Classical Music News Articles
Many have called Don Giovanni the finest opera ever composed. Mozart's classic is a brilliant combination of stark human tragedy and touching comedy, set to music of limitless genius. It's heard in a new production from Houston Grand Opera.
After WWI, the British were lamenting a lost era and eager for something new. Edward Elgar gave them a meditative, compelling cello concerto. Steven Isserlis plays Elgar's autumnal music in concert with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
Painter Edward Hopper's images of urban America have become iconic, and have made him one of this country's most popular artists. The University of Maryland has commissioned an opera based on five of Hopper's paintings. "Later the Same Evening," or the "Hoppera," as the work is informally called, premieres Nov. 15.
The title character in Simon Boccanegra is among the most complex and poignant that Verdi ever created, and the opera is among his most beautiful. In this production from Houston, Boccanegra is played by the renowned baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
From the ancient "Day of the Dead" melody to depictions of ghouls and witches, composers have long tapped into the dark side to serve up some deliciously devilish music. Halloween is the perfect time to observe a few creepy classics.
This week's From the Top comes from New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall in Boston, where 18-year-old Samuel Thomas unpacks his accordion to play 'Chopin's Nightmare.' Eleven-year-old violinist Mindy Chen plays a romance by Sarasate, and a talented teen quintet takes on Dvorak. Also, a young cellist chooses Elgar, and a 14-year-old pianist plays Prokofiev.
Countertenor David Daniels takes the brilliant title role in Julius Caesar, Handel's slightly offbeat take on Roman history, from Houston Grand Opera.
On this week's From the Top, host Christopher O'Riley revisits performances by some of the outstanding teen musicians from past shows, and checks in to learn where life has taken them since appearing on the program.
From the musical buzz in pre-WWI Vienna to the experimental New York scene of the 1960s and on through today, Alex Ross reveals the story of 20th-century music in his new book The Rest Is Noise.
Legendary tenor Placido Domingo sings the heroic role of Siegmund in Die Walkuere, the second installment in the Washington National Opera's new production of Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelungen.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of classical composer Jean Sibelius. Musician David Was says the composer's work was in danger of falling out of fashion, but is recently enjoying a burst of new interest.
Even when it isn't sung, the Italian language sounds like music, which is part of why Italian words are used to tell musicians how to playpresto, lento, adagio, forte. Commentator Miles Hoffman explains why Italian is the lingua franca of classical music.
Einstein and Gandhi have been operatic subjects for Philip Glass. His list of great leaders expands with a brand-new opera Appomattox, a Civil War story featuring lead roles for Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant.
Soprano Patricia Racette stars in the title role of Janacek's devastating, yet stunningly beautiful drama Jenufa, in a production from the Washington National Opera.
With votes from Gramophone magazine critics and listeners of 15 classical radio networks, Fischer has topped the world's largest classical-music poll, receiving the 2007 Classic FM Gramophone Artist of the Year award.
Soprano JiYoung Lee stars as an "army brat" who was adopted by the entire army. The opera is Donizetti's Gallic romp, The Daughter of the Regiment, from the Washington National Opera.
In the 1990s, The Brian Setzer Orchestra helped reinvigorate interest in swing music. Now Setzer turns to classical fare with his CD Wolfgang's Big Night Out.
Conductor Marin Alsop recently made history by being named the first woman to head a major American orchestra. She plans to lead the Baltimore Symphony in a mix of cutting-edge contemporary pieces and core classics.
Anna Litvinenko followed in her mother's footsteps by taking up the piano, but she switched to her father's instrument, the cello, after he showed her a video of cellist Jacqueline DuPre. These days, the 13-year-old is accomplished on both instruments. Hear her play "At the Fountain" by Carl Davidoff.
When pianists Wei Wei Hsu, Si Yi Fang and Kaisaer Ainiwaer all squeeze together at one piano they call themselves 6HM, which stands for Six-Handed Monster. They perform an arrangement of "America" from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein. This segment originally aired on May 16, 2007
Soprano Dawn Upshaw is an equal-opportunity vocalist. From Bach to Broadway to today's composers, her creative approach to vocal music and her solid technique have earned her a 2007 MacArthur "genius" grant.
She smokes and drinks, runs with a band of smugglers and brings men to their knees just by crooning a breathy Habanera. She's Carmen, the supreme diva of operatic femmes fatales and the controversial heroine of Bizet's popular opera.
Renowned bass Samuel Ramey stars as a serial murderer in Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle, and as the devious title character in Puccini's Gianni Schicchi, a comedy with a corpse at the center of the action. It's a deadly double bill from the Washington National Opera.
Michael Stern, the music director of the Kansas City Symphony, believes the city's position in the center of the country gives him an advantage when trying to be innovative. He hopes to continue fighting to make music and culture part of daily life.
Opera superstar Maria Callas died 30 years ago Sunday, at age 53. But you'd hardly know she was gone, judging from the steady stream of releases from her record company. It's a testament to the continuing appeal of a great artist.
