Choir of Westminster Abbey, Academy of Ancient Music; Andrew Nethsingha, conductor; Anna Dennis, soprano; Tristram Cooke, countertenor; Simon Wall, tenor; Jonathan Brown, bass. Going to this event was a matter of happenstance. I had hoped to be going to the L’Elisir D’Amore production at ENO but had wrongly written down the date of the showContinue reading “Handel Messiah. Westminster Abbey 26/11/24”
Author Archives: John
Verdi, Rigoletto. ENO, 21/11/24
Weston Hurt, Rigoletto; Yongzhao Yu, Duke of Mantua; Robyn Allegra Parton, Gilda; William Thomas, Sparafucile; Amy Holyland, Maddalena; David Kempster, Monterone. Richard Farnes, Conductor; Jonathan Miller, Director; Elaine Tyler-Hall, Revival Director; Patrick Robertson and Rosemary Vercoe, Designers; Ian Jackson-French, Revival Lighting Designer; Tommy Shaw, Choreographer This is a very famous – and now elderly –Continue reading “Verdi, Rigoletto. ENO, 21/11/24”
Britten: Midsummer Night’s Dream. Opera North, Lowry Salford. 13/11/24
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”
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”
John's musical journey 