Lawrence A. Johnson, founder of the Classical Review network of websites, decries what he sees as the deadly dull state of the art form in the city, especially but not only at Lyric Opera. Then he suggests a few ventures that might bring badly-needed change. - Chicago Classical Review
Leah Broad paints vivid, at times over-imagined, pictures of all four women and the worlds in which they lived and worked. She deftly interweaves their stories in a chronological tapestry. - The Conversation
In fairness, Schoenberg never pretended that he was out to smash the system — maintaining, to the end of his life, that art was a question of evolution, not revolution, and that he wrote from an inner creative impulse as heartfelt as that of Brahms or Schumann. - The Critic
Something critical is getting overlooked amid the fervor with which classical music claims its new sense of conscience: the artistic value of the works being unearthed. - Philadelphia Inquirer
TThe tenor Yusif Eyvazov has been appointed director of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in his hometown, Baku. (The couple has seen many of their engagements in Europe and North America disappear in the wake of Putin's invasion of Ukraine.) - OperaWire
In Terence Blanchard's opera Champion, opening at the Met, "there are not only new arias (and new lines for supporting characters); what will be heard ... also reflects Blanchard’s latest work when it comes to orchestral complexity and vocal elegance." - The New York Times
When the piece premiered at Opera Theatre of St. Louis ten years ago, it had a small pit orchestra, a four-piece jazz combo, and a total cast of 18 (including chorus and dancers). Now the total cast numbers nearly 80. Here's a look at what Blanchard did and how. - AP
“False and potentially alarming information was shared with our musicians by our musical director, Raffaele Ponti. This false information continued to spread, which led to what we interpreted as a physical threat from him, resulting in the cancellation of our final mainstage concert of the season.” - Sarasota Herald Tribune
As Black and brown musicians, the question is not whether we can “solve” classical music’s issue with racism. Rather we wonder: Why do we try to change a world that isn’t ours? Under that: Can this be our world? And the trickier phrasing: Should it be? - Van
A businessman who made more than £1m selling fake vinyl records was caught after a fan of punk band the Clash complained that the sound quality of an LP he had bought was not as sharp as it should have been. - The Guardian
"Citing rising costs and reduced revenue, the San Diego Opera Tuesday canceled performances of (Zach Redler and Jerre Dye's) The Falling and the Rising, a co-commissioned work originally scheduled to premiere in 2020 but postponed by the COVID-19 pandemic." - Times of San Diego
"Michael Nyman had a lot to do with it, and he was probably thinking of minimalist art like Frank Stella. ... What disturbs me is when I hear younger students talking about minimalism (as a homogenous entity). I tell them, 'Go home and wash your mouth out!'" - San Francisco Classical Voice
"In the third decade of the 21st century, no country on Earth has reinvented the language of the symphony orchestra on such distinctive and locally relevant terms as Iceland has. Perhaps we have the country's sluggish cultural development to thank for that." - The Guardian
Norman Lebrecht: "Bernstein was music director for a record 11 years. His successors were doomed by comparison. Pierre Boulez was too ascetic, Zubin Mehta superficial, Kurt Masur heavy weather, Lorin Maazel boring, Alan Gilbert half-baked and Jaap Van Zweden an accounting error." - The Critic
