"... the singing and playing were anything but off-the-rack in Boston Baroque’s period-instrument performance of The Magic Flute Friday night at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall.

Martin Pearlman, the ensemble’s founder and music director, led Mozart’s tuneful score in a suave rendering whose silvery strings and mellow winds seemed tailored to the intimate yet splendid hall."

"The early music movement has of course grown enormously in the intervening years, but “The Magic Flute” remains a beloved staple of modern opera houses, so it is still a special occasion to hear a robust live account of this score using the older instruments Mozart would have recognized. On Saturday, the second of the weekend’s two performances, the ensemble under Pearlman played with a concise piquancy, grounded by its earthy strings and leavened by its intimately humane woodwind timbres."

"As surely as Starbucks cups turn red and Santa hat sales spike, “Messiah” returns every December with period instruments and modern instruments, colossal choirs and cozy choirs. No choice is inherently superior. Dedication to delving deep into every aspect of the music differentiates the good from the great, and Boston Baroque is decidedly great."