A mammoth "Les Troyens' at the Met

Homer and Virgil, in ‘only' five acts

Les Troyens is a mammoth work that's rarely staged, for understandable reasons. The new Met production defied the range of one fine tenor, but a little-known replacement came to the rescue.

Steve Cohen

Jan 12, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

The search for an 'American culture' (a reply)

Good news for rootless Americans: The world is our birthright

Is America's mongrelized, fragmented culture a handicap for American artists? Or is it one of the special advantages of American birth?

Jan 08, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

The winning "Messiah': Vox Ama Deus

Who's the fairest Messiah of them all?

I heard four Messiahs during the recent holiday season. Three were respectably devout; only one was exciting. Vox Ama Deus focused on artistic concerns; three other major orchestras seemed preoccupied with cutting their overtime costs.

Steve Cohen

Jan 05, 2013 · Articles · 4 minute read

Lyric Fest, Astral Artists and a brief rant

Jack Kerouac didn't speak for me, but….

A few comments (and a brief rant) on three pieces by contemporary composers that didn't receive the attention they deserve.

Tom Purdom

Jan 01, 2013 · Articles · 3 minute read

Piffaro's German holiday concert

A pre-industrial Christmas
(before folks gave gifts)

Piffaro devoted its annual holiday concert to the music of the German tradition that gave us some of our best-loved holiday music— a throwback to a more austere time when Christmas was celebrated with song rather than gifts. Piffaro: Christmas music by Praetorius, Jacob Handl et al. Laura Heimes, soprano. Joan Kimball and Bob Weimken, artistic co-directors. December 22, 2012 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.

Tom Purdom

Dec 25, 2012 · Articles · 4 minute read

Verdi's "Aida' at the Met

Grandiosity, anyone?

At last, a Metropolitan Opera production that finds critics and audiences in agreement.

Steve Cohen

Dec 19, 2012 · Articles · 4 minute read

The audience gets into the act

Could you sing Mozart?

When amateurs and children perform complex and demanding works, disaster is often the likely outcome. Nothing of the sort happened this weekend, which tells you something about the sophistication of Philadelphia music lovers.

Tom Purdom

Dec 18, 2012 · Articles · 4 minute read

Orchestra plays Wagner (without the words)

Wagner without words

You might argue that Wagner without words is stupid, since most of his music was written to support opera librettos. But there's something to be said for hearing Wagner performed by a large orchestra, fully exposed in front of the audience.

Steve Cohen

Dec 17, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

'Let's Hang On': A composer's search for his culture

Who wrote ‘Edelweiss'? One composer's search for his cultural home

I'm an American composer with German roots that I can't shake off (and don't really want to). But I love my sweet land of liberty above all. So what defines my place in America's manufactured culture? What defines yours?

Kile Smith

Dec 11, 2012 · Articles · 6 minute read

Tempesta di Mare: After the Thirty Years War

Postwar celebration, c. 1650

Tempesta di Mare showcased the neglected German composers who plied their trade in the decades that followed the devastation of the Thirty Years War.

Tom Purdom

Dec 11, 2012 · Articles · 4 minute read