Fresh takes on Mozart, Dvorak and Debussy, and newer works by Dewa Alit, Kate Soper and Caroline Shaw are among our favorite recordings this year.
Category: Classical Music
-
Onstage, It’s Finally Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Again
After one holiday season lost to the pandemic and another curtailed by Omicron, seasonal staples including “The Nutcracker,” “A Christmas Carol” and “Messiah” are back in force.
-
Elayne Jones, Pioneering Percussionist, Is Dead at 94
She challenged racial barriers when she joined the San Francisco Symphony in 1972. But she became embroiled in a legal battle when she was denied tenure two years later.
-
‘Everyone Wants to Hear’ This One Chord in a Christmas Carol
A moment in “O Come, All Ye Faithful” is so popular, it’s printed on T-shirts. But it’s also symbolic, and important to music history.
-
Stanley Drucker, Ageless Clarinetist of the N.Y. Philharmonic, Dies at 93
He played in the orchestra for 60 years, performing under the baton of five music directors. He personified the orchestra’s brilliant, even brash, character.
-
‘Carol of the Bells,’ a Christmas Staple From Ukraine, a Century Later
It started as “Shchedryk,” a song about a little bird that was first performed in the United States in 1922. Its enchanting melody has since been sung by Beyoncé and Barenaked Ladies.
-
Gail Samuel Leaves Boston Symphony Less Than 2 Years Into Tenure
Gail Samuel took the helm of one of America’s most storied orchestras in 2021, and was the first woman to lead the institution.
-
The Breakout Stars of 2022
Here are the actors, pop stars, dancers and artists who broke away from the pack this year, delighting us and making us think.
-
Yo-Yo Ma Is Finding His Way Back to Nature Through Music
This superstar cellist’s latest project, which has taken him to America’s national parks, aims to newly understand our place in the world.
-
Notable Boxed Sets of 2022: Pop, Rap, Soul, Jazz and More
Anniversary editions (from Norah Jones and Neil Young), a dive into the hip-hop underground (via C.V.E.) and rediscovered live jazz (from Elvin Jones and Charles Mingus) arrived in 2022.