Review: Officially, conductor Riccardo Muti holds the distinction of music director emeritus for life with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. But after the 83-year-old maestro’s two-week season debut concerts at Orchestra Hall, it seems more apt to acknowledge him as the band’s artistic patriarch. When Muti’s on the podium, the CSO rises to its proper level. It glistens.
Read the full story »Sip New Year’s bubbly at home, tune in to great performances from around the world
Our selective guide to the best national broadcasts, international radio streams, concert replays and festive downloads to help you ring in New Year 2012.
The holly and the ivories proclaim Yuletide in sparking keyboard riffs on old favorites
Review: “A Steinway Christmas Album,” a classy bundle of seasonal arrangements compiled and performed by pianist Jeffrey Biegel. (Steinway) ****
‘Penelope’ at Steppenwolf: Four guys in an empty pool, down to life’s last threads
And Odysseus is bearing down. 3 stars.
Role Playing: Dean Evans, in clown costume, enters the darkness of ‘Burning Bluebeard’
Interview: His clown suit, a bit tattered and soiled with soot, looks like it once might have been pure white. But the character Dean Evans plays in the Neo-Futurists’ production of “Burning Bluebeard” is decidedly dark, one might even say spectral.
‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ and a wonderful night when ATC revisits ‘radio’ parable of faith
Capra’s film as oldie broadcast. 4 stars!
Like composer on the podium, Salonen leads Chicago Symphony in brilliant Mahler Sixth
The Finnish conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen shares a peculiarity of temperament and genius with Gustav Mahler. Like Mahler in his time, Salonen today stands among the most important conductors in the world. And again like his great forebear, Salonen would really rather be composing than be saddled with the responsibilities of music director for any orchestra you could name. Even one that might be looking for someone to succeed James Levine in Boston.
New talents refresh evergreen tradition in sharp-shooting musical ‘A Christmas Story’
Debut tour at Chicago Theatre. 4 stars!
Early music vocalists Anonymous 4, bearing gifts from new CD, to offer Chicago concert
Profile: Anonymous 4, the vocal quartet renowned for its plainchant and medieval music recordings, celebrates 25 seasons with a holiday concert of favorites at Chicago’s Art Institute Dec. 18, and a new release called “Secret Voices.”
Queen’s agony over love and duty gets royal treatment in CST’s searing ‘Elizabeth Rex’
Shakespeare’s in the barn. 5 stars!
Tallis Scholars magnify spirit of Christmas in a Renaissance concert at Rockefeller Chapel
Review: For many music lovers, the single word Magnificat probably summons the name Bach, whose setting of this ancient “song of Mary” is doubtless the most famous to modern listeners. But in fact the Magnificat enjoys a long and glorious tradition in music history, notably in the 16th century, and several such Renaissance gems were on display Friday night in an exquisite concert by the Tallis Scholars at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel. *****
Once more, Lyric’s treasured ‘Magic Flute’ spins its noble, wacky tale of love and light
Mozart’s classic opera revives. 3 stars.
New York ‘Follies’ stars Broadway babies old enough to have a boffo then and now
Appreciation: The showgirls of Broadway’s “Follies” have histories of their own. Hats off to these flawless charmers and their former selves in a present — and past — perfect production.
CD Review: Paul Lewis rambles Schubertian paths strewn with sonatas, fantasies, fragments
British pianist Paul Lewis brings a potent blend of ingredients to a diverse collection that shows Schubert as both Beethoven’s heir and an original, indeed daring creative spirit. ****
Goodman Theatre’s magical ‘Christmas Carol’ redeems sour Scrooge with heart and laughter
Festive retelling for all ages. 4 stars!
‘An Iliad’ reconsiders the poet who brought us Achilles, Agamemnon, Hector and all that
One-man invasion at the Court. 4 stars!
Role Playing: Dan Waller wields a personal brush as uneasy genius of ‘Pitmen Painters’
Interview: Actor Dan Waller describes himself as a simple guy who values friendship and the respect of his peers. That makes him a close kin to the North England coal miner, revealed as gifted artist, he portrays in Lee Hall’s play “The Pitmen Painters” at TimeLine Theatre.
In the pre-dawn of rock ‘n’ roll, ‘Memphis’ bundles daring hearts in a jumping love story
Burning hot at the Cadillac. 5 stars!
Lyric Opera’s zany ‘Ariadne auf Naxos’ is model Strauss with dash of Marx Brothers
Lovable but seriously bizarre. 4 stars!
In a claustrophobic space, Writers’ frames psychological chill of Pinter’s ‘Caretaker’
Deliciously bizarre test of wits. 4 stars!
Bereft clowns of ‘Burning Bluebeard’ recycle pain and guilt of 1903 Iroquois Theatre fire
Neo-Futurists riff on a tragedy. 4 stars!
Holland Taylor’s one-woman show ‘Ann’ gets down with the grit and humor of a Texas star
At Bank of America Theatre. 4 stars!
Glass’ meditative ‘Satyagraha,’ on Gandhi, takes Met’s Live HD series to new ground
Preview: The Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD broadcasts throughout the U.S. feature a landmark of American minimalism not to miss — ”Satyagraha” by Philip Glass, Nov. 19 and Dec. 7. Here’s a peek.
Ho-ho-ho! Best bet for giving is the 60-CD Leonard Bernstein treasury
In a quandary about what to give the person you dare not buy for? If that knotty assignment is a music or theater lover, we at Chicago On the Aisle have a garland of happy solutions: concert music, operas, plays and musicals on CDs, DVDs and downloadable recordings. We’ll be stringing our bright recommendations over the weeks ahead, so check back often.
Role Playing: City boy Michael Stegall ropes wild cowboy in Raven Theatre’s ‘Bus Stop’
Interview: Michael Stegall, who looks and sounds every inch a ropin’ cowboy in the Raven Theatre production of William Inge’s “Bus Stop,” grew up in the West. No surprise there. But wait a minute. Not that West. The 6-foot-3, 23-year-old actor hails from Palm Springs, CA, where the buffalo do not roam.
Contempo doubles down on new music, plays matchmaker for separate audiences
Preview: U.S. and Chicago premieres abound in the season opener of the new-music series Contempo, at the Harris Theater Tuesday. The concert is a double bill featuring a second set with Japanese jazz pianist Hiromi Uehara and her trio.
French conductor Stéphane Denève scores a triumph in Chicago Symphony debut
Review: The French conductor Stéphane Denève made a thrilling debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Thursday night. Denève, who turns 40 this month, is going to be an international force, and his concert with the CSO amply demonstrated why. *****
Lyric Opera’s powerful ‘Boris Godunov’ recaptures tragedy’s original stark beauty
Tortured soul of a Russian czar. 4 stars!
Da capo al fine, sharply accented ‘Bernstein’ sketches life of a great American conductor
Maestro at the Royal George. 3 stars
CD Review: Invention, finesse of Mozart’s ‘Prussian’ Quartets revealed in Emerson’s hands
The last three string quartets Mozart composed, in 1789 just two years before his death, utterly belie the desperate financial straits into which he had fallen. These sunny, and technically brilliant, performances by the Emerson String Quartet reveal Mozart at the zenith of his creative powers.
Motley travelers looking to get their tickets punched at Raven’s snowbound ‘Bus Stop’
Engagingly off-kilter charms. 3 stars
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