Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra Ozawa Hall, August 16, 2010 Who better than a 102-year old man to ask the question, “What are years?” Composer Elliott Carter, who’s centennial was celebrated two summers ago at Tanglewood, was back again Monday night for the finale of the annual Festival of Contemporary Music in Ozawa Hall.  One of his newest pieces is a setting of five poems by Marianne Moore and uses her line, “What Are Years,” as the title. Judging from the score, performed by the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra and soprano Sarah Joanne Davis, Carter’s longevity has given him...

NEW YORK CITY BALLET SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER WEDNESDAY JULY 14, 2010 The Steadfast Tin Soldier (Balanchine/Bizet) Walpurgisnacht BAllet (Balanchine/Gounod) Namouna (Ratmansky/Lalo) “Ballet’s hip,” said one busy staffer of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. That remark was less a hope than an observation, since healthy sized crowds are turning out for the second week of the New York City Ballet’s Saratoga residency. It was Emma Willard American Girl night on Wednesday, so there were more aspiring little ballerinas in the audience than usual.  The opening piece, Balanchine’s...