Author Archives: John

Mozart String Quartet no 16 K428; Janacek String Quartet no 2 (Intimate Letters); Beethoven String Quarter Op 59 no 2 (Razoumovsky): Marmen Quartet The quartet was founded in 2013 by Johannes Marmen and Ricky Gore, violinists at the Royal College of Music in London. In 2019 they won the Grand Prize at the Bordeaux InternationalContinue reading “Mozart, Janacek, Beethoven: Marmen String Quartet; Upper Chapel, Sheffield – 24/3/23”

Sadly I missed the Opera North production of Ariadne auf Nacos last Friday in Salford due to a combination of heavy snow and cancelled trains. ‘But the trains unexpectedly seemed to be running today between two rail strike days. So in addition to doing various things in Sheffield I managed to get to this excellentContinue reading “Beethoven Cello sonatas: Ensemble 360 Upper Chapel, Sheffield 17/3/23”

Rusalka, Asmik Grigorian; Prince, David Butt Philip; Vodník, Rafal Siwek; Duchess, Emma Bell; Ježibaba; Sarah Connolly; Hajny, Ross Ramgobin; Kuchtík, Hongni Wu. Directors, Ann Yee And Natalie Abrahami; Set Designer, Chloe Lamford; Costume Designer; Annemarie Woods; Lighting Designer, Paule Constable. Conductor, Semyon Bychkov. I have heard this work once before live, at Glyndebourne, certainly, andContinue reading “Dvorak, Rusalka: ROHCG, 2/3/23”

Martyn Brabbins, conductor; Richard Jones, director; Stewart Laing, designer, Adam Silverman, lighting designer; Akhila Krishnan, video designer. John Reylea, Wotan; Leigh Melrose, Alberich. Frederick Ballentine, Loge; Madeleine Shaw, Fricka; John Findon, Mime; Christine Rice, Erda; Katie Lowe, Freia; Julian Hubbard, Froh; Blake Denson, Donner; Simon Bailey, Fasolt; James Cresswell, Fafner; Eleanor Dennis, Woglinde; Idunnu Münch,Continue reading “Wagner, The Rhinegold. ENO, London Coliseum, 21/2/23”

Haydn Piano Trio In A Hob:XV No.18; Tchaikovsky The Seasons (Selection) Arr. For Piano Trio; Tchaikovsky Piano Trio Op.50 . Leonore Piano Trio How nice to go to a concert where all the works are new to me, and pleasurably so. I suppose that the Haydn piece, being one piano trio among so many othersContinue reading “Haydn, Tchaikovsky: Leonore Piano Trio: Sheffield Crucible, 18/2/23”

Director, Tim Albery; Choreography, Venusberg Scene, Jasmin Vardimon; Set Designer. Michael Levine; Costume Designer, Jon Morrell; Lighting Designer, David Finn. Conductor, Sebastian Weigle; Tannhäuser, Stefan Vinke; Elisabeth, Lise Davidsen; Wolfram Von Eschinbach, Gerald Finley; Venus, Ekaterina Gubanova; Hermann, Mika Kares; Biterolf, Michael Kraus; Walther Von Der Vogelweide, Egor Zhuravskii I have not seen this workContinue reading “Wagner: Tannhäuser; ROHCG, 7/2/23”

Schumann Genoveva: Overture; Schumann Piano Concerto; Caroline Shaw Music in Common Time; Mozart Symphony No.36 in C major ‘Linz’. Gábor Takács-Nagy, conductor; Klara Min, piano This was not my first choice for a musical outing. I had originally intended to go to a Stoller Hall concert with Ensemble 360 – some Vaughan Williams, Stainer andContinue reading “Manchester Camerata: Schumann, Shaw and Mozart. Sheffield City Hall, 04/2/23”

Stravinsky Three Pieces for String Quartet;  Shostakovich String Quartet No.3 Op.73; Beethoven String Quartet Op.135, performed by Ensemble 360 This was a very good concert. When I arrived at the Upper Chapel, rather early at 6.30pm, I was amazed to see a queue forming outside the chapel. The house was completely full – this reallyContinue reading “Ensemble 360: Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Beethoven. Upper Chapel, Sheffield, 28/1/23”

Sonya Yoncheva, Fedora; Piotr Beczała, Count Loris; Rosa Feola, Countess Olga;  Lucas Meachem, De Siriex. Conductor,  Marco Armiliato; Director,  David McVicar; Set Designer, Charles Edwards; Costume Designer,  Brigitte Reiffenstuel; Lighting Designer, Adam Silverman. Rather to my surprise, I enjoyed this more than I was expecting. The reviews I saw were for the most part tepidContinue reading “Giordano: Fedora. Streamed live from the Metropolitan Opera, New York to Sheffield Curzon Cinema 14/1/23”

Respighi, Fountains of Rome, Szymanowski Violin Concerto No.2, Brahms Symphony No.2. Sir Mark Elder conductor, Nicola Benedetti violin. This was my first time in the Sheffield City Hall since a rather dispiriting concert in June. That had been a rather dismal occasion – the audience only just more in number than the assembled musicians andContinue reading “Halle, Elder: Respighi; Szymanowski, Brahms: Sheffield City Hall, 13/1/23”