Articles tagged with: George Gershwin
In holiday spirit, CSO sets out musical bounty, and lovers of Gershwin, Dvořák gobble it up
Review: “Rhapsody in Blue” is on the docket, compliments of pianist Jon Kimura Parker. And if you’re lucky, a bit of Oscar Peterson, too. Composer Anna Clyne’s five-minute lollapalooza called “Masquerade” is the all-embracing upper in Thanksgiving weekend concerts featuring Dvořák’s 7th and led by Marin Alsop in an unmistakeable party mode.
‘Porgy and Bess’ at the Lyric Opera: From plenty of nuttin’, a masterpiece rises on Catfish Row
Review: The Lyric Opera’s revival of Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” is a thing of beauty not to be missed. More than that, it’s a ringing affirmation of this iconic American stage work as a great opera. Bass-baritone Eric Owens empowers Porgy with a voice larger than life yet scales this poor, crippled, yearning character to the credible proportions of a man. His woman, in a fragile union forged from convenience and necessity, is soprano Adina Aaron’s lithe and sexy Bess, vulnerable and gorgeously voiced. ★★★★★
Bates’ new concerto is feather in violinist’s cap when Slatkin leads CSO in American concert
Review: What an engaging, stimulating change of pace, this weekend’s all-American concert fare offered by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conductor Leonard Slatkin at Orchestra Hall. Extending from classics by Barber and Gershwin through William Schuman’s bold, robust Sixth Symphony to youthful Mason Bates’ cleverly crafted Violin Concerto, the program heard April 17 offered a resounding reminder of this country’s enduring contribution to orchestral music in the modern era.
Shakespeare rules the playbill as Stratford unveils plans for its 2014 summer festival
Report: While the Stratford Festival has shed its branding association with the Bard of Avon, any concerns that the festival might really be loosening its traditional ties with Shakespeare should be allayed by newly announced plans for the summer of 2014. The Bard abounds. The festival’s five Shakespeare productions will include two takes on “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — a full-scale account and a “chamber” version for just four players directed by one of the world’s most innovative masters of stagecraft, Peter Sellars.
