Donald E. Osborne,  Director California Artists Management 564 Market Street, Suite 420, San Francisco, CA  94104-5412 415 362-2787 / fax: 415 362-2838 / Skype: calartistsdon  / Email

Susan Endrizzi Morris,  Director California Artists Management P.O. Box  2479, Mendocino, CA  95460-2479 707-937-4787 / cell: 415-302-1083 / Skype: sueendrizzi / Email

- The SHANGHAI QUARTET opened its series at Montclair State University with colleagues from the Tokyo String Quartet as guests:

"There was no shortage of power or intensity during the Shanghai Quartet's Saturday night performance. With its propensity toward quick, impetuous bursts of music, the Beethoven fared best. Tzavaras' sensitivity stood out, with a somber calm giving way to plaintive sobs. As the violins cut into his reverie, the tension and excitement built almost without ceasing throughout the rest of the piece. In the Dvorak as well, the cellist's burnished sound and thoughtful phrasing were captivating. With the entrance of Isomura and Greensmith, in the Brahms, the quartet displayed sweetness and lyricism. The additional warmth and dynamism added by the communicative players from the Tokyo quartet were also welcomed." New Jersey Star Ledger - Sept. 14

"The night was full of great music. It was filled with fun as well as the profound musicality of each of its performers." The Montclarian - Sept. 17

- The BORODIN QUARTET has issued a new recording, “In Memorium Valentin Berlinsky” on Warner Classics, recorded with Berlinsky before his death last year:

“Berlinsky was the cellist who engendered and safeguarded the warm sound of the Borodin Quartet, which has occupied a central and revered place in the realm of chamber ensembles ever since its formation in the Forties. Throughout its changes of personnel in the upper instruments, Berlinsky was the one who guided it artistically and made sure that its personality was not unduly compromised. These performances are testaments to his mellow tone, wisdom and discretion.” The Telegraph - Sept. 4

- Pianist CHRISTOPHER O'RILEY opened the season for the Lansing Symphony

Symphony:

"Guest pianist Christopher O'Riley added his liquid, supple keyboard work, playing picador pianist to Muffitt's matador. O'Riley, a star pianist and public radio personality, is one of the highest-profile soloists the symphony has snagged in years. He could easily have unbalanced the music, but he wove in and out of the orchestra's dark brocade like a silver ribbon. However, by holding back the star wattage and melding with the orchestra, O'Riley hadn't gotten a chance to stretch out. Why invite a top seven-course chef to your banquet just to drizzle Romesco sauce on the escargot? Encouraged by Muffitt, O'Riley made up the deficit by wheeling out the pastry tray and playing two spectacular solo encores. A sigh of delight filled the hall when the trench-coated soloist stepped to the edge of the stage and announced, “And now for something completely different.” He tumbled into a whirling take on “You,” one of his most winning tran scriptions from the English rock band Radiohead. The simple melody, lavished with velvety arpeggios and left-hand thunder, seemed to wow the older skeptics in the audience. A large patch of students in the back rows perked up considerably. O'Riley followed Radiohead with French impressionist Claude Debussy's “Goldfish,” a tour de force of turbulent cross-currents and fizzing bubbles. Thus, O'Riley made everybody who came to see O'Riley happy.” City Pulse - Sept. 16

“O'Riley, the host of the popular “From the Top” radio and TV shows, has won a following for his piano adaptations of unlikely pop songs by Radiohead, Elliott Smith and other artists. On this new collection, he plays songs by Smith and

Radiohead, as well as Pink Floyd (“Us and Them”), Tears for Fears

(“Woman in Chains”), R. E. M. (“World Leader Pretend”), Tori Amos

(“Mother”) and the Smiths (“Asleep”). People familiar with the songs, though, will probably find O'Riley's realizations fascinating, and I admire him for making

the point that music is music.” Buffalo News - Sept. 14

- Tenor STEVE DAVISLIM as received more wonderful reviews for his new recording of Chausson songs and Schubert's “Winterreise:”

“Davislim is among Australia's leading tenors and enjoys a growing reputation in major international opera houses and concert halls. Earlier this year I described his account of 'Winterreise' as a 'deeply-felt, superbly cogent performance.' And here within the French repertoire he maintains a stellar vocal quality previously evident. We backtrack to Psyché to find  Vierne in less somber mode. Davislim floats his entry with the utmost delicacy while later on the blend of voice and orchestra glow together like radiant embers -- an exquisitely nuanced performance. Davislim's compelling performance combines the interpretative virtues of Canadian baritone, Jean-François Lapointe and the legendary gallic sensitivities of baritone Souzay. I cannot think of higher praise.” Music & Vision: Sept. 2009

Excerpts from this recording can be heard at:

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2009/09/davislim.htm

SCHUBERT “Winterreise:”

