Sir Simon Rattle
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, television, film, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Sir Simon Rattle and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra solve the riddle of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 7. The conductor and the London Symphony Orchestra also offer a refreshingly impish, characterful traversal of music by Kurt Weill.
Sir Simon Rattle’s latest traversal of Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony is something special; Pianist Aurélien Pontier’s stylish disc is a celebration of the music of fin de siècle Vienna.
Sir Simon Rattle revisits the music of Benjamin Britten and Elim Chan once again draws on her remarkable ear for detail.
The biggest musical takeaway was the sheer brilliance of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s playing, which is the gold standard.
Commentary: Best Classical Performances of 2016
Picks for the top live classical performances of 2016. Feel free to agree, disagree, add to them, come up with your own list, etc.
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