Yi-Jia Susanne Hou.By Greg StepanichPALM BEACH -- If ever there were a violinist whose gifts and achievements suit her perfectly for the modern age, it might well be Yi-Jia Susanne Hou.The Shanghai-born Canadian violinist brought her hair-raising technical wizardry and hair-tossing theatrical flair to the Flagler Museum on Thursday night as part of Whitehall's chamber music … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2009
Music review: Mozart foursome exemplary in canonical program
From left: Mark Gothoni, Paul Rivinius, Hartmut Rodhe and Peter Hoerr.By Greg StepanichLAKE WORTH -- Although much of the activity in today's classical music world is spent in pursuit of the new or the old but overlooked, it's always nice to check in on the canon and see that it's doing just fine.The Mozart Piano Quartet, a foursome of performers and academics who work in … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: Feb. 20-24
Lorin Maazel and his band.Music: Lorin Maazel is wrapping up his tenure as director of the New York Philharmonic this year, and Sunday night he brings the band back to West Palm Beach with a non-controversial program that should show this great orchestra to good advantage.The concert, set for 8 p.m. Sunday at the Kravis Center, includes the Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture of … [Read more...]
Theater feature: Veteran TV, stage actor Converse makes local debut in ‘The Weir’
Declan Mooney, left, and Frank Converse in The Weir, at Palm Beach Dramaworks.By Hap ErsteinWhen stage, screen and television star Frank Converse was growing up, actors had two ways to go with their careers.“I came from a school where we were either going to be Marlon Brando or Laurence Olivier,” he says. “Those were the choices in the ‘60s. I went for the latter, I got into a … [Read more...]
Music review: Organ-and-orchestra works make for diverting program
The American composer Craig Phillips (b. 1961). By Greg StepanichPALM BEACH -- One of the more original and interesting feats of programming came the way of local audiences Tuesday night when the Palm Beach Symphony presented an evening of nothing but music for organ and orchestra.That it was a good program that but for a pre-concert switch could have been a great program is … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: Juno show celebrates work of artist Conway
The Rites of Spring (acrylic on canvas, 36 inches by 48 inches), by Norma Conway.By Katie DeitsJUNO BEACH -- Norma Conway understands that when it comes to ages past, we rely on artists to tell us what the times were really like."The Brueghels showed the games and life in Brussels and the Netherlands, prehistoric cave people did beautiful illustrations of animals they hunted, … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: A busy week for musical events
The organ at Bethesda-by-the-Sea.By Greg StepanichIt's a busy week on the music front, with several events over the next two days worth noting:Organ concerti: Tonight at Bethesda-by-the Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach, the Palm Beach Symphony presents an entire evening of music for organ and orchestra with Hal Pysher, the church's organist and choir director, as soloist. … [Read more...]
Commentary: Carbonell nominations for 2008 announced
Tom Kenaston and Beth Dimon in Souvenir, from Palm Beach Dramaworks.By Hap ErsteinWhile most of the country puzzles over the upcoming Academy Awards, the local theater community is busy analyzing the nominations for the Carbonell Awards, which honor excellence in theater at South Florida’s professional companies during the 2008 calendar year.Announced today, they come after a … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: Big early turnout bodes well for jewelry and art show
Alan and Penny Greenberg Murphy of Pioneer Linensin West Palm Beach were among the 6,000 peopleattending opening night at the Palm Beach Jewelry,Art and Antique Show.(Photo by Katie Deits)By Katie DeitsOrganizers of the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art and Antique Show are expecting plenty of visitors through the President's Day weekend, and they've got good reasons for doing so.Despite … [Read more...]
Music review: Seraphic Fire gives moving tour of Eastern Orthodox music
Seraphic Fire.By Sharon McDanielThe names Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and even Ippolitov-Ivanov would raise few eyebrows among classical music lovers.But pair the Romantic-era Russians with two modern minimalists -- England’s John Tavener and Estonia’s Arvo Pärt -- and watch the confused looks proliferate.For direction, though, look not merely toward musical but the spiritual … [Read more...]