Escher Quartet, with David Finckel, Flirts with Perfection

“100 Years Concert Series” at Wisconsin Union Theater has another triumph   No one could complain that theWisconsin Union Theater’s “100 Years Concert Series” has lacked for star power: the peerless choristers of Chanticleer, pianist Emanuel Ax and the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio have already lent dazzle and artistry to the season. As for the Escher String…

WYSO Wows with a Wondrous Performance

Charter member Nancy Goeres returns with a Pittsburgh colleague   TheWisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra is no “hidden gem” in Madison’s musical scene; after all, the organization is in its 53rd season. Starting with a single ensemble, “WYSO” now incorporates three orchestras, three smaller ensembles and Music Makers. The oldest group is the Youth Orchestra, and…

Yes, “Hamilton” Is That Good

Touring company at Overture Center enlists a new fan   I always like to reiterate to my readers that I am no Broadway musicals expert, and even in the repertoire that I’ve enjoyed most over the years, I’m definitely old school. That has nothing to do with why I hadn’t sought out Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton…

A Duo of Near-perfection at Overture Concert Organ Series

Michael Hey and Christiana Liberis are the consummate musical couple   In the second installment of the Overture Concert Organ series Tuesday night, we were treated to the still seemingly unlikely pairing of organ and violin. Yet my first exposure to this wonderful series a few seasons ago proved that it provides an unexpected kind…

A True Operatic Rarity, a Major Masterpiece Masterfully Realized, and Something Truly New

Three recent releases from the Naxos family, each uniquely compelling   Charles Gounod: La nonne sanglante (Naxos DVD) Mention Gounod and at once Faust, and probably Romeo et Juliette come to mind. What…he wrote another dozen operas? Yes, and the story behind how La nonne sanglante came and got buried so quickly is fascinating; better…

In Case You Hadn’t Heard…Middleton Community Orchestra Opens Its Tenth Season

Season is dedicated to John Barker, recently retired critic emeritus   Of course if you are one of my regular readers, you know that the Middleton Community Orchestra was about to commence on their tenth season of adding a unique experience to the greater Madison music scene. I finally got around to blogging about their…

Old Friends and New Journeys at Salon Piano Series

Cellist Amit Peled and pianist Daniel del Pino fire up Farley’s House of Pianos   For more than five years, the showroom at Farley’s House of Pianos has been the place to hear some of the world’s great artists, up close and personal. As it turns out, what eventually became the Salon Piano Series is…

Choir of Trinity College Still Echoing in My Ears

The 9/11 concert that opened the Overture Concert Organ series refuses to fade away   Let’s start with the obvious admission: the posting of this review is absurdly late. Frankly after this much time has passed (the concert was 9/11 last month), I would just let it go. But the truth is, the performance of…

Middleton Community Orchestra Gives a Performance Before the Season Opens

Loving tribute to John Barker goes to the heart of music making   When you get right down to it, people play music because they love it; audiences come to hear it for the same reasons. Believe it or not, critics love it, too; most of them were (and sometimes are) performers themselves. It is…

The Crowning Concert of Three Decades

Token Creek Festival closes its 30th season with two masters of the keyboard   One never lacks for opportunities to praise the latest event from co-founders John and Rose Mary Harbison, but even so it should be said up front that when it comes to concluding the 30th season of the Token Creek Chamber Music…