Virgil Thomson
Two new recordings and one much-welcome re-release contain first-rate performances of Haydn’s 1798 “Lord Nelson” Mass, Dello Joio’s opera about Joan of Arc, and Virgil Thomson’s astonishing musical portraits of Alice B. Toklas, Picasso, and others.
Odyssey Opera’s first commercially-released album is a fun showcase; BMOP delivers an excellent performance of Four Saints in Three Acts.
The Library of America volumes of Virgil Thomson’s writings will help reestablish him as one of the 20th century’s preeminent musical scribes.
Hardly any of the under-60s generation can tell you who Serge Koussevitzky was or what his legacy consists of.
Tim Page on a generous sampling of Virgil Thomson’s best music criticism – trenchant, outspoken, oftentimes delightfully clever, and always assured.
Classical Commentary: “Rethinking the Repertoire” — An Introduction
It’s one of the enduring ironies of classical music that so much of today’s repertoire was written by such a small number of people..
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