Kronos Quartet – Mỹ Lai (CD Review)
Mỹ Lai Kronos Quartet Smithsonian Folkways In one of its most ambitious projects to date, Kronos Quartet has recorded Mỹ Lai, an opera by composer Jonathan Berger (Professor at…
Ian Dicke – Roman
On June 4 and 5, the Synchromy Opera Festival presented two world premieres that explored the impact of modern technology on human relationships. The first of these, The Double, by…
Vera Ivanova – The Double
The much-anticipated Synchromy Opera Festival was presented at Boston Court, Pasadena, over June 4 and 5, with two sold-out performances for a pair of world premiere productions. The Double, by…
Rhiannon Giddens sings “Julie’s Aria “from her new opera (Video)
Rhiannon Giddens, along with guitarist Bill Frisell and percussionist Francesco Turrisi, perform “Julie’s Aria” from Giddens’ first opera, Omar. Premiering at Spoleto, the opera is receiving productions at a number of prominent houses. Here is an…
Chaya Czernowin – Heart Chamber (DVD Review)
Chaya Czernowin Heart Chamber Naxos DVD Patrizia Ciofi, soprano; Dietrich Henschel, baritone; Noa Frenkel, contralto; Terry Wey, countertenor; Frauke Aulbert, vocal artist Deutsche Oper Berlin, Johannes Kalitzke, conductor Chaya…
Noteworthy in 2018: Schell’s picks
Unlike those big-media favorites lists that appear in mid-December to grease the skids of the Great Shopping Season, my year-end reckonings dawdle until the last moment and don’t claim to…
György Kurtág’s “Samuel Beckett: Fin de partie” at La Scala
[Ed. note: Former S21 contributor, member, and friend David Salvage has in the last couple years pulled up his U.S. tent pegs and landed in Italy. He’s offered up his review…
December 1: Chelsea Opera Premieres Cipullo
One of my favorite active vocal composers is Tom Cipullo. In the nineties, I performed his song cycle “Land of Nod,” which demonstrates his penchant for contemporary subjects, including pop culture,…
Descent Into Madness in Pasadena
As part of their continuing new music series, the Boston Court Performing Arts Center in Pasadena presented Descent Into Madness, A Concert of Cautionary Music on February 9, 2018. The…
Best Contemporary Opera Recording 2017 – Andriessen’s ‘Theatre of the World’
Louis Andriessen Theatre of the World Leigh Melrose, Lindsey Kesselman, Marcel Beekman, Steven van Watermeulen, Mattijs van de Woerd, Cristina Zavalloni, vocal soloists Los Angeles Philharmonic, Reinbert de Leeuw, conductor…