“Steve Davislim is a young Australian tenor whose impeccable musicality is married to a strong vocal personality and an attractive lyric tenor voice. The result is a superb recording of Schubert's Winterreise. Although I had reasonably high expectations for this disc, based on a record of Richard Strauss songs that I had heard and reviewed earlier, I didn't expect it to stand up to its strong competition. There is no point in attempting to name a “best” recording, considering that arkivmusic.com currently lists 95 recordings of Schubert's dark cycle! But some of the available tenor recordings are true classics: Ian Bostridge and Leif Ove Andsnes on EMI (57790) give a highly dramatic, even idiosyncratic reading, but one that grips the listener throughout. Jon Vickers has an even more idiosyncratic, and very slow, version (VAI 1007) that is utterly captivating, once you allow yourself to enter his extraordinarily introspective world. And Peter Schreier made two recordings, one with Richter on Philips that I have not heard, and a lovely one on Decca (436122) with Andras Schiff.

That one can even speak of Davislim in the same breath is high praise. He brings a very wide range of dynamics and colors to this music, essential if one is to remain engaged throughout. His phrasing is supple, his tone lovely at all dynamics, and his sense of the inner soul of these songs is as good as anyone's. This cycle runs the gamut from the poet's memories of past joy to undiluted despair and darkness, and Davislim conveys it all. The transition of mood and color from the fifth to the sixth song is immediate and stark: Der Lindenbaum, with its recollection of dreaming of love under the tree, and Wasserflut, which begins “Many a tear from my eyes/Has fallen into the snow;/The cold flakes thirstily drink/My burning anguish.” Then the hushed beginning of Auf dem Flusse, with its almost whispered, airless tone catches you and draws you in. The enormous range of color he finds in Irrlicht is the work of a masterful singer. When he sings, in Rast, “Only now as I lie down to rest, do I notice how tired I am,” the mental and physical exhaustion is tangible for the listener. And so it goes for 80 minutes-a performance of Winterreise that ranks with the finest I have heard.

Pianist Anthony Romaniuk is completely in tune with the singer, and matches his moods thoroughly. He proves the perfect partner; this is chamber music for voice and piano, and is performed that way.

The very helpful, intelligent notes by Richard Stokes are another plus, as is Melba's extremely natural, warm sound (I listened to it in two-channel stereo). Even to those collectors who have more than one satisfying recording of Winterreise in their library, I can recommend this new one with unreserved enthusiasm.  - Fanfare

“Mr. Davislim does have a fine tenor voice, ideally suited for this music, a full and rounded instrument that has its greatest strength in precisely the middle register where Schubert wallows in most of these songs. He is able to convey the few reversals of temperament when the tone changes from desperation to flippant moments of hope. This is a Winterreise that has much to offer and is able to present a special point of view.

- Fanfare

September 2009

Described as 'the most charismatic violinist the UK has produced in recent years,' this disc would show Chloe Hanslip on the way to being the greatest it has ever produced. Still only 21, her virtuosity is immense even in an age of virtuosos, and the depth of musicianship she brings to these two long-forgotten concertos is striking. The booklet does not credit the violin she is playing, but she draws from it the most honeyed tone, silvery brilliance and pianissimos of feather-like delicacy. Her intonation is very good, and she throws off the fireworks with an ease that belies their difficulty. Two Csardas, including his best known work, Hejre Kati, complete the disc with a further display of Hanslip's agility. - David's Review Corner, Naxos.com - September 2009

Firmly rooted in the Romantic tradition, these two concertos by the great Hungarian violinist Jenö Hubay (1858-1937) embrace a beguiling spectrum of colour, and benefit from the lustre, bravura and sensibility that Chloë Hanslip brings to them. While certainly written by someone who knew how to exhibit a violinist's technical skill, they are not mere showpieces, possessing as they do considerable substance and lyrical allure as well as a sprinkling of virtuoso glitter, with the orchestra an active, potent participant in the poetic discourse. It is an ear-opener to some captivating music.

Telegraph rating: * * * * * Sept. 4

-Soprano KIRSTEN BLAISE, Antigona in Handel's “Admeto,” Edinburgh Festival:

“It was clear that the singers had studied their movements well. They moved with almost as much grace as the dancers, adopting the style of Japanese movement to fit their character, whether it was warrior-like stances, sumo movement, or geisha-like grace. Kirsten Blaise as Antigona raises more than a few eyebrows as she responds in not merely a flirtatious, but surprisingly sexual manner, which again seemed a little excessive. But one must keep in mind that the plot itself is a ridiculous tale of Greek melodrama full of 'woe-is-me' solos and the added fanciful plot twists to entertain a Baroque audience, and so perhaps the exaggeration of emotional expression was fitting.

