Performer: Seattle Symphony

A conductor's fascination with the spring-themed works of two contemporary composers leads back in time to the Spring Symphony of Robert Schumann. 

James Ehnes brings chamber-like intimacy to Bruch before Xian Zhang drives Symphonie fantastique from private obsession to hallucinatory spectacle.

Sasha Cooke’s thoughtful role debut anchors Paul Curran’s visually and musically alert but dramatically uneven production.

The Seattle Symphony offers an enchanting evening immersed in the joy and brilliance of both the young and the mature genius of Felix Mendelssohn.

Presented without staging, Seattle Opera’s concert Daphne places Strauss’ extreme vocal demands and saturated orchestral writing in sharp relief, offering a high-risk encounter with a rarely heard late opera.

Barber and Bernstein shine in this program exploring sharply contrasting faces of 20th-century Romanticism under guest conductor Alevtina Ioffe.

Longtime music journalist and founder of ArtsJournal talks about the multiple crises facing orchestras and arts organisations in the United States, amid the damage wrought by the second Trump administration.