Czech conductor Jakub Hruša, rising star and music director-designate of London’s Royal Opera, teamed up with violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja for her New York Philharmonic debut on April 9. On the bill were a warhorse, a world … » Read

Any review of Das Rheingold that begins with the critic expressing relief that the production features “good helmets, with very good horns” might suggest that the musical performance itself left something to be desired. Fortunately, … » Read

CHICAGO—Contemporary opera’s golden duo has done it again. Teammates since 2012’s Song from the Uproar , composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek have created their most ambitious work yet with The Listeners , based on … » Read

DETROIT—The lively but radical new production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte , seen at its April 5 premiere at the Detroit Opera House, presupposes that the opera is inherently misogynistic. From a surface reading of Lorenzo da … » Read

LONDON—In these straitened times, every first night at the Wales Millennium Centre is a cause for muted celebration. “We’re still here,” Welsh National Opera seems to chorus, from its virtuosic pit musicians who long ago … » Read

LONDON—It must be a welcome relief for Gianandrea Noseda to escape the febrile politics of the Kennedy Center and spend some time away with his other orchestra. The music director of the National Symphony Orchestra has actually had a longer … » Read

The opening image of Barrie Kosky’s Berliner Ensemble production of Die Dreigroschenoper ( The Threepenny Opera ) was a black, beaded show curtain. With some gaudy color added, it might well have served to open a Las Vegas floor show of … » Read

The audience’s quiet, studied attentiveness in Carnegie Hall on March 29 was testament not only to the sheer devotion of Mitusko Uchida's followers but to her superior artistry. Now in her third and final year as a Carnegie … » Read

LONDON—It is unfortunate that a ticketing oversight at Wigmore Hall led to my experiencing this recital from the back row, seated behind two substantial patrons who completely obstructed my view of Joyce DiDonato’s moving performance. … » Read

Two venerable musicians long associated with the New York Philharmonic joined forces last week. Leonard Slatkin, who first appeared as a guest conductor more than 50 years ago (in 1974), returned in that capacity on March 26 for the first of … » Read