In Thursday’s (1/27) Miami Herald, David Fleshler writes, “The rousing, storm-tossed opening notes of Wagner’s Flying Dutchman Overture rang out Wednesday from the stage of the New World Symphony’s futuristic new home in Miami Beach, opening a facility that will attempt to revolutionize the way classical music performances are presented. Founder and artistic director Michael Tilson Thomas walked out onto the stage of the gleaming new hall to a long round of applause from an audience in steeply stacked stadium seats that surround the stage. Rather than giving a windy speech of welcome, Tilson Thomas allowed Wagner to have the first word, raising his baton and calling forth the work’s fortissimo opening notes in a fitting inauguration for the new hall. … The hall’s sound was big, rich and resonant, although a lot of the inner voices seemed to get lost, like the rapid, sweeping notes of the violins under the chords of the brass. Tilson Thomas said last week that the orchestra is still adjusting to the hall’s acoustics. … After the Wagner overture came the world premiere of Polaris: Voyage for Orchestra by the highly regarded young British composer Thomas Adès. The work was presented with an accompanying film by video artist Tal Rosner, both music and video commissioned by the New World Symphony and several other orchestras. Polaris proved an intense and hypnotic experience, with the video complementing the music without being so busy that it distracted.”
Photo: New World Symphony rehearses before Wednesday night’s hall-opening concert.
Credit: Theatre Projects
Posted January 27, 2011
