A memorable ‘Creation’ from James Levine at Ravinia
Classical music may no longer be the dominant force of Ravinia programming as in the festival's glory days, but the official return to the fold, after a 23-year absence, of...
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Santa Fe’s Steve Jobs opera shows troubled tech visionary in search of his humanity
There is something about experiencing opera in an amphitheater perched atop a mesa in the high desert country of northern New Mexico, with red sunsets peeking through the open back...
James Levine reflects on his new role as Ravinia’s conductor laureate: ‘Everything feels right’
It seems only fitting that during the summer of 2018, when Ravinia will celebrate the centennial of Leonard Bernstein – long the most prominent American musician in classical music –...
Fiddle virtuoso, choral rarity lend cachet to Ravinia, Grant Park shows
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Grant Park Orchestra remained true to their respective festival brands in their weekend concerts. The CSO closed out its third Ravinia week of the...
Ravinia’s John Adams 70th birthday bash gets strong liftoff from CSO, Nagano
The worldwide celebration of the 70th birthday of John Adams, one of today's most widely admired and performed composers, has given Ravinia the opportunity to throw its weight and prestige...
Review: Malkki, CSO achieve a vibrant meeting of minds in Ravinia concerts
The remarkably gifted Finnish conductor Susanna Malkki must figure prominently in the short list of world-class conductors the Chicago Symphony Orchestra management is considering to succeed Riccardo Muti as music...
Edward Gardner’s Ravinia debut bolstered by the brilliance of Yefim Bronfman
The great British composer Edward Elgar revered the music of Johannes Brahms. On one occasion he remarked that he "felt like a pygmy" before his favorite Brahms symphony, the Third....
John Adams reflects what it means to compose music in ‘a small cultural arena’
If John Adams' good health and productivity persist as long as that of the late Elliott Carter — whose mantle he has assumed as the most widely performed and respected...
Gifted Arab-American classical musicians get forum they deserve at Grant Park
For many Muslim and Arab classical musicians living in the West, it is important to come forward and express their identity. Some have chosen to make political statements through their...
Yuja Wang, CSO rock Ravinia with exciting Brahms concerto
Today's Chicago Symphony Orchestra residencies at Ravinia are far more about glittery guests than they are about moving the orchestral repertory in new directions that have become anathema to a...