Mark Swed, Music Critic
The Latest
MUSIC REVIEW
The conductor is mighty formidable as he makes his last tour with the group.
MUSIC REVIEW
Conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi is mighty formidable as he makes his last...
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...
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.
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.
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
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.
OPERA REVIEW
L.A. Philharmonic’s ‘Magic Flute’ is a no-nonsense powerhouse.
MUSIC REVIEW
Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard, this year's guiding force, embraces humanity...
OPERA REVIEW
Plácido Domingo and L.A. Opera have a winner with 'Luisa'
MUSIC REVIEW
A polyglot festival reflects the nation's musical roots, which have much in...
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Three Southland venues offer awe-inspiring pieces.
MUSIC REVIEW
Kronos gives an epic West Coast premiere of Gorecki's second Third.
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Jay Greenberg's talent is immense, but for the teen to grow, the music...
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
Swathed in a colorful past, the Ojai Festival is modest, informal and world-...
CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK
The artist's Combines aren't limited to canvas — they come alive in...