Boston Globe -- Jeremy Eichler columns

At BSO, a substitute and a fresh cadenza

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-25T06:00:56Z

The Boston Symphony Orchestra is not catching many breaks these days from the podium. Sir Andrew Davis has withdrawn from this week’s set of concerts because of a family illness, and the Frenchman Yan Pascal Tortelier has stepped in, making his subscription debut last night in Symphony Hall. (He has also tweaked the program, replacing Stravinsky’s Symphony in Three Movements ...

Serene ancient music, crossing centuries

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-24T01:08:20Z

Trio Mediaeval, the Oslo-based vocal ensemble, made a rare local visit on Sunday afternoon for a hypnotically beautiful sold-out performance at the Gardner Museum. These stars of the early music movement combine exquisite, pure-voiced ensemble singing with a vital and freshly contemporary approach to music of the distant past. The repertoire may be ancient but nothing about Sunday’s program had ...

Holiday Preview: Classical Picks

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-21T17:31:04Z

Yes, Handel’s “Messiah’’ is back but there’s a lot more on the holiday classical calendar. Here is a brief roundup of a few notable local events.

Janacek’s haunting final opera finally arrives at the Met

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-21T02:21:59Z

NEW YORK - Like the prisoners in the Dostoyevsky novel on which it is based, Janacek’s darkly transfixing final opera “From the House of the Dead’’ languished for too long in the operatic equivalent of Siberia. Introduced to the world in 1930, this remarkable score waited a full six decades for its first staged performances in this country, a 1990 ...

BSO celebrates birthdays of Haitink and Galway

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-21T02:12:42Z

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday’s Globe The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s conductor emeritus Bernard Haitink is back on the podium this week. The conductor turned 80 in March, an occasion the orchestra is officially celebrating with these concerts. Thursday night in Symphony Hall, a stool on the podium, used only during breaks, seemed the one concession to Haitink’s ninth decade; ...

BSO celebrates birthdays, Debussy

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-20T05:48:39Z

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s conductor emeritus Bernard Haitink is back on the podium this week. The conductor turned 80 in March, an occasion the orchestra is officially celebrating with these concerts. Last night in Symphony Hall, a stool on the podium, used only during breaks, seemed the one concession to Haitink’s ninth decade; the conductor generally looked vital and as ...

Berlin Philharmonic returns with Brahms, Schoenberg

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-17T01:40:37Z

One of the most important unions in the orchestral world - Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic - is looking strong these days. After rumors of some marital bickering, orchestra and conductor have agreed to a partnership that will last until at least 2018. EMI Classics has also renewed their recording contract. And, most importantly, evidence of the musical chemistry ...

A congress of noise convened in Jordan Hall

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-16T02:39:36Z

The human desire to produce a loud noise by striking one object with another must be as old as communication itself, and like all histories, it has its high points and lows. The period between the two world wars, for instance, was a very good time for the art and science of banging. The Boston Modern Orchestra Project reminded us ...

Critic's pick - classical music

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-14T18:22:54Z

BERLIN PHILHARMONIC Boston is extremely lucky to have the Berliners back again so soon after their last Celebrity Series visit in 2007. Simon Rattle leads this mighty orchestra in two symphonies by Brahms (Nos. 3 and 4) as well as Schoenberg’s “Accompaniment to a Cinematographic Scene.’’ Today at 3 p.m., $52-$148, Symphony Hall, 617-482-6661 or www.celebrityseries.org.

After Beethoven, BSO pivots toward Paris

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-14T05:45:56Z

Thursday night in Symphony Hall, fate was not apostrophized, universal brotherhood was not declared. But there was plenty of music for dancing - courtesy of Stravinsky's "Petrushka" ballet.

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2009-11-14T05:45:56Z

After Beethovenian grandeur, BSO pivots toward Paris

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-13T05:55:55Z

Last night in Symphony Hall, fate was not apostrophized, universal brotherhood was not declared. But there was plenty of music for dancing - courtesy of Stravinsky’s “Petrushka’’ ballet.

