Richard Goode's first-ever recording of the complete Beethoven concertos was released on Nonesuch last week. The Times (UK) gives the set a perfect five stars, describing Goode as "the pianist revered even by pianists," one whose "special gift has always been his selfless artistry: his penetrating intellect, warm heart and nimble fingers are entirely placed at the composers’ service." The review states, "Being Beethoven, Beethoven often makes contrary demands, but Goode knows just how to balance and weigh conflicting elements: argument and repose, dark and light, struggle and wit ... Throughout, the recording is warm and natural. Buy with confidence."

Amadou & Mariam are the subject of a feature profile in this week's Village Voice, as the focal point of the paper's picks for this summer's live music highlights. In a look at the couple's career and their latest Nonesuch release, Welcome to Mali, the Voice dismisses the normally narrow notion of "world music" but says the Malian duo's eclectic style is well suited to a truer understanding of the phrase: "[I]f anyone truly makes world music, it's Amadou & Mariam ... Through their constant curiosity and a romantic ear, the married couple invokes more than the sounds of their West African roots; they seem to be the epicenter of many cultures."

Wilco (the album) is set for a June 30 release from Nonesuch Records, on CD and a vinyl LP, and is now available for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store. The LP is pressed on audiophile-quality, 180-gram vinyl and includes the full album on CD as well. For a sneak peek, visit the band's site, wilcoworld.net, where the complete album is now streaming. American Songwriter says it's well worth checking out: "[W]e’ve heard the record, and we can tell you it’s worth listening to over a pay phone submerged underwater. It’s that good."

Bill Frisell begins a five-night residency at New York's Village Vanguard with his trio, featuring bassist Tony Scherr and drummer Kenny Wollesen tonight. It was at the Vanguard that the trio recorded the "East" half of Frisell's 2005 double disc, East/West. Frisell was a central figure in the recent Melbourne International Jazz Festival, playing an "unforgettable" festival closer with the Trio, says The Age. "[I]t was a thrill to see such an influential, genre-defying artist on stage. Frisell has one of the most distinctive guitar sounds: a sound that radiates warmth and optimism, no matter how woozily dissonant or distorted it may become."

Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love premieres at BAM's Muslim Voices festival in June. "He lives so successfully by his convictions, and shows us a very different Islam than what we see in the media," the film's director tells New York. "And his voice is extraordinary. If you watch his band Super Etoile perform, you’ll follow them to the edge of the earth." Robert Cole, who is retiring from Cal Performances after 20-plus years at its helm, says: "Of the artists we've had relationships with, certainly Youssou N'Dour is one of the greatest." At a recent UN-led World Malaria Day event, N'Dour and Malaria No More launched a campaign to encourage the use of mosquito nets in Senegal and help prevent the spread of the disease.

Allen Toussaint was in Las Vegas this past weekend performing at the city's free Jazz in the Park series and performs a week's residency at New York's Village Vanguard next week, joined by most of the musicians off his recently released solo Nonesuch debut, The Bright Mississippi. "Allen Toussaint's new album couldn't sound more like New Orleans," says the Boston Globe. The pianist "revisits jazz classics ... and takes them for a stroll through Preservation Hall, imbuing his own funky brand of pop-song charisma." Throughout, "Toussaint's musical soul guides all, making the classics sound like his own." The St. Petersburg Times gives it an A; the Lexington Herald Leader calls it "sublime."

John Adams is in Los Angeles this week to conduct a series of concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall. On tap are two performances, the orchestra's first, of Adams's latest opera, A Flowering Tree, with its original cast of singers, this Friday and Sunday, plus a concert Tuesday, pairing his Son of Chamber Symphony with works by two young composer/performers. The LAist chooses the performances for its Classical Pick of the Week.

Stephen Sondheim is the subject of a profile in Time magazine, which suggests that there won't be another like him any time soon, "not because high-brow musical theater is dead, but because the old Sondheim keeps on being new." The article looks at new productions of the composer's works as well as new works from Sondheim, like Road Show, to explain his enduring power. Director Trevor Nunn compares Sondheim to Shakespeare. "As with Shakespeare," he tells Time, "there's heightened poetic expression in Sondheim, but when you dig into it, you find it's in touch with something real." Time concludes: "He occupies a place in the pantheon not of musical theater, but of theater itself."

Last Sunday, k.d. lang was featured among the performers celebrating and being celebrated as Women in the Arts at the Kennedy Center's 2009 Spring Gala. This past Sunday, k.d. contributed an article to The Guardian and Observer Guides to Performing. "My voice and the styles and genres I sing all express my appreciation for what I hear," k.d. writes. "I've learned very slowly and very experientially. I find something and I just listen and experience it and eventually it starts coming out of me ... There needn't be a distinction between your life and your music."

Björk, Dirty Projectors premiere new music at sold-out NY benefit ... Adams's work joins Beethoven's in Winnipeg Ballet piece ... Laurie Anderson brings Burning Leaves to Berlin ... Bill Frisell Trio continues at the Cotton Club in Tokyo ... Philip Glass talks art, Buddhism for benefit event ... Richard Goode plays Bach, Chopin in intimate NYC space ... Kronos plays German jazz fest, join Wu Man at the Barbican ... Brad Mehldau Trio continues sold-out residency at the Vanguard ... Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone play two weeks in Cleveland ... Punch Brothers play PA Renaissance Faire ... Allen Toussaint offers a free set in Vegas ... Dawn Upshaw, Osvaldo Golijov, oversee Carnegie Hall workshop concerts ... Sara Watkins makes way to Windy City ... and more ...

Allen Toussaint, fresh off the heels of his New Orleans JazzFest performances, is set to play a free outdoor performance in Las Vegas Saturday night. The New York Daily News writes of his solo Nonesuch debut, The Bright Mississippi: "It's a marvel on every level ... The feel for New Orleans music offered on the CD defies every garish cliché of the region, epitomizing instead a subtlety and dignity that have marked Toussaint's music from the start." All About Jazz calls it "a rich and multi-layered CD ... Toussaint, with producer Joe Henry, has crafted a sound that is modern yet traditional, jazzy yet funky, soulful yet pristine and completely elegant." The Ottawa Citizen gives it four stars, exclaiming: "It's a killer."

Wilco (the album) is due out June 30 on Nonesuch, and Billboard offers a hint of what's to come, stating that, "musically, Wilco (the album) offers a little bit of everything while making good on frontman Jeff Tweedy's stated goal to use 'the studio as another instrument.'" The article offers insight on each of the album's tracks, including its "majestic" closer and "a gorgeous duet" with Feist. Blurt magazine's review of the band's new concert DVD, Ashes of American Flags, compares it favorably to Scorsese's The Last Waltz, leading the reviewer to commit to Wilco as "the greatest American rock 'n' roll band."