New-Wave Conductor’s Chicago Concert Shows Sea Change On Podium
CHICAGO – The energy of Lahav Shani's program with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra reflected how younger conductors are forging a new sound world. Shani, a 35-year-old Israeli, is a friend of CSO music director-designate Klaus Mäkelä, 28.
Challenging Art Of Ives Launches New Podcast Hosted By Gail Wein
PERSPECTIVE – The still-controversial composer, born 150 years ago, believed that "music should not come easily," says Donald Berman, president of the Charles Ives Society, the debut guest on Wein's Classical Gas series on our website.
‘Gurrelieder,’ Grandiose But Gentler Schoenberg, Blossoms Under Mehta
LOS ANGELES – The gigantic, 110-minute symphonic song cycle-cantata, arguably the biggest and baddest of its time, received a magnificent performance by Zubin Mehta, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and a cast of hundreds.
When Debussy, Ravel Meet Poets, Colloquy Doesn’t Quite Rhyme
NEW YORK – The program "Letters to a Young Poet," with the Diderot String Quartet and two reciters, intermingled works by Debussy and Ravel with letters exchanged between Rainer Maria Rilke and the younger writer Franz Kappus.
‘Fierce’ Soprano Makes Her Carnegie Debut As Quiet, Thoughtful Artist
NEW YORK – Lithuanian soprano Asmik Grigorian also has been called astounding and brilliant. But here, dressed simply and assisted by pianist Lukas Geniušas, she offered a song recital that selflessly focused on Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff.
Czech Phil’s Splendid Concerts At Carnegie Take On Festive Aura
NEW YORK – The orchestra's three concerts, with music director Semyon Bychkov and soloists including pianist Daniil Trifonov, offered works by Dvořák and Janáček performed amid banners and floral arrangements in honor of Czech Music Year.
Denk Celebrates Ives, That Thorny American, In Anniversary Recital
PERSPECTIVE – Pianist Jeremy Denk will pay tribute to the composer's boisterous, dense, and unapologetically American music, performing Ives' Sonata No. 2 (Concord) on a program Dec. 12 in New York celebrating the 150th year of his birth.
IN THE NEWS: MCANA MEMBERS' PICKS
- Yuval Sharon steps away from experimental opera company he founded - by Tom Jacobs at San Francisco Classical Voice
- The King’s Singers entertain with luminous vocals and comic hijinks at Spivey Hall – by Paul Hyde at EarRelevant
- Locke’s 2024 List of Notable Opera Recordings and a Few Non-Operatic Ones - by Ralph Locke in The Arts Fuse
- How a Soprano With Dyslexia Rose to the Heights of Opera - by Javier C. Hernández at NY Times
- Atlanta Symphony Orchestra navigates bold musical contrasts in a concert of grace and grandeur - by Paul Hyde at EarRelevant
- 10 Unmissable Books in the Eastman Studies in Music Series - by Proofed at Boydell and Brewer
- From nightclubs to condoms -- Weird and wonderful opera advertising campaigns - by Alexandra Wilson at BBC Music Magazine
- Student and her 3D-printed instrument harmonize classical music with digital age - by Erin Miller at U Maine News
- Ever heard of an activist opera company? White Snake Project tells new stories through old traditions - by Ryan Yau at Berkeley Beacon
- Hearing the future: All Classical Radio's move downtown is a game changer - by James Bash at Oregon Live
- The maestro and his opera academy in Suzhou - by Chen Nan at China Daily
- Chequamegon Symphony brings diverse orchestral offerings off the beaten trail - by Robin Washington at Wisconsin Public Radio
- The Classical Music Our Critics Can’t Stop Thinking About - by critics at NYTimes.com
- The best classical albums of 2024 so far - by critics at The Times of London
- The Meditative Organ Soundscapes of Kali Malone - by Alex Ross at The New Yorker
- Berlin Philharmonic makes another sublime stand at Symphony Center - by Hannah Edgar at Chicago Tribune
- Angelina Jolie goes full-on diva in a daring, sad turn as Maria Callas - by Ty Burr at Washington Post
- LSO/Volkov review — Lachenmann’s astonishing avant-garde epic - by Geoff Brown at The Times
- Deutsche Grammophon President Promoted with New Strategic Classical Role - by The Violin Channel
- Jon Batiste Scores First No. 1 on Billboard’s Classical Albums Chart With ‘Beethoven Blues’ - by Keith Caulfield at Billboard
- Cincinnati May Festival names Grammy Award-winning soprano as 2025 director - by Cincinnati Business Courier
- Playing by memory: Do soloists ever forget onstage? - by Kurt Loft at TFO
- Royal College of Music connects three disparate pieces - by Sam Smith at musicomh.com
- Atlanta's classical music and jazz faithful enjoy concerts in religious spaces - by Jeff Dingler at ArtsATL
- 'I failed because a term has been created around the type of music I make': Nils Frahm on struggling within the classical music space and navigating the live world - by Danny Turner at Music Radar
- Is this what next generation classical music sounds like? - by Jo Kelly at 34th Street
- BSO's top oboist leads the charge in classical music's #MeToo fight - by Rebecca Ritzel at Baltimore Banner
- Authors talk about their own books in the Eastman Music series - at Proofed
- Former Music Critic Talks About A Unique Career & The Prize In His Name - by Anya Wassenberg at Ludwig van Toronto
- At 80, a Concert Singer Finds Herself a Hot Commodity in Opera - by Corinna da Fonseca-Wollheim at NY Times
Around the US
Gravity Meets Brilliance: Traversing Beethoven’s Violin-Piano Sonatas
SEATTLE – In the intimacy of a 536-seat recital hall, violinist James Ehnes and pianist Orion Weiss performed the full cycle of 10 sonatas over two concerts presented by the Seattle Chamber Music Society, of which Ehnes is artistic director.
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!
AROUND CANADA
INTERNATIONAL
DISC AND STREAM
Bryce Dessner’s ‘Solos’ Recording Is A Paradox: It’s About Connections
DIGITAL REVIEW – The guitarist-composer's latest project is deeply personal, a series of solo works that Dessner calls an “intimate diary.” These miniatures represent special rapport – with a musician, a city, family, all honoring collaboration.
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
Amid The Tour Baggage, Clear Signs Of A Bond Between Maestro, Band
PERSPECTIVE – Even for the much-traveled Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, its recent European trek with music director Rafael Payare stands out for a critical consensus that conductor and orchestra are always on the same page.
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.
