Populism and Elitism, pt. 1
See this exchange where Neil deGrasse Tyson chides Sam Harris for failing to speak to his audience in terms it understands: The upshot is that lay audiences simply don’t subscribe to or possess the...
View ArticleA GOOD DAY IN THE MAGICAL WORLD
FAIRYTALES WITH BITE A Good Day in the Magical World looks at how this might be viewed through the eyes of someone who is definitely junior in the magical rankings. Do you agree with my list? (I do...
View ArticlePatterson Dedicates and Consecrates
The addition of a handsome 150-seat recital hall to our local scene occasioned the notice of three BMInt writers last night, especially, opening as it did, with a tribute to our productive fellow...
View ArticleHerculanum/Vanessa review – Wexford makes a strong case for Barber's uneven...
National Opera House, Wexford The Wexford festival opened with two contrasting works. Félicien David’s overblown opera about the eruption of Vesuvius was the less distinctiveThe first two operas of...
View ArticleBarber: Complete works for Piano
Samuel Barber (1910-1981) 2 Interludes; Sonata op. 26; Fresh from West Chester; 4 Excursions op. 20; After the concert; Nocturne op. 33; 3 Sketches; Ballade op. 46 Lilia Boyadjieva, piano Solstice...
View ArticleMusic For The Day
– This Remembrance Sunday, take some time to switch off from “broadcast” mode and enjoy a few moments of quiet reflection The second movement (Andante) of Samuel Barber’s violin concerto , Op. 14,...
View ArticleThe expression “and then I clicked close tab” gets thrown around a lot these...
“Internationally renowned soprano Renée Fleming begins the New Year with a refreshing new album entitled ‘Distant Light’ – her first orchestral album in three years. It features an adventurous mix of...
View ArticleThe Inaugural Season: Met Performances 1966-67 review – chronicle of a...
Metropolitan Opera (Warner Classics, 22 CDs)In September 1966, the Metropolitan Opera in New York began its first season in its new home, a purpose-built theatre with state-of-the-art stage machinery...
View ArticleRenee Fleming focusing future on new work
In this March 2, 2015 file photo, opera singer Renee Fleming performs at "An Evening of SeriousFun Celebrating the Legacy of Paul Newman", hosted by the SeriousFun Children's Network at Avery Fisher...
View ArticleRenee Fleming focusing future on new work
Renee Fleming 's new recording out Friday, "Distant Light," features a work by Samuel Barber along with pieces by Swedish composer Anders Hillborg and - surprisingly - Bjork. With her 58th birthday...
View ArticleFive Concerted Works Reveal BSO Depth
Toby Oft solos with BSO and Masur (Hilary Scott photo) The Boston Symphony began 2017 on Thursday, with many felicities of programming and execution, not the least of which entailed disclosures of...
View ArticleFriday Evening: Inner Voices String Quartet, 'Barber at the Hair Salon'
Inner Voices String Quartet (L to R) Janine Wilkinson, cello; Rachel Loseke, violin; Ruth Bacon Edewards, violin; Christina Graffeo, viola It is a very positive sign when new classical music ensembles...
View ArticleThe Creamy Voice of Renee Fleming
Soprano Renee Fleming has been entertaining and thrilling audiences for a long time. Still, there is excitement when we get a new recording by this fine artist. Her new CD is titled ‘Distant Light’,...
View ArticleConfession of a Grouchy Classical Music Lover
©2017 By Bob Litton. All Rights Reserved. ¶I have written about my classical music preferences and biases previously, but I want to return to the topic now with hammer and tong. So, beware, faint of...
View ArticleCarpenter Constructs Glittering Edifice
Cameron Carpenter, an organist of prodigious technique and an immensely creative bent played throughout a compelling BSO program under the direction of guest conductor Bramwell Tovey on Thursday...
View ArticleConfessions of a Bachophile: Small Ensembles Keep the Love Alive
Confessions of a Bachophile is a continuation of an article series I began on Classical Journal several years ago. As personal history, it was the music of J.S. Bach that first captured my classical...
View ArticleClassical music: The Ear asks again — why hasn’t an opera about Martin Luther...
By Jacob Stockinger Today is an important and, in some parts of the United States , still controversial holiday: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Such an occasion and it artistic celebration assumes even...
View ArticleHappy 90s, Leontyne Price
Leontyne Price will be 90 this week, on February 10. Selected to sing at a 1953 Met fund-raiser, she had to wait eight years before she won a stage role in New York. By this time she had sung in Vienna...
View ArticleCould A New Box Set Redeem 20th-Century Opera's Grandest Flop?
Critics the world over flocked to New York in 1966 for the opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center - and they hated the piece composed for the occasion, Samuel Barber's Antony and...
View ArticleClassical music: Pianist Stephen Hough returns to solo with the Madison...
By Jacob Stockinger This coming weekend, the Madison Symphony Orchestra (below) offers one of the best must-hear programs of the season – or so thinks The Ear. Pianist Stephen Hough (below, in a photo...
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