New York Classical Music Concert Reviews

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Classical Music Concert Reviews in New York City

May 21, 2010 by Edith Eisler
An Evening of American Song:
“And If the Song Be Worth a Smile”
Lisa Delan, soprano
Kristin Pankonin, piano
Matt Haimovitz, cello
The Allen Room, Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center
New York, NY

This concert of songs by six living American composers was presented by PentaTone Classics to celebrate its release of Lisa Delan’s recording of the program, also entitled “And if the Song be Worth a Smile.” Four of the composers - Gordon Getty, David Garner, John Corigliano and Luna Pearl Woolf – were present; Corigliano’s and Woolf’s cycles were written for Ms. Delan and her pianist, Kristin Pankonin, whose empathetic support contributed greatly to the evening’s success.

May 15, 2010 by Rorianne Schrade
New York Concert Artists
Winners’ Evening II
Yoojin Oh, piano; Raymond H. T. Wong, piano;
Yumi Sato, piano; Anastasia Dedik, piano
Manhattan Chamber Orchestra
Eduard Zilberkant, conductor
Good Shepherd Church
New York, NY

Word must be spreading about the musical feasts presented by New York Concert Artists & Associates, as their audiences seem to be growing from concert to concert. Under the artistic direction of Klara Min, the musical fare seems to be growing in scope as well. A recent evening featuring four big piano concerti included a work that is rarely performed live, the Vaughan Williams Piano Concerto in C (1926, first two movements, and finished in 1931). Having heard the excellent new recording of it played by Ashley Wass (also recorded twice by Howard Shelley), I had recently been wondering why the piece is so overlooked; granted, it is fiercely difficult and sprawling, with a quiet ending that elicits a hush rather than an explosive ovation, but its treasures are many. Excellent pianist Yoojin Oh found these treasures, and they were stunning. Ravelian swirls of color, expressive cadenzas, bold percussive statements, and a well-controlled fugue all sounded as if the pianist had performed this piece for years (though she was using the score). Ms. Oh has considerable credentials, so hopefully she will parlay them into further performances of this unfairly neglected gem. I for one would want to hear it again.

May 13, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
Alexander White, trumpet
2009 Olga Koussevitzky Young Artists Winner
Steinway Hall, New York City
New York, NY

In a concert sponsored by the Musicians Club of New York, the 2009 first place winner of the prestigious Olga Koussevitzky Young Artists Awards, trumpeter Alexander White, performed at beautiful Steinway Hall in New York City. This was the first time a trumpet player was awarded a prize in the competition’s winds and brass division, where flutists or clarinetists usually get the honor.

May 11, 2010 by Harry Saltzman
The University of Notre Dame Concert Band
Kenneth Dye, conductor
Carnegie Hall, New York City

To the great pleasure of the joyous audience attending this Carnegie Hall concert, the ninety-three members of The University of Notre Dame Concert Band made a mighty sound. And the word concert alone does not fully describe this event, as it assumed, at different times, aspects of a concert, a college reunion, a pep rally. Let it be said at the outset that The University of Notre Dame Concert Band is a virtuoso ensemble. The technical skill and ensemble cohesiveness of these young players is mind boggling. The thirteen flutes in unison play as one, as do the fourteen clarinets. The forty-one member brass choir sounds great at all dynamic levels, when playing both solemn chorale-like passages and wild jazzy riffs. It was an evening of sonic splendor.

May 9, 2010 by Rorianne Schrade
Continuum: Spotlight on Georgia
Merkin Hall
New York, NY

Continuum, now in its 44th season under the direction of founders Cheryl Seltzer and Joel Sachs, appears to be more vital than ever. A recent program focusing on new works by composers from the Republic of Georgia underscored this impression. We heard four U.S Premieres and a World Premiere by composers we might otherwise encounter only in piecemeal fashion, if at all (with Giya Kancheli being the possible exception), all tied together in memorable and meaningful ways, including informative notes and the opportunity to hear two of the composers speak. Incidentally the only work that was not a premiere was Kancheli’s Psalm 23 from “Exile,” a work that Continuum premiered in the 1990’s.

