This is a Composer’s Brain on Drugs Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique twists together strange percussive effects and a recurring, meandering melody to depict the story of a young artist’s opiate d ream. The music waltzes, marches and dances maniacally as the young man obsesses over the woman he loves, murders…

Why do people buy concert tickets? Maybe they are motivated by the social element. Maybe it’s intellectual or artistic curiosity. Sometimes good old-fashioned boredom is motivation enough. Or maybe — and I’d imagine this is the most common reason – maybe they just really love the music being performed and…

The Nasher Sculpture Center’s new music series, Soundings, closes its 2013/2014 season on Thursday, May 15th with a compelling tribute to the late pianist Van Cliburn. The 7:30pm concert will feature six pianists – all former participants in Cliburn’s namesake piano competition – playing a game of musical chairs as…

Just like Barbie®, there are a variety of different Beethovens. There’s Classical Beethoven. He’s young and playful and optimistic. He takes his cues from Haydn and Mozart, following the formal rules of classicism but always infusing them with his own rhythmic punches. There’s Brooding Beethoven — a personal favorite –…

During the summer months, most professional classical musicians pack up their cellos, flutes, bassoons and horns and head to summer music festivals in cooler climes. If you’ve been meaning to catch an opera or go to the symphony but haven’t gotten around to it yet, this month is your last…

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra is performing Beethoven’s 9th symphony this weekend as part of its three-week-long Beethoven Festival and you do not want to miss it. Last night, the whole concert felt like a reminder from the DSO to its audience: “In case you forgot, we have one of the…

When it comes to classical music superstars, there’s hardly a bigger name than Itzhak Perlman. The famed violinist has performed for queens and presidents (most notably alongside cellist Yo-Yo Ma at President Obama’s 2009 inauguration), and has wowed audiences around the world for decades with his impeccable tone, insightful musicality…

Some of the Dallas Chamber Symphony’s most memorable concerts have featured silent film screenings set to newly composed music. In January, the 2-year-old organization announced it was expanding on that success by launching a film competition called Sight of Sound. Contestants chose from a list of short classical pieces and…

The three string players that make up Time for Three met when they were students at Philadelphia’s renowned Curtis Institute for Music. Two violinists and one double bass, they soon discovered that their talents lay beyond just performing classical music (which they do brilliantly). This group’s eclectic, energetic sound bounces…

This spring the Dallas Symphony celebrates the music of Beethoven with concerts featuring the composer’s symphonies as well as some of his more intimate chamber works. A chamber concert featuring the music of Beethoven and Haydn kicks off the festival across the street from the Meyerson at Dallas City Performance…

One of the best ways to get to know an individual artist is to see a really well curated retrospective of his or her work. Whether its organized thematically or chronologically doesn’t really matter, the benefit is in the bulk. There’s something about seeing a lifetime’s worth of work in…

On Monday, SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts presents a unique (and free) opportunity to hear Bang on a Can co-founder Michael Gordon’s mesmerizing concert length percussion masterpiece Timber. Mantra Percussion, the innovative classical group that co-commissioned the piece, will be on hand to perform Timber on a set of…

There was nothing subtle about Khatia Buniatishvili’s piano recital on Tuesday night at the Winspear Opera House. As soon as she took the stage, the 26-year-old Georgian pianist grabbed the audience’s attention in a stoplight red, figure-hugging sequined gown that popped against the Winspear’s signature red and gold splashed curtain…

So. Many. Operas. And good ones, too! With The Dallas Opera wrapping up its season and the Fort Worth Opera kicking off its acclaimed annual festival, there’s loads of opera to be heard on area stages this month. There is also plenty of chamber music available in April, with concerts…

If you think spelling her last name is tough, try playing the music the hot young pianist Khatia Buniatishvili will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Winspear Opera House. Buniatishvili comes to Dallas as part of the AT&T Performing Arts Center’s exciting new classical recital series. The young Georgian…

Last night a tall, skinny teenager with an unruly mop of straw-blonde hair reminded Dallas Symphony audience members that not all millennials are created equal. Jan Lisiecki celebrated his 19th birthday last Sunday, and while I’m sure he knows his way around a smart-phone as well as any other kid…

Most of us were probably still trying to figure out what our majors were going to be and how to hold our liquor when we were 19. Jan Lisiecki, who turned 19 just this week, is already a professional concert pianist with a successful recording and touring career. You can hear…

If you’re an opera fan, you don’t want to miss this evening of booze and song. The Fort Worth Opera’s popular series Opera Shots returns to the gorgeous outdoor stage at The Foundry in Oak Cliff, 2303 Pittman St. It’s opera in a bar, and it features music by young, talented rising…