LONDON— The Excursions of Mr. Broucek has long been the sleeper among Janácek’s mature stage works, so it was heartening to see the London Symphony Orchestra include it as part of their ongoing series of the composer’s … » Read

The annual semi-staging of a Handel opera by conductor Harry Bicket and the London-based English Concert is a valued Carnegie Hall tradition dating from 2013. Giulio Cesare, on May 4, was the latest installment, one of the composer’s most … » Read

CHICAGO— Nearly 300 miles southwest of Chicago, in St. Louis, stands the only surviving house in which we know, beyond a doubt, Scott Joplin lived. The rest of the ragtime pioneer’s former homes have been razed; this one narrowly … » Read

The two annual festivals of Aix-en-Provence—one for concerts, the other for operas—have no endeavours in common beyond the city whose name they share. Nevertheless, when word of the sudden passing of Pierre Audi , artistic director of … » Read

LOS ANGELES—For the last 15 years or so, L.A.’s merry collective Wild Up has been busy upending conventional notions of “classical” new music. Its latest contribution was a riotous performance of Arthur Russell’s … » Read

ATLANTA—In an earlier era, the Atlanta Opera couldn’t have undertaken a project on the scale of Wagner’s Ring . But under Tomer Zvulun—general and artistic director of 12 years, and the cycle’s director—the … » Read

LONDON—It should come as no surprise that Barrie Kosky's new Royal Ballet and Opera production of Die Walküre should have its roots firmly in the German-domiciled director’s native Australia. The smoldering tree trunks, so … » Read

As one who frequently stresses the importance of innovative, imaginative productions, Metropolitan Opera General Manager Peter Gelb has been slow to engage a number of European directors who have significant reputations for doing precisely that. … » Read

LONDON—Spring is in the air in London and so is orchestral music courtesy of Multitudes, the ten-day multidisciplinary arts festival at the Southbank Centre. Underway since April 23, the event is presenting nine orchestras, many of them SBC … » Read

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.— What transpired in Sioux Falls last weekend was a testament to the power of words. In 2022, New Yorker music critic Alex Ross praised the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra (SDSO) as “bolder and savvier in its … » Read