Jason Victor Serinus

No prosaic formal classification can begin to describe the universal embrace of life and death that is Schubert's final, posthumously published String Quintet in C major, D.956, which melds characteristically Viennese gemütlichkeit with far darker forebodings. . . Those who love Schubert's final quintet await every announcement of another recording or live performance that will hopefully take them closer to the essence of Schubert's genius. Which is, in some ways, what Quatuor Ebène and cellist Gautier Capuçon's new recording of the work for Erato does.

Whoa! Am I reading this correctly? Has Universal Music Group, parent company of classical/jazz labels Deutsche Grammophon, Decca Records, Decca Classics, Mercury Classics, and distributed label ECM, really "deepened [its] commitment to jazz and classical music [and the] company's unwavering commitment to building upon its rich history in both genres" by announcing, on May 19, that it has lumped those US labels together with jazz label Verve under the new Verve Label Group? Note as well that it has also appointed Danny Bennett, the Grammy and Emmy Award-winning music, film, and TV producer who manages the career of his father, Tony Bennett, as the Verve Label Group's President & CEO.

Contrast this view, taken by Peter McGrath as we headed to dinner at show's end, with that of the mobbed staircase at the opening bell…

The day after my husband was plied with hard liquor in a desperate attempt to get me all the way into the Tidal room, I returned.

I never cover shows with the intention of citing "Best Of"…

At the head of the system was the brand new Bergmann Galder air-bearing turntable (€15,000): the only table in Bergmann's line that's sold without an arm…

Positioned at a height reachable only by the towering Gary Yacoubian, the CEO/President/Managing Partner/Chief Window Washer of SVS, the aptly named Prime Elevation (approx. $399/pair) is part of the company's year-old Prime Series…