classical

Avi Avital and Bridget Kibbey Program Notes by Linda Russell

court organist and chamber musician to the Duke of Weimar, came just five years later. During his tenure (1717-23) as Music Director at the court of Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen, Bach composed the majority of his instrumental chamber music. During this time Bach developed his instrumental style to supreme mastery, writing works for violin, cello, … Read more

Improv on Immigration: Gabriela Montero Rocks Maine

By Linda Nelson, Portland Ovations Deputy Director Immigration. It is the hottest and most critical issue of our era. Pianist and Venezuelan ex-pat Gabriela Montero knows this dearly enough to have built a performance around what she called “a very emotional theme.” Montero’s unique program, “Westward,” was presented by Portland Ovations as part of an … Read more

Gabriela Montero: ‘Westward’ Program Notes by Linda Russell

compositions by age six, a rudimentary opera at nine, and his first symphony at ten; he became a student at the St. Petersburg Conservatory at thirteen. During his study at the conservatory, Prokofiev gained respect for the music of Haydn and Mozart, for the elegant dance forms of the eighteenth century, and for the transparent sonority … Read more