Music
1932 results
Page 110

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

Articles
4 minute read
Sign up for our newsletter
All of the week's new articles, all in one place. Sign up for the free weekly BSR newsletters, and don't miss a conversation.

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