Respighi’s Sinfonia drammatica
Here’s a symphony that lives up to its name: the outburst that opens Respighi’s Sinfonia drammatico (1913-15, P. 102) is a late-Romantic explosion, and al the music seems to want to do thenceforth is get […]
Classical Explorer
Resonance: Farrenc, Schumann, Durosoir
To my count, this is the eighth post on Classical Explorer featuring playing by Emanuel Despax: he is worth the focus, for sure, a rare meeting of musical sensitivity and high technique. ThePiano Quintet in […]
Jessye Norman: The Unreleased Masters on Decca
After Pappano’s Tristan, Jessye’s Isolde: as part of Decca’s “The Unreleased Masters,” a selection of excerpts which “for various reasons, was never published”. Masur’s way with the Prelude is mobile, and climax-focused, the Leipzig Gewandhaus […]
Czech Discoveries: Kukal and Teml on Animal Music
After an all-Czech Wimbledon Ladies’ Final, a very much all-Czech symphonic release: Ondřej, Jiří, Jakub and Tomáš conspire to give is a very special disc of live performances. Ondřej Kukal (born 1964) is a graduate […]
Manchester Camerata unveils its 2027/27 season
MANCHESTER CAMERATA, LED BY MUSIC DIRECTOR GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY, UNVEILS 2026-27 SEASON OF CONCERTS ACROSS GREATER MANCHESTER AND LONDON ALONGSIDE GROUNDBREAKING COMMUNITY AND HEALTHCARE WORK AMC Gospel Choir, pianist Ethan Loch, Kantos Chamber Choir, composer Rushil Ranjan and soprano Ying Fang announced as Artistic Partners for 2026-2029 Second edition of Here […]
Bello tiempo passato
“Fine old days”: Boerio (probably)’s 1673 comic intermezzo We are in the world of the commedia dell’arte here. In the early 1670s, soon after Venetian opera became established in Naples, a series of comic figures […]
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 […]
Les Regrets, ou L’art de la Mélancolie: music by François Couperin
Music by François Couperin today, a perfect complement to a previous post on the harpsichord music of Louis Couperin at Wigmore Hall by Jean Rondeau (linked in to his monumental box of Louis’ keyboard works […]
John Wilson & Sinfonia of London: Ravel, Berkeley, Pounds
You think you know Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin? Wait until you hear this! John Wilson and Sinfonia of London illuminate every bar of the score afresh. In a score I’ve heard a kazillion times, […]
The Mahler Competition 2026: no first prize awarded
Jury honours the finalists with one Second Prize and two Third Prizes, reaffirming the exceptionally high artistic standards of the international conducting competition Press Release: July 2026 ● The jury of The Mahler Competition 2026 […]
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