In the digital program for the new opera Eat the Document , the creative team—librettist, composer, stage director, musical director––offers a piece of advice: “If you haven’t already read the book, we highly … » Read

The Met’s new production of Aida , seen at its New Year’s Eve premiere, registered as an admission of defeat in the face of Verdi’s dramatic conventions. If director Michael Mayer had had any insights into the workings of the … » Read

A conductor, pianist, and bassist, Rotterdam and Israel Philharmonic Music Director Lahav Shani has many talents. Enlivening a weary Chicago Symphony appears to be one of them. In June, Shani powerfully closed out the CSO subscription season, a … » Read

LONDON—As the new chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano has made British music a key component of his opening season. This December 15 concert at the Barbican Centre—a program of major works by Vaughan … » Read

Asmik Grigorian, the Lithuanian soprano who made a stunning debut at the Metropolitan Opera last spring as Madama Butterfly , returned to New York on Dec. 12 with an all-Russian program of songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff in Zankel Hall, … » Read

Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou’s December 12 recital, at the Park Avenue Armory’s Veterans Room, lasted just 75 intermission-less minutes but was so thoroughly satisfying that it felt like the most sumptuous of feasts. The … » Read

Recent New York appearances by the Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra offered Alex Ross, The New Yorker’s classical music critic, an opportunity to compare and contrast the two ensembles and their lustrous conductors. … » Read

LONDON—The late Sir Andrew Davis (1944-2024) achieved household name status as an avuncular figurehead for the Last Nights of the Proms over several decades. Known for his wit as well as his craft, from 1989 to 2000 he was chief conductor … » Read

CHICAGO— Between 1918 and 1921, Arnold Schoenberg organized the Society for Private Musical Performances in Vienna. The group’s credo was simple: Premiere works should be performed more than once to be properly absorbed and assessed. … » Read

As was the case in Santiago , the music season is coming to a close in Buenos Aires, with a new production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera as the season finale, together with a flurry of concerts representing the breadth of interest in this … » Read