For 26 seasons now, James Brooks-Bruzzese has led members of his Symphony of the Americas and guest musicians from around the globe in a musical Summerfest that always includes performances in his native Panama. On Aug. 5 at the University Theatre on the campus of Florida Atlantic University, he and the group were back for another summer appearance, accompanied as they have … [Read more...]
‘Dead Man Walking’ ends Miami festival in overwrought fashion
By Dennis D. Rooney The composer Jake Heggie was born John Stephen Heggie on March 31, 1961, in West Palm Beach, but didn’t stay there long as his family relocated soon after his birth to Columbus, Ohio. Since the late 1990s he has been identified with the musical scene in San Francisco, where he currently resides. He composed Dead Man Walking through a fellowship from … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival 4: A satisfying roundup to the 26th season
By Dennis D. Rooney How many composers were born in a church tower? I only know of one, Bohuslav Martinů, who arrived on December 1890 in the tower apartment of the St. Jakub Church in Polička, a town in Bohemia, close to the Moravian border. His family was allowed to live there because his father Ferdinand, a shoemaker, also worked as the church sexton and town fire … [Read more...]
Percussionist Thomas and band shine in fusion realm
It’s been 35 years since Miami-based percussionist Bobby Thomas Jr. last performed with iconic jazz/fusion band Weather Report, but the influence was still evident when Thomas appeared Saturday night at the Arts Garage in Delray Beach with his group The 7th Realm. The otherwise ageless 62-year-old percussionist showcased tunes by former Weather Report bandmates Wayne … [Read more...]
Bobby Thomas Jr. steps out from the shadow of Weather Report
Weather Report became the preeminent jazz/fusion band in history for a variety of reasons during its 1970-1986 tenure, chiefly its constant members, keyboardist Joe Zawinul (1932-2007) and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, both alumni of trumpeter Miles Davis’ bands. But the additional band members recruited by those two co-founders may have proven as important. Those included … [Read more...]
Brilliant ‘Walküre’ stands out at MMF’s second Wagner night
Somewhere along the line, as he put together what he wanted to offer in his summer music festival in Miami, Michael Rossi hit upon a very smart idea. That was to set up a special training environment for singers to be coached for the operas of Richard Wagner, which for their length and epic natures, require voices with stamina and color in a way unlike the music of any other … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival 3: Welcome rarities, smartly played
By Dennis D. Rooney For the third program of its 26th season, which I saw Sunday at the Crest Theatre in Delray Beach, the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival presented three works that each featured a founding member of the group. Karen Fuller Dixon performed Mozart’s Flute Quartet No. 1 (in D, K. 285) with violinist Dina Kostic, violist Rene Reder and cellist Susan … [Read more...]
PB Chamber Music Festival 2: An attractive buffet of small plates
By Dennis D. Rooney I described the PBCMF’s inaugural concert of its 26th season as a “feast.” The second program, which I heard Sunday at Delray Beach's Crest Theatre, seemed more like a tasting menu with a few amuse-bouches. An interesting Trio in C, Op. 33 No. 2 for bassoon, violin and cello by François-René Gebauer opened the program. The composer (1773-1845) was a … [Read more...]
Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival I: A rich, inventive program, excellently played
By Dennis D. Rooney The program of the inaugural concert of the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival’s 26th season (which I heard Sunday at the Crest Theatre in Delray Beach) was opened by the organization’s three founders: flutist Karen Fuller Dixon; clarinetist Michael Forte; and bassoonist Michael Ellert, who performed a Divertimento in B-flat (Op. 12a) by Joachim Kötschau, … [Read more...]
A charming, colorful ‘Vixen’ at Miami Music Festival
By Dennis D. Rooney Leoš Janáček’s operas, particularly Jenůfa and Káťa Kabanová, have now become established repertory works, albeit still at the fringes. The Cunning Little Vixen, from 1924, is one of his most accessible. The composer based the libretto on a story first told in comic strip form in Lidové noviny, his hometown newspaper in Brno, the Moravian capital. … [Read more...]