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Forbes
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Paul Simon Delivers As ‘A Quiet Celebration' Tour Winds Down
Paul Simon performs on stage during his 'A Quiet Celebration' tour. Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at ... More Symphony Center in Chicago, IL 'Here's a… an old song,' said Paul Simon with a smile on stage in Chicago. 'I suddenly realized they're all old songs,' he said softly with a wink on opening night of a sold out three evening stand at Symphony Center, part of his 'A Quiet Celebration' return run. Few songwriters can match the canon of music Simon, 83, has meticulously crafted over the course of more than six decades. Partnering with Art Garfunkel, Simon moved over 100 million records globally, tacking on another 35 million albums sold as a solo artist, rendering him one of the best selling artists of all time. The duo's final studio album Bridge Over Troubled Water stood for a spell as the best selling album ever following its release in 1970, with Simon continually experimenting with an array of sounds in his wonderfully diverse body of solo work, going on to move in excess of 16 million copies of his 1986 opus Graceland. Paul Simon performs on stage during his 'A Quiet Celebration' tour. Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at ... More Symphony Center in Chicago, IL Following a farewell tour in 2018, Simon has appeared on stage a handful of times but 'A Quiet Celebration' marks his first full tour since, with the legendary singer and songwriter appearing for multi night runs in each city, performing in smaller theaters better equipped to support and showcase the nuance in his new music better than the arenas he could otherwise easily fill (a North American run which continues this weekend in San Francisco, California ahead of closing shows in Vancouver, British Columbia July 26 through 28 and Seattle, Washington on July 31 and August 2 and 3). At the heart of the incredible return run lies Simon's latest album Seven Psalms, a spiritual affair inspired by the old testament's Book of Psalms which appears on record as an acoustic suite: seven unbroken songs ruminating upon life and mortality which were designed to be absorbed by the listener in full, with the carefully chosen rooms on this tour supporting Simon's mission. Paul Simon performs on stage during his 'A Quiet Celebration' tour. Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at ... More Symphony Center in Chicago, IL On stage at Symphony Center, home to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Simon and company opened the show with the new album uninterrupted over the course of about 35 minutes, closing the performance with both deep cuts and hits over about two hours and 15 minutes. 'The Lord' read the screen flanking the band as Simon got going with sparse acoustic guitar while voices built the conclusion of the new album's opening track. Flute cut through xylophone and percussion early as more guitar and timpani rang out later. That dueling percussion lent 'My Professional Opinion' a bit of a shuffle while Simon plucked in an almost flamenco fashion during 'Your Forgiveness.' Paul Simon performs on stage during his 'A Quiet Celebration' tour. Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at ... More Symphony Center in Chicago, IL Vocalist Edie Brickell, Simon's wife of 33 years, joined for both 'The Sacred Harp' and 'Wait,' with the backing band swelling to 12 as Simon and Brickell harmonized on the chorus of the former while church bells brought the stunning full album performance of the new Seven Psalms to a close moments later. 'This is the first time since COVID that I'm able to play with my fellow musicians,' noted Simon at the top of the show, setting up the album suite. 'The second half is a bunch of hits. Some deep tracks - sort of,' explained the songwriter. 'Songs I always liked - but haven't played live much before. I hope you enjoy yourselves.' Slide guitar, flute and fiddle fueled a hootenanny as Simon donned his trademark baseball cap during 'Graceland." Simon started 'Slip Slidin' Away' solo acoustic before dusting off 'Train in the Distance' from 1983's Hearts and Bones record. 'Here's a song from the Simon & Garfunkel days,' he said, characteristically underselling 'Homeward Bound' as the second set began to find its footing. Paul Simon performs on stage during his 'A Quiet Celebration' tour. Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at ... More Symphony Center in Chicago, IL One of the great storytellers, Simon was in fine form on stage, returning to Hearts and Bones as he told the story behind 'The Late Great Johnny Ace,' a highlight on opening night in Chicago. 'Here's a song direct from a childhood memory…' he began. 'When I was an adolescent, there was a blues singer named Johnny Ace. His #1 record was 'Pledging My Love.' I loved that song,' Simon continued, explaining how Ace accidentally shot himself on Christmas day in 1954. 