Music
The Mercury Orchestra explored nostalgia, via performances of rare Finzi and familiar Respighi compositions.
“What we didn’t want was just another jazz festival. I hope it never turns into that. We were focused on early jazz, traditional jazz from New Orleans, dating back to the 1920s and 30s, before the advent of the big band era.”
Newport Jazz sold out all three days in advance for the second year in a row, which made scheduling the primary acts across three stages prone to occasional mismatches between space and demand. But it’s still a golden ticket.
Despite the passing years, personal loss, and shifting musical roles, Wednesday’s 80-minute set proved that everything’s indeed ok with TV on the Radio.
By Ralph P. Locke Joachim Raff’s energetic and characterful Die Eifersüchtigen hits its mark, in its first production ever. Joachim Raff: Die Eifersüchtigen (The Jealous Ones) Serafina Giannoni (Donna Rosa), Raìsa Ierone (Donna Bianca), Mirjam Fässler (Ninetta), Benjamin Popson (Don Claudio), Batthias Bein (Beppino), Balduin Schneeberger (Don Giulio), Martin Roth (Don Geronimo). Orchestra of Europe,…
John Williams’s concert music may be intended to enrich and edify, but there’s always room for a little fandom, particularly on occasions like this. At 93, and after a lifetime of firsts, the composer deserves every accolade.
Newport Folk Festival will likely never deliver cameos as ground shaking as those in 2022, when stars aligned for Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon to grace separate tributes. But it doesn’t have to, given that there’s so much talent already on site.
Pianist Yulianna Avdeeva’s recording of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Preludes & Fugues is a testament to that rarest of syntheses: a total identification of a musician with her repertoire. Pianist Marc-André Hamelin and the Takács Quartet release an album that, on so many levels, is simply a joy.
Music by Amy Beach, Leonard Bernstein, Florence Price, John Harbison, and John Williams: this Boston Landmarks Orchestra concert had a little something for everyone.
Jazz Artist Appreciation: Sheila Jordan (1928-2025)
Each time I heard Sheila Jordan sing live, I remember being spellbound, embraced, dazzled, awestruck, and I know I’m not alone.
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