Tarare is simply one of the most important operas of the Classic era, precisely because it challenges so many aspects of Classic-era “normality.” You won’t believe your ears.
Classical Music
Opera Review: BEMF’s “La storia di Orfeo” — A Musical Triumph
I do not know how BEMF will ever top this. Bravo tutti!
Opera Review: Ready for a Very Different “Faust”? You Should Be!
Even taking into consideration my several objections, this Faust is one of the most accomplished and intriguing opera releases of recent years.
Opera Preview: Opera North’s “All Is Calm” — Peaceful Interlude
All is Calm juxtaposes the gravity (some might say the idiocy) of war with the simple human gestures that the opposing sides extended to each other during a remarkable cease fire.
Opera Review: Pauline Viardot’s and Ivan Turgenev’s First-Rate Fairy Opera Rediscovered
Colorful, characterful, and full of worldly wisdom, The Last Sorcerer—by a skilled and imaginative composer, to a text by the great Russian novelist— receives a superb world-premiere recording, with Met mezzo Jamie Barton and bass-baritone Eric Owens.
Concert Review: Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra at Symphony Hall
The Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra’s first appearance of the season presented canonical selections without a hint of complacency or apathy.
Concert Review: L.A. Philharmonic — Gustavo Dudamel and Yuja Wang
The charmed trifecta of John Adams, Yuja Wang, and Gustavo Dudamel produced a hit, at least to this Boston audience.
Concert Review: Henry Purcell Society — The Delights of Going Mad
The Henry Purcell Society proves that playing mad can be a lot of fun.
Classical CD Reviews: Two Holiday Albums That Strike Like Thunderbolts
These superbly produced — and sung, played, and conducted — holiday music albums are perfect stocking stuffers.
Classical CD Reviews: Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Ives, Conrad Tao’s “American Rage,” and Gianandrea Noseda conducts Shostakovich
Michael Tilson Thomas delivers a towering Ives Fourth; pianist Conrad Tao’s American Rage is hard-edged and defiant, but also poignant and stirring; Gianandrea Noseda’s Shostakovich Fourth is ferocious.