Nico Muhly “A Good Understanding,” Los Angeles Master Chorale, Grant Gershon conductor (Decca) “I Drink The Air Before Me” (Decca/Bedroom Community) New music’s Boy Wonder Nico Muhly. It’s not enough that he landed a commission from the Metropolitan Opera while still in his 20s (Two Boys, premieres in London in June at the English National Opera and shows up in New York in the 2013-14 season), but now he’s...

The New Yorker critic, best selling author and MacArthur fellow, Alex Ross released a new book in the fall, Listen to This. In the Preface, I say that the aim is to “approach music not as a self-sufficient sphere but as a way of knowing the world.”  I treat pop music as serious art and classical music as part of the wider culture; my hope is that the book will serve as an introduction to crucial figures and ideas...

For singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright’s return to The Egg in Albany tonight, every audience member gets a close up view.  That’s thanks to the visual component of the concert’s first half, a video creation by Douglas Gordon. But don’t expect a live action shot of Wainwright on a big screen, like at an arena rock show. Gordon is an acclaimed artist who works in large scale video formats and he’s created a very long...

It’s not just stars of popular culture who are the subject of “worship sites.”  An on-line tribute to the late American composer and pianist Robert Helps (1928-2001) is nothing less than pious veneration.  While including the required list of compositions plus a timeline and discography, the site is an interactive, dynamic progression – obviously the work of loving care.  It was conceived by Andrea Infamosa...

Steven Blier on “Manning the Cannon,” an upcoming program with the New York Festival of Song: “This is a program I’ve been longing to do for about two decades. It explores two centuries of gay composers and gay-themed songs, and presents a wide variety of characters: experienced guys on the prowl for a good time; sensitive men grappling with their sexuality; hyper-males and drag queens; ecstatic lovers and...

It’s about love and sentiments across distances. It was filmed on cell phones and webcams while the San Francisco-based Chanticleer was on tour.  The music are lyrics are by Erika Lloyd, arrangement  by Vince Peterson. For beautiful voices and beautiful men, we give thanks. share: Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook Buzz it up Tip on Hyves Share via MySpace Share on Orkut share via Reddit Share...

Parker Quartet Presented by the Friends of Chamber Music Emma Willard School, Troy NY Saturday November 20, 2010 A world of style, color and sentiment came from the Parker Quartet during their Saturday concert presented by the Friends of Chamber Music at the Emma Willard School. That’s really not so unusual an occurrence.  It seems like dynamic fresh-faced quartets are a dime a dozen these days and the Parker, which easily...

Bernstein and Bach, Dvorak and Brian Wilbur Grundstrom. That’s the line-up for the Queer Urban Orchestra‘s program on Sunday afternoon (11/21) in Manhattan. Grundstrom, who lives in Washington DC, will conduct his nine-minute work “Jubilation! Dance for Orchestra.”   The piece debuted in 2006 with the George Washington University Orchestra conducted by Nancia D’Alimonte.  You can listen to...

If you’ve ever felt in the dark while listening to contemporary music, Friday night at EMPAC you won’t be alone. For a portion of the concert the orchestra will also be performing — literally — in the dark, without the aid of lights on their music stands or even a spotlight on the conductor. “In Vain” is the name of the single piece on the program. It’s about 75 minutes long and was written about 10 years...

Don’t be fooled by the pictures of Lara St. John, the violinist who’s giving a recital Sunday afternoon at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in a presentation by the Troy Chromatics.  With shoulder-length hair and a fresh open face, she appears to be about 17 years old. In fact, she’s just one year shy of turning 40. Middle age may be encroaching but a disarming spontaneity and playful sense of humor came through in...