T/classical-music

  1. The Classical Music Our Critics Can’t Stop Thinking About Culture, Yesterday

    Watch and listen to five recent highlights, including Metropolitan Opera performances, the posthorn solo in Mahler’s Third and music by Tomeka Reid.

  2. Pierre Audi, Eminent Force in the Performing Arts, Dies at 67 Obits, May 3

    After turning a derelict lecture hall into the daring Almeida Theater, he had a long career as a director and impresario in Europe and New York.

  3. A Pianist and a Law Professor Meet at the Bar … Op Ed, May 3

    Classical musicians have a lot to teach interpreters of the U.S. Constitution. It’s so much more than the text.

  4. Joel Krosnick, Longtime Juilliard String Quartet Cellist, Dies at 84 Obits, May 2

    Widely admired for his intense and precise playing, Mr. Krosnick stayed with the quartet for over 40 years, longer than either of his cellist predecessors.

  5. A Blind Bicyclist and His Daughter Work in Tandem Metro, May 2

    Thomas Panek and his daughter, Madeleine, will be cycling in the Five Boro Bike Tour this weekend.

  6. Our Dad, Leonard Bernstein, Would Want His Music Played at the Kennedy Center Op Ed, May 2

    Some have urged us to withdraw our father’s music from the Kennedy Center to protest Trump’s hostile takeover. We asked: What would Dad have done?

  7. It’s One of the Things I Always Hated About Cities. And I’ve Decided It’s Just Fine. Op Ed, May 1

    A change of heart on other people’s cacophonies

  8. The Met Opera’s New ‘Salome’ Fractures Its Princess Arts, April 30

    In his company debut, the director Claus Guth takes a psychological approach, surrounding the title character with six versions of her younger self.

  9. The Conductor Who Has the Ear of Red Sox and Classical Fans Alike Arts & Leisure, April 29

    Keith Lockhart, who leads the Boston Pops, is a beloved figure in his city’s musical scene, and 30 years in he still has more to give.

  10. Yunchan Lim Embraces the Journey of Bach’s ‘Goldbergs’ Culture, April 28

    The 21-year-old pianist turned the great set of variations into the story of a young man’s maturation from innocence to experience.

  11. At 50, the Takacs Quartet Remains as Essential as Ever Culture, April 27

    With only one of its original members in the group, this ensemble is still identifiably itself, and still going strong.

  12. Shostakovich, Boston Symphony Style Culture, April 25

    Over two nights at Carnegie Hall, Andris Nelsons and the orchestra reveled in the composer’s sonic riches but played with emotional reserve.

  13. 5 Classical Music Albums You Can Listen to Right Now Weekend, April 24

    An exceptional account of Bach’s Mass in B minor, traditional and unusual string quartets, and Thomas Adès suites are among the highlights.

  14. At Houston Grand Opera, ‘This Is a Good Time’ Arts & Leisure, April 22

    Driven by creative leadership and generous donors, the company, long a beacon of innovation, is bucking trends in the field.

  15. A Baritone Walks in Bernstein’s and Mahler’s Footsteps Metro, April 17

    Thomas Oliemans came to New York to sing at the Metropolitan Opera. While he was here, he took a musical walking tour.

  16. The Harp Needs More Modern Music. That’s Easier Said Than Done. Arts & Leisure, April 15

    Expanding my instrument’s repertoire takes months of practicing, experimentation and personal sacrifices. But it has made me believe in possibility.

  17. In This French ‘Gypsy,’ Mama’s Got the Stuff. Daughter Too. Culture, April 14

    The soprano Natalie Dessay and her daughter, Neïma Naouri, team up to explore one of theater’s most toxic mother-daughter relationships.

  18. More European Opera Houses Welcome Back Anna Netrebko Culture, April 10

    The star soprano, who lost work after Russia invaded Ukraine because of her past support of President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, will return to the stage in Zurich and London.

  19. Dismissed Players Take Aim at New York Philharmonic Misconduct Inquiry Culture, April 10

    Matthew Muckey and Liang Wang, who were fired by the orchestra last fall, filed amended complaints saying an investigation by the Philharmonic was biased against them.

