Yannick Nézet-Séguin extends contract with the Philadelphia Orchestra

The Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin has extended his contract with the Philadelphia Orchestra until 2022. This move most likely means he is ruling out the possibility of an appointment to the Berlin Philharmonic in 2018, where many considered him a candidate.

New Italian programming director for the Chicago Symphony

Italian Riccardo Muti is the music director of the Chicago Symphony and now another Italian is joining the orchestra as programming director. Cristina Rocca will fill a slot as Vice President of Artistic Planning, succeeding Martha Gilmer. Read more here.

★★★★★ Nelsons strikes a win with his first release with the Boston Symphony

Andris Nelsons Wagner and Sibelius

I anticipated this first release of Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony with high hopes. I've become a great fan of his, and his career has been on a fast upward note. His blessed lack of superficiality is his greatest strength, especially when coupled with his enthusiasm. My only worry with him as a musician is that he would seem susceptible to relying on natural instinct, missing potential for drama. But my concerns have usually been unwarranted.

Starting with Wagner's Tannhaauser Overture, Nelsons stands out for his natural poise and spontaneity. Nelsons is more concerned about freedom of expression than overwhelming power, and he doesn't seek achieve maximum control. Nonetheless, there is an efficacy in the fluidity of his interpretation that enables the lyricism to soar. His feeling of breadth is unmissable. Certainly this is Wagner with a greater emphasis on inner emotion than grandeur. If Nelsons isn't as persuasive as past rivals, this is still an encouraging reading.

My pledge to fairness on The Classical Commentator

My blog has received a massive influx of hits in the past several days due to my post responding to Norman Lebrecht's lambasting of the Vienna Philharmonic. During the online debate that has transpired, many comments on the Slipped Disc have been removed. Despite his claim that he looks at both sides of the story, Mr. Lebrecht has a hard time handling criticism of his own criticism.

It's a travesty that has been hard for me to watch. A man with prominence in the musical world makes a radical claim against an orchestra, music lovers point out flaws in his logic, and he swiftly removes their comment. Why? It seems Mr. Lebrecht is more concerned about his own fading reputation than tangible things like logic and truth.

Candid confessions of an avid critic, Part One

I'm only an amateur critic, starting my blog here at The Classical Commentator after years of writing reviews on Amazon. I starting writing for the thrill of it; after hearing inspiring music, it's only natural to want to share your experience with others. So I was slowly pulled into the art. I'm still too young to be critic, really; how many twenty-year-olds own over a thousand Classical CDs and have over 400 reviews posted online?

But the joy is so fulfilling. After years of intense piano practice, I slowly came to feel that I understood music in a special way. When I starting reviewing, I didn't have anything insightful to say at all. I think I was fifteen when I started. But after years of listening to an increasingly wider variety of both compositions and interpretations, I felt things started to click.

In defense of the Vienna Philharmonic: a response to Norman Lebrecht

How many articles does Norman Lebrecht need to post against the Vienna Philharmonic? Since the start of the year, he has made three separate posts against the orchestra on his blog, Slipped Disc. He has asked conductors to refuse to conduct the orchestra until they hire more women. His articles have received a mixed, if predominately negative reception. No doubt he feels irked, because his latest article makes sharp jabs at his critics, who he calls "tunnel-visioned respondents". The article suggests that those who disagree with him favor discriminating.

I've taken issue with his articles from the beginning, and now that he has resorted to name-calling, I've decided to respond. Really, I'm most disappointed by his choice to assume that those who disagree with him favor discrimination. I, for one, most assuredly do not. I believe that all musicians should be judged by their merit, not by their gender or skin color. I will say up front that if the Vienna Philharmonic expands the number of women in its ranks, I will be happy for the fortunate new members.

★★★★★ Faust and Harding unite for a deeply touching Bartok Second Violin Concerto

Bartok: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Sometimes a recording moves the listener in a personal way, making it difficult to translate the impact into words. I feel that way about this Bartok Second Violin Concerto from Isabelle Faust with Daniel Harding and the Swedish Radio Symphony. My love for this concerto is limitless, and to hear interpreters capturing its meaning with such inspiration has left me on the verge of tears, no, actually wiping them.

The disc starts out with the First Violin Concerto, which isn't nearly as successful as Bartok's following masterpiece. I own a splendid version of the concerto from Gidon Kremer with Pierre Boulez and the Berlin Philharmonic, a recording the maximizes the depth and sonority of the Berliners. Here the mood is lighter and more austere, without the dark plunges. It's subdued, so the sound world of the piece comes across very gently.The mood is almost too withdrawn. Harding's accompaniment is backseat, reducing the intensity. It doesn't hurt to take your time in this music, though, and the sensitivity and nuance are striking. I certainly prefer Kremer, but there's a rustic feel here that will keep me returning on occasion.