CofC Concerts
Making Their Musical Mark
THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON Young Artists Concert is a little bit like attending a wine tasting where there are multiple selections in small quantities, some of which you cannot make a definitive conclusion about, and some you wish you could taste more of—but, alas, no. That was my experience last Monday, November 21 at... Read »
A Musical Feast at Simons Center
OF ALL THE College of Charleston concerts that take place on the Simons Center Recital Hall stage (and there a lot of them), my favorite may be Charleston Music Fest. The core group of violinist Lee-Chin Siow, cellist Natalia Khoma (co-founders of Chas Music Fest), and pianist Volodymyr Vynnytsky are as skilled and dynamic... Read »
Eduardo Fernandez Strums Modern Composers
CLASSICAL GUITARIST Eduardo Fernandez, a native of Uruguay, performed about an hour’s worth of rarely heard compositions by 20th century composers from South and Central America and Russia. Last Tuesday, the College of Charleston‘s Department of Music and the International Piano Series co-sponsored this internationally known artist whose repertory ranges from J.S. Bach to... Read »
Diego Suárez Astonishes at Simons Center
A TIGHT SCHEDULE very nearly forced me to pass on last Saturday’s recital by Diego Suárez—but I simply couldn’t resist the prospect of hearing—for the first time in my life—all twelve of Franz Liszt’s daunting and magical Transcendental Etudes in a single recital! Although somebody must’ve done it before, I know of no established... Read »
Another Dazzler at Young Artist Series
ONCE AGAIN, Enrique Graf’s Young Artist Series provided not only splendid fare but also superlative performances of two works any artist should approach with a hefty dose of Otis Redding approved R-E-S-P-E-C-T. And maybe also a touch of nervousness. In the Bach Concerto in C minor for Two Keyboards, BWV 1060—here arranged for Piano... Read »
More Lush Liszt from the Young Artist Series
THE PROPER CELEBRATION of Franz Liszt’s bicentennial year has not been lost on Enrique Graf and his Young Artist Series. Tuesday’s concert set quite a high bar, but doing justice to this prolific composer’s immense body of work requires much more. And so, another full program dedicated solely to Liszt’s music provided a stupendous... Read »
Liszt Bicentennial Bash? Bravo!
First, a little history: While plausible arguments can be made that Wagner’s “Tristan chord” provided the seed for much of twentieth-century music, a great deal of credit for the germination and planting of that seed must go to Wagner’s father-in-law, Franz Liszt. Liszt’s accumulation of technique encompassed nearly the entire range of physical possibilities... Read »
The Joy of Pure Listening
THE CHANCEL at the Cathedral of St. Luke & St. Paul was set up for the choir, but they were nowhere to be seen—which turned out to be a wonderful thing. Dr. Robert Taylor, director of the College of Charleston Concert Choir and Madrigal Singers, chose to start this concert with the choir up... Read »
CofC Opera Delivers Sweet and Saucy Mikado
ALL TOGETHER, NOW: “If you want to know who they were—they were gentlemen (and ladies) of Japan …”—at least the sorts of Japanese characters that W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan saw fit to project onstage during England’s Victorian era. And said characters came to wonderfully absurd and entertaining life in Saturday evening’s sparkling... Read »
Music at Your Finger Tips
EACH TIME I HEAR Jory Vinikour play the harpsichord, I marvel at his speed, precision, and complexity. As his body sits nearly motionless, his arms and especially his extremely busy fingers carry the musical load. To say that he demonstrates dexterity is an understatement. Jory’s recent concert at the Simons Center Recital Hall, as... Read »
The churches of Charleston
are unique in their variety, grandeur, and architecture. We give you an in-depth view.~> Read more