By Ava Figliuzzi The Duncan Theatre's Stage West, a charming, small venue on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth Beach, opened its Classical Café Series on Wednesday afternoon (Jan. 11) with the young Ulysses Quartet. Founded in 2015, the Ulysses Quartet has garnered top prizes at the Schoenfeld and Fischoff competitions and held recent fellowship … [Read more...]
Pianist’s comedy needs stronger musicianship
There is a healthy tradition of clowning in classical music performance, as could be witnessed just this past Monday in New York when the splendid Chinese pianist Yuja Wang joined the British music-and-comedy duo of Igudesman and Joo for a night of general goofing around at Zankel Hall. Looking back a little bit further, we find compositional satire with Peter Schickele and … [Read more...]
Cellist Shaw offers fresh programming to close Classical Café
By Dennis D. Rooney Cellist Jacob Shaw and pianist David Lau Magnussen brought to a close this season’s Classical Café concerts at the Duncan Theatre’s Stage West on March 29. The room was designed for easily understood speech. Its dry acoustics reinforce that quality. Music fares less well there. Although these players did not especially seek tonal elegance, their … [Read more...]