LONDON—Ravel’s Piano Concerto was an odd pairing for two works by Soviet composers, but this August 15 Prom at Royal Albert Hall was a corker, even if the two halves went together like the proverbial chalk and cheese. That it managed … » Read

Four recent discs of newish orchestral music, much of it conceived on a grand scale, suggest all is well in the world of contemporary composition. Gabriela Ortiz’s new album with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil is a multi-faceted jewel. The … » Read

Every summer the Bard Music Festival offers two consecutive weekends of concerts, panel discussions, lectures, and a volume of scholarly essays devoted to exploring the life and work of a single composer. The subject is often a well-known name, … » Read

LONDON—The BBC Proms season continued apace on August 10, with a neatly themed program by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Royal Albert Hall. Principal Conductor Edward Gardner took water as his inspiration leading three early … » Read

On Aug. 9 the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra (CCO) teamed up with the Kronos String Quartet for a Summermusik Festival program devoted to “trailblazers.” The Kronos, now entering its sixth decade with only one of the original four … » Read

Siddhartha, She bills itself as “A Ritual Music Drama” But at its August 2 Aspen Music Festival world premiere, it was difficult to locate the “drama” in the equation.  The work, with music by Christopher Theofanidis … » Read

SANTA FE—Two of this summer’s productions posed unusual staging challenges for Santa Fe Opera’s indoor-outdoor theater: The Turn of the Screw , in a rare return after more than four decades, and Die Walküre , which marks … » Read

The plot of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s David and Jonathan is standard opera fare—two young people fall in love and face tragic interference by one lover’s father. The West Edge Opera festival’s new staging, however, adds a … » Read

SANTA FE—The plot of The Marriage of Figaro can feel like a dizzying maze of deceptions and deferred revelations—its intricate turns threatening to overwhelm the human stakes. But in Santa Fe Opera’s ingeniously paced staging, … » Read

SANTA CRUZ, California—Last weekend, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music opened its 63rd season. Reaching that number with such an uncompromising mission is an achievement in itself. So is the 50th anniversary of Santa Cruz being … » Read