As 2019 begins, we honor all of our artists and their accomplishments and wish them a fulfilling year ahead. Opus 3 Artists has culled through the many “best of” lists from 2018 and we’re delighted to have found many of our artists celebrated. Whether it is best classical compositions, greatest classical performances, or the best albums, our artists are lauded for their hard work and talent. Hats off to our Opus 3 Artists!<\/p>\n
New York Times Best of:<\/strong> DANIIL TRIFONOV<\/strong> Jaap van Zweden feat. CONRAD TAO<\/strong> Mr. van Zweden began with a boldly unconventional piece by a young American: Ashley’s Fure’s dark, strange, exploratory “Filament” for orchestra, three instrumental soloists and a chorus that moves around the space. For almost 15 minutes, David Geffen Hall was turned into a haunting aural environment through Ms. Fure’s mystical, atmospheric music, by turns dreamy and dangerous. The following week, Mr. van Zweden led Conrad Tao’s “Everything Must Go,” written as a curtain-raiser for Bruckner’s sprawling Eighth Symphony. Combining seriousness and youthful abandon, Mr. Tao grappled with Bruckner’s symphony in his restless piece. A Dutch modernist master, Louis Andriessen, provided the third premiere, “Agamemnon,” a teeming, raucous, strangely alluring 20-minute score.<\/p>\n In another encouraging sign, Mr. van Zweden introduced and hosted two contemporary music initiatives, presenting Mr. Tao in an eclectic “Nightcap” program at the Kaplan Penthouse, and Mr. Andriessen in a substantive “Sound On” concert at Jazz at Lincoln Center. What’s still open to question, actually, is Mr. van Zweden’s approach to the staples that are supposedly his specialties. My reactions have been mixed, at best, to his accounts of that Bruckner symphony and other works including Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” and Debussy’s “La Mer.”<\/p>\n Best Performances<\/a> Best Pianists<\/a> In those New York debuts, Mr. Trifonov and Mr. Levit already showed the makings of greatness. But they truly blossomed this year with performances – onstage and in the recording studio – that surpassed their past achievements and brought their artistry to thrilling heights.<\/p>\n Mr. Trifonov concluded his Perspectives series at Carnegie Hall in May with “Decades,” a survey of 20th-century piano music and a departure from the Romantic repertory that made him famous. I won’t forget Stockhausen’s “Klavierst\u00fcck IX”: Mr. Trifonov hunched over, sweat dripping from his long hair, hands hesitating ever so slightly before landing, confidently, on the keyboard with a mighty chord. It was the first time I’d ever seen him struggle, and the moment I realized he was capable of much more than showy war horse concertos.<\/p>\n ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n WQXR Best ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2028Best Classical Albums<\/a> MARIN ALSOP, BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA –\u00a0Sergey Prokofiev Romeo & Juliet, Complete Ballet<\/strong> MARISS JANSONS, BAVARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA –\u00a0Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C Major, D. 944, “The Great”<\/strong> YO-YO MA –\u00a0Six Evolutions: Bach Cello Suites<\/strong> ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n Chicago Tribune Best ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n Best Recordings<\/a> ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n The New Yorker Best ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n Notable Performances<\/a> Notable Recordings<\/a> ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n The Times Best ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n Best Albums<\/a> ISABELLE FAUST – Schubert<\/strong> ALISA WEILERSTEIN, Trondheim Soloists – Transfigured Night<\/strong> ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n NPR Best ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n Best Songs<\/a> ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n CBC Music Best ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n Favourite Canadian Recordings<\/a> The 24-year-old violinist, who isn\u2019t afraid of sequins or ascots, lets his personality shine brightly through these French works. We can\u2019t get enough of his colourful slides and articulations in Ravel\u2019s Tzigane, or the intensity he brings to the Debussy. If this year is a sign of things to come for Pouliot, then we know whom to watch for in 2019.