By R.M. Campbell
Baroque Northwest is one of those small ensembles in Seattle that lives a little below the public radar but sustains itself with evocative programs, good music-making and a faithful audience.
Category: Seattle
PNB’s “Sleeping Beauty” Ensconced at McCaw
By R.M. Campbell
Pacific Northwest Ballet waited nearly three decades before mounting “Sleeping Beauty.” “Nutcracker,” “Swan Lake,” “Coppelia,” A Midsummer Night’s Dream” all preceded it. There was wisdom in waiting. If “Swan Lake,” in 1981, was a stretch for the company, “Sleeping Beauty” would have been a disaster. There is no challenge like this monumental ballet with its many roles scattered over three hours. Depth and breadth are mandatory.
Transitions
From a Seattle Symphony press release…
Seattle Symphony Board Chair Leslie Jackson Chihuly announced the appointment of current Seattle Symphony Vice President of Development Mark McCampbell to the position of Interim Executive Director. McCampbell has 30 years of non-profit leadership and fundraising experience and was brought into the organization by current Executive Director Thomas Philion. Philion, who has served as Executive Director since 2007, will continue to work with the organization as Senior Advisor in the coming months. Philion decided in December not to seek renewal of his contract. A search for a new President & Executive Director is underway, led by search committee chair and longtime board member Marco Abbruzzese.
Auryn Quartet Makes Auspicious Debut
By any count, today is a golden age for string quartets. Dozens of groups of international standing ply the concert platform on several continents. One of those, founded nearly 30 years ago, made a belated debut at Meany Hall Thursday night.
The Auryn Quartet began life in Germany and is now based in Cologne. It has toured widely, in Europe and North and South America as well as Australia and Asia. The group’s recordings are equally impressive with complete cycles of the Beethoven and Schubert and Brahms quartets and Haydn to be finished just down the road. All together more than 150 string quartets have entered its repertory with about 100 chamber music works – trios to octets – performed with all sorts of eminent musicians and ensembles such as the Guarneri and Amadeus, with whom the Auryn studied, and the Prazak.
Gershwin on Broadway
By Philippa Kiraly
S’Wonderful how a Fascinatin’ Rhythm can get your feet tapping at Meany Hall to something By Strauss, but I’d Rather Charleston on Broadway in Summertime with The Man I Love even if he considers A Woman is a Sometime Thing.. No matter if you Soon say Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off, They Can’t Take that Away From Me. I have my Rhapsody in Blue forever and Someone to Watch Over Me.
Well!
Thalia Symphony’s From Russia With Love
By Harlan Glotzer
On Saturday afternoon the Thalia Symphony presented a brief, but by no means unsubstantial, concert of two Russian masters. Thalia, a truly remarkable group of musicians, under the baton of Eric Hanson, has been the Seattle Pacific University Orchestra in Residence since 1994. Spanning a wide range of ages, comprised of professionals, SPU students, and SPU alumni, this ensemble embodies the essence of a community orchestra. Thalia is indeed a place for young musicians to hone their skills among the ranks of peers and mentors.
One from Mozart and one from Mendelssohn
By Gigi Yellen
The CD “Live in the Fiddler’s House,” played in the car as I headed for Benaroya Hall to hear “Reb Itzik” play.
That would be Itzhak Perlman, the wildly famous virtuoso violinist, whose Jan. 28 concert as soloist and conductor was the second in a two-night stand that launched this year’s Seattle Symphony Mainly Mozart Series.
Happy birthday Mozart! SSO members present a delightful tribute
By Dana Wen
This week marks the 254th anniversary of Mozart’s birth, kicking off commemorative concerts across the globe. Here in Seattle, members of the Seattle Symphony presented a delightful program of the great composer’s chamber music to celebrate the event. The well-attended Tuesday night recital, a day before Mozart’s birthday on January 27, was held in Benaroya Hall’s intimate Nordstrom Recital Hall. It was a pleasant surprise to see the room so full on a cold weeknight. The enthusiasm of the crowd served as a testament to the success of the Seattle Symphony’s small chamber music series. This Mozart tribute proved to be no exception to this rule. The four works on the program did an excellent job of showcasing the symphony’s talent while representing various sides of Mozart’s personality.
Continue reading Happy birthday Mozart! SSO members present a delightful tribute
A Toast to Mozart
Celebrating Mozart on his birthday Wednesday in a Town Hall concert, pianist Byron Schenkman and several colleagues enlivened their performances with raffle drawings for an audience already enjoying wine and chocolates. Downstairs at Town Hall was jammed with people skipping the last part of the State of the Union speech to be there and the atmosphere was cheerfully festive.
The performances, of Mozart works mostly from the composer’s late teens and very early twenties, were of generally high level as one would expect from anything Schenkman does, but within that the results were uneven.
Let’s make a deal!
The Seattle Symphony musicians and management have reached a tentative agreement on a multi-year contract, paving the way for the next phase of the orchestra’s future.
Gathering Note 