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    The premise of this blog is that it’s everyone’s right to have an opinion about classical music. The Classical Beat is not only a one-stop hub for classical music news, views, and voices around the internet; more importantly, it is an official forum for the dialogue we need to keep this field vital. Read more

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Classical Beat: February, 2012

Posted at 09:41 PM ET, 02/27/2012

Portrait of the artist as music critic
By Anne Midgette
Musicians have long been the most significant music critics — and their creativity is essential to keeping the field of music criticism alive.

By Anne Midgette  |  09:41 PM ET, 02/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 12:01 PM ET, 02/27/2012

Weekend links: Armenian cellist; Brooklyn Rider
By
Reviews of the Tchaikovsky Competition winner in recital and the alt-classical string quartet playing vibrato-less Beethoven.

By  |  12:01 PM ET, 02/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  Cecelia Porter, Robert Battey

Posted at 11:27 AM ET, 02/27/2012

Cosi fa Miller
By Anne Midgette
Jonathan Miller’s “Cosi fan tutte” opened at the Washington National Opera on Saturday night. Here, a sampling of reviews, including my own.

By Anne Midgette  |  11:27 AM ET, 02/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  Charles Downey, WNO

Posted at 12:40 PM ET, 02/21/2012

From pastiche to appropriation: Golijov and “Siderus”
By Anne Midgette
This weekend’s revelation that Osvaldo Golijov’s piece “Siderus” takes chunks from another composer’s work overlooks the well-known fact that Golijov often “borrows” from the work of friends. Is it plagiarism if the orginal composer sanctions it — and is it becoming a bad habit for Golijov, leading to unauthorized “borrowings” and ever less new original work?

By Anne Midgette  |  12:40 PM ET, 02/21/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 11:38 AM ET, 02/20/2012

Links: Julia Fischer; Kronos Quartet
By Anne Midgette and Samantha Buker
Julia Fischer showed her stuff this weekend as a great violinist on the traditional model; the Kronos Quartet joined Azerbaijani singer Alim Qasimov and other musicians at the Clarice Smith Center. We review.

By Anne Midgette and Samantha Buker  |  11:38 AM ET, 02/20/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  Samantha Buker

Posted at 12:48 AM ET, 02/19/2012

Link: The Miller’s Tale
By Anne Midgette
The opera stage director, neurologist and polymath Jonathan Miller prides himself on bringing a naturalistic view of life to the opera stage; but his own artistic ideas have become slightly codified. I profile him in Sunday’s Washington Post; here, I ask what you think of the good doctor.

By Anne Midgette  |  12:48 AM ET, 02/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  WNO

Posted at 12:22 AM ET, 02/19/2012

YCA presents another striking debut
By Joe Banno
Joe Banno reviews the Washington debut of the 21-year-old violinist Benjamin Beilman, presented by Young Concert Artists.

By Joe Banno  |  12:22 AM ET, 02/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  YCA, Joe Banno

Posted at 11:04 AM ET, 02/17/2012

Links: Blomstedt delights at NSO; Emerson Quartet; more
By Anne Midgette and others
Herbert Blomstedt and the NSO were a highlight in a week that included performances by the Emerson Quartet, the Leipzig Quartet, and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson trio. The Post’s classical music critics report.

By Anne Midgette and others  |  11:04 AM ET, 02/17/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Stephen Brookes, Cecelia Porter, Joe Banno

Posted at 11:01 AM ET, 02/14/2012

Emerson Quartet announces sea change
By Anne Midgette
David Finckel leaves to pursue his flourishing independent career; and the Welshman Paul Watkins, himself a multitasker, steps in to this eminently American ensemble.

By Anne Midgette  |  11:01 AM ET, 02/14/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Emerson Quartet

Posted at 10:32 AM ET, 02/14/2012

Link: Andnes, reviewed
By Charles T. Downey and Robert Battey
Leif Ove Andsnes brings poetry and introspection to his Sunday recital at Strathmore; Charles T. Downey reports. Plus: Robert Battey reviews the Voxare String Quartet at the Phillips.

