Sad news: BBC orchestra mourns its leader, 48
Laura Samuel, Leader of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra since 2012, has died at the age of 48. London-born, she was co-founder of the Belcea Quartet and played in it for 16 years before joining […]
classical music
Verbier headlines Currentzis
The Swiss festival has booked two concerts with the Russian-funded Greek conductor Teodor Currentzis. Russian exiles and anti-Putinists also play a prominent part. Here are some highlights: Artists making their Verbier debut: Barbara Hannigan (opening […]
Biz news: SanFran Con strikes deal with HarrisonParrott
The music school, which already owns the AskonasHolt agency and the Penatone record label, has now struck a deal for emerging Black composers with the Birdsong publishing wing of HP, who are direct rivals of […]
First public performance of Imogen Holst’s Violin Concerto
Violinist Midori Komachi at Imogen Holst’s house (Photo: Britten Pears Arts)The bungalow designed and built specifically for the composer by modernist architect HT ‘Jim’ Cadbury-Brown in a corner of his garden, reflecting the architect’s own […]
Hilary Hahn: I’m under AI attack
The US violinist has posted this message on her socials: Hi all, I’ve received reports that someone has been using AI to create videos impersonating me. I’d like to reiterate that my only social media […]
Berlin’s big beasts face 12% cuts
The Berlin Philharmonic will need to find $2 million to cover a looming cut in city funding. The world-famous Schaubuehne theatre says it will have to shut down at the end of 2025. The Berliner […]
It’s Black Friday in Manchester as ENO dumps its orchestra
English National Opera has rolled out plans for its future half-life in the north. It consists of Britten’s Albert Herring, with 13 musicians (Oct 25), Du Yun’s Angel’s Bone ( May 2026) and Philip Glass’s […]
A return to Manchester: ENO announces the first wave of its city-wide collaborations
Manchester Opera House – Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net) Regional arts provision is a curious thing, with different countries opting for radically different models. In Germany, most decent sized cities have a theatre that produces a […]
Wolf-Ferrari: Il segreto di Susanna from Berlin
Wolf-Ferrari’s short opera is perfect for a one-night coupling, as Opera Holland Park have proved both this year, with Pagliacci (review), and, in 2019, with Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta (review). Susanna’s secret? As you can see from […]
Operatic Descent into Madness
This Friday Slippedisc, courtesy of OperaVision is in Oslo for Norwegian National Opera’s new production of The Rake’s Progress, Stravinsky’s neoclassical dark comedy. Igor Stravinsky wrote The Rake’s Progress in 1951, based on eight satirical paintings by […]
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