Tanglewood

In just a few years James Levine has succeeded in making Tanglewood world-class center of operatic studies. He, director Ira Siff,designers John Michael Deegan and Sarah Conly have created an unforgettable production of "Così Fan Tutte."

Yo-Yo Ma's commitment and interpretive brilliance overcome a flawed accompaniment.

The much-loved Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra under Jsmes Levine gave Verdi's middle-period masterpiece a unique quality last weekend.

Hesperion XXI thrilled a close-to-capacity non-specialist audience in Seiji Ozawa Hall at Tanglewood.

Accompanied by David Finck, bass and Jim Hall on guitar, the composer and conductor Andre Previn performed jazz for a sold out audience at Ozawa Hall.

The great Tokyo Quartet offer energetic, lean Beethoven and a fresh view of Schubert.

Julianne Boyd hosted an open meeting in her Barrington Stage Company theatre in Pittsfield between arts leaders and Deval Patrick, the first Democrat Governor of Massachusetts in far too long.

The Yellow Barn Music School and Festival opened their Amherst season with a typical varied program, oustanding playing from its young musicians, and veteran Peter Frankl, as well as a captivating piece by Kagel.

André Previn led the BSO in a fine concert of Romantic and Modern versions of Romeo and Juliet with Rachmaninoff's little played First Piano Concerto

James Levine opened the season with fresh and insightful performances for familiar music: Mendelssohn's music for Midsummer Night's Dream and Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4.

It was sweltering last night as Keith Lockhart led the Boston Pops Orchestra and Tanglewood Chorus through a full concert version of the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein classic "Carousel." Predictably the perrenial favorite drew a capacity audience in the Koussevitsky Music Shed and out on the lawn.

A recent article and editorial in the Berkshire Eagle take Tanglewood to task for falling attendance. Dave Mathews and Bright Eyes to the rescue?

In addition to a gallery in Lenox, primarily focused on ceramic art, Leslie Ferrin has just opened a large new space in Pittsfield. Is this further evidence of the development of the Northern Berkshire city as a viable arts center?

An inspired celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Juilliard String Quartet and the first performance of the Bartók String Quartets as a cycle, which occurred 59 years ago at Tanglewood.

The Boston Early Music Festival's performance of Lully's "Psyché" thrilled a diverse audience in Great Barrington.

Aston Magna, the oldest and one of the most important early music festivals in North America, adds a new venue for its 35th anniversary celebration, including veteran Stanley Ritchie.

A guide to the major music festivals of the Berkshires and environs with links to all schedules.

Over the busy Memorial Day weekend the arts were officially launched with overlapping openings all over the Berkshires. We opted to covering the events in North Adams.

The first known Cambodian opera, Where Elephants Weep is a hybrid of musical genres that bridges generations and cultures, decades after Pol Pot all but devastated Cambodia.

The London Symphony, releasing their own recordings on LSO Live, have set a new standard for orchestral recording, bringing stellar performances by Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Rostropovich, and Frühbeck de Burgos to a larger audience.

Garrick Ohlsson's played four Beethoven Sonatas with his usual mastery in spite of an undersized piano of poor quality

James Levine, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and a dream cast headed by Christine Brewer and Johan Botha, presented a memorable Fidelio.

The Metropolitan Opera's beautiful production Wagner's "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg" is graced with a consistently excellent cast of singers.

Now in its 25th Year the Mark Morris Dance Company is launching a tour of 100 performances in the U.S. and Europe including a world premiere during its May schedule at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art.

James Levine will conduct eleven concerts in an ambitious season, which includes a wealth of opera performances, several distinguished musicians from the Netherlands, and Hesperion XXI.