Not to short change the rest of the concert, but for me the highlight of our Classical subscription concert last night was the Austrian violinist Benjamin Schmid playing the pants off of the William Bolcom Violin Concerto. He was just rock solid, and aside from the chops, had a clear affinity for the jazz/classical fusion
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One of my favorite comedians working today is Jim Gaffigan, so imagine my surprise when I found out that he was going to be conducting this weekend’s performances of the Oregon Symphony! Well, not quite. I actually knew that James Gaffigan, this week’s guest conductor, was not in any way a comedian (though he does
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Alondra de la Parra – Photo: Courtney Perry The Daily Beast has an article about the current crop of young conductors who are either making it big or, in their opinion, are about to (the headline screams: Young Rock Stars of the Conducting World”). Some of these conductors have been here in Oregon, and with
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Helene Grimaud – will rue the day Photo: Mat Hennek/DG Valentina Lisitsa – saved the day Photo: Iran Issa-Khan Pianist Helene Grimaud spaced out and learned the wrong Beethoven concerto for her planned CSO appearances this weekend, and Portland favorite Valentina Lisitsa was called in to pinch hit for the Beethoven Emperor Concerto. Grimaud recently
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I’m a little short on time today, but I thought I’d make some observations on the current classical series that we’re finishing tonight in Portland. First, our guest conductor, James Gaffigan, is really starting to grow on me. I’m always suspicious of the “wunderkind” conductors, as they rarely live up to their hype. We had
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This week’s subscription concert will, with no sarcasm intended, be delightful for the audience. What’s not to love? The most accessible Stravinsky score ever (Firebird Suite – 1919 version), a Haydn Symphony with a cute nickname (The Hen), a perennial top-ten end-of-year radiothon fave in the Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez, and a bit of downer
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