<\/p>\n ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n Gramophone Best ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n Recordings of the Year<\/a> EDGAR MOREAU, David Kadouch –\u00a0Franck, Poulenc – Cello Sonatas<\/strong> MARISS JANSONS, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tatiana Pavlovskaya, Oleg Dolgov, Alexey Markov – Rachmaninov<\/strong> COLIN CURRIE GROUP, Synergy Vocals –\u00a0Reich – Drumming<\/strong> DAVID ROBERTSON, Leila Josefowicz, St Louis Symphony Orchestra –\u00a0Adams Violin Concerto<\/strong> YO-YO MA –\u00a0Six Evolutions: Bach Cello Suites<\/strong> ALISA WEILERSTEIN, TRODNHEIM SOLOISTS –\u00a0Haydn Cello Sonatas\/Schoenberg Verkl\u00e4rte Nacht<\/strong> ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n Cleveland Plain Dealer Best Ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n A remarkable year for classical music in Cleveland: 2018 Year in Review<\/a> ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n Boston Globe Best Ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n Zo\u00eb Madonna\u2019s best classical albums of 2018<\/a> ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n Houston Chronicle Best Ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n Houston\u2019s best classical music performances in 2018<\/a> STORM LARGE, Houston Symphony<\/strong> ——————————————————————————-<\/p>\n TheaterJones Best ofs<\/strong><\/p>\n 10 Favorite performances of 2018<\/a><\/p>\n MICHELLE DEYOUNG, Jaap Van Zweden, Dallas Symphony Opera and Chorus<\/strong> DONALD RUNNICLES, Dallas Symphony Opera<\/strong> MIGUEL HARTH-BEDOYA, Fort Worth Symphony<\/strong> As 2019 begins, we honor all of our artists and their accomplishments and wish them a fulfilling year ahead. Opus 3 Artists has culled through the many “best of” lists from 2018 and we’re delighted to have found many of our artists celebrated. Whether it is best classical compositions, greatest classical performances, or the best … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4835,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4823","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4823"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15089,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4823\/revisions\/15089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/4835"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.opus3artists.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBest Surprises<\/a><\/p>\n
\nI expected beautiful Chopin from this young Russian pianist, a brilliant virtuoso with poetic sensibilities, in two programs early this year that were part of his Perspectives series at Carnegie Hall. But I was impressed by his formidable playing of nine daunting 20th-century works in the ambitious concert with which he ended his series.\u00a0Called “Decades,”\u00a0the program offered Mr. Trifonov’s personal survey of the century, with works by Berg, Prokofiev, Bartok, Copland, Messiaen, Ligeti, Stockhausen and more. We are used to watching him play challenging concertos and \u00e9tudes effortlessly. But on this night, Mr. Trifonov let us see him sweat.<\/p>\n
\nWhen the New York Philharmonic chose Mr. van Zweden as its music director, the orchestra went for a maestro known for powerful accounts of repertory staples. His commitment to contemporary music seemed less certain. As if in defiant reply, he opened each of his first three Philharmonic programs this fall with the premiere of a commissioned work.<\/p>\n
\nYO-YO MA<\/strong>
\nFew pleasures could equal the spectacle of this masterly musician playing all six of Bach’s suites for solo cello in a space where the composer worked, St. Nicholas Church in Leipzig, Germany. Given on a September evening with honesty, straightforwardness and lack of exaggeration, the music was milked for neither laughter nor tears, with a tone like wire coated in silk. Mr. Ma’s final three suites, in particular, radiated visionary focus and fervor.<\/p>\n
\nDANIIL TRIFONOV<\/strong>
\nThe 21-year-old Daniil Trifonov arrived at Lincoln Center in 2012 with a dazzling yet nuanced account of Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto. Igor Levit, shortly after his 27th birthday in 2014, fearlessly played Beethoven’s late piano sonatas at the Park Avenue Armory with maturity beyond his years.<\/p>\n
\nLAWRENCE FOSTER, Kevin Short, Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille\u00a0 –\u00a0Mephistopheles & Other Bad Guys<\/strong>
\nBass-baritone Kevin Short unleashes opera’s most nefarious antagonists (Faust’s Mephistopheles chief among them) on this cleverly-conceived album, sowing menace with his gruff, full-throated tone.<\/p>\n
\nClocking in at nearly two-and-a-half hours, Prokofiev’s epic ballet can be difficult to swallow in one sitting. Not so with this eminently accessible rendition by Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, which suffuses the music’s hyperactive rhythms and brazen posturing with effervescence and levity.<\/p>\n
