Reviews
“[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
“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
“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
“[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
“Magnificently played music”
San Francisco Classical Voice
“Stunning sound.”
The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina
“...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
“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
“Sublime.”
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
“Mr. Williams, through dauntless technical prowess, showered the audience with splendorous fireworks.”
Shelter Island Reporter
“There is a sound one needs on clarinet to play Mozart, 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
“…deft ensemble playing.”
The Washington Post
“Stellar musicians in a…richly varied and entirely satisfying concert.”
News & Record, Greensboro, North Carolina
“…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
“… the Trio demonstrated excellent coordination and precise timing as the focus shifted between instruments and the tempo and mood did handsprings.”
Independent Coast Observer
“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
“…seamless ensemble and well-gauged articulation…”
Erie Times News
“Strata makes any music ‘new'”
Kingston Freeman
“[The] audience . . . leapt to their feet at the end of the concert in an exuberant standing ovation.”
San Francisco Classical Voice
“Williams was in complete command of his instrument, with solid technique and an operatic touch . . .”
The Washington Post
“flawless teamwork”
Leslie Gerber, Woodstock Times
“[One] could not have predicted the sonorous delight experienced at the Shelter Island Friends of Chamber Music concert . . .”
Shelter Island Reporter
“Strata, the brilliant instrumental trio.”
San Francisco Classical Voice
“Andrist displayed her virtuosity as she hit every note cleanly and tastefully and flew through passages that would have flummoxed others.”
The Washington Post
“Passion, panache and precision reigned.”
The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina
“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
“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
“Strata joins top ranks.”
The Post and Courier, Charleston, South Carolina