Peter Danish - Page 11

French-Greek Tenor George Perris makes sensational debut at Lincoln Center's Allen Room.

Aprile Millo returns to the operatic stage in Italy this month in Puccini's Il Tabarro.

Critics have called her 'the ideal Carmen of our time' and 'one of the leading singer-actresses of her generation.' The New York Times called her 'naturally seductive and vocally alluring.' But this down-to-earth southern girl prefers the moniker: The Dixie Diva!

On Saturday, December 14th, 2013 at 8PM, GRAMMY Award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin returns to the 92nd St. Y for a solo recital. The concert celebrates her 35th anniversary of her New York Debut (at Alice Tully Hall in 1979), the 25th anniversary of The Juilliard School guitar department (which Sharon Isbin created in 1989, the first in the institution's 100-year history), and honors the 100th birthday on this date of her mentor Rosalyn Tureck, as well as the centenary of Benjamin Britten.

The brilliant Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki seems to be enjoying something of a renaissance - especially in New York this month! His works were performed in at least three concert halls over the last month and the composer himself made appearances at several of the performances. While hardly a household name, Penderecki has emassed a sizable fan base (if the packed house of rabid fans at Avery Fisher Hall was any indicator). Ever since his 'Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima' hit the scene in 1961, he had the new music crowd's attention. And he always delivered the goods - loud, noisy, bombastic, iconoclastic explosions of sound that often hinted at form but never long enough to be noticeable. It would be practically impossible to try to describe Penderecki's music in mere words.

The esteemed pianist Ian Hobson is giving New York an early Christmas present. He is performing the Herculean task of playing all of Johannes Brahms piano music in a cycle of fourteen concerts over the course of two months. To assist him in the task, he is bringing along an eclectic group of world-class artists. Fans of Brahms should be delighted because one would have to wait a lifetime for any chamber ensemble to get to all of these magnificent pieces.

Sharon Isbin is a multiple GRAMMY Award winner and has been called 'the pre-eminent guitarist of our time.' It would take all day to list the awards and honors she's won and her now legendary live performances are nothing short of magical. Currently she has a new album entitled 'Sharon Isbin and Friends: Guitar Passions' which features duets with a vast array of superstars from across the musical universe. BWW Classical chatted with her about what she's currently listening to and the list was as wonderfully eclectic as Sharon's repertory.

BWW Classical speaks to Artist Director, Gil Rose about Odyssey Opera's maiden voyage.

Who says classical music can't be fun?

Maestro Gill Rose tells our readers what's on his iPod.

Our very first guest is the legendary Opera Star Aprile Millo!

As part of its 'SUMMERTIME CLASSICS' series, the New York Philharmonic presented Holst's 'THE PLANETS - AN HD ODYSSEY' at Avery Fisher Hall

He's baa-aack! James Levine returns to Carnegie Hall.

Felix Mendelssohn completed his Symphony Number 4 ('The Italian') in Berlin, in 1833, at the conclusion of a three year vacation/tour of Europe. He conducted the world premiere of the symphony himself in London that same year. Despite the symphony's rapturous success, the composer remained unhappy with the work till the day he died; even revising the piece at least twice and never publishing the final work. Talk about a perfectionist!

Brahms two piano concertos, written some twenty years apart (as their opus numbers 15 and 83 display) were not referred to as concertos at all at the time of their premiers but rather as 'symphonies with piano obligato,' and it's easy to see why. They both feature some ravishing string parts that practically almost suggest concertos of their own and require almost super-human virtuosity and above all stamina (the 2nd in particular) on the part of the soloist.

Musically, 'Carousel' is by far the most intelligently written and sophisticated of the entire Rodgers and Hammerstein canon. The story and some of the lyrics may betray just a hint of datedness, but not enough to undermine the brilliance of the work, even approaching seventy years after it was written.

There are certain occasions when even the most jaded New York audience can just smile and say thank you. The duo recital by soprano Renee Fleming and mezzo-soprano Susan Graham Sunday night at Carnegie Hall was just such an occasion. Given that both divas have sold out Carnegie Hall as individual performers, the dual recital was something very special indeed.