I’d promised to share something from my “interview” with the stars of Amadeus. Here is what I asked F. Murray Abraham about the nature of talent and his memorable response.
Review: "Ignat Solzhenitsyn leads Baltimore Symphony in works by Mozart, Pärt"
Baltimore Sun review of my Mozart Requiem last week with the Baltimore Symphony.
“But the performance as a whole grabbed hold. In a way, it seemed as if Solzhenitsyn was determined to make Mozart’s Requiem sound every inch a precursor to Verdi’s.”
Round and Round...
the jewel of Theatre Square
A long-time symbol of Russian excellence, and one of the treasures of all world culture, the Bolshoi Theatre has been much in the news recently due to a horrific acid attack on the artistic director of its ballet, Sergei Filin. It’s the latest in a series of crises that have shaken the legendary house, and led some to question its future. But, as I had occasion to tell Nightline several years ago, the Bolshoi is tied up with Russia’s self-identity in an intricate, perhaps inimitable, way, and all people of good will must hope that it can find moral and artistic renewal in the months and years ahead.
Review: "Solzhenitsyn’s slam-dunk at the MSO"
Another review of the program I conducted with the Milwaukee Symphony last week.
“Very few people are equally adept at conducting and playing an instrument at the highest level of professional performance. Guest conductor/pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn proved his profound dual abilities last Saturday night with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.”
Review: "MSO, Solzhenitsyn present stirring sounds of Russia"
A review of an all-Russian program I just conducted with the Milwaukee Symphony.
“Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 6 closed the program, with Solzhenitsyn back on the podium. He led the players through an interpretation of the piece that was urgent, insistent and full of musical tension, yet somehow never rushed or unsettled.”
Mozart Then and Now
In preparing the Mozart Requiem for upcoming performances with the Baltimore Symphony, I was reminded of my conversation some time ago with Tom Hulce and F. Murray Abraham about their unforgettable work in Amadeus.
Watch: Conversation with Eugenia Zukerman
I talk about Tanglewood with Eugenia Zukerman of Musical America.
The Special Magic of Tanglewood
Here we are at Labor Day, and I’d like to say that I’m refreshed and ready for the new season: but in reality I feel barely decompressed from a most eventful and fulfilling summer. In addition to the Marlboro Festival, where I spent five weeks—as I do every other year—I spent a portion of my summer on the chamber-music faculty at the Tanglewood Music Center.