Simon in New York
(3/3/15): As nice as it was to think about, Rattle has accepted the London Symphony Orchestra's offer to become their next music director, starting in 2017. It's almost unbelievable to think […]
Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony Perform Sibelius and Mozart
SAN FRANCISCO, California – Who knew that I'd have to fly 3,000 miles west to hear yet another extension of my Scandinavian musical saga? It's not why I was there, but
Nielsen and Sibelius (Again) with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
I rarely, if ever, see the same concert program twice, but in this case, I simply had to make an exception. Two weeks after witnessing their epic Sibelius and Nielsen
Scandinavia 2015: Finnish Pelimanni Folk Music and Jazz in Helsinki
HELSINKI, Finland – In addition to all of the opera, recitals, ballets and symphonies I gorged on during my two weeks in Scandinavia, I did happen upon my fair share
Scandinavia 2015: Sibelius Academy Recital, Folke Gräsbeck, and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra at the Musiikkitalo
HELSINKI, Finland – With the possible exception of Austin, TX, I don't think I've even seen a more musical city than Helsinki, Finland. Everywhere you go, you see people carrying music cases:
“Don Giovanni” at the Metropolitan Opera
by Steven Pisano In Michael Grandage's production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni now playing at the Metropolitan Opera, the snarling balls of flame that rocket up from the stage as the
“Independence Eve”: An Opera in Progress About Race Relations in America
by Steven Pisano Independence Eve is a three-scene chamber opera by Sidney Marquez Boquiren currently under development by American Opera Projects that explores different viewpoints on black-white relations in America. On Tuesday, February 5, the
Scandinavia 2015: Danish National Symphony Orchestra at the Koncerthuset
COPENHAGEN, Denmark - In addition to being the 150th anniversary of Sibelius' birth, 2015 is also the 150th anniversary of the birth of Denmark's best-known composer, Carl Nielsen. So, imagine my
Scandinavia 2015: Royal Danish Opera Academy Concert at the Royal Danish Theater
COPENHAGEN, Denmark - On the night I arrived in Copenhagen, the main event in town was the world premiere of the new opera sun goes up, sun goes down, commissioned from Danish composer Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen