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classicasobi

a singular consciousness observing sound

About Review Calendar Guide Essay Instagram

Met Opera Carnegie Hall Contemporary Classical Music Period

Study of a Young Woman Johannes Vermeer Dutch ca. 1665–67

Gallery 614

Presence / Duo Seraphim

Kentaro Ogasawara December 29, 2025

The spatiality of sound is invisible, yet felt like sculpture. In Monteverdi’s Duo seraphim, two voices become three, then merge into one; syllables stretch, words do not end, and time itself sways. In Jacobs’ performance, the melisma aligns with breath, and sound approaches silence. Without explaining doctrine or narrative, Monteverdi lets listeners experience the Trinity through sound alone. One simply senses presence, and the music becomes the very air of the space.

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In Essay
Comment

Mahler in Philly on January

Kentaro Ogasawara December 22, 2025

The concert opens with John Adams’s kinetic Short Ride in a Fast Machine, followed by Samuel Barber’s lyrical Violin Concerto with Augustin Hadelich. It concludes with Mahler’s transparent and ironic Symphony No. 4, featuring soprano Joélle Harvey, under Dalia Stasevska.

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Comment

Musica Sacra's Classics for Christmas at Carnegie Hall

Kentaro Ogasawara December 22, 2025

New York’s choral and orchestral ensemble Musica Sacra performed “Classics for Christmas” at Carnegie Hall on December 17, 2025. The program featured Christmas-related works by Bach, Thompson, Corelli, and Handel, with soprano Kathryn Lewek and harpist Mariko Anraku as soloists. Highlights included Bach’s Gloria in excelsis Deo, excerpts from Handel’s Messiah, and Rachmaninoff’s Bogoroditse Devo, creating a rich, festive, and deeply moving concert. The performance was led by conductor Kent Tritle.

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In Review Tags Carnegie Hall
Comment

Daniil Trifonov at Carnegie 2025

Kentaro Ogasawara December 22, 2025

Trifonov’s program traced Russian modernism and Romantic expression, opening with Taneyev’s Prelude and Fugue, where he highlighted clarity, restrained lyricism, and transparent counterpoint. Prokofiev’s Visions fugitives revealed fleeting humor and delicacy, while Myaskovsky’s single-movement Sonata conveyed shadow, tension, and virtuosity with precise control. In Schumann’s Sonata, he contrasted Florestan and Eusebius through agile scherzos, lyrical arias, and a spirited finale, uniting improvisatory freedom with poetic depth. Across the program, Trifonov balanced technical mastery, expressive nuance, and psychological insight, illuminating the music’s inner voice and emotional breadth.

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In Review Tags Carnegie Hall
Comment

Yohei Abe, the photo book released in SF

Kentaro Ogasawara December 15, 2025

Yohei Abe, a long-time friend of classicasobi and my host at Balse, has released the photobook Ghosts, Angels, Beyond Light. Four years ago, a personal event led him to decide to create this photo book. He had been taking photos all along, but with the decision to publish a photo book, he planned it, and the launch event was held at the Leica Gallery in San Francisco on 12.11.2025, called "Vision to Volume" by Leica.

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In Other
Comment

The way of seeing-After Ruth Asawa at MOMA

Kentaro Ogasawara December 15, 2025

After Ruth Asawa,

The way one sees others determines one’s actions, and repeated actions determine one’s way of being.

This forms a chain of perception → action → existence. How one interprets the world and other people shapes choices and behavior. The same event can provoke completely different responses depending on whether it is perceived as something to trust or something to fear. Through repeated actions, a person’s posture, character, and ultimately “what kind of person they are” take shape. Intentions and ideals matter less than what is actually done; existence is defined by action. One’s way of being is not a matter of personality, but the accumulation of thought and behavior.

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Comment

Frei aber froh! The Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Yannick Nézet-Séguin in Philly.

Kentaro Ogasawara December 14, 2025

Compared with the Stern Auditorium at Carnegie, Anderson Hall has a longer reverberation. Even 1st row, the sound arrives with delay and swells as it reaches the listener. Because the resonance feels prolonged, the musical shapes can sound somewhat blurred. Some people describe this as a “rich acoustic,” but true sound richness originates from the artists. Acoustics may support that richness, yet this hall demands a different kind of shaping from the musicians. Still, they skillfully adjusted the relationship between their positions on stage and the sounds they produced, and once again unfolded a richly satisfying Brahms.

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In Review
Comment

Tragedies, solve by individualities/Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Yannick Nézet-Séguin at Carnegie Hall

Kentaro Ogasawara December 14, 2025

Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Yannick Nézet-Séguin's All Brahms at Carnegie Hall on December 9, 2025.

Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Conductor

Veronika Eberle, Violin

Jean-Guihen Queyras, Cello

Program

ALL-BRAHMS PROGRAM

Tragic Overture

Double Concerto

Symphony No. 1

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In Review Tags Carnegie Hall
Comment

Latvians: A Tribute to Arvo Pärt

Kentaro Ogasawara December 8, 2025

Three Latvian musicians, Gidon Kremer, Giedrė Dirvanauskaitė, and Georgijs Osokins, had a trio recital at Zankel on 12.4.2025

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In Review Tags Carnegie Hall
Comment

Brilliant Cello, Elena Ariza with Juilliard Orchestra

Kentaro Ogasawara November 27, 2025

When solo cellist Elena Ariza came to the stage, the orchestra and audience erupted in excitement. After a six-minute introduction, her solo begins, in variations four and five, where she mistakes a kidnapped lady and charges forward, slamming, and then the bass continues. Elena then immerses herself in her thoughts of an imaginary lover. Strauss was singing. It sounded like Waldner's singing in Arabella. She was completely Don Quixote, her bow strokes flawless, her lyrical and passionate singing conveyed directly.

