December 28, 2023

Hilary Hahn: There Stands the Glass’ Artist of the Year

December 28, 2023

(Screenshot of Hilary Hahn video by There Stands the Glass.)

A confluence of circumstances makes Hilary Hahn There Stands the Glass’ Artist of the Year for 2023. Already immersed in solo interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach, I was primed for the American violinist’s October concert at the Folly Theater. I’d also developed a passion for Hahn’s new album Ysaÿe: 6 Sonatas for Violin Solo, Op. 27. A recent reading Isaac Stern’s autobiography My First 79 Years further enhanced my appreciation of Hahn’s place in the continuum of classical violinists.

Honorable mention: Danny Brown, Lise Davidsen, Kassa Overall and Morgan Wallen. The previous winners of the Artist of the Year designation are Joyce DiDonato (2022), Pat Metheny (2021) and Bad Bunny (2020).

William Brownlee

December 12, 2023

We Let the Liquor Talk: The Top Albums and Songs of 2023

William Brownlee

December 12, 2023

Instigating a cappella singalongs of Morgan Wallen’s hit “Last Night” at parties, backyard barbecues and amid crowds of strangers in public spaces was my favorite prank of 2023. It’s the song by which I’ll remember the year. Determining my favorite album wasn’t as easy. A dozen releases listed below spent time at the top of my albums list during 2023. Wallen’s One Thing at a Time might have been a contender, but I elect not to duplicate artists in these tabulations.

The Top Fifty Albums of 2023

1. Karol G- Mañana Será Bonito

2. Sebastian Rochford- A Short Diary

3. Bad Bunny- Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana

4. Kassa Overall- Animals

5. Billy Woods and Kenny Segal- Maps

6. Jason Moran- From the Dancehall to the Battlefield

7. Grupo Frontera- El Comienzo

8. Elle King- Come Get Your Wife

9. Hilary Hahn- Eugène Ysaÿe: Six Sonatas for Solo Violin

10. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown- Scaring the Hoes

11. Young Fathers- Heavy Heavy

12. ANOHNI and the Johnsons- My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross

13. Sylvie Courvoisier- Chimaera

14. Lonnie Holley- Oh Me Oh My

15. Kelela- Raven

16. Joe Lovano, Marilyn Crispell and Carmen Castaldi- Our Daily Bread

17. Buddy and Julie Miller- In the Throes

18. Matt Otto- Umbra

19. Atmosphere- Talk Talk

20. Henry Threadgill- The Other One

21. Cécile McLorin Salvant- Mélusine

22. The Art Ensemble of Chicago- The Sixth Decade: From Paris to Paris

23. Armand Hammer- We Buy Diabetic Test Strips

24.Wilco- Cousin

25. Aja Monet- when the poems do what they do

26. Killer Mike- Michael

27. Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You

28. Laura Schuler Quartet- Sueños Paralelos

29. The Clientele- I Am Not There Anymore

30. Irreversible Entanglements- Protect Your Light

31. Sampha- Lahai

32. Tyshawn Sorey- Continuing

33. Mike Dillon & Punkadelick- Inflorescence

34. Willie Nelson- I Don’t Know a Thing About Love: The Songs of Harlan Howard

35. Zoh Amba, Chris Corsano & Bill Orcutt- The Flower School

36. Rudy Royston’s Flatbed Buggy- Day

37. Christian McBride’s New Jawn- Prime

38. Mette Henriette- Drifting

39. Kali Malone- Does Spring Hide Its Joy

40. Johnathan Blake- Passage

41. King Krule- Space Heavy

42. The Necks- Travel

43. Ambrose Akinmusire- Beauty Is Enough

44. Cleo Sol- Gold

45. Jaimie Branch- Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))

46. Tilo Weber- Tesserae

47. Lana Del Rey- Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

48. El Michels Affair and Black Thought- Glorious Game

49. Ingrid Laubrock- The Last Quiet Place

50. Bertrand Chamayou- Letter(s) to Erik Satie

The Top Fifty Songs of 2023

1. Morgan Wallen- “Last Night”

2. Jamila Woods and duendita- “Tiny Garden”

3. Joshua Redman featuring Gabrielle Cavassa- “Chicago Blues”

4. L’Rain- "Pet Rock"

5. Meshell Ndegeocello featuring Brandee Younger and Julius Rodriguez- “Virgo”

6. That Mexican OT featuring Paul Wall and Drodi- “Johnny Dang”

7. Shirley Collins- “High and Away”

8. Military Gunn- “Do It Faster”

9. The Streets- “Gonna Hurt When This Is Over”

10. Danny Brown- “Tantor”

11. Austin Plaine- “Turn It Around”

12. Yahritza y Su Esencia- “Rositas”

13. SZA- “Kill Bill”

14. Jessie Ware- "Pearls"

15. 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne- "Presha"

