by Sedgwick Clark Too bad that we have only one more season of Carnegie Hall’s Spring for Music series to anticipate. Programs have been stimulating and the artists notable. Tickets cost only $25 a seat! But our economy hasn’t cooperated: The Oregon Symphony under Carlos Kalmar—whose concert in the initial season was my favorite concert [...]
Read the rest of this article »
by Sedgwick Clark Evgeny Kissin Two pianistic superstars played two days apart last weekend at Carnegie Hall. I had avoided their recitals for years but thought I should try again since I was in town for the weekend. The first was Evgeny Kissin, 41. His prodigious prowess is documented from his earliest years at the [...]
Read the rest of this article »
by Sedgwick Clark The Rite of Spring, the centennial of which we celebrate on May 29, has been played everywhere this season and undoubtedly will the next. But while The Rite is forever ubiquitous, much of Stravinsky’s huge output languishes—such as his rarely played sacred works, which New York’s Trinity Church presented in toto in [...]
Read the rest of this article »
by Sedgwick Clark Christian Thielemann is Germany’s most sought-after conductor. Twenty years ago, he was on the hot track to a big U.S. career. He made the customary rounds of the majors and, I can attest, led some impressive concerts over five seasons with the New York Philharmonic between 1995 and 2002, excelling in the [...]
Read the rest of this article »
by Sedgwick Clark New York music lovers were fortunate to hear many performances by the British conductor Colin Davis and the Chicago Symphony’s longtime principal trumpet Adolph (“Bud”) Herseth in its concert halls. Last weekend the music world lost both artists, who afforded me some of the most inspiring musical experiences of my life. How lucky [...]
Read the rest of this article »
by Sedgwick Clark The Boston Symphony Orchestra has taken its time in replacing James Levine, who stepped down as music director two years ago due to a back injury. While two years without a captain at the helm is hardly optimum, at least the orchestra has avoided Philadelphia’s precipitous mismatch of Christoph Eschenbach (2003-2008). Last [...]
Read the rest of this article »
by Sedgwick Clark Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic – America’s hottest orchestra/conductor team – breezed through New York last week for a pair of sold-out concerts they had just performed in LA, London, Lucerne, and Paris. Dudamel is a bona fide star. Now 32, he draws a younger-than-usual audience, and cheers erupted when [...]
Read the rest of this article »
by Sedgwick Clark PK turned to me last Friday (3/22) at Carnegie Hall when the applause had died down for intermission and asked, “Where did he come from? He’s so musical. Where did he train?” Moments later, she continued animatedly to friends who had joined us, “He seems relaxed with the piano – it’s not [...]
Read the rest of this article »
by Sedgwick Clark In his “New York Chronicle” music column for the April issue of The New Criterion, my friend and colleague Jay Nordlinger writes about a concert by Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra that we both attended on February 13 at Carnegie Hall. At one point he notes that some audience members applauded between movements [...]
Read the rest of this article »
by Sedgwick Clark FINAL NOTICE: MY BLOG IS NOW POSTED ON THURSDAYS RATHER THAN ON WEDNESDAYS. All scribes like to receive mail, even negative, because it shows that someone is reading us. A welcome note about last week’s blog, which concerned my love of youth orchestras, arrived from my good friend John Canarina, conductor, educator, [...]
Read the rest of this article »