Blaise shines in the next scene as she mournfully sings of the pains of the heart. She is perhaps the most convincing in her role as far as technical ability and musical expression are concerned as she is even able to roll around on the floor in Admeto's portrait while still producing clear trills and coloratura.”

Musicalcriticism.com - Sep 3

- Soprano Ellen Hargis in Handel and Lully, Raleigh, NC

“Soprano Ellen Hargis gave a stellar performance with superb diction and phrasing and an evenly supported, warm-toned voice across its range. The clarity and precision of Hargis's French in the recitatives and airs was amazing. Her care for words and meaning came across in every phrase. Above all, she and her colleagues displayed the prized French qualities of elegance and precision. CVNC.org - Sept. 11

Rinde Eckert - And God Created Great Whales

Few words mean less today than “genius,” which casual overuse has seriously devalued over time. Like “brilliant” and “awesome,” “genius” is cheap praise. That's why I humphed noisily and rolled my eyes when I overheard some woman say that the man whose performance we were about to see - one Rinde Eckert - was indeed “a genius.”

Honey, there ain't no such thing. Or is there? In less than 80 minutes, Eckert makes a frightfully compelling case. Some have powers of mind; others have ones of body. Eckert, miraculously, was gifted with both. It is a rare privilege to behold.

Eckert's And God Created Great Whales is the highest kind of performance art - crazily ambitious, deeply felt and occasionally sublime. But mostly, it's ineffable. Words are rarely enough.

Eckert's performance - think of an operatic John Malkovich, with resonances of Russell Crowe's Professor Nash from A Beautiful Mind - nearly engulfs the room, even in his quieter moments. He can convey great feeling with the simplest gesture; no stagy facial exaggerations here. Elation is but a smile; longing, but one far-off glance. And when he sings - whether in rich baritone, arms fully extended, or vulnerable falsetto, hunched painfully over - nothing can stop him.

Eckert's script is beautifully written, carrying with it a feeling of incompletion that mirrors Nathan's own state of mind. Big ideas like madness, memory and mortality are treated seriously, but never didactically. Lighter moments are served up in near-equal measure. In the end, few shows are as good and few men are as visionary as And God Created Great Whales and Eckert. “Consciousness is what defines genius,” writes prominent literary critic Harold Bloom.  Genius, in other words, expands man's collective mind, and brings it to unfathomable places. Eckert proves Bloom right.

Daily Trojan - Sept. 13

The following reviews will be posted to our homepage”

- PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA's opening concert of the season:” In an exuberant performance of symphonic works by Haydn and Beethoven Saturday at Berkeley's First Congregational Church, this Baroque orchestra gave a quintessentially romantic performance of some mainstays of the classical repertory: passionate and full-bodied, with a strikingly lush sound and unrelenting energy.  PBO Music Director Nicholas McGegan focused relentless attention on the little details in these pieces, configuring these gestures into a dazzling array of permutations.

SFCV.org - Sept. 12

- The MANDELRING QUARTET's latest CD in their Shotakovich cycle, earned an outstanding review:

“Their playing is tonally blended and blemish free; they are scrupulous in their attention to internal details like shifting tempo indications, such as those in the 12th Quartet's two extended movements; and they present a coherent, unified point of view throughout all three works. There are moments in this music that can set your hair on end or take your breath away.” Fanfare - Sept./Oct.

- Tenor JOHN DUYKERS as Vic in Shearer's  "The Dawn Makers:"

Happily, the premiere summoned the talents of distinctive Bay Area-based singers.  The palm went to the veteran tenor John Duykers, whose papery tone and poignant manner animated the moribund lover.  Opera - July 2009

- Bariton CHRISTOPHEREN NOMURA appearing with Orchestra Ioawa in Cedar Rapids:

Orchestra Iowa stages monumental concert

Without a doubt, Orchestra Iowa's 'Burana at Brucemore' was the finest program I've seen in 27. And what a stellar night it was, from the concert's majestic beginning to triumphant ending, peppered with bravoes, cheers, whistles and standing ovations throughout. Baritone soloist Christopheren Nomura gave everyone the shock of the evening. Calmly lounging on a blanket in the audience during the opening piece, he heard the opening passages to his piece, jumped up, gulped his wine, grab his tux jacket - and started singing from the audience. He darted through the crowd, sang to some kids down front, plopped in an empty lawn chair, then sprinted up the ramp to take his rightful place centerstage.

The ruse was totally hilarious and appropriate for his role as Figaro in the instantly recognizable “Largo al Factotum” from “The Barber of Seville.” He completely charmed the crowd with Figaro's bravado, and drew an immediate standing ovation. He raised the bar high.  The vocal soloists were superb in their physical interpretations of the text, and the orchestra has never sounded better. I could go on and on with accolades. Suffice it to say, this concert was monumental in every sense.” Cedar Rapids Gazette - Sept. 13