André Watts, stellar artists to join Linton for 40th anniversary season

April 22, 2018 janellegelfandLeave a comment

Superstar pianist André Watts and a stellar lineup of other artists will help Cincinnati’s Linton Music Series celebrate its 40^th anniversary next season.

“In planning Linton’s 40th anniversary season, we wanted to uphold Dick Waller’s tradition of ‘music-making among friends’ that he established 40 years ago,” said co-artistic directors Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson, speaking of Linton’s founder Dick Waller.

“The season features so many world-class artists that are looking forward to gathering in Cincinnati to make great music together. It’s the combination of these artists, intimate settings, and captivated audiences that really makes Linton Chamber Music concerts so special.”Read More »

The best things I heard in 2017

December 29, 2017 janellegelfandLeave a comment

In 2017, Cincinnati audiences heard sensational performances by living legends, as well as musical rarities and world premieres. This year’s list – a baker’s dozen — highlights some musical milestones, such as Cincinnati Opera’s first opera by a woman, as well as some of my personal favorites of the past year.Read More »

A jazzy, joyful premiere

September 20, 2016 janellegelfand1 Comment

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich/photo by Bill Keefrey

“I don’t like the ivory tower,” said Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. “When I’m writing for musicians, I can hear them in my head.”

Indeed, there was no “ivory tower” here. On Sunday, the Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer was in the house — First Unitarian Church, home of the Linton Music Series — to hear the world premiere of her delightful “Pas de Trois,” honoring the 40th anniversary of the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, to whom the piece is dedicated. It was her sixth piece for the ensemble: Pianist Joseph Kalichstein, violinst Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson.

Her Piano Trio marked their 10th anniversary, and she has also written a Double Concerto (violin and cello), a Triple Concerto, a Septet and a Quintet for the musicians:

Creator and performers discuss their longtime collaboration.

Admitting that she had “butterflies,” Zwilich said “When there’s a commission, I feel like people are betting on me, and that inspires me…. This is not my piece. This is their piece. Performance breathes life into music.”Read More »

André Previn and more: A celebratory afternoon at Linton Music

November 6, 2014November 20, 2014 janellegelfandLeave a comment

Cincinnati has an impressive tradition of chamber music. For 36 years, the Linton Music Series has added to the landscape with rewarding “music making among friends.” On Sunday, a packed house was on hand in the beautiful First Unitarian Church in Avondale to hear the local premiere of André Previn’s Piano Trio No. 2, as well as Dvorak’s Piano Trio in G Minor. Schumann’s gorgeous Piano Quintet in E-flat Major concluded the program.Read More »