ArtsWatch music writers and guest reviewers gang up on Oregon Symphony multimedia performance of Messiaen’s mega-symphony.

—Oregon ArtsWatch (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)

A had-to-be-there recap, plus a post-show talkback with Seattle butoh dancer Joan Laage

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)