Yes, this critic found plenty of nits to pick (it's my job; some of the supporting cast was uneven), but on the whole, it was a delightful way to pass three and a half hours of a blustery Sunday afternoon.

Was this Cliff Lee or a classical music composer?

Mahler said, "A symphony must be like the world."

No writer has influenced more composers than Shakespeare, and no Shakespeare has inspired more music than Romeo and Juliet.

It's easy to take musical blockbusters for granted, but really, Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" is a wonderful, get-under-your-skin kind of work.

The amount of music greatness that he produced before his death at 31 is astonishing. Beyond that, the fun begins.

It seems an improbable combination — organ and flute — but each instrument defies stereotypes.

The riotous première of Stravinsky's epochal masterpiece Rite of Spring is one of the most fabled live music events in history.

The first hot ticket of 2011.

Making any culturally oriented New Year resolutions? How about trying to hear more live music? Well, when it comes to classical, one excuse you really can't use in this town is that it's too expensive. Let me count the ways.