One of Europe’s most prestigious opera festivals, the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence recently announced opera highlights of its upcoming season, to be held July 2-21, 2015 at picturesque and historical venues in and around the ancient Provençal city of Aix.
A Classicalite favorite, Vijay Iyer, has recently been experimenting with new sounds on his latest LP Mutations. And with an upcoming stint at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) entitled RADHE RADHE: Rites of Holi from Dec. 18-20, Iyer is demonstrating that the MacArthur Genius' music is forming a language all its own.
Twelve puppeteers and the Orchestra of St. Luke's bring Twist's "biggest, most ambitious creation" to Lincoln Center's White Light Festival.
Santa Fe Opera's 2014 season, which begins on June 27, contains much to look forward to: the American premiere of 'Dr. Sun Yat-Sen'; an ingenious pairing of Mozart’s 'The Impresario' with Stravinsky’s 'Le Rossignol'; as well a new production of 'Fidelio.'
March 20 will offer the Australian Chamber Orchestra Underground (ACOU) in a fantastic display of new sounds and swift arrangements ranging from Nirvana to Stravinsky, Nine Inch Nails to Paganini.
Most know that old adage, coined by Picasso (or Stravinsky): "Good artists copy, great artists steal." And the acid-tongued, quasi-minimalist composer John Adams has heard it more than most.
There will be some anniversaries celebrated this year, none wider than that of the birth of Richard Strauss. But here's a milestone that I suspect few will comment on. It is half a century since Pierre Monteux, the French-born conductor. Not just any conductor, one of the most influential and revered of the 20th century. And yet these days, few music lovers are more than dimly aware of his name.
No surprise that the Montreal Symphony Orchestra's announcement of music director Kent Nagano's contact renewal says very early on, "Since its association with Maestro Nagano, the OSM has consolidated its standing among leading North American orchestras..." In this case, though, there's little doubt about the release's honesty. It's pretty well bang on.
The Houston Symphony is celebrating Día de los Muertos--Day of the Dead--with a multimedia concert featuring music by Mexican composer Juan Trigos and an animated film set in the time of the Mexican Revolution.
Although he resigned as music director on October 1, Osmo Vänskä will lead the musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra one more time (in two concerts) scheduled for this Friday and Saturday.
The Mariinsky Orchestra, led by Valery Gergiev, will return to Symphony Center on October 2 with an all-Stravinsky program, featuring The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring. The orchestra last performed at Symphony Center in 2010.
The New World Symphony will première a video installation by British video artist Netia Jones during their performances in two cities next month, bringing visions of winter landscapes to Miami Beach, Fla. on October 17, and the Harris Theater in Chicago, Ill. on October 19.
The New World Symphony presents the premiere of a new work for video and orchestra in its state-of-the-art multimedia venue.
While it's always good to hear about people turning to classical music, we're not sure what to think about the news that a branch of McDonalds is to play the classics as a way of persuading local thugs to stay away. Talk about a back-handed compliment...
Due to a fracture in his shoulder, Pierre Boulez will not be able to not hold a baton to conduct his two scheduled concerts at September's Lucerne Festival.