This Judicial Review deals with the Boston premiere of John Harbison’s opera version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby. Read the reactions and join the conversation.
May 202013
May 162013
The selection of Andris Nelsons, 34, as the BSO’s next chief is an inspired choice and bold, and not just because of his age.
May 062013
The return to the standard repertoire, which, since January, has been the orchestra’s primary focus, is safe, unassuming, and (potentially, at least) creatively stifling.
May 032013
John Harbison’s The Great Gatsby gets its long-overdue Boston premiere, as does Jan Dismas Zelenka’s 1739 Missa Votiva. Handel’s Jephtha returns to the Handel and Haydn Society after a century and a half, and the Walden Chamber Players explore music from Cuba.
May 012013
Generally in New England we’re outspoken about nearly everything – politics, social issues, sports – so why not the arts?
Apr 292013
The Boston Lyric Opera’s production of “The Flying Dutchman” may not the subtlest you will see — the Freudian elements are slathered on pretty thick — but the nervy dramatic concept adds to our understanding of the opera without compromising its core elements.
Apr 242013
Next season’s stale programming certainly derives from the BSO’s lack of a music director guiding and shaping the overall course of the season.
Apr 162013
Indeed, for much of the latter part of his career, Colin Davis was that rarest of breeds, a conductor seemingly without ego, one who made music simply for the love of it.
Apr 152013
Sunday’s concert had the Discovery Ensemble and conductor Courtney Lewis playing with uncommon vigor and focus: this was one of the most exciting symphonic performances that any local orchestra has given this season.
Mar 282013
A busy month that includes a pair of appearances by composer/conductor Oliver Knussen, turns by stellar pianists Evgeny Kissin and Lars Vogt. Also, the final concert this season in the admirable Music for Food Series.
Mar 262013
Boston Musica Viva presented an invigorating (if early) conclusion to the season, providing an ear-catching snapshot of chamber music written in the last thirty-plus years.
Mar 252013
Daniele Gatti’s management of the orchestra – the unfolding of melodic lines and instrumental textures – was particularly noteworthy, matched here with a keen sensitivity to the music’s expressive detail: this was a riveting performance.
Mar 212013
The winter doldrums may be upon us, but the first few months of 2013 have been anything but uninteresting when it comes to releases from Harmonia Mundi (HM).
Mar 162013
This album manages to impressively realize the depth and versatility of John Adams’s music for string quartet. It also announces the arrival of a phenomenal ensemble that plays with a mix of maturity, adventure, and musical insight: this is a group to follow closely and cheer.
Mar 012013
March is a month to hear amazing pianists – Jeremy Denk, George Li, Charlie Albright, Jeffrey Swann, Wu Han, and Lydia Artymiw – as well as inspiring choruses and unusual chamber music
Feb 252013
Handel and Haydn artistic director Harry Christophers placed a composer who is familiar, but not always the focus of attention, front and center, and, in the process, reminded us just how good a musician Haydn was.
Feb 222013
In the slow third movement, Mr. Zander, the BPO, and the Symphony seemed to really be in sync: the music breathed, sighed, sang, and unfolded at a natural pace that brought out the best in everybody.
Feb 062013
In an effort to give the proceedings an intimate, salon feel, the Symphony Hall stage was dotted with a couple of potted plants, three armchairs, and a pair of music stands; the cavernous environ of the space was still very much present, but one appreciated the effort to minimize it, even if only partially successful.