Category: Seattle

I have been on an American maestro kick the last few weeks.  You Tube is a great resource for obsessions like this.  Here is one of my favorite finds, Leopold Stokowski conducting Debussy’s L’après-midi d’un faune with the London Symphony.  When you get past Leopold Stokowski’s eccentricities he was a conductor who revolutionized classical music through his fierce advocacy of new music – he premiered numerous Shostakovich symphonies, Schoenberg’s Gurre Lieder, Mahler’s Symphony of a Thousand – and by shaping the sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra.  They don’t make ‘em like Leopold anymore.  Enjoy!

Lang Lang is a rare commodity in the world of classical music today.  On the one hand, he is a star.  Put him on a program with the local symphony orchestra and the house will sell out.  His stardom arises from his limitless talent and unorthodox displays of ecstasy, joy, and fitful energy at the keyboard.  On the other hand, Lang Lang is an artist conscious of the box stardom could erect around him.  Lang Lang’s most recent CD, a program of chamber music, is a first for the pianist. He is also participating in Carnegie Hall’s Chinese music festival performing alongside other musicians from China and on November 10 in a performance with the Shanghai Symphony.  Defining this pianist is a difficult proposition.  Lang Lang is proving that stardom and artistry can coexist.

Continue reading Review: Lang Lang and the Seattle Symphony

I have been to three of the four concerts put on by the Russian Chamber Music Foundation of Seattle. Each time, I have high hopes for the future of this local group. The last concert I attended, a Rachmaninov retrospective performed by musicians from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, was poorly attended and I wondered if the foundation would survive in Seattle. This worry was dispelled by Friday night’s concert which might mark a turning point for the foundation. Three fine guest musicians – Sean Osborn (clarinet); Erin Keefe (violin); and Alexander Tutonov (piano) – joined Natalya Ageyeva, a pianist and the foundation’s founder. A large crowd turned out for the performance, and, on paper, the program looked interesting.

Continue reading Chamber music concert continues Russian tradition in Seattle

Henry Fogel wonders if subsidizing ticket prices will help diversify concert audiences.

Last year it was Richard Strauss’s Elektra that got Seattle’s classical music lovers in the Halloween spirit, this year it is three concert showings of Alfred Hitchcock’s classical film Psycho. A concert performance of Psycho is definitely not your typical Seattle Symphony concert. There was no symphony, dazzling, prodigy soloist, and definitely no stuffy atmosphere – just a classic movie and one of the most memorable film scores in history.

Continue reading A boy’s best friend is his mother

In my “upcoming” post a few days ago I neglected to mention Simple Measures’s performances at Spectrum Dance Theater and the Fremont Abbey.  Simple Measures has built a reputation in Seattle for progressive concert programming that is accessible.  It is a mission that founder Rajan Krishnaswami and all of the musicians associated with the group take very seriously.  Their 2009-2010 season continues in this tradition with a classic Simple Measures event simply called “Earth.” 

Earth, showcases the talents of both the Simple Measures musicians and the dancers from Seattle Dance Project  by combining modern dance with classical music and pop music arrangements.  This season opening event will run longer than a normal show.  There will be three performances at the Spectrum Dance Theater next weekend, followed by three more at the Fremont Abbey.

By: Gigi Yellen

I saw Lang Lang at Carnegie Hall tonight. Concert was part of the hall’s 3-week-long “Ancient Paths/Modern Voices: A festival celebrating Chinese Culture.” Program included a world premiere of a work for piano and orchestra commissioned by Carnegie Hall, “Er Huang” by Chen Quigang (music director of the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics). Michael Tilson Thomas conducted, with the Juillard Orchestra. Definitely not the Beethoven you’ll be hearing with Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall in Seattle this Sunday.

Lang Lang the flashy rock star was not so evident; the fluent athlete of the keyboard was. What he can do with extended arms and liquid wrists, the snap of a head, the careful suspension of a note: an audience that needed guidance got it. This was a hall filled with friends and families of student musicians, among other significant numbers of people who needed to know when to applaud and when not to.

Continue reading Lang Lang: Ancient Paths Modern Voices

On hearing Seattle Baroque Orchestra’s season opening concert at Town Hall Saturday night, my first thought was how well the group sounds in here.

Although spotty in places, the acoustics are warm and with a reverberation which enhances but leaves the sound clear. SBO has moved around a bit in its quest for a good place to play. I hope it will remain here in what is a good pairing with the hall. This season, Seattle Baroque will give one performance of each program, and the hall was quite full.

My second thought was that Seattle Baroque would sound good anywhere. This year, it has back its two founders: violinist Ingrid Matthews, returning from a year’s sabbatical to lead with her usual appealing persona and playing with her usual fine musicianship, and the remarkable harpsichordist Byron Schenkman, who has spent the past few years in New York.

Continue reading Seattle Baroque opens its season with flair

Continue reading Back from the center of the classical music universe