Express Milwaukee - Classical Music/Dance http://expressmilwaukee.com/articles.sec-30-1-classical-music_dance.html Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 CDT en hourly 1 Bel Canto Sings Brahms’ ‘German Requiem’ http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-21066-bel-canto-sings-brahms%25E2%2580%2599-%25E2%2580%2598german-requiem%25E2%2580%2599.html

 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) composed one of the great masterpieces of sacred choral music, the “German Requiem,” by astutely, even assiduously, avoiding standard requiem texts and references. Its emotional power was drawn from the deaths of Brahms’ mother as well as his

]]> Unusually Fine Figaro - Florentine Opera’s Near-Perfect Finale http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-21067-unusually-fine-figaro-florentine-opera%25E2%2580%2599s-near-perfect-finale.html

 The Florentine Opera’s season finale, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, was an unqualified delight. Not only was it a tribute to this gentlest of the great composers, but a reminder that the tendency to “reinvent” operatic

]]> Pushing Classical into Contemporary - Michael Pink's Swan Lake http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-21068-pushing-classical-into-contemporary-michael-pinks-swan-lake.html

 In rehearsal for Milwaukee Ballet's Swan Lake, Luz San Miguel dances the delicate curved arabesques of the White Swan with more than grace and perfect technique; she seems endlessly apologetic. The mournful girl knows that

]]> UWM's New and Haunting Springdances...impermanence http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-21052-uwms-new-and-haunting-springdancesimpermanence.html A Burst of Mozart - Graceful, elegant performance with the MSO http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-21035-a-burst-of-mozart-graceful-elegant-performance-with-the-mso.html

 The young Italian-German violinist Augustin Hadelich is the rare artist who can make Mozart sizzle. Many musicians find the refined style of Mozart by containing expression. Hadelich seemed released by it. At Milwaukee

]]> From Baroque to Classical - Ensemble Musical Offering performs Telemann, Bach http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-21014-from-baroque-to-classical-ensemble-musical-offering-performs-telemann-bach.html

 While the lives of Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767) and Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) were not closely intertwined, they did intersect in more than just a casual manner. Of immediate interest is the upcoming

]]> What’s Behind the Façade? http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20990-what%25E2%2580%2599s-behind-the-fa%25C3%25A7ade.html

 Sadly, Façade: An Entertainment, a collaborative production of Danceworks Performance Company, Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra and Milwaukee Opera Theatre, was ruined for me by the unworkable acoustics of the

]]> New Conservatory on Milwaukee's West Side http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20958-new-conservatory-on-milwaukees-west-side.html A new music conservatory has positioned itself to become a cultural hub for the Washington Heights neighborhood on Milwaukee's West Side. That's what West End Conservatory founders Neil Davis and Isaiah Joshua hope for the]]> What A Show! - Wild contrasts at the Milwaukee Ballet http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20901-what-a-show_-wild-contrasts-at-the-milwaukee-ballet.html

 In Mozart Requiem, the first of three wildly contrasting works presented by Milwaukee Ballet in its immensely enjoyable “Spring Series” last weekend, Amy Seiwert's choreography mirrors the structure of Mozart's work for

]]> Toe Shoes, Tap Shoes and Trip-Hop - Milwaukee Ballet's Eclectic Spring Series http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20890-toe-shoes-tap-shoes-and-trip-hop-milwaukee-ballets-eclectic-spring-series.html

 With Mozart, Sammy Davis, Jr. and DJ Wax Tailor as musical inspirations, the three contemporary works in Milwaukee Ballet's Spring Series could hardly be more different. Once again, Artistic Director Michael Pink has

]]> Berio’s Trippy ‘Sinfonia’ http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20800-berio%25E2%2580%2599s-trippy-%25E2%2580%2598sinfonia%25E2%2580%2599.html

 Avant garde ain’t what it used to be. Forty-five years ago it was still possible to shock and outrage a concert audience. Could that ever happen today? Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Luciano Berio’s wildy

]]> When Guns Meet Rosenkavalier http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20801-when-guns-meet-rosenkavalier.html

"This next one is by country legend Robert Schumann," joked the opera singer Andrew Wilkowske as he introduced his arrangement of the Romantic German composer's “Ich grolle nicht.” In the translation by Kelley

]]> Absolutely Luscious - Wild Space’s luscious, ecstatic dance concert http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20754-absolutely-luscious-wild-space%25E2%2580%2599s-luscious-ecstatic-dance-concert.html Debra Loewen and her Wild Space Dance Company are having a spectacular season. Following last fall’s stunning “Milwaukee 360,” their new concert at the Stiemke Studio Theatre, “Luscious” (March 14-16), was one of the]]> Swingle Singers join MSO for Berio’s ‘Sinfonia’ http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20758-swingle-singers-join-mso-for-berio%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%2598sinfonia%25E2%2580%2599.html

 Luciano Berio’s Sinfonia for eight voices and orchestra

]]> Comic Opera Masterpiece - The Florentine’s ‘Albert Herring’ http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20720-comic-opera-masterpiece-the-florentine%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%2598albert-herring%25E2%2580%2599.html

 The Florentine Opera’s production of Benjamin Britten’s comic masterpiece, Albert Herring, was a bounty of energized musical riches. The audience was won over from the first moment by Britten’s incomparable gift for

