Comic Additive Helps Revive Early Bernstein Flop ‘Trouble In Tahiti’
MINNEASPOLIS – As foil to the dark misery of the couple in Tahiti, Minnesota Opera paired it in a double bill with Service Provider, a very funny take on cell phone mania that also deals with the same marital problem of a failure to communicate.
On Outside, Looking In: Music Honors Cultures At Margins Of Society
NEW YORK – Life is a cabaret. For outsiders, it’s also a struggle that has long acted as creative inspiration. The American Composers Orchestra explored that inspiration in a concert at Carnegie Hall called America in Weimar: On the Margins.
Focus On Bright Stars, Ambitious Arts Festival Creates A Constellation
ADELAIDE – To offset other risks, the venerable Adelaide Arts Festival offered two shows directed by favorites of the annual event, Robert Lepage's treatment of Stravinsky's The Nightingale and Barrie Kosky's setting of The Threepenny Opera.
Sound Of Nordic Music Echoes Through Festival Touching Diverse Styles
BOSTON – The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Music of the Midnight Sun Festival, with four concerts spanning two weeks, explored music of Scandinavia ranging from Grieg's Peer Gynt to works by Sibelius and Anna Thorvaldsdottir.
Breaking Covid Silence, Music From Japan Goes On Generational Venture
NEW YORK – In its first live festival in New York City since 2020, the organization celebrated its 49th season with a survey of “Japanese Contemporary Music: Past and Present,”
including five composers spanning more than a century.
From Rear Perspective, Rotterdam Philharmonic Creates A Potent Sound
ORLANDO – Led by principal conductor Lahav Shani, the visiting orchestra proved to be a powerhouse of calibrated precision in Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet. It was my first time sitting in the grand-tier chorus section, facing the conductor.
Cage’s Opera Potpourri: Mixed Bundles Of Hits Offered In Playful Vibe
DETROIT – Detroit Opera's Yuval Sharon bravely staged John Cage’s Europeras 3 & , in which singers perform arias of their choice, pianists play opera transcriptions, and record players provide instrumental sections, all determined by chance.
IN THE NEWS: MCANA MEMBERS' PICKS
- At once cool and warm, ‘The Snowy Day’ turns beloved children’s story into a family-friendly opera - by James Bash at OregonLive
- As Salonen Steps Down, Speculating on the Future Artistic Leadership of the SF Symphony - by Janos Gereben and Lisa Hirsch at SFCV
- Klaus Mäkelä And L’Orchestre De Paris Offer Arresting Results With Stravinsky, Less So With Debussy - by Norman Lebrecht at Ludwig Van Toronto
- Diverse styles on display in MusicNOW series reflect rich, complex cultural stew of Chicago - by Nancy Malitz at Chicago On the Aisle
- Judging from the audience's approval of the comic tone, Ivany got his Don Giovanni right - by BIll Rankin at Opera Canada
- Composer, Uninterrupted: Christian Wolff at 90 - by Steve Smith at The New York Times
- Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra plans 'alluring' 2024-25 season, hopes to name music director soon - by Janelle Gelfand at Cincinnati Business Courier
- Vienna Philharmonic glows in music from the Weimar Era at Carnegie Hall - by Susan Stempleski at Backtrack
- Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s 90th(!) Recording — Orchestral Works by Avner Dorman - by Ralph P. Locke at arts fuse
- Mali Before 1800: The kora finds its place in early music - by Anne E. Johnson at Early Music America
- Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra finds permanent home on Huntington Ave. - by Levan Reid at CBS News
- Eva Jessye and the Harlem Renaissance - by Ray White at KDFC
- Haydn's Symphony No. 104 in D major: A triumphant farewell to London - by Timothy Judd at The Listeners' Club
- This classical ensemble is tuned in to today's headlines - by Neda Ulaby at NPR
- With art and dance integrated, Laura Kaminsky’s Desert Portal set for exciting world premiere at NOVA Chamber Music Series’ March 10 concert - by Les Roka at The Utah Review
- In a who-knew debut, Czech conductor leads electric Beethoven with Chicago Symphony - by Lawrence B. Johnson at Chicago On the Aisle
- Why don't more American maestros lead American orchestras? - by Javier Hernández at The New York Times
- Lehigh Philharmonic brings classical music to new spaces - by Edward Fuhrer at The Brown and White
- Philharmonic's new classical music initiative shines light on New England composers - by Sara Creato at The Daily Free Press
- Judging from the audience's approval of the comic tone, Ivany got his Don Giovanni right - by BIll Rankin at Opera Canada
- Composer, Uninterrupted: Christian Wolff at 90 - by Steve Smith at The New York Times by Steve Smith at The New York Times
- Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra plans 'alluring' 2024-25 season, hopes to name music director soon - by Janelle Gelfand at Cincinnati Business Courier
- Vienna Philharmonic glows in music from the Weimar Era at Carnegie Hall - by Susan Stempleski at Backtrack
- Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s 90th(!) Recording — Orchestral Works by Avner Dorman - by Ralph P. Locke at arts fuse
- Mali Before 1800: The kora finds its place in early music - by Anne E. Johnson at Early Music America
- Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra finds permanent home on Huntington Ave. - by Levan Reid at CBS News
- Eva Jessye and the Harlem Renaissance - by Ray White at KDFC
- Haydn's Symphony No. 104 in D major: A triumphant farewell to London - by Timothy Judd at The Listeners' Club
Around the US
Pipa, Amid Color Riot, Stars In Concerto That Casts A Wide Spotlight
NEW YORK – Soloist Wu Man joined The Knights chamber orchestra under Eric Jacobsen in the world premiere of Du Yun's Ears of the Book, a work bristling with instrumental combinations in a personalized series of 10 "Polaroid" movements.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Welcome to Classical Voice North America, the online journal of the Music Critics Association of North America. CVNA was launched in 2013 to provide an outlet for music criticism at a time when the market for traditional print journalism was shrinking. Over the past decade this trend has continued. Yet concert societies and opera companies remain vibrant and enthusiasm for what they do is undiminished. The need for informed commentary is as pressing as ever.
The mission of CVNA is to meet this need with expert coverage by members and occasional guest contributors. If you are a writer with experience in classical music, please consider joining the association. If you are a reader with thoughts to share, please write us at info@mcana.org. We believe in criticism!
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DISC AND STREAM
Freshening Up Josquin With A Scholarly Flair, Down-To-Earth Clarity
DIGITAL REVIEW – On a disc of motets and chansons, Cut Circle under Jesse Rodin achieves a deeply human sound, not rarefied or operatic, that makes Josquin’s emotional use of rhythm and dissonance feel like a friend telling you a secret.
PARLANDO: VIVIEN SCHWEITZER'S PODCASTS
The composer, pianist and climate activist Gabriela Lena Frank talks about the environmental damage caused by the music industry, how her significant hearing loss has impacted her career, and more.
ISSUES IN THE ARTS
International Harmony Via Cultural Exchange: It’s Major In Minor Steps
PERSPECTIVE – The victory by pianist Van Cliburn (pictured with Nikita Khrushchev) at the 1958 Tchaikovsky Competition helped to calm the Cold War. Even In today's fractious world, cultural exchanges offered in good faith are worthwhile.
MCANA HOSTED BLOGS
Prototype Festival 2020: Iron and Coal
The Prototype Festival of new opera offers a mid-winter adrenalin booster for New York opera lovers.