LONDON--Like many exiled composers, Roberto Gerhard (1896-1970) has dropped off the radar since his death half a century ago, a victim perhaps of a national tendency to champion our own while the multinationals slip through the cracks. A Spanish … » Read

MILAN--The 1750 London premiere of Handel’s Theodora was a flop, receiving only three performances in its opening run. The oratorio’s La Scala debut on Nov. 20 was a different story, the audience erupting into raucous applause at the … » Read

LONDON--Since winning the Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award in 2016, Karina Canellakis has become one of the most in-demand conductors of her generation. Already appointed Chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and principal guest … » Read

With three new works in its repertory, the Metropolitan Opera pays more attention to contemporary opera this season than during any other in living memory. None is actually a world premiere—Terence Blanchard’s  Fire Shut Up in My … » Read

LONDON--Only two hours by train from London, Manchester boasts grand Victorian architecture, hipster hangouts, and an iconic Gay Village. Its thriving arts scene includes the Hallé, one of regional England’s finest and most … » Read

All eyes were focused on stage right at Davies Symphony Hall on Friday, November 12. As Michael Tilson Thomas entered, a full-throated cheer of the sort more likely to be heard at Oracle Park, where the San Francisco Giants play, rang out. The … » Read

LONDON--The anglicized title gives it away: this is Wagner performed in English, as is the custom at London’s second opera house. On November 19 the company launched its new Ring cycle not with Das Rheingold but with its audience-pleasing … » Read

SEATTLE — An unexpectedly last-minute round of musical chairs reshuffled the lineup for one of the most unusual and original programs of the Seattle Symphony season. As a double harp concerto, Hannah Lash’s The Peril of Dreams , an … » Read

Maybe it’s an after effect of the Trump era, but more orchestras and conductors than ever seem to be making programs that reflect on America and what it means to be American, as demonstrated by four new orchestral recordings. Perhaps the … » Read

SAN FRANCISCO --Harriet’s Spirit , a 50-minute opera rooted in the legacy of the Black abolitionist Harriet Tubman, received its first professional performances on November 13 and 14 at the Bayview Opera House, an Opera Parallèle … » Read