Summoning Britten the dead in Harlem

By Kurt Gottschalk, 09 December 2019

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“a compelling way of providing program notes”

Reviewed at Church of the Intercession: Crypt, New York City on 4 December 2019

Britten, String Quartet no. 1, Op.25

Britten, Suite for violin and piano, Op.6: Lullaby

Britten, String Quartet no. 2 in C major, Op.36

Mari Lee, Violin

Emilie-Anne Gendron, Violin

Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, Violin

Mihai Marica, Cello

David Fung, Piano

Sagine Valla, Actor

Mikael Södersten, Director

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center musicians perform Bliss, Szymanowski, and Suk

Lydia Brown, 24th October

On Thursday evening, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presented its inaugural concert of the 2013-2014 Late Night Rose series. On the stage of Lincoln Center’s Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Studio, performers put on a delightfully curated show, featuring the works of three lesser-known Western composers: Arthur Bliss, Karol Szymanowski, and Josef Suk.

*****

Staatskapelle Dresden’s sonic alchemy at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 2nd June

From the earthy joy of Meistersinger to the sublime textures of Debussy, Daniele Gatti channels the Dresdeners' legendary, layered warmth into an unforgettable evening of pure acoustic luxury.

****1

Ambition meets the Philharmonie: Peltokoski and Kantorow in Paris

Laurence Vittes, 2nd June

Two prodigies, with a surplus of imagination and more interest in the moment than in creating long arcs of music, join the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse in Paris.

****1

Jurowski marks Hans Werner Henze’s centenary at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 31st May

Vladimir Jurowski and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin deliver a lean, razor-sharp exploration of captivity and survival, balancing Beethoven’s and Brahms’ structural clarity against the devastating, high-fidelity distortion of Henze’s Ninth Symphony.

****1

Kissin, Bell and Isserlis: remembrance and loss at Carnegie Hall

Edward Sava-Segal, 31st May

Solomon Rosowsky, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky form a matinee programme whose deeper connections gradually came into focus.

****1

Mischievous Pan at Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s French May

Christopher Halls, 30th May

French clarinettist Raphaël Sévère unearths beauty in Nielsen’s concerto and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta impress in two settings of Pan’s antics at the French May Festival.

****1

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Kurt Gottschalk

Kurt Gottschalk is a journalist and author based in New York City. His writings on contemporary and classical music, jazz and improvisation have been published in outlets throughout Europe and America and he has two volumes of short fiction to his name. He produced and hosted the Miniature Minotaurs radio programme on WFMU and currently hosts Afternoon New Music on WKCR.