Classical Music
This was an epic performance of an epic piece, steeped in Brucknerian character.
Andris Nelsons’s conception of Strauss’s Tod und Verklärung was impressive, marked by strong contrasts of character, flexibility of phrasing, and a commendable grasp of musical space.
I’m not entirely sure if Enigma just adds up to the sum of its parts or if it, in fact, exceeds them. Either way, it is music of stirring, striking originality.
For Benjamin Zander and his musicians – as for all of us – it was a strange, even desperate, several months.
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
This is an all-English album whose strongest moments are mighty and who’s most intriguing piece is a revelation.
Major works for saxophone in world-premiere recordings featuring virtuoso Paul Cohen and his brilliant colleagues.
A packed, wide-ranging conversation with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter that touches on several subjects, from a lifelong love of jazz to her verdict on John Williams’ Violin Concerto no. 2.
Some tracks work better than others, but Maya Beiser’s larger effort succeeds in presenting Glass’s music in a more nuanced – and musically complex – light.
A thoughtfully conceived, technically excellent, beautifully recorded, and expressively rich album that celebrates 20th-century piano music by (mostly) American composers.
Design and Visual Arts: Affordable Housing, By Design