In Thursday’s (9/5) Philadelphia Inquirer, David Patrick Stearns writes about a new TV series featuring the All-Star Orchestra, a creation of former Seattle Symphony Orchestra Music Director Gerard Schwarz. “Production values are first-class. Commentary is solidly medium-weight and rarely simplistic. Camera work is … focused on the musicians…. So many classical concert videos seem to apologize for their content. This one emphatically does not…. The format: Opening commentary from Schwarz and credentialed academics previews the pieces. Musicians discuss the challenges of bringing the music into being. Standard works—Stravinsky’s The Firebird, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5—are performed in full without breaks.… Color is used progressively: Excerpts are filtered in black and white, performances are in full color (and with a variety of angles that never become tiresome), credits are in soft focus. So is the orchestra awesome? It’s excellent, to be sure, though beyond that, one never knows how much the rich string sound should be credited to the orchestra or the generous Manhattan Center acoustics.… [Schwarz is] a likable, intelligent camera presence. His musical profile recalls Eugene Ormandy’s: Performances are spirited but moderate.” The first of eight one-hour programs is set to air this Sunday.
Posted September 5, 2013
