HALL'S SUBWAY SERIES
September 12, 2003 --

WHEN the doors open tonight on Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall - New York's newest, high-tech concert auditorium, two levels below Carnegie - don't be surprised if you hear the rumbling of a passing BMT train.

At a preview concert Wednesday, soprano RenŽe Fleming opened with an unaccompanied song by John Corigliano, sounding crisp and clear; her delectable soft tones carried easily, with no loss of focus.

Emanuel Ax's piano rang out bell-like in Debussy, and Jennifer Koh's violin was clean and articulate in Lou Harrison's "Concerto in slendro," punctuated by the sparkling rhythms of two tack pianos and percussion (and, at one point, the soft rumble of the subway).

The BMT could not compete, in any case, with the Kenny Barron Quintet or the African-inflected Fula Flute Ensemble, both exuberant and indicative of the wide-ranging programming in store for the winter.

- Shirley Fleming
New York Post