Wozzeck, Johannes Martin Kränzle; Drum Major, Dmitry Golovnin; Captain, Jörg Schneider; Doctor, Dmitry Belosselskiy; Marie, Marlis Petersen. Conductor, Franz Welser-Möst; Director, Simon Stone; Designer, Bob Cousins; Costumes, Alice Babidge; Lighting, James Farncombe I spent an interesting morning at the Central Cemetery visiting musical graves – found after a bit of an effort on my partContinue reading “Berg, Wozzeck: Wiener Staatsoper, 9/4/26”
Author Archives: John
Wagner, Parsifal: Wiener Staatsoper, 8/4/26
Amfortas, Gerald Finley; Gurnemanz, Franz-Josef Selig; Titurel, Matheus França; Parsifal, Klaus Florian Vogt; Klingsor, Werner Van Mechelen; Kundry, Jennifer Holloway; Der damalige Parsifal (?), Nikolay Sidorenko. Conductor, Axel Kober; Direction, design and costumes, Kirill Serebrennikov; Lighting, Franck Evin Travelling immediately after Easter (and for over 17 hours) was not a very wise move – allContinue reading “Wagner, Parsifal: Wiener Staatsoper, 8/4/26”
Roderick Williams song recital, Wigmore Hall, 6/4/26
Songs from Schubert, Die schöne Müllerin D795 plus Butterworth, Loveliest of trees; Trimble, Green Rain; Vaughan Williams, The vagabond; Boyle, A Song of Enchantment; Finzi, Overlooking the River; Vaughan Williams, The Water Mill; Clarke, Down by the salley gardens; Head, Tewkesbury Road; Vaughan Williams, Silent Noon; Quilter, Brown is my love; Finzi, He abjures love; Continue reading “Roderick Williams song recital, Wigmore Hall, 6/4/26”
Britten, The Turn of the Screw. ROHCG Linbury Theatre, 30/3/26
Director, Natalie Abrahami; Costume designer, Hannah Clark; Lighting designer, Guy Hoare; Video Designer, Duncan McLean; Movement Director, Anna Morrissey; Set Designer, Michael Levine. Conductor, Bassem Akiki. Prologue/Peter Quint, Elgan Llŷr Thomas; Governess, Isabelle Peters; Mrs Grose, Claire Barnett-Jones; Miss Jessel, Kate Royal; Peter, Peter Willoughby; Cathy, Clare Kate O’Brien This is the third live productionContinue reading “Britten, The Turn of the Screw. ROHCG Linbury Theatre, 30/3/26”
Fibonacci Quartet, Sheffield Upper Chapel, 28/3/26
Beethoven String Quartet Op.18 No.1; Bartók String Quartet No.5; Schumann String Quartet No.3 in A I heard the Fibonacci Quartet a few years ago at a City of London church lunchtime recital. They then seemed quite new and untested on the scene – but, in fact, I realise having looked at their website they haveContinue reading “Fibonacci Quartet, Sheffield Upper Chapel, 28/3/26”
Wagner, Siegfried. Pappano, ROHCG, 21/3/26
Director, Barrie Kosky; Set Designer, Rufus Didwiszus; Costume Designer, Victoria Behr; Lighting Designer. Alessandro Carletti. Conductor, Antonio Pappano. Siegfried, Andreas Schager; Mime, Peter Hoare; Der Wanderer, (Tommi Hakala, replacing Christopher Maltman); Brünnhilde, Elisabet Strid; Alberich, Christopher Purves; Fafner, Soloman Howard; Erda, Wiebke Lehmkuhl; Woodbird, Sarah Dufresne. A couple of days before this performance, I gotContinue reading “Wagner, Siegfried. Pappano, ROHCG, 21/3/26”
Walton, Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall. 12/3/26
Halle Orchestra, Alpesh Chauhan conductor, Tine Thing Helseth trumpet. Britten Courtly Dances from Gloriana; Nico Muhly Doom Painting (Hallé co-commission / UK premiere); Walton Symphony No.1. This was an interesting programme in prospect. I have a lot of time for Alpesh Chauhan as a conductor since I heard his RhineGold for Birmingham Opera in JulyContinue reading “Walton, Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall. 12/3/26”
Andras Schiff, Wigmore Hall, 4/3/26
The programme to be announced from the stage It is one of the fascinating things nowadays of attending Andras Schiff’s recitals that he wants what he plays to be a surprise and nothing is known beforehand of what he will perform. Of course, it is also true that what he tends to perform recently –Continue reading “Andras Schiff, Wigmore Hall, 4/3/26”
John Adams, Nixon in China. Opera Bastille, Paris. 24/2/26
Kent Nagano, conductor; Valentina Carrasco, director; Carles Berga, set design; Peter Van Praet, lighting; Cast: Thomas Hampson, Richard Nixon; Renée Fleming, Pat Nixon; John Matthew Myers; Mao Zedong; Caroline Wettergreen, Chiang Ch’ing; Joshua Bloom, Henry Kissinger; Xiaomeng Zhang, Zhou Enlai. I was very pleased when I saw this was on Paris Opera’s 25/26 schedule –Continue reading “John Adams, Nixon in China. Opera Bastille, Paris. 24/2/26”
Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Wigmore Hall 23/2/26
Anthony Marwood violin; Coleman Itzkoff cello; Aleksandar Madžar piano. Shostakovich, Violin Sonata Op. 134; Tchaikovsky, Piano Trio in A minor Op. 50 As i travelled to London for an evening Wigmore Hall concert, prior to moving on the next day to Paris, I found myself thinking about the dire state of British politics. In frontContinue reading “Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Wigmore Hall 23/2/26”
John's musical journey 