A bang-up new outdoor staging encompasses the antic and the noble, the violent and the honorable, the grubby and the regal.

This production provides an excellent introduction to the Vienna-born composer for those who aren't familiar with him – a group that may include many opera fans.

The Crossing, the elite new-music chamber choir led by Donald Nally, routinely pushes the boundaries of what kinds of music a group of human voices can create.

'River Spirits' by Susan Botti lives up to its dual billings as a 'theatrical motet' and a 'futuristic abstract fable.'

A lot of contemporary music comes my way, and rarely do I hear a collection as appealing as this one, full of interesting ideas and curiously beautiful sounds.

A "virtuosic display of youthful joy" is how the pianist described the finale, but he also displayed a mature mastery of dynamics and flow, abetted by an orchestra that bloomed to match him.

As the solo violin laments the destruction of homes and neighborhoods, the orchestra contextualizes that lone voice into a chorus of community. Terrible circumstances can indeed inspire work of aesthetic beauty.

A gripping, innovative production, reduced to two hours but still full of Gounod's glorious music, boasts a terrific cast and smart, sinewy staging.

The language comes not from notes and rhythms but the physical parameters of how an instrument is played.

The virtuoso talks about her recent and upcoming albums and her premiere of Eric Whitacre's 'The Pacific Has No Memory' honoring victims of the California wildfires.