Simon Rattle conducts Bruckner's Eighth

The temptations of Sir Simon

Is Sir Simon Rattle still the One Who Got Away? In the second of his recent concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the flamboyant conductor offered a spacious and compelling reading of Bruckner's sprawling Eighth Symphony that drew marvelous playing, especially from the strings.

Robert Zaller

May 12, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

My mother's greatest gift

Everything I needed in life, my mother taught me at the piano

My mother, the descendant of slaves, was a piano teacher who never pushed her kids to become musicians. But she insisted that all of us learn to play the piano. The sense of dedication we'd derive from that experience, she reasoned, would lead us to succeed in a profession that provided a good living, whatever it might be.

Maria Thompson Corley

May 09, 2009 · Articles · 8 minute read

Wagner's 'Ring' cycle (Part 1)

An egomaniac for all seasons: Learning to love Richard Wagner

The Metropolitan Opera's current Ring cycle may be the last ever produced in the traditional four-night, 15-hour style envisioned by Richard Wagner. I've attended Wagner's operas for decades. Now I must persuade my neophyte wife to appreciate this brilliant (albeit obnoxious) composer before it's too late.

Steve Cohen

May 07, 2009 · Articles · 6 minute read

Wagner's "Ring' cycle (Part 3: "Das Rheingold')

Gold, power, sex, love: Wagner's Rheingold daydream

Wagner's Das Rheingold introduced a new form of opera, far removed from the tradition of Rossini, Donizetti and Verdi, and even different from Wagner's own earlier romantic operas like Lohengrin and Tannhauser. The orchestra states the themes, sets the mood and remains pre-eminent throughout.

Steve Cohen

May 05, 2009 · Articles · 7 minute read

Opera Company's Ravel/Puccini double bill

Ravel meets Puccini (with a little help from a projector)

Ravel's opera L'enfant et les sortilèges runs only 45 minutes, and Puccini's Gianni Schicchi barely 55, but in tandem they make a full and satisfying evening, thanks especially to clever staging and excellent performances.

Steve Cohen

May 02, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Curtis Orchestra plays Russian masterworks

Are second thoughts best?

Curtis Orchestra's final concert of the season featured second thoughts on Russian masterworks by Prokofiev and Stravinsky. I'm not sure why Philadelphia couldn't hear some of Valery Gergeiev's recent traversal of the Prokofiev symphonies (which went to Washington), but the Curtis performances were at least a consolation prize. The caliber of this student orchestra, despite the annual changeovers of its graduation cycle, easily stands comparison with most professional groups anywhere.

Robert Zaller

May 02, 2009 · Articles · 4 minute read

Orchestra's "Damnation of Faust'

Faust is damned (and I'm bemused)

The Damnation of Faust is the kind of work that throws the literary half of my personality into a state of head-shaking bemusement. The musical half, on the other hand, revels in every bar. And this time I had no complaints with Simon Rattle.

Tom Purdom

May 02, 2009 · Articles · 3 minute read

Mitsuko Uchida at the Perelman

The agony and the ecstasy

Mitsuko Uchida's piano recital at the Perelman was, in some surprising ways, a deeply unsettling experience. But in the end, she demonstrated why she is a musical legend.

Dan Coren

May 02, 2009 · Articles · 6 minute read

Sonata form (Part 11): Recapitulation

How Beethoven changed everything

Beethoven devoted most of his career to intensifying the inherent drama of sonata-form. Ultimately he drilled so deeply into its bedrock that the form itself became barely recognizable in his very last works. In this 11th installment in his series on sonata-form, Dan Coren moves on to the recapitulation section.

Dan Coren

Apr 28, 2009 · Articles · 6 minute read

Wagner's "Ring' cycle (Part 2)

The Ring keeps changing (but then, so did Wagner)

For the past half-century, producers of Wagner's Ring have focused on the characters' psychology, much more than on the telling of a story. Instead of celebrating German forests, castles and genius, they tapped into themes like fear of death and loss of control. All well and good. But must the original version disappear altogether?

Steve Cohen

Apr 28, 2009 · Articles · 5 minute read