Just in from Avery Fisher Hall, where Lorin Maazel conducted his penultimate program: a rousing account of Mahler's Symphony No. 8. My companion and I enjoyed the performance rather more than did Allan Kozinn, who offered measured praise in his New York Times review, and a great deal more than did Martin Bernheimer, to judge by his sharply worded review in the Financial Times. Mark Swed's thoughtful evaluation of Maazel's final days with the Philharmonic, and his broader legacy here, is well worth reading on the Los Angeles Times Culture Monster blog.

Three more highlights of an evening spent in excellent company: Congratulating Matías Tarnopolsky on his impending departure, meeting Alec Baldwin and finally hearing Christine Brewer in person for the first time.

Speaking of blogs, the blogrolls here are overdue for a bit of tinkering, although I don't care to think about when I might actually get around to doing it properly. For now, I'll just mention the new additions:

Mass Culture Mozart, is the online home of freelance writer/consultant and current L.I.C. neighbor Olivia Giovetti, who is currently attempting to listen to every opera ever recorded in chronological order of composition. Olivia's first Time Out New York article, which appears in the current issue, previews a performance by composer and keyboardist Missy Mazzoli's excellent "bandsemble," Victoire, coming up this Sunday night at the Stone.

jhallmanmusic is where you'll find inventive Philadelphia composer Joseph Hallman. You can hear Hallman's very impressive Cello Concerto, as played by his close friend, Alisa Weilerstein, with the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, on YouTube: movement 1, movement 2, movement 3.

Blogs previously introduced, but only just added to the blogroll: Philip Kennicott, Chicago Classical Review (which isn't functioning properly as I write this; hope that's temporary) and Creative Destruction. Apologies to all for the delay.

Playlist:

Frank Wess Nonet – Once Is Not Enough (Labeth)

Dave Douglas – Spirit Moves (Greenleaf)

Finn – The Best Low-Priced Heartbreakers You Can Own (Erased Tapes)

Globe Unity – Forty Years (Intakt)

Morbid Angel – The Metro, Sydney, Australia, June 5, 2009 (audience tape)

Hannah Montana – Hannah Montana 3 (Disney; due out July 14)

Tim Garland – Libra (Globalmix)

Thin Lizzy – Still Dangerous (VH1 Classic)

Django Bates – Spring Is Here (Shall We Dance?) (Lost Marble)

Son Volt – American Central Dust (Rounder; due out July 7)

Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry (Atlantic/Rhino)

Thomas Adès – The Tempest – Simon Keenlyside, Cyndia Sieden, Ian Bostridge, Kate Royal, Toby Spence, Philip Langridge, Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden/Thomas Adès (EMI Classics)

Renminbi – Surface (Cashmusic; due out July 7)

Various artists – The Metropolitan Opera: Celebrating 125 Years (Metropolitan Opera)

Iannis Xenakis – Complete String Quartets – JACK Quartet (Mode)

Rolling Stones – Some Girls; Emotional Rescue (Rolling Stones/UMe)

Prince – Lotusflow3r/Mplsound/Bria Valente – Elixir (NPG Records)

R.E.M. – Accelerate (Warner Bros.); Reckoning (I.R.S./Universal)

Anna Ternheim – Leaving on a Mayday (Verve Forecast; due out Aug. 11)

Peter Hammill – Singularity (Fie!)

Anton Bruckner – Symphony No. 4 (1874 original version) – Bayerisches Staatsorchester/Kent Nagano (Sony Classical)

Brad Paisley – American Saturday Night (Arista Nashville; due out June 30)

Wynton Marsalis – Here…Now (Bandcamp free download)

Ge Gan-ru – String Quartets Nos. 1, 4 and 5 – ModernWorks (Naxos)

Van der Graaf Generator – Regent Theatre, Arlington, MA, June 23, 2009 (audience recording)

Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation (Geffen)

Ralph Vaughan Williams – Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis; Symphony No. 6 – New Philharmonia Orchestra/Adrian Boult; Patrick Hanley – One Morning in Spring; Arnold Bax – Mediterranean – London Philharmonic Orchestra/Adrian Boult; Alban Berg – Lyric Suite – BBC Symphony Orchestra/Adrian Boult (BBC Music)

Gustav Mahler – Symphony No. 3 – Anna Larsson, American Boychoir, women of the Westminster Symphonic Choir, New York Philharmonic/Lorin Maazel (New York Philharmonic download)

Michael Jackson – Off the Wall (Epic)

Rapoon – Time Frost (Glacial Movements)

Ludwig van Beethoven – Late Quartets, Volume 1 – Cypress String Quartet (Cypress Performing Arts Association)

Joseph Haydn – Symphonies Nos. 93 and 101 ("The Clock") – Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Claudio Abbado (Deutsche Grammophon)