This weekend’s big music story in the Post was Katherine Boyle’s smart piece on the upcoming U.S. tour of the Afghan Youth Orchestra. There are a lot of non-musical interests riding on this tour — counterterrorism, cultural diplomacy. But the kids are focused on music, and pizza.
Laurie Anderson in a rehearsal with the Kronos Quartet for this weekend’s world premiere of “Landfall” at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. (Susan Biddle) As for music, Laurie Anderson and the Kronos Quartet premiered a new work, Landfall, at the Clarice Smith Center. Stephen Brookes loved it. [There was a technical error in online posting of this review; I will link as soon as I can.]
Robert Battey was more or less approving of the China National Symphony at Strathmore. The evening’s young piano soloist, Peng Peng Gong, has been touted for a few years as one to watch; evidently he didn’t have much of a showcase here. The orchestra will be playing at the Hylton Center on February 9.
And two members of the Emerson Quartet played on the group’s Smithsonian series on Saturday; Joan Reinthaler enjoyed it.
