by Daniel Hathaway
In a Cleveland Art Song Festival gap year recital on January 18, Benjamin Appl and James Baillieu proved to a large audience in Mixon Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music how utterly compelling a solo song recital can be. The German baritone and South African-born pianist, both in their mid-30s and making their first U.S. tour, brought new vibrancy to familiar works by Schubert, Schumann, and Duparc, and introduced striking songs by Nico Muhly and Edvard Grieg that were likely new to many. [Read more…]
It’s no secret that today’s young musicians easily travel between musical genres. Take the Harlem Quartet, for example, who regularly present programs that combine standard string quartet literature with jazz, Latin, and contemporary works. They have a collaborative approach that broadens their repertoire and audience reach, as well as a commitment to residency activity and educational outreach. That combination makes them a prime example of a model 21st-century chamber music ensemble. 
As a music journalist, I have had many opportunities to have aside conversations with artists about their favorite concert halls. While everyone mentions the acoustic of places like Severance Hall, for example, most add that they can also feel the ghosts that inhabit these storied venues.
“This was fun, let’s do it again sometime” — what we all say after any gathering. And sometimes, we really do mean it.