Jakub Hruša at the Royal Festival Hall
It was with Mahler and the Philharmonia that the Royal Opera’s new music director first made a mark with London audiences. His Puccini may or may not be considered wholly idiomatic but Jakub Hrůša is […]
ΚΡΙΤΙΚΕΣ
A concert celebrating the legacy of the legendary classical guitarist, Julian Bream, at Wigmore Hall promises a great night for guitar aficionados.
Thibaut Garcia, Continuing the legacy of the brilliant and pioneering British classical guitarist, Julian Bream, the equally brilliant French-born classical guitarist, Thibaut Garcia, joins forces with the award-winning ensemble, Quatuor Arod, to perform the world […]
2025 Ivors Classical Awards: Anibal Vidal, Anna Clyne, Helen Grime, Jonathan Dove, Luke Mombrea, Nneka Cummins, Anne Dudley, Anoushka Shankar and Debbie Wiseman
Jonathan Dove and April de Angelis, winners of the Award for Best Community and Participation Composition at The Ivors Classical Awards [Photo: Hogan Media – Shutterstock] Last night, 11 November, The Ivors Academy presented awards […]
Poetic exploration: Ensemble Près de votre oreille in an engaging exploration of chamber & vocal music by William Lawes
Lighten mine eies – William Lawes: selected psalms & harp consorts; Ensemble Près de votre oreille, Robin Pharo; Harmonia MundiReviewed 11 November 2025 For their debut on Harmonia Mundi, the young French ensemble give us a […]
Shimmer: the National Youth Orchestra launches 2026 with impressions of Spain and Anne Clyne’s dancing cello
The National Youth Orchestra (NYO) launches 2026 with Shimmer, a three-date tour where the orchestra will be conducted by Alexandre Bloch in a programme with a distinctly Spanish theme. The evening begins with Debussy’s Ibéria and ends with […]
The other brother: music by Galileo Galilei’s younger brother on this lovely new EP
It is now moderately well-known that the great scientist Galileo Galilei’s father, Vincenzo was a fine musician and there have been music and music theatre projects linking the two such as Clare Norburn’s Galileo which […]
A bold, atmospheric work rooted in English folklore, ritual, & superstition: Shadwell Opera & Opera North give the stage premiere of Isabella Gellis’ The Devil’s Den
Ben Edge: Devil’s Den Last year I chatted to conductor Finnegan Downie Dear (artistic director of Shadwell Opera) and composer Isabella Gellis about Shadwell Opera’s semi-staged presentation of Gellis’ new opera, The Devil’s Den at […]
Dramatic Messiah: Wild Arts brings its dramatised presentation of Handel’s oratorio back for a third tour
Handel: Messiah – Wild Arts at Smith Square Hall in 2024 (Photo: Steve Gregson) We caught Wild Arts’ dramatised presentation of Handel’s Messiah at the Art Workers’ Guild in London in 2023 [see my review] in […]
An ambitious project that seeks to reimagine one of our great literary giants: Alastair White & Gemma A Williams ask how you adapt Finnegan’s Wake for the musical stage
James Joyce began his novel Finnegan’s Wake in 1924 publishing it in instalments with the final book only being published in 1939. Joyce’s radical reworking of language in the book was initially received with bafflement and […]
Zoë Martlew’s debut album: Album Z
Last seen (by me, at least) as composer at a Wigmore Hall concert featuring Héloïse Werner (The Plot: review). Zoë Martlew now steps forward into the limelight of the recorded arena with her first complete […]
Latest Posts
