posted by Alex on Feb 27
When you think of opera, you probably think of screaming people. Many people do, and it can be hard to keep in mind that these are very accomplished people, doing what they have been trained to do. Carmen is playing in London and in some ways it is one of the shows that will give opera that impression. It’s not a bad show, but it’s kind of a bust in some ways. They did well in designing the sound to fit the hall much better than most pieces do. But the reviewer I was reading had some real beefs with the production of this show. The chorus was weak, and the actors were uninteresting. That’s what you need and must have to keep a show like this going: it has to be actually compelling!
posted by Alex on Feb 23
The Bach Cantata Series at the Royal Academy of Music in England is going to last for almost a decade. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t enjoy each and every moment of it. The first of the series is one of the best that the reviewers have seen. The reviewer tells us that Bach didn’t write these pieces for the concert hall, but instead for the large cathedral scene. But that Bach would have enjoyed that students are the big performers. A Bach cantata is not for everyone, but there are a lot of people who would like it even if they’ve never tried it before. The performers did it really well and gave their best efforts to Bach, and it showed!
posted by Alex on Feb 20
In New York, Paul Simon has begun performing again. He’s always been a good performer, despite his almost removed quality. He seems very introverted, but he plays and sings just great. In his concerts right now, he seems to be trying to give people a good taste of what he’s working on now. Of course, he plays his typical songs from his 70s and 80s career. The highlight for the reviewer in Variety seems to have been at the end, when Art Garfunkel came out and they sang The Boxer, Sounds of Silence, and Old Friends/Bookends together, just like they used to. Paul Simon was around for a long time, and has also recently released a book of lyrics, and this is another way for him to promote it.
posted by Alex on Feb 16
CurT@!n$ (pronounced ‘curtains’) is one of the most interesting new Hip-Hop performers at the moment. While many of these kinds of musicians are exactly like the others, this one is really different from the others. You might think that you’re listening to one guy, but in fact you’re listening to someone completely different. It’s hard to enjoy it sometimes, because if you don’t like one thing, you probably wont like any of it. But with someone like CurT@!n$ can really inject some much needed life into the industry and will help us to finally hear something new, some new themes and different styles within the genre.
posted by Alex on Feb 13
Yannick Nézet-Séguin just made his debut with the London Philharmonic Orchestra recently, and he has been very well received. The French-Canadian is like nothing that the London orchestra has seen in a long time. He is young, dynamic and sees the music is a bigger way than most other people do. In the first part of the performance, he was accompanied by a Norwegian Cellist on the Haydn Concerto in C major that was very light and fluid the way it was supposed to. The second part, a Bruckner symphony, was one of the best performances that the reviewer has ever seen. The new conductor shows the musical phrases with his body and each one is new, and easier to feel than the reviewer could remember. We’re happy to hear of this up-and-coming fellow in the field!
posted by Alex on Feb 9
Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift came together to the Grammys last night. This isn’t so surprising, as they are pretty close friends and since they’re about the same age. It’s kind of the equivalent of what we used to call “going stag”, even when it was girls talking. Anyway, E! decided to compare their dresses to see whose was better and why. It’s nothing really special. Their performance together seems that it was designed to be the cute performance of the night. Swift was apparently quite nervous beforehand, during the pre-Grammy parties. But they performed quite nice. They are clearly very talented, so good for them!
posted by Alex on Feb 6
Paul McCartney is still touring! He used to be with the Beatles a long time ago and he’s been singing his songs ever since. Last week he appeared on the Colbert Report on Comedy Central, and he played along quite well. It’s not only true that he’s playing dates all over the place, but also that he’s still writing music. He’s no John Lennon, but he is very impressive in his own rite and has grown lots over the years. He’s also known for helping with various charitable causes and helping the poor in whatever way he can. His performances are always really exciting, everything from the Super Bowl Halftime Show to regular dates at arenas all over the place. He’s a great musician though!
posted by Alex on Feb 2
Adele has started performing concerts again and she’s in good form. According to Variety, she is showcasing her individualism very well and performs really well. That is to say, her music is good, but her transitions aren’t. She seems flummoxed by the audience everytime, a little embarrassed to be there. She giggles and chats a bit too much. But her R&B is well performed and people seem to like her. Where did she come from? It didn’t seem like she was getting very far until she appeared on Saturday Night Live. She happened to be on there on the same show as Sarah Palin, so it was a wider audience than usual, and her album became more well known. Read the full review here.
