Stewart Goodyear Celebrates Beethoven

New recording of the piano concertos raises the bar (again)   In the year of celebrating the 250th year of Beethoven’s birth — and at a time when so many planned live concerts have been silenced by the pandemic — we are all the more grateful for the steady stream of recordings of everything from…

Beethoven—and His Kitchen Sink

Being the first of three reviews of the Naxos 90-CD boxed set   In case you hadn’t checked your calendar and done the math—or somehow hadn’t heard yet—2020 marks the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. Since his birthday was December 16, we’re still more than a year away from the actual celebration, but that hasn’t…

Plenty of Bang for the Buck…and More

Sewell and WCO end the indoor season with a triple helping of Beethoven Rarely have I been more torn about which event to attend than last Friday night—and they both took place in the same building! While the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra was concluding its Masterworks Series in the Capitol Theater, organist Greg Zelek was giving…

Staying “Home,” Stylistically Speaking

Sewell and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Illuminate True Classicism   In a city happily rife with creative programming among its many fine ensembles and companies, Andrew Sewell and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra frequently garner the most attention for performing works typically outside the chamber orchestra box. It is noteworthy, therefore, that last Friday night in the…

Bianconi Soars; Overture Hall Roars

MSO players get their wish—and audience approves that, too It was one of those nights at Overture Hall on Friday. John DeMain returned from his recent forays into Turandot with Virginia Opera (a reliable source indicated the reviews were off the charts), and we had another return that was as welcome. There’s some sort of…

No Place Like (a Second) Home)

Violinist Kraggerud returns to Madison Symphony for another special collaboration The Norwegian violinist, Henning Kraggerud, has the chops to be as famous as any violinist in the world. He has crafted his career to maximize his time in his homeland, and chooses his guest appearances carefully. The fact that he has developed a special bond…

Madison Symphony Delivers a Bouquet of Passion, Precision and Power

Guest conductor Daniel Hege and violinist Alina Ibragimova make themselves at home   Madison Symphony music director John DeMain remains in demand throughout North America (currently spending about a month with Washington National Opera conducting Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars). Most of the time his absences are planned around the MSO and Madison Opera…