The widespread disdain for Robert LePage’s 2012 treatment of the Ring cycle at the Met, recently revived,  has largely overshadowed his earlier, more successful staging of Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust . The French … » Read

“When I am laid in earth,” Dido sings just before she dies at the end of Purcell’s famous opera. Rarely has the aria been heard in a more fittingly sepulchral setting than when the hour-long opera, composed in the 1680s, is … » Read

On Wednesday,the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would be reviewing the two key music licensing agencies, ASCAP and BMI, to determine if their consent decrees, granted 75 years ago, were still relevant to the way the music industry … » Read

For the first time in a decade, the State of Illinois’s capital budget is proposing major expenditures in the arts. More than $60m out of a total of $45b has been identified for arts-related projects. The capital funds for the arts are … » Read

Too busy to commit to a multi-concert subscription, or too financially strapped to spring for more than a concert at a time? The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) has a solution for you. Music lovers unable to take advantage of the discounts … » Read

If you find the prospect of sitting through Wagner’s entire Ring cycle daunting, then you will at all costs want to avoid the Licht cycle of Karlheinz Stockhausen. Written over a 25-year-period beginning in 1978,  it includes an opera … » Read

Democratic lawmakers in Maryland are urging Republican Governor Larry Hogan [pictured] to release $1.6 million in funding set aside for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Eighteen senators and 54 delegates have signed a letter indicating that, … » Read

The Sarasota (FL) Orchestra (SO) may be forced to move outside of city limits. Bowing to pressure from a coalition of tennis players and park proponents--DBA as "Preserve Payne Park"--the Sarasota City Commission on May 20 turned down the … » Read

With hundreds of performances at the Edinburgh Fringe , standing out from the crowd presents a challenge. The Mumble , a website, is offering performers “a digitally sophisticated” review and interview for £50 ($65). A review … » Read

As anticipated, Apple CEO Tim Cook in a speech today about upcoming product changes announced that iTunes, which kicked off the digital downloading, then streaming revolution when it launched 16 years ago, is to be phased out. Instead of iTunes, … » Read