Thomas May is a writer and translator based in Seattle. His books include Decoding Wagner and The John Adams Reader, and he blogs about the arts at memeteria.com. He has written for The Washington Post, Gramophone, Listen, Symphony magazine, OPERA America, crosscut.com, and many other publications.
South African musical phenomenon Abel Selaocoe plays multiple roles as the soloist in his Four Spirits, which is complemented by a shockingly fresh Symphonie fantastique under Lawrence Renes.
David Robertson's program combines a passionate and multilayered account of Bartók's Second Violin Concerto with early, rarely played works by Ligeti and Rachmaninov that challenges assumptions about their composers.
Beautifully shaped, deeply felt interpretations of Britten and Sibelius plus a vibrant world premiere distinguish this Seattle Symphony program led by guest conductor Kazem Abdullah and featuring violinist Augustin Hadelich.
Led by guest conductor David Danzmayr, the Seattle Symphony's performance of Beethoven's Ninth resumes an interrupted tradition, with a Buddhist prayer set to music by Lili Boulanger as the touching preface.
Former music director Ludovic Morlot steps in to open the currently leaderless orchestra's new season with echoes of their shared past and a world premiere.
The New York Phil concluded its six-concert residency at this summer’s Bravo! Vail Festival with a survey of Stephen Sondheim’s legacy stylishly led by Leonard Slatkin.
Chamber music values and luxury casting with world-class string players enriched this hefty program of an elegiac Bach sonata and valedictory works by Bartók and Brahms.
Vittorio Ghielmi and his ll Suonar Parlante ensemble present a resonantly melancholy and reflective programme of music mourning loss as live performance returns to Italy.
PatKop gives a life-or-death account of Shostakovich's First Violin Concerto with the Seattle Symphony and Thomas Dausgaard on a programme framed by Scandinavian colours.
Continuing in his inaugural Seattle Symphony season, Thomas Dausgaard casts a gorgeous spell with Scriabin but is just short of truly thrilling in Stravinsky's Modernist icon.
Since winning the Silver Medal at the 14th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Beatrice Rana has exceeded expectations through her consistently soulful, honest performances and probing musical intelligence.
Using the misogyny and violence of Rigoletto to hold up a mirror to contemporary corruption, Lindy Hume's production overcomes its inconsistencies with a vivid blend of theatrical and musical values.
Seattle's 2019 Chamber Music Summer Festival premiered Sebastian Currier's Voyage Out, which uses the piano quintet to reimagine the metaphor of musical journeys, on a program framed by passionate 19th-century chamber compositions.
As he prepares to lead an all-Berlioz programme at the Round Top Festival in Texas, the widely travelled German conductor shares his ideas on what makes an authentic musician.
The 18th Concours musical international de Montréal, devoted to the violin this year, offered inspiring examples of the musical and interpretive values favoured by today's emerging artists.
Coupling a rare but underwhelming concerto by Max Bruch with Strauss's polychrome orchestral showpiece, the program with Semyon Bychkov and the sisters Labèque accentuated superlative musicianship.
A chance to experience two sides of Sir András Schiff's artistry, as pianist and conductor, made for an especially memorable experience in this collaboration between the Hungarian artist and the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.