Marylou Speaker Churchill, 64, a key violinist, presence with BSO

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-12T03:39:31Z

The violinist Marylou Speaker Churchill, a deeply admired performer and teacher who, in 23 years as a principal player in the Boston Symphony Orchestra came to be seen as a beacon of engaged and empathic musicianship, died late Tuesday at her home in Newton. The cause was cancer, according to her husband, the cellist, conductor, and music educator Mark Churchill. ...

Jack returns, bracingly modern

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-12T03:23:02Z

Any young string quartet that presents a complete program of music by the formidable German avant-gardist Helmut Lachenmann is, shall we say, not messing around. That was what the New York-based Jack Quartet brought to the Goethe Institute last year for a concert in the composer’s presence. On Tuesday night, the Jack returned to town, this time for a bracing ...

Ghost opera

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-07T17:46:14Z

Tucked away in a simple gray box within a basement archive at Northeastern University there is, curiously enough, a single red brick. It is close to all that remains of the original Boston Opera House, a magnificent “temple of music’’ that once stood in the middle of the city’s cultural corridor, on Huntington Avenue between the Museum of Fine Arts ...

BSO caps Beethoven cycle with rousing Ninth

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-07T07:22:48Z

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies has entered its home stretch, as Thursday night the BSO unveiled the fourth and final program of the series, featuring the Eighth and Ninth Symphonies.

For BLO, a potent new chamber ‘Carmen’

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-07T05:42:28Z

Boston Lyric Opera’s general director Esther Nelson has promised more homegrown new productions for the company, and she is keeping her word. Last night at the Shubert Theatre, BLO opened its season with a new “Carmen,’’ presented in a stripped-down, theatrically intense staging by Nicholas Muni.

BSO caps Beethoven cycle with the rousing Ninth Symphony

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-06T05:37:39Z

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s complete cycle of Beethoven symphonies has entered its home stretch, as last night the BSO unveiled the fourth and final program of the series, featuring the Eighth and Ninth Symphonies.

Honoring a wartime legacy with new music, young voices

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-11-02T21:39:54Z

One of the admirable things about the Boston-based Terezin Chamber Music Foundation is that it sees its mission as going beyond the curatorial. At its core the foundation works to preserve the musical legacy of the composers and artists interned at the Nazi concentration camp. But in recent years it has also begun commissioning young composers to write music that ...

Revolutionary on Beacon Street

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-31T16:48:50Z

The other day I went out to buy some milk and passed Arnold Schoenberg’s home.

Critic's picks - classical music

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-31T16:48:42Z

SEYMOUR LIPKIN The eloquent pianist begins a two-part survey called “Schubert - The Late Great Sonatas.’’ The first installment features the Sonata in A-minor D. 784, the Sonata in G-Major D. 894, and the Sonata in C-minor D. 958. Nov. 1 at 1:30 p.m., $23, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 617-278-5156, www.gardnermuseum.org.

In Levine’s absence, Maazel places firm, chilly stamp on Beethoven

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-31T05:09:32Z

It is truly unfortunate that, in the end, James Levine’s recovery from back surgery has forced his withdrawal from the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s entire Beethoven cycle. It must surely be frustrating for him personally (he spoke about the project with his self-described “kid in the candy store’’ enthusiasm); it is a missed opportunity for the orchestra, which stood to gain ...

Critic's picks - classical music

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-24T16:55:51Z

OPERA BOSTON The remarkable Polish contralto Ewa Podles (left) makes her local stage debut in Rossini’s “Tancredi,’’ directed by Kristine McIntyre and conducted by Gil Rose. Oct. 25 and 27, Cutler Majestic Theatre, 617-451-3388 or www.operaboston.org.

Podles gives both depth and pathos to ‘Tancredi’

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-24T04:00:00Z

Opera Boston introduced its compelling new production of Rossini’s rarely heard opera “Tancredi’’ last night at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Part of the company’s proclaimed mission is to mount deserving works that too rarely make it to the stage, but in this case, the worthy opera had the added benefit of serving as a star vehicle for the magnificent Polish ...

After baton change, BSO launches Beethoven cycle

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-24T00:16:46Z

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday’s Globe. The BSO’s complete Beethoven cycle finally pulled out of port Thursday night, albeit without its anticipated captain. Music director James Levine is scheduled to return midcycle. In the meantime, the popular guest conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos is on the podium this week leading the First, Second, and Fifth Symphonies.

