The SunBreak » prokofiev

What We’re Hearing This Month: Classical Music Picks For June

Dana Wen — Thu, 05 Jun 2014 13:39:21 +0000

This June, Seattle's ending the concert season with a bang, in the form of a month-long flurry of world premiere performances. Celebrate another year of local classical music with brand-new works by talented composers from near and far.

Jon Kimura Parker Takes on Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev & Stravinsky

Philippa Kiraly — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:21:35 +0000

The evening was an awesome physical feat for any performer, but at the very end, Parker’s fingers were as nimble, as accurate, his touch as relaxed, his playing as clean and rhymic as it all had been at the start. And after it, he played an encore, a quiet, rippling Rachmaninoff prelude.

Pianist Alexandre Dossin Shines in Russian “Winter Nights”

Philippa Kiraly — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:29:03 +0000

I had reviewed some of Dossin’s recordings for the now defunct magazine Clavier, and expected good things. It was more than good. I was bowled over by the technique, the musicianship, the beauty of his interpretations and the way he made himself invisible, allowing the composers’ intentions to come through.

Maillot’s Knockout “Roméo et Juliette” Returns to PNB

Michael van Baker — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 00:02:56 +0000

With Maillot's Roméo et Juliette in PNB's repertoire, the company now had the perfect Valentine's Day ballet to go with The Nutcracker at Christmas. Its bold infusion of frank sensuality with gorgeous pas de deux left mouths agape -- one moment Juliette was arcing backward, held aloft by her Roméo, the next, hands were everywhere!

Late Night at the Seattle Symphony with Turntables, Serialism & 100 Metronomes

Dana Wen — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 18:31:46 +0000

Among the evening's surprises were a concerto for turntables and an audience-participation performance featuring 100 metronomes. [...] Soon, the clicking of 100 metronomes echoed through the lobby, a sound that is strangely similar to a pot of popcorn.

Auburn Symphony Finds Greats Off the Beaten Track

Philippa Kiraly — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:42:55 +0000

It isn’t one of his angry works. I didn’t hear any underlying angst in it. The violin plays almost without a break through the entire half hour of the concerto, serenely above lower winds and strings in the first movement, urgent but jaunty rather than ominous in the second. The unusual passacaglia which is the third movement has more ominous portent in the orchestra while the violin floats above, and at the end is a long cadenza for the soloist which feels like more of an emotional statement than a bravura display of fireworks.