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"Sheila Silver is a creative dynamo. Her music is vital,
with a conviction that obliterates fashion and speaks its own language."
The
American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
Midnight
Prayer, Rochester Philharmonic performance
review: “An important and substantial piece...
Silver describes her work as a “prayer for world
peace,” but it is no quiet, passive meditation.
Rather, it is a remarkable 12 minute tone poem that
conveys a sense of urgency through its ingenious use
of harmonic tension and orchestral color.”
John
Pitcher, Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester
(Review
of Naxos CD, Piano Concerto and Piano
Preludes) "There will always be lots of
promising careers of young musicians. Many end up, after
brillliant educations, in oblivion. Some, with enormous
energy, gain acceptance into the ranks of the establishment;
but only a few of them in any generation will enliven
the art form with their musical language and herald
new directions in music. Sheila Silver is such a visionary."
Wetterauer
Zeitung,Germany
"To the Spirit Unconquered proved to be a stunning
modern masterpiece, a work of profound musical and emotional depth.... It is
one of those rare compositions that grabs you emotionally and will not let go.
Silver's manipulation of her musical material is masterful."
Journal
American, Bellevue/Seattle,
Washington
(The
Thief of Love)"Standing ovations confirmed
that the full-house qudience had been thoroughly won
over by the opera, which is set in a mythical kingdom
in ancient India."
India
Abroad, International Weekly Newspaper
(The
Thief of Love)"a
beautifully shot film... The drama moves along convincingly,
never bogging down or getting sidetracked on tangents.
And there is genuine good humor in it, a rarity in contemporary
opera…The performers, from the principal cast
through the chorus and orchestra, give their all. Gwendolyn
Hillman, as Vidya, sings with warmth, strength and gracefulness.
Hers is a voice that truly matters, and one that deserves
international attention. James Brown is very well suited
to the role of the youthful, charming Sundar...Among
the secondary cast, Michael Douglas Jones (Vidya’s
father) and Manami Hattori (Hira) are particularly praiseworthy.
David Lawton directs a taut, dynamic interpretation
of the score and the Stony Brook Orchestra plays as
finely as many more well-known orchestras.
Opera
News
(The
Thief of Love) "Not
only is the story entertaining, but so is the score.
This is Silver’s first opera, but she knows what
a good opera needs: melody. And she offers it in abundance.
It all sounds quite fresh and appealing." (read
more)
American
Record Guide
Sheila
Silver's Ek Ong Kar had singular
originalty and verve. Based on an Indian Sikh mantra,
this was the most consistently inventive work of the
evening.
Jules
Langert, San Francisco Classical Voice
(Piano
Concerto) The audience liked what it heard, calling
composer, soloist and conductor back for several bows....
This is a modern work, but is not extremely dissonant.
It is, however, almost savage at times, reminding one
of Prokofiev gone wild. Lovely, lyric moments are offset
by stormy passages that utilize the entire orchestra..
...chances are it could enter the standard repertory
and stay there for a long time."Richmond
Times Dispatch
Paley
played
like a man possessed.....there were shouts and cheers
from the audience.... .New
York Times
"Her
style is clear, accessible and non-tonal. And she knows
how to write a great tune.....From Darkness
Emerging is a fine piece by a master composer. It
should be heard often."Susan
Larsen, Boston Globe
"The
work is a major contribution to chamber music, not only
because of its unusual scoring but more importantly
because of the music itself... In fact, the notes and
phrases that comprise "Darkness Emerging"
are compelling: often intense, often lyrical
in a dreamy kind of way, but always full of genuine
inspiration."
R. M. Campbell, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"The middle movement (of From Darkness Emerging)
was pure enchantment, with little strands of music spinning off from the main
body of sound like so many horses on a wayward carousel."
Washington Post
"Most important, "Spirit" is accessible
unlike much modern music. There's a rhyme and reason to it, a sense of direction.
....To say the least, "Spirit" is poignant, to say the most,
remarkable."
Virginia Gazette, Williamsburg
"....it (Sonata for Cello and Piano) is certainly
one of the most immediately attractive string works I have heard from the second
half of this century."
David Denton, The Strad
"Sheila Silver offers in "The Song
of Sarah" a remarkably evocative score based on the Bible....
It really touches both the mind and the heart."
Robert Marsh, Chicago Sun Times
Sheila Silver's Canto matches Pound's text with music
of a comparably audacious directness, simplicity, and specificity and therefore
boldly occupies a psycho-spiritual region that few other composers have cared
to approach; it is a beautiful work."
Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe
"The message of
Sappho in Sheila Silver's Chariessa is submerged
in an expressionistic atmosphere of struggle and tenderness.
...The incandescent chromaticism of the score by Silver
is contained and controlled within highly calculated
limits and sustained through a highly expert instrumentation.
We would like to hear more of this musician."
La
Repubblica, Rome
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