This album led me to choose, for a summer project, to listen to all of the music of Janáček — and it has been a complete delight.
Classical Music Review: At BEMF, Benjamin Bagby and Sequentia Seduce with Charms and Riddles
Thanks to BEMF for once again presenting Benjamin Bagby, who seems incapable of serving up anything but a wonderfully memorable experience.
Opera Review: Boston Early Music Opera’s “Orlando” — Divine Madness
This entertaining opera is a real soap opera, given that it chronicles the fallout of the passionate protagonist’s unrequited love.
Classical CD Review: “Letters From Gettysburg” — A Powerful Plea for Compassion
Letters from Gettysburg is an extraordinarily haunting five-movement work that elevates the experience of one man into a memorial to all victims of war.
Concert Music Review: Violinist Itzhak Perlman and Pianist Evgeny Kissin — An Odd Dream Team
A bit surprising — that two megastars choose such meat and potatoes repertoire.
Classical Music Interview: Cellist Steven Isserlis
The cellist is a member of a tribe of fabulous players/singers who are funny, thoughtful, opinionated, brilliant, and irreverent.
Opera Review: “Dido and Aeneas” — A Memorable Evening of Purcell
Handel and Haydn Society assembled both a must-hear program and an extraordinary cast of singers.
Opera Review: Boston Lyric Opera’s “The Rape of Lucretia” — Bravi Tutti
The Boston Lyric Opera is mounting a fabulous staging of Benjamin Britten’s visceral opera.
Concert Review: Boston Baroque’s “Jephtha” — The Fate of Youth
Music Director Martin Pearlman had the excellent idea to cut out 6 of the 24 arias to make Jephtha move along, and it paid off.
Classical CD Reviews: Paul Lewis Plays Weber and Schubert, Steven Isserlis and Olli Mustonen Serve Shostakovich
Two highly recommended recordings by well-known artists performing some rather off-the-beaten-path repertoire.