BOSTON—Forty-five years ago, the Boston Civic Symphony fired its brilliant young maestro, Benjamin Zander, for playing too much Mahler. When the entire orchestra resigned in protest, Zander started his own Boston Philharmonic, with Mahler … » Read

In the Metropolitan Opera’s new Forza del destino , it isn’t “destiny” that propels the characters across time and terrain; it’s socio-political upheaval. Mariusz Trelinski’s production (seen at its February 26 … » Read

Another season, another chance for a living choreographer or two to contribute something lasting to the legacy of the preternaturally prolific George Balanchine. Four decades after his death, the current six-week winter chapter of The New York … » Read

An initial reading of the synopsis for Erismena can be daunting. The scenario for Francesco Cavalli’s 1655 opera trades in the disguises and mistaken identities so prevalent in Baroque dramaturgy, along with tangled lines of desire and … » Read

LONDON—A program that opens with nine minutes of Giacinto Scelsi and ends with 20 minutes of Galina Ustvolskaya is perhaps not for the fainthearted. Unless, of course, you are the intrepid Patricia Kopatchinskaja [pictured]. Currently a … » Read

CHICAGO—Scott Johnson left us a year ago, and the musicians he touched are still saying goodbye. The composer and guitarist died in New York City on March 24, 2023 at the age of 70. Starting with John Somebody (1982), Johnson was best known … » Read

Here I Stand , the centerpiece of the Oakland Symphony’s February 16 concert at the Paramount Theater, was a communal event in the widest sense of the term. In commissioning and performing a new oratorio about the singer, actor, and … » Read

Having taken a first bow or two after his February 7 Carnegie Hall debut with J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Víkingur Ólafsson returned to the stage, produced a mic from his sleeve like a rabbit from a hat, and directed the … » Read

SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Symphony threw a party on Valentine’s Day. Bands of colored lights adorned the back wall at Davies Symphony Hall. Extra bars and concession stands did a lively business in the lobby. Patrons carried … » Read

“Is it possible for us to use the tools of classical art music to make people feel better?” San Francisco composer Danny Clay posed that plainspoken yet nuanced and provocative question as the formative spark for Music for Hard Times, … » Read