Music
1916 results
Page 109
Verdi's "Masked Ball' at the Met
The production that flew too close to the sun
Most critics greeted the Met's new production of A Masked Ball with praise for the singing and catcalls for the production. I'd put it the other way around.
Articles
5 minute read
Sarah Shafer, shining new soprano
We heard her first
Which of today's Curtis students will become tomorrow's stars? In the case of the gifted and intelligent soprano Sarah Shafer, it seems obvious.
Articles
3 minute read
Orchestra's All-Rachmaninoff concert
A musical aristocrat (in the very best sense)
The Philadelphia Orchestra plays Rachmaninoff as well as any in the world, so why not double down? A risky proposition, you might think— but if great orchestras didn't embrace risky propositions, where would Mozart and Beethoven be today?
Articles
6 minute read
Meiravi Quartet contemplates BartÓ³k
Why listen to BartÓ³k?
Was BartÓ³k's music about the clash of folk culture and the machine age? A new quartet added its bit to an old discussion.
Articles
4 minute read
AVA's "Jubilate': Religion as opera
Taking opera to church
AVA's budding opera stars added operatic flair to the school's annual foray into religious music, performing as if they'd constructed characters who were singing their pieces.
Articles
3 minute read
AVA's suburban "Barber of Seville'
Opera in the 'burbs: Not just another performance
Like everything else in life, opera in the suburbs can be quite different from opera downtown. And sometimes it's even better.
Articles
4 minute read
Spanish songs by Lyric Fest (2nd review)
What musicians can learn from politicians
Four artists from the Academy of Vocal Arts sang an all-Spanish program. Given all the talk about America's growing Latin population, it's about time.
Articles
3 minute read
Orchestra plays "Alexander Nevsky' (3rd review)
What Prokofiev wanted
The wedding of a live orchestra with the film of Alexander Nevsky may be fascinating, but Prokofiev's music really conveys more power when it stands alone, uninterrupted by long pauses for dialogue, sound effects and silent scenes.
Articles
4 minute read
Spanish songs by Lyric Fest (1st review)
Three unpredictable women
Lyric Fest transformed a concert of Spanish and Latin American songs into a complex historical trip through two continents.
Articles
4 minute read
How composers really work
Advice for aspiring composers: Stop all that strolling, and just stand still
Many people think composers do our composing on long walks. But to get any real work done, you've got to attach your posterior to a chair and have music paper in front of you. Consider how I composed “Softly and Tenderly.”
Articles
5 minute read