The Flagler Museum Music Series ended its season Tuesday with the world famous Talich Quartet, and it was an evening of glorious music-making. Named for Vaclav Talich, conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra for many years, and founded by his nephew, Jan Talich in 1964. His son, also named Jan, now plays lead violin. As one can imagine, there has been considerable … [Read more...]
Shanghai Quartet sublime in Flagler opening concert
The Shanghai String Quartet opened the Flagler Museum’s chamber music series Tuesday night, and is brilliant playing from the start set this group apart from all others. Formed in 1983, the Shanghai have a discography of 25 recordings and hold guest professorships at three universities, Montclair State in New Jersey and two in China. Leading off with Joseph Haydn’s Op. 76, … [Read more...]
Dover Quartet makes brilliant opening at Kravis Young Artists
It is almost as though the members of the Dover Quartet, all in their early 20s, holed themselves up with 1960s-era recordings by the Guarneri Quartet, so seamless, elegant and perfect is their playing. But there should be some room for wider variety and contrast amid all that, and so while one could make the case for this young foursome already being one of the finest … [Read more...]
Miró Quartet ends Flagler series in brilliant fashion
“I think we saved the best ’til last,” said Flagler Museum Director John Blades, at intermission of the Miró String Quartet’s concert Tuesday night, the final one of the season in the Flagler’s music series. They had just played Franz Schubert’s Quartettsatz and the third Rasumovsky Quartet of Beethoven (Op. 59, No. 3, in C) and were impressive. Sentiment ran high at the end … [Read more...]
Bernini Quartet masterful in Flagler program
String quartets these days are relatively big business, and listeners have many opportunities to hear live and recorded performances of masterworks (and otherwise) by fine ensembles from around the world. Most of the time we hear quartets with a modern edge, on instruments with metal strings whose sound cuts through the sonic murk of our noisy everyday. But when the string … [Read more...]
Afiara Quartet exceptional in fresh music
Editor’s note: Here is a late review from a concert last month. Technical difficulties prevented it from being posted until now. By nature of the brief, intimate hold it has on the audience, a string quartet is usually less experimental than a large ensemble, needing to make sure each piece counts and has maximum impact. In its appearance March 14 in the Duncan Theatre’s … [Read more...]
Tchaikovsky quartet ends Delray SQ season in winning style
On 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 Grove, where the competition from the Taste of the Grove festival … [Read more...]
Soloists shine for Judd’s return in ‘Messiah’
Annual performances of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah at this time of year are always of the so-called Christmas portion, that close-to-half of this Easter piece that touches on the birth of Jesus. In his return to area podiums for the first time since 2001, former Florida Philharmonic director James Judd leads performances of the entire oratorio, as he did in his … [Read more...]
Bergonzi Quartet opens season in admirable style
Things really jumped outside the chamber music box Sunday afternoon when violist Pamela McConnell started declaiming lines from Bernstein's version of Candide and waving costume jewelry as her three colleagues played Glitter and Be Gay. Charming, funny, and a crowd-pleasing moment, but what was most striking about the Bergonzi String Quartet's concert at St. Paul's Episcopal … [Read more...]