Apologies for the lack of scintillating bloggery this week — less than a week to go before the big day, and I’m completely manic with work and other planning. Still, I wanted to break radio silence long enough to call attention to two comments, one here on the blog and one received elsewhere.

Earlier in the week Bob Lee e-mailed to amend a statement I made in my post about the upcoming Miller Theatre season. Elliott Carter’s opera What Next? will receive what should properly be termed its fully staged New York premiere; Daniel Barenboim led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a semi-staged version at Carnegie Hall on March 5, 2000. Kyle Gann’s New York Times review of that event, published two days later, is here. (Kyle’s opening line is memorable, to say the least.)

And just yesterday, blogger Andrew added a comment to my previous post about Unsuk Chin’s Alice in Wonderland that’s well worth reading: an account of the work’s more dubious reception among German reviewers and audience members. July 28 update: Both Alex Ross and Brian of Out West Arts have posted valuable additions to this discussion; Brian’s thoughtful July 4 review of Alice, which I hadn’t seen previously, is here.

Playlist:

Philip Glass – Symphony No. 8 – Bruckner Orchester Linz/Dennis Russell Davies (Orange Mountain Music)

Warren Burt – The Animation of Lists and the Archytan Transpositions (XI)

David Del Tredici – Final Alice – Barbara Hendricks, Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Georg Solti (London)

Slow Six – Nor’easter (New Albion)

Sam Sadigursky – The Words Project (New Amsterdam)

Mogwai – Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (PIAS America)

Philip Glass – Glassworks – Philip Glass Ensemble (CBS Masterworks)

Ralph Vaughan Williams – Symphony No. 6 – London Symphony Orchestra/Adrian Boult; A Song of Thanksgiving*; The Lark Ascending** – Luton Choral Society*, Jean Pougnet**, London Philharmonic Orchestra/Adrian Boult (Dutton)

Gustav Holst – The Planets – London Symphony Orchestra/Gustav Holst (Naxos)

Philip Glass – Akhnaten – Paul Esswood, Melinda Liebermann, Milagro Vargas, Stuttgart State Opera/Dennis Russell Davies (CBS Masterworks)

Richard Wagner – Parsifal – Martha Mödl, Wolfgang Windgassen, Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra/Hans Knappertsbusch (Naxos)

Philip Glass – Music in Twelve Parts – Philip Glass Ensemble (Nonesuch)

Edward Elgar – The Dream of Gerontius – Helen Watts, Nicolai Gedda, Robert Lloyd, John Alldis Choir, London Philharmonic Choir, New Philharmonia Orchestra/Adrian Boult (EMI Classics)

Chthonic – Seediq Bale (Downport), Relentless Recurrence (SPV)