May 4, 2010 by Harry Saltzman
Richard Strauss Duo Recital
Sharon Cheng, soprano and Michael Fennelly, piano
Jennifer Grimaldi, soprano and Max Midoit, piano
Bechstein Piano Centre
New York, NY

What a pleasure it was to hear two fine sopranos, accompanied by two sensitive pianists, skillfully performing the glorious songs of Richard Strauss in a well-lit intimate setting. This year, I have attended many vocal recitals in dimly-lit major concert halls where established artists sang numerous sets of obscure and forgettable songs by great composers. But tonight, we heard fourteen Strauss songs, and there wasn’t a weak one amongst them. And our pleasure hearing these songs was enhanced by the fact that there was enough light to comfortably read the written program, with its fine notes and the original German poems written along side their English translations.

May 3, 2010 by David LaMarche
Enhake Quartet
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

An evening of works by five living composers was presented by the Enhake Quartet from Florida State University on May 3rd. The members of this foursome, all impressive soloists and adept chamber musicians, made strong cases for each of the compositions on this program. One of the defining characteristics of the Enhake is rock-solid rhythmic integrity which was evident from the start of “Breakdown Tango” by the composer John Mackey. Propelled by the violinist M. Brent Williams’ driving sixteenth note ostinato, each of the other players added a layer of complexity until the grand climax gives way to a lonely habanera solo on cello. Throughout the tango, clarinetist Wonkak Kim wove his sultry, stylized melodies into the fabric. Much of this piece feels as though it has quotation marks around it, yet in spite of that, it is well crafted and benefited from precise ensemble.

May 2, 2010 by Rorianne Schrade
Dan Franklin Smith, piano
Musica de Camara
Museum of the City of New York
New York, NY

Dan Franklin Smith is a pianist that any composer should feel lucky to have as an advocate. In “A Musical Tapestry for the Beginning of the 21st Century,” a program featuring eight composers ranging in age from their twenties to mid-eighties, Mr. Smith drew the best from each work. His artistry and versatility seemed to know no bounds.

May 2, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony
All Saints Church
New York, NY

The program was perfect: it had a central idea, which was music from or inspired by France. But even though the works were nicely tied together, they were also satisfyingly well-contrasted from one another. Bizet’s Symphony in C was composed by a Frenchman, who at 17 years of age was hardly a man or hardly French; his music, after all, was greatly inspired by the classical structures of Beethoven’s fourth, Schumann’s second and Mendelssohn’s third symphonies. Yet expansive French melody and chromaticism shine through, and this work is worthy of frequent performances. The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony played it marvelously well; David Bernard’s tempo choices were safe and fittingly musical at the same time—the last movement Allegro vivace, for example, wasn’t hurried or flashed for effect, but played so details could be heard. Only occasionally were trumpet and timpani eighth notes late or behind after a tied note. And only a few oboe and flute unison E’s were slightly off in the Adagio. In general, this was indeed a polished performance.

April 28, 2010 by Harris Goldsmith
Hiroko Sasaki, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

One of this writer’s fondest memories was the distinguished debut of a young Japanese-born pianist, Hiroko Sasaki, on May 8, 2003 (my review of that Weill Hall concert appeared in volume 10, No. 3 of this journal). Ms. Sasaki has continued to confirm my initial impression that she was “a true artist at work.” She sounded as splendid as ever at one of her return appearances under the auspices of the Abby Whiteside Foundation’s series on April 20th in the same venue. Indeed, the pianist’s program of both books of Debussy’s Preludes consolidated that same concert of seven years ago that had included works of Haydn, Chopin and the first volume of the Debussy (even the encore, Le Petit Berger, that I had called a perfect ending the first time, was repeated).

