Karlheinz Stockhausen composed his electronic symphony Oktophonie more than two decades ago as part of his massive seven-cycle opera Licht, which in full is 29 hours. Oktophonie, 69-minutes long, is the second act in the opera, Dienstag (Tuesday). It is the day of conflict. It is Mars. It is red.

Musicians at the San Francisco Symphony have gone on strike this week, canceling at least one performance and casting doubt on their scheduled Carnegi...

Who were these people anyway, who shared my passion for music as well as strong feelings about democracy? What were they thinking when they burst into applause? Then I wondered what Michael's simple two-word theme would mean for the music I was about to hear.

I am a Beethoven groupie. If he were alive today, I would follow him on Twitter, subscribe to him on Facebook, download his music and never miss a promo appearance on Letterman.

On one of the top opera recordings of the year, there isn't a tenor or soprano to be heard, it is conductor Jose Serebrier's labor of exquisite love, Verdi: Complete Ballet Music from the Operas leading the resplendent Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

In the challenging economic times we live in, it is especially important to protect our organizations by insisting on earning surpluses and conserving cash.

Those arts patrons, corporations and foundations that care passionately about the future of the arts in America must encourage members of arts boards to seek the training they need and must invest in the training programs required.

Orchestra has suffered chronic deficits that have blossomed over the past two or three years. The orchestra world is going through a major discontinuity, at best, and an implosion, at worst.

One can hear the flickering flames depicted in the oft-performed and thoroughly charming overture, far and away the most developed movement in the score.