Musically and dramatically Ferdinando Paerís Leonora and Beethovenís Fidelio might be said to belong respectively to pre- and post-revolutionary ages.
Category: Reviews
Puccini’s Il Trittico at Los Angeles Opera
A few seasons back, Los Angeles Opera invited William Friedkin to direct a double-bill of Bartok’s Bluebeard’s Castle and Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.
Music for the Court of Maximilian II
Although Jacobus Vaet, Antonius Galli and Pieter Maessens are little-known composers today, this impressive recording featuring their music, the debut recording by the ensemble Cinquecento, may serve as a cautionary reminder that modern familiarity is often the fruit of circumstance and not necessarily a reliable measure of artistic achievement.
Oresteia at Miller Theatre
Iannis Xenakis once stood among the leading composers of the avant-garde, mentioned in a (long, drawn-out, amelodic, taped and fed back) breath with Babbitt, Berio, Boulez, Henze, Penderecki and Stockhausen: internationally famous among academics, ignored or deplored by the concert-going public.
Souvenir of a Golden Era: The Sisters Garcia
Last year saw Cecilia Bartoli’s recording dedicated to the memory, and repertoire, of the early 19th century singer Maria Malibran, “Maria.”
Prom 61 ó Verdi’s Requiem
The Verdi Requiem is a regular feature at the Proms, having appeared every few years in past decades, usually to full houses.
Prom 51 ó St. John Passion
Sunday 24th August at the Proms promised a day dedicated to the music of Bach, beginning with an organ recital in the afternoon by Simon Preston and ending with a late-night performance of the first three of the six Cello Suites by Chinese cellist Jian Wang by way of a palate-cleanser.
The Second to Last Night of the Proms – Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
The Last Night of the Proms is notorious because it’s an excuse for jingoistic excess.
Film Music Classics on Naxos: Herrmann and Perry
There may be no name more famous in the world of film music than that of Bernard Herrmann. William Perry, however, is a name unlikely to set off many bells.
Mozart, Rossini and Verdi at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Of these three productions staged for the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the beautifully dressed Entf¸hrung and refined Tancredi present the company as a theater for tasteful, stylish productions, just a tad on the dull side.