Performing Arts

Benjamin Zander‘s new recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (“Benjamin Zander Conducts Beethoven Symphony No. 9 ‘Choral'” available on Brattle Media) is the result of a lifetime’s study of Beethoven’s score. But spend any time with Zander and you come to realize both how absorbed by the music he is, and how his study of it […]

NEW YORK—Musicals may or may not have much to do with real life, and “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever” is certainly one of the latter. Yet it exudes a charm that enables reincarnations of the show to appear from time to time. There was the 1970 Barbra Streisand movie, a Harry Connick […]

Kill off your story’s heroine? You misogynist! Some critics seem to accept as fact the theory that if a heroine in a literary work dies, the author is, categorically, an oppressor of women. And the situation is even worse in opera. Charlotte Higgins’s 2016 article in The Guardian lists a number of opera heroines (12 […]

NEW YORK—Having the perfect vision for your artistic endeavor is all well and good. However, buying into someone else’s vision and taking it on as your own can be somewhat dangerous. Rinne Groff’s very involving drama, “Fire in Dreamland,” now at the Public Theater, explores this point. Kate (Rebecca Naomi Jones) is a burned-out event planner, […]

The fall 2018 season at the Metropolitan Opera brings both familiar and lesser-known works, performed by world-class artists. ‘Samson et Dalila’  The season begins with the first new Met production in 20 years of “Samson et Dalila” by Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921). The title roles will be played by mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca and tenor Roberto Alagna, […]

The Austrian-German symphonic canon goes something like this: Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Bruckner, and Mahler. Yet, if we consider the piano concerto, we run out of names after Brahms. The later history of the piano concerto is with composers born outside of this tradition, and other Austrian-German composers writing in the same […]

This year marks the 100th birthday of Birgit Nilsson (1918–2005), who died at age 87. To honor the legendary soprano considered the finest Wagnerian of her generation, directors  Thomas Voigt and Wolfgang Wunderlich have created an excellent video biography on a Unitel Editions DVD, titled “Birgit Nilsson: A League of Her Own.” There have also been […]

PRAGUE—According to critics, Czech ballerina Tereza Podarilova shone as Tatiana in “Onegin,” and as Katherine in “The Taming of the Shrew,” created by the world-famous choreographer John Cranko. She won Thalia Awards for both roles. Born in Prague, Podarilova studied at the Dance Conservatory of the City of Prague, and after internships in Germany, she […]

Richard J. Miller, president of The Metropolitan Opera Guild, has dubbed soprano Anna Netrebko an “authentic 21st-century superstar.” Few would disagree with that assessment or the choice of Netrebko as the honoree of the 84th Annual Guild Luncheon to be held Oct. 26, 2018. Past honorees include Renée Fleming, Grace Bumbry, Mirella Freni, Sherrill Milnes, […]

CANBERRA—Sitting in a café in Australia’s capital, Rebecca Jiang looks like any other young woman having a casual brunch on a Sunday. You wouldn’t imagine that she has already traveled around the world after mastering the various forms of classical Chinese dance and is now an established dancer for Shen Yun Performing Arts. Jiang, whose […]

Francesco Gasparini (1661–1727) is not a household name—yet—though we are already discovering what a big influence he had on later composers, namely Handel. On the disc “The Gasparini Album: Opera Arias,” engaging performances of arias from soprano Roberta Invernizzi, musical ensemble Auser Musici, which explores 16th- and 17th-century works, and its conductor Carlo Ipata (on Glossa) range widely over the career […]

NEW YORK—The story of a man falling for the wrong woman is an oft-told tale, so the key to this kind of tale’s effect is in just how it’s presented. Classic Stage Company’s offering of the 1943 Broadway musical “Carmen Jones,” which features a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and music from Georges […]

NEW YORK—We might form certain notions in our minds about famous people from the way they have been written about in history books, presented in the media, or talked about in everyday conversation. But if we see their autographs—their handwriting in a document, a fleeting note, or an intimate letter—our notions about them may change. […]

NEW YORK—After being introduced to this dysfunctional family, one wonders if there will ever be peace for Mary Frances, the family matriarch, who lies slowly dying of a respiratory disease. Her caretakers include her daughter Fanny (Johanna Day), a recovering heroin addict on methadone for some years, who can be forgetful. She’s failed to connect […]

NEW YORK—“Loverly” through and through, the Broadway revival of the 1956 musical “My Fair Lady” shows itself to be a good fit for the 21st century. Special credit must go to director Bartlett Sher for allowing the underlying messages of the musical to shine through in this new production. With book and lyrics by Alan […]

The Polish composer Pawel Lukaszewski is 50 this year, and, in celebration, the Tenebrae choir and its director Nigel Short released a disc of Lukaszewski’s sacred choral music, “Daylight Declines,” on the Signum Classics label. While Lukaszewski’s output includes music in a wide variety of genres, including four symphonies, it is for his choral music that he is best known […]

It’s never too late to pick up a musical instrument. In fact, there are many reasons why it’s a great idea, particularly in old age. We normally hear about reasons to increase music education for children, and for good cause. There are many cognitive and social benefits to playing an instrument that aid a child’s development. Consequently, […]

NEW YORK—Coming off of the drama of the NBA Finals and the fresh picks of its annual draft, one ponders Shakespeare’s oft-quoted phrase “such stuff as dreams are made on.” Whether in sports or music, the intriguing fascination is with the question: How do talented players become stars? Ironically, when speaking of soloists, it is […]

An illuminating glimpse at the music Mozart heard in London during his visit in 1764–65, the two-disc set “Mozart in London” from Ian Page and The Mozartists on Signum Classics is the fruits of their Mozart festival in London in 2015, held as part of their ongoing “Mozart 250″ celebrations. The festival commemorated the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s London visit with programs […]

Xian Yun Academy of the Arts California held its year-end dance recital and art exhibit at the renowned Herbst Theatre on June 1 in San Francisco. Dr. Sherry Zhang, the school principal, said, “We were not just there to admire the beauty and to be entertained, but also to celebrate the achievements of the whole […]