You simply cannot begin to imagine the extent of my supreme joy when Stephen Colbert announced that his guest tonight was Itzhak mothereffin' Perlman. Or maybe you can - everyone loves Itzhak mothereffin' Perlman!
EDIT: I very much apologize for my inability to get the embed code to work, but I am SO FREAKIN' EXCITED about these videos that I'm just going to post the links.
Photo courtesy of Juergen Frank
Violinist Jennifer Koh had some time to talk with me about a few things: her multi-tiered project Bach & Beyond, which is both a compelling series of concerts as well as her upcoming CD. She’s also been performing in this interesting stage production you may have heard something about: Philip Glass’s opera Einstein On The Beach at BAM, where she got to not only play the violin part but also portray Einstein himself. Number one, how often do we see a concert violinist perform in any kind of opera onstage, and how often is it a female violinist portraying a male character?
In any event, look for some interesting projects from Jennifer, including the CD, some West Coast performances of Einstein, and more performances of the Bach & Beyond concerts. Read the rest of this entry »
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Sonata #2 in A Minor, BWV 1003 (III: Andante)
Hilary Hahn, violin
Performed as an encore following a performance of the Prokofiev 1 with Marin Alsop and State Symphony Sao Paulo.
Recorded at Sala São Paulo, Brazil, Sep. 2012
Photo courtesy of Kevin Kennefick–KJKPhoto
Well, I am already in great pain from having to pinch myself so much this past week–We have Todd Reynolds on here today!
Yes, that guy that we know from having been a founding member of ETHEL, having been involved with both Steve Reich and Musicians and Bang On a Can, and has a side project with 2 of the BOAC All-Stars called Typical Music, did a duet onstage with Zoe Keating, and has a superb debut album titled Outerborough. That Todd Reynolds!
Todd had a few minutes to speak with me about his appearance at the Rite of Summer Festival on Governors Island on Monday, September 3rd at 1 PM and 3 PM with guests Jonny Rodgers, Jordan Tice and Matthias Kunzli. He had a little extra time for other things too! Read the rest of this entry »
This article originally appeared on Media Tapper
Leila Josefowicz, a marvelous virtuoso of the violin who, much like Hilary Hahn, is a Curtis Institute graduate and studied with Jascha Brodsky, took a few moments from her busy life as both a violin virtuoso and a mother (now for the 2nd time) to talk about the upcoming release of Esa-Pekka Salonen‘s Violin Concerto that is slated for September. Josefowicz has proven she is a great interpreter of the classics, and lately has become the champion of new works by composers such as John Adams, Thomas Ades and Oliver Knussen to mention a few.
Leila will be performing the Salonen Concerto in concert several times this coming season.
CM: First of all, congrats on the arrival of your second child! Very happy for you! Has having children proven relatively easy to work your career around?
Leila: Thanks on the congrats!! Our little guy, Rex Christopher Borton is now 9 weeks and a very hearty boy. We are very happy. It is always going to be my biggest challenge to balance my two passions, violin and family life. Family life makes me play violin all the better so they come first. But to schedule things intelligently is better for all human beings, not just ones with a family 
Read the rest of this entry »
Hilary Hahn and Hauschka at their first live appearance in tandem with the release of their collaborative album Silfra at the Yellow Lounge in Berlin, Germany, May 10th, 2012 (Photo courtesy of Stefan Hoederath)
When artists create the same kind of music consistently, even if it has been identified with the artist or group in some kind of iconic way, there is a natural tendency to want to break from that routine and take a road less-traveled for a fresh perspective. After all, musicians are still human and the tendency to clear their heads is just something that’s practically instinctive. Grammy award-winning violinist Hilary Hahn pretty much did this with the recently-released album Silfra–As a collaboration with indie composer-pianist Hauschka (aka Volker Bertelmann). The album marks not necessarily a big change of pace for him, but a very decidedly different direction for Hahn, and some critics and fans are somewhat divided on both the CD and the live improvisational work they have done to promote it. Read the rest of this entry »
This review originally appeared on Media Tapper.
On Cornelius Dufallo‘s Journaling, the composer-violinist’s first CD since departing from the ensemble Ethel, we are given a truly sonic view of the modern violin as observed by many modern perspectives from both the violinist (through his interpretations as well as his own compositions) and the six other composers that contributed to the album. From the dry, unaccompanied pieces (raw, but most certainly not simplistic) to the looped and layered production-oriented pieces, Dufallo has demonstrated here that his role in that field is well-stated as a multi-tiered interpreter, and it could never be shattered. Read the rest of this entry »
Play, Hilary Hahn from petermiller.info on Vimeo.
Play, Hilary Hahn by Peter Miller
featuring Hilary Hahn
Conceived by Peter Miller and Hilary Hahn
Hilary Hahn speaking between improvs at last Wednesday’s show at City Winery
(L to R: Hilary Hahn, violin; Hauschka, prepared piano; Photo courtesy of Riad Miah)
Hilary Hahn and Hauschka
Hilary Hahn, violin and amplified violin
Hauschka, prepared and unprepared piano
City Winery, NYC
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
Written by Jeremy Shatan
Hilary Hahn is that rare artist who has transcended her place in the firmament of classical music, moving from performer (though she is superb in any music she plays) to the role of musician. Through the choices she makes, she is composing a career that is about more than mere virtuosity and staking a claim in the standard repertory. So it really should have been no surprise when her two-year collaboration with the man who calls himself Hauschka came to light.
However, it was surprising – and tantalizing to contemplate. Hauschka is known mainly for his atmospheric work with the prepared piano, sometimes with a minimalist bent, sometimes leaning toward Eno-style ambient sounds. He is a composer, a performer – and an improviser.
It is in this last role that his collaboration with Hahn took shape. Essentially, they jammed off and on for two years and then alighted in the studio for ten days to record the pieces that became Silfra, a gorgeous collection of music that is by turns propulsive and lyrical, and filled with color and textural variety. Read the rest of this entry »