April 21, 2010 by Edith Eisler
Victor Goldberg, piano
Pro Musicis
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

Victor Goldberg is an excellent pianist with a formidable technique, a powerful tone, and a romantic soul (and a distracting habit of tossing his hands way up). Russian-born, he has studied, performed and won competitions in Europe, Israel and America, and is the recipient of the 2008 Pro Musicis International Award.

April 20, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
Daniel Cho, violin
Sunglee Victoria Choi, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

Daniel Cho played with a robust, confident sound at his New York recital debut, sponsored by the Korea Music Foundation; he displays a technique that is comparable to many top professionals today. Winner of the 2009 Great Mountains Music Festival Competition, he studies with Hyo Kang in Juilliard’s Pre-College Division. His technical prowess was exemplary in Wieniawski’s Fantaisie brillante on Themes from Gounod’s Faust; his up-bow spiccato, harmonics, difficult leaps, pizzicato and tricky double-stops were all eye-opening.

April 18, 2010 by Harry Saltzman
Choral Chameleon
Vince Peterson, Artistic Director
Sanctuary of the Fourth Universalist Society
New York, NY

Choral Chameleon is a nineteen-voice chamber chorus whose mission “is to engage listeners in a diverse and innovative musical experience through its integrative concert programming and education outreach.” Their early-evening concert was titled “Hymns for the Amusement of Children” and featured four works composed during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. These works were integrated in that their texts all have a connection to childhood. The chorus produces a pleasant sound, especially beautiful in soft homophonic passages. But unlike the reptile for which they are named, throughout the concert the sound of Choral Chameleon never changed color. They do sing with fine intonation and are very comfortable performing complex rhythmic passages. Most importantly, artistic director Vince Peterson has the chorus shape the musical lines so that they all have forward thrust and an expressive musical profile.

April 16, 2010 by Magdalena Baczewska
Yoonjung Han, piano
Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center
New York, NY

Gold medalist at the 2008 World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, South Korean pianist Yoonjung Han recently presented her debut recital at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. A feeling of celebration and anticipation of the moment filled the auditorium. Having made her debut at the age of thirteen, Han is no stranger to the concert stage. She got right to business with a colorful and joyfully performed Haydn Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob. 52. After the light and giddy first movement, the audience erupted into applause. The Adagio was carefully planned out and balanced, though one might have wished for more spontaneity and abandon. The Presto Finale floated gracefully above ground and was received with a warm ovation.

April, 2010 by Harris Goldsmith
CD Review
Sebastyen NyirÖ, piano
Bach’s Aria with Thirty Variations (Goldberg)

This unusual and, ultimately, compelling new recording of Bach’s transcendental Aria Mit Verschiedenen Verandergungen introduces us yet to another outstanding Hungarian pianist, Sebastyen NyirÖ, who was born in 1979. This may well be the broadest and longest performance of the Goldberg Variations ever. NyirÖ favors taking all the repeats (even those in the Aria da Capo which even the near-fanatical purist Claudio Arrau was even willing to forgo in his early 1940s RCA recording released posthumously on two CDs. Rosalyn Tureck, another famous (or notorious) advocate of repeats and slow tempos, likewise ran over onto two CDs in the Philips Great Pianists of the 20th Century reissue. Simone Dinnerstein, another champion of slow tempos, played all the repeats in her in-concert performance at Weill Recital Hall, but reluctantly condoned omitting a few of them in order to limit her commercial recording (a labor-of-love, later taken over by Telarc) to a single CD. NyirÖ’s rendition runs to 85 minutes and fourteen seconds: CD no. 1, with the Aria and Variations 1 through 15 taking 40 minutes and 12 seconds; CD no. 2 beginning with the French Ouverture Variation 16 and ending with the Aria da capo runs 42 minutes; 14 seconds for the work’s conclusion.

April 11, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
Junior Chamber Music
Presented by DCINY
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

From the west side of the United States to the west side of Manhattan, an impressive bunch of students from southern California, all part of an organization called Junior Chamber Music –founded and directed by Susan Boettger—performed extremely well-prepared, well-chosen music at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. The concert was presented by Distinguished Concerts International New York.

