Jonathan Blumhofer
Howard Hersh hails from northern California, and, as in John Adams’ “City Noir,” the music on Hersh’s album, “Angels and Watermarks,” embraces polyglot West Coast culture in various ways.
While 1962’s Symphony owes a clear debt to Stravinsky and Britten (especially its last movement), it sounds like nobody but Irving Fine. This is a score that orchestras ought to be lining up to play.
In a world populated by talented pianists, James Brawn is a standout. He’s not just a virtuoso, but also a probing, thoughtful musician with strong, creative programming instincts.
Conductor Charles Dutoit seems to have little affinity for Mahler’s distinctive style.
Praise is due Peggy Pearson and Winsor Music for providing a forum for the talented young composer Lev Mamuya.
The Discovery Ensemble’s precision was also on full display in the vigorous contrapuntal writing that came across with impressive, electrifying energy and visceral punchiness.
Three reviews of new classical music CDs: one is inviting, another lively, and the last could use more intensity.
Snappy new recordings of the music of Milton Babbitt and George Antheil from the Boston Modern Orchestra Project while cellist Christ Wild’s disc offers a fascinating journey through some richly diverse musical soundscapes.
For at least the last decade, the LAPO has set the bar in creative programming, commissioning new works, and integrating itself into its community.
Arts Remembrance: Sonny Rollins, Jazz’s ‘Saxophone Colossus,’ Dies at 95