Jazz Standard club presents Vijay Iyer Solo and with his Trio from January 29 – February 1, 2020
Vijay Iyer; photo credit Jimmy Katz
Vijay Iyer, MacArthur “Genius”, comes to the venerable club Jazz Standard in midtown Manhattan for a series of performances with his trio and in the solo shows. Iyer, a powerful pianist, composer, and bandleader, holds a very special place among the contemporary jazz musicians. The critics note the potency and “physicality” of his music as described by The Guardian.
Both of his groups – the Trio and the Sextet – are well known to the music fans. In this engagement, the Trio will surely not disappoint the lucky audience. Performances by Iyer and his musicians are intense and are calling for deep concentration with little time for introductions and time taking reminiscence of the origins of the compositions. Hold your breath, immerse yourself in the sound and enjoy every second of the music! BUY TICKETS
Tchaikovsky’s celebrated music combined with the reimagined dark fairy-tale in the powerful performance by Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures company is playing until February 9, 2020 at New York City Center
SWAN LAKE by Bourne, 2018, Plymouth, Royal Theatre Plymouth/ Photo Credit: Johan Persson
Director Matthew Bourne’s reimagined centuries-old fairy-tale set to the timeless music by Tchaikovsky dazzles, entertains, and shocks with the audience eagerly responding to each cue extended by the dancers. Created for the New Adventure company in 1995, Bourne’s libretto combines recognizable classical themes with not so subtle references to the public obsession with Windsor royals and the old-society members’ struggle with finding their place in the modern life. From the vantage point of 2020 viewer, the story turns from an entertaining account into a complex psychological drama of mother/son relations, suppressed self-realization, and the burden of traditions.
However, there is an interesting twist to the narrative. The original tale put to music by Tchaikovsky and Swan Lake ballet’s first choreographer J. Reisigner believed to reference the life of Bavarian King Ludwig II. When visiting Schwansee in his childhood, Ludwig II was preoccupied with the swans, was emotionally weak and deemed insane later in life. He was renowned for building bigger than life castles such as Neuschwanstein. It is conceivable that King’s life inspired Prince Siegfried’s character in Swan Lake. Watching Bourne’s interpretation, it is easy to find several parallels to Ludwig’s story in the libretto.
The production is universally known for its replacement of the gentle and tense female swan ensemble with the muscular, forceful, and vindictive flock of all-male dancers. Accentuated by the strong wings and loud hissing sound, their power and domination over feeble and thickly prince is in full swing in Act II and III. Yet, with all their wild freedom, even the swans are unable to accept and accommodate the outsider in their ranks. It’s a grim reminder of the stronghold of prejudice and a drive to preserve the homogeny.
The ballet has everything from puns and jokes to the touching despair and frightening indifference of those around us. For this run, the production was skillfully updated with a rather streamlined soundtrack in place of the live orchestra among other changes. Recognized as the longest-running dance show, the plot still has its potency and bitterness. The cast delivers its lines with the grace and power expected from the renown company. The thought-provoking spectacle is playing at New York City Center until February 9, 2020.
The Met Museum presents Felix Vallotton: Painter of Disquiet, a retrospective of the most notable paintings and art prints depicting the fin-de-siècle Paris
A fascinating exhibition of major works by Felix Vallotton tells a provocative story about life in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. Covering all the major phases of Vallotton’s oeurvre, the exhibition starts with his early prints and woodcuts. These early works were made at the beginning of artist’s career when he experimented with steep perspectives and flat images of the Nabis circle principles. The exhibition also showcases powerful oil paintings of the genre scenes, nudes, and landscapes of his mature period.
Well-known to art historians but not widely recognized by the public, Vallotton’s works are a mix of keen observation, wry wit, and subtle yet potent critique of the hypocrisy of bourgeoisie and the sinful pleasures of Belle Epoch France. His early prints and woodcuts made on a gamut of topics from the docile scene with music instruments to observations of everyday life to the street riots are examples of a mastery of detail and minimalist touch. While clearly demonstrating the strength of the technique, his works seemed to fall in-between the styles and artistic movements of his time. This leaves the impression that he either came too late for the expressive art of such painters like Ingre who was a strong influence for Vallotton or too early for the New Objectivity style of the 1920s.