By Charles T. Downey and Robert Battey  |  10:32 AM ET, 02/14/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Charles T. Downey

Posted at 12:29 PM ET, 02/13/2012

Links: Two Orpheuses heard in DC region
By Anne Midgette
Philip Glass’s opera “Orphee” and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with Jean-Yves Thibaudet were highlights of the weekend’s classical offerings. Also: Sol Gabetta, the cellist, made her recital debut, and Nordic Voices sang at Dumbarton Church.

By Anne Midgette  |  12:29 PM ET, 02/13/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Robert Battey, Tom Huizenga, Cecelia Porter

Posted at 11:11 AM ET, 02/12/2012

Link: HD broadcasts lure performing arts institutions, but only a few will benefit long-term
By Anne Midgette
In today’s Post: the Metropolitan Opera’s success with live cinecasts has led to a wealth of performing arts “content” in movie theaters. But only those companies with true business savvy, and branding, will succeed in the long term — and it’s open to question whether orchestras can do well in this medium at all.

By Anne Midgette  |  11:11 AM ET, 02/12/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:04 PM ET, 02/10/2012

New ideas in the news: Pittsburgh seeks soloist via Youtube, Philly continues embrace of new opera.
By Anne Midgette
Innovation is creeping into some of the more traditional classical music venues. The august Pittsburgh Symphony announces a YouTube competition for a soloist; the Opera Company of Philadelphia continues its embrace of new work; and a Chicago radio station opens up a seminar on opera to Web listeners, for a fee.

By Anne Midgette  |  12:04 PM ET, 02/10/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 11:09 AM ET, 02/10/2012

Links: NSO with Salerno-Sonnenberg; the piano beat
By Charles T. Downey
Charles T. Downey’s take on three significant Washington concerts this week, including Eschenbach and the NSO last night in Shostakovich and Bruckner. In a Web-only addendum, he confirms that the principal oboeist had to leave the stage with stomach flu in the middle of the performance.

By Charles T. Downey  |  11:09 AM ET, 02/10/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  NSO, Charles T. Downey

Posted at 03:04 PM ET, 02/06/2012

Old-fashioned interruption at the NSO
By Anne Midgette
Who needs a cell phone? At the National Symphony Orchestra on Friday night, a patron was able to create a disruption without any electronic enhancement at all. Ah, tradition.

By Anne Midgette  |  03:04 PM ET, 02/06/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  NSO

Posted at 11:59 AM ET, 02/06/2012

Links: Graham cancels recital, but classical weekend remains active.
By Anne Midgette
Though laryngitis forced the mezzo Susan Graham to cancel her recital on Saturday, Jonathan Biss, ECCO, the Cygnus Ensemble, and other groups contributed to an active weekend.

By Anne Midgette  |  11:59 AM ET, 02/06/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Patrick Rucker, Joan Reinthaler, Charles T. Downey

Posted at 11:56 AM ET, 02/06/2012

Glass in Virginia: two opera companies offer audiences more to love
By Anne Midgette
The composer Philip Glass marked his 75th birthday last week with, among other things, the release and US premiere of his 9th symphony. But the biggest commemoration in this area comes from the Virginia Opera, which brings “Orphee” to Fairfax this coming weekend. In a recent article, I offered a brief overview of Virginia’s two, count them, opera companies.

By Anne Midgette  |  11:56 AM ET, 02/06/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Philip Glass, Virginia Opera

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 02/03/2012

Link: Eschenbach and NSO offer a lot of heart, and some crackling Beethoven
By Anne Midgette
My review of Thursday’s concert touches on the line between art and artifice: between showing emotion, and calculating how to produce it.

By Anne Midgette  |  10:30 AM ET, 02/03/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

Posted at 12:11 PM ET, 02/01/2012

Links: Dinnerstein, Imani Winds, Paolo Pandolfo - and Castiglione
By Anne Midgette
Robert Battey’s review of Simone Dinnerstein met resistance from readers who felt he was too positive, and not positive enough. Also: reviews of Imani Winds, more Bach cello suites, and the Baroque artist Castiglione.

By Anne Midgette  |  12:11 PM ET, 02/01/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)

 

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