LONDON—As the new chief conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano has made British music a key component of his opening season. This December 15 concert at the Barbican Centre—a program of major works by Vaughan … » Read

Recent New York appearances by the Berlin Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra offered Alex Ross, The New Yorker’s classical music critic, an opportunity to compare and contrast the two ensembles and their lustrous conductors. … » Read

Barbara Hannigan and Bertrand Chamayou’s December 12 recital, at the Park Avenue Armory’s Veterans Room, lasted just 75 intermission-less minutes but was so thoroughly satisfying that it felt like the most sumptuous of feasts. The … » Read

LONDON—The late Sir Andrew Davis (1944-2024) achieved household name status as an avuncular figurehead for the Last Nights of the Proms over several decades. Known for his wit as well as his craft, from 1989 to 2000 he was chief conductor … » Read

Asmik Grigorian, the Lithuanian soprano who made a stunning debut at the Metropolitan Opera last spring as Madama Butterfly , returned to New York on Dec. 12 with an all-Russian program of songs by Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff in Zankel Hall, … » Read

CHICAGO— Between 1918 and 1921, Arnold Schoenberg organized the Society for Private Musical Performances in Vienna. The group’s credo was simple: Premiere works should be performed more than once to be properly absorbed and assessed. … » Read

As was the case in Santiago , the music season is coming to a close in Buenos Aires, with a new production of Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera as the season finale, together with a flurry of concerts representing the breadth of interest in this … » Read

Born in 1944, Michael Tilson Thomas was and is many things: prodigy, pianist, conductor, and composer. Assistant conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra by age 25, he earned his stripes early, attracting the attention of various record labels, … » Read

Movies about famous musicians aimed at a general public are often risky affairs. The creative forces and intuition that produce great art are not easily dramatized or visualized on the big screen. So I was skeptical and a bit apprehensive about … » Read

SANTIAGO, Chile—After 20 years, El Holandés Errante ( Der fliegende Holländer ) returned to the stage of Santiago’s venerable Teatro Municipal on November 17. And just as the Dutchman is redeemed by Senta in the opera, … » Read