ATLANTA—In an earlier era, the Atlanta Opera couldn’t have undertaken a project on the scale of Wagner’s Ring . But under Tomer Zvulun—general and artistic director of 12 years, and the cycle’s director—the … » Read

LONDON—It should come as no surprise that Barrie Kosky's new Royal Ballet and Opera production of Die Walküre should have its roots firmly in the German-domiciled director’s native Australia. The smoldering tree trunks, so … » Read

As one who frequently stresses the importance of innovative, imaginative productions, Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb has been slow to engage a number of European directors who have significant reputations for doing precisely that. … » Read

LONDON—Spring is in the air in London and so is orchestral music courtesy of Multitudes, the ten-day multidisciplinary arts festival at the Southbank Centre. Underway since April 23, the event is presenting nine orchestras, many of them SBC … » Read

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.— What transpired in Sioux Falls last weekend was a testament to the power of words. In 2022, New Yorker music critic Alex Ross praised the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO) as “bolder and savvier in its … » Read

During the rehearsal period for Juilliard’s mounting of Dialogues des Carmelites , the federal government revoked the visa of a participating student. This encounter with the current administration might have been expected to lend a degree … » Read

SAN FRANCISCO—On a night that began with baby pictures and ended with a balloon drop, San Francisco Symphony’s cherished former Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas got a farewell send-off on April 26 at a packed Davies Symphony Hall. … » Read

LONDON—If the opening concert of Multitudes , a ten-day multidisciplinary arts festival running at London’s Southbank Centre, was a seamless fusion of classical music and circus, the April 24 second night was a rather different kettle … » Read

Musicalizing difficult subject matter can pose tough challenges. These two recordings are good examples of when composers get it right. Songs in Flight Shawn E. Okpebholo’s Songs in Flight was inspired by Freedom on the Move, a database … » Read

LOS ANGELES—Carlos Simon’s Good News Mass , a de facto 50-minute symphonic gospel service combining aspects of the Catholic Mass and Pentecostal fervor, had its world premiere at Walt Disney Concert Hall on April 17. A co-commission … » Read