Classical Beat: The Classical Beat


Posted at 12:24 PM ET, 03/19/2012

Links: Reviews of Repin, Chen, and other weekend highlights
By Anne Midgette, Stephen Brookes, Cecelia Porter, Robert Battey and Joe Banno
The violinist Vadim Repin disappointed; the violinist Ray Chen did not; Francesca Caccini got her moment in the spotlight; and the BSO appeared to mirror the Kennedy Center’s ongoing festival of Central European music.

By Anne Midgette, Stephen Brookes, Cecelia Porter, Robert Battey and Joe Banno  |  12:24 PM ET, 03/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  Stephen Brookes, Cecelia Porter, Robert Battey, Joe Banno

Posted at 10:21 PM ET, 03/12/2012

Opera on eBay
By Anne Midgette
Have you always wanted an “Aida” to call your own? A Dutch impresario, retiring from opera after 20 years of mounting arena productions, puts his sets, costumes and props up for sale on eBay.

By Anne Midgette  |  10:21 PM ET, 03/12/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 11:21 AM ET, 03/12/2012

Links: New head of Vocal Arts DC is favorite local son
By Anne Midgette
Peter Russell takes over Washington’s premiere recital series. Plus: reviews of Leon Fleisher, CPE Bach, and the NSO.

By Anne Midgette  |  11:21 AM ET, 03/12/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 04:23 PM ET, 03/09/2012

Dueling art songs: competition in Philly
By Anne Midgette
Philadelphia’s Center City Opera Theater is holding its first composer’s competition: 15 composers, 30 art songs, and the audience picks at least one of the winners.

By Anne Midgette  |  04:23 PM ET, 03/09/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 01:56 PM ET, 03/07/2012

More season announcements: the National Philharmonic
By Anne Midgette
Strathmore’s resident orchestra offers a season with a range of one-composer programs (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Prokofiev) and a few unexpected twists (Lutoslawski, and a world premiere).

By Anne Midgette  |  01:56 PM ET, 03/07/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  National Philharmonic

Posted at 11:52 PM ET, 03/06/2012

Kennedy Center 2012-13
By Anne Midgette
A survey of the classical music offerings on the Kennedy Center’s program for next season, announced on Tuesday.

By Anne Midgette  |  11:52 PM ET, 03/06/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 11:48 PM ET, 03/05/2012

Links: Gheorghiu disappoints, Bronfman impresses, and other classical reviews
By Anne Midgette
A hive of classical activity in the DC area this weekend leads to reviews of Angela Gheorghiu, Yefim Bronfman, Benjamin Grosvenor, the Jerusalem Quartet, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with “Voices of Light,” and the Nordwest Deutsche Philharmonie.

By Anne Midgette  |  11:48 PM ET, 03/05/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  Charles T. Downey, Joan Reinthaler, Joe Banno, Samantha Buker

Posted at 04:56 PM ET, 03/02/2012

The BSO celebrates women - and its 2012-13 season
By Anne Midgette
In Friday’s Washington Post, I take a look at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s festival this weekend, which celebrates women - but not music. Also: the BSO announces its 2012-13 season.

By Anne Midgette  |  04:56 PM ET, 03/02/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 01:11 PM ET, 03/02/2012

I dare you not to cry: on classical music and critical thinking
By Anne Midgette
In an otherwise sophisticated and enthusiastic review of the Whitney Biennial, the New York Times’s art critic Roberta Smith lets fall a telling line reflecting how uncritically many people perceive classical music.

By Anne Midgette  |  01:11 PM ET, 03/02/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 12:14 PM ET, 03/02/2012

Links: Maazel and the Vienna Phil are oddly uneven; weekly roundup.
By Anne Midgette
Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic offered an oddly uneven program; plus reviews of pianist Roger Wright, cellist Jonah Kim, and a festival of female composers by the Ibis Chamber Music Society.

By Anne Midgette  |  12:14 PM ET, 03/02/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  Cecelia Porter, Charles T. Downey, Stephen Brookes

Posted at 09:41 PM ET, 02/27/2012

Portrait of the artist as music critic
By Anne Midgette
Musicians have long been the most significant music critics — and their creativity is essential to keeping the field of music criticism alive.

By Anne Midgette  |  09:41 PM ET, 02/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 12:01 PM ET, 02/27/2012

Weekend links: Armenian cellist; Brooklyn Rider
By
Reviews of the Tchaikovsky Competition winner in recital and the alt-classical string quartet playing vibrato-less Beethoven.

By  |  12:01 PM ET, 02/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  Cecelia Porter, Robert Battey

Posted at 11:27 AM ET, 02/27/2012

Cosi fa Miller
By Anne Midgette
Jonathan Miller’s “Cosi fan tutte” opened at the Washington National Opera on Saturday night. Here, a sampling of reviews, including my own.

By Anne Midgette  |  11:27 AM ET, 02/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  Charles Downey, WNO

Posted at 12:40 PM ET, 02/21/2012

From pastiche to appropriation: Golijov and “Siderus”
By Anne Midgette
This weekend’s revelation that Osvaldo Golijov’s piece “Siderus” takes chunks from another composer’s work overlooks the well-known fact that Golijov often “borrows” from the work of friends. Is it plagiarism if the orginal composer sanctions it — and is it becoming a bad habit for Golijov, leading to unauthorized “borrowings” and ever less new original work?

By Anne Midgette  |  12:40 PM ET, 02/21/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat

Posted at 11:38 AM ET, 02/20/2012

Links: Julia Fischer; Kronos Quartet
By Anne Midgette and Samantha Buker
Julia Fischer showed her stuff this weekend as a great violinist on the traditional model; the Kronos Quartet joined Azerbaijani singer Alim Qasimov and other musicians at the Clarice Smith Center. We review.

By Anne Midgette and Samantha Buker  |  11:38 AM ET, 02/20/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  Samantha Buker

Posted at 12:48 AM ET, 02/19/2012

Link: The Miller’s Tale
By Anne Midgette
The opera stage director, neurologist and polymath Jonathan Miller prides himself on bringing a naturalistic view of life to the opera stage; but his own artistic ideas have become slightly codified. I profile him in Sunday’s Washington Post; here, I ask what you think of the good doctor.

By Anne Midgette  |  12:48 AM ET, 02/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  WNO

Posted at 12:22 AM ET, 02/19/2012

YCA presents another striking debut
By Joe Banno
Joe Banno reviews the Washington debut of the 21-year-old violinist Benjamin Beilman, presented by Young Concert Artists.

By Joe Banno  |  12:22 AM ET, 02/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Categories:  The Classical Beat | Tags:  YCA, Joe Banno