CHARLESTON, SC—True to form, the two main operas of Spoleto Festival USA’s 2018 edition are not works you encounter every day. Each appears in its U.S. premiere, but there the similarity between Donizetti’s Pia de’ Tolomei … » Read

LOS ANGELES--There is a new vibe these days at Monday Evening Concerts, the hardy, historic new music series that can trace its beginnings back to 1939. New, that is, to those who remember the tomb-like atmosphere in the L.A. County Museum of … » Read

LONDON--It was a great day for tears. Just hours after an English prince married an American actress with the eyes of the world upon them, an American naval officer took a Japanese geisha girl for his bride, only to break her heart. It is … » Read

KALAMAZOO, MI—I have to confess that the first time I heard Igor Levit [pictured], the recipient of the 2018 Gilmore Artist Award, I could hardly wait for it to end. Making his Salzburg Festival debut last summer, the pianist played two … » Read

Would Arturo Toscanini, with his lifelong serial affairs and autocratic orchestral discipline, have approved? Would James Levine have thrilled to see a diminutive woman leading HIS orchestra? On Friday night at Carnegie Hall, there was Mirga … » Read

NEW YORK— Synonymous with “from memory” is the phrase “by heart.” In recent years, the Chiara String Quartet’s trademark has been playing without scores. From classics by Bartók and Beethoven to … » Read