Orchestra plays Bach's "St. Matthew Passion' (1st review)

The paradox of genius

In a magnificent performance of Bach's transcendent St. Matthew Passion, Yannick Nézet-Séguin made the most of the drama and emotion contained in the story of Christ's betrayal and crucifixion. That wasn't necessarily Bach's choice, but a work of genius lends itself to multiple interpretations.

Victor L. Schermer

Apr 02, 2013 · Articles · 5 minute read

Who saved the Opera Company?

Nothing succeeds like a successor, or: Philadelphia opera history, rewritten

Robert Driver claims he saved the Opera Company of Philadelphia in the 1990s— and the Inquirer critic has swallowed his self-serving narrative. As Driver's predecessor, I can attest that he takes credit that he doesn't deserve.

Jane Grey Nemeth

Mar 30, 2013 · Articles · 5 minute read

"Owen Wingrave' by Opera Philadelphia and Curtis

One man who refused to fight

Benjamin Britten's rarely performed opera about a pacifist in wartime deserves greater exposure— and more explicit supertitles.

Steve Cohen

Mar 26, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

Temple Orchestra's hidden assets

Why do I love Temple? Let me count the ways

Temple's orchestra presented a varied program that showcased conductor Luis Biava and Philadelphia's leading tuba virtuoso.

Tom Purdom

Mar 26, 2013 · Articles · 5 minute read

Philadelphia Orchestra's percussion virtuoso

Drums to waken Wagner, and Stokowski too

Percussionist Colin Currie starred in a noisy and outrageous performance that discomfited some folks in the Philadelphia Orchestra's audience, just the way Leopold Stokowski's innovations used to do.

Steve Cohen

Mar 26, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

Palm Sunday's musical miracles

Minor miracles of a Palm Sunday

Our church continued our tradition of the chanted Passion this past Palm Sunday. Over the years we've tweaked it to accommodate the singers and musicians, most of whom are amateurs. The result is itself one of the miracles of the Easter season.

Kile Smith

Mar 26, 2013 · Articles · 2 minute read

Massenet's "Don Quichotte' by AVA

Tilting at Massenet's windmill

Don Quichotte was conceived for Feodor Chaliapin, who possessed a large, deep and expressive bass voice, but Massenet's music asks for understatement and subtlety. Maybe that's why it's so rarely performed. The AVA got the casting right.

Steve Cohen

Mar 23, 2013 · Articles · 2 minute read

Tempesta di Mare's "Messiah'

Messiah, without the Christmas haze

Tempesta di Mare presented a St. Patrick's Day reminder that there's more to Irish culture than green hats and beer-soaked rowdies.

Tom Purdom

Mar 19, 2013 · Articles · 4 minute read

Thomas Lloyd's "Bonhoeffer' (2nd review)

A martyr's gamble (and a composer's too)

Thomas Lloyd calls his Bonhoeffer a “choral theater piece,” which is exactly right. It's 70 minutes of choral singing, but this tribute to a World War II martyr doesn't present itself as a choir performance. Watching it is like watching an elaborate church service play out.

Kile Smith

Mar 16, 2013 · Articles · 4 minute read

Harumi Hanafusa with the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra

A shaman, a Frenchman, and a mythical city

The Japanese pianist Harumi Hanafusa, a welcome addition to the New York cultural scene, brought two very different concertos to her Pace University performance with the Knickerbocker Chamber Orchestra: Ravel's familiar Concerto in G and Akira Nichimura's A Shaman, in its debut.

Robert Zaller

Mar 16, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read