April 11, 2010 by Edith Eisler
The Madison String Quartet
Musica de Camara
Museum of the City of New York
New York, NY

Founded and directed by Eva de La O, Musica de Camara has been presenting Hispanic musicians for 30 years in concert halls, community centers, churches, libraries and museums—often for audiences with little access to classical music. One of its recent discoveries is the Madison String Quartet, an adventurous, enthusiastic young group dedicated to exploring the Hispanic literature, for whose idiomatic rhythms and colors the players have a natural affinity. The performance, apart from some intonation problems in octaves and unisons, was admirable: secure, well-balanced, expressive, homogeneous in sound, unanimous in spirit.

April 10, 2010 by Harris Goldsmith
Mana Takuno, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

Mana Takuno’s excellent performance of an early, rarely heard 1901 work by George Enescu, his Suite No.2 in D Major, Op. 10, delighted me at a May 8, 2008 concert—(see review in Volume 15, No.3 of this journal) , and it made me want to hear more of her playing. I wrote that her exciting interpretation, with its “drive, virtuosity, textual and coloristic diversity”, stole the show from three other young pianists who shared the same concert with her. Ms. Takuno and her program of Poulenc, Thomas Oboe Lee, Beethoven and Schumann afforded me a more comprehensive “fix” on her achievement and pianistic capabilities.

April 9, 2010 by Edith Eisler
Temple University Symphony Orchestra
Louis Biava, conductor; Terell Stafford, trumpet
Alice Tully Hall
New York, NY

This concert “celebrated the American creative spirit” by combining photography and music. The program featured the “three B’s” American style - Barber, Bernstein, and Brubeck (Dave and his son Chris) - and included two New York premieres: the Brubecks’ “Ansel Adams: America,” and Bill Cunliffe’s fourth stream… La Banda (The Band). Composers Dave Brubeck and Bill Cunliffe were present, as were several members of Adams’ family.

March 27, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
Peter Fletcher, guitar
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

Peter Fletcher’s loyal followers at Weill Recital Hall were treated to a program of classical guitar music that ran the gamut from Paduana, by Baroque lute music pioneer Esaias Reusner, to the haunting and ethereal Prelude and Ritual from David Leisner’s Four Pieces. Fletcher began the evening with three crowd-pleasing transcriptions: Handel’s Sarabande and Variations, Bach’s Prelude No.1 from Book 1 of The Well Tempered Clavier, and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring (a Foster transcription).

March 27, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
International Junior Music Competition
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

A Gala program featuring the winners of the International Junior Music Competition began with Sarasate’s Introduction and Tarantella performed by the young Kanon Kobayashi. Only around ten years old, she plays with great intonation, a robust sound, and a mature, varying vibrato. She is exceptionally musical and exudes a joy for the music she is playing. The Skylark by Balakirev, and Alborada del gracioso by Ravel were performed by 12-year-old pianist Hina Inokuchi. The Balakirev was a perfect choice, as she played with much grace and evocative color; the Ravel, which sounds better as an orchestral showpiece, lacked some of the passion and grandeur it needs.

March 27, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
Traditional and Classical Music of Kazakhstan
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

An important concert at Weill Recital Hall fascinatingly revealed some history and updates of Kazakhstan’s instruments, composers and current musicians. And the chronology was presented handsomely, with exploration of the traditional qobyz instrument and Kazakhstan folk music. Aizhan Toleubaeva was the impressionable soloist in traditional dress. The qobyz produces many rich overtones, and it resonated beautifully in the hall. She also played it very musically, holding the instrument like a cello and gently caressing her bow against its strings. Then talented pianist Alia Alhan, who is also the director of the Cultural Center of Kazakhstan in New York, proceeded to play Four Preludes by Kazhgaliev, which had some Ravelian influences, and Kyui by Andosov, a work with many open 4ths and 5ths and reminiscent of Borodin’s music. Alhan played the works with lovely shades of color and pedaling, and she was extremely musical at transitions, with subtle, tasteful rubato.

