Peter Danish - Page 11

Since its founding in 1999, the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony has built a loyal following, both in New York City and worldwide through its extensive catalog of recordings on iTunes, Naxos/ClassicsOnline, Amazon and Spotify. Its founder, conductor and musical director David Bernard recently sat down with BWW Classical to tell us what he's been listening to lately. The results were wonderfully eclectic!

Tallinn Chamber Orchestra and Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir perform music of Arvo Part at Carnegie Hall to enthusiastic crowd.

WHAT'S ON YOUR iPOD?

Bernard Haitink conducts the NY Philharmonic in Mahler's 3rd Symphony

Kaki King will be appearing on June 24th at the New York "River to River Festival" at the Winter Garden downtown.

Pianist Tanya Bannister has managed to do something very rare with her new CD. She has taken the standard recital disc and remade it into something fresh and different. 'The Intimate Concertos' is a collection of three lesser known works (but certainly not lesser works) by Mozart, Chopin and Shubert, and the arrangements and the recording of the works certainly live up to the title of the disc.

With a dozen gold and platinum releases under his belt, two hit PBS Specials and a decade of sold-out concerts world-wide, international superstar Mario Frangoulis returns to New York for two shows this weekend at Lincoln Center.

What's on your iPod tenor Stephen Costello?

New York City has lots of big attractions that people around the world are well aware of. But New York City also has smaller gems that don't get the same attention but still shine just as brightly. The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony is one such gem. Last Sunday afternoon, this superb ensemble led ably by Maestro David Bernard delivered an impressive performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 2, which many, more well-known and well-funded, orchestras would be jealous of. Maestro Bernard, who worked without benefit of a score, brought a brilliant and bright quality to the first Allegro movement. The Larghetto that followed was mannered and precisely shaped. The Scherzo, usually performed as a light and merry dance, felt a bit wayward, as the playing got a bit loose. But a strong, majestic and fiery Finale brought the first half to a satisfying conclusion. The Second Symphony was composed during the summer and fall of 1802 and it signaled the end of Beethoven's 'early period.' For the composer, this was a time of great despair because he was finally realizing that his deafness could not be cured and would indeed be a permanent affliction. That despair is deeply engrained in the work, and the Park Avenue Chamber Symphony dug deep and tapped into that despair and communicated it amiably to the audience.

French-Greek Tenor George Perris makes sensational debut at Lincoln Center's Allen Room.

Aprile Millo returns to the operatic stage in Italy this month in Puccini's Il Tabarro.

Critics have called her 'the ideal Carmen of our time' and 'one of the leading singer-actresses of her generation.' The New York Times called her 'naturally seductive and vocally alluring.' But this down-to-earth southern girl prefers the moniker: The Dixie Diva!

On Saturday, December 14th, 2013 at 8PM, GRAMMY Award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin returns to the 92nd St. Y for a solo recital. The concert celebrates her 35th anniversary of her New York Debut (at Alice Tully Hall in 1979), the 25th anniversary of The Juilliard School guitar department (which Sharon Isbin created in 1989, the first in the institution's 100-year history), and honors the 100th birthday on this date of her mentor Rosalyn Tureck, as well as the centenary of Benjamin Britten.

The brilliant Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki seems to be enjoying something of a renaissance - especially in New York this month! His works were performed in at least three concert halls over the last month and the composer himself made appearances at several of the performances. While hardly a household name, Penderecki has emassed a sizable fan base (if the packed house of rabid fans at Avery Fisher Hall was any indicator). Ever since his 'Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima' hit the scene in 1961, he had the new music crowd's attention. And he always delivered the goods - loud, noisy, bombastic, iconoclastic explosions of sound that often hinted at form but never long enough to be noticeable. It would be practically impossible to try to describe Penderecki's music in mere words.

The esteemed pianist Ian Hobson is giving New York an early Christmas present. He is performing the Herculean task of playing all of Johannes Brahms piano music in a cycle of fourteen concerts over the course of two months. To assist him in the task, he is bringing along an eclectic group of world-class artists. Fans of Brahms should be delighted because one would have to wait a lifetime for any chamber ensemble to get to all of these magnificent pieces.

Sharon Isbin is a multiple GRAMMY Award winner and has been called 'the pre-eminent guitarist of our time.' It would take all day to list the awards and honors she's won and her now legendary live performances are nothing short of magical. Currently she has a new album entitled 'Sharon Isbin and Friends: Guitar Passions' which features duets with a vast array of superstars from across the musical universe. BWW Classical chatted with her about what she's currently listening to and the list was as wonderfully eclectic as Sharon's repertory.

BWW Classical speaks to Artist Director, Gil Rose about Odyssey Opera's maiden voyage.

Who says classical music can't be fun?

Maestro Gill Rose tells our readers what's on his iPod.

Our very first guest is the legendary Opera Star Aprile Millo!