Defending the music : Michael Steinberg at the Boston Globe, 1964-1976 / conceived by Jorja Fleezanis ; edited by Susan Feder, Jacob Jahiel, and Marc Mandel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Steinberg, Michael, 1928-2009, Author.

Contributor:

Feder, Susan (Arts administrator), editor.

Jahiel, Jacob, editor.

Mandel, Babaloo, editor.

Globe Newspaper Co., contributor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Steinberg, Michael, 1928-2009.

Steinberg, Michael.

Musical criticism--Massachusetts--Boston.

Musical criticism.

Music--History and criticism.

Music.

Genre:

Music criticism and reviews.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, [2026]

Summary:

"Defending the Music: Michael Steinberg at the Boston Globe, 1964-1976 gathers approximately 300 of the more than 2,000 reviews, essays, and features written by the eminent musicologist and critic during a particularly rich period in Boston's musical history, a time when symphonic, chamber, and choral music, opera, early music, and new music all thrived. Writing with wit, elegance, and masterful command of music and language, and applying exacting standards that grew from his own love and passion for music, Steinberg saw himself both as teacher and advocate. He also possessed a rare gift in his ability to make complex aspects of music easy to understand. Never one to shy away from controversy when "defending the music," Steinberg provoked strong reactions, both pro and con, from the public. His defense of intellectually formidable music, repertoire in danger of being forgotten, emerging composers and performers, and the role of the critic were deeply personal"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

1964.Bernstein's Kaddish in Premiere Here (2/1/64)

Glenn Gould, Pianist-Also a Critic of Music Worth Paying Heed To (2/3/64)

Munch Conducts Berlioz-Fantastique (2/8/64)

New Faces, Remarkable Symphony-Mahler Ninth Superb in New York Concert (2/9/64)

Late Beethoven Sonata Heard in Special Perspective (2/10/64)

Performing Composer-A Treat to Hear (2/11/64)

I puritani-Opera a Triumph, Sutherland Great (2/13/64)

Brendel-Outstanding Performance for Valorous Audience (2/17/64)

Renaissance Music by the Camerata (2/26/64)

Gina Bachauer-Pianist Commanding in Mussorgsky Work (3/2/64)

Stokowski, BSO Share Afternoon of Glamour (3/7/64)

Sawallisch-Viennese Outstanding in Bruckner Symphony (3/9/64)

Philomel-New Babbitt Work Lyric Triumph (3/15/64)

Elliott Carter-Prausnitz Gives Boston Premiere of Variations (3/20/64)

On Segregation-Musicians, Politics, and Responsibilities (3/29/64)

Brahms Concerto With Some Bold Retouches (4/5/64)

La Bohème Has its High, Low Spots (4/16/64)

Our Unserious Public-What Does It Hear? (5/10/64)

Music and Scholars-Must there be War? (5/24/64)

Composer-Performers-What Can They Teach Us? (6/14/64)

Marian Anderson-South Better Now (6/15/64)

Erich Leinsdorf Stresses Broader Musical View (6/28/64)

Pierre Monteux, 1875-1964 (7/5/64)

Rudolf Kolisch-Music and Webern, and "Beautiful Tone" (8/20/64)

From Price, Von Karajan Spectacular Carmen (9/3/64)

Schoenberg-Thoughts on the Birthday of an Extraordinary Man (9/13/64)

Boston Symphony Opens 84th Season (9/26/64)

Virtuosity-Beautiful Sounds or Beautiful Music? (10/11/64)

Barbirolli Conducts Music of England (11/7/64)

Boston Symphony Chamber Group Disappointing in Debut (11/9/64)

Handel and Haydn Society Give Annual Messiah (12/14/64).

1965. On Criticism-An Open Letter in Reply to Henry B. Cabot (1/3/1965)

Scissors and Paste are Bad Composers (1/24/65)

Ernst Haefliger's Beautiful Debut (2/14/65)

Nono's Intolleranza Debuts Despite Delays (2/22/65)

An Exciting Concert-Groups, Circle, and Beethoven (3/5/65)

Not Such Very New Music-Schoenberg's Violin Concerto and Joseph Silverstein (3/21/65)

Schoenberg Concerto and Joseph Silverstein (3/27/65)

First Performance-Ives Symphony No. 4 Played at Carnegie (4/27/65)

But No Green Paint-Fiedler Given Great Ovation as Pops Returns to Symphony (4/28/65)

Composer-Conductor-Music Not Philanthropy For Pierre Boulez (5/2/65)

Zukofsky and Kalish Play Ives Sonatas (5/25/65)

The Beatles, the Pulitzer, and Other Related Topics (6/20/65)

