Photo: https://proopera.org.mx/ Nadine Sierra as Amina
Bellini is a poet of melody. He places long, flowing lines over a restrained orchestra, expressing emotions and psychology to their utmost depth. La sonnambula (The Sleepwalker) exemplifies this, with its melodies conveying both narrative and the subtleties of feeling.
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Met Opera will present Bellini and Donizetti, 19th-century Italian. Bellini was a poet of melody, writing long, flowing lines over a restrained orchestra to express emotion and psychology to the fullest. La sonnambula (The Sleepwalker) exemplifies his style, where the melody drives the story and conveys lyricism and psychological depth. Donizetti, by contrast, was prolific across comedy and tragedy, blending melodic beauty with dramatic development and insight, condensing the flow of the story into the music. In La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment), he skillfully uses coloratura, choruses, and modulations to vividly depict comedic situations and romantic conflicts, merging melody and drama. After savoring Bellini’s poetic melodies, audiences can enjoy the theatrical drama that Donizetti created a decade later.
Read MoreThe Israel Philharmonic, born out of persecution and exile, dedicates a performance of Ben-Haim’s works, conducted by Lahav Shani, at Carnegie Hall. Ben-Haim masterfully integrated the musical traditions of different Jewish communities into Western structures, achieving a refined and richly expressive synthesis of ethnic elements.
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Even you rely on laws and rules for your protection, yet establish your freedom at the expense of others, this opera is for you. Because you will see yourself reflected in the human nature that Mozart portrays. Conductor Yannick brings difficult classical music to life in an accessible, discovery-filled way, revealing your treasure. Director Hove drives a wedge into your hardened heart, using the interplay of power and redemption to enhance the music. Now, let us go witness the filth of humanity that thrives in every age.
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The latest works by Canadian composers Sarah Davachi and Igor Santos at Yarn/Wire’s studio in New York. Davachi’s Feedback Studies for Percussion (2022) creates a meditative soundscape using percussion and feedback, minimizing melody and rhythm while exploring resonance and overtones. Performers do more than follow the score, shaping sound in response to the acoustics, immersing listeners in the subtle shifts and flow of time. Santos’ living to fall [music and rain] (2022) blends sound and visual media around the theme of water, employing piano, keyboards, percussion, and visuals to evoke thunder and rain, symbolizing both violence and healing. Yarn/Wire delivers precise and expressive performances of both works, offering a profound encounter with the possibilities.
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If one listens closely, the orchestration’s structure, the thematic content of each scene, and the musical context emerge, revealing the composer’s intentions. Moreover, the ingenuity of the librettist and production team, the conductor’s interpretation, and the performers’ expressiveness also become apparent. Why was a particular instrument assigned to a specific scene? Why does bassoonist Billy’s tone always shine so brightly, producing textures entirely different between Dead Man Walking and familiar Italian opera? Why is the Maroon unison always precise? Why is Silvio’s timing and reed work on the clarinet impeccable? Why can Yannick infuse infinite emotion into the violin tutti? The answers are evident when you watch.
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Extensive symphonic experience and exceptional soloists at LA Philharmonic.
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The Met’s 2025–26 must-sees: Tchaikovsky’s Onegin with a world-renowned diva, Wagner’s Tristan under Yannick and Sharon’s new staging, Strauss’ poignant Arabella, Saariaho’s contemporary Innocence, and a fresh production of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.
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The 2025–2026 season at Carnegie Hall features the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with Lahav Shani and Pinchas Zukerman, pianist Sir András Schiff, the Estonian Festival Orchestra with Paavo Järvi, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir with Tõnu Kaljuste, the Philharmonia Orchestra with Marin Alsop and Santtu-Matias Rouvali, accordionist Ksenija Sidorova, the Modigliani Quartet, and violinist Kyung Wha Chung with pianist Kevin Kenner, and more.
