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All we need is Boross (above) and a chorus.

Opera Philadelphia’s ‘Nabucco’ (1st review)

Jehovah vs. Baal, then and now

Verdi’s dramatically clunky Nabucco was a broadly drawn metaphor for Austria’s domination of Italy. Thaddeus Strassberger constructs a play around a play in an effort to mask some of the drama’s weaknesses. Its virtues include a fiery new soprano and a final moment of genuine theatrical magic.

Sep 30, 2013 Articles 4 minute read

Philadelphia Orchestra’s Tchaikovsky opening

Back to the future with Yannick and Anne-Sophie

What have the Russians done for us lately? Well, Tchaikovsky is timeless, as the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter reminded us on opening night.

Steve Cohen

Sep 28, 2013 Articles 2 minute read

Orchestra 2001’s opening weekend (2nd review)

Young composer, astonishing head

Sometimes I dread poems set to music. But when it works, it’s art. Chris Rogerson's Fishing was one of three new works, each giving a prominent role to the keyboard.

Lesley Valdes

Sep 28, 2013 Articles 5 minute read

Orchestra 2001’s opening weekend (1st review)

Confronting death (and Utah, too)

Orchestra 2001 opened its season with two moving glimpses at family life and a less rewarding visit to Utah’s national parks.

Tom Purdom

Sep 24, 2013 Articles 5 minute read

Lim: Between ambition and thoughtfulness.

Chamber Orchestra plays Beethoven and Mendelssohn

Lighter and brighter?

This kind of Chamber Orchestra concert inevitably raises a question: Do we hear anything we wouldn’t hear in a big orchestra performance?

Tom Purdom

Sep 17, 2013 Articles 4 minute read

A selective guide to the 2013-14 season

I'm marking these on my calendar

Here's my idiosyncratic rundown on the coming year's musical events that arouse extra anticipation in this particular reviewer. But remember: My taste may not be yours.

Tom Purdom

Sep 10, 2013 Articles 5 minute read

Now I understand why Beethoven looked so stressed.

Composer's challenge: From quartet to piano

The glory and the drudgery: A composer confronts a ‘piano reduction'

How dreary it seems to rewrite for piano what I've just written for a string quartet. But it must be done. If my song cycle is ever to have a chance for more performances, it's easier to tempt one pianist than four string players.

Kile Smith

Sep 09, 2013 Articles 4 minute read

Ivanir, Hoffman, Walken, Keener: Artists as basically roughshod human beings.

Yaron Zilberman's "A Late Quartet'

How do neurotic people produce such gorgeous music?

As A Late Quartet vividly dramatizes, even the finest and most dedicated musicians are flawed human beings whose personalities, life situations and internal conflicts disrupt their music making. All the more reason to marvel at the performance of any great ensemble.

Victor L. Schermer

Sep 08, 2013 Articles 5 minute read

Diana Vuolo: Music as a tool for inmates' children.

Antidotes for black violence

To reduce black male violence, don't get tough—get smart

Who are the young black men throughout this country who kill each other on a daily basis? Adults who care to find out— and the arts— hold the key to the solution.