The Delray String Quartet that finished its sixth season this past weekend at the Colony Hotel in its namesake’s historic downtown is a foursome that has been playing together more frequently than its earlier iterations, thanks to its expanded three-county performance schedule. And the extra time together showed Sunday, with excellent performances of quartets by Arriaga and … [Read more...]
Norton’s contemporary art deserves its own space
The Norton Museum has an expanding collection of contemporary art, and, like many museums that evolve and grow from their initial purpose, it does not have a permanent exhibit space for it. Although significant, it would be difficult to justify replacing any of Ralph and Elizabeth Norton’s original collection, or changing the focus of current gallery space, and the museum … [Read more...]
Cleveland Orchestra settles strike; Miami residency starts Friday
The Cleveland Orchestra strike was settled early this morning after a one-day walkout when the two sides agreed to a new three year-contract that freezes wages for two years. The agreement means the Miami residency for the orchestra, set to start Friday, will go forward as scheduled. “We are very happy that management has heard our message and agreed not to further erode … [Read more...]
Delray Quartet makes another advance with fine Ravel
In presenting a fine performance of one of the supreme masterworks of the 20th-century literature, the Delray String Quartet on Saturday night showed that it is an ensemble continues to grow and deepen, and that its current multi-venue concert series has been more than beneficial for it. The quartet's second program of the season, which opened at All Saints Episcopal Church … [Read more...]
Delray Quartet brings power, passion to Beethoven, Franck
There were two moments Sunday afternoon in a concert by the Delray String Quartet that gave encouraging hints about the kind of ensemble this foursome is becoming. The first moment came in the first movement of the Beethoven Fourth Quartet (in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4), around about the recapitulation, when it suddenly became clear that the musicians were working at a unified … [Read more...]
Seraphic Fire luminous in Palestrina mass
FORT LAUDERDALE -- In its previous seven seasons of music-making, the members of Seraphic Fire have presented hugely varied concerts that included everything from Purcell's Dido and Aeneas to American gospel, from all six Bach motets to world premieres of challenging contemporary music written just for them. But in its opening series of concerts for its eighth season, the … [Read more...]