Articles written by the author
Conrad Tao Was Never Just Another Prodigy
NEW YORK — Conrad Tao tends to slip into celestial metaphors. During a recent interview, this musician — a veteran at just 25 — referred to his ideas about concert programming as “constellatory.” When he thought he was rambling, he cut himself off and apologized for “galaxy-braining.”
Body Wax and Karate Chops: How to Stage a Philip Glass Opera
NEW YORK — Everything about Philip Glass’ music seems to exist in extremes. As a listener, you either love it or you don’t. As a performer, you’re either flawless or a failure. Concerts can be transporting, near-religious experiences — or just an endless slog.
What a Wunderkind Has Wrought
Édouard Louis was relieved to be talking about something else.
An Immersive Sound Installation at MoMA Introduces the Studio
NEW YORK — It’s an ambiguous name, open to interpretation and possibility: the Studio.
The Unsingable Music That Nearly Stumped a Diva
NEW YORK — The soprano Barbara Hannigan has given nearly 100 premieres, the majority of which were written specifically for her. She is also a master of some of the most challenging music in the repertory: Berg’s “Lulu,” Webern, Ligeti. So if she’s stumped by a new work, chances are it’s unsingable — or perhaps a masterpiece in the making.
Review: Lang Lang Returns, Rehabilitated and Almost Reformed
NEW YORK — Lang Lang, piano superstar and Billy Joel jam partner, is back on the gala circuit.
Review: Carnegie Hall's Season Opens With Two Faces of Cleveland
NEW YORK — Programming matters: What an orchestra plays can be just as important as the quality of the playing. It can even be the difference between a concert that feels endless, and one you don’t want to ever end.
Behind the Curtain at the Paris Opera
The most breathtaking subway exit in the world may be the one at Place de l’Opéra in Paris. Its final steps lead to a postcard-ready view of the sensational Palais Garnier, the love-it-or-hate-it theater with a baroque, Renaissance and all-around garish pastiche that overwhelms and enchants at every turn.
A New 'Tannhäuser' Brings Burger King to Bayreuth
BAYREUTH, Germany — The Wartburg castle, so central to Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” that it’s part of the opera’s full title, makes an appearance only briefly in Tobias Kratzer’s new production, which opened the Bayreuth Festival here Thursday. At the beginning of the overture, a video projected onstage shows the medieval fortress in sweeping drone footage fit for a tourism commercial. Then it’s gone.
A Dystopian Story Enters Familiar Territory
BOSTON — When Margaret Atwood began her novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” with the line “We slept in what once been the gymnasium,” she may well have been referring to the Lavietes Pavilion here.
A Guide to the Shed
NEW YORK — Part of what makes this weekend’s official opening of the Shed so momentous is the sheer breadth of its programming.
A Guide to the Shed
NEW YORK — Part of what makes this weekend’s official opening of the Shed so momentous is the sheer breadth of its programming.
Christo's Next Project: Wrapping the Arc de Triomphe
With his wife and artistic partner, Jeanne-Claude, the artist Christo has wrapped the Reichstag in Berlin and monuments in Milan — even a coast in Australia. Now, for the first time since her death in 2009, he is returning to their signature style.Review: John Adams' Newest Opera Returns to the Gold Mines
AMSTERDAM — “Oh, this is a new opera?” a friend said as we made our way to the Dutch National Opera here for the European premiere of John Adams’ “Girls of the Golden West” on Thursday night. “I thought it was Puccini.”A Museum of Man's Best Friend, From Fossils to Virtual Reality
NEW YORK — Imagine the home of that person you know who loves dogs a little too much: figurines, stuffed animals, artwork that elevates house pets to the realm of saints.Drama Book Shop Hosts Its Final Event Before Closing
NEW YORK — The final event at the Drama Book Shop, the New York haven for theater insiders and fans, was, in the end, quite modest.The Stars Among Classical's Sparse Podcast Ecosystem
(Critic’s Notebook)
The Stars Among Classical's Sparse Podcast Ecosystem
(Critic’s Notebook)John Adams and David Lang: Masters of the Modern Holiday Oratorio
(Critic’s Notebook)Review: In Venice, an opera masks climate crisis in a gentle tune
(Critic’s Pick): VENICE — When “Sun & Sea (Marina)” won this year’s Golden Lion, the top prize of the Venice Biennale, it was measured against works of predominantly visual art.