  20. Making Sparks Fly at the New York Philharmonic Weekend, April 10

    Guest conductors and the firebrand soloists Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Alisa Weilerstein brought welcome energy to David Geffen Hall.

  21. Singer Sues Met Opera Over Firing for Post-Pregnancy Vocal Problems Weekend, April 9

    The mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili, who suffered vocal problems during and after pregnancy, is suing the opera company — and the union that represented her — after she lost work.

  22. John Nelson, Conductor Who Got France to Cherish Berlioz, Dies at 83 Obits, April 9

    He revived interest in a “problem child” in the pantheon of high romantic composers, bringing Berlioz overdue recognition as one of France’s greatest composers.

  23. Jaap van Zweden’s Brief, Fraught Time Atop the New York Philharmonic Arts & Leisure, May 28

    He arrived on a mission to reshape the ensemble as its music director. Now, as he departs, he’s still making sense of his pandemic-interrupted tenure.

  24. Audience Snapshot: Four Years After Shutdown, a Mixed Recovery Culture, March 12

    Covid brought live performance to a halt. Now the audience for pop concerts and sporting events has roared back, while attendance on Broadway and at some major museums is still down.

  25. It’s Never Too Late to Find a New Career (a Mile Above Your Old One) Projects and Initiatives, March 12

    Patrick Milando, an accomplished French horn player, now splits his time between the orchestra pit and the cockpit, where he teaches budding pilots like he himself once was.

  26. Channeling the Pain of Chinese Immigrants, in Music and Verse Arts & Leisure, January 7

    “Angel Island,” an oratorio by Huang Ruo, brings to life the stark poetry of the people who were detained on the California island in the early 1900s.

  27. Raising Our Glasses to a Pianist Who Loves Vodka Metro, October 13

    Gary Graffman, who is turning 95, is a man of many enthusiasms, including citrus infusions.

  28. Audiences Are Coming Back to Orchestras After ‘Scary’ Sales Last Fall Culture, May 23

    “It seemed like a switch flipped right before Thanksgiving,” the leader of the Chicago Symphony said.

  29. The Met’s Efforts to Increase Ticket Sales for Operas Letters, December 30

    Readers praise plans for more contemporary works. Also: Zelensky and American values; protecting the minority; remote work; the Groucho exception.

  30. Onstage, It’s Finally Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Again Culture, December 21

    After one holiday season lost to the pandemic and another curtailed by Omicron, seasonal staples including “The Nutcracker,” “A Christmas Carol” and “Messiah” are back in force.

  31. After Covid, Playing Trumpet Taught Me How to Breathe Again Magazine, November 29

    The benefits of group (music) therapy.

  32. In New York, Masks Will Not Be Required at the Opera or Ballet Culture, October 17

    Many arts groups, worried about alienating older patrons, have maintained strict rules. Now “the time has come to move on,” one leader said.

  33. Live Performance Is Back. But Audiences Have Been Slow to Return. Culture, August 21

    Attendance lagged in the comeback season, as the challenges posed by the coronavirus persisted. Presenters hope it was just a blip.

  34. Theater at Geffen Hall to Be Named for Two Key Donors Culture, August 3

    The Wu Tsai Theater will honor a $50 million gift from Joseph Tsai, a founder of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, and Clara Wu Tsai, a philanthropist.

  35. San Antonio Symphony to Dissolve Amid Labor Dispute Culture, June 17

    The decision will make San Antonio the largest American city without a major orchestra.

  36. San Antonio Symphony to Dissolve Amid Labor Dispute Culture, June 17

    The decision will make San Antonio the largest American city without a major orchestra.

  37. Never Missing a Curtain This Season, the Met Opera Takes a Final Bow Culture, June 13

    As it ended a challenging pandemic return, the Met had one last marathon: a matinee, an evening performance, and then moving out as American Ballet Theater moved in.

  38. New York Philharmonic Agrees to Restore Pay for Musicians Culture, June 13

    After a stronger-than-expected season, the orchestra said it would reverse pay cuts imposed at the height of the pandemic.

  39. At the Met This Season, Opera Was Icing on the Cake Arts & Leisure, June 12

    Amid a labor battle, the continuing pandemic and war in Ukraine, it often felt as though the real drama was in simply putting on a show.