My review of “Defending Music: Michael Steinberg at the ‘Boston Globe’ -- 1964-1976” (Oxford University Press) is today published online by “The American Scholar.” The kicker, at the end, reads: “Michael Steinberg was never intended to make a career writing concert reviews. He was ever courageously drawn to what would do the most good.” You can read the whole thing here. … [Read more...] about “Pre-Eminent among the American Newspaper Critics of his Generation”
“The Marriage” – Enacting Gustav Mahler’s Demise and Alma’s Indecision
My play The Marriage: The Mahlers in New York was just premiered (as a work-in-progress) at the University of Michigan/Ann Arbor. It’s my good fortune to be working with a terrific actress and director: Esther van Zyl and Jack Tamburri. We next produce the play (this time with lighting design) at the Colorado Mahlerfest on May 14. To evoke the terminally ill composer, I have … [Read more...] about “The Marriage” – Enacting Gustav Mahler’s Demise and Alma’s Indecision
Furtwängler in Wartime – Reflections on Ian Buruma’s “Stay Alive”
Boston’s “Arts Fuse” today carries my thoughts on “Furtwängler in Wartime” occasioned by Ian Buruma’s new book “Stay Alive.” Excerpts follow. You can read the whole thing here. One learns from Ian Buruma’s Stay Alive: Berlin 1939-45 – an absorbing study of what it was like to live in the German capital during World War II – that on December 12, 1944, a concert was conducted … [Read more...] about Furtwängler in Wartime – Reflections on Ian Buruma’s “Stay Alive”
What Next for the Boston Symphony? — Lessons from the Past
The current Boston “Arts Fuse” carries my thoughts about the pertinence today of Henry Higginson, who invented, owned, and operated the Boston Symphony until 1919. You can access the full article here. Excerpts follow: About a dozen years ago I was invited, impromptu, to address a gifted youth orchestra at Boston’s Symphony Hall. I mounted the podium and asked how many … [Read more...] about What Next for the Boston Symphony? — Lessons from the Past
Chopin Waltzes as a Cycle — A Triumph for Seong-Jin Cho
That Chopin’s 24 Preludes are commonly performed as a set makes sense. They are individually short and concise, they vary greatly in mood and texture, they suggest a trajectory beginning with a clearing of the throat and ending with a firestorm. That Chopin’s waltzes are not commonly performed as a set makes equal sense. Individually, they are more repetitious than the … [Read more...] about Chopin Waltzes as a Cycle — A Triumph for Seong-Jin Cho