Music
-
Bard Summerscape Mounts Chabrier's King
Leon Botstein Conducts the American Symphony Orchestra
By: - Jul 29th, 2012Leon Botstein gives us unusual and rare operas in wonderful productions year after year. Although The King In Spite of Himself by Emmanuel Chabrier has languished over the years, it was greeted with wild enthusiasm when it was first produced in Paris. One critic wrote, "...it is exquisite. Impossible to pick out the best numbers for each one is better than the one before."
-
Don Pasquale a Hit for Boston Midsummer Opera
Austere Production Quenches Boston's Classical Music Drought
By: - Jul 29th, 2012Donizetti was a master of opera buffa - comic opera - and "Don Pasquale" is one of his enduring hits. By focusing on singers and their interactions, Boston Midsummer Opera gets it right.
-
Sweet Soubrette in Concert at Dream Away Lodge
No Cover Event August 18
By: - Jul 27th, 2012Sweet Soubrette, a melodic, ukulele-powered indie rock band based in NYC, will perform an acoustic concert at Dream Away Lodge in Becket on August 18. WBRS (Brandeis University radio) says: “Sweet Soubrette’s music is modern and sonically diverse…talented instrumentalists and tightly sung melodies make for a really exciting listen.â€
-
Bellini's I Capuleti e I Montechhi at Caramoor
Will Crutchfield Does it Again
By: - Jul 23rd, 2012Summer after summer the Caramoor International Music Festival brings us delicious bel canto operas, marvelously produced. It was an enchanting musical evening, with some extraordinarily beautiful moments, lines and clouds of bel canto tone.
-
Green River Festival XXVI Satisfies
Arlo and the Guthrie Family Headline
By: - Jul 18th, 2012It was certainly a coup to have Arlo and the Guthrie Family headlining the opening day of the festival on the actual 100th anniversary of Woody’s birth.
-
A Conversation With Herb Gart - Part VIII
The Ones Who Got Away!
By: - Jul 13th, 2012Nearing the end of our conversation, Herb notes a few of the ones who got away. When Phil Ochs was mentioned, the focus shifted and we took time to share some memories of our colleague.
-
Art Garfunkel Performs at the Clark August 11
Previews The Singer a 34 Song CD
By: - Jul 09th, 2012The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute welcomes legendary singer-songwriter Art Garfunkel in a rare concert appearance on Saturday, August 11, at 8 pm.
-
Arlo & Family Headline the Green River Festival
On Woody’s Centennial Birthday: July 14 & 15
By: - Jul 09th, 2012Fortunate are we that on that day, July 14th, this coming weekend, they will headline the Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA.
-
Bernadette Peters Pops Tanglewood
Broadway in the Berkshires
By: - Jul 09th, 2012In one of the best ever Pops programs Keith Lockhart paid tribute to New York composers. Including the Washington D. C. born jazz great Duke Ellington's A Tone Parallel to Harlem. For the second half of the concert he was joined by Broadway legend Bernadette Peters. She performed a number of songs by Stephen Sondheim including two from Follies which she performed this season on Broadway. Awesome.
-
Ewa Podles Mesmerizes at Caramoor
The World's Great Contralto is Perfect in Rossini's Ciro in Babilonia
By: - Jul 08th, 2012The event of the summer is Ewa Podles arrival at Caramoor to sing Rossini under the able baton of Will Crutchfield and the Orchestra of St. Luke's.
-
Greater Worcester Opera's Carmen at Eagle Hill
A Rousing Close to Season III
By: - Jul 08th, 2012When the opportunity to experience a performance of Bizet’s Carmen, as performed by the Greater Worcester Opera, just a few miles from my home in the boonies, I eagerly joined a few hundred of my neighbors.
-
Tempus Fugit for Tanglewood 75th
Christoph von Dohnányi Conducts Sweltering Opening Night
By: - Jul 07th, 2012It was steamy in the Shed last night for the sweltering launch of the gala, 2012, 75th season of Tanglewood. With Christoph von Dohnányi, a Conducting Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center in 1952, the orchestra replicated the very first BSO concert that took place on August 5, 1937. A capacity audience enjoyed the all-Beethoven program, opening with the Leonore Overture No. 3, followed by Symphony No. 6, Pastoral, and Symphony No. 5.