'I heard it the next day on the radio. The DJ said, 'We're gonna play his new song and from now on we're gonna call him the late great Johnny Ace.'' Simon conducted a bit as drums stomped in, gesturing left toward flute, violin and cello as images of John Lennon and John F. Kennedy appeared on screen as Simon namechecked them lyrically (also both victims of gun violence). Paul Simon performs on stage during his 'A Quiet Celebration' tour. Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at ... More Symphony Center in Chicago, IL 'This next song comes from the Graceland album and it's written about a specific person,' said Simon, reintroducing fans to Joseph Shabalala of South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo. 'Here to help me sing - and improve the performance vastly - is Edie Brickell,' said Simon dryly with a smile. While he experimented with South African sounds on Graceland (bassist Bakithi Kumalo, 69, who performed on the album, is back for this live run) it was authentic reggae he was after in 1972, working with Jimmy Cliff's backing band on 'Mother and Child Reunion.' Heading for home, Simon and company worked up 'Me and Julio Down Down by the Schoolyard' shortly thereafter as opening night neared encore. Paul Simon performs on stage during his 'A Quiet Celebration' tour. Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at ... More Symphony Center in Chicago, IL Returning to the stage, the Chicago faithful went berserk as Simon put his spin upon '50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,' clapping along slightly offbeat as he made his way back to the Simon & Garfunkel canon one more time. 'This song is called 'The Boxer,'' he said simply. Starting the legendary track on his own, the band came swooping in out of the first verse as the crowd roared, with Simon's arms spread wide as the band took a bow. Gazing to his left, Simon was clearly swept up in the moment as he wrapped up the evening with the iconic 'The Sound of Silence,' delivering both a stirring and stunning solo take on the unparalleled number to the rapt audience. 'In restless dreams I walked alone…' sang Paul Simon as 'A Quiet Celebration' drew to a close on opening night in the Windy City.
Chicago Tribune
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Classical and jazz for summer 2025: From concert halls to the open air of Millennium Park
Condolences to everyone's calendar. Despite sobering news of canceled summer festivals and slashed National Endowment for the Arts grants, Chicago summer — knock wood — looks to be as busy as ever. Classical and jazz programming alone is packed with blockbusters. Before the subscription arts season is out, Riccardo Muti is back at the Chicago Symphony, closing out the season with Verdi's Requiem, his calling card, and trumpeter Esteban Batallán as a featured soloist (June 12-24). After that, Giancarlo Guerrero begins his tenure as director of the Grant Park Music Festival, bringing with him a bevy of music by living and American composers (June 11-Aug. 16). Musicians and celebrity chefs team up for the Ravinia Festival's Breaking Barriers, with audiences taste-testing the results (July 25-27). Then, to close out the season, the Chicago Jazz Fest returns, this time with esperanza spalding, Monty Alexander, Kermit Ruffins and Eliades Ochoa as headliners (Aug. 28-31). But with so much excitement afoot, it's all too easy for other cultural highlights to get lost. Here's a handful to keep on your radar well ahead of summer's dog days. Before the boycott: Rosa Parks was just the most famous representative of a group of women who worked to desegregate Montgomery's public transit system in the 1950s. Chicago Opera Theater's 'She Who Dared' — with music by the talented young composer Jasmine Barnes and a libretto by Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton — foregrounds their overlooked story. June 3, 6 and 8 at the Studebaker Theater, 410 S. Michigan Ave., tickets $60-$160, Price's precocious champion: Still in his 20s, Randall Goosby has become one of the leading interpreters of Florence Price's music. The violinist brings her music — specifically her second violin concerto — back to its home city alongside the CSO and conductor Sir Mark Elder. June 5-7 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., tickets $39-$299, What happens to music never heard?: In the case of Oscar Peterson's 'Africa,' it gets resurrected. Peterson performed and recorded movements of the suite throughout his career, but never the entire thing. Thanks to bandleader and arranger John Clayton, the late jazz pianist's epic finally sees the light of day. 8 p.m. June 13 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave., tickets $39-$299, Soundtrack to the 21st century: World-class soloists and contemporary classical music are both hallmarks of the Grant Park Music Festival, but they don't always converge. This summer is a refreshing change of pace, with several guest artists platforming pieces written in the new millennium. First among them: cellist Inbal Segev, who plays Mark Adamo's 'Last Year' (July 9) and Anna Clyne's 