]]> David Zinman & the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich / Joshua Bell & Academy of St. Martin in the Fields - Schubert Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 (RCA Red Seal) / Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 4 & 7 (Sony Classics) http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20722-david-zinman-the-tonhalle-orchestra-zurich-joshua-bell-academy-of-st-martin-in-the-fields-schubert-symphonies-nos-5-6-%2528rca-red-seal%2529-beethoven%25E2%2580%2599s-symphonies-no-4-7-%2528sony-classics%2529.html  The Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich under David Zinman has gradually been recording Franz Schubert’s symphonies through the RCA Red Seal label. Schubert just passed 30 when he died in his hometown, Vienna, which in his day

]]> Imperial Riches - Sheboygan Symphony’s night in Russia http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20683-imperial-riches-sheboygan-symphony%25E2%2580%2599s-night-in-russia.html

 Imperial Russia is often painted in the grim hues of Siberian exile and political repression, yet a glittering culture coalesced there during the 19th and early 20th centuries—one that continues to influence the arts and imagination

]]> Restless Spirit of Rachmaninoff at MSO http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20684-restless-spirit-of-rachmaninoff-at-mso.html

 Rachmaninoff’s music always feels emotionally restless. Whether melancholy or agitated, it inevitably longs for some undefined otherness. Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra played an all Rachmaninoff concert last Friday

]]> Guest Star at the MSO - Violinist Salerno-Sonnenberg on Bruch http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20668-guest-star-at-the-mso-violinist-salerno-sonnenberg-on-bruch.html Subtle, Contemporary, Intimate - Present Music explores new venues http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20621-subtle-contemporary-intimate-present-music-explores-new-venues.html

 On Saturday Present Music explored yet another unprecedented venue in the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Bayside. A previous performance took place at a private East Side home, and the same program is planned for

]]> Icy Hot Russian Classics - Solzhenitsyn’s slam-dunk at the MSO http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20593-icy-hot-russian-classics-solzhenitsyn%25E2%2580%2599s-slam-dunk-at-the-mso.html

 Very few people are equally adept at conducting and playing an instrument at the highest level of professional performance. Guest conductor/pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn proved his profound dual abilities last Saturday night with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

]]> A Great Night for Dancers - Genesis of sublime, expressive contemporary ballet http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20594-a-great-night-for-dancers-genesis-of-sublime-expressive-contemporary-ballet.html

 No pointe shoes appeared on the Pabst Theatre stage during “Genesis,” the Milwaukee Ballet’s international competition for emerging ballet choreographers. The dances in the program were thoroughly contemporary in

]]> That’s Amore: Operatic Love Songs by the Florentine Opera http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20599-that%25E2%2580%2599s-amore-operatic-love-songs-by-the-florentine-opera.html  Simple, elegant and pure unamplified talent. These few words sum up the wonderful experience that was the Florentine Opera’s “That’s Amore,” a showcase of mostly musical theatre songs performed by the company’s

]]> The Edo Factor - MSO celebrates early Beethoven http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20556-the-edo-factor-mso-celebrates-early-beethoven.html

The “Edo factor” was in full gear at the All-Beethoven Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concert last Saturday evening. With music director Edo de Waart as conductor, the MSO is a disciplined, efficient entity. There were no guest artists in this meat-and-potatoes orchestral program

]]> Danceworks’ Lovable Serendipity http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20536-danceworks%25E2%2580%2599-lovable-serendipity.html Milwaukee Ballet’s Genesis Concert - Three winners perform at annual choreography contest http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20538-milwaukee-ballet%25E2%2580%2599s-genesis-concert-three-winners-perform-at-annual-choreography-contest.html Milwaukee Ballet is probably right to call “Genesis” one of the only truly international choreographic competitions in existence. Artistic Director Michael Pink chose this year's finalists from over 30 applicants representing six nations. Choreographers submitted videos of past work and]]> The Structure of Bruckner - MSO raises the bar http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20512-the-structure-of-bruckner-mso-raises-the-bar.html I am not alone in admitting that I can’t completely embrace the symphonies of Anton Bruckner. The surface sound of his music, its harmonies and gorgeous sonorities, is readily appreciated. It’s a grasp of structure and emotional narrative within his abstracted romanticism that has eluded me]]> MSO’s Rhapsody and Lincoln - Also, Frankly Music’s ‘Art of the Cello’ http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20487-mso%25E2%2580%2599s-rhapsody-and-lincoln-also-frankly-music%25E2%2580%2599s-%25E2%2580%2598art-of-the-cello%25E2%2580%2599.html

 There have been few major classical stars at Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in recent seasons. The sell-out audience last Wednesday night was especially eager to hear legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman

]]> Two Centuries of Strings - Philomusica Plays Haydn, Glass and Beethoven http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20472-two-centuries-of-strings-philomusica-plays-haydn-glass-and-beethoven.html Presenting a selection that spans more than two centuries of string quartet literature, Milwaukee’s Philomusica Quartet will take its audience on a tour full of musical humor, incandescence and elegance. Haydn’s charming and]]> Classical Happening http://expressmilwaukee.com/article-20425-classical-happening.html  The Voyage of the Maori To New Zealand was written in Esperanto by Brendon H. Clark, a noted New Zealand proponent of the attempt to formulate and popularize an international language. As translated by UW-Milwaukee

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