Storytelling at the Symphony: Ian Niederhoffer on The Best is Noise
Ian Niederhoffer tells the story of Parlando and its mission to demystify the experience of classical music in the latest episode of The Best is Noise podcast.
Photo Credit: Rebecca Fay
Conductor Ian Niederhoffer recently appeared on Ben Gambuzza’s The Best Is Noise podcast, which explores the versatility and expansiveness of classical music. They discussed Parlando, the New York City-based chamber orchestra that Niederhoffer founded in 2019, whose mission is to provide intimate and accessible musical experiences through storytelling. For Gambuzza, Parlando is reminiscent of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic. “No one can compare with Bernstein,” Gambuzza says, “but perhaps Bernstein’s experiment wasn’t a one-off achievement to be eulogized, but a genre unto itself: the learning concert.”
Parlando concerts are defined by spoken interludes, where Niederhoffer contextualizes each piece within an overarching theme. For instance, their most recent concert performance, “Crossing Over,” examined the influence of jazz rhythms and harmonies in 20th-century classical music using works by Shostakovich, Ellington, and Nikolai Kapustin. Niederhoffer, both a skilled conductor and charismatic speaker, weaves a narrative from the podium that resonates with all types of listeners and builds on their existing knowledge, resulting in greater appreciation and understanding of the music at hand.
Listen to the full episode here.
Photo Credit: Rebecca Fay
The New York Times: What to Do in New York City in December
What’s the link between the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died in June, and the early-20th-century titans Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Darius Milhaud? A mutual flair for the theatrical, which is reflected in the title of Parlando’s concert on Sunday: “Melodrama.”
While all three artists wrote operas, this chamber orchestra will focus on some smaller yet substantial works: Milhaud’s “Le Bœuf sur le toit,” Saariaho’s “Graal théâtre” (featuring the violinist Geneva Lewis), and Korngold’s “Much Ado About Nothing” Suite. By giving short spoken introductions to each piece from the stage, the orchestra’s conductor and founder, Ian Niederhoffer, makes good on its motto: “Every concert tells a story.” But smart, unusual programming on this level fosters a gripping narrative of its own, too.
The New York Times
What’s the link between the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died in June, and the early-20th-century titans Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Darius Milhaud? A mutual flair for the theatrical, which is reflected in the title of Parlando’s concert on Sunday: “Melodrama.”
While all three artists wrote operas, this chamber orchestra will focus on some smaller yet substantial works: Milhaud’s “Le Bœuf sur le toit,” Saariaho’s “Graal théâtre” (featuring the violinist Geneva Lewis), and Korngold’s “Much Ado About Nothing” Suite. By giving short spoken introductions to each piece from the stage, the orchestra’s conductor and founder, Ian Niederhoffer, makes good on its motto: “Every concert tells a story.” But smart, unusual programming on this level fosters a gripping narrative of its own, too.
Blogcritics: Exclusive Interview: Parlando Founder and Music Director Ian Niederhoffer Previews October 4 ‘Odysseys’ Concert, with Music of Tchaikovsky, Jimmy Lopez, Joey Roukens
The New York City-based chamber orchestra Parlando aims to bridge the gap between audience and performer.
That might sound a bit self-evident – doesn’t every artist and ensemble want to connect with listeners?
But for Parlando and its founder and music director Ian Niederhoffer, “bridging the gap” means something special: truly direct communication, and engagement in creative and fun ways.
Blogcritics
By Jon Sobel
The New York City-based chamber orchestra Parlando aims to bridge the gap between audience and performer.
That might sound a bit self-evident – doesn’t every artist and ensemble want to connect with listeners?
But for Parlando and its founder and music director Ian Niederhoffer, “bridging the gap” means something special: truly direct communication, and engagement in creative and fun ways.
Niederhoffer engages with the audience before each concert, explicating the theme of the program. The selections vary widely, but each concert’s theme connects standard works with new or underrepresented music. The upcoming “Odysseys” concert, October 4 at Merkin Hall, brings together two contemporary pieces, Jimmy Lopez’s Guardian of the Horizon and Joey Roukens’ Visions at Sea, with Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence.
Read more here.
Photo Credit: Rebecca Fay
The Westerly Sun: Parlando founder Ian Niederhoffer to conduct Shostakovich’s 'The New Babylon'
Ian Niederhoffer, a young conductor widely praised for "his elegance and dynamism on the podium," was on the telephone Tuesday morning explaining how a 1929 silent film, a famous Russian composer and a contemporary chamber orchestra will all merge Saturday for an unusual program called "Silent Film with Live Orchestra: Parlando" at the United Theatre.
The event, which will include a screening of the 1929 Soviet film, "The New Babylon," will be accompanied by a live performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s "The New Babylon," by Parlando, a New York City-based chamber orchestra founded by Niederhoffer.
The Westerly Sun
By Nancy Burns-Fusaro
WESTERLY — Ian Niederhoffer, a young conductor widely praised for "his elegance and dynamism on the podium," was on the telephone Tuesday morning explaining how a 1929 silent film, a famous Russian composer and a contemporary chamber orchestra will all merge Saturday for an unusual program called "Silent Film with Live Orchestra: Parlando" at the United Theatre.
The event, which will include a screening of the 1929 Soviet film, "The New Babylon," will be accompanied by a live performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s "The New Babylon," by Parlando, a New York City-based chamber orchestra founded by Niederhoffer.
Read more here.