Words and Music

From the Classical Vault Dept. : Fifteen years ago, violinist Ray Chen performed in Schenectay, yet another example of a rising star being s...

From the Comedy Vault Dept .: Back in my reviewing heyday, I presented myself as someone able to write knowledgably about many different dis...

From the Concert Vault Dept. : Baritone Sanford Sylvan displayed such virtuosity as he moved through his 30s that his resume included appear...

FOR A FEW DECADES during the last century, when classical music was a familiar part of the musical landscape, many jazz bands borrowed tunes...

Critical Drubbing Dept. : A few weeks ago (in this piece ), I recounted my journey from a snotty, full-of-himself critic to a somewhat less-...

THE FIRST BATCH OF V-DISCS shipped to military fighters overseas on Oct. 1, 1943. Less than two years later, we won the war. Many other elem...

From the Classical Vault Dept .: Again (as with last week), going back twenty years, I wrote about two back-to-back concerts that included a...