NEW YORK – in Doppelgänger, Claus Guth’s staging of Schubert’s Schwanengesang, raw feeling and stark drama trumped the politeness of a recital as tenor Jonas Kaufmann, with a pianist and dancers, embodied a soldier facing death.
PERSPECTIVE – As the Met Opera unveils an impressive take on Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking, other companies are cueing works by this lyrical and resourceful composer who keeps pushing to bring new perspectives to his art.
NEW YORK – In 1962, composer John Cage, the legendary pioneer of "chance" music, stepped off a plane in Tokyo and into an artistic dialogue that will be renewed when the Japan Society presents a festival celebrating Cage and that historic visit.
PHILADELPHIA – Madness has become such a complicated subject in opera that a new addition by composer Rene Orth and librettist Hannah Moscovitch struggled to encompass everything it wants to say at Opera Philadelphia’s Festival O23.
NEW YORK – A witty, lyrical updating of Hans Christian Andersen's classic, Song of the Nightingale by composer Lisa DeSpain and librettist Melisa Tien measures personal indulgence against its effect on the wider world.
NEW YORK – Far-ranging music of faith filled a dedicatory concert at the beautiful new Perelman Performing Arts Center, described by civic leaders as a community center for diverse workers and residents and a place for healing from 9/11.
SEATTLE – The Seattle Symphony began its season with a dual anniversary concert marking the 120th year of its founding and a quarter-century in Benaroya Hall. Conductor emeritus Ludovic Morlot's program recalled the original in 1903.
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.
BOSTON – The setting of Boston Lyric Opera's production, starring soprano Karen Chia-Ling Ho, is World War II America. While the balance of power is better, stereotypes remain, and the primary reason to hear the opera is unchanged.
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!
DIGITAL REVIEW – At Play, the third and final disc in this project by pianist Sarah Cahill, which she initiated in 2018, stands out for the many living composers included. It shows her commitment to the series title, The Future is Female.
BOOK REVIEW – What do we want to remember, and how should we? What monument or artwork can appropriately perpetuate a memory? These enigmatic questions underlie Jeremy Eichler's perspective on music in the wake of World War II.
