White Light

In this week's New Yorker, I have a review of the White Light Festival, which continues until Nov. 19. (Most shows are sold out, but tickets remain for Olivier Latry's Messiaen organ recital, on Friday, and for Saturday's Huelgas Ensemble event.) I emphasize an astounding trio of concerts that occupied the first weekend: Colin Davis conducting the London Symphony and Chorus in Beethoven's Missa Solemnis; a chamber program centered on Gidon Kremer's playing of the Bach Chaconne; and the Londoners again in Britten's War Requiem, under the direction of Gianandrea Noseda — a performance of enormous polish and startling intensity. I won't soon forget Ian Bostridge's recitation of "Strange Meeting," bitterness turning to wonder. I also have a Critic's Notebook on the new Met Siegfried, praising the clarity of Fabio Luisi's conducting but missing Levine's sense of awe: "If finesse is the goal, Luisi is the man."