Ukrainian pianist Svetlana Andreeva (born Dzhankoy, a small town in Crimea) offers a beautiful programme of music, spellbindingly played. Age 15, Andreeva enrolled in the Central Music School of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, later studying […]
French virtuoso violinist René Benedetti was born in Toulon in 1901; the family moved to Paris when René’ father opened a music shop in Montmartre. Benedetti was something of a prodigy: he had lessons at […]
Most recently seen in March in a stunning Tamerlano at Shorreditch Town Hall as part of the 2026 London Handel Festival, Douglas Cummings and the Academy of Ancient Music gave us Serse of 1738 (premiered […]
Antony Hermus (Photo: Marco Borggreve) Next year, Ryan Wigglesworth completes a remarkable five seasons as chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra [see my recent interview with Ryan focusing on his being Featured Artist […]
Tsinandali Festival amphitheatre The current Foreign Office travel advice for Georgia is somewhat inconclusive, yet the country has long seduced European travellers. Friends of mine travelled to Tblisi last year and not only had a […]
The European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) has announced the artists selected for its 2027-28 ECHO Rising Stars season. As part of the ECHO Rising Stars programme, these artists will perform on the stages of leading […]
%20BPA-9.jpg?w=510&resize=510,510&ssl=1 "From Young Apollo to the Cello Symphony to the Poet's Echo to Phaedra: the range of Britten's composing career explored by Britten Sinfonia at Aldeburgh Festival alongside new works")
Genevieve Lacey, Gemma New, Britten Sinfonia, Aldeburgh Festival (Photo: Britten Pears Arts) Steve (Stelios) Adam: et døgn (one day), Lisa Illean/Binchois: Chansons, Lisa Illean: New works for recorder, strings and pre-recorded sounds, Brett Dean: Carlo, […]
Handel: Serse – Paula Murrihy, Louise Alder – Academy of Ancient Music, the Barbican (Photo: Mark Allan) Handel: Serse; Paula Murrihy, Louise Alder, Rachel Redmond, Rebecca Leggett, Claudia Huckle, Luca Tittoto, Thomas Chenhall, Academy of […]
John Andrews at recording sessions for his disc of Sullivan songs When conductor John Andrews and I met up for a chat recently, it was the music of Sir Arthur Sullivan that was high on […]
We first met the Tippett String Quartet via Penderecki Complete Music for String Quartet, also on Naxos, then live at Thaxted Festival. Now, one of the most cruelly under-rated composers out there: Alexander Glazunov (1865-1935). […]
