THE SEASON THAT WAS

Broadway’s “dizzyingly uneven” season had lots to offer this year, reminding us of the immediacy of the form. “Books are consumed in the head, in a private dialogue between writer and reader; movies, while often experienced communally, are inevitably distanced by being confined to two dimensions. Theater, taking place in the flesh in real time, is the most public and the least lonely of the narrative arts.” – New York Times

JOHN ADAMS RETURNS TO LONDON

John Adams has become one of America’s most popular, widely performers and accomplished composers. “Outgrowing the hypnotic drone of minimalism, he has taken on the classical tradition and annexed its august forms. It’s native bravado, not arrogance, which makes Adams measure himself against Verdi or compare his own dramaturgy with Shakespeare’s. – The Observer (UK)

MASUR’S LEGACY TO THE NEW YORK PHIL

There’s been so much talk recently about who will be the New York Philharmonic’s next music director, Kurt Masur, the NYP’s current leader has been a bit forgotten. That’s a mistake. The 72-year-old Mr. Masur, who has done so much to restore the orchestra to a lofty international standard of performance since taking it over in 1991, is to remain in place for two more seasons. New York Times

PLACIDO DOMINGO DAY

“The list of the tenor’s accomplishments — as singer, conductor, opera Intendant (in Washington, D.C., and, starting this summer, in Los Angeles) and restaurateur — is unrivaled in today’s opera world; and for a vocalist who, officially, turns 60 this year, his longevity is nothing less than astonishing.” San Francisco Examiner