Evelina Puzaite, Pianist in Review Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall April 1, 2012 Evelina Puzaite is a young Lithuanian-born pianist currently based in London and winner of various distinctions and prizes including the Rubinstein Piano Competition in Paris (First Prize). She has recorded for Landor Records in the UK and has performed widely in…
Presented by DCINY Distinguished Concerts Singers International Eric Whitacre, conductor Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall; New York, NY April 1, 2012 Eric Whitacre conducted amazingly well-prepared choruses in presentations of his music, which ranged from 1992 to the present, and he also conducted two lovely renditions of works by Morten Lauridsen. The…
Music for Chorus and Women’s Chorus Jonathan Griffith; Hilary Apfelstadt; Jed Ragsdale and Hallie Reed, conductors Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center March 31, 2012 One of my main memories of the first half of this varied musical afternoon is garnering a deeper sense of the sonic possibilities of a…
MidAmerica Productions Presents “Playing Favorites” The Lin-Castro-Balbi Duo in Review: Jesús Castro-Balbi, cello and Gloria Lin, piano Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall; New York, NY March 25, 2012 A beautifully conceived program of music for cello and piano offered something for everyone, as the husband-wife team of Gloria Lin and Jesús Castro-Balbi brought a…
Katarzyna Musial, Piano Camerata New York Orchestra, Richard Owen, Jr. Conductor The Kosciuszko Foundation March 18, 2012 The Camerata New York Orchestra presented a delightful program on a delightful Sunday afternoon, March 18, with a guest soloist, the Polish-Canadian pianist Katarzyna Musial. The Camerata, now celebrating its tenth anniversary, is a spirited chamber orchestra, 25…
Stephanie Griffin, viola, Cheryl Seltzer, piano Music of Brady, Greenbaum, Babbitt, Milhaud, Pärt, and Shostakovich Americas Society; New York, NY March 20, 2012 Stephanie Griffin, violist and founding member of the Momenta Quartet, and Cheryl Seltzer, pianist, founder, and co-director of the internationally renowned group Continuum, joined forces recently in recital…
“The Most Happy Fella” by Frank Loesser Dicapo Opera Theatre, New York, NY March 17, 2012 I first saw Frank Loesser’s “The Most Happy Fella” in 1957, during its first Broadway run. I bought the score as soon as it was published and the original cast album (the first recording of an entire show, including…
Gila Goldstein, Piano Saint Andrew Music Society: Music on Madison Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, N.Y. March 18, 2012 Balmy weather in New York may seem like stiff competition for one’s afternoon versus sitting indoors at a piano recital, but a lot depends on the program and the artist. As it turned…
Requiem X 2: Mozart and Clausen Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York March 18, 2012 Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) is an organization that believes in presenting concerts on the grand scale, with performers of all ages from schools and ensembles throughout the country. Having attended many DCINY concerts, I have seen…
Guitar Fest: Pro Musicis Concert in Review Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall March 14, 2012 Pro Musicis, a concert organization that began its auditions in 1965, has presented its awardees in more than 1,900 concerts in Europe, Asia, and North America, both in prominent venues such as Weill Hall and through community outreach programs.…