A Journey Through Madison's Classical Music Scene
Classically Speaking |
03/10/12Madison Symphony Guests Sizzle and DazzleLos Angeles Guitar Quartet a strong draw, but guest conductor Carl St.Clair shines brightest with Madison Symphony |
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02/27/12Wanted: Name for an Off-the-Charts Piano TrioThe Finckel/Han/Setzer Piano Trio offers maxed-out Mendelssohn at the Union Theater |
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02/20/12One Night, Two Glorious EventsCloning, anyone? Friday night offers a tough choice between two fabulous concerts |
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01/30/12Madison Opera Reaches for the Heavens in 'Galileo Galilei’Philip Glass gets an early 75th birthday present via a stellar production |
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01/23/12Madison Symphony Developing a Surprising TraditionMSO stamps a musical passport with style, and yet again delivers a definitive Russian violin concerto Posted at 07:23 AM | Permalink | Comments: 1 |
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01/17/12Andrew Sewell and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Offer a Lesson in ProgrammingCellist Amit Peled illuminates old and new, and the WCO follows suit |
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12/27/11What Lingers in the Ear: Madison’s Year in Review, Classically SpeakingFrom the Pro Arte Quartet completing a century to Madison Opera beginning a new half-century, we had news … and some great performances |
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12/19/11Got Beethoven?New DVD traversals of the nine Beethoven symphonies and five piano concertos can be the cornerstone of a collection—yours or that of your music-loving friend |
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12/14/11Last Minute Stocking Stuffers for Classical Music LoversHere are some timely—and unusual—choices for the music lovers on your list |
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12/12/11Hallelujah! The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Delivers a True Christmas GiftEqual parts sensible and heartfelt, Andrew Sewell treats a packed Blackhawk Church to "Messiah" |
Years before I contributed my first classical review to the Los Angeles Times in 1988, I started a class in music appreciation for adults that had one aim: to put a few cracks in the “ivory tower elitism” I found pervasive in the classical music world since my boyhood days. Whether as a critic, program annotator or band director, that goal has never changed. After all, Mozart and Beethoven and the gang wrote their music for people like you—not critics or professors!
