LONDON—New York-born Ted Huffman has carved a niche in Europe as a distinctive director of emotionally profound, psychologically probing opera productions. From Monteverdi to Maxwell Davies and beyond, his work teems with ideas, often … » Read

George Brant, librettist of the opera Grounded , with music by Jeanine Tesori, has fashioned its text from his 2013 play of the same name. In order to turn what was originally a one-woman show into a full-scale opera, the creators have added … » Read

Expansive but not imposing, profound but never weighty, Meredith Monk's new, 80-minute music-theater piece Indra's Net handily filled the Park Avenue Armory's vast drill hall on September 23, while also shrugging off any pretensions of … » Read

CHICAGO— It’s one thing to perform for 1,500 people, the capacity of downtown Chicago’s Harris Theater. How about performing for 15,000 people? Music of the Baroque grew its audience by at least that much on September 18, thanks … » Read

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill.— It would be herculean for even a major orchestra to tackle three symphonies on a single program. Now imagine a regional orchestra doing the same, with three symphonies most musicians haven’t heard live in their … » Read

It was hard to discern the through-line in the New York Philharmonic’s September 19 program. It was billed as having been “curated by the orchestra’s musicians”––a team of players working alongside … » Read

HOLLYWOOD—Gustavo Dudamel didn’t drop by Hollywood Bowl until the last two weeks of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s summer season. But when he did, he brought with him a bewilderingly eclectic series of six programs, the last of … » Read

The first concert of the New York Philharmonic’s new season, on Sept. 12, was conducted by an eminent maestro associated with the West Coast. It was not the orchestra’s music director-elect, Gustavo Dudamel, nor was the event … » Read

At long last, the wait is over. Although he is no stranger by any means, September 11 saw Sir Antonio Pappano finally arrive at his first Barbican Centre concert as the London Symphony Orchestra’s chief conductor. Ad hoc performances in the … » Read

Paul Robeson was much more than just a singer. A consummate stage and film actor, an all-American football player, a qualified lawyer, and a tireless advocate for civil rights, he was an outspoken critic of racism, colonialism, and social … » Read