I am honestly puzzled by the casualness or, at times, ferocity with which some people nowadays reject classical music as inherently narrow or elitist.
Bridge Records
Opera Review: Pauline Viardot’s and Ivan Turgenev’s First-Rate Fairy Opera Rediscovered
Colorful, characterful, and full of worldly wisdom, The Last Sorcerer—by a skilled and imaginative composer, to a text by the great Russian novelist— receives a superb world-premiere recording, with Met mezzo Jamie Barton and bass-baritone Eric Owens.
Classical CD Review: Best Opera Recording of the Year — Or is it Best Musical?
None of the opera recordings I have reviewed this past year beats this Cradle for dramatic vitality, musical imagination, and ongoing political relevance.
Classical CD Reviews: Pianist Andrew Cooperstock plays Leonard Bernstein and Humperdinck’s “Hänsel und Gretel”
If there’s an essential “Leonard Bernstein at 100” album, this one, so far, is it: excellent performances of relatively unknown music deserving to be heard.
CD Reviews: Andrew Manze conducts Mendelssohn and Charles Wuorinen’s Eighth Symphony et al.
No orchestra in this country embraces the challenges of Charles Wuorinen’s hyper-intellectual style better than the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Fuse CD Note: Pianist Gilbert Kalish — As Usual, Distinguished and Appealing Performances
Gilbert Kalish’s recital is as distinguished and appealing as one would expect.
Classical Music CD Review: A Shure Thing
Fans of classical piano should find this collection of performances by something of an institution around Boston a rare delight.