'Dance' (July 16) as this year's artist-in-residence. Also on tap are trumpeter Pacho Flores in Arturo Márquez's Concierto de Otoño (June 20-21); the Imani Winds in a concerto grosso penned by former ensemble member Valerie Coleman (June 25); mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges in Peter Lieberson's 'Neruda Songs' (Aug. 1 and 2 at Harris Theater); and Glen Ellyn native Jennifer Koh in Jennifer Higdon's epic 'The Singing Rooms' for solo violin, orchestra and chorus (Aug. 8 and 9). All at Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St., free admission, Paired pipes: From 2018 to 2020, Camille Thurman — as alluring a singer as she is a tenor saxophonist — made history as the first woman to join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra roster. But she's a commanding, charismatic bandleader in her own right, as this local run of shows will no doubt co-sign. June 26-29 at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Court, tickets $25-$45, more information at Big news for people who hit things: Chicago institution Third Coast Percussion is turning 20. The quartet rings in the milestone with 'Rhythm Fest,' an all-day bash with collaborators past and present. Noon to 10 p.m. June 28 at Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave., tickets $60-120 and $30 for students, Irakere at 50: The iconic Cuban ensemble technically celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. Then again, no celebration is big enough to capture its outsized mark on contemporary Latin jazz. Founder and bandleader Chucho Valdés is joined by former bandmates Paquito D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval — a rare convening of the genre's elder statesmen — for this one-night-only Ravinia extravaganza. 7:30 p.m. July 9 at the Ravinia Pavilion, 201 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park, tickets $29-$65, One day, two premieres: Slather on sunscreen if you must, because new music fans are advised to post up at the Ravinia grounds on July 20. Steans Institute musicians debut a string quartet by American composer Joel Thompson at Bennett Gordon Hall (1:30 p.m.). A few short hours later, the CSO gives the first performance of Malek Jandali's 'Rhapsody for Orchestra' (5 p.m.). Both July 20 at Ravinia, 201 Ravinia Park Road, Highland Park, free admission for the Steans recital, tickets $15-$95 for the Pavilion concert, Early music everywhere: 'Baroque-and-before' need not mean 'boxed in.' Creative and unconventional early-music performances abound this summer, starting with 'Secret Byrd,' a theatricalized account of William Byrd's Mass for Five Voices devised by Bill Barclay. (Barclay was the mind behind 2023's excellent 'The Chevalier.') Meanwhile, at Ravinia, Cleveland- and Chicago-based early music troupe Apollo's Fire presents a 'dueling double concerto' program — as do actual fencers, demonstrating the sport on the lawn. Haymarket Opera Company also makes its festival debut with a semi-staged 'Alcina'; soprano Nicole Cabell, who starred in the company's recent 'L'Amant anonyme,' sings the title role. 'Secret Byrd,' two shows each, 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., on July 20 and 21 at Salvage One, 1840 W. Hubbard St., tickets $65-$75, 'Fencing Match' with Apollo's Fire, 7:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at Ravinia's Martin Theatre, tickets $15-$75, Handel's 'Alcina' with Haymarket Opera, 1 p.m. Aug. 24 at Ravinia's Martin Theatre, tickets $15-$75, Partitas na praia: Bach and Brazil meet in Plínio Fernandes. The São Paulo-born guitarist's 'Bacheando,' featuring Bach arrangements, was one of the illustrious Decca label's most striking 2023 releases. He picks up where the album left off with this Ravinia recital. 7:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at Ravinia's Bennett Gordon Hall, tickets $20,
Chicago Tribune
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
German violinist cancels Chicago concert as part of a boycott of the U.S.
German violinist Christian Tetzlaff will no longer perform at Symphony Center next fall, according to an announcement Tuesday by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. Tetzlaff had been slated to lead a recital at 3 p.m. Oct. 5 as part of the Symphony Center Presents Chamber Music series. Ticketholders have been notified of the cancellation; those with questions can call patron services at 312-294-3000. The announcement said, in part, that 'Tetzlaff will not be traveling to the United States during the 2025/26 Season.' Tetzlaff and his Tetzlaff Quartet have canceled U.S. performances in protest of President Trump's policies, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. Tetzlaff was one of the first major foreign artists to boycott the U.S. in response to Trump, the New York Times reported. The Michelada Festival in Chicago was recently cancelled for summer 2025 after several Latin American musical headliners cancelled over concerns about visas and travel to the U.S. under Trump's administration, and the current political climate.
