Ensemble Signal dips into the Bang on a Can canon at Carnegie Hall

By Kurt Gottschalk, 17 April 2022

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

“Zankel’s pristine acoustics packed the requisite punch... Signal rode the shifting, gale-force winds”

Reviewed at Carnegie Hall: Zankel, New York City on 13 April 2022

Gordon, Weather

Wolfe, With a Blue Dress on

Wolfe, Cruel sister

Ensemble Signal, Violin

Brad Lubman, Conductor

Tessa Lark, Violin

Three premieres – heard twice – in New York

Kurt Gottschalk, 25th July

It can be a pleasure to hear an unfamiliar piece twice in the same program. Here, we heard three premieres fresh and then repeated after composer comments.

***11

A portrait of Hans Abrahamsen at the Concertgebouw

Rose Dodd, 14th May

For a programme given by Asko|Schönberg at the Concertgebouw, Hans Abrahamsen’s choice of his own works spans an important and transitory period of creative stillness.

****1

Intriguing pairing of Mackey and Reich leads to provocative results

Matthew Richard Martinez, 29th May

Gustavo Dudamel, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Ensemble Signal perform a world première by Steven Mackey and Three Tales by Steve Reich.

****1

Love, loss and horrible siblings in night 3 of collected stories

Rebecca Lentjes, 24th April

Iarla Ó Lionáird presented the theme – the Celtic traditional song The Two Sisters – and Julia Wolfe and Nico Muhly provided variations via two separate compositions based on the folk song.

***11

Monkey: A problematic adventure at Lincoln Center Festival

Ivan Talijancic, 11th July

I must confess: when the press release for the 2013 Lincoln Center Festival came out earlier this spring including an grand spectacle that is Monkey: Journey to the West, a multimedia operatic endeavor with music penned by Damon Albarn, I was immediately excited.

**111

Icarus at the Edge of Time: A Fantastical Odyssey through Time and Space

Kay Kempin, 30th May

Kicking off its 5th year, the World Science Festival had their opening night performance in the historic United Palace Theatre. The last of Marcus Loew’s vaudeville theatres from the 1920s and 30s, the United Palace Theatre is now home to the United Church Science of the Living Institute, and sometimes alternative rock concerts.

***11

More reviews...

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.