Dutoit and Chang Shine at Philharmonic Concert

[Ralph]

The IT people at the New York Philharmonic have increasingly made life easier for subscribers. I had tickets for this Saturday but I have to speak at a memorial service in CT for a retired colleague and close friend. Online I swapped one ticket for tonight's concert and the other for next Saturday to hear Midori. Took a couple of minutes, that's all.

Charles Dutoit conducted tonight to a fully packed Avery Fisher Hall. Programming a French work is standard for him so Ravel's Valses nobles et sentimentales launched the evening. Not one of my favorites, it was well played.

Sarah Chang served up Dvorak's Violin Concerto. I have her recording of the work and like it very much. Her playing was emotional, involved and powerful. An usher I know who is a musician thought her reading was too "masculine," whatever that means. The orchestra and Ms. Chang were in collaborative synch. An outstanding performance.

Selections from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" closed the concert, well performed but anticlimactic after the Dvorak.

[greg]

No responses and this was posted over a month ago?
I saw her Oct.1 in Orlando and gave her a copy of one of my newest works, which is for violin and piano. She seemed happy to recieve it.
Is she in Europe now? I've lost track. And isn't she playing Sibelius' Violin Concerto... also, Penderecki said she was going to be performing his violin concerto, I think... but I don't know when that'll be... hopefully she has time to work out a little of Greg Cook...

[Gary]

No responses and this was posted over a month ago?
I saw her Oct.1 in Orlando and gave her a copy of one of my newest works, which is for violin and piano. She seemed happy to recieve it.
Is she in Europe now? I've lost track. And isn't she playing Sibelius' Violin Concerto... also, Penderecki said she was going to be performing his violin concerto, I think... but I don't know when that'll be... hopefully she has time to work out a little of Greg Cook...

Welcome, Greg.

Is composing music your profession?

[greg]

No responses and this was posted over a month ago?
I saw her Oct.1 in Orlando and gave her a copy of one of my newest works, which is for violin and piano. She seemed happy to recieve it.
Is she in Europe now? I've lost track. And isn't she playing Sibelius' Violin Concerto... also, Penderecki said she was going to be performing his violin concerto, I think... but I don't know when that'll be... hopefully she has time to work out a little of Greg Cook...

Welcome, Greg.

Is composing music your profession?

What's up, Gary?!
I wish it was my profession... right now, I'm still stuck in high school... well, none of my music has ever been published or performed, but Karl Henning is going to be one of the performers of my newest work, which will be the first time my music will be performed.
But, well, just trying to do whatever I can... she hasn't e-mailed me back yet or anything, but that isn't surprising knowing how busy a legendary soloist can be...

[Gary]

No kidding. Karl Henning? Wow!

You will go far, young one. Best of luck to you, Greg!

[greg]

No kidding. Karl Henning? Wow!

You will go far, young one. Best of luck to you, Greg!

Thanks, Gary!

[Cyril Ignatius]

In the past couple of years, I've attended Sarah Chang's performances of the Dvorak Violin Concert with the North Carolina Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony. Both performances seemed rock solid, and were received very warmly by the audiences. She is truly one of the great ones.