By Robert Croan There was a sense of intended internationalism and ecumenism about the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra’s Feb. 25 performance on the Broward Center Classical Series. At the start, the orchestra, conducted by Russian-born, American-trained Dmitry Yablonsky, played The Star-Spangled Banner followed by the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah. The repertory was … [Read more...]
Powerful Prokofiev, Bernstein from Boston Brass, PB Symphony
The quintet known as Boston Brass — two trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba — joined the Palm Beach Symphony on Monday at the Flagler Museum for two memorable pieces dedicated to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: one by Prokoviev, the other by Bernstein. Devoid of its own brass section of 12 players, Palm Beach Symphony fielded strings and percussion only. What an irony: In the … [Read more...]
Atlanta Symphony violinists do right by Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev didn’t write a great deal of chamber music, but his two string quartets, two violin sonatas (one originally for flute) and piano quintet are marvelous works, and worthy of the repertory status that only the violin sonatas currently appear to have. The same goes for the Sonata for Two Violins (in C, Op. 56), written in 1932 for a French chamber music series in … [Read more...]