Frager Plays Mozart as Festival Opens (7/3/65)

Claude Frank Superb in Beethoven Work (7/5/65)

Lohengrin Splendid Finale (8/23/65)

Help! Loud, Inaudible, And Evidently Sexy (8/26/65)

Opera in Concert-A Valid Undertaking for Symphony Groups (9/19/65)

Organist Like Conductor-Powerless, Responsible (10/17/65)

Britten Premiere With Rostropovich (10/23/65)

Rostropovich Speaks-Mainly About Britten (10/31/65)

Moscow Philharmonic-Kondrashin Conducts, Vishnevskaya Sings (11/2/65)

Carter Double Concerto in Boston Premiere (11/18/65)

Serkin Masterful Beethoven Player (12/6/65)

Handel's Messiah: For One Shaw From Another-One Serious Performance (12/12/65)

More Mahler-Bernstein, Philharmonic Give Last Three Symphonies (12/19/65)

Vishnevskaya Sings, Rostropovich Plays (12/21/65).

1966. Beethoven-His Last Piano Sonata, Opus 111, Reconsidered (1/2/66)

Martinon Conducts BSO in Beautiful Eroica (1/22/66)

Beautiful Playing by a Legendary Pianist (1/25/66)

Globe Critic Recommends [Stravinsky's Rite of Spring] (2/13/66)

Neglected Masterpiece: Schumann's Interpretation of Goethe's Faust Tragedy (2/20/66)

Schumann Faust-Scenes Are Sublime Experience (2/26/66)

Webern and Isaac-Club 47 Concert Turns to Classics (2/28/66)

At Old Opera House Farewell-Few Stars Among Met's "Ensemble of Stars" (4/24/66)

Globe Critic Recommends [Mahler Symphony No. 4] (5/1/66)

The Oratorio-Music for Voice (5/8/66)

Goldberg by Leonhardt (5/15/66)

Berlin and Broadway-Lotte Lenya Reminisces About Weill and Brecht (5/22/66)

Guarneri Quartet: A Promising Group-But Doubts Remain (5/27/66)

Clarity No Replacement for Color or Contrasts (6/19/66)

Boult Opens Tanglewood Auspiciously (7/9/66)

Guarneri String Quartet-Superb Ensemble, Peerless Virtuosity (7/13/66)

Sir Adrian Boult-English Conductor, 77, Reminisces at Tanglewood (7/17/66)

Guarneri Quartet a Quintet for Brahms (7/26/66)

Even Mrs. Stravinsky Boos-NY Philharmonic Wrecks Oedipus (7/27/66)

Stravinsky Conducts Philharmonic-Inspiring Performance With His Own Music (7/31/66)

Major and Minor-Schoenberg for the Man Who Likes Webern (8/7/66)

Composers Quartet Attains Distinction at Lenox (8/19/66)

Handel's Opera Giulio Cesare Suffers From Tampering (10/4/66)

Webern Festival-Fine Songs and Quartet in Posthumous Premiere (11/13/66)

Moses and Aron-A Great Work Creditably Done (12/1/66)

Brendel's Luminous Enchantment Dazzles (12/12/66)

Vienna's Alfred Brendel-Pianist With Sense of Humor (12/18/66).

1967. Carter's Concerto in Dramatic Debut (1/7/67)

St. John Passion-A Stunning Version (1/15/67)

Kubelik Conducts Great Mahler Ninth (1/21/67)

Irving Fine on Record, Thanks to Brandeis (1/22/67)

A Beautiful Winterreise (1/30/67)

Extraordinary Mahler (2/5/67)

Kubelik Chooses Exile to Privileges (2/5/67)

Gertrude Schoenberg, 1898-1967-A Memoir (2/19/67)

His Dedication Was Selfless-A Century of Toscanini (3/19/67)

Stravinsky's Rake's Progress-Sarah Remembers With Affection (3/26/67)

Mod Rake Bold, Fantastic (3/31/1967)

Cliburn-Great, but Could Do Better (4/3/67)

Gustav Holst India Opera Remarkably Original Piece (4/5/67)

Handel and Haydn's New Boss-Thomas Dunn, the Purist (4/16/67)

Roland Hayes Verges on 80-Real Meaning of Great Man's Birthday (5/28/67)

Roland Hayes Looks Back-"People Tell Me I Don't Realize What I Give" (6/1/67)

Discovered: Wealth of Talent-Rewarding Day With Russian Music (6/4/67)

Menuhin Uniquely Beautiful at Tanglewood (7/3/67)

A Natural Sounding Tristan und Isolde (7/9/67)

Tribute to Monteverdi (7/16/67)

Rosen's Debussy Bright (8/2/67)

Beethoven's Original Fidelio Tanglewood Delight (8/7/67)

Crisp Handel by Mann (9/17/67)

Pears and Britten-A Vigorous Schubert (10/1/67)

French Charm Pervades Bernac, Poulenc's Album (10/8/67)

Guarneri String Quartet-From Skillful to Marvelous (10/16/67)

BSO's Leinsdorf Explains-Why Others Have Orchestra Problems (11/19/67)

Leinsdorf Has a Good Point, Says Steinberg (12/11/67)

Exciting Messiah Via Mozart (12/11/67).

