T/classical-music

  1. In Minneapolis, a Layer of Hygge Warmth for a Top-Notch Orchestra Arts & Leisure, Yesterday

    With the Nordic Soundscapes Festival, Thomas Sondergard puts his stamp on the Minnesota Orchestra (and its interior spaces).

  2. The Philharmonic Breezes Through Wagner’s Epic ‘Ring’ Culture, January 20

    The conductor Nathalie Stutzmann led Lorin Maazel’s coolly efficient 1987 distillation, “The ‘Ring’ Without Words,” at David Geffen Hall.

  3. Claire van Kampen, 71, Playwright and Arranger of Early Music World, Dies Obits, January 20

    After she married Mark Rylance, the two often collaborated; her specialty was arranging music for Tudor-era plays. Then she wrote a period piece of her own.

  4. In San Antonio, an Orchestra Was Reborn. Can It Endure? Culture, January 17

    The San Antonio Philharmonic was formed after the demise of the city’s 83-year-old orchestra in 2022. But rebuilding has not been easy.

  5. A Top Pianist and a Great Composer Walk Into a Bar … Culture, January 15

    After the pianist, Vikingur Olafsson, asked for a concerto over beers, the composer, John Adams, wrote “After the Fall,” which will now travel the world.

  6. Incendios de California destruyen importante acervo musical de Arnold Schoenberg En español, January 14

    Se calcula que unas 100.000 partituras del innovador compositor del siglo XX quedaron destruidas cuando el incendio de Pacific Palisades calcinó la editorial musical fundada por sus herederos.

  7. With Prizes and a Rainy Performance at the Olympics, a Pianist Rises Arts & Leisure, January 14

    The 27-year-old musician Alexandre Kantorow has rapidly received worldwide attention. That hasn’t changed his approach to making music.

  8. Vast Trove of Arnold Schoenberg’s Music Is Destroyed in Fire Culture, January 14

    An estimated 100,000 scores by Schoenberg, the groundbreaking 20th-century composer, were destroyed when the publishing company his heirs founded burned down.

  9. Houston Symphony Taps Gary Ginstling as C.E.O. Culture, January 10

    The veteran orchestra manager, who abruptly resigned from his post as the New York Philharmonic leader last year, said he was drawn to the dynamism of Houston.

  10. The Flying Maestro: A Top Conductor Moonlights as an Air France Pilot Arts & Leisure, January 9

    Daniel Harding scaled the heights of classical music. Then he set out to conquer the skies.

  11. The New Year Brings New Talent to the New York Philharmonic Culture, January 9

    Kevin John Edusei and Daniele Rustioni, conductors in their 40s, made impressive debuts with the orchestra in back-to-back programs.

  12. Tom Johnson, Minimalist Composer and Village Voice Critic, Dies at 85 Obits, January 4

    He charted the rise of musical minimalism on New York’s downtown scene in the 1970s. He later gained notice for abstract works of his own.

  13. Should Democrats Try to Work With Trump? Letters, January 3

    Responses to a column by Jamelle Bouie. Also: Trade with China; rising autism rates; in awe of Schubert; games as a common bond; Local Call’s work.

  14. The Classical Music Our Critics Can’t Stop Thinking About Weekend, January 2

    Watch and listen to five recent highlights, including the “Brutalist” soundtrack, the soprano Barbara Hannigan and Strauss singers at the Met Opera.

  15. Schubert Is the Best Cure I Know for Loneliness Op Ed, December 28

    Schubert’s final three piano sonatas are a deep exploration of loneliness, and particularly apt for our age of isolation.

  16. Two Men Wrote ‘Messiah.’ You Know One of Them. Op Ed, December 25

    How a contentious friendship between political rivals led to the creation of a classic Christmas anthem of hope.

  17. What We Can Learn From the First Truly Modern Composer Arts & Leisure, December 24

    Ferruccio Busoni, who died 100 years ago, was a globe-trotting, forward-thinking composer and teacher with a message of timelessness in music.

  18. What Does a Sugar Plum Fairy Sound Like? Podcasts, December 24

    Meet the celesta.

  19. 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.

  20. 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.

  21. 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.

  22. 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.

  23. 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.

  24. 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.

  25. 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.

  26. 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.

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

    The benefits of group (music) therapy.

  28. 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.

  29. 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.

  30. 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.

  31. 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.

  32. 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.

  33. 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.

  34. 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.

  35. 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.