Find articles | John Dorhauer

The idea that war is hell is certainly not a new one. Shostakovich may not have had knowledge of the quote's original context, but he was no stranger to the atrocities caused by war.

Probably the most impressive aspect of Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s 2013-14 season has been its consistent commitment to musical diversity. Here, Barber and Gershwin shared the bill with William Schuman and Mason Bates. 

Pierre Boulez builds a deceptively brilliant program featuring works by Stravinsky, Debussy, and Ravel, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra follows through on its execution.

CSO and Riccardo Muti première a newly commissioned piece by cellist Giovanni Sollima that features himself and Yo Yo Ma, with Schubert's Third and Fourth Symphonies also included.

There were high peaks and low valleys in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's performance of Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique, Shostakovich's Cello Concert no. 1, and Weber's Ruler of the Spirits overture, with conductor Stéphane Denève.

Perhaps the strongest aspect of Michael Tilson Thomas and Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s rendition of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony was their ability to heighten the piece’s contrasts, offering a vibrant depiction of the symphony’s raw emotional qualities.

As a title for the opening performance of MusicNOW’s 2013-2014 season, “Vaporized” is somewhat misleading. It comes from the evening’s first piece, and it makes for a tidy, catchy branding for a new music concert. Yet the other two works are steeped in a density and concreteness that are counterintuitive to the abstract, amorphous implications of that title.

According to Riccardo Muti in a recent interview for Chicago Classical Review, the cardinal sins of modern conductors when interpreting Verdi are over-aggression and vulgarity. He also notes in an interview included in the concert program that one of the most unique aspects of Macbeth is its use of expressively soft dynamics, even going as far to call the technique avant-garde.

For whatever reason, performers have always seemed to fear the fourth wall. They are content to let their music speak for itself, and any attempt to address the audience verbally is often considered lowbrow. This makes sense in some regards, as it facilitates the image of performer as master and lends artistic integrity to the music.