Archive: national
Bleak "House" at the Met
Thoughts on the Metropolitan Opera's "From the House of the Dead."
By Anne Midgette | November 20, 2009; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (12)
The great orchestra debate
A summary of the Great Orchestra Debate from an earlier post about Michael Kaiser, in which I compared the current struggles of orchestras and of newspapers to come up with a viable new business model.
By Anne Midgette | November 18, 2009; 12:00 PM ET | Comments (6)
National Opera Week
The first National Opera Week begins today; some other free opera-related events this weekend.
By Anne Midgette | November 13, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (2)
Classical music has its White House day
Thoughts on the White House's celebration of classical music.
By Anne Midgette | November 5, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (3)
Halls, re-sounding
Of concert halls and acoustics: raising an age-old question once again, with particular reference to the National Symphony Orchestra.
By Anne Midgette | October 20, 2009; 06:34 AM ET | Comments (9)
Alt-Classical Altitude in Chicago
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Riccardo Muti announce two composers in residence starting in 2010: both young alt-classical composers who work in a range of media, for a range of audiences.
By Anne Midgette | October 16, 2009; 11:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
The New Sound of Music
A link to today's story in the Washington Post on "alt-classical" music; and, only on the blog, a selection of recent recordings relating to the story.
By Anne Midgette | October 14, 2009; 06:36 AM ET | Comments (7)
Meanwhile, On The Other Coast...
The Los Angeles Philharmonic welcomed Gustavo Dudamel this weekend in a big way. Critics weigh in, with enthusiasm.
By Anne Midgette | October 5, 2009; 10:45 AM ET | Comments (2)
The Future of Arts Journalism (I)
The National Arts Journalism Program is hosting a summit on the future of arts journalism today; what are your thoughts on arts journalism and where it might go?
By Anne Midgette | October 2, 2009; 09:30 AM ET | Comments (2)
Names in the News
Allison Vulgamore is named as the next President and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra. James Levine's back surgery affects plans for Carnegie Hall's opening night concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which takes place tonight.
By Anne Midgette | October 1, 2009; 08:30 AM ET | Comments (4)
Music Directors: A New Wind
A link to an article in the Post about new music directors: the hopes, the fears, the actual results.
By Anne Midgette | September 27, 2009; 11:08 AM ET | Comments (0)
A Garland for Blanche's 100th
Saluting Blanche Moyse, the extraordinary Bach conductor, on her 100th birthday.
By Anne Midgette | September 23, 2009; 11:26 AM ET | Comments (2)
Philly's Future
The Philadelphia Orchestra is reportedly close to naming its next CEO: Allison Vulgamore of the Atlanta Symphony.
By Anne Midgette | September 22, 2009; 06:00 PM ET | Comments (3)
Met "Tosca" Opens to Boos
Links to a review of the Metropolitan Opera's new "Tosca" in today's Washington Post, plus other takes from other critics. The Cliff's Notes version: nobody liked it.
By Anne Midgette | September 22, 2009; 05:41 AM ET | Comments (1)
Weekend Roundup, in brief
Events from the weekend: Philip Glass's latest opera premiered in Linz; the Philadelphia Orchestra's financial woes; the death of the composer Leon Kirchner.
By Anne Midgette | September 21, 2009; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
Gilbert's New Tenure
A review of Alan Gilbert's first outing as music director of the New York Philharmonic on Wednesday night.
By Anne Midgette | September 16, 2009; 11:45 PM ET | Comments (10)
In Search of Creative Programming, and a Bailout
More orchestras tighten their belts. And in these straitened times, can we compile a list of organizations that are actually continuing to do creative programming despite cost-cutting measures - like the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra?
By Anne Midgette | August 6, 2009; 06:31 AM ET | Comments (2)
Estival Festivals: IV. Santa Fe
Links to my review of the Santa Fe opera and Mark J. Estren's review of Monteverdi's "Ritorno d'Ulisse" at Wolf Trap. Plus a question: what makes people jettison their usual standards of drama when it comes to opera?
By Anne Midgette | July 27, 2009; 06:32 AM ET | Comments (7)
Estival Festivals: East Coast, West Coast
This past weekend at two American festivals: Music@Menlo in California, and Caramoor (specifically, Bel Canto at Caramoor) in the New York suburbs.
By Anne Midgette | July 22, 2009; 08:34 AM ET | Comments (0)
Radio Waves
America's largest public radio station, WNYC in New York, has just purchased the city's main classical music station, WQXR, from the New York Times.
By Anne Midgette | July 14, 2009; 03:00 PM ET | Comments (5)
Something About Florida
A radio interview about the Detroit Symphony Orchestra's upcoming Florida tour leads to a few thoughts about why orchestras tour so much in Florida.
By Anne Midgette | July 8, 2009; 06:42 AM ET | Comments (2)
Maazel Tov
Lorin Maazel leaves the New York Philharmonic unchanged after seven years; they play better, but they lack an identity.
By Anne Midgette | June 24, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (7)
Of Ghosts and Men
A new, scaled-down version of John Corigliano's opera "The Ghosts of Versailles" opens tonight in St. Louis. Why has this work, remembered as successful, had so few subsequent performances?
By Anne Midgette | June 17, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (18)
Weekend Roundup: Notes from All Over
A link to Philip Kennicott's review of "Salome" at the Opera Theater of St. Louis; acknowledgment of Robert Wilson's "Freischütz" in Baden-Baden; and a look ahead at this year's "June in Buffalo" festival, which starts today.
By Anne Midgette | June 1, 2009; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Notes from Spoleto: Michael Harrison
Tim Page, my much-admired predecessor at The Washington Post who is now a professor at the University of Southern California, is doing a second stint this summer as the guest critic for the Charleston Post and Courier covering the Spoleto...
By Anne Midgette | May 29, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (0)
Streaming the Competitive Spirit
The Cliburn Competition starts - now. Watch it live on-line.
By Anne Midgette | May 22, 2009; 01:30 PM ET | Comments (0)
Weekend Roundup
The Washington National Opera's "Siegfried" has an unexpected but successful opening; my review is posted here. On the same night, the Vienna State Opera premiered "Das Rheingold," the last opera in Sven-Eric Bechtolf's "Ring" cycle; according to one report it...
By Anne Midgette | May 4, 2009; 06:30 AM ET | Comments (1)
Weekend Roundup
News and reviews from the weekend, in the Washington Post and around the world.
By Anne Midgette | April 27, 2009; 06:25 AM ET | Comments (0)
News Briefs
The new Richard Tucker Award winner; another classical critic bites the dust; Tan Dun's Internet Symphony unveiled.
By Anne Midgette | April 16, 2009; 06:00 AM ET | Comments (1)
Competitive Instincts: the Cliburn's Composers
The Cliburn Competition, for all its faded glory, has found a nifty way to include classical music in the mix without forcing a new work down people's throats.
By Anne Midgette | April 15, 2009; 05:50 AM ET | Comments (5)
Heart of Glass
Some thoughts on Scott Hicks's film about Philip Glass, airing tonight on PBS.
By Anne Midgette | April 8, 2009; 05:45 AM ET | Comments (2)
Recession Watch: Making the Cut
The announcement that St. Paul Chamber Orchestra musicians agreed to a pay cut led me to an off-the-cuff tally of orchestras that have announced similar cuts in the last month. There are a lot of them.
By Anne Midgette | April 7, 2009; 10:58 AM ET | Comments (2)
