Piano Concerto

Mozart's particular genius - his ability to make the mundane into the miraculous - isn't well served by programs where he's the warm-up to a splashy Rachmaninoff piano concerto or Tchaikovsky symphony. So it was good to see Martin Pearlman and Boston Baroque give him an evening to himself at Jordan Hall. The program, moreover, was a generous one: Symphony No. 29 (1774); Piano Concerto No. 10 (1779), with Ya-Fei Chuang and Robert Levin; string arrangements of three fugues from Bach's "Well-Tempered Klavier"; and Symphony No. 36 (1783)

Where has Neil Sedaka been all these years? Wiggling his way into the hearts of a new generation, for one, through picture books accompanied by mini-albums offering playful takes on some of his hits. At 73, the singer-songwriter enlisted the aid of his twin granddaughters as kiddie backup singers on the three-song CD tucked into "Dinosaur Pet," released this month by Imagine Publishing and inspired by his 1960 song "Calendar Girl. " It's Sedaka's second picture book using child-tailored lyrics, a popular marketing hook for other performers looking to bring their oldies music to...

Where has Neil Sedaka been all these years? Wiggling his way into the hearts of a new generation, for one, through picture books accompanied by mini-albums offering playful takes on some of his hits. At 73, the singer-songwriter enlisted the aid of his twin granddaughters as kiddie backup singers on the three-song CD tucked into "Dinosaur Pet," released this month by Imagine Publishing and inspired by his 1960 song "Calendar Girl. " It's Sedaka's second picture book using child-tailored lyrics, a popular marketing hook for other performers looking to bring their oldies music to...

Mozart's particular genius - his ability to make the mundane into the miraculous - isn't well served by programs where he's the warm-up to a splashy Rachmaninoff piano concerto or Tchaikovsky symphony. So it was good to see Martin Pearlman and Boston Baroque give him an evening to himself at Jordan Hall. The program, moreover, was a generous one: Symphony No. 29 (1774); Piano Concerto No. 10 (1779), with Ya-Fei Chuang and Robert Levin; string arrangements of three fugues from Bach's "Well-Tempered Klavier"; and Symphony No. 36 (1783)

Orchestral gigantism has taken the week off. On last night’s BSO program, there were no deathless Wagnerian sea captains, no grand Mahlerian resurrections, no operatic probings of the nuclear age. Just old “Papa’’ Haydn, represented by two symphonies (Nos. 80 and 95), and Mozart, represented by two piano concertos (Nos. 15 and 16). The fine German pianist and conductor Christian Zacharias attended to both. The BSO’s forces were relatively scaled back in size, and the evening’s best moments had the feel of chamber music.

British conductor Mark Elder is back on the Boston Symphony Orchestra podium this week, leading the orchestra in a rather idiosyncratic program: one part piano recital, one part tour of neglected British orchestral music, and one part straight-ahead standard repertoire by Mozart (the Piano Concerto No. 21) and Strauss (“Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks’’). Last night in Symphony Hall, the first half was devoted to the music of Debussy and Delius, and it fared best, beginning with an intriguing opening gambit.

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA After an extended leave for back surgery, music director James Levine returns to the podium to lead a program devoted to Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloé’’ (Second Suite) and Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (with pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard); Berlioz’s “Harold in Italy’’ (with violist Steven Ansell); and Carter’s “Dialogues’’ for piano and orchestra. Jan. 29 and 30. $29-$115. Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org SEQUENTIA Benjamin Bagby’s impressive medieval music ensemble returns to town for a performance of “The Rheingold...

LONDON — Geoffrey Burgon, the composer whose soundtrack for the television production of “Brideshead Revisited’’ became a hit recording, has died at age 69, his publisher said. Mr. Burgon also contributed to Monty Python’s “Life of Brian’’ and produced music for “Dr. Who,’’ “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,’’ “The Chronicles of Narnia,’’ and other productions. Mr. Burgon died Tuesday after a short illness, according to an announcement from his publisher, Chester Music.

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday’s Globe. British conductor Mark Elder is back on the Boston Symphony Orchestra podium this week, leading the orchestra in a rather idiosyncratic program: one part piano recital, one part tour of neglected British orchestral music, and one part straight-ahead standard repertoire by Mozart (the Piano Concerto No. 21) and Strauss (“Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks’’). Thursday night in Symphony Hall, the first half was devoted to the music of Debussy and Delius, and it fared best, beginning with an intriguing opening gambit.

