Vladimir Jurowski's new recording of Rachmaninoff's Symphony no. 1 is a tightly-played, exciting reading; The Yiddish Cabaret's only real offense relates to poor labeling; The transcriptions…
Railroad Rhythms is one of the year's delights: unexpected, well played, and thoroughly charming. Theodore Kuchar is a conductor who seems to know precious few limitations; Eduard Strauss, d…
Arguably, the strongest entry in the BSO's complete Shostakovich symphony cycle thus far; Esa-Pekka Salonen's 2016 Cello Concerto is emotionally direct and, at times, simply gorgeous; the re…
Charles Villiers Stanford's bold Mass Via victrix is finally heard; Pablo Heras-Casado wraps up his survey of the Mendelssohn symphonies in high style; Anna Shelest completes her performance…
Markus Maskuniitty's solo debut recording is stunning, Howard Shelley and the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra play Clara Schumann's Piano Concerto with zest, and this is one of the strongestNew…
The final two concerts of the BSO's season were in the orchestra's sweet spot. The post Classical Music Reviews: The Boston Symphony's 2018-19 Season-closing Concerts appeared first on The A…
This performance of Ives' Third was the most welcome entry in the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra's celebratory season " a beautifully considered, powerfully rendered account of this too-negle…
A freshly thought through, energetically executed Berlioz disc; a lovely album that contains excellent performances of underperformed and unfamiliar repertoire that deserves to be heard and …
A trio of fine discs: Leonard Berstein's music for solo piano, Charlie Chaplin's songs, and Charles Hubert Hastings Parry's trios. The post Classical CD Reviews: Bernstein Complete Piano Mus…
Benjamin Zander conducts a conspicuously fine Mahler Nine; François-Xavier Roth's new account of Mahler's Symphony no. 3 proffers nothing particularly special. The post Classical CD Revie…
The fact is, the BSO's 2019-20 season doesn't risk enough and lacks a true spirit of adventure. The post Arts Commentary: The Boston Symphony's 2019-20 Season Announcement appeared first on …
While the orchestra's program was almost defiantly canonical, it was played with such lightness and energy that you could forgive its disappointing safeness. The post Classical Music Review…
Richard Pittman led the core players of BMV in a confident, evocative reading of the music. The post Classical Concert Review: Boston Musica Viva plays Hoffer, Smith, and Greene appeared fi…
The BSO recently announced an extension to artistic partner Thomas Adès's contract. It is lucky to have him. So are the rest of us. The post Classical Concert Review: Thomas Adès conducts …
Anniversaries are both the bane and the lifeblood of the classical music industry as, for better or worse, three new box sets remind. The post Classical CD Reviews: Colin Davis's "Berlioz Od…
Francois-Adrien The post Classical Music CD Reviews: Juan de Arriaga's Orchestral Music, Lortzing Overtures, and Boieldieu's Piano Concerto et al. appeared first on The Arts Fuse.
Michael Gordon's score for The Unchanging Sea works better as soundtrack than a concert work; Harmonia mundi releases a DVD of William Kentridge's powerful staging of Alban Berg's Wozzeck. T…
This Sunday's BPYO concert tied together a number of highly personal strands, presenting music connected to two of conductor Benjamin Zander's mentors -- Benjamin Britten and Gustav Holst. …
John Corigliano's take on goodbyes is, if not exactly bitter, then full of sorrow: few happy memories to be had here. The post Concert Review: Boston Modern Orchestra Project plays John Cori…
Conducting Lumina, Andris Nelsons was entirely in his element, capably drawing out the music's shimmering gestures -- string flourishes, brass fanfares, woodwind filigrees, and the like " fr…
Pianist Kirill Gerstein's take on Busoni is exhilarating; the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra serves the forceful music of composer Bernd Alois Zimmermann, and violinist Elina Välhälä do…
Hearing Sanford Sylvan sing made one rich: spiritually, emotionally, musically. The post In Memoriam — Sanford Sylvan (1953-2019) appeared first on The Arts Fuse.
Fine recordings of symphonies by neglected American composers Florence Price and George Antheil; and a curious album from Cornelius Meister and the ORF Radio-Sinfonieorchester Wien. The post…
Richard Muti draws playing of full-blooded passion from Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Thierry Fischer conducts Camille Saint-Saëns with a sure hand, and violinist Tasmin Little's new record…
Our critic's year-end tally of the classical albums that, in looking back over 2018, stand tallest " plus a few that didn't make the bar.