Elgar – Adès – Walton on violin
This is a vital Elgar Violin Sonata performance – it rethinks that composer’s late masterpiece, presenting it with a clear undercurrent of disquiet in the shadow of war and loss. The Songs of Night and […]
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A sassy Carmen from Katie Bray in Blackheath Halls Opera’s celebratory 20th anniversary production of Bizet’s opera
Bizet: Carmen – Katie Bray, Oliver Johnston – Blackheath Halls Opera (Photo: Julian Guidera) Bizet: Carmen; Katie Bray, Oliver Johnston, Meeta Raval, Chuma Sijeqa, director: Harry Fehr, conductor: Christopher Stark, Blackheath Halls Opera; Blackheath HallsReviewed […]
Unsettled Memory: Feldman at LSO St Luke’s
Projection 2 (1951) Three Voices (1982) Triadic Memories (1981) This was a celebration of the centenary of maverick composer Morton Feldman (1926-87). The title, Unsettled Memory, refers to the composer’s way of subtly altering repetitions […]
Beyond the concert hall: NYCOS Singing Time launches in primary schools & NYCOS BSL Youth Choir makes debut at opening ceremony of Scottish Parliament
Primary Fours in West Primary School, Paisley with NYCOS Artistic Director and Founder Christopher Bell (with the hat), NYCOS Singing Time presenter Holly Clelland (with the red hair) and acclaimed Scottish tenor Nicky Spence (with […]
Between Breath and Brass: Hearing the Sheng in Contemporary London
Julia Luo playing the sheng at theLondon International Chinese Music Festival The sheng is mouth-blown reed instrument that is one of the oldest Chinese instruments with images of it dating back to 1100BCE. It is […]
London Opera Company returns to Smith Square with full-scale performance of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde
Wagner’s Die Walküre – The London Opera Company at Smith Square Hall in 2023 Following sold out performances of Götterdammerung, Die Walküre [see my review] and Siegfried [see Tony’s review], the London Opera Company is […]
.png?w=510&resize=510,510&ssl=1 "OutLoud! a new company amplifying queer stories launches with fun, campy production of Humperdinck's Hansel & Gretel")
OutLoud! a new company amplifying queer stories launches with fun, campy production of Humperdinck’s Hansel & Gretel
Mae Heydorn as the Witch (Photo: Julian Guidera) A new opera company is presenting its inaugural production at the Cockpit in Marylebone next month. OutLoud! is performing Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel on Saturday 17 […]
Fogli d’album: Anna Bonitatibus & Adele d’Aronzo explore the barely tapped wealth of Rossini’s occasional pieces
Rossini – Fogli d’album; Anna Bonitatibus, Adele d’Aronzo; Prospero Reviewed 22 September 2026 Rossini’s occasional pieces, each dedicated to a friend and patron, brought together in a wonderfully fulfilling recital that wears its learning lightly Rossini’s Guillaume […]
Elgar from the Archives, Volume 3: The Kingdom
The third volume in the series Elgar from the Archives from SOMM Recordings includes two historic recordings conducted by Sir Adrian Boult: the oratorio The Kingdom, Op. 51 and the ever-popular Variations on an Original Theme ‘Enigma,’ Op. 36. These variations form an […]
Unassuming charm & surprising sophistication: Bampton Classical Opera in the Italian version of Grétry’s take on Beauty & the Beast
Grétry: Zemira e Azor – Gwilym Bowen (Azor), Ffion Edwards (Zemira) – Bampton Classical Opera Grétry, Holzbauer, Jomelli: Zemira e Azor; Ffion Edwards, Gwilym Bowen, Samuel Pantcheff, Andrew Irwin, Sian Dicker, Rachel Roper, director: Jeremy […]
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.jpg?w=160&resize=160,160&ssl=1 "Only love can bear the burden of truth: Ben Parry & Garth Bardsley on their new opera that premieres at Snape this Saturday")
