When someone recommended to Steven Hassan he write a volume called The Cult of Trump, “it just seemed like the most important book I could write, frankly.”
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Classical CD Reviews: Rattle conducts Bruckner, Jurowski conducts Mahler, and Fischer conducts Saint-Saëns
Simon Rattle’s Bruckner is, on the whole, lean and lively; if you’re looking for a new Mahler Four, Vladimir Jurowski’s is the one to check out; Thierry Fischer leads performances of each symphony that take Saint-Saëns’ writing seriously.
Book Review: Biographies of Lou Reed and Warren Zevon — Satisfying Lives of Singular Talents
Two recent biographies take very different approaches as they revel in the wild lives and examine the distinctive songs of two of rock music’s most enigmatic figures: Lou Reed and Warren Zevon.
Jazz Album Review: Karl Berger and Jason Kao Hwang “Conjure” Freely
These are two practiced masters at free improvisation. I am confident that many listeners will find them as intriguing and accomplished as I do.
Concert Review: Boston Symphony Orchestra plays Jolas, Ravel, and Shostakovich
In the right hands, Shostakovich’s Twelfth can come off as nothing less than an intriguing, lively symphonic essay.
Author Interview: Pulitzer Prize Winner David W. Blight — Speaking of Frederick Douglass in the Witch City
“You can read Frederick Douglass forever and still just encounter new things, new ideas, new passages, new phrases. He’s that kind of writer. It’s like reading Emerson or even Shakespeare.”
Opera Album Review: A Grand Opera from Late in Gounod’s Career Gets Its First Recording Ever
Gounod was no mere purveyor of gentle sentiments. This 1881 opera, superbly performed, shows plenty of drama and grit.
Music Commentary: The Black Crowes — Redux?
When have the Robinsons ever done what was expected on them? And when have they ever really cared?
Concert Review: Puddles Pity Party — It’s His Party, and He Will Cry If He Wants To
An exhilarating and entertaining evening with Puddles, a most personable and unique clown.
Concert Review: “The Last Waltz 40 Tour” — The Best Approximation Possible
To hear a 13-piece ensemble of this caliber, doing justice to these great songs, was simply hard to beat.
