Polyphonic Spree Lights Up Bowery Ballroom
by Melanie Wong Last week, a large white sheet veiled the front of the Bowery Ballroom stage as 15 members of the neo-psychedelic symphonic-pop troupe Polyphonic Spree filtered in behind […]
Feast of Music
Squarepusher at (le) Poisson Rouge
by Caroline Sanchez Photos credit: Greg Cristman Words can barely describe the intensity of Squarepusher's Tuesday night performance at (le) Poisson Rouge. Everything from the quality of the samples to the massive
Hauschka, Jeffrey Zeigler, and Samuli Kosminen at Pier 15
River to River'sr EX-SITU series of site-specific performances concluded last night at South Street Seaport's Pier 15: a surprisingly sleek and peaceful space surrounded by water, and a far cry the
New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks 2013
The NY Phil made their triumphant return to the Borough City of Brooklyn (thanks for the correction, Marty Markowitz) last night for the first of their annual series of Concerts in
Anna Clyne’s “The Violin” at Federal Hall
Last night, I stopped by Federal Hall—caddy-corner from the NY Stock Exchange and site of Washington's first inauguration—for Anna Clyne's The Violin: a multimedia piece for two violins, played by Cornelius Dufallo
Traveling through “The Planets” with the New York Philharmonic and NASA
by Melanie Wong As part of their Summertime Classics Series conducted by the boisterous Bramwell Tovey, the New York Philharmonic presented The Planets: An HD Odyssey, at Lincoln Center’s Avery
“A Dancer’s Dream” at the New York Philharmonic
At the end of each of his first two seasons as music director of the New York Phil, Alan Gilbert staked his claim as an innovative, boundary-busting programmer with semi-staged performances
JACK Quartet and Joshua Roman at (le) Poisson Rouge
Ancient and innovative can easily coexist. In music especially, composers and peroformers throughout history have looked back for guidence and inspirtaion as they move forward. Steve Reich has openly written about the debt his music owes to the 13th century French composer Pérotin and one of Felix Mendelssohn’s greatest achievements was his rediscovery of J.S Bach’s music with his mounting of the St. Matthews Passion.
On Sunday night, the JACK Quartet and guest cellist Joshua Roman continued this tradition of finding inspiration in history and programmed their findings next to the rule breakers of today. They presented three madrigals by the intensely expressive renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo, arranged for sting quintet by JACK violinist Ari Streisfeld, as well as works by Joshua Roman, Brian Ferneyhough and a new piece, premiered by the quintet just three weeks ago in Seattle, by Jefferson Friedman.
MATTE Presents Full Moon at Governors Beach Club
by Laura Wasson As I boarded the crowded ferry heading to Governors Island late Saturday afternoon for MATTE's second-annual Full Moon party, I began to wonder what was I getting into.