London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Antonio Pappano conductor. Asmik Grigorian, Salome; Michael Volle, Jochanaan; Violeta Urmana, Herodias; Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke, Herod; Niamh O’Sullivan, Page of Herodias; John Findon, Narraboth This was my third Salome in 5 months, which is a bit bonkers really, even though it is a wonderful score. This had the attractions of being: ThisContinue reading “R. Strauss, Salome. LSO, Pappano. Barbican, 13/7/25”
Author Archives: John
Handel, Semele, ROHCG. 30/6/25
Conductor, Christian Curnyn. Semele, Pretty Yende; Jupiter, Ben Bliss; Cadmus/Somnus, Brindley Sherratt; Athamas, Carlo Vistoli; Juno, Alice Coote; Ino, Niamh O’Sullivan; Iris, Marianna Hovanisyan. Director, Oliver Mears; Designer, Annemarie Woods; Lighting designer, Fabiana Piccioli; Movement Director; Sarah Fahie This was the first night of a new production at ROHCG. It has been my greatest musical pleasureContinue reading “Handel, Semele, ROHCG. 30/6/25”
Evgeny Kissin, piano. Barbican, 25/6/25
Bach Partita No 2; Chopin Nocturne No 1, Op 27, Nocturne No 2, Op 21, Scherzo No 4. Shostakovich Piano Sonata No 2, Prelude and Fugue in D-Flat Major, Prelude and Fugue in D-Minor I wanted to go to this recital partly because Kissin is a very significant pianist, and I was keen to hearContinue reading “Evgeny Kissin, piano. Barbican, 25/6/25”
Late Night Song Recital, Wigmore Hall 20/6/25 10pm
Songs by Schumann, Britten, Copland, Dove and others, performed by Nicky Spence tenor; Clare Presland mezzo-soprano; Andrew Matthews-Owen piano; Robert Rinder presenter This was an interesting programme, centred around songs from Schumann’s song cycle Frauenbliebe und Leben. Nicky Spence I know as an ENO Siegmund and a fine tenor in several of the Janacek operasContinue reading “Late Night Song Recital, Wigmore Hall 20/6/25 10pm”
Song Recital, Wigmore Hall 20/6/25 7pm
Benjamin Appl baritone; Simon Lepper piano. Songs by Schubert, Kurtag, Brahms, Liszt and Eisler This was a recital I was looking forward to as a challenge – to explore works new to me. Appl, a much-praised young German singer, was the last student Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau took on, and so Appl has set up a European tourContinue reading “Song Recital, Wigmore Hall 20/6/25 7pm”
Baroque in the North
I had forgotten to review a short concert I went to by a group called Baroque in the North recently I have heard them twice before. There are three players – a harpsichordist, a Baroque cello player and someone who successively plays a baroque violin, a recorder and ‘musette’, a kind of bagpipe. They offerContinue reading “Baroque in the North”
Wagner, The Flying Dutchman. Opera Holland Park. 12/6/25
Paul Carey Jones, The Dutchman; Eleanor Dennis, Senta; Robert Winslade Anderson, Daland; Neal Cooper, Erik; Angharad Lyddon, Mary; Colin Judson, Steersman. Peter Selwyn, Conductor; Julia Burbach, Director; Naomi Dawson, Set Designer; Sussie Juhlin-Wallén, Costume Designer; Robert Price, Lighting Designer. I haven’t been to the Holland Park Opera set-up since 2021 (when I saw excellent productionsContinue reading “Wagner, The Flying Dutchman. Opera Holland Park. 12/6/25”
Wigmore French Song Exchange lunchtime recital, Wigmore Hall 12/6/25
Bethan Terry, soprano; Ellen Pearson, mezzo-soprano; Harun Tekin, tenor; Anton Kirchhoff, baritone. Anna Giorgi, Francesca Lauri,Jia Ning Ng, piano This is apparently the fifth year of the Wigmore French Song Exchange, devised by Dame Felicity Lott and François Le Roux, two great champions of the mélodie, alongside Sebastian Wybrew. The programme offers gifted singers andContinue reading “Wigmore French Song Exchange lunchtime recital, Wigmore Hall 12/6/25”
Brahms, Weinberg. CBS0, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. Symphony Hall, Birmingham. 11/6/25
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, conductor; CBSO, Stephen Waarts, violin. Brahms, Violin Concerto; Weinberg, Symphony No.5 in F Minor The programming of this concert seemed odd – what possible connection could Weinberg and Brahms have? Probably the simple explanation is that the CBSO needed to programme a crowd-pleaser alongside the unknown Weinberg….. I’ve not heard of Stephen Waarts before thisContinue reading “Brahms, Weinberg. CBS0, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla. Symphony Hall, Birmingham. 11/6/25”
Richard Strauss and the Cello – An Afternoon with Alice Neary: Lauderdale House, London
Alice Neary (cello), Sophia Rahman (piano): Richard Strauss Cello Sonata, Op. 6 (1881); Franz Schmidt Fantasy Pieces after Hungarian National Melodies (1892); Richard Strauss Don Quixote finale, Op. 35 (1898) This was a delightful short recital to accompany a relaunching of the UK Richard Strauss Society, a meeting which included a number of prominentContinue reading “Richard Strauss and the Cello – An Afternoon with Alice Neary: Lauderdale House, London”
John's musical journey 