Author Archives: Robbie

Chamber Cartel: Prajñā

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I think that this is the first Chamber Cartel concert that I’ve attended in a venue that has climate control. Thinking back, I know that they’ve performed in a few other places, but the only times that I’ve been able to attend their shows have been in the various Goat Farm venues. Fortunately, given the heatwave, the Goat Farm opened up the Warhorse for tonight’s show. It proved to be a pleasantly intimate venue for chamber music, if a bit cramped. I had a comfortable seat but many did not. It wasn’t a particularly long concert, though, and there were no epically long pieces, so I’d probably not have been terribly upset if I’d have had to stand.
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Fuerta Dance Company: (luna)tics

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If I had a nickel for every time that some dancer’s mother seemed excited that the only reason that I came out to see a semi-pro company’s dance concert is that I happen to like concert dance then I could buy a cool, tasty soda. And a cool drink would be nice right now because the theater in which I just saw Fuerta Dance’s production, (luna)tics, was pretty warm and my drive home was warmer since, it seems, my AC is out again.
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Chamber Cartel: The Stone Tapestry

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When an entire concert consists of one piece that I’ve never heard before, I always feel a little wary attending. Fortunately, Herron has good taste and does a good job of selecting works for Chamber Cartel that are not only interesting and enjoyable but also well suited to the ensemble. Tonight’s production of “The Stone Tapestry” by Jeff Herriott was definitely interesting and enjoyable and Chamber Cartel with the guest musicians of A/B Duo performed it well.
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Roots Dance Project: Facets of Love

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I went to a dance performance that was part of the Fringe Festival at 7 Stages this afternoon. It seems that there is a dance company that was formed for the festival a few years ago and I guess that I didn’t pay enough attention to notice. Anyway, now that 7 Stages is an easy mile walk from my place and I didn’t have anything planned for this afternoon, I figured that I’d check them out.
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ASO: Samson et Delila

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So many beautiful voices! So much wow in Samson et Delila! When Blythe unleashed her voice, she owned the room. She really did. And Skelton voiced his part with as much character as excellence. I saw in his bio that Grimsley did Bluebeard’s Castle and I’d really love to hear that after hearing his High Priest. And the chorus! What a great sound they had tonight! Even though they are absent from the 2nd act, this opera really let them shine from the beginning and left me as impressed with them as any of the soloists. Every bit of the performance was well played by the orchestra, too. I would have loved an encore of the ballets, which I find absolutely gorgeous and the playing of which was nothing short of exceptional. Lots of wow.
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ASO: Robert Spano with Yefim Bronfman

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I was disappointed in the first half of tonight’s concert. I have no idea if it was somehow just me, but everything under Spano’s baton seemed sterile. I don’t think that I’ve ever heard Sibelius’ “The Bard” before this evening, so I can’t be sure how it is normally played, but I found myself unable to find any expressiveness in the way that it was performed. I actually bought the ASO’s (somewhat) recent all-Sibelius album and listened to the first half of “Tapiola” on the way home to remind myself that Spano et al can most certainly do more than mere justice to the composer’s music. (This is a great album, by the way, and I’ve been meaning to pick it up for a while. If you haven’t heard it, do try to give it a listen.)
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