Cristina Castaldi as Giovanna and Rafael Dávila as Carlo(Charles VII) in Giovanna d’Arco.(Photo by Rod Millington)By Rex HearnThe Sarasota Opera likes to say that no other company in the world will have completed a Verdi cycle – a complete survey of all the composer’s stage works -- when it comes to an end in 2013 on the 200th anniversary of Verdi’s birth.The company’s … [Read more...]
Music feature: Wu Han prepares ‘most special’ Schubert for Four Arts
David Finckel, Wu Han and Philip Setzer.(Photo by Christian Steiner)By Greg StepanichIf Wu Han had another 50 years, she says, she might follow the traditional path of the professional piano trio: End your career with performances of the two piano trios of Franz Schubert.“As a piano trio, we’re doing it backwards,” the Taiwanese-born pianist said last week. “We’re not doing it … [Read more...]
ArtsBuzz: Lynn opens new concert hall; venues set 2010-11 classical series
The inside of the center.(Photo by Greg Stepanich)Lynn University on Thursday opened its new $14.9 million concert hall, adding a much-needed venue for theater and music in south Palm Beach County.The Keith C. and Elaine Johnson Wold Performing Arts Center, which took about 18 months to build, features a 752-seat hall with adjustable acoustic panels, a video studio, plus scene … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: March 19-21
Untitled, by Anthony Calicchio.Art: You don’t have to go to art school to be an artist, or even be working at it all the time. Such is the case with Anthony Calicchio, who finds his inspiration in his culinary education and background as a second-generation restaurateur. In Café Frankie, he fashions masterful dishes with his basting brush, and the bistro’s walls are adorned … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: March 12-16
Iceland Lagoon, by Lewis Kemper.Art: From capturing firework-like sprays of red lava in Hawaii to the cool icebergs of Iceland, Lewis Kemper’s masterful photographs are some of the best that can be captured of the natural world. An exhibit of his dramatic landscape photographs, Capturing the Light, opens Saturday night (5:30-7 p.m.) at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre and … [Read more...]
Music review: ‘Nevsky’ concert unusual but compelling
On screen, Vera Ivasheva as Olga in Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky; below, the Russian National Orchestra.(Photo by Sherry Ferrante)By Greg StepanichIn his recent study of Sergei Prokofiev's Soviet career, the musicologist Simon Morrison reveals that the composer was a huge movie buff, and that for one tantalizing moment, had a chance to do a film score in Hollywood for … [Read more...]
Music review: Fleming brings repertoire revelation to Boca fest
Renée Fleming with the Russian National Orchestraat Mizner Park on Saturday night.(Photo by Sherry Ferrante) By Greg StepanichShe opened the New York Philharmonic's current season with an infrequently heard song cycle by Olivier Messiaen, and her newest album is a collection of rarities from the verismo composers of the late 19th century.One of the best things about Renée … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: March 5-9
Texas artist Marilyn Endres createsdetailed vessels and platters.(Photo by Katie Deits) Art: The Palm Beach Fine Craft Show opened today at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach for a three-day run that features artists from 28 states offering museum-quality art objects, couture art-to-wear, and handcrafted furniture. Clothing designers are also attending … [Read more...]
Music feature: Singer O’Connor finds career on contemporary path
Mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor.By Greg StepanichKelley O'Connor would like to spend some time pursuing her passion for cooking in the house she just bought in her hometown of Fresno, Calif.But for the time being, the world of contemporary classical music has plenty for her to do.Most notably, O'Connor is currently championing the Neruda Songs, a five-song cycle written by the … [Read more...]
Music review: From Firebird, a peerless night of Bach
Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg (1677-1734),dedicatee of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos.By Greg StepanichOn the one hand, it's no mystery why the Brandenburg Concertos of J.S. Bach should be so rarely played in local concerts.Engaging as they are, canonical and popular as they unquestionably are, they are also very difficult. And in some ways, that only deepens the … [Read more...]