Classical

He becomes the music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2003. Formerly music director for the Houston Symphony, Eschenbach is currently Conductor Laureate for that symphony. He is the music director of the Orchestre de Paris and Germanys Hamburg NDR Symphony Orchestra. He has also been the music director of the Ravinia Festival, summer home to the Chicago Symphony since 1994. He was named director for the Philadelphia Orchestra in January of this year.

We remember violinist Isaac Stern He died Saturday at the age of 81. He died of heart failure.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews Three Mo' Tenors, a PBS Great Performances program and a new CD. It features the African-American tenors Rodrick Dixon, Victor Trent Cook and Thomas Young.

Broadway music director Paul Gemignani has been the musical director of almost every Stephen Sondheim work over the last 30 years. His other productions include Kiss Me, Kate, Crazy for You, and High Society. Next Sunday Gemignani will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Tony Awards.

Conductor Benjamin Zander, of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra. He has been called "a Pied Piper" of classical music and "one of music's evangelists." His passionate performances have earned him quite a following. Through his teaching and his pre-concert discussions, he has tried to spread his love of classical music to a wider public. He has conducted the Boston Philharmonic for over 20 years. He leads the Philharmonia Orchestra on a new CD Mahler: Symphony No. 5 and he has a new book, The Art of Possiblity: Transforming Professional and Personal Life.

Classical music critic Lloyd Shwartz reviews a new re-issue of the original cast recording of the 1943 revival of Rodgers & Hart's Connecticut Yankee

Classical pianist and conductor Murray Perahia. Hes been exploring the music of J.S. Bach in his recordings. His latest is Bachs Keyboard Concertos vol. 1 which he recorded and conducted with the St. Martin in the Fields ensemble. He also recorded the Goldberg Variations and Bachs complete English Suites. (All are on Sony Classical). In 1994 Perahia suffered a thumb injury that left him unable to play regularly for a year. He took up his first conducting post as Principal Guest conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. They just completed a 10-city tour.

Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a series of concerts by Pierre Boulez and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews a new CD boxed set of live performances by conductor Leonard Bernstein.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews “Bach Christmas Cantatas,” a new CD featuring the orchestra and chorus of Emmanuel Music.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews the reissue of the original cast album of the legendary 1954 Theatre de Lys’ Off-Broadway production of Kurt Weill’s “Threepenny Opera” starring Lotte Lenya. It’s on the Decca label.

Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead reviews pianist Uri Caine’s new 2 C-D set, “The Goldberg Variations” (Winter & Winter).

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews “The Music of Samuel Barber”

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews recordings by two countertenors: a collection of religious music for solo voice by Vivaldi performed by German born Andreas Scholl (on Decca) and “Serenade” (Virgin Classics) by American David Daniels.

Biographer Howard Pollack is the author of “Aaron Copland: The Life and Work of an Uncommon Man” (University of Illinois Press). This year marks the 100th anniversary of Copland’s birth. Though Copland was Jewish, gay, and raised in Brooklyn, his work came to personify the American West, with such well known compositions as “Billy the Kid” and “Rodeo.” Copland also wrote “Appalachian Spring,” and “Fanfare for the Common Man.” Copland also wrote the film scores for “The Red Pony,” and “The Heiress.” Pollack is professor of music history and literature at the University of Houston.

Classical Music Critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews this year’s Music Festival in Dresden, Germany.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz talks about making the familiar fresh and the unfamiliar accessible. He has a review of two recent concerts.
Description (Program)

In this program we hear selections of his music performed by singers Vernel Bagneris and Terry Burrell, and pianist Dick Hyman. We also hear from Marva Carter who is writing a biography of Cook. She is the director of Graduate Studies at the School of Music at Georgia State University.

Conductor Maurice Peress. He specializes in reconstructing historic American concerts. He’s worked with Ellington and Bernstein, and is the author of the forthcoming book, “Living With American Music: Dvorak to Duke Ellington.”

Performances continue and we hear from Tom Riis who compiled and edited a book containing the complete score of “In Dahomey.” Riis directs the American Music Research Center at the University of Colorado and is the author of “Just Before Jazz.”