Reviewers from the Washington Post to The New York Times and the Montreal Gazette have raved about the talents of the ensemble. Read some recent quotes and reviews below:
“Strata joins top ranks” The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina
“It’s easy to get excited about the world-class artists who
visit Washington from far-flung places. The chamber
ensemble Strata . . . prove there is talent close to home
that’s worth getting worked up about.” The Washington
Post
“Combining the incendiary spontaneity of a “verbunkos”
band . . . with the intense profundity of a great string
quartet, anything this group plays, lives as new.”
Kingston Freeman
“Passion, panache and precision reigned.”
The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina
“Andrist displayed her virtuosity as she hit every note
cleanly and tastefully and flew through passages that
would have flummoxed others.” The Washington Post
“Strata, the brilliant instrumental trio"
San Francisco Classical Voice
“[One] could not have predicted the sonorous delight
experienced at the Shelter Island Friends of Chamber
Music concert . . .” Shelter Island Reporter
“flawless teamwork” Leslie Gerber, Woodstock Times
“Williams was in complete command of his instrument,
with solid technique and an operatic touch . . .” The
Washington Post
“[The] audience . . . leapt to their feet at the end of the
concert in an exuberant standing ovation.” San Francisco
Classical Voice
“Strata makes any music 'new' " Kingston Freeman
“seamless ensemble and well-gauged articulation” Erie
Times News
“Stern is a fiddler who instinctively dances to what he
plays. Only concert hall decorum keeps him in his chair.
Any actor would be superfluous with this artist incarnating
the devil’s own violinist in Stravinsky’s “L’Histoire du
Soldat” . . . The alternate side to the insidious joy in
Stern’s execution is his profundity. Laying aside violin for
viola . . . he matched his depth of tone with depth of soul.”
Kingston Freeman
“. . . the Trio demonstrated excellent coordination and
precise timing as the focus shifted between instruments
and the tempo and mood did handsprings.”
Independent Coast Observer
“. . . they wholeheartedly attempted to relive the
composer’s experience reverentially, trying to recapture
what each composer may have been thinking and feeling . . .”
Shelter Island Reporter
“Stellar musicians in a . . . richly varied and entirely satisfying concert"
News & Record, Greensboro, North Carolina
“deft ensemble playing” The Washington Post
“There is a sound one needs on clarinet to play Mozart, a
sound with a great deal of sweetness but at the same time
plenty of presence and clarity, and Williams has it. Andrist
articulates the lines with relaxed precision and provides
solid rhythmic drive for the piece. Stern's sound on
viola is rich and full, and all three phrase together
beautifully. Mozart, I think, would have loved
it." Solares Hill
“Mr. Williams, through dauntless technical prowess, showered
the audience with splendorous fireworks.” Shelter Island Reporter
“Williams’ and Stern’s blends carry, inseparable . . .
Andrist’s touch enhances, in timbre and interpretive intent,
any nuance her partners send up.” Kingston Freeman
“sublime" Shelter Island Reporter
“Program building is a subtle art usually taken for granted by
audiences. A well-constructed program can have almost as much
influence on how the music is perceived as a well-played one,
and Strata . . . brought both to Strathmore Hall . . .” The Washington Post
“. . . by subtle changes of tempo and agogic within interwoven
structures, the group explored the interrelation of Schumann’s
two alter egos: Florestan and Eusebius . . . a dialogue between
the fiery and the poetic, intertwining the real and the imaginary
. . . Strata placed the four movements in the backdrop of enchantment.”
Shelter Island Reporter
“stunning sound” The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina
“Strata let out all the stops for this one in an amazing performance . . .”
San Francisco Classical Voice
“magnificently played music" San Francisco Classical Voice
“[Strata speaks] to the audience, which not only helps the audience
in its understanding of the pieces being performed, but also breaks
down the walls of formality.” News & Record, Greensboro, North Carolina
“Each member of Strata is a capable soloist, but when performing together,
the group really gels, playing with a palpable exuberance.” News & Record,
Greensboro, North Carolina
“The performances were beautifully paced and articulated, and the commentaries
on each piece were as well done as everything else about the concert.”
The Washington Post
“[They] escorted their listeners on a voyage, from the fantasy world of the brothers
Grimm . . . to the terrain of the Jewish American spirit.” Shelter Island Reporter
Erie
Times News, Pennsylvania
Washington Post, Washington DC