Music

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Page 27
Two role debuts: baritone Peter Mattei (Wozzeck) and soprano Elza van den Heever (Marie). (Photo by Ken Howard for the Met Opera.)

The Metropolitan Opera presents Alban Berg’s ‘Wozzeck’

Nézet-Séguin makes his mark at the Met

The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Alban Berg’s ‘Wozzeck’ too often favors visual flourish over storytelling, but music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads a revelatory reading of the score. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Articles 5 minute read
Still worth standing for: the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Philadelphia Symphonic Choir offer a 2019 ‘Messiah.’ (Photo by Pete Checchia.)

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Jane Glover conducting Handel’s ‘Messiah’

Sweetness, anguish, and ecstasy

The Philadelphia Orchestra and Philadelphia Symphonic Choir, under conductor Jane Glover, presented Philly’s annual dose of Handel’s Messiah at Verizon Hall with quiet truth and exuberant glory. Linda Holt reviews.
Linda Holt

Linda Holt

Articles 4 minute read
The Crossing’s Christmas-time show is less festive than you might expect. (Image courtesy of The Crossing.)

The Annenberg Center and The Crossing present ‘The Crossing @ Christmas’

Death, devastation, and birds

‘The Crossing @ Christmas’ came to Rittenhouse Square for an evening of death, devastation, and birds. Aaron Pond reviews.
Aaron Pond

Aaron Pond

Articles 3 minute read
Bach as he was meant to be heard: members of the Gamut Bach Bach Ensemble at the Church of the Holy Trinity. (Photo by Michelle Shirk.)

The Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presents the Gamut Bach Ensemble

The music of the season

An evening of cantatas, presented by Gamut Bach Ensemble and Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, put critic Cameron Kelsall in a Christmas mood.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Articles 3 minute read
Still going strong: Doug Wimbish, Corey Glover, Vernon Reid, and Will Calhoun of Living Colour. (Photo by Travis Shinn.)

Living Colour celebrates 35 years of Black rock at Ardmore Music Hall

A rocking personality

Black rock icons Living Colour will hit the Ardmore Music Hall stage on December 21. Vena Jefferson has been a fan since the beginning.
Vena Jefferson

Vena Jefferson

Articles 4 minute read
Joyce DiDonato and Yannick Nézet-Séguin have a new frame for Schubert’s ‘Winterreise.’ (Photos by Simon Pauly and Hans Van Der Woerd.)

Princeton University Concerts present Joyce DiDonato and Yannick Nézet-Séguin's ‘Winterreise'

Should lost love speak for itself?

A confounding narrative framework derails Joyce DiDonato’s ‘Winterreise’ at Princeton University. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Articles 4 minute read
Joyous moments for the orchestra: Beatrice Jona Affron conducts ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Pennsylvania Ballet. (Photo courtesy of the PA Ballet.)

The PA Ballet's music director shares orchestral secrets of ‘The Nutcracker’

Tchaikovsky: The music behind the ballet

Balanchine’s ‘Nutcracker’ is a dance lover’s seasonal favorite, but after 27 years of working with the PA Ballet’s orchestra, music director Beatrice Jona Affron has a thing or two to say about Tchaikovsky. Camille Bacon-Smith gets the story behind the music.
Camille Bacon-Smith

Camille Bacon-Smith

Articles 5 minute read
The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Westminster Symphonic Choir capture Bach’s musical DNA, but what about the spirit? (Photo by Jessica Griffin.)

The Philadelphia Orchestra presents Bach’s B Minor Mass

Searching for the spirit of Bach’s B Minor

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducted the Philadelphia Orchestra and Westminster Symphonic Choir in Bach’s B Minor Mass. This brilliantly executed but slightly subdued performance sometimes lacked spiritual intensity. Linda Holt reviews.
Linda Holt

Linda Holt

Articles 4 minute read
Sweet, sultry, fun, and fierce: Sutton Foster stormed the Merriam. (Image courtesy of the Kimmel Center.)

The Kimmel Center presents 'An Evening with Sutton Foster'

An open letter to Sutton Foster

In a one-night solo performance at the Merriam, Tony Award-winning Broadway star Sutton Foster offered a transcendent performance as an artist at the height of her powers. Brad Rothbart reviews.
Brad Rothbart

Brad Rothbart

Articles 3 minute read
Maintaining high musical standards at Curtis, especially Joseph Tancredi (sword drawn) and Merissa Beddows (at right). (Photo by Cory Weaver.)

Curtis Opera Theatre presents ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’

Musical standards

Strong musicianship outweighed dramaturgical cloudiness in Curtis Opera Theatre’s ‘Il Barbiere di Siviglia’. Cameron Kelsall reviews.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Articles 3 minute read