In 2002 the Pacifica Quartet dazzled listeners at the Miller Theater by tackling all five of Elliott Carter’s string quartets in a single concert. Now the JACK Quartet has followed suit, first in a two-concert stint at London’s … » Read

LOS ANGELES--Local audiences know what to expect when they show up to hear Esa-Pekka Salonen conduct The Rite of Spring with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. They expect a wild good time, an orchestral spectacle, a whomping cataclysm of sound. … » Read

BERLIN — Deutsche Oper presented a pair of rarely seen operas in rotation recently: Alexander Zemlinsky’s unfairly neglected Der Zwerg (“The Dwarf”) and Richard Wagner’s grandiose early breakthrough, Rienzi — a … » Read

MANCHESTER—There is no argument that Jerome Robbins’ Tony Award-winning choreography for West Side Story has stood the test of time. His slick moves for the Jets and Sharks have been the full story since he opened the show on Broadway … » Read

Bridge Records has pledged to record everything George Crumb ever composed. As Crumb’s 90th birthday year was honored on Sunday with a world premiere, in his presence, it’s apparent that Bridge will be busy for a long time.  A … » Read

Try as it might, the American Composers Orchestra (ACO) couldn’t convince me that there was a coherent theme running through its April 11 concert in Zankel Hall. The drawcard was the New York premiere of a substantial work from Du Yun, one … » Read

Once upon a time, Helen of Sparta was carried off to Troy. Or was she? Euripides, writing in 412 BC, called that out as “fake news.” Taking his cue from Herodotus, the radical Athenian tragedian ran with a set of “alternative … » Read

BERLIN—In this festival-loving capital, MaerzMusik: Festival for Issues about Time has become a magnet for new music enthusiasts. The ten-day series of events (held from March 22-31 this year) is presented under the aegis of the Berliner … » Read

Multidisciplinary collaborations can be hit and miss, especially when you are aiming for nothing short of a Wagnerian Gesamtkunstwerk (that’s a “total,” or “universal artwork”). On the other hand, risk is a commodity … » Read

Ivo van Hove is riding the crest of a wave right now. A 2016 Tony-Award-winner for A View from the Bridge , he has been earning raves from local critics over his current high-tech Broadway production of Network (with a visceral central … » Read