Readers of this blog might (or might not) be wondering what's become of me. There have been no postings in recent weeks because with the conclusion of the concert season I found it necessary to write half a dozen grant applications. This left little time for anything else other than complaining about it. I am now in Pittsburgh, where I'm directing an NEH teacher-training workshop on "Dvorak and America" through the end of the month. After that, in August, I'll be covering the Santa Fe Opera for the Times Literary Supplement (UK) -- and … [Read more...]

Recent Comments
william osborne on A Status Report on City Opera
Small music theater requires entirely new concepts of composition, singing and staging. NYCO wants to create a new form...Chuck Lavazi on Dvorak and Hiawatha
The first time I heard the Largo of the Dvorak 9th (then called the 5th, which shows what a geezer...Robert Berger on Ives the Sophisticate
Interesting article, but your dismissal of the Sibelius 2nd as "banal" and "cliched" could not be more...Mark Stryker on Ives the Sophisticate
Joe, Insightful post, thanks. Interestingly, in a review I wrote a couple days ago about the four Ives symphonies played at...J. Theakston on The Greatest Film Score You’ve Never Heard
Must disagree with you on one point, Joe. Modern accompaniment for classic films (silent films excluded) is walking a...richard on The Met’s New Parsifal
I saw the performance of March 5, and your description of the brillance of this production rings true. At last,...Geo. on The Met’s New Parsifal
I saw the HD-cast of this production rather than in person, so obviously my perspective is limited that way. ...msirt on The Met’s New Parsifal
Ah ha! I finally "get" François Girard's final interpretive thrust for this rendition : Parsifal's words (paraphrase of the poem):...Sixtus Beckmesser on The Met’s New Parsifal
Thank you for this thoughtful and insightful appraisal. I was fortunate to have seen the HD broadcast on Saturday,...Dan Goldstein on Mixing Art and Music — An Open Letter to the Corcoran Gallery
On my website, which pairs works of art with mostly original compositions, viewers have the option of listening to the...