A certain indoor-outdoor dichotomy graces Olivier Messiaen's epic Des canyons aux étoiles... ( From the Canyons to the Stars... ). Commissioned by Alice Tully in tribute to the 1976 bicentennial, the composer cited the profound natural and … » Read

LOS ANGELES—The banners were out on the exterior facade of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion last Saturday, proclaiming the debut of the Venezuelan/Armenian conductor Domingo Hindoyan as the new music director of LA Opera. He has large shoes to … » Read

In a strange alignment of stars, the Orchestra of the Greek National Opera made its U.S. debut at Carnegie Hall on October 15, the same night Teatro Real’s orchestra appeared a few blocks north at David Geffen Hall. The similarities end … » Read

Austin Opera has ascended to a new level of opera-making. In September, it opened a new headquarters and performance space and launched it on October 1 with the world premiere of its first commission, Ofrenda , by Mexican-born composer Jorge Sosa … » Read

CHICAGO—This is a tough news cycle for any Don Giovanni . After a civil suit last month accused a group of fraternity brothers at Cornell University of gang rape, sexual violence is once again in the headlines. Just hours after Lyric Opera … » Read

CHICAGO—Klaus Mäkelä closed his three-week fall visit to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in spectacular fashion, giving the orchestra and its downtown home, Chicago Symphony Center, a kind of musical road test. The repertoire for … » Read

The Berlin Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor Kirill Petrenko [pictured] stepped away from their usual territory for the gala October 8 opening of the Carnegie Hall season. Instead of a sampling of Germanic classics, they offered an all-Italian … » Read

The Pacific Symphony and its first new music director in 35 years are looking like a promising partnership, according to Orange County Register critic Timothy Mangan. This marks Alexander Shelley's first season since  succeeding longtime … » Read

LONDON—Ancient Greece was at the heart of this October 3 presentation by the BBC Concert Orchestra (BBCCO) at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall. A mixture of old and new, the program had been thoughtfully curated. A pity, then, that the … » Read

The operas of composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang often carry their share of polemics. Their 2018 work An American Soldier is an outraged response to the racist hazing, and eventual suicide, of the Chinese-American G.I. Danny … » Read