December 8, 2008
BesenArts is pleased to announce a new project...
Arnold Steinhardt's Chaconne Anyone?
A lecture-concert drawn from his acclaimed memoir, Violin Dreams
Learn more!
October 28, 2008
Review of the Peabody Trio in The Washington Post
October 26 performance presented by the Corcoran Gallery
“The ensemble brought an edge-of-the-seat excitement to this exuberantly romantic score.”
Download the complete review here.
October 15, 2008
Review of the Daedalus Quartet in The New York Times
October 13 performance presented by the Miller Theatre at Columbia University
“Hearing such an excellent, up-close performance made this Haydn piece seem even more monumental.”
Download the complete review here.
Live performance from Spivey Hall of the Daedalus Quartet: Haydn’s String Quartet, Op. 20, No. 3
Available on BesenArts radio and through the BesenArts Instant Encore page.
Spivey Hall is without a doubt one of North America’s finest acoustic gems. The Daedalus Quartet opened Spivey’s season on September 20 and has been kind enough to allow me to post this performance; just follow the Instant Encore link to go directly to the stream or listen to BesenArts radio.
October 8, 2008
Review of the Daedalus Quartet in The Cincinnati Enquirer
October 7 performance for Chamber Music Cincinnati with guest pianist Awadagin Pratt
“A marvelous performance by the Daedalus Quartet and pianist Awadagin Pratt. ... The Daedalus musicians brought out the emotion in this work [Haydn, Op. 20, No. 5] while demonstrating smooth, elegant phrasing and incredible lightness of tone. ... The finale [of the Brahms piano quintet] showcased the tremendous emotional power of these musicians, from the swelling, sobbing opening to the ecstatic conclusion.”
Download the complete review here.
October 6, 2008
BesenArts Radio & Alexander String Quartet Beethoven Cycle Preview...
I am delighted to announce the launch of BesenArts radio. Click on the link above (which will always appear at the top of this News page) to be one of the first to hear a sneak preview of the Alexander String Quartet's forthcoming recording of the Beethoven cycle, due out from FoghornClassics in March 2009. I'll be adding more music soon -- next up will be some brand new live concert performances of the Daedalus Quartet.
Two wonderful new reviews of the Alexander String Quartet...
One is from the Lawrence Journal-World of a collaboration with the Branford Marsalis Trio at the University of Kansas Lied Center on September 26 -- a concert that drew over 1000 on the night of the first Presidential debate. It reads in part: “Due to the daunting heights of the Getz-Sauter collaboration, “Focus” has lived almost entirely through the seminal Verve recording. Its resurrection by Marsalis and the Alexander was therefore audacious. On Friday, the standing ovations and cheers signaled that Marsalis and friends had made “Focus” its own.”
Download the complete review here.
The other is from the Albuquerque Journal of a performance for Chamber Music Albuquerque on September 21, which reads in part: “The group displays a remarkable zeal in interpre-tation coupled with a hearty opulence of tone in everything it plays.”
Download the complete review here.
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September 17, 2008
Greetings for the 2008-2009 season!
I hope you like the new look of the BesenArts website and will enjoy the thoroughly updated contents. In particular I would like to draw your attention to the 2009-2010 season repertory plans for each member of the roster. You may also enjoy reading the updated information on the BesenArts staff.
Many of you who are concert presenters received an Enhanced CD/Roster Brochure this summer. If you did not, or would like another copy, please drop me a line. The CD can play in a standard player (you will find some 65 minutes of performances by the members of the roster); however, run in a computer the disc also offers, if I may say so, a rather slick presentation on each ensemble.
I am currently developing a significant enhancement to the website that will make available a wider range of recorded music (from live concerts and commercial CDs). Stay tuned.
I'll conclude with a review from today’s edition of the Virginian-Pilot of the Daedalus Quartet’s performance on Monday evening of a performance in Norfolk for the Feldman Chamber Music Society. It reads in part, “Without even a hint of technical insecurity to hold it back, the quartet delved into every aspect of the music, bringing out the smallest details, even if they were hidden in the texture. But the ultimate goal was to put these details together, keeping a perfect balance between the instruments to build a powerful musical and emotional experience.”
Download the complete review here.
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