While many artists have believed music and art to have a potent connection, it has hardly been manifested so uniquely as in The Big Draw’s I Write The Songs event. Part of the River to River Festival around the coasts of New York City (and co-produced by The Drawing Center), I Write The Songs literally demonstrates how art can be music and how music can be art.
Before actually entering the Winter Garden room of the World Financial Center in Battery Park, unearthly string-produced sounds can be heard from the neighboring promenade of Esplanade Plaza. As always, inside the vastly spacious Winter Garden room does not feel like inside — large palm trees litter the hall and the walls and ceiling are glass. Still, today is different. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
FLUX Quartet,
River to River Festival,
The Drawing Center
One conductor. Two levels. Three sections. Eighty-eight trombones.
Torrential showers could not thwart determined music appreciators from experiencing Orbits (1979) at the Guggenheim on Sunday, June 21st. The epic piece was composed by Pulitzer-Prize-winning Henry Brant and featured an organist (William Trafka), a soprano singer (Phyllis Bruce), and eighty individual parts for eighty-eight trombones. Sponsored by Make Music New York, the concert was free to all who dared to willingly be in a room with such an absurd number of noisy lower brass instruments — a surprisingly large group of audacious audience attendees (The entrance line went around 5th Ave., down 89th street, and continued down Madison Ave). [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
88 Trombones,
Henry Brant,
The Guggenheim Museum
While NYC is hailed by art-appreciators for the ubiquitous venues of all-things-art, the local barge underneath the Brooklyn Bridge is certainly of the most distinctive spaces for classical work. Calling itself “New York City’s floating concert hall,” Bargemusic presents music five days a week during the entire year with a diverse lineup of artists, from classical chamber groups to funky percussion soloists. Although the floating venue, however excitingly floatable it may be, is still a regular chamber music venue, Bargemusic has a hip, eccentric vibe that other venues cannot help but lack. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
Bargemusic,
David Kaplan
On Sunday, February 15th, an eclectic compilation of ensembles performed at Carnegie Hall in a program entitled Excellence in Education.
Opening with a high school string ensemble from New Jersey, the concert began with a humdrum start. Although the North Brunswick Township High School (directed by Jeffery Bradbury) was pleasant in youthful appearance, the ensemble’s music was not impressive, even for high school students. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
Carnegie Hall,
Excellence in Education
November 6th, 2008 at Carnegie Hall — Robert Dick presents his ode to the flute in “Robert Dick’s: 50 Years of Flute.” Defying standards throughout his career, Dick has been praised for his groundbreaking innovation and unprecedented flute flair “bridging the gap from Mozart to Metallica.” Dick enters the Weill Recital Hall to vigorous applause Ñ a legendary flautist in a prestigious hall, a notorious rock star to center stage.
Without a word, Dick whips out his flute and begins “Flames Must Not Encircle Sides.” A low trill pervades into the audience on an enharmonic of a note, emitting a cool natural sound. Dick races his fingers over keys, sending out long-tone trills in varying registers with occasional ornament grace-notes that sound eerie and awesome. [click to continue….]
Tagged as:
Carnegie Hall,
Robert Dick
