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Winter Reveries, Icy Terrors
One of my favorite musical rituals involves the Winter Solstice, the first day of the winter season and the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. At the heart of this ritual is listening to Tchaikovsky’s First Symphony, which bears the nickname “Winter Dreams.” I discovered the piece in college when I was [...]
Continue reading...Tropical Tracks
10. January 2010
For as long as I can remember my family has been spending the Christmas/New Year’s holiday together on a Caribbean vacation. For years I was the odd man out, believing somehow that Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas unless I was in a cold and snowy place, which meant that I never traveled with my family for [...]
Continue reading...Rameau and Martinis
7. January 2010
It started out almost as a joke when Albert and I were planning to unwind after a day of work with a martini and some music. Albert suggested we listen to an advance recording of the new naïve classique release of conductor and in this case harpsichordist Christophe Rousset playing transcriptions of Rameau’s second opera, [...]
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Natalie Dessay
30. June 2009
As she prepared to make a much-anticipated role debut as Violetta in La Traviata in Santa Fe, the affable opera superstar donated her time to answer a few questions for this informal Q&A session.
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Harpsichordist and Conductor Christophe Rousset
26. May 2009
The French harpsichordist and conductor Christophe Rousset has long been one of the bright lights of the early music and period instruments scene. At twenty-two he won the prestigious First Prize, as well as the Public Prize, in the Seventh Bruges Harpsichord Competition (1983). He performed with Les Arts Florissants and then Il Seminario Musicale before embarking on a career as a music director, which led him to form his own ensemble, Les Talens Lyriques, in 1991.
Continue reading...A Maverick Composer’s Memorial Day Music
25. May 2009
Memorial Day has something of a split personality, especially on the kind of gorgeous day we had today in Upstate New York. Despite the parades, the holiday itself has a somber character and purpose, paying tribute to those who have served and died while serving in the armed forces. But with the picnics and barbecues, not to mention all the usual commercialization, it’s taken on new qualities if not a completely different identity. It’s now pushed as the official beginning of the summer, not to mention the Hollywood blockbuster season, and my inbox today received no less than 20 special Memorial Day sale offers to buy everything from sneakers and workout gear to outdoor furniture and cars.
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Guitarist Xuefei Yang
19. May 2009
A fan of Mamma Mia! and Charlie Parker, Yang is the first Chinese guitarist to attain professional status on the international classical circuit. She has performed concertos with the world’s leading orchestras and will record her latest CD for EMI this summer.
Continue reading...Running on Classics
19. May 2009
A few days ago, I almost flew off the treadmill running at full-sprint speed – that is, I was going at more than 10 miles per hour! Everyone in the gym threw a look my way, some gasping, as my running shoe made a loud, squeaking sound as it hit the part of the belt [...]
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Giuseppe Filianoti
30. April 2009
Italian-born Giuseppe Filianoti has won acclaim around the world for his superb performances in the Bel Canto repertoire. The well-read family man appears May 12-25 as Nemorino (opposite Diana Damrau) in Laurent Pelly's staging of L'Elisir d'Amore at Covent Garden.
Continue reading...20 (Plus) Questions with… Soprano Nicole Cabell
23. April 2009
Cabell - who shot to fame after winning the 2005 BBC Singer of the World Competition in Cardiff - graces the Met stage as Adina in L’Elisir d’Amore through April 22. She is the latest to donate her time and musings to our Q&A.
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10. January 2010
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