My heartfelt congratulations to the band and guest director Lintu for their totally absorbing performance of this most fascinating work and most substantial contribution to this year’s March Music Moderne!
—Jeff Winslow, Oregon Music News (read the full article)
We started out with contemporary music, and of course it IS March, so that means March Music Moderne continues in Portland.
—Brett Campbell, Oregon ArtsWatch (read the full article)
Portland’s Arnica Quartet performs four quartets from the 20th/21st centuries, Friday, March 15, during March Music Moderne….
—David Stabler, The Oregonian (read the full article)
Jerusalem Quartet This landmark Friends of Chamber Music/ March Music Moderne extravaganza also boasts a borscht of free events, including talks on the composer, Soviet culture of his time and the quartet cycle; at Multnomah County Central Library on Saturday afternoon, there will be a roundtable discussion with the players, an open rehearsal and more.
—Willamette Week (read the full article)
Thollem is not for new ears, it’s challenging and anti-possible music — electronic, improv and analog effects are all terms that apply to, but do not explain, Thollem — because he lives in the mild part of an explosion, the safety in his playing in always melting, and always done solidly.
—Bim Ditson, Willamette Week (read the full article)
Twice in the past decade, including this week, Portland has been lucky to hear a complete cycle of Shostakovich’s 15 quartets, many containing the kind of personal music the Soviet authorities wouldn’t countenance in his big orchestral works.
Brett Campbell, Oregon ArtsWatch (read the full article)
[In conjunction with March Music Moderne] The PJCE will be presenting four premieres at this concert, new works by Kyle Williams, Andrew Oliver, Reed Wallsmith, and Eric Allen.
—The Southeast Examiner (read the full article)
Just like its eponymous month, March Music Moderne came in like a lion last night with the opening salvo (not including the first Thursday opening at Polish Hall) at the Community Music Center. This was the Bob Priest (festival organizer) produced Free Marz Trio concert that is often the highlight of each year’s festival.
—Charles Noble, NobleViola.com (read the full article)
Image: Free Marz String Trio by Charles Noble
This is the third year for this extraordinary “festspiel” and the line up includes Friends of Chamber Music, Oregon Symphony, Arnica String Quartet, Cascadia Composers, Gamelan music, Stravinsky, Portland Jazz Composers and more more more.
—The Southeast Examiner (read the full article)