LONDON—The February 25 Philharmonia concert at London’s Festival Hall saw the welcome return of Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, the orchestra’s conductor laureate, alongside pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. They … » Read

Gustavo Dudamel conducted Beethoven’s Missa solemnis with the Los Angeles Philharmonic last weekend in Disney Hall, his maiden voyage with the composer’s most demanding work, and arguably the summit of his farewell season. When Klaus … » Read

LONDON—Budget cuts and an involuntary relocation by Arts Council England may have pulled the rug out from under the English National Opera, but forced to make something out of not a great deal, it seems to be enjoying an unexpected golden … » Read

LONDON—It’s hard to imagine a more quintessentially British outfit than the BBC Symphony Orchestra, nor a conductor more Italian than Daniele Rustioni; yet when on February 13 these European musicians brought a 1950s urban New York to … » Read

CHICAGO—Upon entering Orchestra Hall on February 10, audience members were handed something in addition to the evening’s program: a pencil. That was the first hint that Emily — No Prisoner Be wasn’t going to be “your … » Read

The Great Wave , an opera by composer Dai Fujikura and librettist Harry Ross, presents a series of vignettes from the life and death of the artist Katsushika Hokusai, best known for the iconic print that gives the composition its name. Premiered … » Read

SAN FRANCISCO—As the San Francisco Symphony soldiers on in search of a new music director, a revitalized identity, and a proposed renovation of Davies Symphony Hall, one of the organization’s programs is thriving. SoundBox concerts, … » Read

PARIS—The superb production of Werther at the Opéra Comique last month was a veritable team effort headed by conductor Raphaël Pichon, who has brought his orchestra Pygmalion to the forefront of the period-instrument movement. … » Read

SAN FRANCISCO—It’s not often that clothes match the style and mood of a concert. But such was the case on Thursday, February 5, in a splendid all-Mozart bill performed by the San Francisco Symphony. Conductor Harry Bicket made the … » Read

Iván Fischer, leading his Budapest Festival Orchestra on February 6 in the first of two Carnegie Hall concerts, began the evening with a droll surprise. The billed program-opener was Summa by Arvo Pärt, current holder of … » Read