Sofiya Uryvayeva, in a photo from her website.By Greg StepanichFrederic Chopin created art amid exercise when he wrote his two collections of Etudes (Opp. 10 and 25, and not counting the three he wrote in 1839 for Fetis), and with the exception of Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes, they far outdistance every other such pedagogical work of their … [Read more...]
Music review: Masterful Bach opens Stringendo series
James Buswell.By Greg StepanichPerhaps it was Johannes Brahms who said it best:“Using the technique adapted to a small instrument the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings,” he wrote to Clara Schumann, describing the celebrated Chaconne of J.S. Bach. “If I could picture myself writing, or even conceiving, such a … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: May 27-June 1
Ed Asner as the 32nd president of the United States.Theater: Ed Asner as Franklin Delano Roosevelt. It is one liberal icon playing another liberal icon in the one-man show FDR, opening a brief five-day run at the Caldwell Theatre in Boca Raton beginning Wednesday evening. The play, written by Roosevelt scholar Dore Schary (Sunrise at Campobello), looks at the … [Read more...]
Music review: Pianist Weisman brings meaty program to Piano Lovers series
Assaff Weisman.By Greg StepanichAssaff Weisman leads a busy life as a pianist, teacher at the Juilliard School, and chief of an international chamber ensemble whose debut disc arrives later this year.To put it another way, he’s a thorough, expert musician, the kind on whom the classical world depends to keep the art form relevant and fresh for audiences and … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 22-24
Jason Edelstein and Rick Pena in Blood Brothers.Theater: In only two seasons, Boca Raton’s Slow Burn Theatre Company has forged a reputation for producing edgy musicals outside the mainstream. The show that got its co-founders, Matthew Korinko and Patrick Fitzwater, interested in creating and running their own troupe is Blood Brothers, the cult hit that opened in … [Read more...]
Music review: Tchaikovsky quartet ends Delray SQ season in winning style
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893).By Greg StepanichOn the verge of an eighth season that will include a new recording and a world premiere, the Delray String Quartet sounded confident, polished and vibrant as it finished up its seventh season Sunday afternoon in Miami.Closing its fifth and final series of programs at St. Stephen’s Espicopal Church in Coconut … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 8-12
The Arrival (2008), by Jose Alvarez.Art: The Norton Museum of Art has opened an exhibit of contemporary art featuring works by artists whose perception of the world around is refracted in unusual but precise ways. Altered States, which opened Saturday and runs through July 17, shows work by four artists – Jose Alvarez, Yayoi Kusama, Fred Tomaselli and Leo … [Read more...]
Opera review: Brilliant ‘Crucible’ highlighted Sarasota Opera season
Heather Johnson as Elizabeth Proctorand Sean Anderson as John Proctor, in The Crucible.Editor's note: This story has been reposted to correct errors.By Rex Hearn Sarasota Opera’s season in February and March each year has three weekends to suit the traveling operagoer.This year’s offerings were Don Giovanni, The Crucible, La Bohème and I Lombardi.I wasn’t … [Read more...]
Weekend arts picks: April 1-3
A scene from Crazy for You, now playing at the Maltz. Theater: Thanks to the business savvy of the Gershwin Estate, George and Ira Gershwin have written a few musicals after their death. Or rather, their vast song trunk has been made available to those who would reuse their familiar and obscure compositions in new settings, such as Crazy for You, a “new” show … [Read more...]
Opera review: Staging, weak Cavaradossi mar second cast of PBO’s ‘Tosca’
Tiffany Abban.By Rex HearnThere are times when the stronger regional opera companies mount Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca to exploit every emotion: love, hate, seduction, torture and betrayal. Each is accented and the audiences go home satisfied.This was not one of them.Palm Beach Opera’s version, directed by Massimo Gasparon, had none of the blood lust … [Read more...]