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New York Resounds: The ASO Marks Twenty-Five Years Since 9/11 at Bryant Park
Music
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

New York Resounds: The ASO Marks Twenty-Five Years Since 9/11 at Bryant Park

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the American Symphony Orchestra and Leon Botstein turned Bryant Park into a place of sanctuary. Copland’s fanfare, Walker’s lament, Ives’s firemen’s parade, Haydn’s Mourning Symphony, and Mahler’s unfinished Adagio marked a journey from grief to gratitude, with luminous playing from concertmaster Cyrus Beroukhim and the ASO’s principals. Free, fearless, and profoundly humane, this is the orchestra New York deserves. Seek out the ASO’s 2026–27 season at Riverside Church and Carnegie Hall, and go.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
American Symphony Orchestra Conjures Romantic Fire at Carnegie Hall
Choral Music
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

American Symphony Orchestra Conjures Romantic Fire at Carnegie Hall

The American Symphony Orchestra is one of New York’s most adventurous, intellectually vital, and musically rewarding ensemble. Season after season, under Leon Botstein’s visionary leadership, they illuminate music the world has forgotten it needed. Their 2025–2026 season promises more of the same: revelatory repertoire, world-class soloists, and performances of thrilling conviction at Carnegie Hall. Don’t merely admire them from a distance — go. You will not regret it.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
Forging an American Musical Identity by the ASO and Bard Festival Chorale
Choral Music
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

Forging an American Musical Identity by the ASO and Bard Festival Chorale

The American Symphony Orchestra’s Forging an American Musical Identity illuminated both forgotten paths and familiar landmarks, uniting scholarship, passion, and superb musicianship. Tonight was orchestral programming with purpose—inviting listeners to rediscover America’s musical past and eagerly anticipate the ASO’s 2025–26 season.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
Requiem and Revelation: A Transcendent Evening at St. Bartholomew’s
Choral Music
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

Requiem and Revelation: A Transcendent Evening at St. Bartholomew’s

The American Symphony Orchestra’s revelatory performance of Cornelius and Cherubini masterworks at St. Bartholomew’s Church proved that forgotten musical treasures, when presented with passion and precision, can speak as powerfully to modern audiences as any canonical work—a testament to ASO’s vital mission of musical discovery.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
New York in Five Voices: The ASO’s Bryant Park Summer Finale
Music
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

New York in Five Voices: The ASO’s Bryant Park Summer Finale

Under a starlit Manhattan sky that seemed to pulse with invisible harmonies, the American Symphony Orchestra transformed Bryant Park into a cathedral of sound. With Botstein’s guiding words and radiant performances of Perry, Cowell, Kay, Copland, and Dello Joio, the evening became an unforgettable celebration of New York’s musical identity. This free concert embodied the orchestra’s democratic vision, proving once again that great music belongs to everyone.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
American Symphony Orchestra Delivers a Triumphant Guntram at Carnegie Hall
Choral Music
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

American Symphony Orchestra Delivers a Triumphant Guntram at Carnegie Hall

Friday night’s performance of Gurtram was a remarkable unveiling of a rarely performed but powerful work by Richard Strauss. From the onset, Strauss’s mastery of rich symphonic intones was evident with its roaring motifs and orchestra colors, just as those that excite listeners like Till Eulenspiegel or Ein Heldenleben.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
Tapping into the Twenties: The ASO and Forgotten Marvels at David Geffen Hall
Music
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

Tapping into the Twenties: The ASO and Forgotten Marvels at David Geffen Hall

This concert was no costume party of musical nostalgia. The American Symphony Orchestra, under the inspired baton of Leon Botstein, offered something far more nourishing: a sweeping, intelligent, and emotionally resonant exploration of rarely performed masterworks in a program aptly titled Tapping into the Twenties.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
American Symphony Orchestra: C. P. E. Bach at St. Barts
Choral Music
Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic

American Symphony Orchestra: C. P. E. Bach at St. Barts

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, the second son of Johann Sebastian Bach, carved his unique identity in the musical world. Unlike his father’s baroque complexities, C. P. E. Bach’s compositions incorporated bold harmonic language, rhythmic intensity, and poetic drama. Tonight’s program showcased two of his masterpieces: Heilig, H.775, and the U.S. premiere of Die Auferstehung und Himmelfahrt Jesu, H.777. These works reflect a daring blend of tradition and innovation, qualities that inspired even Mozart to conduct three performances of Heilig in 1788.

Edward A Kliszus, Editor-in-Chief / Music and Arts Critic
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New York Resounds: The ASO Marks Twenty-Five Years Since 9/11 at Bryant Park

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