Classical Music Reviews
There is no iceberg, no skeleton key; Finnegans Wake is not a cipher. It is only itself.
A drawing of Joyce (with eyepatch) by Djuna Barnes from 1922, the year in which Joyce began the 17-year task of writing Finnegans Wake “Finnegans Wake has been ill-used by approaches that attempt to ‘decode’ it […]
Full circle: Blackheath Halls Community Opera celebrates 20 years with a return ‘Carmen’, the opera that launched the company
Twenty years ago, Blackheath Halls launched an ambitious annual community opera project with a production of Bizet’s Carmen. This September, the project returns to the opera that started it all, celebrating two decades of creativity, […]
Sir Stephen Hough to lead the Leeds Piano Competition
The Leeds International Piano Competition launches a bold new chapter with the appointment of one of the world’s most esteemed artists, British pianist Sir Stephen Hough, as Artistic Director and Chair of the Jury for 2027 […]
New research links Handel’s organist in Dublin with the Scottish fiddler & composer Charles Macklean
Dr Aaron McGregor (Photo: Campbell Parker) Advertisements for Handel’s performances in Dublin in 1741 and 1742 (when he premiered Messiah) give the name of his organist as “Mr M’Lean” or “Mr Maclaine” and that is all […]
Classical Music News
Double Bassist Eduard Marcu wins Junior Guildhall Lutine Prize 2026
Guildhall School of Music & Drama is delighted to announce that double bassist Eduard Marcu has been awarded First Prize at the final of Junior Guildhall’s most prestigious award: The Lutine Prize. Cellist Yoko Afi […]
Telekom Beethoven Competition and Zenezen Partner to Back Rising Pianist Seth Schultheis
Bonn, April 2026 — Momentum continues to build for American pianist Seth Schultheis, First Prize winner of the 2025 Telekom Beethoven Competition, as a new partnership aims to support not just his artistry—but the long-term sustainability […]
BBC PROMS 2026: STAR-SPANGLED SPECTACLE MEETS BRITISH BACKBONE IN AN 86-CONCERT SUMMER MARATHON
Royal Albert Hall, London and venues nationwide 17 July – 12 September 2026 The BBC Proms returns this summer with a swaggering, globe-spanning 2026 season that feels both celebratory and strategic: 86 concerts across eight weeks, […]
ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA’S JENNY MOLLICA APPOINTED TO LEAD THE ROUNDHOUSE
The announcement was made today that Jenny Mollica, Chief Executive of English National Opera (ENO), has been appointed the new CEO of the Roundhouse. She will step down from her current role in summer 2026. […]
