Author Archives: John

Clemens Schuldt conductor, Siobhan Stagg soprano, Markus Butter baritone. Hallé Choir;  Strauss Metamorphosen; Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem As I may have said somewhere else on this blog, the Brahms Requiem is one of the very few pieces of music I have actually sung in live performance, with St John’s College Music Society at Cambridge beforeContinue reading “Halle Orchestra, Schuldt – R,Strauss/Brahms; Bridgewater Hall 15/2/24”

Anton Bruckner Symphony No 9 (Ed Benjamin-Gunnar Cohrs); Te Deum (Ed Ernst Herttrich 2015). Performers – London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Nathalie Stutzmann, conductor; Lucy Crowe soprano; Anna Stéphany mezzo-soprano; Robin Tritschler tenor; Alexander Tsymbalyuk bass I was hoping to have gone to a very interesting Halle concert before going down to London for thisContinue reading “LSO, Stutzmann, Bruckner – Barbican, 11/2/24”

Haydn String Quartet In G Minor, Op. 20 No. 3; Shostakovich String Quartet No. 7 In F Sharp Minor, Op. 108; Britten 3 Divertimenti For String Quartet; Danish Folk Music (‘Wood works’) This was an interesting programme, though I am not sure an entire second half of Danish re-imagined folk music quite worked – toContinue reading “Danish String Quartet: Stoller Hall, Manchester – 29/1/24”

John Storgårds, conductor; Christian Tetzlaff violin. Prokofiev Cinderella, Suite No. 2, Op. 108, Thomas Adès Violin Concerto, ‘Concentric Paths’; Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 in F minor This looked in prospect to be a fascinating programme: – a very competent conductor, a famous violinist, a Thomas Ades piece I hadn’t heard before, and a chance toContinue reading “Shostakovich/Prokofiev/Ades: BBC Philharmonic, Bridgewater Hall, 27/1/24”

Conductor, Antonio Pappano; Elektra, Ausrine Stundyte; Chrysothemis, Sara Jakubiak; Klytämnestra, Karita Mattila; Orest, Łukasz Goliński; Ägisth, Charles Workman; Orest’s Companion, Michael Mofidian This is the first time I have seen Elektra live in almost 50 years. I have not been to a performance of the work since 1977……and I definitely heard Birgit Nilsson sing the role.Continue reading “R.Strauss, Elektra: ROHCG, 18/1/24”

London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle conductor; Agneta Eichenholz, Jenůfa; Katarina Karnéus, Kostelnička; Aleš Briscein, Laca; Nicky Spence, Steva; Jan Martiník, Starek, the Foreman/Mayor; Carole Wilson, Grandmother Buryjovka; Claire Barnett-Jones, Barena/Herdswoman; Hanna Hipp, Rychtarka; Erika Baikoff, Jano; Evelin Novak, Karolka This was a very fine performance which might perhaps have been a great one hadContinue reading “LSO, Rattle: Janacek, Jenufa. Barbican, 11/1/24”

Conductor, Daniele Callegari; Abigaille, Liudmyla Monastyrska; Fenena, Maria Barakova; Ismaele, Seokjong Baek; Nabucco, George Gagnidze; Zaccaria, Dmitry Belosselskiy. Direction, Elijah Moshinsky. Nabucco is one of those works I would probably never stir myself to see live (certainly haven’t done so hitherto…), and I needed a bit of internal debate and persuasion to go to aContinue reading “(Live Screening) Cineworld, Didsbury, Manchester: Verdi, Nabucco: Metropolitan Opera: 6/1/24”

Wagner, Tannhauser Overture and Venusberg Music; Die Walkure, Act1. Jonas Kaufmann, Siegmund; Vida Miknevičiūtė, Sieglinde; Hunding, Tobias Kehrer. Conductor, Kyrill Petrenko, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra For some time, Jonas Kaufmann’s voice has made me nervous. It seemed unsteady sometimes at the top and I have often heard a sense of struggle when I’ve listened to himContinue reading “(Live screening, Showroom Sheffield) Berlin Philharmonic New Year’s Eve concert”

In no particular order: 1.            Die Tote Stadt, Korngold: ENO 2.            The Rhinegold, Wagner: ENO 3.            Rachmaninov’s Paganini Rhapsody plus Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast: BBCSO, Makela, Wang, Proms 4.            Dialogues des Carmelites: Poulenc. Glyndebourne Festival Opera at the Proms, RAH 5.            Mahler 5: Concertgebouw Orchestra, Chung, Leipzig 6.            Midsummer Night’s Dream, Britten: Glyndebourne 7.            Bruckner 5,Continue reading “Top ten live performances I went to in 2023”

 Conductor, Mark Wigglesworth; Hansel, Anna Stéphany; Gretel, Anna Devin; Peter, Darren Jeffery; Gertrud, Susan Bickley; Witch, Rosie Aldridge; Sandman, Isabela Díaz; Dew Fairy, Sarah Dufresne.  Director and Designer, Antony Mcdonald, Lighting Designer, Lucy Carter I’ve never seen Hansel and Gretel live before. I first got to know the overture when i was 13 or so,Continue reading “Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck: ROHCG, 15/12/23 (Friends’ dress rehearsal)”