2012-13 music preview: Nine great coming attractions

From Yannick to the Black Watch: Nine music programs I wouldn't miss

Yannick, Ignat, Hilary Hahn, Natalie Zhu, bagpipes”¦ my cup runneth over for Philadelphia's coming music season. Here are nine programs I'm marking on my calendar.

Tom Purdom

Sep 25, 2012 · Articles · 4 minute read

Orchestra 2001's John Cage centennial

Learning to love John Cage

How can anyone take an eccentric “composer” like John Cage seriously? The answer, as Orchestra 2001 demonstrated, involves looking beyond his admittedly bizarre antics.

Tom Purdom

Sep 18, 2012 · Articles · 5 minute read

Why computers can't replace composers

But can a computer say ‘Oo oo oo'?

Computers already beat chess masters and produce notes for composers. But could they replace Beethoven or Puccini some day? The answer is no, for three reasons.

Kile Smith

Sep 11, 2012 · Articles · 5 minute read

Poor Richard's "Falstaff' at Fringe Festival

Verdi meets Facebook

By raising surtitles to a supporting role, Poor Richard's Opera multiplied the fun that Verdi and Shakespeare built into the adventures of Sir John Falstaff. Falstaff. Opera by Giuseppe Verdi, from Shakespeare's play. Siddhartha Misra, stage director; Laurie Rogers, music director/conductor/surtitles; Ting Ting Wong, piano; Jeremy Gill, alternate conductor. Poor Richard's Opera production for Philadelphia Fringe Festival through September 15, 2012 at Trinity Center for Urban Life, 2212 Spruce St. livearts-fringe.ticketleap.com/falstaff.

Tom Purdom

Sep 11, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

Perry Como, forgotten man

Where have you gone, Perry Como?

Perry Como was America's Number One pop vocalist for more than a decade, but his fame never impressed him. His hometown has moved on as well, as I discovered on a recent visit.

Steve Cohen

Sep 10, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

Classical music, dead or alive: A debate

He sees the present, I see the future

After 40 years of representing Classical musicians, my agent is giving up. He offers an impressive list of reasons why serious music is doomed. But where he sees disaster, I see opportunity— especially if Classical musicians are genuinely creative.

Maria Thompson Corley

Sep 04, 2012 · Articles · 6 minute read

"Porgy and Bess' on Broadway

Whose Porgy is it, anyway?

Tinker with Gershwin's Porgy and Bess? Why not? Producers have been doing it for 75 years, beginning with the composer himself.

Steve Cohen

Aug 19, 2012 · Articles · 5 minute read

Allen Krantz at Laurel Hill

A lucky accident

Accidentally forced to give a rare solo program, the guitarist-composer Allen Krantz demonstrated his skills as a teacher and speaker.

Tom Purdom

Aug 14, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

Tempesta di Mare at the Barnes

What would Albert Barnes say? Better ask: What would Vivaldi say?

Tempesta di Mare's first appearance at the Barnes triggered ruminations on concert settings, amplification and, of course, the wisdom of moving the Barnes itself.

Tom Purdom

Aug 07, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read

Met's "Tales of Hoffman' in HD-Live (3 years later)

What a difference three years make

Seeing the Met's 2009 Tales of Hoffman, I'm struck by the exceptional changes that three years have wrought. Since then, James Levine is gone, Anna Netrebko has declined, and other companies have done more justice to Offenbach's work.

Steve Cohen

Jul 31, 2012 · Articles · 3 minute read