Music

Coming Attractions in Theater: February 2011

January 28, 2011
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A hold-onto-your seat month with some intriguing world premieres, including a musical version of a Korean folktale, an attempt to turn Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound into a rock event, and a cerebral confab featuring Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli. By Bill Marx. King Lear by William Shakespeare. Directed by Michael Grandage. NT Live screens the…

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Classical Music Sampler: April 2011

January 28, 2011
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Update: Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes’s recital on April 1st has been cancelled. The month features appearances by acclaimed performers who have come to New England often before, such as soprano Dawn Upshaw, pianist Dubravka Tomsic, and harpist Sivan Magen, as well as a musical celebration of the 85th birthday of composer, conductor, horn player, author,…

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Classical Music Sampler: February 2011

January 27, 2011
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Accomplished performers coming to New England this month include baritone Sanford Sylvan in Paul Hindemith’s rarely staged opera Cardillac, the highly praised young violinist Noé Inui, and the ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, which will present an evening of music by Venetian Baroque masters. By Susan Miron. February 4 and 11: Celebration of the bicentennial of…

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Coming Attractions in Underground Music: April 2011

January 26, 2011
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April brings lifted spirits, the Together Electronic Music Festival and psychedelia. The Deep Heaven Now Festival features psych, ambient and shoegaze music. The Together Music Festival has a heavy lineup full of dance and electronic music.

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Coming Attractions in Jazz: Late January 2011

January 26, 2011
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UPDATE: The Mango Blue CD release event scheduled for tonight (January 26) has been cancelled due to the impending snowstorm; check back here for announcements concerning rescheduling.

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Culture Review: At MIT, an exhilarating example of 21st-century, multi-media collaboration

January 24, 2011
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It would have been easy to make an entire season out of the ideas the Boston Chamber Music Society compressed into one afternoon; as it is, the wealth of material had the audience buzzing during the two intermissions. Some found the multi-media presentation too much of a good thing. I found it exhilarating and challenging…

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Jazz Review: Grace Under Pressure

January 23, 2011
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Saxophonist Grace Kelly has to decide what kind of artist she wants to be in her maturity, how long a run she’d like to have, how much she intends to contribute to the jazz tradition—and how she intends to accomplish these things. By Steve Elman. A moment of reckoning arrives in the career of every…

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Book Review: The Nine Lives of Pianist Leon Fleisher

January 22, 2011
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My Nine Lives reads like a conversation with a man who has worked through more than his share of ups and downs in the world of classical music. The tone is understated and graceful; his narrative could easily have faltered in less skillful hands. Pianist Leon Fleisher aims for a general readership. It’s a very…

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Classical Music Interview: Pianist Jeremy Denk — Riding the Roller Coaster of Rhythm

January 20, 2011
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Pianist Jeremy Denk says, “Being a musician can be very solitary and a bit navel-gazing (like blogging). I’m not sure that blogging made me saner, but it surely released a valve somewhere.” By Susan Miron Pianist Jeremy Denk will be tackling one of the year’s most challenging programs this Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at MassArt…

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Classical Music Review: For Those Who Love British Choral Music

January 16, 2011
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The only thing more unforgettable than this sung story of woe was the eloquent singing of Lynn Torgove. Vaughan Williams could have hoped for no better singer or instrumental ensemble. The Cantata Singers. At Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, MA, January 14. By Susan Miron The history of British classical music is a strange…

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