Setting the musical Pippin inside a circus, as the recent Tony Award-winning revival does, seems perfectly natural to Gypsy Snider, the show’s co-choreographer and circus consultant. “Circus is dangerous, physically dangerous. That is a theme in ‘Pippin,’ the idea that you would risk your life every day on stage. That became very much a part of re-writing the show,” she says. … [Read more...]
At the Flagler: Two standout string quartets
Editor’s note: Here are two late reviews of recent concerts at the Flagler Museum: The Moscow String Quartet (Feb. 21) Sitting in the magnificence of Henry Flagler’s Gilded Age mansion, Whitehall, I was struck by the ironic contrast of listening to a string quartet that began life in the old USSR. This was the Moscow String Quartet, four women whose exceptionally high … [Read more...]
Recent American brass trio proves smart switch at chamber fest
The second concert of the Palm Beach Chamber Music Festival’s 20th season underwent a programming change, but its tried-and-true finale, which didn’t change, worked its customary magic. A large audience at the Crest Theatre on Sunday afternoon warmly applauded that last work, the Death and the Maiden Quartet (String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D. 810) of Franz Schubert. In one … [Read more...]
Review roundup: Confident ‘Creation,’ strong ‘Turandot,’ elegant Mozart
Here are capsule reviews of three recent classical music events: Master Chorale of South Florida (Nov. 20, Wold Center for the Performing Arts, Boca Raton) The Creation is one of Franz Joseph Haydn’s finest works, and even in the abridged version the Master Chorale of South Florida presented Saturday night, the beauty and vigor of this oratorio were well in evidence. … [Read more...]
Second cast of PBO’s ‘Carmen’ features auspicious debuts
I’ve seen Georges Bizet’s Carmen many times, but the second cast of the recent Palm Beach Opera production offered even a veteran operagoer fresh delights. Chief among them Saturday night was the Polish-born mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wór, who made a magnificent debut with this company, with her rich, seductive mezzo sound, perfectly suited to the role. And her acting as the … [Read more...]