The Boston Early Music Festival returns in person — and in a world-premiere recording of a German Baroque opera.
Ralph Locke
Opera Album Review: The “Fidelio” Story a Year Before Beethoven’s Opera — and in Italian
A new recording of Ferdinando Paër’s Leonora gives us characters we love (or love to hate) in a fresh light
Opera Album Review: The Great Polish National Opera “Halka” Gets a Spirited and Shapely New Recording
Halka struts its stuff, impressively, in this new recording with an all-Polish cast conducted by internationally renowned Gabriel Chmura.
Listening During Covid, Part 7: Celebrating the Diversity of American Music
New CD releases provide splendid performances of remarkable American music, from Barber and Bernstein to recently rediscovered Black composers Florence Price and William Grant Still.
Arts Reconsideration: The 1971 Project — Celebrating a Great Year in Music (September Entry)
Arts Fuse writers continue their countdown of great music celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This month’s list includes such big names as Bob Dylan, ZZ Top, The Who, The Beach Boys, and George Rochberg.
Arts Reconsideration: The 1971 Project — Celebrating a Great Year in Music (August Entry)
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: August Enna’s Wagnerian “Kleopatra” — Revived on Danish Soil After 122 Years
August Enna’s colorful and vividly melodramatic score does justice to the robust exoticism of H. Rider Haggard’s novel.
July Short Fuses – Materia Critica
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Classical CD Review: A Ballet of Human Sacrifice — Set in Ancient Mexico or Post–World War I Germany?
Egon Wellesz’s Weimar era critique of the cruelty of nations that are victorious in war still rings hauntingly true.
Opera Album Review: A Version of One of Rossini’s Finest — Recorded on CD for the First Time
Rossini’s Zelmira is a powerhouse opera that features two coloratura tenors and equally demanding roles for soprano and mezzo.