Pianist Fred Hersch’s ballad playing is one of the special treats in contemporary jazz.
piano
Concert Review: Yeol Eum Son at Mechanics Hall, Worcester, MA
Ms. Son’s performance of Debussy’s Preludes nos. 3 – 8, while mostly note-perfect, was marked by a tentativeness that kept any of them from really blossoming.
Concert Review: A Spectacular Performance by Cellist Pieter Wispelwey
Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey first performed, as the soloist with the Australian Chamber Orchestra. in the Celebrity Series line-up back in 2007. He made his second appearance at NEC’s Jordan Hall two nights ago. It was a spectacular performance.
Classical Music Review: The Hypnotically Lovely Playing of Pianist Angela Hewitt
Pianist Angela Hewitt’s performance was hypnotically lovely. She has a beautiful touch, as piano teachers like to say, and her playing was colorful and always elegant.
Classical Music Concert Review: An Introverted Russell Sherman at Rockport
Every musician brings his idiosyncratic personality to his (or her) playing, and yet, even after four big pieces, I was not sure what Russell Sherman’s non-piano or piano personality was.
Classical Music Review: Finally Joining the Cult of Tomsic
The audience went wild; Chopin’s Ballades do that to people. Cheering broke out after Dubravka Tomsic played the second ballade, and by the fourth, which starts out quietly like a lullaby and builds up to an all-out, rhapsodic, virtuosic tour de force, the entire audience seemed smitten. Dubravka Tomsic. Presented by the Celebrity Series at […]
Book Review: The Nine Lives of Pianist Leon Fleisher
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 […]
Fuse Classical Music Interview: Pianist Jeremy Denk — Riding the Roller Coaster of Rhythm
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 […]
Classical Music Feature: Listening to a Legend
Alfred Brendel was the first pianist to record all of Beethoven’s piano music in the 1960s and made many world tours with the 32 sonatas, which seemed like old, close friends. At times he would simply play a snippet here and there to illustrate a point, yet never long enough to satisfy this listener. I […]
Concert Review: Beethoven’s Final Piano Sonatas
We often hear about how Brahms and Mahler lived under the shadow of Beethoven’s symphonies, but I suspect many other composers had the last three sonatas in their heads, keeping them both inspired and humble. Beethoven Opus 109. 110, 111. Performed by pianist Till Fellner. At Seully Hall, Boston Conservatory, October 12, 2010. By Susan […]