It did not require a seer or soothsayer to predict what would happen at the end of the first movement of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto at this past weekend’s Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks concert. Given violinist Paul Huang’s flight of speed, dazzling technique, and breathtaking virtuosic storytelling, it was practically inevitable that the ending would yank the audience out of their seat for a performance-stopping, extended ovation that included cheers and a few bravos.
Review: KSO Journeys Through Color and Emotions in Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, and McKay
BY ALAN SHERROD The fall Masterworks season for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra has been an exploration of the colors of emotion in its various forms. Elgar’s Enigma Variations from the September concert described characters and toyed with our heartstrings,…
Preview: Two Weekends of Appalachian Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’
This weekend and next – it’s the 47th season for Appalachian Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. One American holiday tradition that sparkles with timelessness is that of productions of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker during the winter season. The Appalachian Ballet Company…
Review: Pianist Tanya Gabrielian and KSO Uncover Russian Passion
Given the current revelations of the past week, I couldn’t help feeling that Maestro Aram Demirjian and the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra may have wished they had titled the week’s Masterworks concerts something other than “Russian Passion.” On the other hand,…
This Week: KSO Will Open Season with ‘Russian Passion’
The Knoxville Symphony Orchestra presents the Masterworks debut of its new music director and conductor, Aram Demirjian, Thursday and Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m., September 15 and 16, at the Tennessee Theatre. The concert features two works by Russian composers,…
KSO This Week: Guest Conductor “Z” Kuwahara and Pianist Stewart Goodyear
This week’s Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks concerts will feature the second of six guest conductors auditioning for the vacant music director position—Shizuo “Z” Kuwahara. I continue to suggest that every Knoxville classical music listener catch all of the candidate concerts…
Thurs/Fri,May 14/15: Lucas Richman’s Final Concert with the KSO
It sounds trite to say it, but if you only make it to one Knoxville Symphony Orchestra concert this season, this week’s Masterworks pair should be it. KSO music director and conductor, Lucas Richman, will be conducting his last concert with…
Review: Guest Conductor Lawrence Loh and the KSO Sculpt A Dynamic Masterpiece
There was a time—only a few years ago—that the booking and announcement of a guest conductor for a Knoxville Symphony Orchestra concert engendered in me a gnawing feeling of dread and trepidation. Thankfully, those days seem to be over as…
KSO This Week: Tchaikovsky Symphony #4, Shostakovich, Berlioz
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra Masterworks Lawrence Loh, guest conductor Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture, Opus 9 Shostakovich: Concerto No. 1 for Cello and Orchestra in E-flat Major (Julie Albers, cello) Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Opus 36 Thursday and Friday, January 22-23,…