The Arts Blog

Benjamin Grosvenor’s “Homages”

February 6, 2017

The young British pianist, Benjamin Grosvenor, is an artist whose recordings have featured in All Classical Portland’s programming for the past few years. “Dances” was a disc that make a creative connection between such disparate styles and eras as Bach and Granados. “Homages”, Mr. Grosvenor’s newest, also extends a hand across the centuries, but some …

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Synesthesia

February 3, 2017

On a recent episode of Thursdays at Three, Robert McBride spoke with the members of the Miró Quartet about how they analyze the music that they play. Violinist Daniel Chang explained that they, as a group, do not analyze music on a theoretical level so-to-speak, instead, they look at the construction of a piece to …

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Kirill Gerstein offers Transcendental Liszt

December 13, 2016

Pianist Kirill Gerstein, a favorite of Portland audiences for his orchestral and solo recital appearances, has just released a CD that illustrates both the pianist’s abilities and those of the composer of these works.  Franz Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes simultaneously pay homage to his good friend Chopin (Etudes, Opp. 10 and 25), and Bach, while propelling …

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Ginastera turns 100 (Yolanda Kondonassis and the Harp Concerto)

December 1, 2016

“Beauty is the emergence of a spiritual climate in which each artist is transfigured through the impulse of creation. It becomes universal” – Alberto Ginastera Last year, American harpist Yolanda Kondonassis brought Alberto Ginastera’s Harp Concerto, Opus 25 to Portland, when she performed it with the Oregon Symphony. Recently, as part of the centennial of …

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America Again: Lara Downes explores the fabric of the nation in music

November 17, 2016

When Lara Downes crafts a recording, she explores not just themes in music, but meanings and expressions.  In my conversation with Lara, America Again was prompted by one of the many shootings that took place earlier this year, and so she put aside the project she’d been working on, to reconnect with America, its music, …

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Words Fail: Violinist Yevgeny Kutik

November 2, 2016

I was only recently introduced to Yevgeny Kutik, yet the Belarus-born violinist is up to his third CD already, with Words Fail (Marquis Classics). Mr. Kutik’s earlier releases focus in large part on Russian repertoire. What I discovered is a passionate musician with a warm, expressive tone in his playing which is perfectly suited to the …

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Danse Macabre

Boo! A Halloween Special

October 29, 2016

With Halloween approaching, it seems only relevant that we shed light on some of the spookier aspects of classical music. Though no well-known composers or performers had superstitions around Halloween day itself, many had obsessions and superstitions surrounding curses, death, and other macabre topics. Arnold Schoenberg was well-known for his superstitions, suffering from triskaidekaphobia, or …

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The Bach Cello Suites: A 300 Year History, A 300 Year Mystery

October 13, 2016

The Bach Cello Suites are some of the most recognizable and well-loved pieces of music in both classical and popular circles. They have been featured in concerts and commercials alike, transcribed for a diverse array of instruments, and interpreted by every style of music imaginable, from swing to electronic. However, little is known about the history …

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Matt Haimovitz plays “Overtures to Bach”

October 5, 2016

Cellist Matt Haimovitz, who started his career nearly 30 years ago on the DG label, recording the standard cello repertoire, soon broke out of that corner of classical music to seek a more personal journey. I recall, in the 1990s, interviewing Matt as he was about to head out across the country, with CDs in …

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Joshua Bell plays “For the Love of Brahms”

September 26, 2016

Joshua Bell’s newest CD is about friendship.  Friendship between Mr. Bell and his fellow musicians, who include British cellist Steven Isserlis, and American pianist Jeremy Denk, with whom Bell has performed and recorded many times; and friendship between the composers featured on the disc, Johannes Brahms and Joseph Joachim.  Completing the circle of friends are …

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