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Philip Plass’ Akhnaten at the Met

New York,
A WORD FROM THE AUTHOR: Please excuse the lateness of this piece but three versions of it that I wrote which were in "Draft " disappeared thrice so I had to re-write it thrice and re-think  ...
Balloons

Sad by Southwest: Tales from a Cancelled Festival

Austin,
South-by-Southwest (a.k.a. SXSW) began in Austin, TX as a music festival in 1987, continuously expanding in the years since to feature movies, TV, comedy, games, art, podcasting, and conferences/exhibits on everything from education and sports to politics and cutting  ...
THE DAY

THE DAY

San Francisco,
“I remember the day…” On the surface, “THE DAY” is a multilayered performance with iconoclastic cellist Maya Beiser and retired ballerina turned dance experimentalist, Wendy Whelan. This collaborative project, done in two parts, is the inspiration  ...
Angela Meade as Queen Elizabeth. Photo: Craig T. Mathew

Roberto Devereux

Los Angeles,
Don’t think that the movies have exclusive title to making bio-pics. Opera has been at it for years. Donizetti set a brilliant example in 1837 with “Roberto Devereux,” third in a trio of works about the Tudor monarchy. I  ...
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A Thousand Thoughts

Berkeley,
“A Thousand Thoughts, a thousand questions, mine, yours, ours, theirs, questions that perhaps open up things that definitive answers would only nail shut. Kronos Quartet’s long trajectory offers a series of questions that are solid and answers are elusive.  ...
Photo: Cory Weaver

Eurydice

Los Angeles,
It’s still the same old story, a search for love and glory. Okay, so I paraphrased it. To hear playwright Sarah Ruhl and composer Matthew Aucoin tell it, Orpheus (Joshua Hopkins) is a god when he is creating music,  ...
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Four Arab / International New Music CDs

Much has been made of the stylistic freedom composers now enjoy. The Gordian knot of the 12-note system has been cut and few composers save those in the academy seem even tempted to write in the 12-note  ...
Photo: Roselina Garbo

Winter Journey

Italy,
After the end of a short summer break and the inauguration of the autumn season, along with “La Traviata” and “The Barber of Seville”, Teatro Massimo in Palermo opens its doors to the world premiere of “Winter Journey”, a  ...
Photo: Cory Weaver.

La Bohème

Los Angeles,
Call it a chestnut or a war horse, if you must, in order to polish your sophistication credentials. “La Bohème,” done well, is some of the most moving music on an opera stage. It is  ...