The Dead – Niamh Cusack, The Fourth Choir, Jamie Powe – Wilton’s Music Hall (Photo: Kathleen Holman)
January on Planet Hugill Handel in 1749, Mozart in 1775 and Schubert’s 228th birthday
Our newsletter January on Planet Hugill, is out, looking back at a month when we took time to recharge batteries, but also managed to hear both of Handel’s oratorios from 1749, eavesdrop on Mozart’s sound-world from 1775 as well as celebrating Schubert’s birthday at Wigmore Hall. Interviews this month included a feature on Vaughan William’s Riders to the Sea, getting a rare outing in February, and a deep dive into the world of composer Steven Daverson’s mix of orchestra and live electronics.
Our record reviews this month include rarities such as sonatas by JS Bach’s ‘other’ composer son, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, Ethel Smyth’s earliest orchestral work, one of the other concertos for Left Hand commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, Walton’s complete songs (there aren’t many but they are terrific) and the final symphony by Canadian composer Jacques Hétu.
Board member Roger Sant has pledged $10 million to the National Symphony Orchestra, its largest-ever individual gift. It brings Sant’s total lifetime giving to more than $35 million. Part of this funds the naming of […]
The LPO have installed Sir George Benjamin as composer in residence. From September 2025, Benjamin will participate in rehearsals and performances of his music and will conduct an LPO concert featuring one of his compositions. […]
The former music director of the National Symphony Orchestra, which resides at the Kennedy Center, has responded to a Washington Post article criticising President Trump’s takeover. Slatkin writes: ‘I am reminded of what Leonard Bernstein […]