CHICAGO—It was not orchestral music as usual last week in downtown Chicago. Yes, the Chicago Symphony was in residence at Symphony Center Thursday and Friday with repertoire including a Chopin piano concerto and Shostakovich’s Fifth … » Read

LONDON—Forget boy meets girl, boy loses girl. Try boy spots girl skinny dipping, girl turns boy into stag, boy gets torn to pieces by dogs. Just another day in Ancient Greece. Seriously though, Ovid’s tale of Diana and Acteon makes … » Read

CARDIFF—Just when it seems to be thriving, musical Wales is in crisis. Welsh National Opera (WNO) in particular may not even survive the season. Wales is still governed from London, which has devolved the day-to-day domestic administration … » Read

CHICAGO— Outside Chicago’s Harris Theater, an LED marquee announces what’s on that evening. On Oct. 1, it beamed a sultry portrait of bass-baritone Davóne Tines—sharply dressed, his shirt unbuttoned enough to reveal … » Read

LONDON—It’s season launch time for London’s orchestras and the Philharmonia, 80-years-old next year, has adopted an individual approach that plays into its Finnish principal conductor’s heritage. Dubbed Nordic Soundscapes, … » Read

CHICAGO—Local opera lovers have been enjoying a pleasant compare-and-contrast challenge this fall. In a brilliant stroke, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Chicago Opera Theater (COT) have been offering near-simultaneous chances to hear two quite … » Read

SAN DIEGO—The San Diego Symphony’s concert on September 28 wasn’t just another opening. In addition to launching the new season, the program led by Music Director Rafael Payare marked the inauguration of the … » Read

Mahler’s Symphony No. 8, composed in 1907, is an anomaly among the Austrian master’s symphonic oeuvre. It shares the opulent sound of his other symphonies, but lacks, in the words of a critic in the Boston Globe , “the anguish … » Read

Pentatone has gone all out for Grace: The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas, an attractive boxed set containing four CDs and an extensively annotated booklet. The photographs alone may be worth the price of admission, including a young MTT hugging … » Read

“Did you enjoy it?” one patron asked another in a concession line at Davies Symphony Hall. “How could you not enjoy it?” came the reply. They were referring to Nico Muhly’s Piano Concerto, a San Francisco Symphony … » Read