ClassicalCritic
@classicalcritic.bsky.social
Roving Classical Critic-at-Large & Translator. Opinions are my own - or stolen.
https://ionarts.blogspot.com/search/label/jfl
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/
Amazon links are affiliate links
https://ionarts.blogspot.com/search/label/jfl
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jenslaurson/
Amazon links are affiliate links
Pannonian #Weidringer[TM] for the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra from Pécs at the Musikverein Wien. Checking out the odd 'tourist concert'.
January 31, 2026 at 6:35 PM
Pannonian #Weidringer[TM] for the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra from Pécs at the Musikverein Wien. Checking out the odd 'tourist concert'.
#morninglistening to a HIP #WAMozart PianoConcerto recording of the first hour: Cologne's CollegiumAureum w/JörgDemus on DHM. This was the NorthWest-equivalent of the ConcentusMusicus in Vienna and made Cologne and early music hub.
January 31, 2026 at 8:56 AM
#morninglistening to a HIP #WAMozart PianoConcerto recording of the first hour: Cologne's CollegiumAureum w/JörgDemus on DHM. This was the NorthWest-equivalent of the ConcentusMusicus in Vienna and made Cologne and early music hub.
Take your seat!
1: Complete silence the entire flight
2: Tells you his sordid love story
3: You leave feeling weirdly German
4: Swapping grooming product info
5: The most fun
6: Fretting that the plane might crash
7: French only need apply
8: Somehow better airplane food!
1: Complete silence the entire flight
2: Tells you his sordid love story
3: You leave feeling weirdly German
4: Swapping grooming product info
5: The most fun
6: Fretting that the plane might crash
7: French only need apply
8: Somehow better airplane food!
January 30, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Take your seat!
1: Complete silence the entire flight
2: Tells you his sordid love story
3: You leave feeling weirdly German
4: Swapping grooming product info
5: The most fun
6: Fretting that the plane might crash
7: French only need apply
8: Somehow better airplane food!
1: Complete silence the entire flight
2: Tells you his sordid love story
3: You leave feeling weirdly German
4: Swapping grooming product info
5: The most fun
6: Fretting that the plane might crash
7: French only need apply
8: Somehow better airplane food!
January 30, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Nadia Boulanger, Composer: "La ville morte" is a fine discovery, now that it's received its world premiere recording from PENTATONEmusic.
@diepressecom.bsky.social @pentatonemusic.bsky.social
@diepressecom.bsky.social @pentatonemusic.bsky.social
January 29, 2026 at 10:53 AM
Nadia Boulanger, Composer: "La ville morte" is a fine discovery, now that it's received its world premiere recording from PENTATONEmusic.
@diepressecom.bsky.social @pentatonemusic.bsky.social
@diepressecom.bsky.social @pentatonemusic.bsky.social
Triple #Weidringer[TM] at the Musikverein Wien for some Argerich & double Capuçon & Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
January 28, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Triple #Weidringer[TM] at the Musikverein Wien for some Argerich & double Capuçon & Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
#morninglistening to EsaPekkaSalonen's Turangalîla. I hadn't considered calling any version of this amazing piece elegant, but this account might just push me that way. Propelling & linear. But a bit more bloom and warmth in parts would be welcome. It's more romantic than he shows it to be.
January 27, 2026 at 5:39 PM
#morninglistening to EsaPekkaSalonen's Turangalîla. I hadn't considered calling any version of this amazing piece elegant, but this account might just push me that way. Propelling & linear. But a bit more bloom and warmth in parts would be welcome. It's more romantic than he shows it to be.
#morninglistening to #Fricsay's Zauberflöte on @DGclassics w/the RIAS Orchestra. Not surprisingly, this is exactly FricsayFerenc's tack; RitaStreich is there, of course. Light touch, great lilt, good, reduced dialogue. An easy co-favorite.
Amzn: amzn.to/4a755zQ
Amzn: amzn.to/4a755zQ
January 27, 2026 at 2:29 PM
#morninglistening to #Fricsay's Zauberflöte on @DGclassics w/the RIAS Orchestra. Not surprisingly, this is exactly FricsayFerenc's tack; RitaStreich is there, of course. Light touch, great lilt, good, reduced dialogue. An easy co-favorite.
Amzn: amzn.to/4a755zQ
Amzn: amzn.to/4a755zQ
#morninglistening to #CharlesMackerras and the ScottishChamberOrchestra on Telarc in #WAMozart's Zauberflöte. All his Mozart is good, but the Magic Flute is second only to his Così, w/ neat, fresh tempi just about throughout & lively characterization.
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
#NowPlaying
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
#NowPlaying
January 26, 2026 at 8:29 AM
#morninglistening to #CharlesMackerras and the ScottishChamberOrchestra on Telarc in #WAMozart's Zauberflöte. All his Mozart is good, but the Magic Flute is second only to his Così, w/ neat, fresh tempi just about throughout & lively characterization.
