All of the pieces were played with the utmost commitment by the Free Marz String Trio, which sported an all-new look with violinist Hae-jin Kim, violist Kenji Bunch, and cellist Diane Chaplin. They gave top-notch performances to a full house at the Community Music Center on the evening of March 16th.
—James Bash, Northwest Reverb (read the full article)
When they finally arrived at the rich, triumphant chords that resolve the dilemma of the concluding Chacony movement, an epic journey (longer than the other two movements put together) that begins with bold steps nonetheless at odds with each other, the rapt audience burst into well-deserved and enthusiastic applause.
—Jeff Winslow, Oregon ArtsWatch (read the full article)
Simplicity. Complexity. Austerity. Lushness. Nonchalance. Passion. Driving rhythms. Timeless atmosphere. Bracing dissonance. Sweet, sweet consonance.
—Jeff Winslow, Oregon ArtsWatch (read the full article)
“In my concerts I want to present the story of the music in some sort of context that makes it meaningful so that people learn something, have fun, and go home wanting to share how the experience changed them. These little ripples make a huge difference cumulatively.” —Jennifer Wright
—Jana Hanchett, Oregon ArtsWatch (read the full article)
Judging by what I heard at MMM this month, many of those composers, transcending false dichotomies and rejecting modernist orthodoxy, happen to live and create in Oregon. The modernist category itself was always pretty blurry, and the distinctions between modernism and post-mod have broken down almost entirely today, with composers happily evading easy categorization as modernist or whatever, sometimes even in the same piece.
—Brett Campbell, Oregon ArtsWatch (read the full article)
Bob Priest is an avant-impresario in hippie-zen clothing, a champion of noise and synesthesia giving his all to keep Portland’s rainy spring soaking in modern sounds. He’s the founder and organizer of March Music Moderne, Portland’s prolific and densely packed contemporary-classical music festival.
—Christopher Corbell, PDX Magazine (read the full article)
Still…when Lou Reed’s most aggressive album meets Japan’s most outre dance form, no one is safe.
—A. L. Adams, Oregon ArtsWatch (read the full article)
Here’s the next to the final installment of the interview with Bob Priest of March Music Moderne.
—James Bash, Northwest Reverb (read the full article)
After a scintillating — and for some of us, exhausting — opening week, the final weekend of Oregon’s March musical madness, March Music Moderne, arrives, plus other chamber music concerts that flirt with modernity.
—Bret Campbell, Oregon ArtsWatch (read the full article)
If you’re still looking for something to do, and happen to love both the string quartet and the music of Benjamin Britten, I’ve got the perfect concert for you!
—Charles Noble, NobleViola (read the full article)
