New Yorkers who would prefer to mark September 11th with something other than gestures of political bombast or acts of cretinous desecration might venture out to Montclair, New Jersey, where the excellent and imaginative Peak Performances series is presenting Here There Be Dragons, a night of music from artists on the New Amsterdam label. The NOW Ensemble, William Brittelle, and Victoire perform.... Hannah Lash, whose Loading Dock Project I mentioned a couple of times over the summer, has written an opera entitled Blood Rose, for alto, countertenor, and string quartet. The premiere performances will take place on September 24th and 25th, at the Park Avenue Christian Church (East 85th and Park). Kirsten Sollek, Eric Brenner, and the indispensable JACK Quartet are the executants.... Brett Dean's opera Bliss had a warm reception in Edinburgh....Steve Smith pulls off the music-critical feat of the year, reviewing G. F. Haas (the ineluctable) and Bieber (the inescapable) in the same week.... Congratulations to the Cecilia Quartet, winner of the Banff String Quartet Competition.