\nLatvian conductor Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra expertly corral the meandering themes and gargantuan climaxes of Schubert’s longest and final symphonic work in this refreshingly cogent and intimate live recording.<\/p>\n
\nMa’s third recording of Bach’s monumental Cello Suites is defined by the grace, simplicity and wisdom associated with the best of the autumn years. His tone retains every bit of its patented richness, but his playing, especially in its sense of rhythm and rubato, is freer, shaded with new subtleties, subtexts and revelations.<\/p>\n
\nYO-YO MA –\u00a0Six Evolutions: Bach Cello Suites<\/strong>
\nThe singular cellist takes on a landmark of the solo repertory for his third and what he asserts in the liner notes \u201cwill be my last recording of the suites.\u201d That remains to be seen, but, regardless, the tonal depth, intellectual clarity and emotional directness of this version radiate from every track. Music scholar Nicolas Slonimsky called Bach the \u201csupreme arbiter and lawgiver of music.\u201d In this recording we hear those laws articulated \u2013 passionately, by Ma.<\/p>\n
\nDANIIL TRIFONOV at Carnegie Hall\u2028Having made his name in thunderous Russian repertory, the wizardly Trifonov is now expanding his horizons. In a recital at Carnegie\u2019s Zankel Hall, he darted decade by decade through the twentieth century, exploring such unaccustomed fare as Copland\u2019s Piano Variations, Stockhausen\u2019s Klavierst\u00fcck IX, and Ligeti\u2019s \u201cMusica Ricercata.\u201d I was most struck by his diaphanous, ecstatic rendition of Messiaen\u2019s \u201cLe Baiser de l\u2019Enfant-J\u00e9sus\u201d\u2014playing of unreal beauty.<\/p>\n
\nYO-YO MA –\u00a0Six Evolutions: Bach Cello Suites<\/p>\n
\nDANIIL TRIFONOV, Yannick N\u00e9zet-S\u00e9guin, Philadelphia Orchestra –\u00a0Rachmaninov<\/strong>
\nRachmaninov\u2019s most popular concerto, coupled with his least appreciated, gets Horowitz-like brilliance and weight from the young Klaviertiger, in a dazzling collaboration with the French-Canadian conductor\u2019s \u201cFabulous Philadelphians\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nSchubert’s masterly Octet in F, D803 – modelled on Beethoven’s early Septet and in fact surpassing it – gets fresh insights from the creme de la creme of chamber musicians, led by Faust.<\/p>\n
\nIf Schoenberg\u2019s classic Verkl\u00e4rte Nacht doesn\u2019t make the listener swoon, the piece lies dead. In an exceptional reading, the American cellist Alisa Weilerstein and the youthful Trondheim Soloists, gutsy and passionate, ride its late romantic waves, tracing the path of Richard Dehmel\u2019s fruity poem about two lovers, a moonstruck forest, and the baby in the woman\u2019s womb. Two sprightly Haydn cello concertos complete the album, a triumph of vivacity and ensemble playing.<\/p>\n
\nANTHONY ROTH COSTANZO –\u00a0“Liquid Days”<\/strong>
\nCostanzo is a stellar countertenor \u2014 that’s a male singer who sings in falsetto to achieve the range of a female alto \u2014 and this is a stellar piece of music, juxtaposing Philip Glass’ signature celestial ostinatos with David Byrne’s temporally focused text (“Love needs a bath \/ Love could use a shave”), which Costanzo delivers with elegance and sweetness, but with a plainspoken, steely core that is enormously appealing. The video is a thing of beauty, too: It’s a gorgeous sequence with dancer Ron “Myles Yachts” Myles, shot under a highway overpass, that speaks to the strange, singular beauty of heaven meeting earth.<\/p>\n
\nBLAKE POULIOT, Hsin-I Huang –\u00a0Ravel – Debussy: Sonates<\/strong>
\nLet\u2019s take a quick look back at Blake Pouliot\u2019s 2018: he won the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto’s 2018 Career Development Award ($20,000), he won the Canada Council\u2019s Virginia Parker Prize ($25,000), and he won a three-year loan of a 1729 Guarneri del Ges\u00f9 violin (priceless). Oh, and he released this debut recording.<\/p>\n
\nDAVID ROBERTSON, Kirill Gerstein, St Louis Symphony Orchestra –\u00a0“The Gershwin Moment”<\/strong>
\nKirill Gerstein’s famed virtuosity meets his jazz background to produce a thrilling, hugely enjoyable and well thought-out celebration of Gershwin’s music.\u2028\u2028ISABELLE FAUST, Kristian Bezuidenhout –\u00a0JS BACH Sonatas for Violin and Harpsichord\u2028Isabelle FAust and Kristian Bezuidenhout’s experience in performing these works together pays dividends once in front of the mics on this wonderful set.<\/p>\n
\nWell-known favourites and less familiar works are given equally excellent advocacy by the ever-impressive young French cellist Edgar Moreau and pianist David Kadouch.<\/p>\n
