Handel and Davies operas at Curtis

Hokey but effective

Curtis paired two short operas that deal with unrequited love but otherwise have little in common, aside from their ingenious staging by Chas Rader-Shieber. Soprano Anna Davidson's bravura turn as a jilted bride was well worth watching and hearing, notwithstanding the painful atonal score she was dealt.

Steve Cohen

Oct 09, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Mysteries of conducting, with Sean Newhouse

What do conductors really do? A conversation with Sean Newhouse

What does an orchestra conductor really accomplish when he waves his baton? The Boston Symphony's young assistant Sean Newhouse, rushed into the spotlight this year to replace the ailing maestro James Levine, reflects on aspects of his job that most audiences take for granted.

Victor L. Schermer

Oct 09, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

Tony Bennett's "Duets II' CD

Who is Tony Bennett's best singing partner? And the answer is…..

Yielding to an old gimmick in his 80s, the crooner Tony Bennett has produced two albums of duets sung with contemporary singers. Some of these duets work better than others, but the prime attraction, as always, is Bennett himself.

Armen Pandola

Oct 04, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

Opera Company's "Carmen' (1st review)

Don José's really, really difficult choice

Bizet would have liked this production of his overexposed Carmen. Its format is less operatic and more realistic, filling in plot details while it fills out the characters— an approach that heightens audience involvement in the story.

Steve Cohen

Oct 04, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

Piffaro's "Spanish Pipers in the New World'

In place of an organ, a few dozen recorders will suffice

Piffaro explored a historical subject— the spread of European music to the Spanish conquests in the New World— without any of the extras the group usually likes to apply to historical themes.

Tom Purdom

Oct 04, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

Zombies and Lindsey Buckingham at the Keswick

Nostalgia time for baby boomers

The Zombies and the Fleetwood Mac guitarist/songwriter Lindsey Buckingham provided reassurance for us aging baby-boomers that, at least sometimes, nostalgia pays.

Mark Wolverton

Sep 30, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

Lyric Fest's "Bawdy Bard'

The birds, the bees and the ale

Lyric Fest joined forces with an early music expert to delve into celebrations of sex, nature and carousing from the era of Chaucer, Shakespeare and the medieval troubadours.

Tom Purdom

Sep 27, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

Poor Richard's "Opera a Day' (2nd review)

Hors d'oeuvres by Menotti and Bernstein

Most one-act operas can't stand on their own. The Poor Richard's company performed a service by presenting five that pass the test, including two I saw.

Steve Cohen

Sep 26, 2011 · Articles · 3 minute read

"What a Wonderful World': The drummer's difference

A great song dissected: The drummer made the difference

Louis Armstrong draws us in with a voice that makes the sentimentality real. The drummer Grady Tate keeps us honest. That's why “What a Wonderful World” is something other than just a pretty song. And that's why it's unsettling.

Kile Smith

Sep 25, 2011 · Articles · 5 minute read

Chamber Orchestra at the Perelman

Do you see the landscape? Do you feel the war?

Disparate works by Mendelssohn and Dirk Brossé beg a question: Should we insist that the music must stand by itself, without any reference to the subject matter?

Tom Purdom

Sep 20, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read