In Friday’s (3/25) Boston Globe, David Weininger writes, “The British composer Thomas Adès turned 40 at the beginning of the month, and while many approach this milestone with trepidation, he professes nothing but satisfaction. ‘They say life begins at 40, and I can understand why,’ says Adès (pronounced AH-diss), who makes his Boston Symphony debut tonight, conducting music of his own as well as works by Tchaikovsky and Sibelius. ‘In a way, it’s like that feeling one gets on New Year’s Day, you know—that was that and now we start again.’ … A pivotal work in his development is the opera ‘The Tempest,’ scenes from which are on his BSO program. Premiered in 2004 at Covent Garden, ‘The Tempest’ is Adès’s most grandly scaled work and his most public success, showing that his music could not only dazzle on first listen but encompass the weight of Shakespearean drama as well. … The final work on the program is ‘Concentric Paths,’ which will be played by its dedicatee, Anthony Marwood, whom the composer affectionately describes as ‘my violinist.’ The concerto’s solo part is a reminder of one near-constant in Adès’s music: the tremendous demands it makes on performers.”
Posted March 25, 2011
