Author Archives: Alan Rich

Hope Remains The grandiose pillared portico of Munich’s National Theater – built in 1825, gutted by our boys in 1943, reopened in 1963 – bespeaks a city that honors and is honored by its opera. Tristan and Die Meistersinger had … Continue reading →

Composers What can a composer say about his or her music that the music itself cannot say better? The question is voluminously argued, with results that fill libraries. Lately they’ve been filling DVDs as well, with results of varying quality. … Continue reading →

Déjà Vu All Over Again: Plácido Domingo zoomed out from the wings at the Hollywood Bowl on opening night, encased in Kristin Chenoweth as wraparound, and I was suddenly overpowered by memory. On October 23, 1966, at the New York … Continue reading →

Swan Songs And still they come. There’s no way of knowing where the latest classical disc releases may be had – something-or-other dot-com seems to be the easiest manner of acquisition – but some producers continue to behave as if … Continue reading →

The Fateful Tick Only György Ligeti could have dreamed it up. And while his Poème Symphonique actually had had its premiere several decades ago (in 1962) and many thousand miles away (in the Netherlands), it proved exactly the right curtain … Continue reading →

Flat Tortilla The opera company that rose to distinction with Don Carlo, Poppea and Mahagonny during its excellent season lurched toward triviality at season’s end, first with last month’s overproduced, overstuffed Merry Widow and now with Luisa Fernanda. In a … Continue reading →

The Bullshit Factor The elderly white-haired gentleman sat on the stage and smiled. “This is one of the world’s greatest composers,” said Steven Stucky by way of introducing his old teacher from Cornell University days. “He is the world’s greatest … Continue reading →

Some of the liveliest music making has come to my attention this season under the least-promising circumstances: one proud parent or another entreating my presence at some doted-upon offspring’s high school’s annual musical production. Los Angeles being the proverbial talent … Continue reading →

Three diverse concerts in four nights at Disney: proof enough of the splendid variety of music in these parts – even in May, when the season is supposed to be winding down. The difference in the sounds echoing through these … Continue reading →

Getting It Right Of a couple of dozen productions I have attended of the Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess, the one currently at the Music Center (through this weekend) is by some distance the finest and the most enjoyable. It contains … Continue reading →