Author Archives: John

I think it’s great to hear new things and I increasingly try to do that when planning my concert-going. I therefore made a bee-line for this when the BIF brochure came out. However, as is only logical, going for the unfamiliar is sometimes a bit of a hit-and-miss affair. While there are masterpieces that eitherContinue reading “The Dancing Master – Malcolm Arnold: Buxton Opera House, Buxton Festival 13/7/21”

The programme was Haydn Piano Trio in A Hob.XV/18 and Beethoven’s Piano Trio in B flat Op.97 “Archduke”. The concert from my perspective was a bit of happenstance that worked well. Originally this was to be a violin and piano recital – Beethoven and one of the violinist’s own works – by Jennifer Pike andContinue reading “Beethoven / Haydn: ‘Martin Roscoe’ Trio, Buxton St John’s Church, Buxton Festival, 13/7/21”

I really enjoyed this, and rather wished I had booked to see it a second time, as there is a lot to take in in what feels like a very concentrated hour and 40 minutes or so. The basic story is a follow on from the familiar tale of Dido and Aeneas as told byContinue reading “Dido’s Ghost – Purcell/Wallen: Buxton Festival (Opera House): 11/7/21”

The programme was Louise Farrenc’s Overture No.1 in E minor, followed by Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, and then Schumann’s Symphony No.1, ‘Spring’. The Halle was conducted by Tomáš Hanus, and the violinist was the indefatigable Alina Ibragimova, who stepped in at short notice to replace a self-isolating Chloe Hanslip. Louise Farrenc was recognised as an outstandingContinue reading “Farrenc / Mendelssohn / Schumann – Halle, Hanus, Ibragimova – Bridgewater Hall 1/7/21”

The final event of my weekend in London was an unexpected delight. The Aquinas Piano Trio were performing Haydn’s Piano Trio Op. 40, completed during the final few weeks of Haydn’s second and last trip to London in 1795. The other work was Smetana’s only Piano Trio. It is always exciting to hear a workContinue reading “Aquinas Piano Trio – Haydn and Smetana, Wigmore Hall 27/6/21”

Sorry, this is a bit of a grumble. Yes, I know these are difficult times and that we should be grateful for any live music happening anywhere, but this was still – by the recent standards of the Halle, CBSO and LSO – a remarkably short concert  – just over an hour’s music, Beethoven 2Continue reading “London Mozart Players, Stephanie Childress and Isata Kenneh-Mason, Cadogan Hall, 26/6/21”

I had been intending to go to a performance at Kings Place of the Bach B Minor mass in the evening but that got postponed till October a few days earlier, so I was scrabbling around for other things to go to on Saturday at the last minute. Though I would never have gone toContinue reading “Piccadilly Sinfonietta, St James Piccadilly 26/6/21”

I have never as far as I can remember ever heard the Goldberg Variations played on a harpsichord, though clearly that was the instrument for which it was presumably originally written. It is a very different experience to hear the work played on a piano by, say, Glenn Gould or Andras Schiff (whom I heardContinue reading “Bach Goldberg Variations Steven Devine Kings Place 26/06/21”

This was a world-class concert. Last week the two concerts scheduled by the CBSO had to be cancelled because a member of the orchestra tested positively for Covid. It had earlier been announced that Mirga was ill! This week though everyone was present and correct – and it was a pretty large orchestra (strings hadContinue reading “Weinberg and Mahler, CBSO, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Birmingham 23/6/21”

I am getting a bit embarrassed at all my positive reviews – no doubt in part because of 15 months of lockdown and the absence of live music – but the Opera North performance of Fidelio I saw in Nottingham on June 19th really was quite something! I had originally meant to see it inContinue reading “Opera North: Fidelio: Nottingham, 19/6/21”