Jonathan Blumhofer
Nothing, until the very end of the opera, is ever settled or, even, as it seems: this is psychological musical drama writ large and graphically.
Worcester Chamber Music Society is a top-notch chamber ensemble based in central Massachusetts, a region not exactly overflowing with resident, headline-grabbing professional classical music groups.
Camerata Pacifica does right by John Harbison. And when it comes to Beethoven’s music for cello and piano, Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexander Melnikov are tops.
Things are going well with Monadnock Music: before Saturday’s concert kicked off, managing director Christopher Sink announced that the festival had cleared its financial debts as it heads into next year’s 50th anniversary season.
For those who got to know the Discovery Ensemble over its truncated life, this was a vital ensemble, one that regularly embodied all that’s good about classical music.
What’s clear is that something needs to give and, after nearly thirty-five years of labor-management harmony, it’s apparent that the Met’s problems start at the top.
To judge from the BSO’s responsive playing and the audience’s enthusiastic responses, director-designate Andris Nelsons can’t do much wrong these days. Of course, a decade ago, neither could James Levine.
The emphasis of Monadnock’s coming concerts is, quite happily, American music by composers with strong ties to New England. It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate place to hear such fare or a better group of musicians to play it.
Classical CD Review: San Francisco Symphony’s “West Side Story” — A Brashly Invigorating Performance
The music of West Side Story sounds grippingly urgent and colorful as ever in the hands of one of America’s best orchestras and conductors.
Opera Commentary: The Mess at the Met — … curtain!
On the surface, this is a deal that lets both sides go forward having saved face, though a closer look at things suggests that the musicians came out ahead.
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