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
#NowPlaying
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
#NowPlaying
#morninglistening to the best Gounod #Faust? Certainly not by any consensus I'm aware of. But the WelshNationalOpera's recording w/CarloRizzi is my personal favorite al the same, feat. JerryHadley, CeciliaGasdia & SamuelRamey on the back 9 of his glory-days. Teldec/Warner
January 25, 2026 at 11:09 PM
#morninglistening to the best Gounod #Faust? Certainly not by any consensus I'm aware of. But the WelshNationalOpera's recording w/CarloRizzi is my personal favorite al the same, feat. JerryHadley, CeciliaGasdia & SamuelRamey on the back 9 of his glory-days. Teldec/Warner
Rosenkavalier1B #Weidringer[TM] for said opera but at the Volksoper Wien.
January 25, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Rosenkavalier1B #Weidringer[TM] for said opera but at the Volksoper Wien.
#morninglistening to Mozarts's CosìFanTutte with the @viennaphilharmonic under Jimmy Levine & a fine cast (incl. Ann Murray &; Thomas Hampson) that offers somewhat foursquare but tender beauty. A 'standard' rendition foil to Jacobs (♡), though you might prefer Böhm.
January 25, 2026 at 8:40 AM
#morninglistening to Mozarts's CosìFanTutte with the @viennaphilharmonic under Jimmy Levine & a fine cast (incl. Ann Murray &; Thomas Hampson) that offers somewhat foursquare but tender beauty. A 'standard' rendition foil to Jacobs (♡), though you might prefer Böhm.
Austrian premiere of #Benamor at the @theateranderwien.bsky.social for @diepressecom.bsky.social
„Benamor“ im Theater an der Wien: Nehmt das bitte nicht zu ernst!
Zwischen Shakespeare und Pension Schöller: Die freche Zarzuela „Benamor“ im Theater an der Wien bietet Unterhaltung, Camp & gute Musik.
„Benamor“ im Theater an der Wien: Nehmt das bitte nicht zu ernst!
Zwischen Shakespeare und Pension Schöller: Die freche Zarzuela „Benamor“ im Theater an der Wien bietet Unterhaltung, Camp & gute Musik.
January 24, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Austrian premiere of #Benamor at the @theateranderwien.bsky.social for @diepressecom.bsky.social
„Benamor“ im Theater an der Wien: Nehmt das bitte nicht zu ernst!
Zwischen Shakespeare und Pension Schöller: Die freche Zarzuela „Benamor“ im Theater an der Wien bietet Unterhaltung, Camp & gute Musik.
„Benamor“ im Theater an der Wien: Nehmt das bitte nicht zu ernst!
Zwischen Shakespeare und Pension Schöller: Die freche Zarzuela „Benamor“ im Theater an der Wien bietet Unterhaltung, Camp & gute Musik.
No one should be ashamed of loving the accordion. Not even clowns.
#CriticsNotebook: Martynas Levickis and the Accordion Take Center Stage at the Schubert-Saal
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/crit...
#CriticsNotebook: Martynas Levickis and the Accordion Take Center Stage at the Schubert-Saal
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/crit...
January 24, 2026 at 3:09 PM
No one should be ashamed of loving the accordion. Not even clowns.
#CriticsNotebook: Martynas Levickis and the Accordion Take Center Stage at the Schubert-Saal
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/crit...
#CriticsNotebook: Martynas Levickis and the Accordion Take Center Stage at the Schubert-Saal
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/crit...
#morninglistening to #CharlesMackerras and the @scottishchamberorchestra on @telarcintl in #WAMozart's DonGiovanni. There is so much that's good here--but in toto, it does not rise to the levels of his Così (or the Zauberflöte, for that matter). It remains a little staid.
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
January 23, 2026 at 11:33 PM
#morninglistening to #CharlesMackerras and the @scottishchamberorchestra on @telarcintl in #WAMozart's DonGiovanni. There is so much that's good here--but in toto, it does not rise to the levels of his Così (or the Zauberflöte, for that matter). It remains a little staid.
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
Another #KlausMäkelä-sighting at the Konzerthaus:
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/crit...
DSCH-8 & Tchaik VC
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/crit...
DSCH-8 & Tchaik VC
January 23, 2026 at 1:53 PM
Another #KlausMäkelä-sighting at the Konzerthaus:
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/crit...
DSCH-8 & Tchaik VC
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/crit...
DSCH-8 & Tchaik VC
#morninglistening to #WAMozart's ballet/ incidental music. Philips used Zinman w/the @nederlandskamerorkest for the Idomeneo music here and in the 2000 remake. (The insta sound-clip suggesting otherwise is wrong.)
Amzn: amzn.to/49CqxgU
Amzn: amzn.to/49CqxgU
January 22, 2026 at 5:13 PM
#morninglistening to #WAMozart's ballet/ incidental music. Philips used Zinman w/the @nederlandskamerorkest for the Idomeneo music here and in the 2000 remake. (The insta sound-clip suggesting otherwise is wrong.)
