Classical Music
Utah Symphony’s delightful “Candide” makes the best of all possible versions – Nov 10, 2018
Amy Owens as Cunegonde and Jonathan Johnson in the title role of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” in Friday night’s performance by the Utah Symphony. Photo: Kathleen Sykes
The Utah Symphony is closing out its year-long Leonard Bernstein centennial celebration with a semi-staged production of Candide. Joined by the Utah Opera Chorus and a strong cast of singer-actors under the baton of music director Thierry Fischer, Friday night’s performance was a delightful musical journey.
Trying to make sense of the story is nearly impossible. The … Read More
Fischer, colleagues look forward to Utah Symphony debut of Bernstein’s “Candide” – Nov 06, 2018
Thierry Fischer will lead the Utah Symphony premiere of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” this weekend.
The Utah Symphony will close out its Leonard Bernstein centennial celebration this weekend in Abravanel Hall with two performances of his 1956 operetta Candide.
But this week’s performances will be no mere concert version. Candide will be semi-staged, with costumes and props, which, music director Thierry Fischer said, makes it a bit more of a challenge. In large part, that’s because the solo singers will be at the front … Read More
Violinist Philippe Quint delivers fiery advocacy with Litton, Utah Symphony – Oct 27, 2018
Phillipe Quint performed John Corigliano’s “Red Violin” Concerto with Andrew Litton and the Utah Symphony Friday night. Photo: Kathleen Sykes
The Utah Symphony and guest conductor Andrew Litton have a decades-old relationship that goes back over thirty years. Litton debuted with the orchestra in November 1987 as a young and up-and-coming maestro and has appeared several times since. The Utah Symphony musicians, and the local audiences seem to enjoy his unostentatious conducting and interpretations, as well as his direct and approachable personality.
Friday night’s Utah Symphony … Read More
Trio con Brio lives up to its name with dramatic Beethoven, Shostakovich – Oct 18, 2018
Trio con Brio performed Wednesday night at Libby Gardner Concert Hall, presented by the Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City.
After several years’ absence, Trio con Brio returned to Libby Gardner Concert Hall Wednesday night in a concert presented by the Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City. The program featured two masterworks by Beethoven and Shostakovich, yet the Copenhagen-based ensemble also brought music of one of Denmark’s most significant contemporary composers, Bent Sørensen.
Instead of sandwiching Sørensen’s piece between … Read More
NOVA Chamber Music starts a new era with wide-ranging diversity – Oct 15, 2018
Violinist and music director Madeline Adkins performed in the season-opening concert of the NOVA Chamber Music Series Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s season-opening concert of the NOVA Chamber Music Series saw the debut of Madeline Adkins as the group’s new music director. For the occasion, Adkins, who also serves as the Utah Symphony’s concertmaster, chose a wonderfully diverse yet cohesive program to open the ensemble’s 41stseason.
Diverse, since it brought together a wide spectrum of composers, from Mozart to Schoenberg; cohesive, because the younger composers … Read More
Utah Opera opens season with a moving and delightful “Roméo et Juliette” – Oct 14, 2018
Joshua Dennis and Anya Matanovič star in Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette” at Utah Opera. Photo: Dana Sohm/Utah Opera
With just a four-show season, Utah Opera artistic director Christopher McBeth must make some difficult decisions as to which operas to stage in any given year.
But Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, which opened the company’s season Saturday night at the Capitol Theatre, is certainly a work that deserves to be seen more frequently. (It was last produced at Utah Opera in 2005).
… Read More
Fischer, Utah Symphony jazz it up with Gershwin, Ravel and Schubert – Sep 29, 2018
Thierry Fischer conducted the Utah Symphony Friday night at Abravanel Hall. Photo: Kathleen Sykes
If there truly is a popular classical music program, that doesn’t manage to beat old warhorses to death, then this weekend’s Utah Symphony offering surely is it.
It’s certainly difficult not to like a concert featuring works by George Gershwin, Maurice Ravel and Franz Schubert, especially when played as magnificently as they were by the orchestra under Thierry Fischer Friday night at Abravanel Hall. For all their familiarity, none … Read More
Utah Symphony opens season with dynamic Beethoven, quirky Norman – Sep 22, 2018
Thierry Fischer conducted the Utah Symphony in music of Beethoven and Andrew Norman Friday night at Abravanel Hall. File photo: Dominick Reuter
It’s a decades-old tradition that the Utah Symphony open its season with a work by Beethoven. And music director Thierry Fischer kept that tradition alive last night by programming the composer’s Ninth Symphony, a work that he and the orchestra have played numerous times over the years.
Fischer has a penchant for brisk tempos with Beethoven, which sometimes works … Read More
Welcome to Utah Arts Review – Sep 01, 2018
Welcome to Utah Arts Review. As with our seven Classical Review websites, we plan to bring the finest and most comprehensive classical music coverage to Salt Lake City, and elsewhere in Utah, as we have done in Boston, Chicago, New York, South Florida and Washington D.C.
The key difference is that for the first time we will be expanding beyond classical music to other genres. As the site name indicates, Utah Arts Review will also cover dance, theater and visual arts. We will bring the finest local writers to … Read More
