classical music

The German label Dabringhaus und Grimm has ordered an enoromous skip in which it will crunch up 20,000 unsold classical CDs, rather than paying a five-figure royalty demand from the collection agency Gema. Full story […]

Pembridge College has wasted no time in filling the organ bench lately vacated by Anna Lapwood. The new director of music is to be Luke Fitzgerald, assistant director at Coventry Cathedral. He says: ‘Big shoes […]

We are hearing from disappointed concertgoers who booked flights to attend Víkingur Ólafsson’s Wigmore Hall recital of Beethoven and Schubert sonatas, only to be informed today that the Icelandic pianist has reverted to last year’s […]

We have been notified of the passing of the Grammy award-winning conductor John Nelson, an American who became an authority in the music of Hector Berlioz and other romantic creators. John was 83. The son […]

The pianist and composer Nikki Iles is to be Principal Conductor of the NDR Bigband from September. She succeeds Geir Lysne. Nikki, 61, was previously composer in residence with NDR Bigband. The post British jazz […]

The British actor has been commissioned by the Opéra de Paris to direct Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, his operatic debut. Semyon Bychkov will conduct. Boris Pinkhasovich sings the title role. Fiennes played the role himself in […]

Don’t bother calling the Philharmonie box-office. A five-night series of classical guitar concerts, headlined by the Catelnuovo-Tedesco and Rodrigo concertos, has completely sold out. The fingers behind it belong to rising Warner artist Thibaut García. […]

The Salzburg Easter Festival has declared plans to stage Wagner’s Ring over four years, 2026 to 2030. In 2o28 it will break from the Ring to present Arnold Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron, a masterpiece of […]

It is no secret that, for the past couple of years, Antonio Pappano has been pushing gently for the Royl Opera to re-engage Anna Netrebko, banned for her past affinities with Vladimir Putin. Pappano is […]