There’s a rare genius in the playing of Daniil Trifonov – he becomes the music, fusing himself to the instrument and the works, forging unified art with the tools of a keyboard and masterful compositions.  The almost 29-year-old’s matinee performance last Sunday at Chicago’s Symphony Center marked the second time I’ve had the privilege of […]

I discovered the Beethoven Sonatas for Violin and Piano via Youtube recordings – Anne-Sophie Mutter and renowned pianist Lambert Orkis recorded the cycle of 10 works back in 1998 at a series of live concerts in Paris.  The album that resulted won a Grammy in 2000, and somehow, about 8 years ago, the whole series […]

There’s a list of legendary violinists, and then there’s a list of the best violinists right now – on that second list, Hilary Hahn is at the very top.  I was thrilled to get to see her play alongside the Chicago Symphony last night under the baton of Marin Alsop, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra conductor […]

The striking musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra settled their contract just in time for last night’s Symphony Center Presents concert featuring the legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, who shared the stage with piano virtuoso Evgeny Kissin. We’ve had tickets for a long time, but as the strike continued and our ticketed but canceled shows piled […]

I ended up free yesterday afternoon since Midori’s matinee at Symphony Center was cancelled due to the striking Chicago Symphony Orchestra.  Happily, I was able instead to take in a new production of The New Colony, a local theatre company that focuses on new works.  Small World is currently playing at The Den, a storefront […]

Sound helps sets the stage – rain, thunder, dissonant trumpets, a wayward cello – all introduce the play and, throughout, signal shifts in a familial and social dynamic, helping to underscore the more dramatic moments in Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s current production of An Inspector Calls.  The show, on tour from The National Theatre of Great […]

Outside of elementary school music rooms, the heyday of the recorder was in the baroque era, prior to the ascension of the modern flute.  Laura Osterlund, one of the Musician’s Club of Women scholarship award winners, is a rare modern musician who has specialized in the instrument.  Her talents, which were showcased alongside collaborative harpist […]

When I was in my early 20s a subcultural phenomenon emerged, a rarified entry into the ranks of cult classics like the Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Hedwig and the Angry Inch was the brainchild of John Cameron Mitchell and songwriter Stephen Trask, conceived, as I learned on Friday night, after a transcontinental flight during which […]