After baton change, BSO launches Beethoven cycle

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-23T05:09:11Z

The BSO’s complete Beethoven cycle finally pulled out of port last night, albeit without its anticipated captain. Music director James Levine is scheduled to return midcycle. In the meantime, the popular guest conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos is on the podium this week leading the First, Second, and Fifth Symphonies.

Grappling with Bartok’s dark, haunting visions

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-19T23:47:57Z

The Borromeo String Quartet seems restless, in the most positive sense of the word, always engaged in new projects or new approaches to older ones. These days the Borromeo has had Bartok on its mind as it prepares to record the complete string quartets. It has been digging into archival manuscripts and parsing the composer’s own cryptic notations in an ...

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2009-10-19T23:47:57Z

Opening nights, opening minds

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-19T15:59:13Z

Opening night concerts at the most esteemed orchestras are usually a bit of a snooze, but this year they were a shot of adrenaline. In two halls, at least. Change has come to orchestras on both coasts - the New York Philharmonic and at the Los Angeles Philharmonic - with the arrival of two new leaders, Alan Gilbert and Gustavo ...

Critic's picks - classical music

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-17T17:18:39Z

BORROMEO QUARTET While two other quartets are sailing through the complete Beethoven cycle this season, the Borromeo is chipping away at Bartok’s epic set of six quartets. The Second, Fourth and Sixth are scheduled for today’s performance. Oct. 18 at 1:30 p.m., $23, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 617-278-5156, www.gardnermuseum.org

Semi-staged Handel, with care

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-17T04:33:54Z

These are, of course, lean times for arts organizations and Boston Baroque made a pragmatic and sensible choice this year in picking Handel’s “Amadigi di Gaula’’ for its annual semi-staged Baroque opera production in Jordan Hall. The work’s modest proportions, only four vocal leads, helped to keep the price tag reasonable, and yet its status as a rarely spotted Handel ...

Morlot, BSO premiere Thomas work

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-17T02:00:13Z

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday’s Globe. It was a homecoming of sorts Thursday night in Symphony Hall as the BSO’s former assistant conductor Ludovic Morlot returned to lead the orchestra for the first time since concluding his three-year appointment in 2007. In the intervening years, Morlot’s career has flourished, and these days he makes guest appearances with many top-tier ...

In BSO’s Thomas premiere, rugged lyricism for imagined dancers

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-16T04:35:20Z

It was a homecoming of sorts last night in Symphony Hall as the BSO’s former assistant conductor Ludovic Morlot returned to lead the orchestra for the first time since concluding his three-year appointment in 2007. In the intervening years, Morlot’s career has flourished and these days he makes guest appearances with many top-tier orchestras in this country and abroad.

A young violinist on an autumnal journey through Brahms

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-12T20:47:18Z

CAMBRIDGE - The conductor Benjamin Zander has his own personal canon of music that seems always close at hand - such as the symphonies of Mahler - but he also has the luxury of avoiding other repertory staples until the time is right. Zander had not programmed the Brahms Violin Concerto for 25 years, he wrote in an e-mail, because ...

Scholl and Spinosi open H&H season

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-10T04:00:00Z

The Handel and Haydn Society opened its 195th season last night in Symphony Hall with a program showcasing the acclaimed countertenor Andreas Scholl. It was also the official beginning of a new chapter in the organization’s long history, as the British conductor Harry Christophers takes over this year as artistic director.

An apt performance to celebrate a city treasure

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-06T04:53:52Z

Way back in 1984, before most of the current undergraduate class of the New England Conservatory was born, cellist Laurence Lesser had the simple idea of assembling NEC faculty members into ensembles to perform chamber music concerts on the first Monday of the month, when most performing organizations took the night off. Dinner was the only payment the performers received, ...

A young quartet, preparing for liftoff

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-05T01:51:48Z

CAMBRIDGE - About five years ago there was suddenly a bumper crop of talented young American string quartets. They seemed to be everywhere.

Parsing the impact of another Levine leave

Jeremy Eichler, Globe Staff — 2009-10-01T16:48:30Z

Yes, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s music director James Levine is on the disabled list again, facing a back operation that will keep him off the podium for at least three weeks and possibly more. What does it all mean for the BSO and its audiences?