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Now, the Metropolitan Opera is getting in the best shape after James Levine - New excellent principals, outstanding ensembles and solos even in the tutti, rich and precise tuttis, extensive connections to all top artists, and curious audiences (new and old) in the house. The conditions are about time. The lineup for the rest of this season through 2025 is as follows:
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The season includes pianists Daniil Trifonov (Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Barber) and Yulianna Avdeeva (Chopin, Liszt), Mao Fujita (Yashiro, Scriabin, Beethoven, Liszt, Mozart), Mitsuko Uchida (Beethoven, Schubert, Kurtág, Schumann), Evgeny Kissin (Beethoven, Chopin, Shostakovich), and Nina Stemme with Roland Pöntinen (Elgar, Weill, Wagner). Major orchestras appear as well: the New York Philharmonic with Susanna Mälkki (Strauss, Francesconi, Ravel), Berlin Philharmonic with Hilary Hahn and Kirill Petrenko (Rachmaninoff, Korngold, Dvořák, Bruckner), Czech Philharmonic under Semyon Bychkov (Dvořák, Janáček), Chicago Symphony with Riccardo Muti (Bellini, Verdi, Tchaikovsky), Vienna Philharmonic with Muti (Schubert, Bruckner, Stravinsky, Dvořák), London Symphony with Antonio Pappano (Walker, Bernstein, Mahler, Rachmaninoff, Walton), Cleveland Orchestra with Franz Welser-Möst and Asmik Grigorian (Haydn, Strauss, Janáček, Puccini), and the Boston Symphony with Andris Nelsons plus Mitsuko Uchida and Yo-Yo Ma (Beethoven, Shostakovich). Chamber music highlights include Les Arts Florissants (Charpentier, Lully, Rameau), Concerto Copenhagen (Muffat, Handel, Bach), Yarn/Wire and Theatre of Voices with premieres by Wubbels, Iannotta, Gordon, Wolfe, and Adams, and an all-Shostakovich recital by Gidon Kremer, Maxim Rysanov, and Gautier Capuçon.
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The 2023–2024 concert season featured a stellar lineup of performers. Joyce DiDonato starred as Sister Helen Prejean and Ryan McKinny as Joseph De Rocher in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking at the Met, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Riccardo Muti led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Mendelssohn, Strauss, and the New York premiere of Philip Glass’s The Triumph of the Octagon. Pianists Jonathan Ware, Sergei Babayan, Anna Vinnitskaya, Schaghajegh Nosrati, and Sir András Schiff showcased programs spanning Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Schumann, Bach, Beethoven, Haydn, and Alkan. Joana Mallwitz conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Kodály, Tchaikovsky, and Schubert, bringing vibrant energy and interpretive insight. These performances highlighted both established and emerging artists, emphasizing technical mastery, emotional depth, and a commitment to blending classical masterpieces with contemporary works, creating a dynamic and engaging season.
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The LA Phil’s 2024–2025 season features Robin Ticciati with Lisa Batiashvili (Beethoven Violin Concerto, Dvořák Symphony No. 8), Susanna Mälkki (Schubert “Unfinished,” Saariaho HUSH, Strauss), Gustavo Dudamel with Sasha Cooke (Mahler songs and Symphony No. 5), and Joana Mallwitz with Augustin Hadelich (Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, Schubert Symphony No. 9). Emmanuelle Haïm leads Le Concert d’Astrée in Handel’s The Triumph of Time and Disillusion, Esa-Pekka Salonen with Pierre-Laurent Aimard explores Boulez, Debussy, and La mer, and Evgeny Kissin gives a solo recital of Beethoven, Chopin, and Shostakovich.
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Revered conductor Riccardo Muti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, Strauss’s Aus Italien, and a New York premiere by Philip Glass, inspired by Italy and written in honor of Muti. Mendelssohn’s sunny Fourth Symphony remains a beloved favorite, serving as a companion to Strauss’s rarely performed “symphonic fantasy,” last heard at Carnegie Hall nearly 50 years ago. In both works, these great German composers transform their eye-opening travels through Italy into vividly evocative music.
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The opera follows Prejean’s introduction to the world of capital punishment, portraying the moral complexity and inner lives of its characters rather than debating the issue directly. Heggie’s score uses an American musical vernacular to reflect character and conflict. Sister Helen is written for a lyric mezzo-soprano, expressing both grounded realism and idealism, while Joseph De Rocher evolves from a hardened criminal to reveal vulnerability and humanity. Mrs. De Rocher’s role conveys deep pathos. Ambient elements—including car radio songs, Elvis-style rock, and an original hymn—enhance the drama, with their impact shifting depending on the context and performers.
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Verdi’s Falstaff is a masterful comic opera portraying the vain, indulgent, yet philosophically curious Falstaff. Set in post–WWII England, it eschews traditional arias, relying on naturalistic ensembles and sophisticated counterpoint to depict human folly and interconnected lives. The opera blends comedy, lyricism, and ritualistic moments, culminating in a fugue that unites chaotic energy and guides the younger generation to reconciliation and love, showcasing Verdi’s inventive expansion beyond tragic drama.
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