The New York Times, Sequenza 21, Broadway World, Observer, and more review our production of In A Grove at Prototype Festival.
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Concert Reviews
“With a foundation of ambient sound and vocal writing that underlines the most important moments with plangent harmonies, this is often mesmerising. The variations grow more meaningful and tragic as they pass, and the effect grows hypnotic.”
“Christopher Cerrone’s melodic material was memorable without being trite… I was very much captivated by this powerful drama and its excellent performance.”
“For this production, the outstanding Metropolis Ensemble was tucked away not in an orchestra pit but in a loft above the entrance to the hall… There was an almost cinematic quality to the dramatically pointed timbral effects of the orchestration, and each of them hit its mark.”
“You could not have asked for better performers… In a Grove is a triumph and among the finest works at this year’s festival.”
“Singers Paul Appleby, Mikaela Bennett, John Brancy, and Chuanyuan Liu were sensational; so, too, was the Metropolis Ensemble, effectively and excitingly led by Raquel Acevedo Klein.”
“Cerrone’s tonal music has a hypnotic, fluid quality to it that varies from scene to scene, from one role to another, matched superbly by the storytelling of Fleischmann… The instrumental work of the Metropolis Ensemble under conductor Luke Poeppel couldn’t have been better.”
“Stylized yet sensual… the highlight of the festival was Christopher Cerrone’s “In a Grove,” a haunting psychological thriller with a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann.”
With “Infinite Staircase,” Han Chen and Metropolis Ensemble have effectively commissioned a new catalog of solo piano repertoire that will echo long after the applause.
This was the kind of gripping playing that had one leaning forward, tensing involuntarily, all sensations driven by what was flying off of Chen’s hands and out of the piano.
“Give these young performers points for novelty. “
“The Phillips Collection had an artsy, New York vibe on Sunday when the Metropolis Ensemble took over the place, literally.”
In the Upper East Side townhouse that the American Irish Historical Society calls home, a violinist ambled down the stairs while tuning her instrument and a harpist improvised with electronic sounds that came from the walls.
At moments like this, new music sheds its academic strictures and finds its way back to the era of dinnertime entertainments.
Everyone seemed to congregate in the kitchen, which is where everyone always wants to hang out during house parties.