16. Turnstile and BadBadNotGood- "Underwater Boi"

17. Stik Figa with the Expert and Blu- "Uknowhut?"

18. Lauren Watkins- "Grain of Salt"

19. Carin Leon- "Primera Cita"

20. Brent Cobb- "Devil Ain't Done"

21. Joanna Sternberg- "I Will Be With You"

22. SexyyRed- "SkeeYee"

23. Tokischa- "Candy"

24. Kali Uchis- "Te Mata"

25. Cultura Profética- "Para Mí"

26. Snoh Aalegra "Wait a Little Longer"

27. Tech N9ne and the Popper- "They Know Meh"

28. Alien Nosejob- "Split Personality"

29. Camilo and Diljit Dosanjh- "Palpita"

30. Raheem DeVaughn- "Let's Fall in Love"

31. Don Omar- "Carcelero"

32. Peso Pluma- "Bye"

33. Ice Spice- "In Ha Mood"

34. 100 gecs- "Dumbest Girl Alive"

35. Big Freedia- "Gin In My System"

36. Luke Combs- "Love You Anyway"

37. Robert Glasper featuring SiR and Alex Isley- "Back to Love"

38. esperanza spalding- "Não Ao Marco Temporal"

39. Sleaford Mods- “So Trendy”

40. Noname with $ilkmoney, Billy Woods and Stout- "gospel?"

41. Maria Elena Silva- "Love, If It Is So"

42. PJ Harvey- “I Inside the Old Year Dying”

43. Sam Hunt- "Walmart"

44. Fuerza Regida and Becky G- "Te Quiero Besar"

45. Slauson Malone 1- "New Joy"

46. Bizzy Banks- "Ok Ok Ok"

47. SleazyWorld Go- "Off the Court"

48. DJ Lucas- "The Climb"

49. Megan Moroney- "Kansas Anymore"

50. Mireya Ramos & the Poor Choices with Los Texmaniacs- "There Stands the Glass"

There Stands the Glass’ top 50 performances of 2023 are listed here.

There Stands the Glass’ top albums and songs of 2022 are listed here.

William Brownlee

December 10, 2023

The Top Fifty Performances of 2023

William Brownlee

December 10, 2023

Original image of Yujia Shen at the Diastole Scholars Center by There Stands the Glass.

The accompanying image of Yujia Shen at Diastole Scholars’ Center encapsulates my year. Classical violin (and piano) provided default ambience throughout 2023. By arriving early and through financial outlays, I claimed spots up front at dozens of concerts. The books in the room are also meaningful. My evenings were devoted to reading when I wasn’t attending performances.

1. Hilary Hahn at the Folly Theater
My review.

2. The Smile and Robert Stillman at the Midland Theatre
My review.

3. Kassa Overall and Omari Jazz at Mississippi Studios (Portland)
My Instagram clip.

4. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
My review.

5. The Metropolitan Opera’s Tannhäuser at Lincoln Center (New York City)
My review.

6. András Schiff at Helzberg Hall
My review.

7. Mike Dillon and Brian Haas at the Brick
My review.

8. Yujia Shen at Diastole Scholars’ Center
My review.

9. Jake Blount at the Folk Alliance International Conference
My review.

10. RP Boo, DJ Alphabeta and Whorxata at the Encore Room
My review.

11. Pretty Yende at the Folly Theater
My review.

12. Adam Larson, Matt Clohesy and Jimmy Macbride at Westport Coffee House
My Instagram clip.

13. Tim Bernardes at Mississippi Studios (Portland)
My review.

14. UMKC Opera’s Proving Up at Spencer Theatre
My review.

15. Bill Frisell, Greg Tardy, Gerald Clayton and Johnathan Blake at the 1900 Building
My review.

16. Boston Camerata’s Dido & Aeneas at Community Christian Church
My Instagram photo.

17. Hermon Mehari Quartet at the Folly Theater
My review.

18. Off!, Upchuck and Weaponize Chomsky at the recordBar
My Instagram clip.

19. Thomas Rosenkranz at White Recital Hall
My review.

20. Juan Diego Flórez at the Folly Theater
My review.

21. Devin Gray, Maria Elena Silva and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at Firehouse Gallery
My review.

22. DJ Lucas, Papo2oo4 and Subjxct 5, Lil Heavn, Paris Williams and N1n4 Freakqncy at Farewell
My review.

23. Thee Sinseers, the Altons and Alanna Royale at Lemonade Park
My review.

24. Willi Carlisle and Betse & Clarke at Knuckleheads
My Instagram snapshot.

25. CRAG Quartet, Joshua Gerowitz and the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society at the Bunker
My review.

26. Artemis at the Gem Theater
My review.

27. Queens of the Stone Age, Viagra Boys and Jehnny Beth at Starlight Theatre
My review.

28. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s Listening Forest at Crystal Bridges (Bentonville)
My Instagram clip.