Amzn: amzn.to/49CqxgU
Amzn: amzn.to/49CqxgU
Calling all #Parsifal-mavens and those who would like to join the club:
Up on ionarts now, the latest and last Kna' Bayreuth Parsifal issued and reviewed.
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
Up on ionarts now, the latest and last Kna' Bayreuth Parsifal issued and reviewed.
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
The Last Missing Piece of the Kna’ Grail: Knappertsbusch' 1955 Parsifal from Bayreuth
Richard Wagner Parsifal , Hans Knappertsbusch Bayreuth Festival, 1955 (Profil Hänssler, 2023) US | UK | ...
ionarts.blogspot.com
January 22, 2026 at 2:05 PM
Calling all #Parsifal-mavens and those who would like to join the club:
Up on ionarts now, the latest and last Kna' Bayreuth Parsifal issued and reviewed.
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
Up on ionarts now, the latest and last Kna' Bayreuth Parsifal issued and reviewed.
ionarts.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-...
Latest for @diepressecom.bsky.social:
Olivier Latry/Shin-Young Lee at the Rieger Organ of the Konzerthaus and Martynas Levickis (we restored him to being Lithuanian, online, sorry!) on its little brother, the accordion.
Olivier Latry/Shin-Young Lee at the Rieger Organ of the Konzerthaus and Martynas Levickis (we restored him to being Lithuanian, online, sorry!) on its little brother, the accordion.
January 22, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Latest for @diepressecom.bsky.social:
Olivier Latry/Shin-Young Lee at the Rieger Organ of the Konzerthaus and Martynas Levickis (we restored him to being Lithuanian, online, sorry!) on its little brother, the accordion.
Olivier Latry/Shin-Young Lee at the Rieger Organ of the Konzerthaus and Martynas Levickis (we restored him to being Lithuanian, online, sorry!) on its little brother, the accordion.
From a #CriticsNotebook: Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique
January 22, 2026 at 11:07 AM
From a #CriticsNotebook: Berlioz' Symphonie fantastique
#morninglistening to the selectively underrated Prokofiev symphonies of TheodoreKuchar w/the Ntl Symphony Orch. of Ukraine on @naxosmusic. Motivating me to finish my ionarts survey of such cycles.
Amzn: amzn.to/3NyTdPg
It's astonishing how rarely we listen to these sys, except for Nos.1 & 5 maybe.
Amzn: amzn.to/3NyTdPg
It's astonishing how rarely we listen to these sys, except for Nos.1 & 5 maybe.
January 22, 2026 at 9:51 AM
#morninglistening to the selectively underrated Prokofiev symphonies of TheodoreKuchar w/the Ntl Symphony Orch. of Ukraine on @naxosmusic. Motivating me to finish my ionarts survey of such cycles.
Amzn: amzn.to/3NyTdPg
It's astonishing how rarely we listen to these sys, except for Nos.1 & 5 maybe.
Amzn: amzn.to/3NyTdPg
It's astonishing how rarely we listen to these sys, except for Nos.1 & 5 maybe.
#morninglistening to CharlesMackerras and the scottishchamberorchestra on telarc in WAMozart's LeNozzeDiFigaro. Mackerras provided Mozartian goodness, even if this does not rise to the levels of his Così (or Zauberflöte, for that matter).
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
January 21, 2026 at 11:47 PM
#morninglistening to CharlesMackerras and the scottishchamberorchestra on telarc in WAMozart's LeNozzeDiFigaro. Mackerras provided Mozartian goodness, even if this does not rise to the levels of his Così (or Zauberflöte, for that matter).
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
Amzn: amzn.to/49PkiVM
Squeezed #Weidringer [TM] for Martynas Levickis at the Wiener Konzerthaus. Because the accordion needs some love! (And I love the fact that Die Presse covers 'little' concerts like this. So good for the classical ecosystem not just review the biggest hits! (Support your paper.)
January 21, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Squeezed #Weidringer [TM] for Martynas Levickis at the Wiener Konzerthaus. Because the accordion needs some love! (And I love the fact that Die Presse covers 'little' concerts like this. So good for the classical ecosystem not just review the biggest hits! (Support your paper.)
#morninglistening to #Fricsay's 1955 mono MagicFlute w/the RIAS and his ensemble-cast including Haefliger, FiDi, Stader, Streich. Greindl is a good Sarastro but KimBorg's wobbly Speaker just about ruins things. Some tempi are slow by today's standards but Fricsay's genius shines through enough.
January 21, 2026 at 8:17 AM
#morninglistening to #Fricsay's 1955 mono MagicFlute w/the RIAS and his ensemble-cast including Haefliger, FiDi, Stader, Streich. Greindl is a good Sarastro but KimBorg's wobbly Speaker just about ruins things. Some tempi are slow by today's standards but Fricsay's genius shines through enough.
Organic #Weidringer[TM] for Olivier Latry & Shin-Young Lee at the Riegerv Organ of the Wiener Konzerthaus
January 20, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Organic #Weidringer[TM] for Olivier Latry & Shin-Young Lee at the Riegerv Organ of the Wiener Konzerthaus