classical music reviews, news & interviews
Robert Beale |
Kahchun Wong ended his second season as the Hallé’s principal conductor with a blockbuster – and one from what may be seen as his personal zone of expertise: Mahler’s Sixth Symphony.
Bernard Hughes |
Yesterday I travelled through a sweltering London in shorts and sandals to go and hear Schubert’s Winterreise, about a bleak journey through a frozen landscape. It was quite the disjuncture, and a strange piece of seasonal programming.
graham.rickson
Bach: Goldberg Variations BWV 988 Asya Fateyeva (soprano/alto saxophones), Eckart Runge (cello) Andreas Borregaard (accordion) (Berlin Classics…
David Nice
So polished and passionate are the 11 world-class players of Ensemble 360, pioneering music in the round in Sheffield and elsewhere for the past 21…
Bernard Hughes
In 1595 a new Doge was invested in St Mark’s in Venice, an occasion celebrated with the full musical panoply at the state’s command. Which was a lot…
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Robert Beale
Rautavaara’s birds, Nielsen’s arguments, and an outstanding Sibelius concerto
David Nice
A celebrated sibling brings style and panache to two brothers
Bernard Hughes
Adventurous programming showcases choir’s versatility and skill
stephen.walsh
Lucid playing with some unwanted appendages
Claire Booth
A very individual singer joins Ensemble 360 for eight days of superb programming
Simon Thompson
Principal cellist plays two concertante works, the orchestra glittering alongside him
graham.rickson
French baroque music, British orchestral fireworks and an award-winning Dutch pianist
Robert Beale
A Russian programme with intriguing and exciting pathways included
David Nice
Two world-class soloists in perfect teamwork with fellow musicians and a top conductor
Boyd Tonkin
Uplifting celebrations of musical kinship across cultures
Robert Beale
Romantic cornerstones shine alongside Julia Wolfe’s document of trauma
Rachel Halliburton
Circa's acrobatics bracingly express a philosophical idea of the body
Bernard Hughes
Messiaen’s 'Turangalîla' well played, but overwhelmed by a trivialising animation
graham.rickson
A famous conductor celebrated in box form, plus romantic piano music and English song
Robert Beale
A scenic journey through 20th and 21st century landscapes
David Nice
Fiddly but felt, the interpretations of the ICO's Norwegian violinist-director always compel
Boyd Tonkin
Tenderness, and terror, outshine majesty in Elgar's journey of the soul
Benjamin Baker
At the World's Edge festival travels from mountains to metropolis
Rachel Halliburton
This semi-dramatised evening was as illuminating as it was exhilarating
Boyd Tonkin
Secret handshakes between works that weathered trauma
Robert Beale
Orchestral music without a conductor has its own unique frisson
graham.rickson
Three choral blockbusters, plus fiery symphonies and percussive contemporary music
Robert Beale
Eagerness and skill from the musicians of tomorrow
David Nice
Electrifying Britten and Wagner under Joana Mallwitz, plus top chamber music and song
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