Slipped Disc

From the Lebrecht Album of the Week: The first thing anyone learns about Galina Ustvolskaya is that her composition teacher, Dmitri Shostakovich, asked to marry her in the early 1950s. She rejected him, saying once […]

From Fabio Luisi: It is not a question of age, but a question of health. Maestro Blomstedt is the perfect example. I would like to remember my teacher, Milan Horvat: he was no star, but […]

Alterations  Click here to subscribe to the National Theatre Alterations is not a new play. Originally produced in 1978, Michael Abbensetts’ seminal work illuminates the Guyanese experience of 1970s London and the aspirations and sacrifices of the […]

Since its premiere in 1901, Dvořák’s Rusalka has been one of the most beloved and most performed Czech operas, not only thanks to its beautiful music but also Jaroslav Kvapil’s poetic and richly symbolic libretto. This […]

We hear that Paul Mann, who is Principal Guest Conductor with the Lviv National Philharmonic, has been conducting there throughout the war. Every time he goes, Paul donates his fee to the orchestra.   The […]

Our resident critic Alastair Macaulay is spending most of his summer at the Royal Albert Hall: by Alastair Macaulay Let’s hear it for the term “semi-staged”! On Monday 1 September, English National Opera presented Shostakovich’s […]

The Philadelphia Orchestra has added Victoria Knudtson (pic) to the horn section and and Samuel Huss to the trumpets. She’s from the St Louis Symphony, he’s principal trumpet of the Richmond Symphony. The post Two […]

This is a tour of the new Arts of Africa galleries at the Met, given by Alisa LaGamma, Curator for African Art, and assistant curator Jenny Peruski, with special guests Manthia Diawara and Angélique Kidjo. In this new incarnation, the Arts of Africa galleries foreground […]

Andris Nelsons will remain Gewandhauskapellmeister until 2032, it was confirmed this morning. His plans include further collaboration with the Boston Symphony, where he has a rolling contract. press statement: In his third term in office, […]