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe It was heartening to see a sold-out house at Tuesday night's Boston Symphony Orchestra performance in Symphony Hall. In fact, all four concerts this week are sold out as the program seems to have found that box office sweet spot with its combination of admired performers (James Levine is on the podium, with Evgeny Kissin as the piano soloist) and much-loved repertory (Brahms's Symphony No. 3 paired with his Piano Concerto No. 2 Tuesday and last night, and with his Piano Concerto No. 1 tomorrow and Saturday)

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Myung-Whun Chung, conductor At: Symphony Hall, Thursday night (repeats tonight) Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe. Myung-Whun Chung returned to the Boston Symphony Orchestra podium Thursday night. This Korean-born conductor from a gifted musical family built his career mostly in Europe, but now directs the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He made headlines this fall for his efforts to bring North and South Korean musicians together.

PHILADELPHIA - Superstar pianist Lang Lang is celebrating what would've been the 200th birthday of his hero, Franz Liszt, by playing a concert with the Philadelphia Orchestra that will be broadcast live in movie theaters around the world. But first, he's getting a cheesesteak. "This is a homecoming for me," he told the Associated Press in an interview Wednesday before his rehearsal with the orchestra. He first came to Philadelphia in 1997 as a 15-year-old prodigy from provincial China to attend the exclusive Curtis Institute of Music, near where he will take the...

Reprinted from late editions of yesterday’s Globe. British conductor Mark Elder is back on the Boston Symphony Orchestra podium this week, leading the orchestra in a rather idiosyncratic program: one part piano recital, one part tour of neglected British orchestral music, and one part straight-ahead standard repertoire by Mozart (the Piano Concerto No. 21) and Strauss (“Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks’’). Thursday night in Symphony Hall, the first half was devoted to the music of Debussy and Delius, and it fared best, beginning with an...

British conductor Mark Elder is back on the Boston Symphony Orchestra podium this week, leading the orchestra in a rather idiosyncratic program: one part piano recital, one part tour of neglected British orchestral music, and one part straight-ahead standard repertoire by Mozart (the Piano Concerto No. 21) and Strauss (“Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks’’). Last night in Symphony Hall, the first half was devoted to the music of Debussy and Delius, and it fared best, beginning with an intriguing opening gambit.

Orchestral gigantism has taken the week off. On last night’s BSO program, there were no deathless Wagnerian sea captains, no grand Mahlerian resurrections, no operatic probings of the nuclear age. Just old “Papa’’ Haydn, represented by two symphonies (Nos. 80 and 95), and Mozart, represented by two piano concertos (Nos. 15 and 16). The fine German pianist and conductor Christian Zacharias attended to both. The BSO’s forces were relatively scaled back in size, and the evening’s best moments had the feel of chamber music.

LONDON — Geoffrey Burgon, the composer whose soundtrack for the television production of “Brideshead Revisited’’ became a hit recording, has died at age 69, his publisher said. Mr. Burgon also contributed to Monty Python’s “Life of Brian’’ and produced music for “Dr. Who,’’ “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,’’ “The Chronicles of Narnia,’’ and other productions. Mr. Burgon died Tuesday after a short illness, according to an announcement from his publisher, Chester Music.

One of the greatest pleasures of any concert by the Mark Morris Dance Group is the live music that ignites the dance. “Mozart Dances,’’ given its Boston premiere last night in the troupe’s Celebrity Series engagement, offers a veritable feast. Morris’s three-part dance work is set to piano concerti and a sonata by Mozart, all given fine performances by pianists Russell Sherman and Minsoo Sohn with the Orchestra of Emmanuel Music under conductor Jane Glover. It was a perfectly lovely, if slightly underwhelming evening, in which Morris beautifully captured the formal...

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Myung-Whun Chung, conductor At: Symphony Hall, Thursday night (repeats tonight) Reprinted from late editions of yesterday's Globe. Myung-Whun Chung returned to the Boston Symphony Orchestra podium Thursday night. This Korean-born conductor from a gifted musical family built his career mostly in Europe, but now directs the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. He made headlines this fall for his efforts to bring North and South Korean musicians together.

One of the greatest pleasures of any concert by the Mark Morris Dance Group is the live music that ignites the dance. “Mozart Dances,’’ given its Boston premiere last night in the troupe’s Celebrity Series engagement, offers a veritable feast. Morris’s three-part dance work is set to piano concerti and a sonata by Mozart, all given fine performances by pianists Russell Sherman and Minsoo Sohn with the Orchestra of Emmanuel Music under conductor Jane Glover. It was a perfectly lovely, if slightly underwhelming evening, in which Morris beautifully captured the formal...

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA After an extended leave for back surgery, music director James Levine returns to the podium to lead a program devoted to Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloé’’ (Second Suite) and Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (with pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard); Berlioz’s “Harold in Italy’’ (with violist Steven Ansell); and Carter’s “Dialogues’’ for piano and orchestra. Jan. 29 and 30. $29-$115. Symphony Hall. 617-266-1200, www.bso.org SEQUENTIA Benjamin Bagby’s impressive medieval music ensemble returns to town for a performance of “The...