Album Review: Pacifica Quartet, The Soviet Experience, Vol. IV
By Elliot Mandel @Cello_guy In 2011, the Pacifica Quartet completed its concert cycle of all fifteen string quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich, a monumental series of performances that gave Chicago...
View ArticleAlbum Review: Spektral Quartet
Album Review: Spektral Quartet: Chambers (Parlour Tapes+) By Elliot Mandel @Cello_guy Whether in performance or on its debut recording, Chambers (Parlour Tapes+), the Spektral Quartet is a visual...
View ArticleReview: Chris Thile brings Bachtoberfest to Pick-Staiger, 10/15/13
Review: 10.15.13 Chris Thile brings Bachtoberfest to Pick-Staiger By Elliot Mandel @Cello_guy At the midpoint of his solo performance Tuesday night at Northwestern’s Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, Chris...
View ArticleReview: Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Verdi Requiem
Review: Chicago Symphony Orchestra Verdi Requiem, 10.10.13 by Elliot Mandel On any given night, we are fortunate enough to hear one of the world’s best orchestras led by any number of top maestros....
View ArticleReview: Chicago Opera Theater Verdi: Joan of Arc 9.21.13
Review: Chicago Opera Theater Verdi: Joan of Arc 9.21.13 by Elliot Mandel @Cello_guy Joan of Arc struggles to find clarity On paper, particularly in the program notes by director David Schweizer and...
View ArticleREVIEW: Beethoven Festival Abounds with Art
Review: Beethoven Festival, Merit School of Music Sept 10, 14, 2013 by Elliot Mandel @Cello_guy Julien Labro Three quarters of the way through their set of South American music with accordionist Julien...
View ArticleThirsty Ear Festival offers up plenty of new music
By Elliot Mandel As Pitchfork raged a few blocks away Saturday July 20, a smaller but no less enthusiastic celebration of contemporary music was happening at City Winery during the second annual...
View ArticleSpektral ends season with dynamic Sampler Pack performance
The Spektral Quartet performed a “Sampler Pack” concert on Saturday June 29. By Elliot Mandel On Saturday night Spektral Quartet turned The Hideout into a concert hall–albeit it was one of folding...
View ArticleReview: “Spanish Passion’s” colorful storytelling led by solists
By Elliot Mandel Though the attendance at Orchestra Hall Saturday night was noticeably down (a thankfully rare sight these days), those of us who were there heard a Chicago Symphony Orchestra of a...
View ArticleChicago Opera Theater’s ‘María de Buenos Aires’ is a dark dance
By Elliot Mandel The Luna Negra Dancers embody spirits of “the disappeared”, victims of the Dirty War. Ástor Piazzolla’s music carries an inherent sadness that wavers between earthly lust and...
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