second interview with Mikhail Shmidt. In this video Shmidt talks about Hungarian composer Gyorgy Kurtag’s “Kafka Fragments,” a piece he will perform this Saturday as part of Icebreaker V. “Kafka Fragments” is no ordinary piece; it is one of Kurtag’s most important works and one of…
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watch saw 3d on ipod By R.M. Campbell Joshua Bell discovered some years ago that being a very good violinist was not sufficient to earn fame. So, he turned his attractive personality and boyish looks into a populist appeal. He appeared on television in all sorts of roles, did soundtracks, to name a few. The…
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Starting Friday, the Seattle Chamber Players embark on their fifth Icebreaker festival – “Love and War.” While other Icebreakers have focused on American, Russian, and Baltic contemporary music, the latest festival centers on Western Europe. Mikhail Shmidt, one of SCP’s founding members spoke with me about the festival. You can watch and hear Shmidt’s thoughts…
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By Philippa Kiraly Watching Seattle Gilbert & Sullivan Society’s 2nd Stage production of Offenbach’s “La Perichole,” it seems blatantly impossible it could have stemmed from a true story, as it is silly to the point of unbelievability. But Offenbach no doubt twisted the truth for his own ends, and the music is entrancing. However, this…
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By Philippa Kiraly I love hearing the Auburn Symphony Orchestra. Let me count the ways (not counting the time it does to get there from Seattle): No cost and no problems parking. An acoustically good auditorium, large enough to host a symphony orchestra but small enough for the audience to feel close up and intimate…
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By R.M. Campbell The Russian National Orchestra spends a good share of its collective life on the road. Since its founding, in 1990, the ensemble has spurned government funding, perhaps unique in all of Europe, in favor of American style private funding. Inevitably it has an international board that insist on an international profile. It…
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By Philippa Kiraly One of its biggest audiences ever filled the little Chapel at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford Monday night, for the last of Simple Measure’s Fire-themed concerts. (We had Earth earlier this season, the Air group take place in April, the Water ones in May.) download the centurion online It’s possible part…