Mark Stryker of The Detroit Free Press attended the world premiere of Aaron Jay Kernis’ Flute Concerto, written for soloist Marina Piccinini and premiered by Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony. Stryker wrote, “
Kernis’ Flute Concerto proved to be a corker…It’s a big piece, cast in four movements…and putting soloist Marina Piccinini and the entire [Detroit Symphony] through a series of athletic technical challenges…The concerto was more abstract, with more dissonance and density than much of Kernis’ music…Here the dominant feeling was one of mercurial mood swings, as the flute skittered quickly between dreamy reveries, sprightly dances and intense furies. Piccinini’s gleaming virtuosity, including the variety of articulations and colors she drew from the flute, was a source of wonder, and Slatkin led a sharply attentive ensemble.” Read the entire review here.