Jonathan Blumhofer

Classical CD Reviews: Camerata Pacifica plays John Harbison; Jean-Guihen Queyras and Alexander Melnikov perform Beethoven

September 8, 2014
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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.

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Opera Commentary: The Mess at the Met — … curtain!

August 22, 2014
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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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Fuse Concert Review: Monadnock Music’s Season Finale — The Stuff of Inspiration

August 18, 2014
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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.

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Classical Music Commentary: Closing Thoughts on the Discovery Ensemble

August 7, 2014
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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.

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Music Commentary: The Mess at the Met

July 27, 2014
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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.

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Concert Review: Violinist Joshua Bell and Conductor-Designate Andris Nelsons at Tanglewood

July 22, 2014
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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.

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Fuse Concert Review: Opening Night at the Monadnock Festival, Peterborough Town House

July 14, 2014
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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.

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Classical CD Review: San Francisco Symphony’s “West Side Story” — A Brashly Invigorating Performance

July 9, 2014
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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.

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Classical CD Reviews: Mozart’s “Haydn” Quartets and James Gaffigan conducts Dvorak (Harmonia mundi), plus James Brawn plays Beethoven (MSR Classics)

July 9, 2014
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Cuarteto Casals brings out Mozart’s playfulness, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester delivers a solid Dvorak’s Sixth, and James Brawn continues to brilliantly play Beethoven’s piano sonatas.

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Fuse Concert Review: Commonwealth Lyric Theater’s “Mozart and Salieri”

June 13, 2014
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The Commonwealth Lyric Theater has again brought to the fore an underperformed, unfamiliar masterpiece well worth getting to know. Good for them and lucky for us.

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