Music

Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s on-demand concert series closes with pianist Steven Mayer, violinist Igor Pikayzen with Franck violin sonata, transcriptions of Gottschalk, Bizet’s Carmen

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Pick a short program of music to celebrate the effusive spirit of spring in May and it would be hard to top the combination of a rousing mix of Latin tropical dance rhythms, the pyrotechnics of an adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen and a violin sonata composed as a wedding gift. The Gina Bachauer International Piano … Read more

Utah Symphony concert of Bach, Carter, Marsalis, Wagner another example of eclectic, innovative programming

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The most recent Utah Symphony concert once again evidenced an eclectic, compact, innovative approach to programming which, in this instance, delivered the orchestra’s first performances of two works from 1998 and 2011, respectively.  The smart staging logistics made for a quick transition from Elliott Carter’s Double Trio, which the composer wrote just ahead of his … Read more

A splendid time to return to Abravanel Hall: Utah Symphony strings shine in concert with works by Sierra, Bartók, Mozart

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“When I am, as it were, completely myself, entirely alone, and of good cheer — say traveling in a carriage, or walking after a good meal, or during the night when I cannot sleep—it is on such occasions that my ideas flow best, and most abundantly. Whence and how they come, I know not, nor … Read more

Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s next virtual concert features Utah premiere of Koji Attwood’s transcription of Schubert’s Death and the Maiden string quartet

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Near the end of his life, pianist Vladimir Horowitz told New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini that one of his greatest regrets was never having played Franz Liszt’s transcriptions of the Beethoven symphonies in public. “For me, the piano is the orchestra,” Horowitz said. “I don’t like the sound of a piano as a … Read more

Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation launches spring season of virtual concerts, starting with 2006 Bachauer gold medalist Stephen Beus

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Having a good number of world-class pianists within arm’s reach in the Intermountain West makes for a great spring season of virtual solo concerts that begin tomorrow. The Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation’s series launches tomorrow (March 4) at 7:30 p.m. with Lyrical Landscapes featuring Stephen Beus, the 2006 Bachauer gold medalist, in a concert … Read more

Sundance 2021: Compelling documentary shorts led by poignant, lyrical A Concerto Is a Conversation; story-telling resourcefulness of When We Were Bullies

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A documentary about a jazz pianist-film composer who talks with his 91-year-old grandfather about a lifetime journey that took him from the Jim Crow era days of Florida to Los Angeles as a successful business owner and another about a filmmaker recalling a 50-year-old incident when he was among the students who bullied another fifth-grade … Read more

Sundance 2021: New Frontier’s Weirdo Night is spicy, bracing, delightfully naughty underground experience

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No Sundance experience should ever go without visiting the festival’s New Frontier programming. One of the best options is Weirdo Night, a filmed version of a popular underground show that has attracted a solid following in Los Angeles. The 42-minute episode, which was filmed last summer and was discovered online by a Sundance programmer, is … Read more

Stress, healing, empowerment: The top 10 moments of The Utah Enlightenment in 2020

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INTRODUCTION One year ago, when The Utah Review presented the 2019 edition of the top 10 moments of the Utah Enlightenment, it was a jubilant representation of Utah’s integral strengths as a community of the arts and the momentum that catapulted Salt Lake City as one of the Intermountain West’s most dynamic centers for creative … Read more

Music for Nina, latest release by Matt Starling, is absolutely glorious manifestation of pure musicality embedded in structure of loops

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In music, the structure of loops is fascinating for its meditative and blissful potential. In 1963, just a year prior to the release of one of his most famous compositions (In C), Terry Riley used tape loops to create music for the avant-garde play The Gift, which was being staged in Paris. Riley used recordings … Read more

NOVA Chamber Music Series presents transfixing Rising Tide film featuring Fry Street Quartet, scientist Robert Davies, music by Laura Kaminsky, magnificent artistic visuals

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In the last decade, many performers and creative producers have risen to articulating the dimensions of human sustainability and vibrancy when it comes to speaking up about climate change and other major environmental impacts. The diverse spectrum of examples continues to proliferate in all genres of music. In July 2019, the band The 1975 released … Read more