April 2024 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Garsington Opera’s production of Richard Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos” by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of April

1. Oren Ambarchi- Ghosted II
Scary good.

2. Fred Hersch- Silent, Listening
The pianist’s best.

3. أحمد (Ahmed)- Wood Blues
Ahmed Abdul-Malik lives.

4. Bill Frisell- Orchestras
What a time to be alive!

5. Parsnip- Behold
Hocus pocus.

6. Meshell Ndegeocello- Red Hot & Ra: The Magic City
A one-way trip to Saturn.

7. José James- ​​1978
My bespoke catnip.

8. Kilian Herold- Serenade: Works for Clarinet and Strings by Krenek, Gál and Penderecki
In which I discovered Ernst Krenek.

9. Nia Archives- Silence Is Loud
The groovy poets’ department.

10. Skilla Baby- The Coldest
Detroit vs. everybody.

The Top Ten Songs of April

1. Fat White Family- “Visions of Pain”
“Águas De Março” fermented.

2. Arooj Aftab- "Raat Ki Rani"
Smooth operator.

3. Shabaka- "As the Planets and the Stars Collapse"
Astral projecting.

4. Staples Jr. Singers- “Lost In a World of Sin”
On bended knee.

5. Kamasi Washington featuring George Clinton and D Smoke- "Get Lit"
Hit it and quit it.

6. Mabel- "Vitamins"
Restorative.

7. Eliza Rose- "Lovesome"
Dream house.

8. Anitta- "Lose Ya Breath"
Steam bath.

9. Chino Pacas- “Tunechi”
Tha block is hot.

10. St. Vincent- “Big Time Nothing”
The best track on a disappointing album.

The Top Ten Performances of April

1. Véronique Gens and Susan Manoff at Wigmore Hall (London)
My Instagram snapshot.

2. Mozart’s “Missa Solemnis”, Peter Schipka, Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle, Wiener Sängerknaben and Wiener Staatsoper, at Wiener Hofmusikkapelle (Vienna)
My Instagram clip.

3. Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” at Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna)
My Instagram snapshot.

4. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi at Wigmore Hall (London)
My review.

5. Franz Schubert’s Messe in C-Dur, Markus Landerer, conductor, at Stephansdom (Vienna)
My Instagram snapshot.

6. Mike, 454, Niontay and El Cousteau at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

7. Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” at Volksoper (Vienna)
My Instagram snapshot.

8. Steve Hackett’s “Genesis Revisited” at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram clip.

9. Eddie Moore, Ben Tervort and Jalen Ward at Yardley Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Marvin Gruenbaum, John Blegen, Kent Brauninger and Nils Aardahl at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Concert Review: Ema Nikolovska at the Folly Theater

Sharing the gloriously odd feature embedded above is the best way to illustrate why I’m smitten with Ema Nikolovska. I was swooning by the conclusion of the operatic vocalist’s United States recital debut at the Folly Theater on Wednesday, March 6.

The voice of the Berlin resident and native Macedonian is good, but good voices are a dime a dozen. Nikolovska is special because she’s a goofball. Her quirky sense of humor and bold creativity are distinctive qualities in the po-faced realm of classical music.

Her delivery of typical repertoire- art songs by Franz Schubert and a set of Claude Debussy compositions she characterized as “a lot of ennui”- was faultless. Yet the unconventional elements of the program were best.

A reading of Margaret Bonds’ “Songs of the Seasons” was exceptionally romantic. The sympathetic playing of pianist Howard Watkins enhanced each endearing moment.

Even better, Nikolovska’s take on Nicolas Slonimsky’s “Five Advertising Songs” almost had the audience of about 300 rolling in the aisles. (Here’s the original "Children Cry".) Paying the Harriman-Jewell Series $20 for the recital was a deal, even if it wasn’t half as freaky as the video.