MILAN--La Scala’s opening night ought to be the artistic high point of the season. After all, the “Prima” is the theater’s chance to shine, with weeks of advance hype in the Italian media and live broadcasts of the … » Read

Jaap van Zweden led the New York Philharmonic last weekend in a program that included Dvorák's Seventh Symphony and Emanuel Ax playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 in G. With such crowd pleasers on offer, what better an occasion to … » Read

Alexandros Papadiamantis’s novella, The Murderess enjoys seminal status in Greece where it has stood as a challenge to conventional socio-political thinking and the roles of church and state since its publication in 1903. Adapted by Giorgos … » Read

NEW YORK (AP)--We’re so rife with reboots and remakes today that it can take a moment to gauge just what Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story is. It isn’t a papered-over modernizing or a thinly disguised retread. It’s a feat … » Read

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