The San Francisco Symphony’s Nov. 24 premiere of Odisea ( Odyssey ), a new concerto for the cuatro by Venezuelan composer Gonzalo Grau, proved to be a special occasion for the San Francisco Chronicle’s chief classical music critic. It … » Read

TOKYO—Right from its opening in 1997, the New National Theatre, Tokyo has specialized in lavish international productions—Franco Zeffirelli’s Aida and Wolfgang Wagner’s Lohengrin set the tone in its inaugural … » Read

Bradley Cooper’s Maestro , a high-wire act of a biopic, leaps constantly between on stage and off, flying through Leonard Bernstein’s very public life as a conductor while diving into his more private marriage to Felicia Montealegre. … » Read

Given their prohibitive costs, it’s a miracle opera pops up on disc as often as it does. This trio of new releases proves that not only is there life in the old dog yet, there’s more to be rediscovered by those prepared to dig. The … » Read

It is easy to understand why Florencia en el Amazonas has held the stage in the years since its 1996 Houston Grand Opera premiere. Daniel Catán’s rapturous score, with its echoes of midcentury Hollywood, sweeps us up the Amazon on … » Read

In remarks at the start of his Carnegie Hall recital on November 14, Bryn Terfel called it “a trip down memory lane.” The program opened with Gerald Finzi’s Let Us Garlands Bring , Op. 18—the first song cycle he studied in … » Read

LOS ANGELES— The California Festival: A Celebration of New Music has been underway since November 3, with virtually every musical organization in the state involved. Ending on Monday, it has been a rather amorphous affair, actually, with … » Read

Now in his 100th birthday year, György Ligeti (1923– 2006) is a highly regarded, if not always fully understood, composer. An anniversary exploration of his work is well-deserved and welcome; the intricacies of his music reward deep … » Read

LONDON—Premiered in 1751, Jephtha can stake a decent claim to being Handel’s greatest oratorio, the culmination of a 40-year career in music drama. All that hinders its translation to the stage are the weighty choruses that hold up an … » Read

LONDON—With the chilly evenings drawing in, this November 6 concert at Wigmore Hall was appropriately winter-themed. Not only that, a savvy blend of 19th-, 20th-, and 21st-century music proved an opportunity for a roster of composers from … » Read