MasterVoices under the leadership of Ted Sperling has remained true to the volunteer choral tradition of its predecessor organization, Robert Shaw’s Collegiate Chorale, while embracing other genres, such as musicals, far afield from the … » Read

LOS ANGELES--For the fourth out of the five programs that he’ll conduct during his three-week residency with the Los Angeles Philharmonic this season, Esa-Pekka Salonen, now conductor laureate, chose one that seemed aimed to please. Not … » Read

STRASBOURG—To begin, a question: Why is the technically formidable and musically characterful Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra not a regular recording outfit? Its home, the Palais de la musique et des congrès (PMC), is a venue … » Read

LONG BEACH, California--Franz Kafka’s short story In the Penal Colony  is a surreal little shocker that was published in 1919 just after the end of World War I. It’s about a Visitor from an unnamed country who is invited to … » Read

LONDON—Covent Garden was due a new Billy Budd . The opera debuted there in 1951 and reappeared regularly until the turn of the century, but of late Britten’s opera has been conspicuous by its absence from the London stage, except for … » Read

“Don’t clap too early!” warned Austrian composer Thomas Larcher as he strode onto the David Geffen Hall stage to introduce the April 24 U.S. premiere of his Second Symphony with the New York Philharmonic. Not that Larcher should … » Read

In 2002 the Pacifica Quartet dazzled listeners at the Miller Theater by tackling all five of Elliott Carter’s string quartets in a single concert. Now the JACK Quartet has followed suit, first in a two-concert stint at London’s … » Read

MANCHESTER—There is no argument that Jerome Robbins’ Tony Award-winning choreography for West Side Story has stood the test of time. His slick moves for the Jets and Sharks have been the full story since he opened the show on Broadway … » Read

Bridge Records has pledged to record everything George Crumb ever composed. As Crumb’s 90th birthday year was honored on Sunday with a world premiere, in his presence, it’s apparent that Bridge will be busy for a long time.  A … » Read

LOS ANGELES--Local audiences know what to expect when they show up to hear Esa-Pekka Salonen conduct The Rite of Spring with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. They expect a wild good time, an orchestral spectacle, a whomping cataclysm of sound. … » Read