March 26, 2010 by Barrett Cobb
Margaret Cornils, flute
Sharon Jenson, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

A packed Weill Recital Hall greeted flutist Margaret Cornils for this recital, which was sponsored by MidAmerica Productions. The first half was made up of three of the most popular pieces in the flute repertoire: Bach’s B Minor Sonata, Debussy’s Syrinx, and Poulenc’s Sonata. Some of Bach’s flute sonatas were written for flute and basso continuo (a keyboard instrument, whose left hand is doubled by a bass instrument such as a cello, and whose right hand improvises chords stipulated by the composer.) The B Minor Sonata, however, is written for flute and an obbligato (fully written-out) keyboard – without cello. Although cellist Kevin Price blended well with the other fine performers, his part was superfluous.

March 25, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
The Chihara Trio
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

The Chihara Trio, formed in 2009 and comprised of Penn State School of Music faculty members Anthony J. Costa on clarinet, violist Timothy Deighton and pianist Enrico Elisi, performed a diverse array of works that were sometimes interrelated in subtle, yet special ways. The clarinet/viola/piano trio repertoire isn’t often heard, so the forming of this ensemble was a great idea. The trio’s inaugural season has included performances throughout Pennsylvania and Maryland, and they made their New York debut with this concert.

March 18, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
Carlos Perez, guitar
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

Guitarist Carlos Perez, a native of Chile, presented a potpourri of composers from Bach to Rodrigo on his recital. He performed entirely from memory. Rodrigo’s Elogio de la Guitarra is wonderfully inventive, and Perez played it with much flavor and zest¸ and with spontaneity of tempo and spirit. Another highlight of the program was the inventive, captivating and technically demanding Tarentella by David Pavlovits. Pavlovitz is a young Hungarian composer and guitarist (one can tell he plays guitar because his work is so idiomatic for the instrument) whose work is inspired by the folklore of South-Eastern Europe. Perez played the piece with both depth of character and technical accomplishment.

March 9, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
University of Louisville Grawemeyer Players
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

After a fascinating and thorough pre-concert lecture by composer Augusta Read Thomas, in which she discussed the relevance and mission of classical contemporary concert music and how the University of Louisville School of Music’s Grawemeyer Award—celebrating an important 25th Anniversary—has helped and could help foster this mission, several faculty members from the school assembled to perform music by current and past Grawemeyer Award winners.

February 22, 2010 by Rorianne Schrade
Benefit Concert for Haiti
Xu Hui, piano; Frank Lévy, piano; Andy McCullough, tenor
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

In the wake of Haiti’s disastrous earthquake, it is heartening to see numerous concerts by musicians joining forces to raise funds, and a recital by Xu Hui and Frank Lévy was among them. Though the audience was small, the spirit of giving was palpable.

February 16, 2010 by Edith Eisler
SoNoRo Festival Bucharest
Ensemble Raro: Ensemble Raro: Diana Ketler, piano; Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin;
Razvan Popovici, viola; Bernhard Naoki Heidenborg, cello;
Roxana Constantinescu, guest mezzo-soprano
Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

Formed in 2004, Ensemble Raro (named after Master Raro, the wise old arbiter of Schumann’s imaginary Davidsbündler) must be one of the best, most versatile young groups before the public. Resident Ensemble of the SoNoRo Festival, founded in 2006 by violist Popovici, the group appears in concert halls world-wide; this was its New York debut. SoNoRo has released two recordings, and fosters living composers through performances, and young musicians through scholarships.

February 14, 2010 by Harry Saltzman
Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY)
Love, Lust, and Light: A Valentine’s Day Concert
Carnegie Hall: Stern Auditorium
New York, NY

After hearing this concert, I am happy to report that high quality choral singing in the United States is flourishing. In my review of DCINY’s January 18th concert at Avery Fisher Hall, I lauded them for bringing fine amateur choruses to New York. The sentiments expressed in that review are equally applicable to this afternoon’s concert.

