MILAN--Switzerland emerged relatively unscathed from Europe's first wave of Covid-19 last spring. Now that a second wave is ripping through the continent, however, the nation is on the ropes, its health system reportedly close to the saturation … » Read

With public performances remaining severely curtailed, not to mention the travel bans still in place, frustrated artists are finding new ways to communicate, often using newly available technology for remote, real-time collaborations. Meredith … » Read

Toward the end of his life, Richard Wagner told his wife he believed his works would be “dropped” after his death, that he would “live on in human memory only as a phantom.” This from a musician whose influence on art, … » Read

Of all the recordings in the Cleveland Orchestra’s vast catalog, its latest may be its most authentic, its most honest. Captured live at Severance Hall in March, the concert pairing Schubert’s Great Symphony in C and Krenek’s … » Read

MILAN—Last February, Italy became the first country to close theaters nationally due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Now, a second wave of the virus is sweeping through Europe; on Saturday, as Italy registered 20,000 daily cases (four times the … » Read

Pandemic aside, there is still a decent flow of recorded music coming to light, some of it featuring substantial orchestral works written by living composers. From guitar concertos and Latin-American dances to a haunting exploration of loss, each … » Read

Yuval Sharon, recently named artistic directo r of the Michigan Opera Theatre (MOT), among other plaudits, has brought his cutting-edge sensibilities to Twilight: Gods , a new production/reinterpretation of Götterdämmerung . Normally … » Read

“In 2020, making opera suddenly got harder,” flashes the opening subtitle. True, but while the U.S. is still making do with opera at the drive-in, over in Europe the artform is taking its first steps towards a new normal. For … » Read

MILAN -- One positive outcome of the pandemic’s restrictions has been the chance to hear new and unusual repertoire in Milan. Riccardo Chailly and the Filarmonica della Scala, relieved of pressure to fill seats (La Scala's audience has been … » Read

While the pandemic has made it tricky for orchestras to perform, it has been a little easier for chamber groups, hence the recent deluge of new recordings by small ensembles, many of them offering repertoire by living composers. Top billing goes … » Read