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

Anthony Roth Costanzo’s postmodern version of Le nozze di Figaro is by its very nature a tour de force. Fashioned as a showcase for the star countertenor, it keeps his all-but-superhuman energy front and center. In it, he sings all of … » Read

Working festival performances into your summer vacation in Europe can anchor your visit around memorable musical experiences. This summer, I was lucky enough to be in Stockholm when opera was on the boards at Drottningholms Slottstheater, a World … » Read

In a world full of doom and gloom, music inevitably feels a duty to confront and question. And yet once, its primary purpose was merely to please and entertain, an often-forgotten element celebrated in these four recent releases. John Alden … » Read

SUFFOLK, U.K.—Less than a week after their triumphant Prom performance of Britten’s War Requiem , Sir Antonio Pappano and the London Symphony Orchestra traveled to that same composer’s home turf to give another thrilling … » Read