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

SAN FRANCISCO—It was at the turn of the millennium that composer Poul Ruders and librettist Paul Bentley adapted The Handmaid's Tale into an opera. These days, however, their version of the dystopian novel Margaret Atwood published in 1985 … » Read

LONDON—English National Opera may be stricken with grant cuts and other budgetary woes, but it seems determined to celebrate the Puccini centenary with gusto. This September 27 presentation of Suor Angelica (part two of the composer’s … » Read

The September 27 world premiere of the opera Silent Light marked the first full-length work by Paola Prestini to be mounted at Brooklyn’s National Sawdust. Given that she founded the venue and remains its artistic director, the occasion … » Read

SAN FRANCISCO—When soprano Julia Bullock appears onstage, attention must be paid. That was affirmed once again on September 27, when the singer anchored an American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) staging of Olivier Messiaen’s 1945 song … » Read