Is Bruckner a Niche Composer?

I think that many critics of Bruckner consider that Bruckner got out his Wagnerian harmonies and Beethoven Ninth themes and arranged them on his worktable, then busily fussed with them, neither adding nor subtracting to the material’s intrinsic worth, and then abandoned the chaotic shambles in the middle of the concert hall, and went to drink some (probably sacramental) wine, all the while congratulating himself on having undergone the rigors imposed on a symphonist.

Click to read more ...

The Levine 1997 Gotterdammerung -A "Holde-Review" -With a Few Comments Pertaining to Same

Reviewing Wagner’s Gotterdammerung, conducted by James Levine at the 1997 Bayreuth Festival, with Deborah Polaski as Brunnhilde, Wolfgang Schmidt as Siegfried, Eric Halfvarson as Hagen, and Hanna Schwartz as Waltraute. Staged by Alfred Kirchner, with sets and costume design by Rosalie. On DVD. Watch a video preview of the Immolation scene.

Click to read more ...

Repetition or Redundancy: Introductions by Mendelssohn and Mussorgsky

The beginning of Mendelssohn’s “Lobgesang” symphony is completely inert, and therefore alarmingly dull, if I am permitted the oxymoron.

Click to read more ...

In Defense of "Cavalleria Rusticana"

For a 90-minute bicycle ride, I chose Pietro Mascagni’s 1890 opera, Cavalleria Rusticana to provide the right sort of distraction to accompany a boring, but regrettably necessary task. To my chagrin, some Mascagni lunatics got wind of my less than flattering perception of this hoary score, and requested the “right of rebuttal”; I quote this odious phrase, as an example of their impenetrable legalese.

Click to read more ...

Berlioz and his "Fantastique"; Revenge May Be Best Served Cold, But Hector Ordered a Side Dish of Panache With His Meal

What is the best way to exact revenge on a woman whose very existence torments you with pangs of jealous obsession? a) Be a creep and put compromising pictures of her on the internet. b) Pull an “O.J.” c) Keep a stiff upper lip and show that you can handle yourself with dignity; show her who’s the adult. d) Compose one of the greatest and most original symphonies in history.

Click to read more ...

By Bach Or Not By Bach: That's (Not) The Question

The first session of my fall Bach class will feature three works whose authorship has been disputed. I personally think all three are by Bach, and it appears there is now a consensus in the case of the capriccio.

Click to read more ...

A New (Old) Approach to Bach

The last time I taught a Bach class there were raised eyebrows when I used recordings of the major choral works conducted by Furtwangler (Matthew Passion), Klemperer (Matthew Passion as well) and Karajan (b minor mass). There may even have been a few smirks. Why did I use these recordings? Am I so out of touch? I used them because they are better than the recordings by Harnoncourt and Gardiner.

Click to read more ...

Cruel and Sad News-Our Greatest Tenor is Dead

Forget stuff like “King of the High C’s” and “He Brought Opera to the Masses” and “Three Tenors Star is Dead”. He means much, much more to opera, and even music, generally.

Click to read more ...

Pilgrim's Music By Berlioz and Wagner

There are at least two moments of indisputable greatness in Wagner’s Tannhauser: The act 2 intervention by Elizabeth to save Tannhauser’s life from the likes of Biterolf and his cruel and cowardly cohorts, and Tannhauser’s act 1 epiphany in the valley of the Wartburg, with the unforgettable, immortal counterpoint of the shepherd boy’s lovely melody, fresh as May: “Der Mai! Der Mai!”

Click to read more ...

Mea Culpa: Berlioz and His Four Symphonies

Berlioz has four symphonies. The Romeo et Juliette has moments of searching profundity that makes Tchaikovsky’s, Gounod’s, and Prokofiev’s settings of the story seem trivial. So why in the world would I be preparing a session in my upcoming symphony class on Berlioz’s three symphonies?

Click to read more ...