VIEWPOINTS – The Met and Sondheim, two pillars of the arts, held up amidst the lockdown and celebrated with considerable style

In light of the bleak uncertainty facing the performing arts during the ongoing lockdown, I’ve been inspired by the valiant and nimble efforts of artists (and administrators) to band together and … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – Streaming Diary: Richard Strauss’s ELEKTRA, Bryony Lavery’s TREASURE ISLAND, George Balanchine’s ALLEGRO BRILLANTE, and Robert O’Hara’s GATHER

Like many performing arts fans out there, I’ve been steadily streaming content to enjoy in lieu of attending live performances (which, pre-pandemic, I used to do pretty much on a … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In PRIME, Heather Christian’s untethered imagination sets the act of prayer free

Lucky for us in our current fraught times, Playwrights Horizons was ahead of the curve when it started commissioning its audio-only Soundstage series. The aptly named Heather Christian’s Prime: A Practical Breviary – which I … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – DANIIL TRIFONOV dazzles in a masterful all-Bach recital

This week, I had the great privilege of catching Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov perform an all-Bach program at Alice Tully Hall. The sold-out, one-night-only concert (presented in association with the … Continue Reading →

VIEWPOINTS – For its new productions of Handel’s AGRIPPINA & Wagner’s DER FLIEGENDE HOLLÄNDER, the Met turns to a pair of tried-and-true directors

Over the last few weeks, the Metropolitan Opera unveiled two new productions. I’m happy to report that both are noteworthy and thought-provoking efforts, the result of two brilliant directors tastefully … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Iván Fischer and his BUDAPEST FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA triumph yet again in their exploration of Dvořák and Mahler

This past Sunday and Monday at David Geffen Hall, as part of Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series, I had the great privilege of experiencing the celebrated Budapest Festival Orchestra perform … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Jaap van Zweden leads his NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC in an eclectic, disorienting program featuring Renée Fleming

Last night, I attended a performance by the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall. The concert was conducted by the orchestra’s music director, maestro Jaap van Zweden, who gamely … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, Jean-Guihen Queyras, and Rosas ravish in the distilled MITTEN WIR IM LEBEN SIND

To coincide with this week’s opening of the controversial Broadway revival of West Side Story, the iconic Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker this weekend at NYU Skirball presented, for … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – A propulsive LA TRAVIATA at the Met, led by a vocally resplendent Aleksandra Kurzak

I recently had a chance to revisit Michael Mayer’s production of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera. Upon reassessment, I remain lukewarm to the year-old production and still do miss Willy … Continue Reading →

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Susan Graham returns to New York in a stirring evening-length concert inspired by Schumann’s FRAUENLIEBE UND -LEBEN

Along with millions of other Americans, I have long had a soft spot in my heart for star mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, who this week returned to New York (she now … Continue Reading →