Classical Reviews
Prom 69: Stikhina, Czech Philharmonic, Bychkov – dark textures and powerful passionsWednesday, 11 September 2019
Semyon Bychkov was a surprising choice to take over the Czech Philharmonic last year, a conductor with few obvious connections to Czech music. But on the strength of this visit to the Proms, they make a good team. Read more... |
Prom 68: Goerke, Gould, RPO, Albrecht review - the art of transitionTuesday, 10 September 2019
Known as "Heldenmommy" to her fans on Twitter, Christine Goerke is a Wagner soprano of and for our time. You won’t find her recordings on the major-label behemoths but her reputation is built on two decades of producing the goods night after night at opera houses across the US, notably the Metropolitan in New York. Read more... |
Prom 66: In the Name of the Earth review - John Luther Adams's ambitious choral spectacularMonday, 09 September 2019
This is the kind of thing that the Proms does well – indeed, where else would it get an outing? Read more... |
Prom 63: Wang, Staatskapelle Dresden, Chung review – private passionsFriday, 06 September 2019
Weirdly enough, it was “Tea for Two” that definitively proved her class for me. Read more... |
Prom 60: Ax, Vienna Philharmonic, Haitink review - moving mountains at 90Wednesday, 04 September 2019
His movements are minimal (perhaps they always were). A more intense flick of the baton, a sudden wider sweep of the expressive left hand, can help quicken a tempo, draw extra firepower from the players, but Bernard Haitink's conducting is still the most unforced and, well, musicianly, in the world. Read more... |
Prom 55: Jephtha, SCO & Chorus, Egarr review - shock of the new in sacrificial oratorioSaturday, 31 August 2019
Human sacrifice has a disconcerting and wonderful effect upon great composers, above all when it involves the supremely queasy issue of a father vowing to offer up his child: think of Britten with Abraham and Isaac, Mozart with Idomeneo and Idamante, Gluck with Agamemnon and Iphigenia, and here Handel with Jephtha and Iphis in his last oratorio. Read more... |
Prom 53: Connolly, Gregory, Tappan, BBCSO & Chorus, Davis review - citizens of the world uniteFriday, 30 August 2019
Let's be clear: this was a Prom of world-class works by English composers, not a conservative concert of English music. Read more... |
Manchester International Piano Competition, Chetham’s review - stars in the makingTuesday, 27 August 2019
The Manchester International Piano Competition produced three outstanding performances over the two evenings of its finals: the winner of the first prize was Ilia Lomtatidze, from Georgia, with second prize awarded jointly to the Italian and French pianists Luca Grianti and Oscar Colliar.... Read more... |
Prom 47: Schönheit, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Nelsons review - Bruckner doesn’t quite take flightSaturday, 24 August 2019
After Thursday night’s concert I celebrated the Proms’ exploration of unfamiliar repertoire via the CBSO. The following evening saw the festival diving back into mainstream repertoire – as it must also do – conducted by the CBSO’s previous music director. Read more... |
Edinburgh International Festival 2019: Bach's Multiple Concertos/ Manon Lescaut reviews - dancing harpsichords, perfect PucciniFriday, 23 August 2019
Puccini's and Abbé Prévost's glitter-seduced Manon Lescaut might have been inclined to linger longer in the salon of dirty old man Geronte if he'd served her up not his own madrigals but Bach's music for various harpsichords and ensemble. Read more... |
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