Seth MacFarlane sings and swings at Ravinia

By Sam Jacobson, 24 August 2015

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Reviewed at Ravinia Festival Pavilion, Chicago on 21 August 2015

Seth MacFarlane, Baritone

Ravinia Festival Orchestra

Joel McNeely, Conductor

Liz Gillies, Vocals

Smooth operation: the Frank Sinatra Prom

Charlotte Valori, 7th August

The John Wilson Orchestra was on superb form for this stylish Prom, delving into Sinatra's back catalogue with Seth MacFarlane.

***11

Prom 59: The Broadway Sound with the John Wilson Orchestra

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 27th August

On entering Door One at the Royal Albert Hall and seeing top hats, tails and tap shoes clustered in a doorway, it was time to prepare for an evening of ‘The Broadway Sound’.

***11

Denis Kozhukhin: captivating storytelling with the London Symphony

Clare Varney, 1st May

At the Konzerthaus Dortmund, Sir Antonio Pappano and the LSO are joined by Russian pianist Denis Kozhukhin to plunge into the depths of despair in Bernstein’s melancholic The Age of Anxiety.

***11

Eric Lu brings scintillating Chopin to Singapore

Chang Tou Liang, 1st May

A world premiere by Wang Chenwei, familiar Chopin and a rare outing for Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta make for satisfying fare in Jahcun Wong’s Singapore Symphony programme.

****1

Yuja Wang with the Mahler CO: between lyricism and volatility

Edward Sava-Segal, 1st May

Yuja Wang and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra frame Chopin’s E minor concerto with two Prokofiev works, the First Symphony and Second Piano Concerto.

****1

BBC Philharmonic’s bold but unbalanced Stravinsky and Adams

Leighton Jones, 1st May

Balance issues mar an otherwise compelling programme from John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

***11

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Sam Jacobson

Sam Jacobson has been writing for Bachtrack since 2015 and is currently in Pittsburgh, having previously lived throughout the Midwest. A keen traveler, he endeavors to see all the great orchestras and opera houses across the US and abroad. Outside of music, he works as a software engineer. He also maintains a blog which can be read here.