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In Review
Comment

Caroline Bembia Harp Recital

Kentaro Ogasawara November 27, 2025

Caroline Bembia, harp in a small church, 11.22.2025 —it was my first time attending a harp recital. Unlike the sharp attack of a piano or the vibration of percussion, her sound simply emerged and spread through the space. Unlike Lincoln Center’s cold precision or the Met’s rich resonance, the natural reverberation of the church walls let me fully appreciate the harp’s unique tone and dynamic range.

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In Review
Comment

The Marlboro Soloists at Weill Recital Hall

Kentaro Ogasawara November 24, 2025

11.21.2025 Musicians From Marlboro at Weill Recital Hall. A chamber music group made up of young musicians associated with the Marlboro Music Festival in the United States. The festival, established in 1951, is known as a place where young and experienced musicians come together to study and perform chamber music. Selected members of the group give concerts both in the U.S. and abroad.

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In Review Tags Carnegie Hall
Comment

Nicolas Altstaedt and Thomas Dunford at Perelman Theater in Philadelphia

Kentaro Ogasawara November 24, 2025

On November 20, 2025, I went to Philadelphia to hear Thomas and Nicolas again. The 600-seat Perelman Theater was acoustically excellent. They began with Marais, and the audience let the lute and cello tones drift naturally. Thomas’s Bach felt bright and singing, while Nicolas’s Gigue in the second half moved me to tears, painting fading landscapes with his baroque bow. Surrounded by modern buildings, I imagined the roofs of an old church. Unlike Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia’s warmth, welcoming people, and audience engagement created a deep emotional experience, revealing scenery and intimacy that made this visit unforgettable.

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In Review Tags Period
Comment

Mexican pianist and musicologist César Reyes

Kentaro Ogasawara November 24, 2025

César texted me about his recital, so I went. Since I knew him, this is my 1st time seeing his piano. He is a pianist who introduces South American music in the United States. The venue was a music school hall in West Manhattan, surrounded by friends and neighbors, and the concert started at 7:30 p.m.

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In Review
Comment

Nicolas Altstaedt × Thomas Dunford at Carnegie Hall

Kentaro Ogasawara November 19, 2025

The world of Nicolas Altstaedt, Cello and Thomas Dunford, Lute's "viol x cello x lute x Bach x modern."that means all contemporaries, an intimate and stimulating dialogue between the two and the audience. The Bourbon sophistication and Bach. It continues with Pärt and then Marais.

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In Review Tags Carnegie Hall
Comment

Ian Jones, Baroque Violin at Juilliard

Kentaro Ogasawara November 13, 2025

Ian Jones performed Baroque violin at Juilliard’s Morse Hall. Schop’s 1649 Diminutions use intricate variations; Pandolfi Mealli’s La Melana develops motifs with tempo shifts. Biber’s Sonata No. 5 contrasts silence and richness, while Fontana’s and Schmelzer’s works blend fantasia, cantabile, and technical mastery, showing early violin artistry across Europe.

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In Review Tags Period
Comment

Dr. Strauss's Arabella 1 at Met

Kentaro Ogasawara November 11, 2025

Dr. Strauss's Arabella, which premiered in 1933, started its rebirth at the Met Opera on 11.10.2025. I love it the first time. The excitement and thrill of seeing the work I had been looking forward to for the first time are still fresh, even 11 years later. It's fun to see the completed Maestro vs. Met. It's also fun to see the highly anticipated new work. But the best part is being reunited with the best friends. It’s moving to see Maestro Nicholas Carter (Hamlet and Britten) with his whole body, sending life into Strauss’s music—urging the mighty Met Opera Orchestra, led by the concertmaster, Benjamin Bowman, to sing out and come alive.

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In Review Tags Met Opera
Comment

Véritable Trésor, Orchestre National de France

Kentaro Ogasawara November 10, 2025

Christian Măcelaru and the Orchestre National de France at Carnegie Hall on 11.9.2025. The program began with Elsa Barraine’s Symphony No. 2, Voïna (War), composed in 1938, just before the outbreak of World War II. Barraine’s work captivates with its modern French transparency condensed into a stable structure.

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In Review Tags Carnegie Hall
Comment

Hendel's last Oratorio by Juilliard415

Kentaro Ogasawara November 8, 2025

Handel’s oratorio Jephtha (1751) was performed by Juilliard415, Juilliard School’s period-instrument ensemble, on November 8, 2025, at Alice Tully Hall. This, his final oratorio, featured accompaniments to the arias that were varied and richly textured. The vocal ensemble consisted of five singers, ranging from soprano to bass, and the orchestra was full and vibrant. Even the basso continuo accompanying the recitatives was luxurious. 

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In Review Tags Period
Comment

Kyung Wha, Chung-the rebirth and pride at Carnegie

Kentaro Ogasawara November 7, 2025

At 77, Giant Violinist, Chung Kyung Wha once again stood at Carnegie Hall. This marked the culmination of her musical career. After a long career, a quiet flame and prayer resonated in the hearts of the enthusiastic audience gathered in the dry Stern Hall. There was no hesitation in the rise of each note, but the quiet determination and resolve that accompanied each note. It wasn't the fiery passion of her youth, but the power to burn like a quiet flame. The violin spoke of strength and kindness that transcend technique. Each time she drew her bow, the silence seemed to breathe, as if decades had passed. And after the sound faded, a prayer lingered. Kevin Kenner let each note speak as if it were a serene melody. Their breathing overlapped, creating a conversation through sound. Kenner added a soft glow to Chung's single note, and Chung responded to Kenner's silence with a prayerful echo—a dialogue that transcended.

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In Review Tags Carnegie Hall
Comment
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