Classical Reviews

Sioned Williams, Purcell Room

David Nice Wednesday, 15 October 2014

What Anne-Sophie Mutter is to the violin, Alison Balsom to the trumpet and Sabine Meyer to the clarinet, so is Sioned Williams to the harp. Though Meyer had the glass-ceiling distinction of being the first woman in the Berlin Philharmonic, Williams’s service to the BBC Symphony Orchestra has been longer (nearly 25 years so far as principal harp).

Meyer, BBCPO, Storgårds, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

philip Radcliffe Sunday, 12 October 2014

Staying close to his Scandinavian roots, John Storgårds, principal guest conductor of the BBC Phil and chief conductor of the Helsinki Phil, is gearing up for the celebration of Carl Nielsen’s 150th birthday next year. Being the seventh child of 12, Nielsen battled his way from poor beginnings to musical eminence, serving his time on the way as a military bandsman and, for 16 years, as a violinist in the Royal Danish Orchestra.

Comment

Cargill, Yoshino, SCO, Ticciati, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

Christopher Lambton Friday, 10 October 2014

“Mahler, with a chamber orchestra?” In his introduction to the Scottish Chamber Orchestra’s winter season brochure, principal conductor Robin Ticciati anticipates the reaction of an audience brought up to believe that a chamber orchestra leaves its comfort zone somewhere in the early 19th Century.

Comment

Mullova, Hallé, Elder, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

philip Radcliffe Friday, 10 October 2014

Sir Mark Elder has a penchant for taking on large-scale works in Manchester, from operatic concert performances of Wagner and Verdi to Hollywood musicals. Following that line, he kicked off the new Hallé season with Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé ballet score in its entirety, described by the composer as “a vast musical fresco faithful to the Greece of my dreams”. We are used to hearing the odd suite, but rarely the whole work.

A Night Under the Stars: Latin Spirit, Royal Festival Hall

Kimon Daltas Friday, 10 October 2014

London homelessness charity The Passage was set up in 1980 and has been growing steadily so that it now provides a day centre, short-term hostel and long-term housing in an effort to help street sleepers get their lives back on track. Its annual "A Night Under the Stars" gala concert is the central event on its fundraising calendar, and assembles an extremely high standard of musician.

City of London Sinfonia, Layton, Southwark Cathedral

Sebastian Scotney Thursday, 09 October 2014

Stratford-upon-Avon calling. The City of London Sinfonia has embarked on a series of three Bard-based October concerts in London to commemorate the 450th anniversary year of Shakespeare's death. The first of the three stopping-off points last night was Southwark Cathedral, in some ways a logical starting-place, since the building proudly asserts its credentials as the parish church nearest to the Globe Theatre.

Classical CDs Weekly: Nielsen, Kristjan Järvi, Benjamin Grosvenor

graham Rickson Saturday, 04 October 2014

Piau, Les Paladins, Correas, Wigmore Hall

alexandra Coghlan Thursday, 02 October 2014

2014 is the 250^th anniversary of the death of Jean-Philippe Rameau, France’s baroque giant and maverick. To say that the UK celebrations have been muted is to put in generously, reconfirming a national trend that has long sidelined this repertoire in favour of more familiar Italian and German contemporaries. So it was especially good to see the Wigmore Hall full for an anniversary concert from instrumental ensemble Les Paladins and soprano Sandrine Piau.

Daniil Trifonov, Royal Festival Hall

Jessica Duchen Wednesday, 01 October 2014

Daniil Trifonov, 23, has shot to prominence as one of the hottest pianistic properties of the moment. With multiple competition wins behind him, including the Tchaikovsky in his native Russia, plus a recording contract with DG and a frenetic globe-trotting schedule, he is now a very busy young man.