To hell and back: Thomas Adès's 'Dante' ballet

Thomas Adès thinks big. The new live recording of "Dante," his 90-minute piece, has been recorded by the Los Angeles Philharmonic under its departing music director, Gustavo Dudamel.

What's Enough? Pianist Stephen Hough's new memoir

Designated one of the 20 living polymaths, Stephen Hough has, in recent years, added to his discography and busy concert schedule a welter of new musical compositions, and books, including his new memoir.

A family affair: Richard Mirabella's 'Brother & Sister Enter the Forest'

The title of Richard Mirabella's debut novel, "Brother & Sister Enter the Forest" promises the sinister, and Mirabella makes good on the promise. The plot sits queasily somewhere between "Hansel and Gretel" and "A Long Day's Journey Into Night."

Tom Crewe's 'The New Life' - Wilde times in Britain

Tom Crewe's debut novel, "The New Life" (Scribner), has been rightly praised as historical fiction at its finest. The irony, richly deserved, is that its two main protagonists, John Addington and Henry Ellis, never met in real life.

Sabrina Imbler's 'How Far the Light Reaches'

Sabrina Imbler's new book, "How Far the Light Reaches," has a conventional publisher, Little, Brown. But word has it that a major source of the book's distribution is friends giving it to friends, as something singular and precious.

Meredith Monk's 'The Recordings'- 13-CD set documents four decades

One of the quiet revelations of "Meredith Monk: The Recordings" (ECM New Series) is that Monk herself confides that it was Janis Joplin who set her –and her voice– free. The 13-CD set chronicles the thrust of her expansive career.

Sara Thankam Mathews' 'All This Could Be Different'

In what could be taken as her philosophy of fiction, Sara Thankam Mathews has produced a debut novel, "All This Could Be Different." Mathews controls large block of prose with a clear, involving plot and characters that make strong impressions.

Manuel Muñoz's short story collection "The Consequences"

Migrant Valley, one of America's most hidden regions –though it's right there at the side of the highway for anyone to see– is vividly portrayed in Manuel Muñoz's new short story collection "The Consequences" (Graywolf Press).

'Diaghilev's Empire' - how the Ballets Russes rocked the dance world

In 'Diaghilev's Empire: How the Ballets Russes Enthralled the World,' Rupert Christiansen's absorbing new chronicle of one of history's most influential dance companies documents a gay producer's influence on the early 20th-century arts scene.

Stephane Degout: French baritone's a star "over there" and on recordings

French baritone Stephane Degout, a central player in repertoires ranging from early music to new-music premieres, is featured in four recent recordings.

Nonetheless: Andrew Sean Greer's "Less Is Lost" is less than "Less"

Andrew Sean Greer's last novel, "Less," was a uproarious surprise hit. If you loved it, snap up "Less Is Lost," the sequel. But in what could be called a second act, the follow-up is –literally, sadly– less.

Krystian Zimerman and Lisa Batiashvili record Szymanowski

The acclaimed pianist and violinist have each recorded stellar new performances of works by Polish composer Karol Szymanowski.

Lars Horn's 'Voice of the Fish' - exploring the trans experience

A collage of essay, travelogue, history, meditation, and aphorism, Lars Horn's book is packaged –as is so much writing now– as a memoir.

Alta Sinfonica launches Latin music remake

Herbst Theatre will echo with previously unheard sounds on Oct. 1, when Alta Sinfonica debuts, taking to the stage with music that combines traditional Latin music forms with what organizers tantalizingly call "urbano sounds."

Black like him: Rasheed Newson's 'My Government Means to Kill Me'

Rasheed Newson's debut novel, "My Government Means to Kill Me" is not the only noteworthy gay novel with footnotes, but still, they do make themselves known, and provide background on actual history and real historical people.

Mahler makeover: new-fangled recent recordings of Symphonies 2 and 4

The wild world of recordings serves up two new readings of Gustav Mahler symphonies –Gabriel Feltz's of the Second, Francois-Xavier Roth's of the Fourth– guaranteed to shake loose the last cobwebs clinging to what are now the standard interpretations.

A passage from Pakistan: Taymour Soomro unearths "Other Names for Love"

It's by no means a backhanded compliment to say that, in his debut novel, "Other Names for Love," Taymour Soomro is ace at describing weather.

Roll on, Beethoven: Yannick Nezet-Seguin tackles The Nine

The release of the "Beethoven Symphonies," all nine of them, with Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, makes for new essential recordings of time-honored classics.

To hell and back: Sean Hewitt's 'All Down Darkness Wide' makes literature of the memoir

Getting lost in a relationship; people do it all the time, and it's the matter of some of our greatest literature. Rarer is the chronicle of making it back out, which is both the engine and the heart of Sean Hewitt's luminous new memoir.

A 'Stranger' here myself: two Nicks produce a boundary-moving CD

Two American musicians nicknamed Nick –tenor Nicholas Phan and composer Nico Muhly– found a side-door through the pandemic that was deadly down-time for most of their fellow performing artists.

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8