United States Chopin, Berlioz: Yuja Wang (piano), Philadelphia Orchestra / Yannick Nézet-Séguin (conductor), Verizon Hall, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, 24.9.2016. (BJ)
In Orchestral Season Opener, Yuja Wang Offers Chopin of Elegance and Warmth
Bernard Jacobson
Missy Mazzoli’s New Opera: Luminous Beauty and Moving Human Insight
United States Mazzoli, Breaking the Waves: Soloists, Chorus, and Orchestra of Opera Philadelphia/Steven Osgood (conductor), Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia. 24.9.2016. (BJ)
Geniality and Eloquence in Chamber Music Premieres
United States Maneval and Wernick: Charles Abramovic (piano), Daedalus Quartet, Field Hall, Curtis Institute, Philadelphia, 23.9.2016. (BJ)
A New Vision of Stravinsky’s Firebird
United States Firebird: Reimagined: Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Handspring Puppet Company, Nolan Williams, Jr. (festival artistic director), Andrew Lawson and Zeek (baritones), Janni Younge (director), Jay Pather (choreographer), Philadelphia Orchestra, Cristian Măcelaru (conductor), Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, 20.6.2016 (BJ)
Faccio’s Amleto: A Serious and Absorbing Opera Brought Back to Life
United States Faccio, Amleto: Soloists, Opera Delaware, Anthony Barrese (conductor), Grand Opera House, Wilmington, Delaware. 20.5.2016. (BJ)
Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet Crowns a Challenging Season with Consummate Quality
United States Drozdov, Haydn, and Shostakovich: Ignat Solzhenitsyn (piano), Aizuri Quartet, Benjamin Franklin Hall, American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, 18.5.2016. (BJ)
Young Singers Offer Lovesong Waltzes and Other Treats
United Kingdom Purcell, Schumann, Britten, Liszt, Schubert, Grieg, Obradors, and Brahms: Hyesang Park (soprano), Sara Couden (contralto), Miles Mykkanen (tenor), Yunpeng Wang (baritone) Cecile Licad and Ken Noda (piano), Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, 17.5.2016. (BJ)
Three Novelties, One of Them a Palpable Hit
United States Di Vittorio, Mendelssohn, Brossé, DiBeradino, and Mozart: Lana Trotovsek (violin) Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, Dirk Brossé (conductor), Perelman Theater, Kimmel Center, Philadelphia, 16.5.2016. (BJ)