In Saturday’s (5/22) Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tennessee), Jon W. Sparks writes, “Thursday night’s Opus One performance marked the first big creative test of the emerging concert series. Its debut concert in March was a safe and successful start with Bach and Beethoven, leavened with some big band music. This time was a lot less cautious: The featured guest performer was the milky smooth and ferociously hot singer Susan Marshall, blending beautifully with the instrumentation. And before Marshall tore up the place, the classical combo String Theory put deliciously textured spins on tunes by Radiohead, Postal Service and an original work by Memphis Symphony Orchestra cellist Jonathan Kirkscey. … The germ of the idea began about a year ago. Memphis Symphony musicians would perform without a conductor in nontraditional locations around town. Expenses would be minimized by musicians handling arrangements, moving equipment, doing the marketing. … The concert was at the Warehouse in Downtown, a funky 10,000-square-foot space that draws an eclectic range of events.” Also on the program were Grieg’s Holberg Suite, Strauss’ Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments, and Tomasi’s Fanfares Litugique.
Posted May 24, 2010
