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Staff report
The Aspen Music Festival and School will no longer limit the number of patrons on the Karetsky Music Lawn this summer, nor require free reservations, the festival announced Tuesday afternoon.
“The gates will remain open at all times,” reads the announcement. “Please come enjoy this wonderful amenity when and as you wish.”
The announcement cited the “ongoing low incident rate of COVID-19.” The festival had previously required online reservations for its Friday evening and Sunday afternoon symphonies along with select other popular events.
The festival also has reopened its lemonade stand for concessions during the Friday and Sunday concerts. It had previously been closed as a measure to discourage large groups from congregating.
When it comes to Beethoven, violinist Stefan Jackiw, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Inon Barnatan make a good team. Thursday evening in the Benedict Music Tent, with the composer’s “Ghost” Trio, they took things up a notch or two from last Sunday’s triple concerto performance.
The Piano Trio Op. 70 No. 1 got the nickname “Ghost” because of all the spooky tremolos in the expansive slow movement. Today’s audiences may not find it all that sinister, but the shifting textures and stop-and-start gestures make it one of the composer’s most distinctive. Freed of coordinating with an orchestra, the trio was mesmerizing, a case study in concentration and unity.
Benedict Tent broadcasts begin with Saturday’s performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony
Staff report
The Aspen Music Festival and School is producing a series of six livestream concerts this summer, as it returns to live in-person performances.
The concert broadcasts, beginning Saturday, July 3, will be shown live from the Benedict Music Tent and viewable for free on the Festival’s “Virtual Stage” page at http://www.aspenmusicfestival.com
. The Music Fest developed the platform last year when it hosted virtual performances after its summer season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The winter music season was also staged on the site.