Emphasizing his upbringing in a strict Protestant family in quiet Switzerland, the exhibition conveys Vallotton’s point of view as an outsider to the fast-moving city life. He immediately sees the dissonance between the newly established canons and their twisted morality, but is restrained in his critique. While executed with very fine detail that at times allude to the influence of the Old Masters in the use of reflections and light, the ambiguity of the scenes leave many questions unanswered. The openness to interpretation is what makes Vallotton’s art so potent. After all, this probably was the artist’s goal and he achieved it with the utmost elegance.
In addition to Vallotton’s famous woodcut cycles, there are expansive paintings of landscapes, nudes, and discrete encounters with a multitude of subtleties, mysterious perspectives, and odd angles.
Coming to New York after a triumphant show at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, this is the first retrospective of Vallotton’s work in New York in 30 years. It is organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in collaboration with Fondation Félix Vallotton, Lausanne.
Discover this amazing artist while sampling the thrilling artworks on view at The Met. Felix Vallotton: Painter of Disquiet is on view form October 29, 2019 – January 26, 2020.
GetClassical presents pianist Daumants Liepins, the 2019 Vendome Prize winner at the Verbier Festival in a solo recital on Monday, January 20, 2020 at 7 pm at Opera America; an interview with the musician, industry roundtable, and a champagne reception to follow
Pianist Daumants Liepins / Image courtesy of the musician
Selected as “the pianist to look out for in 2020” by the pianomagazine.com,Daumants Liepins gives his first piano recital in New York City on January 20, 2020. An interview of the musician with Zsolt Bognar, host of “Living the Classical Life” and an industry roundtable “Piano Competitions in the Digital Age” will immediately follow the concert. A champagne reception will make a natural conclusion for the evening. The event is presented by Ilona Oltuski at GetClassical.
A student of Julia Mustonen-Dahlkquist of Ingesund School of Music/Karlstad University in Sweden, Liepins is garnering the attention of the classical music connoisseurs for his sound and sensitive interpretations of the piano repertoire. In addition to his triumphant performance at the 2019 Verbier Festival, he’s the first prize winner of Maria Canals International Piano Competition and Nordic Piano Competition. He is also the laureate of the top prizes of George Enescu, James Mottram piano competitions, and Tbilisi International Piano Competition, where he also received the Special Prize for Artistry.
Born in Riga, Latvia, Liepins established himself as the most recognized pianist in his country after winning the Grand Prix of the Lielā Mūzikas Balva (Latvian National Grand Music Award) in the Young Artist of the Year category in 2017, which is the most prestigious award for a classical musician in Latvia. Besides his regular appearances with the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra, he performs with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Helsingborg Symphony orchestra, Romanian National Symphony Orchestra, Georgian National Symphony Orchestra, and Kaunas Symphony orchestra. He is based at Ingesund School of Music/Karlstad University in Sweden.
Schumann, Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor, Op. 11, “Pianoforte Sonata, dedicated to Clara by Florestan and Eusebius”
Brahms, Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5
GetClassical Industry Roundtable Panel
The timely roundtable discussion titled “Piano Competitions in the Digital Age” will include the “who is who” in the music sphere from the leading music school educators to the recording executives to professional musicians. On the panel are:
Zsolts Bognar, Host of “Living the Classical Life”,
Daumants Liepins, Pianist, winner of the 2019 Vendome Prize
Joe Patrick, Sound Engineer, Producer, Pianist
Sean Hickey, Senior Vice President , Naxos USA
Paulina Dokovska, Chair of Piano Dept. at Mannes College of Music
Julia Mustonen-Dahlquist, Chair of Piano Dept. Ingesund College of Music at Carlsbad University
Delight your musical sensibilities with the exciting recital by this promising young artist and a fruitful conversation with the music professionals! ARTS-NYis a PR partner with GetClassical.
The tickets for the event can be reserved online only. BUY TICKETS
