Preview: Inside Conrad Tao’s Expanding Musical World
There is an old home video of Conrad Tao that captures the modest beginnings of a prodigy. In the footage, a very young Tao sits at the piano, pawing out […]
Review: Climate Change Music with Renee Fleming at Lyric Plus CSO at UChicago
Since nobody seems to be talking about climate change any more, classical music in Chicago has taken up the mantle, at least during the first week of February. Soprano Renée […]
Review: Chicago Symphony Orchestra Launches 2001: A Space Odyssey with Live Accompaniment
German conductor André de Ridder led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to accompany Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey on January 9 and 10. The film was projected on […]
Review: Muti Leads the CSO Through a Rousing Performance of Dvořák, Hindemith, and Strauss Jr.
Maestro Riccardo Muti returned to Symphony Center to lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra through a rousing program of 19th and 20th century music on Thursday evening. Following an overture by […]
Review: Klaus Mäkelä, Antoine Tamestit, and the CSO Perform Hector Berlioz in a Dramatic and Exciting Way
With Music Director Designate Klaus Mäkelä at the podium, an expanded Chicago Symphony Orchestra gave dramatic and exciting performances of two symphonic gems by French composer Hector Berlioz on Thursday […]
Review: Marin Alsop, Stephen Williamson, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Give a Passionate Performance at Ravinia
With Marin Alsop conducting, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra continued its summer residency at Ravinia late Sunday afternoon with a passionate performance of two classical chestnuts, Felix Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony, No. […]
Review: Marin Alsop, the CSO and Chorus, Janai Brugger, and Sasha Cooke Are Exhilarating at Ravinia
With Marin Alsop at the helm, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus gave a huge performance of a gargantuan symphony in the Pavilion at Ravinia on Friday night. The chorus […]
Review: Jaap van Zweden and the CSO Give an Engrossing Performance of Mahler’s 7th Symphony
Under the direction of Jaap van Zweden, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra gave an engrossing performance of a symphony that is challenging to all involved: Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 7. In […]
Review: Christoph Eschenbach, Lucas and Arthur Jussen, and the CSO Offer a Lovely Performance of Strauss, Mozart, and Beethoven.
Under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra gave a lovely performance of music by Richard Strauss, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven on Friday afternoon. Joining […]
Review: Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Antoine Tamestit, and the CSO Offer Vaughan Williams, Walton, Tchaikovsky, and Stradivarius
The sounds of the first viola ever made by Antonio Stradivarius wafted through the rafters of Symphony Center on Thursday as French-born Antoine Tamestit performed William Walton’s concerto for that […]
Review: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Jonathan Rush, and Rachel Barton Pine—Musicianship at Its Finest at Ravinia
Under the lively leadership of Jonathan Rush, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra completed a residency at Ravinia in an amazing fashion on Sunday evening. Joined by violinist Rachel Barton Pine, the […]
Review: Michael Tilson Thomas, Orion Weiss, and the CSO Deliver Mozart and Brahms/Schoenberg
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra gave a rousing if edgy performance on Thursday night, when it opened a series of concerts at Symphony Center, billed as MTT Conducts Mozart. MTT refers […]