1968. The Music Guild Quartet-A Reader Writes, a Critic Answers (1/28/68)

A Kind of Executive Partner-Role of the Accompanist (2/25/68)

Bigger the Bang-The Art of Applauding (3/3/68)

Emperor Given a Fresh Airing (3/23/68)

For the Opera Company an Unexciting Season (3/31/68)

Romantic Piano Style Lost? (4/5/68)

Happy Maestro Steinberg Scoffs at "Interim" Talk (4/28/68)

Harvard Student's Mozart Completion "Amazing" (5/20/68)

Choice of Funeral Music was Masterly (6/10/68)

You Can't Have It Both Ways-Accept Approval, Reject Disapproval? (6/23/68)

"Tempo" and "Character"-Are Beethoven, Others Heard Properly? (7/14/68)

Is Beethoven's Tempo Too Fast? (7/21/68)

Debussy-A Contemporary View (7/21/68)

Original Beethoven Hardly Recognizable (7/28/68)

Schumann "Premiere" by Frager, BSO First-rate (8/6/68)

Baker-Barbirolli, a Fine Partnership (8/25/68)

Davis Conducts BSO Superbly (10/26/68)

Leonhardt Harpsichord Master (10/29/68)

Copland at His Best (11/3/68)

History Aids Bach (11/10/68)

Two Good Performances-The Year of Schoenberg (11/17/68)

Beethoven in Puerto Rico-A Fellow Lecturer Sings Brendel's Praises (12/8/68)

The works of Elliott Carter-Where Drama and Music Intersect (12/22/68)

An A-Plus for Columbia (12/22/68)

Superb! That's Sills (12/29/68).

1969. Sherman's Piano Concert Stimulating (1/13/69)

The New Fares Better than Old (1/25/69)

NY Philharmonic's 125th-The Pitfalls of a Complex Babbitt (1/26/69)

Miss Sills Brilliant in Boston's Lucia (1/30/69)

Babbitt's Music Requires Special Audience (2/2/69)

Schnabel and Cone-Good Talks and Advice about Music (2/23/69)

Berlioz-Outstanding Release (3/9/69)

Hub Treated to Early Beethoven (3/12/69)

Whoom-pahs and Goosebumps-the Untraditional (3/16/69)

Schubertiades Recalled (3/23/69)

Henry Lewis's Credo-"For Music, Not Myself" (4/6/69)

Schoenberg Drama Awesomely Performed (4/19/69)

Peter Serkin at 21-Exceptionally Gifted Pianist (5/2/69)

Newton Memorial Concert Takes Ancient Theme for Youthful Piece (6/2/69)

Had Refused the Job-Boulez to Philharmonic (6/15/69)

Americans Ignored-Why Import Conductors? (6/22/69)

Textbook from Bach (7/6/69)

Tanglewood's Otello Saved by Cassilly (7/28/69)

Superb Chamber Music (7/29/69)

Dartmouth Delight-Sessions Old and New a Heady Mix (8/3/69)

A Growing Symphonic Skill (8/3/69)

Aspen's Music Festival-An Accompaniment of Real Thunder (8/17/69)

Wishing Him the Best-Leinsdorf's Farewell (8/31/69)

Britten Knows His "Repeats" (9/7/69)

Not Enough New-What Symphony Lacks (9/28/69)

The Ladies Left Too Soon- Elgar Needs More Patience (10/4/69)

Reforming the BSO (10/5/69)

Thomas in Dazzling BSO Debut (10/11/69)

Public Concert Defended-More Than Meets Ear (10/26/69)

Ormandy Does Mantovani Job (10/27/69)

Horowitz-Boring, Marvelous, and Exciting (10/28/69)

Pears, Britten-A Voyage of Discovery (10/29/69)

Giulini and BSO With Brahms More Like Borge (11/8/69)

Philharmonic Dilemma-New Hall Still Wanting (11/9/69)

Pablo Casals-"What a Musician" (11/9/69).

