Music
The Conservatory’s Contemporary Improvisation program is one of the best things we have in New England music, and if you’ve lived for any length of time in the Boston area without attending one of its concerts, you’ve missed an important experience.
Leon Fleisher was part of an outburst of great North American pianists. Many were ill-fated, but, as this commanding box set proves, Fleisher stayed the course.
Satoko Fujii’s quartet could go from 0 to 100 at the drop of a hat, but only once in a while, and nearly always at the perfect time.
In Hesitation Marks, Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor foregoes trendy flourishes. He might have delivered a set of competently-made, stripped-back industrial tunes. But the end result is monotony.
Christian Gerhaher is, perhaps, the great Mahler baritone of his generation, while Bruckner is, perhaps, a surprising choice for conductor Kent Nagano, whose championship of new music is legendary.
Jessie Reijonen’s eclectic and spacious approach to jazz is a deliberate attempt to investigate, not necessarily fuse, his disparate roots.
Pianist Marc Cary came to Sculler’s to play the neglected compositions of celebrated singer Abbey Lincoln.
For classical music lovers, the opening of the concert season was synonymous with flutist Fenwick Smith’s annual recitals.
An evening that showed yet again how pop (even “modern” pop) can serve as nourishment for new jazz.
Classical Music Commentary: Boston’s Lost Opportunity — How the BSO Board Chose Charles Munch over Leonard Bernstein