436 stories by "Jonathan Blumhofer"
Francois-Xavier Roth's Mahler is full of energy; the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic's account of Randall Thompson's Symphony no. 2 is gripping.
Child Alice is an important addition to the recorded catalogue of major American symphonic music.
The BSO's performance of the Alpine Symphony had purpose and direction.
Leann Osterkamp's playing is rhythmically alive and sympathetic to Leonard Bernstein's style; Seong-Jin Cho shows that he is an important pianist to watch.
The BPYO is as responsive, confident, technically skilled, and emotionally expressive an orchestra as they come.
In honor of what would have been Leonard Bernstein's hundredth birthday, the Tanglewood Festival is pulling out all the stops.
There's a remarkable breadth and depth, both textural and musical, to this collection of songs and dances that date back to the earliest years of the Republic.
Far more impressive than pianist Martha Argerich's impeccable mechanical abilities are her interpretive chops. Here, she's truly in a league of her own.
Nothing sleepy about the playing or the interpretations in the Yo-Yo Ma and Emmanuel Ax disc; New Hampshire's Heather Gilligan is a composer to watch.
This is one of the year's standout orchestral albums and it's a special treat to catch the ensemble live on these shores so soon after its release.
Two great tenor discs have recently been released
For my taste, too much of the stage action during Friday's performance was stiff and shopworn.
One of Andris Nelsons' great gifts as an interpreter is his ability to shape and develop large-scale musical forms.
Ebony Quartet serves up a "must-hear" album of music from between the world wars.
Soprano Joyce El-Khoury sings spectacularly in her new disc, Echo.
Hindemith and Britten could hardly have asked for more committed advocates than Steinbacher, Jurowski, and the RSOB.
If there's an essential "Leonard Bernstein at 100" album, this one, so far, is it: excellent performances of relatively unknown music deserving to be heard.
Saturday's performance ranked among Odyssey Opera's finest and most artistically satisfying undertakings.
Some institutions' offerings aren't as challenging as they could be, but there's a healthy balance between the familiar and new.
An early highlight of the upcoming Leonard Bernstein centennial is Sony Classical's 25-disc box set.
Michael Tilson Thomas proves he's got Alban Berg's style in his blood; Pablo Heras-Casado's Mendelssohn symphony cycle continues to be stylish.
Sit Fast's performances are breathtaking for their clarity and emotional involvement; Vladimir Jurowski serves up a ho-hum, un-monumental an interpretation of a late-Romantic pillar.
The Classical Collection proves that violinist Joshua Bell is only now entering his prime; the Baltic Chamber Orchestra serves up a grim and underwhelming disc.
A wonderful new performance of Mahler's three orchestral song cycles; Daniel Reuss's account of the oratorio Le Roi David is basically flawless.
Violinist Sebastian Bohren's album is uneven; violinist Isabelle Faust and pianist Alexander Melnikov have produced a wonder.