1970. Real Music Will Survive (1/4/70)

New Memoirs Translation Revives Genius of Berlioz (1/11/70)

André Previn in Hub Concert (1/12/70)

The Moscow Philharmonic Performs (2/2/70)

Carter Concerto Premiered (2/15/70)

Schuller Leads BSO in His Spectra (3/28/70)

Britten's Brandenburgs Exceptional Recording (3/29/70)

Gifted Soprano Fills Gardner With Color (3/30/70)

Composers String Quartet plays Elliott Carter Works (4/6/70)

Pianist André Watts Performs at Symphony Hall (4/7/70)

Thomas Conducts BSO in Mahler's Ninth Symphony (4/25/70)

New Kreislerianas (5/17/70)

Problems of Big, Amateur Choruses (6/7/70)

Monteverdi's L'Orfeo Impressively Produced (6/21/70)

Steinberg on Steinberg (8/23/70)

Schwann's Wonderful Catalogue (9/13/70)

The Boston Musica Viva (9/24/70)

Thomas Leads Symphony in Piston, Schuman Program (10/3/70)

In Israel, Omit the Ratchet, Maestro (10/11/70)

Harrison's Canticle No. 3 Fine, Sometimes Surprising (10/28/70)

String Quartet Opens Series at MIT (11/9/70)

BSO Plays Copland Short Symphony (11/14/70)

Steinberg Conducts BSO in Mahler's Seventh (12/19/70).

1971. Thomas's Theater Sense Enlivens BSO (1/9/71)

Camerata Early Music Series Sells Out (1/24/71)

Horenstein Rare Conductor Who Grasps Mahler's Intent (1/31/71)

Abbado...Davis...Kubelik...Ozawa?-Who'll Succeed Steinberg as BSO Conductor? (2/14/71)

Haitink Even Better in the Flesh (3/3/71)

Frank's Beethoven Sonata Series Best Buy (3/21/71)

Cantata Singers Perform Bach and John Harbison (4/29/71)

What to Do With Your Eyes While the Orchestra Plays (7/11/71)

Bernstein-Missa solemnis at Tanglewood (7/26/71)

Thomas and Berkshire Excel With the Rhenish (8/7/71)

Aventures Brilliantly Staged (8/10/71)

Ozawa's Faust (8/24/71)

Bernstein's Mass at JFK Center (9/9/71)

Fine Simplicity Marks Fleisher (9/26/71)

When Twelve Music Critics Meet All Is Not Perfect Harmony (12/19/71)

1972. The Inevitable Future of Michael Tilson Thomas-Where is This Brilliant Musician Going? (1/2/72)

Rubinstein Plays With BSO (1/6/72)

BSO-An Impressive Concert (1/22/72)

Met's New Pelléas More Lucid Than Most (1/30/72)

Watts Recital Brilliant in Part (2/8/72)

Beethoven's Triple Concerto-Two Versions (2/20/72)

Rosen's Sonata Album a Distinguished Work (3/5/72)

Dunn Leads Bach at Symphony Hall (3/11/72)

"Greatest Living Composer"? (3/26/72)

Steinberg Conducts Romeo and Juliet (3/27/72)

Brahms Concerto Well Done (3/29/72)

... and Bing's Successor Plans his Carmen (4/23/72)

Fine Arts Quartet Plays Fine, Babbitt (5/16/72)

Gentele-Man of Many Parts (7/20/72)

The Stanislaw Method (7/23/72)

Bernstein at Tanglewood (7/24/72)

A Moving Mahler (7/28/72)

Levine's Mahler Rich, Clear (8/1/72)

Soprano Almost Sensation (8/14/72)

Thomas Conducts BSO's 92nd Opening Concert (9/23/72)

Boston Symphony Taps Rich Era (10/23/72)

Heifetz-In a Class by Himself (10/25/1972)

Berlioz's Nuits d'été Rare Treat (10/28/72)

Oxford Issues Paperback of Tovey's Music Essays (11/22/72)

Bernstein Conducts Boston Symphony (12/9/72)

Saturday's Oedipus Rex an Event of Another Order (12/15/72)

The Posthumous Success of Wilhelm Furtwängler (12/17/72)

Franz Brüggen Magnetizes Atmosphere at Jordan Hall (12/20/72)

Furtwängler Revisited (12/24/72).

