Love Classical Music? Anthony Tommasini Recommends Contemporary Composers
The New York Times’s Culture editor has questions. Our chief classical music critic has answers.
San Francisco Symphony performing a Stravinsky program at Carnegie Hall in 2018.Credit...Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times
relies on critics, reporters and editors in every field of the arts for their expertise. Now we’re bringing his personal questions — and our writers’ answers — to you. Currently on his mind: his constant struggle with how to learn more about everything that Anthony Tommasini, the chief classical music critic, writes about.
Gilbert asks: I’m very open when it comes to my lack of knowledge about classical music and opera. And through conversations over the years, you’ve been gracious enough to try to explain to me that I shouldn’t feel overwhelmed by this. I’m also a fan of working through groups of works — all of a pop artist’s albums, all the movies from a particular director, et cetera. Walk me through how I (or someone else) might want to start doing this when it comes to classical music.