Monthly Archives: May 1999

The Product, Triumphant

Posted on May 26, 1999 by Alan Rich

IT WAS A MONTH FOR SYMPHONIES: Mozart in full glory, two unfamiliar Dvorák delectables, one often-roasted chestnut from the Shostakovich legacy and another more rare — and, of course, the Nine. Beethoven’s inscrutable legacy drew sell out crowds to Costa … Continue reading →

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RE: BEETHOVEN

Posted on May 24, 1999 by Alan Rich

An all-in-one festival of the Beethoven Nine is one of music’s can’t-lose propositions. The size is right: five concerts of leisurely length, with room here and there for an overture or two. The music, needless to say, is also right: … Continue reading →

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Let's Hear It for Ockeghem

Posted on May 19, 1999 by Alan Rich

Photo by William WegmanLISTENING TO VERY OLD MUSIC DEMANDS a confrontation on shaky ground between the imaginations of the long-dead composer and the listener presumed alive. However pious the press releases may read on the subject of “authentic performance practice … Continue reading →

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The Beethoven Imperative

Posted on May 12, 1999 by Alan Rich

“Gusts of splendor, gods and demi-gods contending with vast swords, color and fragrance broadcast on the field of battle, magnificent victory . . . it will be generally admitted that Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is the most sublime noise that has … Continue reading →

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Opera Elsewhere

Posted on May 5, 1999 by Alan Rich

LAST FRIDAY WAS WALPURGIS EVE, when witches ride and ballerinas glide, a festivity that provides the only justification I can think of for producing Charles Gounod’s Faust. Bill di Donato’s Bel Canto Opera did its usual patch-‘n’-paste job, in the … Continue reading →

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