The final concert of the Charlottesville Symphony’s 2021-2022 season was also the first. The first concert that the full orchestra appeared onstage. COVID protocols severely limited the participation of the wind instruments throughout the season. The symphony responded with some imaginative programming that didn’t require a full orchestra. It was good to have the ensemble reunited, […]
Concert Review
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Charlottesville Symphony warms to British Riches
The Charlottesville Symphony directed by Benjamin Rous performed “British Riches” on February 15-16, 2020. The program included a variety of 20th Century UK composers. The relative rarity of the works (at least on this side of the Atlantic) made this a refreshing and engaging concert. George Butterworth’s “A Shropshire Lad” opened the program. This symphonic […]
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Charlottesville Symphony concert just misses the mark
One phrase characterizes my impression of the Charlottesville Symphony’s November 16th concert: “it was great, except for…” The program itself, “Romantic Titans” was first-rate. The first half of the program featured two orchestral works; the second two large-scale choral works. Maestro Benjamin Rouse freely admitted “Caught by the Wind” was something of an outliner. Composer […]
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Charlottesville Symphony Season Ends Energetically
The final concert of the Charlottesville Symphony’s 2018-19 season started slowly and finished in triumph. It was quite a journey. The Saturday, April 24th concerto opened with Wagner’s Prelude from “Parsifal.” This is a quiet, introspective work that uses silence as an important element. The orchestra played beautifully, achieving a shimmering quality in some passages. […]
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Judith Shatin retrospective concert – insights and thrills
The audience for Hearing Things: Music by Judith Shatin heard some exciting music in Old Cabell Hall on April 6, 2019. The retrospective concert was part of Shatin Music Month. Shatin founded the Virginia Center for Computer Music in 1987 and guided its growth through her retirement. The concert included works created at the Center, as well as some that didn’t use […]
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Kelly Peral Recital Earns Ovation
Oboist Kelly Peral performed to a small but enthusiastic audience Sunday afternoon, November 10, 2018. The recital was part of the University of Virginia Chamber Music Series, and it was a good one. Peral’s program ranged from the Baroque to the present. A 1728 sonata by Giovanni Boni represented the Baroque. The Sonata in G […]
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Charlottesville Symphony combines the unusual and the inspired
Two things I really enjoy in a concert: unusual repertoire, and inspired performances. I enjoyed both in the opening concert for the Charlottesville Symphony. York Bowen’s Concerto in C minor for Viola and Orchestra constituted the unusual. Viola concertos are relatively rare, and British composer Bowen is seldom heard on this side of the Atlantic. […]
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Albemarle Ensemble Starts Slow, Finishes Strong
Tags: Albemarle Ensemble, Concert ReviewThe Albemarle Ensemble performed a thoughtfully balanced program Sunday, March 18, 2018. It included wind quintet works by Franz Danzi, Nino Rota, and John Harbison. Also featured was an Eric Ewazen trio and an arrangement of a Gaudencio Thiago de Mello piece. The Ensemble opened the concert with Danzi’s Quintet in G minor, Op. 56 […]
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Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
The great Italian conductor Riccardo Muti has been music director of the legendary Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 2010. During a long and distinguished career he has conducted, and in some cases led, most of the world’s great orchestras and opera companies. Under Muti’s leadership, the CSO has, if anything, enhanced its reputation as one […]