Wales 2025: The Land Without Music
Welsh National Opera yesterday inducted two new artistic directors in the hope of digging itself out of a deepening hole. Arts Council England has abolished its touring grant and Wales will not make up the […]
classical music
Idomeneo in Amsterdam: Lawrence Cummings joins forces with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui for a new production of Mozart’s first mature opera
Mozart’s Idomeneo is regarded as his first mature opera, written for Munich in 1781. The subject may not have been Mozart’s choice but it represents the composers continuing engagement with Italian opera seria, a style that […]
Drawing us in: baritone James Atkinson makes his Wigmore Hall debut with pianist Iain Burnside in a programme moving from Robert to Clara Schumann to Brahms’ late tombeau for Clara
Robert and Clara Schumann Schumann: Eichendorff Liederkreis, Clara Schumann: Gedichte aus Rückerts Liebesfrühling, Brahms: Four Serious Songs; James Atkinson, Iain Burnside; Wigmore HallReviewed 6 January 2025 Young baritone James Atkinson used his rich, dark hued […]
The Turk who played duets with David Oistrakh
The death has been announced of the leading Turkish violinist Ayla Erduran, at the age of 90. Ayla studied with David Oistrakh in Moscow in 1957-58 and played duets with him in concert. She also […]
Jonas Kaufmann: Managing other people’s cancellations
The numbers are in at the Erl winter festival in Tyrol and the backers are happy. When the curtain dropped last night, 94 percent of tickets had been sold, more than ever before. What counted […]
Herbert Blomstedt: ‘I never conquered an orchestra’
The conductor, 97, gives a reflective interview to Markus Thiel. Sample quotes: There is so much wonderful music that I would like to perform and that could change me. But you just don’t have that […]
Berlin cancels musical due to city cuts
Berlin’s Komische Oper has called off its summer production of the popular ex-DDR musical, ‘Mein Freund Bunbury’. They say: ‘We would like to start the year with some good news, but due to the austerity […]
Colburn orchestra director, RIP
We have been apprised of the passing of Jim Kjelland, director of orchestras and coordinator of strings from 1984 at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. He was 76. Kjelland write several […]
New Year good news (1): Mischa Maisky’s back
The cellist has been given the all-clear by his doctors, six months after major surgery. He will give a thanksgiving concert in Lucerne on January 16 with longterm besties Martha Argerich and Janine Jansen. ‘And […]
Ex-Berlin Phil player is Prague’s new baton
The Czech National Theatre has started the year by replacing its chief conductor and chorusmaster. Out goes Andriy Yurkevych, ‘who is leaving the post for personal reasons’. Yurkevych, a Ukrainian, has been in the post […]
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