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The Week in Reviews, Op. 540: Takács Quartet, Chad Hoopes & Jan Vogler, David Coucheron
In an effort to promote the coverage of live violin performance, Violinist.com each week presents links to reviews of notable concerts and recitals around the world. Click on the highlighted links to read the entire reviews.
The Takács Quartet performed Clarice Assad’s NEXUS at Carnegie's Zankel Hall.
- New York Classical Review: "Clarice Assad’s NEXUS...had the players literally in motion, circling each other onstage like planets trying to form a solar system. But what the Brazilian-born composer called this group’s 'visceral, whole-body approach to musical expression' was in evidence even when they were conventionally seated for quartets by Haydn and Debussy."
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Boston Symphony Orchestra Dismisses Music Director Andris Nelsons
On Friday the Boston Symphony Orchestra announced the sudden dismissal of its Music Director Andris Nelsons, whose tenure will end in summer 2027, following the orchestra's Tanglewood season.
According to multiple sources, Patrons and orchestra members received a letter from the orchestra's board and its CEO Chad Smith explaining that "the decision to not renew his contract was made by the BSO’s board of trustees because, beyond our shared desire to ensure our orchestra continues to perform at the highest levels, the BSO and Andris Nelsons were not aligned on future vision."
Nelsons has served as Music Director of the BSO since 2014. Keep reading...
In Defense of Timothée Chalamet
Maybe you've seen it: it's a short clip of the famous young actor Timothée Chalamet trashing ballet and opera, saying quite unequivocally that "no one cares any more" about these art forms.
I mean, ouch.
Between Facebook and Instagram, I've been shown this clip more than a dozen times, and it's been sent to me by friends. I've also seen dozens of reactions to the clip - quite clever ones by friends and colleagues in classical music, opera and ballet, who have written poems, made short videos, danced, sang. The Seattle Opera ran promotion for an upcoming performance of Carmen, posting on Instagram, "use promo code TIMOTHEE to save 14% off select seats for Carmen, through this weekend only. Timmy, you're welcome to use it too." The Met made a special video in response.
Chalamet certainly hit a sore spot. But let's be honest here, the Internet has zeroed in on us and done what it does best: Amplify something taken out of context and stoked our rage. (Curiously, my non-classical music friends are seeing little to none of this on their feeds.)
Is the rage beyond what this incident deserves? I decided I wanted to see where this comment came from, what was the context?
So I watched the entire hour-long interview between Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey from which this 10-second clip was captured. The interview was posted to YouTube Feb. 24, part of the Variety & CNN "Actors on Actors" series, filmed at The University of Texas at Austin’s Moody College of Communication, with an audience of film students. (If you wish to watch it yourself, click here.) Keep reading...
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For the Record, Op. 372: Midori, Pekka Kuusisto, Daniel Lozakovich
Welcome to "For the Record," Violinist.com's weekly roundup of new releases of recordings by violinists, violists, cellists and other classical musicians. We hope it helps you keep track of your favorite artists, as well as find some new ones to add to your listening! Click on the highlighted links to obtain each album or learn more about the artists.
Schumann Violin Concerto
Midori, violin
Festival Strings Lucerne, Daniel Dodds conducting
Özgur Aydin, piano
At the center of the album is Robert Schumann’s Violin Concerto in D Minor, composed in 1853 but withheld from publication for more than 80 years after Clara Schumann and Joseph Joachim questioned its place within his legacy. Long clouded by its troubled history and a problematic 1937 premiere, the concerto has only recently gained recognition as a powerful and distinctive late work. The program also includes Robert Schumann’s Five Pieces in Folk Style, Op. 102, and Three Romances, Op. 94, alongside Clara Schumann’s Five Romances, Op. 22, dedicated to Joachim and now fully restored to the repertoire after decades of neglect. "In preparing this album, I sought not only to honor the historical and musical context of these works, but also to share with listeners the deeply human aspects of Schumann’s late music: the intimacy, the struggle, and the moments of fragile hope," Midori said. BELOW: From Robert Schumann's Five Pieces in Folk Style, Op. 102: I. Mit Humor.
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