By Robert Croan Most classical string quintets add a second viola to the standard string quartet combination of two violins, viola and cello. Several repertory works by Mozart and Brahms, for example, employ this combination. Less common are quintets with a cello as the fifth instrument, with the notable exception of a large number by Boccherini (remember the piece played in … [Read more...]
A splendid afternoon of PB Opera on the waterfront
Saturday saw huge crowds braving the “cold” 70-degree weather and troublesome winds that blew sheet music everywhere at the outdoor Meyer Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach for Palm Beach Opera’s second winter concert on the waterfront. On the stroke of 2 p.m., conductor Greg Ritchey brought down his baton for a rousing National Anthem, like you’ve never heard before, from … [Read more...]
MCB makes splendid showing in Kravis program
Twenty-five years can be like a lifetime for a ballet company. First there were the early struggles with fundraising, performing without an orchestra, then finding the corps de ballet, the soloists, the prima ballerinas and the male danseurs. Plus administrators, ballet teachers, accountants and yes, even doctors specializing in bone injuries. It’s exhausting, but the Miami … [Read more...]
Splendid Shostakovich as Enso Quartet plays Flagler
One of the joys of seeing small concerts that are part of a good music series is that you get to hear not just the venerable players but the rising stars. Surely Tuesday night’s performance at Palm Beach’s Flagler Museum by the Enso String Quartet was a case of seeing a young ensemble on the cusp of something really big, and its performance justified the wisdom of Grammy … [Read more...]
Splendid second cast shines in PB Opera’s ‘Nabucco’
The “A” cast may have sung Nabucco on Friday night for Palm Beach Opera, but on Saturday night I heard the alpha cast. The company alternates its principals in two casts for each of its full productions and the Saturday lineup featured five incredible voices, “B” cast or no. Giuseppe Verdi’s third opera, Nabucco, began the Romantic period in operatic composition. It nearly … [Read more...]