ensemble: Périphérie – Morris, MN, 9/23/14
(image source ensemble: Périphérie) A common theme in my reviews is that new music is what and where you make it. ensemble: Périphérie ascribes to the same philosophy. The group,…
Review – Buried Alive and Embedded, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, March 28, 2014
There is an audience for new opera out here on the prairie. Fargo-Moorhead Opera staged two world premieres this past weekend: Buried Alive (music by Jeff Myers, libretto by Quincy…
A Concert by Gnarwhallaby in Pasadena
On Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at the Neighborhood Church in Pasadena, the group Gnarwhallaby presented a concert of music by Klaus Lang, Andrzej Dobrowolski, Edison Denison and three contemporary Los Angeles…
Nick Brooke: Border Towns
Nick Brooke: Border Towns To experience Border Towns is to undo the idea of both. The border is metaphorically ubiquitous—as powerful as it is arbitrary. Towns are more immediate—tactile and…
Dobrinka Tabakova: An Architect of Time
When art promises to be revelatory, it may become something to fear. Such is the case of String Paths, the first conspectus of music by Dobrinka Tabakova. Fear, in this…
Old Bottles, New Wine
[youtube oTnwdQbN3vY] Some of the most timeless, gripping, modern and surprising music I hear consistently are the vocal works of Renaissance Italian composers and their associated circle – Monteverdi, Gesualdo,…
“María” Provokes and Penetrates at Le Poisson Rouge
[Ed. note: Welcome our newest contributor, conductor / percussionist / vocalist / composer Jordan Randall Smith. A Dallas native, Jordan is the Co-founder of the Dallas Festival of Modern Music…
Metal Meets Jazz Meets Free Improvisation: Houston’s The Core Trio Makes Musical Alchemy
(Houston, TX) The music of the Houston ensemble The Core Trio, featuring Richard Cholakian on drums, Thomas Helton on upright bass, and Seth Paynter on saxophones, is an utterly convincing…
Classical and Prog-Rock Collide on Pianist and Composer Kris Becker’s New Album “Expansions”
(Houston, TX) “Ah! Expression!” That’s the first thing that came out of my mouth when I cued up and heard “Elegy,” the poignant, yet unsentimental first track on Houston-based pianist…
Holding It Down: Premiere of a New Multimedia Work by Vijay Iyer and Mike Ladd
The most recent collaboration of composer/pianist Vijay Iyer and poet Mike Ladd, entitled Holding It Down: The Veterans’ Dreams Project, received its world premiere last week (September 19-22) at The Harlem Stage…