-
The Taylors James and Swift at Tanglewood
Annual Franchise Concert Thrills Fans
By: - Jul 03rd, 2012Last night James Taylor performed the first of three annual sold out shows at Tanglewood. With a twenty minute intermission the program started just after seven and ended just before ten. During all that time guest artist Taylor Swift graced us with two duets and a solo of her teen anthem, a thrill to thousands of girls in the audience “Love Story.†More tonight.
-
The Wall Is Spectacular At Fenway Park
Roger Waters' Rock Opus is Visually and Musically Stunning
By: - Jul 02nd, 2012Thirty-five years after writing the autobiographical rock opera, Roger Waters is touring the World with a complex projection and animation musical presentation at large venues. Last night, July 1, the epic event was presented at 100 year old Fenway Park. If the 50,000+ crowd can be correctly judged, the high ticket costs were well worth the value. This was a event that was visually stunning and musically memorable.
-
Hundred Dollar Valentine by Chris Smither
An Exceptional New CD
By: - Jul 01st, 2012Singer/Songwriter Chris Smither and producer David Goodrich have combined their talents to generate an exceptional CD Chris sings with a voice distinctively his own yet emotionally reminiscent of so many iconic voices that come to my mind.
-
Wolftrap Snares Don Giovanni
Tomer Zvulun Stages a High Tech Opera
By: - Jun 30th, 2012The perfect opera is still perfect, but also very currrent. Facebook, phone fotos, and Victoria's Secret all play roles in this terrific, intense production.
-
The Hunchback Variations at 59East59 Theaters
Chicago's Theater Oobleck Creates a Masterpiece
By: - Jun 25th, 2012This delightful chamber opera, both funny and moving in its absurdity, is playing in New York after a triumphant world premier in Chicago.
-
A Conversation With Herb Gart - Part VII
On Auditioning Record Labels
By: - Jun 24th, 2012I explain to my clients that they are not auditioning for a record company; the record company is auditioning for us. We know you’re great and we are looking for the A&R man who gets it.
-
Ear Say III - CD reviews
Those Harmonizing Ladies
By: - Jun 10th, 2012I cannot imagine many of you will have ever heard or even heard of a folk duo from the ‘60s who set the bar for creative distaff harmonizing. Kathy & Carol thrilled us with a blending of voices...
-
Fruhbeck de Burgos Conducts the New York Philharmonic
Avery Fisher Hall Barely Contains Monumental Cantatas
By: - Jun 03rd, 2012The color and force of two monuments of twentieth century choral music were performed with drama and grand production by the New York Philharmonic, Orfeon Pamplones and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
-
A Conversation With Herb Gart - Part VI
Gaffes and Lessons Learned
By: - Jun 03rd, 2012"When Don McLean had been turned down by 72 labels, we signed with a company Mediarts that hadn’t existed when we started looking" Herb Gart reveals to David Wilson in another segment of their dialogue.
-
Nina Stemme Debuts at Carnegie Hall in Salome
The Cleveland Orchestra Gives a Sumptuous Performance
By: - May 27th, 2012Nina Stemme, a great Wagner and Strauss soprano, thrills Carnegie Hall with her singing as the Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Most delivers the gorgeous score.
-
The Collegiate Chorale at St. Bartholomew's in New York
Contemporary Voices Rise to the Dome
By: - May 23rd, 2012Chorales often anchored in the Bible moved, arrested and even amused as they were performed in New York by the great Collegiate Chorale.
-
Jesse Colin Young -Natick Center For The Arts
Smoother Than Ever
By: - May 23rd, 2012Jesse Colin Young is well remembered and appreciated in this area as was indicated by the full house that assembled Saturday night, May 5th at TCAN’s elegantly refurbished firehouse in downtown Natick. I suspect that many, like myself, had memories somewhat faded around the edge of that moody introspective rebel with long dark locks, brooding expression and clear bright tenor tone.
-
Tanglewood Rethinks Labor Day Weekend
Rocking Out with Train, Evanescence and Pops
By: - May 23rd, 2012Train is back on track for Friday, August 31. Followed by Pops, on Saturday, and then a hard rock tandem of Evanescence and Chevelle rounding out a solid Labor Day Weekend in the Shed. This is a dramatic change of policy for Tanglewood making for a weekend with broad audience appeal second only to the Fourth of July. This last blast of summer will surely draw large audiences to Lenox. Then its back to work and school.
<< Previous Next >>