Jason Victor Serinus regularly reviews music and audio for Stereophile, SFCV, Classical Voice North America, AudioStream, American Record Guide, and other publications. The whistling voice of Woodstock in She’s a Good Skate, Charlie Brown, the longtime Oakland resident now resides in Port Townsend, Washington.
What do Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas (premiere 1689) and Manuel de Falla’s La Vida Breve (premiere 1913) have in common? West Bay Opera does not hesitate to mate such strange, albeit intimate operatic bedfellows.
Composer and performance artist Meredith Monk’s uncanny ability to express universal truths through highly evocative, elemental sounds has kept her in the forefront of contemporary music for over four decades. Her latest recording for ECM New Series, confirms that her work remains as vital as ever.
A special evening of all-American songs sung by tenor Anthony Dean Griffey, gave strong indication that something special was afoot, the cycle of 10 songs riveted attention with its deeply evocative beauty and wealth of tonal inventiveness.
This European recording of Grofé's original jazz arrangement of Rhapsody in Blue is a raucous romp that thrives on improvisation. It also continually contrasts seemingly unstoppable propulsion with subtle, laid back lingering.
Daveda Karanas set her sights very high. In her Schwabacher Debut recital, she skimmed the surface of songs that are a litmus test of a singer’s ability to infuse lyrical grandeur with intimacy and depth.
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