Skewering The Critics: It’s Wry Retribution For Long History Of Vitriol
LOS ANGELES – It was only a matter of time before some alleged victims of critical abuse would counter with an entertainment. Thus The Music Critic, a reading with music starring John Malkovich, takes aim at the merchants of venom.
A Simpatico Pair Meet Again In Gershwin, But It Don’t Mean A Thing
LOS ANGELES – Russian-German pianist Igor Levit and Hong Kong-born conductor Elim Chan had partnered happily before, but their reunion in the semi-classical, semi-jazz Concerto in F with the LA Philharmonic was not a swinging affair.
Shostakovich Concertos Forge Fierce Connection Between Eras Of Terror
BOSTON – With cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Latvian-born conductor Andris Nelsons led the Boston Symphony in both Shostakovich concertos, an emotional reminder of the link between the composer's harrowing time and the present.
Three Virgins Walk Into A Bar…Er, Throne Room, In Opera With A Unicorn
NEW YORK – Kate Soper’s fresh and witty chamber opera The Hunt, for three sopranos, violin, ukulele, and electronic sounds, uses a medieval legend, tweaked with 21st-century detail, to examine the role of women in a patriarchal world.
Baroque Meets Drag When A Bass-Baritone Delights As ‘Countess’
SEATTLE – Center stage stood, sang, bantered, and pranced the towering bass-baritone John Taylor Ward, a dedicated early-music vocalist and creator of The Countess, a drag persona who on this occasion sang Purcell, Handel, and others.
As Music Director Bows, A Welcoming City Turns Red, White, And Thrilled
MINNEAPOLIS – The tallest buildings that make up the skyline of Minneapolis displayed sparkling red and white, the hues of the Danish flag, as Thomas Søndergård took up the baton to succeed Osmo Vänskä at the helm of the Minnesota Orchestra.
Ever Boldly Baroque, Troupe Brings Its Style To Rare Caccini Opera
CHICAGO – Devoted to the presentation of 17th- and 18th-century operas with both period instruments and period staging, Haymarket Opera Company turned its meticulous craftsmanship to La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina.
‘(R)evolution’ Revisited: Steve Jobs Opera Gets A Compelling Renewal
SAN FRANCISCO – Highlighted by baritone John Moore's portrayal of Apple's engineering genius, the San Francisco Opera's take on Mason Bates' music drama struck me as more appealing and fresher than the premiere in Santa Fe in 2017.
Elemental Recipe Was Not Easy: 5 Composers, Violinist, New York Phil
NEW YORK – The U.S. premiere of The Elements – the work of Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer, Jake Heggie, Jennifer Higdon, and Jessie Montgomery – saw all five present to hear violinist Joshua Bell and the Philharmonic conducted by Jaap van Zweden.
Octogenarians Meet, And A World Premiere Shows Vitality Of Both
CHICAGO – Philip Glass, 86, composer of The Triumph of the Octagon, was not on hand, but very much in attendance to lead the music's elegant unveiling by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra was conductor Riccardo Muti, 82.
Schubert Transfigured: Dramatized Song Cycle Taps Heart Of Mortality
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.
60 Years On, Exploring Resonance Between John Cage And Japan
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.
‘10 Days In Madhouse’ Isn’t Just Opera Of Mad Scenes; It’s, Well, Odd
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.
Bird-Catching As Opera: Alfresco ‘Nightingale’ Offers Sly Morality Tale
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.
At Ground Zero, A New Performing Arts Center Enfolds The Multitudes
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.
Orchestra Celebrating Its Birth And Its House Also Showcases Growth
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.
‘Butterfly’ Undergoes Sensitivity Correction, But It’s Still ‘Butterfly’
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.
In Bravura Met Recital, Grand Wagnerian Voice Essays Intimate Finesse
NEW YORK – Over the past four years, Met Opera audiences have heard the refulgent-voiced Norwegian soprano Lisa Davidsen, now a favorite, sing the likes of Wagner's Eva and Strauss' Marschallin. Her season-opening recital was a joy.
On Vast Montana Vista, Chamber Music Invokes An Unexpected Intimacy
FISHTAIL, Mont. – Located on a 12,500-acre ranch, Tippet Rise Art Center offers music in venues with seating for no more than 150 people. Expansive views and monumental sculptures that punctuate the landscape provide the sublime ambience.
In A Sunny Vale Where Hemingway Sheltered, Free Concerts Resound
SUN VALLEY, Idaho – Offering entirely open orchestra and chamber music programs since its inception nearly four decades ago, the Sun Valley Music Festival has grown into the largest privately funded, admission-free festival in the U.S.
