Review in today's Globe

We got a nice review in today's Boston Globe. Check it out!

Stay tuned for the podcast later this week.

Jae

Jae Young Cosmos Lee, Radius Ensemble’s newest member on violin, loves hip-hop, lactose-free orange sherbet at JP Licks, and listening to Vivaldi in the morning. (Vivaldi’s combination of strings and harpsichord go perfectly with a cup of coffee, he says.) Jae was three and a half when he was handed a violin. If given a choice, he said, he would have played piano or timpani, mainly so that intonation difficulties would no longer exist. Even so, the violin has made his life “very rich,” giving him the versatility to use it in many genres and settings.

In a classical music world that increasingly offers fewer opportunities to play music regularly, Radius has been a positive outlet for Jae. The kind of concerts Radius presents and the unique “pizazz” of the group are among the drawing factors for him. (And, pianist Sarah Bob and cellist Miriam Bolkosky are longtime colleagues.)

On Radius Ensemble's September 27 season opener, Jae will be playing Augusta Read Thomas’s “Pulsar” for solo violin. The title, he says, is embedded throughout the piece. It is the first of Thomas’s pieces he has played. “Motor-like,” “on the edge,” and “jarring,” are descriptions Jae uses. He compares the piece to an ab workout or a Jackie Chan sprawling session because of its perpetual intensity, large leaps between registers, and constantly changing meter. However, within the piece’s intensity are moments of reflection, and it is in these moments that there is a human quality to the work.

When asked what's on his own iPod, Jae reveals with enthusiasm his diverse tastes in music. He grew up listening to indie rock, including groups like the Pixies, and these days is a fan of Minneapolis hip-hop group called Atmosphere, who combine old school hip-hop with other types of flavors like jazz.

As for where he gets his lactose-free orange sherbet, his favorite local ice cream haunt is JP Licks (located in several of Boston area’s popular hot spots) because they offer lactose-free flavors. Being a lover of dairy but unable to eat it, having JP Licks "makes me really happy,” he says. Sounds to me like he'll evoke that happiness for the fans of Radius. Join us on September 27 at Killian Hall to hear Jae and Radius Ensemble open their tenth season.

To clap or not to clap

Way back when we started this venture, we thought it would be cool if we encouraged our audience to clap between movements if they so chose. It worked... for awhile at least (how could you not clap - or laugh out loud! - at the end of the first movement of Berio's Opus Number Zoo, when the flutist says wryly, "That's all folks!"?).

But as our audience came to be filled more with strangers and less with our parents and roommates (huzzah!), the spontaneous clapping stopped. I miss it.

I googled "classical clapping" and found this guide to concert etiquette, which frankly makes me (and my colleagues) cringe:

When you read your program, you will probably notice between two and five major compositions of music, with several movements listed as subcategories of each. It is best not to clap between movements of a larger composition. Certainly, though, it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between movements and keep track of where the performers are in the course of the program, particularly if you are unfamiliar with classical music. Therefore, if you are unsure of whether or not clapping is appropriate, follow the lead of the experienced audience members around you.

...

Although you don’t need to dress as if you were attending a state dinner at the White House or a royal wedding, you will probably feel more comfortable at a classical concert if you dress in a respectful manner. Different audience members will interpret this in different ways, but you should generally avoid clothing with holes, rips, or tears; very casual shorts, skirts, or jeans; and very casual t-shirts or tank tops.

A safe outfit for a female would be a nice dress or suit, and for a male, nice pants and a jacket and tie. Less formal dress may be acceptable, as may more formal dress, but a good rule of thumb might be to dress as if you were going to attend your church, synagogue, or other house of worship, visit the bank for a loan, or make an appearance to defend yourself in court.

Emphasis mine. :)

But I also found this, more encouraging article:

While the attitude toward clapping often appears to novice concert-goers as a secret code developed in ancient times, there's actually no historical precedent for it.

...

There is ample historic proof of the expectation of applause. Mozart famously wrote to his family with pride in 1778 when one of his pieces was so well-received it needed to be encored. "At the premiere of Beethoven's Seventh, they applauded so vociferously they had to repeat it, right then," says [Leonard] Slatkin.

...

"All of us love applause ... it means that the listener LIKES us!" writes [Emmanuel] Ax. "I really hope we can go back to the feeling that applause should be an emotional response to the music rather than a regulated social duty."

So, what do you think?