Montagu James

Montagu James is a PhD student at Brown University studying modern European political and cultural history. He also enjoys composing and conducting.

Ode to Ode to Joy Ode to Ode to Joy

Are Beethoven’s symphonies overplayed? Yes, but for a reason. While this justification may sound cliché, Beethoven’s humanist universalism is a sentiment that feels urgent in an era of widespread polarization and pessimism.

on January 29, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Conductors for the ages Conductors for the ages

In Munich, performances by 97-year-old Herbert Blomstedt and 32-year-old Thomas Guggeis show the city’s orchestral ensembles at their best

on January 16, 2025 at 9:00 AM
All the light we cannot hear All the light we cannot hear

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s program of works by Mozart and Kevin Puts, a composer championed by star Renée Fleming, was one of musical and artistic contrasts.

on November 27, 2024 at 9:00 AM
Hello to Berlin Hello to Berlin

Montagu James reviews the US tour of the Kirill Petrenko-led Berlin Philharmonic

on November 25, 2024 at 10:00 AM
The chimes of midnight The chimes of midnight

Aside from a tour with the LSO this spring, this was, I believe, the only time Antonio Pappano would be conducting in the US this season. This made the concert at Symphony Hall a real treat.

on October 31, 2024 at 10:00 AM
Veni vidi vici Veni vidi vici

Mahler’s 8th Symphony is an enormous and enigmatic work.

on October 07, 2024 at 10:00 AM
Text and ach Text and ach

Unlike more surface-level historically informed practice which has become the norm in early music ensembles, this project stands out in its surprisingly deep engagements with the ethical and practical challenges posed by “recreating” Wagner’s sound.

on September 06, 2024 at 9:00 AM
<em>Macabre</em> fascination <em>Macabre</em> fascination

Can György Ligeti‘s only opera be understood as the composer’s own grappling with trauma, death, and memory of a past life?

on August 08, 2024 at 10:00 AM