Mark Swed, Music Critic


The Latest


MUSIC REVIEW

The conductor is mighty formidable as he makes his last tour with the group.



Live: The Philharmonia Orchestra
MUSIC REVIEW

Conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi is mighty formidable as he makes his last...



'Seduction and Despair'
MUSIC REVIEW

John Malkovich works with Musica Angelica on a multimedia musical theater...



MUSIC REVIEW

Throat singer Tanya Tagaq mesmerizes in her L.A. debut with the Kronos Quartet.



MUSIC REVIEW

The L.A. Phil, under Salonen's baton, blurs the divide between Brahms and Wagner.



OPERA REVIEW

Choreographer Mark Morris brings his once taboo-breaking, now classic interpretation of Purcell's opera...



MUSIC REVIEW

Los Angeles has a Bruckner tradition. Some of the last century's most notable Brucknerians -- Otto...



MUSIC REVIEW

Tenor marks 40 years on the Dorothy Chandler stage in gala fashion.



MUSIC REVIEW

On its farewell tour, the trio plays its last concert in L.A. among friends.



CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

With the celebrities gone and the galas over, the L.A. Phil can settle in to its highly hailed new home.



DISNEY HALL

The polished steel exterior of the Walt Disney Concert Hall is already familiar. Inside, the paint is...



MUSIC REVIEW

Sight and sound complement each other as the ensemble opens its season with works by the late Earle...



'Paper' leaves a trail of missed opportunities
MUSIC REVIEW

The Philharmonic's piece for children is entrancing, but the young audience is...



MUSIC REVIEW

The math behind eighth blackbird’s program Tuesday night at the Orange County Performing...



MUSIC REVIEW

Visiting Los Angeles, the German avant-gardist revisits several of his studies in sound.



OPERA REVIEW

The Metropolitan takes Philip Glass' work on Gandhi to exalted levels.



Live: Laurie Anderson in Santa Barbara
PERFORMANCE ART REVIEW

To save what she calls a distracted society, the multimedia artist takes it upon...



MUSIC REVIEW

Ursula Oppens takes an exhilarating turn at Elliott Carter's complex piece.



La La La Human Steps
DANCE REVIEW

Édouard Lock's Montreal company rethinks Tchaikovsky with 'Amjad' at...



MUSIC REVIEW

Led by Thomas Dausgaard, the orchestra plays Beethoven and Schumann with raw energy in Orange County.



MUSIC REVIEW

As Dudamel unravels an exuberant program, soloist Leila Josefowicz matches him, zeal for zeal.



MUSIC REVIEW

Andrew Manze demonstrates how Beethoven's Third changed the genre.



MUSIC REVIEW

John Corigliano's new 'Circus Maximus' is presented with plenty of theatrical power.



MUSIC REVIEW

Energy marks a significant night for the conductor in a program with works by Salonen and Berlioz and...



MUSIC REVIEW

The fourth season of this electronic music series attracts a diverse group of Sonic-philes.



MUSIC REVIEW

The future music director takes a deferential role in Philharmonic Chamber Music Society concert.



SAMPLINGS

THE day it was released this month, Pierre-Laurent Aimard's recording of Bach's "Art of the Fugue" was...



MUSIC REVIEW

The L.A. Phil catches up with Carter and adds new works by Frank and Meltzer.



MUSIC REVIEW

The two-piano duo performs Messiaen for Santa Monica's new-music series, Jacaranda.



MUSIC REVIEW

The violinist's technique stands out in her debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.



MUSIC REVIEW

The L.A. composer creates feisty works with French color and jazz rhythm.



MUSIC REVIEW

A recorder quartet with 'tude and a quick-thinking pianist find new ways to connect.



OPERA REVIEW

No opera per se, just a night with Michael York at the helm.



MUSIC REVIEW

Conductor Semyon Bychkov leads the symphony through Shostakovich's Seventh.



MUSIC REVIEW

Stéphane Denève is a popular young conductor who seems on the verge of landing a major orchestra. He is...



MUSIC REVIEW

Twenty-five-year-old piano marvel Lang Lang has killer technique but immature judgment.



MUSIC REVIEW

An experienced cast performs the story of a king's passion and its fallout in 'Radamisto' by Musica...



CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

The performance in Pyongyang brings needed attention to the orchestra and could help break the ice...



MUSIC REVIEW

Czech Philharmonic, under a little-known conductor, offers some unearthly sounds.



MUSIC REVIEW

Two Pomona College concerts illuminate 20th century composer Messiaen's best-known works. Too bad...



OPERA REVIEW

It's still not perfect, but the Los Angeles Opera production is a lot better with its radiant Chilean...



Oscar-nominated Marion Cotillard uses her eyes the way the French chanteuse used her voice in 'La Vie...



OPERA REVIEW

Donizetti's 'Maria Stuarda' returns, and the result is less than historic.



OPERA REVIEW

Strong 'Voices' speaks to deeper meaning



L.A. Opera's 'Otello'
OPERA REVIEW

L.A. Opera's fresh production brims with potential but must work out a few...



MUSIC REVIEW

Jordi Savall puts world history in perspective in 'Lost Paradises,' his program celebrating a golden...



MUSIC REVIEW

Vladimir Jurowski proves mercurial as he conducts the group.



CLASSICAL

Leonard Slatkin and the Nashville Symphony win big with Joan Tower's 'Made in America.'



MUSIC REVIEW

Christoph Eschenbach leads the L.A. Phil in a grippingly dramatic Sixth Symphony.



Powerhouse 'Flute' subdues picnickers
OPERA REVIEW

L.A. Philharmonic’s ‘Magic Flute’ is a no-nonsense powerhouse.



Life's rhythms pulse through Ojai festival
MUSIC REVIEW

Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, this year's guiding force, embraces humanity...



Domingo, cast find their perfect match in ‘Luisa’
OPERA REVIEW

Plácido Domingo and L.A. Opera have a winner with 'Luisa'



Pacific Symphony rediscovers Mexico
MUSIC REVIEW

A polyglot festival reflects the nation's musical roots, which have much in...



A fine weekend for chamber music
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

Three Southland venues offer awe-inspiring pieces.



MUSIC REVIEW

Kronos gives an epic West Coast premiere of Gorecki's second Third.



Please, give him room to mature
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

Jay Greenberg's talent is immense, but for the teen to grow, the music...



A retreat charges on
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

Swathed in a colorful past, the Ojai Festival is modest, informal and world-...



Performing Rauschenberg
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK

The artist's Combines aren't limited to canvas — they come alive in...


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