Monthly Archives: August 2000

To my generation of budding musicologists, ardently perusing the heavily footnoted scholarly literature on Bach and Before, Dave Brubeck was the bridge to What Lay Beyond, the first jazz performer we could listen to and still preserve our self-respect. Himself … Continue reading →

The best operatic performance I’ve seen this year took place not in Los Angeles, Long Beach or Costa Mesa, but in Santa Barbara. There, since 1947, the Music Academy of the West has topped its summer festival with some kind … Continue reading →

Phopto by Christian Steiner There is a magical moment – one of many, actually – midway in the first movement of Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony. The orchestra has come through a furious battle punctuated by shrieks and howls, horrendous offbeat accents … Continue reading →

Anyone who attended the Glynde-bourne Festival Opera‘s 1996 production of Handel’s Theodora is probably still talking about it; the event has assumed the stature of legend. Now we all can sample its splendors; the complete performance is finally available on … Continue reading →

The concert at the Getty Center two weekends ago, the second of three events this summer tied into museum exhibits, came as close to perfection as any since . . . well, since the last time I saw Michael Eagan’s … Continue reading →