The four-hand piano literature (i.e. music for four hands at one piano) is not to be confused with its cousin, music for two pianos, which is an entirely different genre with a distinct set of playing requirements. Piano four hands is, of course, more economical – it requires only one piano! It is both intimate [...]

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We were thrilled to welcome pipa virtuoso Yang Wei to Rush Hour Concerts. He has performed worldwide in the biggest venues (Chicago Symphony Center, Ravinia Festival, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, to name a few), and has toured extensively Yo-Yo Ma as part of the Silk Road Project. Many, many thanks, Yang Wei, for [...]

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As Artistic Director of Rush Hour Concerts, I am always delighted to meet young musicians who share my enthusiasm towards creating and making music. I first met composer Yao Chen this year at the “Rush Hour Tasting” house concert in April. My interview with him on composing, listening to the pipa and writing for Tuesday’s [...]

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We here at Rush Hour were thrilled to have had saxophonist Ashu as part of our 2007 season! Ashu kindly stepped in for violinist Bernard Zinck, who had an unexpected change in his concert schedule.
In a program titled Global Rhythms that featured the music of Ibert, Villa-Lobos, Piazzolla, and Morricone, Ashu and pianist Kuang-Hao Huang [...]

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Last week at Rush Hour, we heard a few of Benjamin Britten’s Folksong Arrangements from the British Isles. In preparing the concert, I was reminded of Britten’s lifelong belief that great classical music should be shared with as many types of audiences as possible – in the great cultural centers of [...]

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