\nThis superlative performance of Rachmaninov’s choral symphony\u00a0The Bells\u00a0is one of thos estratospherically accomplished, ‘cosmis’ ones that Jansons says he is always trying to attain…<\/p>\n
\nOne of minimalisms\u2019s most significant – and most epic – works is given a mesmeric performance by Colin Currie and colleagues, who beautifully handle its rhythmic patterns and phasing.<\/p>\n
\nLeila Josefowicz returns to the Adams concerto on record 16 years since her last version, and triumphs, bringing to it thrilling drama, individuality and insight.<\/p>\n
\nThe acclaimed virtuoso\u2019s third traversal on record through Bach\u2019s profound Solo Cello Suites is one rich in character and sensitivity; personal and keeping reflective music-making.<\/p>\n
\nThe inspired Alisa Weilerstein pull off an unusual and illuminating parting-but then as someone who has paired Elgar and Carter concertos, what do you expect?\u201d<\/p>\n
\nYO-YO MA<\/strong>
\nNot every solo artist has the power to pack Blossom Music Center for a night of Bach. That, though, is exactly what legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma did last summer. For well over two solid hours last August, Ma held an enormous audience spellbound as he journeyed afresh through the rich realms that are Bach\u2019s Six Suites for Solo Cello.<\/p>\n
\nCOLIN CURRIE GROUP: DRUMMING<\/strong>
\nHandpicked by adventurous Scottish percussionist Colin Currie, the Steve Reich-specializing percussion ensemble presents an ecstatic rendition of Reich\u2019s minimalist monument on its first album. With gleaming, clear overtones and smart dynamic shifts, this recording absolutely transports.<\/p>\n
\nINON BARNATAN, Houston Symphony<\/strong>
\nWolfgang Amadeus Mozart had good reason to cram as much keyboard brilliance as possible into his Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat Major (K. 482). Aged 29 and essentially composing for hire \u2014 this was around 1785 \u2014 he found promoting his own concerts all the incentive he needed to create dazzling music. The Israeli-born Barnatan might know how he feels. During \u201cA Mozart and Brahms Thanksgiving,\u201d the 39-year-old pianist tackled the concerto\u2019s first movement with such friskiness his interplay with the orchestra verged on telepathic. In the second, he unfolded one of Mozart\u2019s most exquisite melodies into a series of equally delectable variations before it was time to cut loose. The galloping third movement boiled down to a footrace between soloist and ensemble; Barnatan won by rocking his body to and fro so hard Jerry Lee Lewis would have been impressed. His encore, an immaculate rendition of Johann S. Bach\u2019s \u201cSheep May Safely Graze,\u201d gave the audience one final reason to offer thanks.<\/p>\n
\nHonorable Mention: As \u201cAnna,\u201d the Pink Martini singer\u2019s sardonic facial expressions told half the story of \u201cSeven Deadly Sins,\u201d Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht\u2019s satirical \u201csung ballet\u201d about a sensible woman and her hedonistic alter ego adrift in 1930s America. Her husky vocals did the rest; props to barbershop-ish male quartet Hudson Shad as Anna\u2019s tsk-tsking family, too.<\/p>\n
\nThe highlight of the DSO this season was undoubtedly on Feb. 24 when they played a mind-blowing performance of Mahler\u2019s massive Symphony No. 2. Outgoing Music Director Jaap Van Zweden was at his very best, as were mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung and the Dallas Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Joshua Habermann.<\/p>\n
\nIn January, the DSO gave a memorable performance of Beethoven\u2019s Violin Concerto with violinist Nicola Benedetti as soloist, Sibelius\u2019 rarely heard Symphony No. 7, and Beethoven\u2019s masterful Leonore Overture No. 3. Maestro Donald Runnicles was terrific. Some thought that he might make a good replacement for Van Zweden when the concert was over.<\/p>\n
\nThe Fort Worth Symphony gave us the chance to hear Joaquin Ach\u00facarro, the 85-year-old Basque pianist. He has been on the faculty of Southern Methodist University since the 1980\u2019s. Combined with the orchestra\u2019s Peruvian-born music director Miguel Harth-Bedoya on the podium, the all-Spanish program was appropriate. Ach\u00facarro played Manuel de Falla\u2019s Nights in the Gardens of Spain and Alb\u00e9niz\u2019s Rapsodia Espa\u00f1ola feature a piano soloist, with extensive and challenging music to play, but is a part of the orchestra. The rest of the program was more ordinary but Ach\u00facarro\u2019s performance will always stick in my memory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"