Music

Film Review: “Fire Music: A History of the Free Jazz Revolution” — Informative but Incomplete

August 19, 2021
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What’s on the screen rings true, but Fire Music falls short of being fair to history.

Jazz Album Review: “Relief: A Benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America’s Musicians’ Emergency Fund”

August 18, 2021
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There’s a pleasing variety in this collection, which serves up valuable music that might not have otherwise been heard.

Arts Reconsideration: The 1971 Project — Celebrating a Great Year in Music (August Entry)

August 17, 2021
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Arts Fuse writers continue their countdown of great music celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This month’s especially eclectic list includes The Allman Brothers Band, Roy Brown, Black Sabbath, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

Opera Album Review: A First-Rate World-Premiere Recording of a Short Baroque Opera about the Young Aeneas

August 14, 2021
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I don’t recall encountering a recent Baroque recording that is sung with such a fine balance of smoothness and character.

Opera Album Review: A Rossini “Semi-Serious” Opera That Works Like a Charm

August 11, 2021
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This new recording would be a great, and inexpensive, way to enter the sound world of Rossini’s mature operas.

Opera Album Review: An Italian Comic Opera, or Is It a German One? You Decide

August 9, 2021
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Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari’s delightful 1906 comic opera, via the first recording of the version heard at the work’s premiere.

Opera Album Review: An Important Early Opera by the Composer of “Cavalleria Rusticana”

August 3, 2021
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I felt at times that I was listening to the Italian equivalent of a Broadway musical, though a serious rather than jolly one.

Classical Album Reviews: John Adams’ Chamber Symphonies — Built on Trust

August 3, 2021
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BMOP’s performances of three John Adams chamber symphonies, all conducted by music director Gil Rose, offer welcome, distinctive takes on the triptych.

Concert Review: Newport Jazz Festival 2021 — A Musical Affirmation

August 3, 2021
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Both Newport festivals rose to the challenge of restoring live music in a year that made it difficult and welcome.

Classical Album Review: Sibelius Tone Poems — Focused and Bold Performances

July 31, 2021
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The Norwegian soprano’s execution of the vocal line in Luonnotar is nothing short of astounding.

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