Der Besuch der alten Dame at TheaterLübeck

Premièring 14 January, TheaterLübeck will present Der Besuch der alten Dame, a schauspiel written in 1956 by the Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt (1921-1990) under the original title Komödie der Hochkonjunktur (Comedy of Business Prosperity), with music by Dietmar Staskowiak. Der Besuch der alten Dame received the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best foreign play in 1958-59.

Changes at the Chicago Lyric

No time for Lyric to play it safe Opera company loses Epstein’s voice of innovation By John von Rhein Tribune music critic December 27, 2004 Matthew A. Epstein’s recent departure…

NY TIMES: 2004 in Retrospect

The Voices That Carried the Year By ANNE MIDGETTE OPERA lovers do a fair amount of hand-wringing over the state of singing today. My own pet peeve has been the…

Miah Persson Replaces Natalie Dessay in Mahler’s Fourth

Fi de Natalie Dessay et des Brentano-Lieder de Strauss (dont le dernier, Amor, donne le titre de son dernier album, chroniqué sur ResMusica). Qu’importe, le public s’est pressé ce soir là, comme à chacun des concerts de cette intégrale Mahler (lire le compte rendu de la symphonie n°3 et de ce même concert, deux jours plus tôt, à Dijon). Composée lors de son dernier séjour en Italie la symphonie n°29 d’un Mozart d’à peine 18 ans est créée en 1774 à Salzbourg, qui connaît depuis deux ans le règne du Prince-Archevêque Colloredo. Myung Whun Chung a choisi de réduire son orchestre en « formation Mannheim » (moins de trente cordes) pour servir cette œuvre avec la légèreté et la fluidité nécessaire. L’ensemble est très énergique et homogène, et accentue le coté brillant de cette symphonie par le parti pris de tempi plutôt allant, malgré quelques fluctuations dans les départs de mouvements.

Once More, With Feeling

Recorded music has benefited from the digital revolution, with lifelike reproduction possible in a variety of formats.
That’s not always a good thing, because professional musicians find themselves competing for work with a device known as Sinfonia.
The introduction of this “virtual orchestra” into opera and Broadway pits has stirred resentment, lawsuits and countersuits. Even the definition of what it is has generated heated debate.

A Day in the Life of an Opera Student

At Juilliard, Students Learn That Opera Is Both Craft and Commodity By BLAIR TINDALL The Juilliard School in New York City has trained some of the world’s most prominent singers…

The Oxford History of Western Music

A History of Western Music? Well, It’s a Long Story By JAMES R. OESTREICH OXFORD HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC By Richard Taruskin Illustrated. 4,272 pages. Oxford University Press. $500 until…

Philip Gossett Receives Mellon Distinguished Achievement Award

Philip Gossett, one of the world’s foremost experts on Italian opera, will receive one of four Mellon Distinguished Achievement Awards, an honor that carries with it a $1.5 million prize.…

Major Losses at the Berlin Opera Houses

Berliner Opernhäuser haben Millionenverluste gemacht 19:45 Uhr Die Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin – Die drei Berliner Opernhäuser haben im ersten Jahr der gemeinsamen Opernstiftung weniger Besucher als erwartet gehabt…

Trouble Down Under

Discord rings out as new opera director takes up the baton By Sharon Verghis December 16, 2004 Richard Hickox barely had time to adjust to the time difference before he…