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For Debussy Anniversary Year, A Fresh Look at His Violin Sonata
As the centennial of Debussy’s death approaches (March 25, 1918), appraisals of his work and career are turning up, including a new biography by Stephen Walsh, newspaper coverage (see Stephen Hough’s New York Times piece), and recordings (Warner Classics has issued a 33-CD box set of his complete catalog). It’s also a chance for scholars and musicians to…
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The Crown and Classical Music: Season Two Recap
As in the first season of the Netflix original series “The Crown,” Season Two uses classical music at key moments to heighten the drama, while also deftly mixing in 1950s pop songs and the original score by Rupert Gregson-Williams and Lorne Balfe.
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How Musical Instrument Stores Are Vying with Online Retail
The recent news that Sears is closing 103 more of its namesake and Kmart stores this year is the latest symptom of the difficult times for brick-and-mortar retailers, especially those whose fortunes are tied to traditional shopping malls (or once operated as a catalog business).
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The Top 10 Classical Music Stories of 2017
In 2017, classical music mirrored aspects of the turbulent world around it. Hurricanes, Brexit, the Trump administration, and allegations of harassment all left their mark on the field. Classical music also did what it often does best: providing a haven in these restless, plugged-in times. That being said, here are ten stories that rose to…
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Lincoln Center Festival, R.I.P.
The demise of the Lincoln Center Festival, reported last week in the New York Times, was not entirely surprising given the recent departure of its founding director, Nigel Redden. But it was nonetheless disappointing to those who savored its wide-ranging mix of cross-cultural fare each July.
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Formal Attire at the Opera? Here’s What Some Opera Houses Say
In a widely-circulated column in The Guardian, dated Oct. 14, writer Howard Jacobson argues that opera audiences have become too casual, and that men should wear suits and ties to performances in an effort to “commemorate the specialness of an occasion.” He recounts attending a performance of a Mozart opera in London recently and being…
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New York Philharmonic Can’t Get Enough of Mahler
The New York Philharmonic is entering a bold new era for fans of Gustav Mahler and other late-Romantic symphonists, if the opening-night gala concert, led by Jaap van Zweden, was any indication. The Sept. 19 program featured Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, performed days after van Zweden led the same work at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, where…
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Santa Fe Opera’s ‘The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs’ on Closing Night
SANTA FE, NM – Driving north from Santa Fe on Highway 285, a stadium-like structure appears perched above the left side of the road. Turn off at one of the two marked exits, pull into one of the tightly-packed parking lots, and soon you’ll encounter small groups of tailgaters beside their crossover SUVs and Subaru wagons. In…
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When Stravinsky Composed For a Broadway Revue
Guess which name doesn’t belong here: Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, Stephen Sondheim, Gian Carlo Menotti, Kurt Weill and Igor Stravinsky.
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Five Things Every Orchestra Website Should Get Right
In compiling the BBC Music Magazine‘s North American concert calendar every month, I spend a lot of time scanning the websites of concert presenters and orchestras across the U.S. and Canada. Though I am not a marketer and admittedly know little about ticketing sales practices, it’s easy to identify potential improvements in website design and…