BAYREUTH—As described  yesterday in Part I, the first two operas of the Bayreuth Festspiele’s new Ring Cycle unfolded as a mix of a few powerful ideas brought down by silly, outlandish gestures, the entire cycle reimagined as … » Read

No doubt August 2022 is a month that Plácido Domingo would just as soon forget. An accusation of involvement with a sex crime ring in Buenos Aires early in the month,  later refuted in large measure,  nonetheless reminded the … » Read

Irish conductor Killian Farrell [left], 28, is to succeed Philippe Bach as general music director of the Meiningen State Theater in Germany as of 2023-24. The current Kapellmeister and assistant to the GMD at the Stuttgart State Opera, Farrell … » Read

Just a month ago an industry insider characterized the relationship between the music industry and the tech companies leading the streaming revolution as “deeply dysfunctional [and] symbiotic.”   The last negotiation over rates … » Read

German pianist and conductor Lars Vogt died on September 5 after a long battle with cancer. He was 51 years old. His management firm, Askonas Holt, has confirmed his death. A winner of the 1990 Leeds International Piano Competition, where he … » Read

BAYREUTH—Richard Wagner created this festival and designed its festspielehaus, specifically for his Ring cycle. Always been run by the composer’s descendants (currently his great-granddaughter Katarina), the venerable event has … » Read

Last weekend, New York and Hong Kong philharmonics Music Director Jaap Van Zweden led his first rehearsals with the latter orchestra in two years. In a bizarre coincidence, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) announced at about the same time … » Read

The Isidore String Quartet, a new ensemble of Juilliard students under the tutelage of Joel Krosnick, among others, has won the Banff International String Quartet Competition. Sunday’s win concludes seven days at the Banff Centre for Arts … » Read

After a four-year period of gestation, Antony and Cleopatra will open on Sept. 10, launching the San Francisco Opera’s 100 th season. The product of a collaboration between director Elkhanah Pulitzer, composer John Adams, and dramaturge … » Read

As the unanimity that initially characterized mask and vaccine mandates for live performances has dissipated, arts presenters are facing choices bound to displease some audience members. While some won’t enter a theater without masking, … » Read