The current issue of The Times Literary Supplement (UK) includes my review of Das Rheingold and Boris Godunov at the Met, as follows: The two most eagerly awaited Metropolitan Opera productions this fall autumn were Wagner's Das Rheingold directed by Robert Lepage, and Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov directed by Peter Stein, with René Pape singing his first New York Boris and Valery … [Read more...] about Rheingold, Boris, and Artistic Miscalculation at the Met
The Singularity of Gershwin
The singularity of George Gershwin is an inexhaustible topic. One thing that sets Gershwin apart is what I'd call his "cultural fluidity." He is Russian, he is Jewish, he is American. He composes for Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, Hollywood, Carnegie Hall. He is an American in Paris. In Vienna, he is the rare American composer for whom Alban Berg greatly matters. This fluidity of … [Read more...] about The Singularity of Gershwin
Santa Fe Opera Update
The current issue of the Times Literary Supplement (UK) includes my review of this summer's Santa Fe Opera season, featuring a terrific Tales of Hoffmann and further evidence of artistic health. It reads: John Crosby founded the Santa Fe Opera in 1956. He situated his open-air opera house seven miles north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, in a vast polychrome landscape fringed by the … [Read more...] about Santa Fe Opera Update
Did Dvorak Compose “Deep River”?
Though there are some historians of American music who dispute the crucial importance of Dvorak, and many more who simply ignore him, that the impact of his short American sojourn (1892-1895) remains incalculable was driven home afresh during the recent "Dvorak and America" NEH teacher-training institute in Pittsburgh. After World War I, the iconic American spiritual was "Deep … [Read more...] about Did Dvorak Compose “Deep River”?
Swapping Horowitz for Arrau
SWAPPING HOROWITZ FOR ARRAU As readers of this blog may be aware, my son Bernie is a diehard Vladimir Horowitz enthusiast who has forced me to my knees ("Horowitz on Horowitz on Horowitz on Horowitz: A Recantation") - more or less. Bernie recently restored the "Vladimir Horowitz Website," which had been taken offline. He continues to collect obscure concert and studio … [Read more...] about Swapping Horowitz for Arrau