Sir Adrian Boult’s Moeran on SOMM
We need to hear more music by Amglo-Irish composer Ernest John (Smeed) Moeran (1894-1950). Arnold Bax referred to Moeran as “the last true Romantic”. His life was a toubled one: he was wounded in the […]
classical music
.jpg?w=510&resize=510,510&ssl=1 "By turns illuminating & compelling: the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on terrific form in Britten & Vaughan Williams at the BBC Proms")
By turns illuminating & compelling: the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on terrific form in Britten & Vaughan Williams at the BBC Proms
Britten: Violin Concerto – Simone Lamsma, Andrew Manze, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic – BBC Proms (Photo: BBC/ Chris Christodoulou) Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a theme of Thomas Tallis, Britten: Violin Concerto, Carmel Smickersgill: A Brick Thrown […]
The Berliner Philharmoniker at the Proms: Elgar & Tchaikovsky
Elgar Variations on an Original Theme. Op. 36, ‘Enigma‘ (1888/9) Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 (1877/8) Elgar and the Berliner Philarmoniker? Well, there is precedent of the orchestra in English music […]
A new way of listening to the harpsichord: Katarzyna Kowalik’s Meditations for Harpsichord
With Meditations for Harpsichord, British-Polish harpsichordist Katarzyna Kowalik will gather together nine newly commissioned works by five British and four Polish composers. The project will receive its world premiere at Colet House in London on […]
To Hell With You: Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust at the Proms
As his Grande Messe des Morts (Requiem) in Pappano’s LSO performance proved conclusively (August 15), there are fewer if any better spaces to hold Berlioz’ monumental imagination. From the religious to Goethe’s great work of […]
ORA Singers’ Graduate Composers: five young composers have their work showcased at Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
ORA Singers’ Graduate Composers‘ scheme forms a core part of their Composers’ Pathway – their work to support composers at any stage in their careers. The Graduate scheme champions early-career composers by offering them a […]
moon landing: composer Helen Caddick & textile artist Margo Selby’s immersive cross-genre piece
Composer Helen Caddick and textile artist Margo Selby collaborated on an immersive cross-genre piece, moon landing, for Collect 2024 at Somerset House. [see my article] As part of the exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery (which closes […]
Inside the Orchestra: the chance to find out what an orchestra sounds like when you are sitting inside it.
Just as the Philharmonia Orchestra is using VR to enable people find out what it is like to join a live orchestra [see my article]. Another project is doing something similar but with a real […]
A highly intelligent & rather imaginative recital: Handel’s Italians – Italian castrati in the London oratorios from Carlo Vistoli on Harmonia Mundi
Handel’s Italians: Italian castrati in the London oratorios – music from Handel’s Esther, Deborah, Athalia, Belshazzar, Messiah, Theodora; Carlo Vistoli, Giulia Semenzato, Le Concert d’Astrée, Emmanuelle Haïm; Harmonia MundiReviewed 1 September 2026 This rather imaginative recital focuses on music from […]
Torvund meets Stravinsky and Prokofiev: the Oslo Phil at the Proms
Øyvind Torvund Symphonic Poem No. 1, “Forest Morning” (2019, first Proms performance) Stravinsky Violin Concerto in D major (1933) Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet (1935/6), excerpts The first thing to notice here is the title, taken […]
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.jpg?w=160&resize=160,160&ssl=1 "By turns illuminating & compelling: the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on terrific form in Britten & Vaughan Williams at the BBC Proms")
