more brilliance from A-ross May 2, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : appreciation/criticism, chamber music, composition, add a comment
Alex Ross, music writer for the New Yorker, who was Pulitzer shortlisted for his music history page-turner The Rest Is Noise, and blogger at the site of the same name, just wrote a review of the series presented at Carnegie Hall by the Brentano Quartet, which concerned the late works of a variety of composers.
How many classical music critics (or any other journalists for that matter) do you know who can regularly turn out such prose as this in the course of their beat?
Whatever it is that allows artists to maintain their powers of invention as they grow older, composers possess it more richly than most. Musical figures from Monteverdi to Messiaen have had careers that can be plotted as steadily rising curves. In old age, certain composers reach a state of terminal grace, in which even throwaway ideas give off a glow of inevitability, like wisps of cloud illumined at dusk
That’s seriously good stuff. Read the rest here.
thomas adés nytimes profile March 23, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : appreciation/criticism, chamber music, composition, music, recordings, the orchestra world, add a comment 
G. Paul Burnett/The New York Times
British composer phenom Thomas Adés (age 37) is presenting a concert of his music at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group on Friday, March 29th. The New York Times’ Vivien Schweitzer writes this article about his background and ethos in today’s edition of the paper. Here are a few of my favorite observations from the article:
joshua bell & jeremy denk carnegie review February 15, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : appreciation/criticism, music, soloists & recitals, add a comment
Joshua Bell
Photo credit: Bill Phelps
Pianist/blogger Jeremy Denk made a big splash last year with what I’m told was a stunning performance of Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata. Violinist Joshua Bell will highlight the Oregon Symphony’s 2008-2009 season playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. Here’s a very positive review of their recent Carnegie Hall performance.
Jeremy Denk
Photo credit: J. Henry Fair
