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...]
Hubbard Street dancers shine even as Duncan program stumbles
We were lucky that the members of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago decided not to take chances with the minus-40 degree temperatures and the polar vortex in their hometown but arrive early in South Florida for their performances Feb. 2 at the Duncan Theatre in Lake Worth. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this marvelous group of young dancers who make up Chicago’s premier … [Read more...]
At Duncan, Jessica Lang Dance impressive in one of its final shows
Having the talented choreographer Jessica Lang on hand Saturday night as her outstanding young company gave a stellar performance at the Duncan Theatre turned out to be a bittersweet affair. The audience, freshly in love with both Lang’s choreography and the ensemble, learned in the post-performance talk-back that the 8-year-old company would disband in April. That … [Read more...]
Electronic glitches mar Irerra Brothers’s Duncan recital
By Dennis D. Rooney The Irerra Brothers – John (violin) and Joseph (piano) – are alumni of the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, from which they graduated in the class of 2016, both with DMA degrees. Their recital March 21 closed the 31st season of concerts at Duncan Theatre’s Stage West on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Lake Worth. The program was nicely … [Read more...]
Parsons Dance delights Duncan audience in season finale
A staunch modern dance aficionado might say that Parsons Dance was light fare, but they would also have to say that it was gourmet quality. Closing the Duncan Theatre’s 2018 dance series with winning style, Parsons Dance left the loyal modern dance audience more than satiated – they were swooning. Parsons Dance has been around a long time, performing around the world, and … [Read more...]
Amid the camp, Trocks present some startlingly good dancing
There is a whimsical banner on Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo’s website that almost looks like it could be for a vaudeville show. It says: “The World’s Foremost All-Male Comic Ballet Company. Though initially it might be hard to envision classical ballets performed en travesti, it certainly was easy to sit back, relax and go just along – laughing all the way – with … [Read more...]
Attacca Quartet shows its worth in Ligeti, Beethoven at Duncan
By Dennis D. Rooney It took only a few measures of Beethoven’s Quartet No. 6 (in B-flat major, Op. 18, No. 6) to explain the high rank among contemporary American string quartets of the Attacca Quartet, founded in 2003 and actively concertizing for a decade. In the opening work of their Duncan Stage West program Feb. 21, they excelled in its strongly rhythmic character … [Read more...]
BalletBoyz proves sensational at Duncan
If you missed seeing BalletBoyz this past weekend at the Duncan Theatre, you missed a terrific show. First off, they weren’t really boys, or even Boyz for that matter. Composed of 10 handsome men whose lean and chiseled bodies moved in a way that was completely intoxicating, this outstanding British dance company gave a stunning performance that enthralled the Duncan’s sage … [Read more...]
Dorrance Dance taps into endless energy, innovation
The performing arts are currently undergoing one of their occasional convulsions, as established ways of presenting art, dance, music and theater are remade along with their subjects of inquiry. From a critic’s standpoint, it’s been welcome to see, as fresh thinking and new ideas spice up the cultural menu to delicious effect. In the case of Dorrance Dance, a New York-based … [Read more...]
Telegraph Quartet brilliantly opens Duncan classical series
By Dennis D. Rooney Founded in 2013, the Telegraph Quartet hails from the West Coast, specifically San Francisco, where they been appointed artists-in-residence at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music. They have often appeared nationally and internationally, and performed last year in the Flagler Museum music series. Their prizes include the Fischoff Competition. In 2016, … [Read more...]