Music
1939 results
Page 110
Ricardo Morales in clarinet recital
Return of the prodigal son
Ricardo Morales left the Philadelphia Orchestra for the greener pastures of the New York Philharmonic— much greener, after the Orchestra's recent bankruptcy. But now he has returned, playing as splendidly as ever in his recital with the excellent Natalie Zhu.
Articles
4 minute read
Orchestra's "inter-war' concert (1st review)
From decadence to terror: A 20th Century journey
Yannick Nézet-Séguin's mid-month program with the Philadelphia Orchestra featured three works composed during Europe's interwar decades, each in its way bearing the marks of that tumultuous period.
Articles
8 minute read
Orchestra's maestro-less Mozart
Mozart sans maestro
Which conductor gets the most out of Mozart? The Philadelphia Orchestra's recent program suggests that the answer may be: no conductor at all.
Articles
4 minute read
A mammoth "Les Troyens' at the Met
Homer and Virgil, in ‘only' five acts
Les Troyens is a mammoth work that's rarely staged, for understandable reasons. The new Met production defied the range of one fine tenor, but a little-known replacement came to the rescue.
Articles
3 minute read
The search for an 'American culture' (a reply)
Good news for rootless Americans: The world is our birthright
Is America's mongrelized, fragmented culture a handicap for American artists? Or is it one of the special advantages of American birth?
Articles
3 minute read
The winning "Messiah': Vox Ama Deus
Who's the fairest Messiah of them all?
I heard four Messiahs during the recent holiday season. Three were respectably devout; only one was exciting. Vox Ama Deus focused on artistic concerns; three other major orchestras seemed preoccupied with cutting their overtime costs.
Articles
4 minute read
Lyric Fest, Astral Artists and a brief rant
Jack Kerouac didn't speak for me, but….
A few comments (and a brief rant) on three pieces by contemporary composers that didn't receive the attention they deserve.
Articles
3 minute read
Piffaro's German holiday concert
A pre-industrial Christmas
(before folks gave gifts)
Piffaro devoted its annual holiday concert to the music of the German tradition that gave us some of our best-loved holiday music— a throwback to a more austere time when Christmas was celebrated with song rather than gifts.
Piffaro: Christmas music by Praetorius, Jacob Handl et al. Laura Heimes, soprano. Joan Kimball and Bob Weimken, artistic co-directors. December 22, 2012 at Trinity Center, 2212 Spruce St. (215) 235-8469 or www.piffaro.com.
Articles
4 minute read
Verdi's "Aida' at the Met
Grandiosity, anyone?
At last, a Metropolitan Opera production that finds critics and audiences in agreement.
Articles
4 minute read
The audience gets into the act
Could you sing Mozart?
When amateurs and children perform complex and demanding works, disaster is often the likely outcome. Nothing of the sort happened this weekend, which tells you something about the sophistication of Philadelphia music lovers.
Articles
4 minute read