29. Miguel Zenón Quartet at the Folly Theater
My review.

30. Bob Weir at Louisville Palace (Louisville)
My review.

31. Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Michael Hurley at the Aladdin Theater (Portland)
My review.

32. Christian McBride, Benny Green and Gregory Hutchinson at the Village Vanguard (New York City)
My review.

33. Rod Fleeman Trio at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

34. Nickel Creek and Gaby Moreno at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

35. Alien Nosejob, Citric Dummies and CKrit at Howdy
My review.

36. Danielle Nicole and Katy Guillen and the Drive at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

37. Pat Metheny’s SideEye at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

38. Janet Jackson and Ludacris at the T-Mobile Center
My Instagram snapshot.

39. Big Freedia at Boulevardia
My Instagram clip.

40. Jean-Yves Thibaudet at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

41. Parker Quartet at Polsky Theatre
My review.

42. Eugene Friesen and Henrique Eisenmann at the 1900 Building
My review.

43. Chalis O’Neal at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.

44. Booker T. Jones at the Folly Theater
My Instagram clip.

45. Rob Magill and Marshall Trammell, the Extemporaneous Music and Arts Society and Alber at Farewell
My review.

46. The Salvation Choir at Theis Park
My Instagram clip.

47. Hot Chip and Cadence Weapon at Wonder Ballroom (Portland)
My Instagram clip.

48. Randy Porter, Tom Wakeling and Todd Strait at the 1905 (Portland)
My review.

49. John Mellencamp at the Midland Theatre
My Instagram clip.

50 Kentucky Opera’s Cinderella at W.L. Lyons Brown Theatre (Louisville)
My Instagram snapshot.

There Stands the Glass’ top albums and songs of 2023 are listed here.

Last year’s concert rankings are here.

William Brownlee

October 31, 2023

October 2023 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

William Brownlee

October 31, 2023

Screenshot of the trailer for Garsington Opera’s production of Gioachino Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia by There Stands the Glass.

Top Ten Albums of October

1. Bad Bunny- Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana

Carpe diem.

2. Sylvie Courvoisier- Chimaera

Spectral.

3. Gucci Mane- Breath of Fresh Air

Rap redemption.

4. John Scofield- Uncle John’s Band

How does the song go?

5. Fuerza Regida- Pa las Baby’s y Belikeada

Party central.

6. Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra-

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 12 & 13

The ponderous soul of Russia.

7. Ava Mendoza- Echolocation

My review.

8. Allison Miller- Rivers in Our Veins

Freewheeling jazz.

9. Nathan Davis- Neutral Buoyant

Psaltery.

10. Daniel Villarreal- Lados B

Raw grooves with Jeff Parker and Anna Butterss.

Top Ten Songs of October

1. Kali Uchis- "Te Mata"

Wayback machine #1.

2. Esperanza Spalding- "Não Ao Marco Temporal"

Wayback machine #2.

3. Holly Macve and Lana Del Rey- “Suburban House”

Cul-de-sac.

4. The Streets- “Gonna Hurt When This Is Over”

Such sublime sadness.

5. Danny Brown- "Tantor"

Chaos agent.

6. Ken Carson- "Jennifer's Body"

Tomorrow’s sounds today.

7. Tainy with J Balvin, Young Miko and Jowell & Randy- "Colmillo"

Everything at once.

8. Yebba- "Waterfall (I Adore You)"

Chasing.

9. Flatland Cavalry- "Spinnin'"

Heartsick honky tonk.

10. Drake- “IDGAF”

An extended ECM Records sample!

Top Ten Performances of October

1. Hilary Hahn at the Folly Theater

My review.

2. Thomas Rosenkranz at White Recital Hall

My review.

3. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater

My review.

4. Brent Cobb and Meg McRee and Knuckleheads

My review.

5. Alien Nosejob, Citric Dummies and CKrit at Howdy

My review.

6. Chamber Music Masterclass with Michael Stern at Helzberg Hall

My Instagram photo.

7. Stan Kessler, Brant Jester, Bob Bowman and Zach Morrow at the Blue Room

My Instagram clip.

8. Vintage Crop, Jackoffs and Konrad Hell and the Highwaters at Farewell

My review.

9. Carl Butler, Dennis LaFoon and Terry Hancock- Gospel Lounge at the Gospel Lounge

My Instagram clip.

10. Musica Sacra- Arrupe Hall at Rockhurst

My Instagram photo.

The previous monthly survey is here.

William Brownlee

October 14, 2023

Concert Review: Hilary Hahn at the Folly Theater

William Brownlee

October 14, 2023

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

Hilary Hahn’s solo recital at the Folly Theater on Friday, October 13, administered spiritual balm in a fraught moment. The violinist offered 90 minutes of ethereal restoration for members of the near-capacity audience of about 950 rattled by current events. The room’s excellent acoustics allowed Hahn’s elevated reading of four timeless works by Johann Sebastian Bach to sanctify the back row seat I purchased for $20. The event was less a concert than a consecrated prayer.