Valentina Lisitsa: Who needs concert halls?

A virtuoso for the Internet age: The greatest pianist you never heard of

The Ukrainian-American pianist Valentina Lisitsa has been playing for years at a level worthy of comparison with the likes of Vladimir Horowitz and Sviatislav Richter. Yet she's easier to find on YouTube than in concert halls.

Dan Coren

Jan 04, 2011 · Articles · 6 minute read

"Tannhäuser': Blasphemy or piety?

The TannhÓ¤user riddle: What was Wagner's game?

Is Tannhäuser a religious opera, or sacrilegious? Put the blame on Wagner, a composer who insisted on his right to partake of both worlds.

Steve Cohen

Jan 01, 2011 · Articles · 4 minute read

On sitting in Verizon's "conductor's circle'

The other side of the podium, or: ‘You can practically read their scores'

The conductor's circle at Verizon Hall may not be the best place to hear violin concertos and subtle nuances. But sitting so close to the musicians should appeal to anyone who appreciates intensity and passion.

Tom Purdom

Dec 28, 2010 · Articles · 4 minute read

Piffaro's Renaissance Christmas

Pagans and Christians on common ground

On a single Christmas program, Piffaro managed to combine our mix of pagan rite, Christian holy day and All-American party-time.

Tom Purdom

Dec 21, 2010 · Articles · 4 minute read

Jazz pianist Trudy Pitts: an appreciation

In sushi heaven with Trudy Pitts

What defines a musical treasure? For me, it was the pleasure that the jazz pianist and organist Trudy Pitts brought to many a weekend evening and Sunday brunch.

Dan Coren

Dec 21, 2010 · Articles · 2 minute read

Khaner/Abramovic concert at Settlement

Composers propose, performers dispose

Flutist Jeffrey Khaner and pianist Charles Abramovic demonstrated what two superb musicians can do with music intended merely for gifted amateurs.

Dec 18, 2010 · Articles · 3 minute read

The Met's "Don Carlo': The high-def screen version

Little details make a big difference

What's the difference between a live opera performance and a high-definition screen transmission? Like night and day, to judge from the Met's Don Carlo. On screen, for one thing, singers can whisper. For another, you can notice whose portrait is in a jewel box.

Steve Cohen

Dec 15, 2010 · Articles · 2 minute read

Tempesta di Mare channels Couperin and Louis XIV

Music for the royal couch potato

Some people spend Sunday reading the New York Times. Louis XIV summoned Francois Couperin and his court chamber players, who keenly understood audience psychology.

Tom Purdom

Dec 14, 2010 · Articles · 4 minute read

Monteverdi Vespers by Choral Arts and Piffaro (3rd review)

Monteverdi's magnificent job application

To appreciate Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, it helps to understand the age and the place in which it was composed. In effect this operatic pioneer was following in Michelangelo's artistic footsteps.

Steve Cohen

Dec 14, 2010 · Articles · 4 minute read

Are symphonies really dying? (A response)

Are symphonies really dying? Count them for yourself. (I did.)

BSR contributor Robert Zaller laments the demise of the symphony in our times. Out of curiosity, I conducted a census of symphonic composers from Haydn to the present. The surprising numbers and ratios I found suggest almost the opposite conclusion.

Kile Smith

Dec 12, 2010 · Articles · 5 minute read