Cameron Kelsall

Charm city offensive Charm city offensive

A starry concert Aïda in Baltimore proves unusually polished

Reconcilable differences Reconcilable differences

Cameron Kelsall reports on a transcendent Jenufa from the Cleveland Orchestra

Persson of interest Persson of interest

The New York Philharmonic podium has been occupied the past two weeks by Finnish conductors once thought to be top contenders for the ensemble’s music directorship.

But joys all want eternity But joys all want eternity

Maximalism was on the menu last weekend at the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Playing in the rafters Playing in the rafters

Opera took center stage on the final weekend of the Philadelphia Orchestra season.

With a sound but half its own With a sound but half its own

Swiss soprano Regula Mühlemann made her New York recital debut at Weill Hall on May 8.

Still glowin’, still crowin’, still goin’ strong Still glowin’, still crowin’, still goin’ strong

Matthew Polenzani returned triumphantly to his comfort zone in a Philadelphia Chamber Music Society recital on April 2.

Character is destiny Character is destiny

La forza del destino concluded its run at the Metropolitan Opera with a significant cast change.

If on a winter’s night a traveler If on a winter’s night a traveler

The tragic speaker of Schubert’s Winterreise makes his fateful journey but once, yet some singers cannot help trodding the path again and again.

Have a napkin, have a chopstick, have a chair Have a napkin, have a chopstick, have a chair

From a musical perspective, the evening came together admirably. As a work of theater, though, it was as stale as last week’s takeout.

Don’t you forget about me Don’t you forget about me

It seemed like such a great idea on paper.

Singing for herself and the boys in the band Singing for herself and the boys in the band

Boston Symphony Orchestra recently confirmed an infinitely renewable contract upon Andris Nelsons, its music director since 2014. To understand why, one needed little more evidence than the outfit’s recent visit to Carnegie Hall.

Not with a bang Not with a bang

When the Staatskapelle Berlin announced a two-night engagement at Carnegie Hall performing all four Brahms symphonies, I immediately made a note in my calendar to attend. I also wondered who would be the conductor when the announced Daniel Barenboim inevitably withdrew.

Harmonic minor Harmonic minor

It took more than 25 years for Harmony, the passion project of singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, to reach Broadway, where it opened recently at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.

Mälkki way Mälkki way

When the New York Philharmonic announced Gustavo Dudamel as its next music director earlier this year, speculation arose immediately as to who would take his place out West when he leaves the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2026.

Lombarding along Lombarding along

In Handel’s Rodelinda, a usurped monarch, believed dead, returns to avenge his deposition and reclaim the woman he loves.

Let’s get serious Let’s get serious

Renée Fleming arrived at Carnegie Hall on May 31 with something to prove.

Die Frist ist Glum Die Frist ist Glum

This Holländer offers neither a clear narrative vision for the work nor a sense of turbocharged drama; it simply sits on the Met’s cavernous stage as a dull gray mass.

Pianist envy Pianist envy

How do you remember Oscar Levant?

A hole new world A hole new world

Here’s an update for those keeping up with the Lohengrin casting sweepstakes at the Met.

The queens’ gambit The queens’ gambit

The sharp and glitzy national tour production of Six doesn’t suffer from a sense of staleness due to familiarity.

Citizen of the world Citizen of the world

Mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron showed herself unafraid to move the expectations of classical music forward, linguistically, thematically, and culturally.

Distinct and different Distinct and different

The Vienna Philharmonic brought along no star soloist for their three-night residency at Carnegie Hall this past weekend. Their programs didn’t include any commissions or flashy new works. The repertoire choices hewed closely to the core Austro-German corpus for which they are justly famous, including multiple works they had given in their world premieres.

Going ‘South’ Going ‘South’

Cotton, a world-premiere song cycle commissioned by Philadelphia’s Lyric Fest, takes its audience on a journey through Black American history that extends from the Deep South to the contemporary urban landscape.