A composer's education

As a child, I thought of music making as a very private, intimate activity that gave me comfort and a sense of all being right with the world. As an adult, I’m still struggling to shake off that notion and move on to a more mature sharing of ideas through music.

Lloyd Smith

Mar 06, 2007 · Articles · 7 minute read

Penn Symphony plays Berlioz

I regard the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique as a grisly accident on the highway of music history. It took guts for Penn’s student orchestra to perform it. Few other amateur orchestras could do as well with this hair-raising piece.

Penn Symphony Orchestra
February 24, 2007 at 
Irvine Auditorium. 215-898-6244 or www.sas.upenn.edu

Dan Coren

Mar 03, 2007 · Articles · 6 minute read

Orchestra chooses Dutoit

Charles Dutoit, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s choice as interim leader, may have antagonized his musicians and impulsively quit two conducting posts. But as I learned in the course of tangling with him, he’s also a dependable professional who’s capable of eliciting great performances. In short: The right man for an interim job.

Steve Cohen

Feb 24, 2007 · Articles · 5 minute read

Orchestra chooses Dutoit

Charles Dutoit, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s choice as interim leader, may have antagonized his musicians and impulsively quit two conducting posts. But as I learned in the course of tangling with him, he’s also a dependable professional who’s capable of eliciting great performances. In short: The right man for an interim job.

Steve Cohen

Feb 24, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

OCP's "Porgy and Bess' (second review)

I was excited to attend an uncut production of Porgy and Bess, until I attended it. George Gershwin himself would have cut this version— and in fact he attempted to do so before his untimely death.

Porgy and Bess. Music by George Gershwin; libretto by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin; directed by Walter Dallas. Presented by Opera Company of Philadelphia through February 24, 2007 at Academy of Music, Broad & Locust Sts. (215) 893-3600 or

Steve Cohen

Feb 24, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read

A cornucopia of "œnew" classical music

Contrary to popular belief, we classical music lovers don’t spend our evenings listening to Beethoven’s Fifth over and over again, night after night. Consider the banquet of “old” musical novelties I consumed this past month.

Dolce Suono: Schulhoff Concertino for Flute, Viola, and Double Bass with Mimi Stillman, Burchard Tang, Emilio Gravagno. January 24, 2007 at Rosenwald Gallery, Van Pelt Dietrich Library, University of Pennsylvania. 215-898-7088 or

Tom Purdom

Feb 17, 2007 · Articles · 7 minute read

Jurowski conducts the Orchestra

Vladimir Jurowski emerged as an attractive candidate to succeed Christoph Eschenbach as the Philadelphia Orchestra's music director. We don’t know enough yet about his range. Still, everything I’ve heard from Jurowski sounds assured and attractive.

Philadelphia Orchestra: Vladimir Jurowski conducting Rachmaninoff, Bruch and Stravinsky. David Kim, violin solo. February 2-9, 2007 at Verizon Hall, Broad and Spruce Sts. 215. 893.1900 or

Steve Cohen

Feb 17, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

Contemporary concert alert

Mark your calendar for these adventures in contemporary music with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Penn Orchestra and the Kronos Quartet.

Dan Coren

Feb 13, 2007 · Articles · 2 minute read

OCP's "Porgy and Bess' (first review)

This rare uncut version of the Gershwin classic cleans up the original show’s racial indignities and black vernacular. The swift dramatic pacing of the opening fails to pause for audience ovations. But everything falls into place once Gregg Baker and Angela Brown bring their marvelous voices together.

Porgy and Bess. Music by George Gershwin; libretto by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin; directed by Walter Dallas. Presented by Opera Company of Philadelphia through Febr

Lewis Whittington

Feb 13, 2007 · Articles · 3 minute read

Solzhenitsyn in recital

The Russian-born pianist is more Teutonic than Russian in temperament, and the Hindemith Third Sonata was well suited to him. Solzhenitsyn is not a natural Schubertian, but he played the A major with a becoming gravity and many graceful touches.

Ignat Solzhenitsyn. Piano recital presented February 7, 2007 by Philadelphia Chamber Music Society at American Philosophical Society, 105 S. Fifth St. (215) 569-8080 or www.pc

Robert Zaller

Feb 10, 2007 · Articles · 4 minute read