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Pierre’s Jalbert’s Sonatine, for violin and guitar makes a stop and New York City’s Symphony Space for it’s New York premiere. Guitarist David Leisner and violinist Jesse Mills appear on the “Serenades and Premieres” to perform the work.
Violinist Tim Fain is a poster child for this new musical openness and ecumenicalism. But beyond just mixing genres, he is also fascinated with how music can engage more of the senses and interact with dance and film and new technologies like the fast-evolving realm of virtual reality. Chicago audiences will get a taste of Fain’s wide-ranging interests when he teams up with longtime friend, pianist, and Academy Award–nominated composer Nicholas Britell, for “Once Upon a Score,” a touring multimedia program that will make its debut on December 2 at Ravinia. Through music, visuals, and commentary, they will explore some of their collaborations in the realms of dance, virtual reality, and especially film. Britell is best known for his scores to Free States of Jones (2015), and this year’s Best Picture Oscar winner, Moonlight—excerpts from all three will be featured, as well as highlights of other projects that the two have worked on in one way or another.
Michael Who? Boriskin, Virtuoso of the Piano. When I think back over the many performances this year that have given me hope for the future of Western classical music, a name very near the top of my list is that of Michael Boriskin.
Music from Copland House has built a sterling reputation as a repertory ensemble championing American Music. One has to marvel at the extraordinary artistic quality of these fine musicians. Pianist Boriskin revealed to us his controlled virtuosity, gorgeous sound, and solid musicianship, from Bermel came some of the most beautiful clarinet playing I have ever heard.
Much of Thursday’s program by Music from Copland House at the Miller Theater beamed cordially outward from the stage while testing the poise, athleticism and sight reading skills of these seven musicians to their limits. What a well-prepared and confidently managed evening it was – it was all exuberance and bright sunshine..
The Music from Copland House ensemble made it all look easy; the scorchingly dramatic Derek Bermel was at his best, along with his outstanding colleagues Nicholas Kitchen and Timothy Fain (violins), and Michael Boriskin in fearless form on piano…the caliber of musicianship here could be a model for chamber music camaraderie.
