a virtual journal and essential blog of the classical music scene in greater Boston
Lee Eiseman, publisher; Robert Levin, advisor; David Moran, assisting editor; Bettina A. Norton, emerita editor
Reviews
December 8, 2018
Messiah for the 18th and 21st Centuries
by Julie Ingelfinger
In the auspicious year of 1812, some 76 years after its premiere in Dublin, and 51 years after the composer’s death, the Handel and Haydn Society introduced Handel’s Messiah to America. This weekend, Boston Baroque brings its 38th-annual HIP version to Jordan Hall. [continued]
December 6, 2018
Lutenist Succeeds With Diminutions
by Jonas Kublickas
Eight-course lutenist Hopkinson Smith reprised his Diapason d’Or-winning CD “Mad Dog” in a candlelight Cambridge Society for Early Music concert Monday evening at the Christ Church in Cambridge. [continued]
December 5, 2018
BMOP Features Frog, Two Cellos & Violin
by John Ehrlich
Gil Rose and Boston Modern Orchestra Project enlightened, stretched, and amused, and got Friday’s Jordan Hall audience into “Trouble” [continued]
December 3, 2018
Refreshing Exactitude from H+ H
by CJ Ru
Thanksgiving having passed, we heard a timely annual reminder of Who was born unto us in the year zero. Our most venerable singing society rais’d Messiah incorruptible three times at Symphony Hall over the weekend. [continued]
John Cage, Guitar?
by Frank E. Warren
All the compositions on Aaron Larget-Caplan’s Saturday night concert at Arlington Street Church came from the pen of the thorny master between 1933 and 1948. The eponymous Stone Records CD release party-concert included guest artists Sharan Leventhal, violin; and Adam Levin, guitar. [continued]
December 2, 2018
A Far Cry: Enthusiastically Mixed
by Vance R. Koven
A Far Cry gave an imaginative selection of mostly transcribed pieces to a substantially populated and enthusiastic Calderwood Hall Saturday (and Sunday). [continued]
Chameleon Tells 100-year-old Tale
by Mark DeVoto
The Chameleon Arts Ensemble under flutist-director Deborah Boldin honored the centenary of l’Histoire du soldat in some interesting French company at First Church Boston last night. Repeats on Sunday, December 2, at four o’clock; don’t miss it! [continued]
December 1, 2018
Fire Bringers at Longy
by John Secunde
The Neave Trio (violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov, and pianist Eri Nakamura) can be counted on to present interesting and varied repertoire, but Friday’s concert of Roussel, Shostakovitch, and Korngold at Longy particularly stood out. [continued]
November 30, 2018
Christmas Oratorio in Symphony Hall
by Cashman Kerr Prince
Last night Andris Nelsons led the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the the newly-refreshed Tanglewood Festival Chorus, a powerful quartet of solo voices, and the BSO Children’s Choir, kicking off the holiday music season jubilantly. [continued]
November 27, 2018
Thankful for the Russians, Zander & BPYO
by Jeffrey Gantz
For its traditional post-Thanksgiving concert Sunday at Symphony Hall, the Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra paired Rach 2 with Shostakovich 10. [continued]
Winsor Wins: Four Moderns Plus 16th-C Susato
by Julie Ingelfinger
Closing this Thanksgiving Weekend in style, Winsor Music dished up a delightfully varied repast of new and old at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brookline. Guest pianist Stephen Drury, brought some Rzewski. [continued]
November 26, 2018
Diatonics, Chromatics and Perceptibilities
by Mark DeVoto
Collage New Music honored John Harbison, one of its major founders, ahead of his forthcoming 80th birthday with exemplary performances of two of his works at Pickman Hall Sunday night. [continued]
November 25, 2018
Caccini Liberates Ruggiero from Alcina
by Virginia Newes
BEMF’s well-crafted chamber version of La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina allowed Saturday’s (and Sunday’s) Jordan Hall crowds to concentrate on the delights of some fine music by a little-known composer. [continued]
The Bach Project Celebrates the Master
by David Patterson
Organist Andrew Sheranian and some of Boston’s more experienced Baroque players welcomed an open and intent “congregation” to partake in a Thanksgiving for Bach at All Saints’ Church on Sunday. [continued]
November 24, 2018
BSO and Beethoven: Even & Odd
by Nathaniel Eiseman
For its annual Black Friday concert, the BSO and Andris Nelsons offered two symphonies to a sold-out hall. [continued]
November 21, 2018
Danish Foursome Shows Mastery
by Benjamin Pesetsky
The Danish String Quartet brought Haydn and Beethoven classics to Rockport Music’s Shalin Liu Performance Center on Sunday along with an early work by their fellow Dane Hans Abrahamsen [continued]
November 20, 2018
Inon Barnatan Enlightens
by Jim McDonald
The pianist Inon Barnatan generated warmth and cameraderie with each piece of his remarkable Celebrity Series program in Jordan Hall on Sunday afternoon. [continued]
Styles Collide with Zenón and Spektral
by Carl Straussner
Miguel Zenón and the Spektral Quartet animated their CD “Yo soy la tradiciòn” at First Church Back Bay on November 15th. [continued]
Not Your Usual Tradiciòn
by Jonas Kublickas
A CD debut concert at First Church of Boston on November 15th found the MacArthur-certified genius and Guggenheim Fellow Miguel Zenón alongside the magnificently flexible Spektral String Quartet, playing live, the music on his 11th ground-breaking album “Yo soy la tradiciòn.” [continued]
November 19, 2018
Romping Promenade From BPO
by Lee Eiseman
The Boston Philharmonic placed us in a deluxe suite with three favorites Saturday night at Jordan Hall, balancing exhilaration, introspection, color in generous measure. [continued]
November 18, 2018
Hooray for Operatic Immersion
by Carl Straussner
Deftly working the numerous historical elements, the BLO last Wednesday at the Emerson Center did Machover’s new opera proud. [continued]
November 17, 2018
Machover Imagines Beautiful Mountain
by Jonas Kublickas
Tod Machover’s Schoenberg in Hollywood teleported us from the Emerson Paramount into the composer’s mind, Thursday night, showing his struggle to find creative meaning in the wake of brutal and personal loss. The Boston Lyric Opera run concludes Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. [continued]
November 16, 2018
All-Stars: Nelsons, BSO, Gruber, Mahler
by Jeffrey Gantz
With Andris Nelsons playing his original instrument (in the company of trumpet soloist, Håkan Hardenberger), this weekend’s Austrian BSO show pairs Mahler’s Fifth Symphony with HK Gruber’s 1999 trumpet concerto Aerial, which made a strong bid to be the highlight of the BSO’s season. [continued]
Showcasing Guitar Music from Japan
by Mark Small
At his November 3rd concert at the First Lutheran Church of Boston, Japanese classical guitar virtuoso Kazuhito Yamashita offered music by composers from his homeland. [continued]
November 12, 2018
Joy Alloyed With Sadness
by Lee Eiseman
In Back Bay Chorale’s season opener, “Caroline Shaw: Seven Joys,” at Emmanuel Church Saturday night, the namesake composition along with six other works inspired mostly quiet contemplation on the meanings of joy. [continued]