Thursday, April 19, 7:30pm, Concert Hall
The Knights is a chamber orchestra of adventurous musicians who cultivate collaboration and engage audiences in the shared joy of musical performance. Based in New York City, The Knights expand the concert experience with their innovative format and unique atmosphere of camaraderie that engenders the intimacy and immediacy of chamber music. Program includes Satie’s Gymnopedie, a selection of Schubert’s Leider and Unfinished Symphony, Glass’ Company, and Jacobsen’s Ascending Bird.
Reserved Seating: $30, 25, 15; FC, GCC, STCC and 17 & under $10
It was a wonderful concert. I enjoyed their performance, their diversity, their youth and their enthusiasm for the music.
We thoroughly enjoyed the Knights. Whaat talented young people. WE like hearing modern compsers as well – the Perunvian selection was our favorite. Too bad more folks didn’t take the opportunity to hear this fabulouos group! Honore and Don David
Incredible concert. They were great. The selections of music were very interesting. I especially like the wild extra piece before intermission although I never found out what it was. Have these folks back again! They are an informal group (no “uniforms”) and their music matches that wonderful feeling. (However maybe the trombone player might not wait his time to play with his hand in is pocket like he’s waiting for a cab! A bit too informal.)
great show. Especially the violinist’s own composition. The reception beforehand was absolutely lovely. Kudos to all!
It was a joy to hear and see talented musicians enjoying the music they played and enjoying one another. But, you couldn’t miss their disappointment when they saw the empty house. Why, I wonder was this concert so under-subscribed? These musicians are dedicated to engaging listeners. I hope they will be asked to return and be better publicized. Could it be that “serious” music lovers are fearful of contemporary music? And where were the music faculty from the five colleges?
I knew it was going to be good, but this program and performance was–truly–suprisingly fabulous!
Perhaps the wrong venue, however: Bowker Auditorium might have been better for sight and sound, and for the size of the audience.
That said, curtaining/blocking the back half or so of the FAC auditorium _does_ help a lot to make the venue smaller and more appropriately intimate.
The Knights are an extremely talented group of musicians. I was so pleased and happy to to have had the pleasure and privilege to hear them.
Terrific! One of the most creative, musical and enthusiastic classical groups I’ve ever heard. Will definitely look for them in the future.
it was the remarkable joy of this group communing over the music that was so wonderful. we have had the Barber played three times in this season in the region, and this one was the best. the conducting was amazingly fluid and sensitive. i loved the fact that the brass and woodwinds chose to remain on the stage during the intermission for their warm-up, which seemed to form a logical segue into the second half. the composition added on at the end of the first half was a brilliant exposition of talent. the way the musicians appeared from the wings reminded me of the introduction of the orchestra into Fantasia, but better. The Ives was a grand experience, having trumpet and flutes converse from the distance. The emptiness of the hall made the sound all the more brilliant. Stokowski was no match for this group, who should be invited back for another visit. This was the “sleeper” concert of the season.
This concert was an absolute joy. “The Unanswered Question” is one of my favorites, and I loved the way the Knights flipped the usual staging with the trumpeter front and center and the voices of the druids mystically off in the wings. The piece by the violinist was a rare treat– a glimpse of the possibilities for the future of classical music, with musicians free to roam and play with passion in small ensembles before melting back into the whole. The playing and conducting were heartfelt and superb. It was fun to see the string players swaying with the dance melodies of Appalachian Spring, just like the audience.
Wonderful! And I do not particularly care for 20th century music. I especially liked the original piece by the violinist. Adagio for Strings was a genuine treat as was Appalachian Spring.
I was delighted to find that The Knights were performing at UMass because I had missed seeing them at the Greene Space in NYC and was so intrigued to go hear them perform, eventually. What a treat for the ears and soul, they rocked the joint and most of the chamber orchestra stood the whole time! The Pre-Concert Fireside chat and reception with Walter Carroll was wonderful, too. Thanks FAC at UMass.