1973. Sherman to Perform All Twelve Liszt Etudes (1/14/73)

Sherman the Best Yet (1/22/73)

BSO's Strauss Worth a Rainy Trip (2/3/73)

Abbado, Cleveland Orchestra (2/10/73)

Elliott Carter's String Quartet No. 3 (2/11/73)

Ohlsson Right All Way (2/12/73)

Pianist Returns to Classroom (2/18/73)

Carter's Complexities Evoke Simple Ovation, Curiosity (2/19/73)

Steinberg, Singers, Players Provide Treat at Symphony (3/17/73)

Eight Songs for a Mad King (3/22/73)

Lorin Maazel Impressive Conducting Boston Symphony (3/24/73)

Isaac Stern and Friends "Rehearse" (4/5/73)

After Hearing Lily-Leon Kirchner Should Compose More Often (4/25/73)

Zander's "Fifth" Was a Mind Bender (5/10/73)

Putting Reviews in Their Place (6/21/73)

Rag Spells Cash (7/9/73)

Klemperer Fame Forged in Pain (7/11/73)

Cleveland, Tokyo Quartets are the Real Thing (8/5/73)

Orchestra Gave All Ozawa Asked (9/29/73)

Casals and His Playing: "Unique Synthesis of Material and Spiritual Beauty" (10/28/73)

Bernstein Winds Up a Brilliant Norton Lecture Series (11/25/73).

1974. Splendid Bruckner Seventh by Steinberg and BSO (1/5/74)

Palestrina Recorded, at Last (1/6/74)

Oliver Knussen Readies Symphony for Premiere by BSO (1/13/74)

Works-In Progress at Spectrum (1/26/74)

Cleveland Performs Bruckner Fifth (2/8/74)

Tippett's Symphony No. 3-Excitement of a Decade (2/16/74)

Callas-A Career in Four Stages (2/24/74)

Shifrin, Schuller Quartets Have Boston Premieres (2/26/74)

Callas Struggles in Hub, But Adds to Operatic Legend (2/28/74)

Brendel-Full of Tension, Never Tense (3/11/74)

Bruckner's Second-First Time in Boston (3/29/74)

The Mirror of Music (4/7/74)

1925 Rosenkavalier Movie Seen for First Time in US (4/7/74)

Tourist's Report from Kresge Auditorium (4/9/74)

Record Industry Starts Korngold Revival (4/21/74)

The Power of Critics (4/21/74)

Monteverdi and Words of Love at the Aston Magna Festival (6/18/74)

Koussevitzky-The Legend Still Lives (7/21/74)

A Memorable Tribute to Koussevitzky at Tanglewood (7/29/74)

Schoenberg-A Passionate Intensity from the Heart (9/22/74)

Leipzig's Gewandhaus Orchestra Delights Symphony Audience (10/15/74)

"Pied Piper" Peter Pears (11/17/74)

Serkin's Perilous Risk Illuminates Beethoven (11/18/74)

Pears-Perahia Concert Unforgettable (11/25/74)

Tennstedt's BSO Debut Breathes Life into Brahms (12/13/74)

Chicago Symphony, Solti Impressive (12/17/74)

Bruckner, Tennstedt, BSO-Once-in-a-Lifetime Music (12/20/74).

1975-76. Observing Ozawa: The Many Sides of the Maestro of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1/5/75)

BSO Bassist Wolfe Impressive as a Soloist (1/11/75)

Richard Tucker Was All Tenor (1/19/75)

Schuller Helps Students Succeed With Mahler (1/23/75)

A Lovely Party for Mozart (1/28/75)

Turangalîla Tiresomely Gorgeous (2/28/75)

Luigi Dallapiccola, 1904-75 (3/2/75)

Once, in Concord, I Heard John Kirkpatrick Play the Concord Sonata (3/9/75)

Sessions Cantata to Have East Coast Premiere Here Tomorrow (3/23/75)

Walt Whitman's Poem-Turned-into-a-Cantata (3/25/75)

Sills Smash at Met Debut (4/8/75)

Steve Reich's Drumming Should Also Be Filed Under Magic (4/20/75)

Von Karajan Remarkable, a Conductor of Immense Resources (5/2/76)

Violin-Harpsichord Concert (5/5/76)

The Fortepiano Revolution (6/22/76)

Harvard Summer Series Opens (7/7/76)

Happy Birthday Rudolf Kolisch (7/18/76)

The Maestro Finally Comes to Tanglewood (7/25/76)

A Poignant Roar at Tanglewood (8/9/76)

Harvard Series Ends Memorably (8/11/76)

La Scala Scores Triumph in La Cenerentola (9/11/76)

Israel Philharmonic an Event (9/14/76)

Michael Steinberg's Twelve Years of Music in Boston (9/19/76).

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from digital title page (Oxford Academic, viewed October 5, 2026).

Other Format:

Print version: Defending the music.

ISBN:

9780197810224

0197810225

OCLC:

1552576442

Publisher Number:

CIPO000319982

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license