February 11, 2010 by Rorianne Schrade
Denitsa Laffchieva, clarinet; Ofer Canetti, cello; Maria Prinz, piano
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

Three musicians from different corners of the world, Maria Prinz from Bulgaria; Denitsa Laffchieva from Bulgaria—but residing in London; and Ofer Canetti from Israel, converged recently to perform a program of Debussy, Strauss and Zemlinsky. The concert was presented by MidAmerica Productions. Each musician impressed in different ways, not always complementary to one another, but ultimately providing a stimulating evening to their large audience.

February 11, 2010 by Harry Saltzman
Musica de Camara String Ensemble
Christian Colberg, conductor
The Cathedral of St. Patrick's
New York, NY

The soloists who participated in this concert “Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence in Classical Music” were fine ambassadors of Musica de Camara’s mission to present “Puerto Rican and Hispanic classical musicians in concert.” And the Musica de Camara String Ensemble, made up of Hispanic and non-Hispanic players, presented a beautiful picture of the diversity of this great city of ours.

February 7, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony
David Bernard, conductor | Sirena Huang, violin
All Saints Church
New York, NY

Sirena Huang was the featured soloist, and despite her fifteen years of age, she played Saint-Saens’ Third Violin Concerto like a seasoned pro. Not only did Sirena confidently “nail” the difficult notes in the stratosphere of her instrument and play with a beautifully resonant sound, she winningly captured the essence of this brilliant French score.

Carnegie Hall - New York City

January 23, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
Distinguished Concerts International New York
“Music on Canvas, 57x7”
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
New York, NY

An enjoyable presentation of music and art—and even fashion—entitled: “Music on Canvas, 57x7” took place on January 23rd at…

January 18, 2010 by Harry Saltzman
Distinguished Concerts International New York
Concert for Peace
Celebrating the Spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center
New York, NY

This Martin Luther King, Jr. Day concert was presented by Distinguished Concerts International of New York (DCINY) and featured choirs from the United States and Canada, six vocal soloists, a large orchestra, all under the expert direction of DCINY’s artistic director and principal conductor, Jonathan Griffith...

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January 13, 2010 by Anthony Aibel
Continuum: Celebrating Ursula Mamlok
Merkin Hall
New York, NY

Continuum’s commemoration of Ursula Mamlok’s 87th birthday spanned the 50 years of her journey as a composer. And this revealing concert showed us that this important composer was steadfastly devoted to her unique style, which for the most part follows serialism.

December 10, 2009 by Rorianne Schrade
Nadejda Vlaeva, piano
Merkin Concert Hall
New York, NY

The odds of hearing Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 1 in recital are rather slim (compared to the seventh, eighth, and others), but when a pianist combines it with the Piano Sonata No. 2 of Ukrainian-born Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952), a composer whose works are seldom recorded or performed, one knows that an unusual musical mind is at work.

Winter 2010 - Vol. 17 No. 1

Front Cover Feature
Alan Gilbert & The New York Philharmonic
Listed in New York's Top Performances
by Anthony Aibel

Includes Classical Concert Reviews of...



Manhattan Chamber Orchestra Ensemble du Monde Cornerstone Chorale and Brass Park Avenue Chamber Symphony Mendelssohn's 200th Gala Proteus Ensemble/Hai-Ting Chinn La Follia Barocca	Ilya Kazantsev, piano Ilya Yakushev, piano Mai Kagaya, piano Theo Lebow, tenor Alexander Beridze, piano Minsoo Sohn, piano Stanislav Khristenko, piano Orrett Rhoden, piano Spencer Myer, piano	Thomas Schultz, piano Mareda Gaither-Graves, soprano Warren George Wilson, piano Rira Lim, piano Aglaia Koras, piano Orlay Alonso, piano Yoko Suzuki, piano Michail Lifits, piano Xiayin Wang, piano