Thomas Adès conductor, Ann Dennis mezzo-soprano, Hallé Choir: Thomas Adès, Dawn: a chacony for orchestra at any distance; Thomas Adès, America: A Prophecy UK premiere; Saariaho, Oltra Mar; Stravinsky The Rite of Spring This was a fascinating concert, with a near sell-out audience, an Adès piece new to me (and indeed part of it newContinue reading “Ades/Stravinsky, Halle Orchestra. Bridgewater Hall, 27/3/25”
Author Archives: John
Tippett, Beethoven: Pappano, LSO. Barbican 23/3/25
Tippett A Child of Our Time; Beethoven Symphony No 9, Choral. London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano conductor; Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha soprano; J’Nai Bridges mezzo-soprano; Sean Pannikar tenor, Soloman Howard, bass With the Barbican Hall completely sold out. this was an extremely generous programme, in terms of content and the demands on soloists, choir andContinue reading “Tippett, Beethoven: Pappano, LSO. Barbican 23/3/25”
Brahms, Halle Orchestra. Bridgewater Hall, 20/3/24
Kahchun Wong conductor, Mariam Batsashvili piano: Ifukube Japanese Suite for Orchestra; Liszt Piano Concerto No.1; Brahms Symphony No.1This was another very exciting and impressive concert from Kachun Wong and the Halle. The first three concerts I have heard him conducting this season were Mahler/Bruckner-based and I wondered how he would get on with more traditionalContinue reading “Brahms, Halle Orchestra. Bridgewater Hall, 20/3/24”
R.Strauss, Intermezzo. Deutsche Oper Berlin. 16/3/24
Conductor, Sir Donald Runnicles; Production, Tobias Kratzer; Stage, Costumes, Rainer Sellmaier; Lighting, Stefan Woinke; Court Kapellmeister Robert Storch, Philipp Jekal; Christine, his wife, Maria Bengtsson; Franzl, her little son, Elliott Woodruff; Anna, the chambermaid, Anna Schoeck; Baron Lummer, Thomas Blondelle; Kapellmeister Stroh, Clemens Bieber; Notary, Markus Brück; Notary’s wife, Nadine Secunde I had a majorContinue reading “R.Strauss, Intermezzo. Deutsche Oper Berlin. 16/3/24”
R.Strauss, Arabella. Deutsche Oper Berlin. 15/3/25
Conductor, Sir Donald Runnicles; director, Tobias Kratzer; stage design and costumes, Rainer Sellmaier; lighting designer, Stefan Woinke; Graf Waldner, Albert Pesendorfer; Adelaide, Doris Soffel; Arabella, Jennifer Davis; Zdenka, Heidi Stober; Mandryka, Thomas Johannes Mayer; Matteo, Daniel O’Hearn; Graf Elemer, Thomas Cilluffo; Graf Dominik, Kyle Miller; Graf Lamoral; Gerard Farreras; Fiakermilli, Hye-Young Moon I was surprisedContinue reading “R.Strauss, Arabella. Deutsche Oper Berlin. 15/3/25”
R.Strauss, Salome. Deutsche Oper Berlin. 14/3/25
Conductor, Keri-Lynn Wilson; director, Claus Guth; stage design and costumes, Muriel Gerstner; lighting designer, Olaf Freese. Herodes, Thomas Blondelle; Herodias, Evelyn Herlitzius; Salome, Olesya Golovneva; Jochanaan, Jordan Shanahan; Narraboth, Kieran Carrel I was thinking before the show – should I have explored what else was on in Berlin in the evening? Did I want toContinue reading ” R.Strauss, Salome. Deutsche Oper Berlin. 14/3/25″
Bartok, Berlin Philharmonic: Berlin Philharmonie,13/3/25
Berliner Philharmoniker: Jakub Hrůša, conductor, Seong-Jin Cho, piano. Janáček: Fate, Suite; Beethoven: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 in E flat major op. 73; Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra Sz 116 This was my first visit to the Philharmoniie in Berlin, and it’s as spectacular and impressive a building as everyone has always told meContinue reading “Bartok, Berlin Philharmonic: Berlin Philharmonie,13/3/25”
Prokofiev, Budapest Festival Orchestra. Royal Festival Hall, 11/3/25
Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer conductor; Igor Levit piano. Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes arr. for orchestra, Op.34a; Piano Concerto No.2; Prokofiev: Selection from Cinderella Suites This was a concert I probably wouldn’t have gone to had I not been in London for the evening, prior to getting an early Eurostar train to, ultimately, BerlinContinue reading “Prokofiev, Budapest Festival Orchestra. Royal Festival Hall, 11/3/25”
Shostakovich: Upper Chapel, Sheffield. 8/3/25
Ensemble 360: Shostakovich. String Quartet No.10; String Quartet No.12 This was a short concert which was part of a whole set of concerts and symposia on Shostakovich’s chamber music over the weekend in Sheffield – sadly this was the only event I could actually make…..My knowledge of which Shostakovich Quartet is which is sometimes aContinue reading “Shostakovich: Upper Chapel, Sheffield. 8/3/25”
Wagner: Gotterdammerung. Regents Opera, York Hall Bethnal Green: 2/3/25
Norn 1: Ingeborg Børch; Norn 2: Mae Heydorn; Norn 3: Jillian Finnamore; Siegfried: Peter Furlong; Brünnhilde: Catharine Woodward; Hagen: Simon Wilding; Gunther: Andrew Mayor; Gutrune: Justine Viani; Alberich: Oliver Gibbs; Woglinde: Jillian Finnamore; Wellgunde: Elizabeth Findon; Flosshilde: Mae Heydorn; Waltraute: Catherine Backhouse; Ben Woodward: Music Director and Conductor; Caroline Staunton: Director; CJ Heaver: Producer ThreeContinue reading “Wagner: Gotterdammerung. Regents Opera, York Hall Bethnal Green: 2/3/25”
John's musical journey 