‘Die Tote Stadt’ Reveals Intimation Of Its Depth In Semi-Staged Concert
BOSTON – Korngold's post-Freudian operatic psychodrama demands to be an organic unit: theater, music, ideas. The Boston Symphony's version, led by Andris Nelsons with Christine Goerke and David Butt Philip, gets at most of that.
In Concert Of Thrillers, Salonen Leads His New Bravura Opus For Organ
CHICAGO – Esa-Pekka Salonen, who enjoys a rare double as eminent conductor and composer, shepherded the Chicago Symphony and organist Iveta Apkalna in his Sinfonia concertante, part of a dazzling mix with works by Strauss and Bartók.
Concert Is Minimalist, Premiere Elementary: ‘Copper Variations’
PORTLAND, Ore. – On a program with the world premiere of Andy Akiho’s motoric but playful new work, the ensemble 45th Parallel Universe offered a kaleidoscope of minimalist-influenced music by Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Daniel Wohl.
Pierre Boulez At 100 Honored In Concerts Writ Large And Small
NEW YORK – A program by Brooklyn’s Talea Ensemble embraced Boulez's creative life from the original 1945 Notations, and the New York Philharmonic under David Robertson spotlighted the composer at his peak with Pli selon pli.
In An Exotic Travelogue, Wafting Down Silk Road With Oslo Wind Players
DIGITAL REVIEW – On a superb CD, the Oslo Kammerakademi performs two colorful works it commissioned, plus two by Saint-Saëns and André Caplet, all evoking Eastern lands from China to Persia (today: Iran), Afghanistan, and Mongolia.
In Dreamscape Concert, French Maestro Weaves Legends And Mysteries
NEW YORK – In an evocative program of Romantic songs and choruses titled "My Dream," 40-year-old countertenor-turned-conductor Raphaël Pichon led the Orchestra of St. Luke's, soprano Ying Fang, and baritone Christian Gerhaher.
2 Composer-Performers Merge Personalities In Rarefied Concert Fare
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Multi-talented composers Caroline Shaw (who sings and plays viola) and Gabriel Kahane (singer-pianist) showcased their new, albeit well-traveled, collaborative work Hexagons, on Jorge Luis Borges' fanciful text.
IN THE NEWS: MCANA MEMBERS' PICKS
- Review: Here comes the next generation of virtuoso pianists - by Mark Swed at LA Times
- At WNO’s American Opera Initiative, an age of anxiety raises its voice - by Michael Andor Brodeur at Washington Post
- Note worthy: Professor's program jump-starts musical aspirations for Dallas-area youth - by Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis at Davidson College News
- The aesthetic of classical music - by Jo Kelly at 34th Street
- Maryland Symphony receives grant to fund Music & Well-Being initiative - by Janis Reeser at Herald-Mail Media
- Virtual reality lets classical audiences inside the orchestra - by Mark Sellman at The Times
- Pianist David Kadouch probes gay composers' hidden loves, through music - by Olivia Hampton at NPR
- Louisville Orchestra remembers its concertmaster with an opera he played in a Nazi concentration camp - by Shira Li Bartov at Jewish Telegraphic Agency
- [Podcast] Weep, shudder, die: The secrets of opera revealed (with Dana Gioia) - by Russ Roberts at EconLib
- Sarasota Concert Association launches its 80th season with Great Performers series - by Jay Handelman at Sarasota Herald-Tribune
- 14 places you need to hear: The world's most weird and wonderful acoustic destinations - by Hannah Nepilova at BBC Music
- After 138 years, Black American composer Edmond Dédé gets his flowers - by Michael Andor Brodeur at Washington Post
- A top pianist and a great composer walk into a bar - by Joshua Barone at NY Times
- At home with Simon Rattle: ‘There are still things I feel are beyond me’ - by Fiona Maddocks at The Guardian
- Schubert Is the Best Cure I Know for Loneliness - by Jonathan Biss at NY Times
- Pearls of great price polished by Rattle and the LSO - by Peter Quantrill at bachtrack
- The Met's 'Aida' star, Angel Blue, talks travel and opera - by Shivani Vora at Forbes
- Two new operas focus on the Black female experience - by Olivia Hampton at NPR
- 100-year-old Ruth Slenczynska is the last surviving pupil of Sergei Rachmaninov - by Maddy Shaw Roberts at Classic FM
- Schoenberg archive incinerated in historic blaze - by Michael Vincent at Ludwig Van
- Did the BSO just find its groove? Look at ticket sales - by Jasmine Vaughn-Hall at The Baltimore Banner
- At home with Simon Rattle: 'There are still things I fear are beyond me' - by Fiona Maddocks at The Guardian
- Otto Schenk, director known for traditional opera productions, dies at 94 - by Ronald Blum at AP News
- A guide to Greater Boston's numerous winter classical music events - by Lloyd Schwartz at WBUR
- Film concerts: Performing movie music live - by David Pogue at CBS News
- A guide to Bang on a Can's revolutionary minimalism - by George Grella at Bandcamp Daily
- Video: The technology powering the iconic Sydney Opera House - by staff at BBC
- Heart-wrenching, joy-inducing and irrepressibly thrilling: our classical critics’ highlights of the year - by writers at The Guardian
- At the Met, a troubled new 'Aida' struggles to rediscover itself - by Michael Andor Brodeur at Washington Post
- Klavierhaus Presents Zeze Xue in Review - by Rorianne Schrade at New York Concert Review
- Bass baritone Christian van Horn stays true to himself - by Victoria Looseleaf at SF Classical Voice
Around the US
Danish Maestro Brings Accent Of Authenticity To Nordic Music Fest
MINNEAPOLIS – While Nielsen concertos figured notably in the Minnesota Orchestra's two-week festival led by music director Thomas Søndergård, the focus was on works by living composers from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.
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
The Boy Mozart’s Riot Of Royalty, Vocal Bling: ‘Mitridate’ Video Glitters
DIGITAL REVIEW – This December 2022 taping of the 14-year-old composer's first important opera, a vocal high-wire act, features Les Musiciens du Louvre led by Marc Minkowski at the Staatsoper Berlin. Its lofty musical values deserve notice.
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
Soprano On Schoenberg And Moonstruck Pierrot: Wein’s Classical Gas 2.0
PERSPECTIVE – In her second podcast, Gail Wein chats with soprano Lucy Shelton, who brings her vast experience with modern music to bear in demonstrating the radical sung-speech vocalism Schoenberg used in his atonal Pierrot lunaire.
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.