Contemporary Mexican music and Mozart come together in a brilliant New Jersey Symphony performance
The New Jersey Symphony kicked off its classical season in Princeton (November 1), Red Bank (November 2) and Newark (November 3) with pianist Inon Barnatan, Music Director Xian Zhang and the orchestra coming together for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 in a program that included Gabriela Ortiz’s Kauyumari and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade. James C. Taylor of NJ Advance Media reviewed the performance at NJPAC.
The soloist received a boisterous ovation when the piece was done. When he walked off stage, Zhang motioned to the crowd to keep applauding. This prompted more applause, and Barnatan sat back down at the piano and played an encore: Scarlatti Piano Sonata in G major. Here, his clear, no-nonsense style shined. The florid Baroque music seemed to spin effortlessly from Barnatan’s hands though the Steinway’s strings.
James C. Taylor of NJ Advance Media
» Read the full review from NJ Advance Media
Ralph Malachowski of PhillyGayCalendar reviewed the performance in Princeton, reflecting on a past performance he saw Barnatan do with the Symphony.
Years ago, I heard him play with this orchestra in Newark. During his performance there, a member of the audience arose from her seat, spellbound, and walked towards the stage, stopping far short of nearing it, and stood there, transfixed for most of the concerto. Only with the sound of applause did she snap out of her reverie, and returned to her seat, visibly shaken. Such is the power of music.
Ralph Malachowski of PhillyGayCalendar