Solos and Underdogs

Low, breathy woodwind timbres are among my favorites (there’s a great passage in the first movement of Mahler’s Ninth), and the two double concertos offer ample room for dexterity and color.

Armchair Operas 3.

With a knowing nod towards Pasolini’s Salò, McVicar and Devlin have set Strauss’ luscious single act (and last avant-garde salvo) in a high-ceilinged, multi-purpose cellar whose dingy tiles and fittings suggest a kitchen, showers, or more appropriately, an abattoir.

Holst Seven, Matthews Nil

The last time a living composer’s comments raised hackles (the only time perhaps?), that German gent, the one who’s working at a seven-day opera, uttered some “misconstrued” words about 9/11.