James Laing, Oberon; Daisy Brown, Tytania; Camilla Harris, Helena; Siân Griffiths, Hermia; Joel Williams, Lysander; James Newby, Demetrius; Henry Waddington, Bottom; Daniel Abelson, Puck; Nicholas Watts, Flute; Colin Judson, Snout; Dean Robinson, Quince; Andri Björn Róbertsson, Theseus; Molly Barker, Hippolyta. Garry Walker, Conductor; Matthew Eberhardt, Revival Director; Johan Engels, Set Designer; Ashley Martin-Davis, Costume Designer;Continue reading “Britten: Midsummer Night’s Dream. Opera North, Lowry Salford. 13/11/24”
Author Archives: John
Tim Horton, piano: Sheffield, St Marie’s Cathedral. 8/11/24
Mozart 12 Variations ‘Ah Vous Dirai-Je, Maman’ K265; Schoenberg Drei Klavierstücke Op.11; Haydn Piano Sonata In D Hob.Xvi:42; Brahms Drei Intermezzi Op.117; Beethoven Piano Sonata No.23 Op. 57 ‘Appassionata’ This was a interestingly planned recital aimed at demonstrating links between the 1st and 2nd Viennese Schools via Brahms. It also took in several examples ofContinue reading “Tim Horton, piano: Sheffield, St Marie’s Cathedral. 8/11/24”
BBC Symphony Orchestra: Busoni. Barbican 1/11/24
Grazyna Bacewicz Symphony No 2; Ferrucio Busoni Piano Concerto. BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo conductor; Kirill Gerstein piano; BBC Symphony Chorus (lower voices) This was a great treat – two works I have never heard live before and one which was completely new to me! The Busoni concerto I have listened to a few timesContinue reading “BBC Symphony Orchestra: Busoni. Barbican 1/11/24”
Halle Orchestra, Wong. Bruckner. Bridgewater Hall, 26/10/24
Kahchun Wong conductor, Bruckner Symphony No.9 – four movement version with fourth movement revised by Dr John A Phillips This was an exciting occasion for me. I had grumbled in February that Nathalie Stutzman’s performance of the usual 3 movement Bruckner 9 with the LSO was not using one of the completed versions of theContinue reading “Halle Orchestra, Wong. Bruckner. Bridgewater Hall, 26/10/24”
MITR – Consone Quartet, Mendelssohn. St Matthew’s, Carver St, Sheffield. 26/10/24
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat (1823); Scherzo from Four Pieces Op.81; String Quartet in E minor Op.44 No.2 plus to follow Mendelssohn Roundtable, with Consone Quartet & Laura Tunbridge The blurb of the Consone Quartet’s web site says that they are the ‘first period instrument string quartet to be selected as BBC New GenerationContinue reading “MITR – Consone Quartet, Mendelssohn. St Matthew’s, Carver St, Sheffield. 26/10/24”
Beethoven, Fidelio. ROHCG. 16/10/24
Director, Tobias Kratzer; Designer, Rainer Sellmaier; Lighting designer, Michael Bauer; Video designer, Manuel Braun. Conductor, Alexander Soddy. Cast – Leonore, Jennifer Davis; Florestan, Eric Cutler; Rocco, Peter Rose; Marzelline, Christina Gansch; Jaquino, Michael Gibson; Don Pizarro, Jochen Schmeckenbecher; Don Fernando, Phillip Rhodes I saw this production on BBC TV during lockdown – it had beenContinue reading “Beethoven, Fidelio. ROHCG. 16/10/24”
Britten, The Turn of the Screw. ENO London Coliseum, 11/10/24
Director and Designer – Isabella Bywater; Lighting Designer – Paul Anderson; Ailish Tynan, Governess; Miss Jessel, Eleanor Dennis; Peter Quint, Robert Murray. Holly Hylton, Flora; Nicolai Flutter, Miles; Alan Oke, Prologue; Gweneth Ann Rand, Mrs Grose. Conductor, Duncan Ward. I have only seen one live performance of this work – a production for the BuxtonContinue reading “Britten, The Turn of the Screw. ENO London Coliseum, 11/10/24 “
Welsh National Opera – Puccini, Il Trittico: Cardiff 3/10/24
Cast: Dario Solari, Michele/Gianni Schicchi; Natalya Romaniw – Giorgetta | Sister Angelica; Haegee Lee – Young Lover | Sister Genovieffa | Lauretta; Trystan Llŷr Griffiths – Young Lover | Rinuccio; Anne Mason – The Princess | Zita; Sioned Gwen Davies – The Abbess & La Ciesca; Mark Le BrocqIl – Tinca | Gherardo; Wojtek GierlachIlContinue reading “Welsh National Opera – Puccini, Il Trittico: Cardiff 3/10/24”
Halle Orchestra, Wong – Britten and Mahler: Bridgewater Hall, 26/9/24
Britten The Prince of the Pagodas: Suite arranged by Colin Matthews and Kahchun Wong; Mahler Symphony No 1 ‘Titan’; Kahchun Wong conductor, Halle Orchestra Kahchun Wong is Singaporean, aged 38 and has been chief conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the Japan Philharmonic, and now the Halle, as well as being principal guest conductor ofContinue reading “Halle Orchestra, Wong – Britten and Mahler: Bridgewater Hall, 26/9/24”
Tchaikovsky, Eugene Onegin. Dress Rehearsal, ROHCG; 20/9/24
Director, Ted Huffman; Set Designer, Hyemi Shin; Costume Designer, Astrid Klein; Lighting Designer, D. M. Wood. Conductor, Henrik Nánási. Eugene Onegin, Gordon Bintner; Tatyana, Kristina Mkhitaryan; Lensky, Liparit Avetisyan; Olga, Avery Amereau; Prince Gremin, Dmitry Belosselskiy (replaced by Brindley Sherrat); Madame Larina, Alison Kettlewell; Filipyevna, Rhonda Browne; Monsieur Triquet, Christophe Mortagne In 1969 I wentContinue reading “Tchaikovsky, Eugene Onegin. Dress Rehearsal, ROHCG; 20/9/24”
John's musical journey 