Pondering the state of classical music, especially opera, in a post-Covid world is not a happy pastime. Indeed, one wonders when, if ever, it will again be possible to see operas we want to see—including demanding ones of ample … » Read

While the majority of this year’s summer festivals either pulled back to a handful of chamber concerts or recycled content from previous years, the Salzburg Summer Festival showed considerable grit and determination by announcing a … » Read

With so many artists and broadcasters finding themselves with time on their hands, lockdown has been quite a time for podcasts. What makes Aaron Cohen’s Embrace Everything—The World of Gustav Mahler stand head and shoulders above the … » Read

David Lang is an insatiably prolific composer. At any given point in time, it seems, there is a world premiere of a Lang piece happening somewhere. His website lists 24 choral or vocal works of various lengths coming out in the last five years … » Read

San Francisco Symphony amassed an impressive catalog of recordings on its SFS label during Michael Tilson Thomas’ 25-year marathon run—Mahler and Schumann symphony cycles; Beethoven; lots of Charles Ives, and other American composers, … » Read

MILAN--After three months of silence, Italy’s opera companies are making a comeback. The lockdown in Europe has, for now, brought the health crisis under control, so the government gave socially distanced live performances the green light … » Read

Orchestras may have fallen silent but, with lockdown restrictions slowly easing, chamber ensembles have been slowly re-emerging—if not in the concert hall, then at least in the recording studio. The result has been a steady flow of new … » Read

MADRID, Spain--The pandemic is wreaking havoc on the performing arts world, but from June 17 to June 28 the Teatros del Canal went forward with the 35 th Madrid Dance Festival. Six recently made full-length works, created and performed by Spanish … » Read

Despite its impact on live performances, the COVID-19 crisis has failed to stem the tide of new recordings, and especially new recordings of new music. As this latest crop proves, new music is hardly the sole province of the young. From George … » Read

What a difference six weeks makes. The May 3 Bang on a Can online marathon was a generally consoling event, reflective, but full of hope for some kind of return to normality. Since then a lot has happened, little of it hopeful, which at times … » Read