Music

Classical Music Album Review: Brahms & Schumann and Mozart & Bruch

April 14, 2025
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It is serendipitous that James Ehnes added Brahms’ two viola sonatas to his repertoire; Patrick Messina, Lise Berthaud, and Fabrizio Chiovetta’s new recording of Bruch’s “8 Pieces for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano” serves the piece admirably.

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Classical Music Album Reviews: “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle” and Jean-Yves Thibaudet Plays Khachaturian

April 13, 2025
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A conspicuously inviting account of Béla Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, and a welcome surprise: Aram Khachaturian actually wrote a pretty good piano concerto.

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Album Review: Jason Isbell’s Ruminative “Foxes in the Snow”

April 12, 2025
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One thing, among others, that sets Jason Isbell apart from his country scene contemporaries is that he isn’t afraid to break the all-American code of manly stoicism.

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Musician Interview: Rick Berlin Talks About His New Album “WTF!?,” His Upcoming Show, and Turning 80

April 12, 2025
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Rick Berlin is about to triple dip in the area of major achievements. April 19 marks the release of the Nickel & Dime Band album WTF!?, it is the date of their performance at Brighton Music Hall, and it also marks Berlin’s 80th birthday.

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Opera Album Review: A Delightful Three-Character Opera by Paisiello Recieves Its World-Premiere Recording

April 10, 2025
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A renowned 18th-century master struts his stuff, helped by a skillful young Italian tenor, in an opera first performed in Russia.

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Musician’s Interview: Barry Burns of Mogwai Talks About Stoking “The Bad Fire”

April 8, 2025
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Mogwai’s explosive sound has inspired numerous bands around the world, including in the Boston area. 

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Concert Review: Beth Gibbons — Still an Aching, Spectral Voice

April 7, 2025
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Stripped of trip-hop trappings, Beth Gibbons’s fragile voice commanded through a ghostly filter effect as she sang with edgy emotion, peaking in the tagline, “How can it feel this wrong?”

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Festival Review: Ten Highlights from Big Ears 2025

April 6, 2025
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Despite — or maybe because of — all the global turmoil, an awful lot of compelling music was heard at Big Ears.

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Album Review: The “Horror” of the Mekons

April 4, 2025
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The apocalyptic overtones of the Mekons’ music come across as alarmingly real as ever.

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Latin Jazz Album Reviews: A Trio of Superbly Imaginative Visions

April 4, 2025
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Three powerful albums showcase the imaginative visions of Arturo O’Farrill, The John Santos Sextet & Friends, and Rachel Therrien’s Latin Jazz Project.

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