Anthony Marwood violin; Coleman Itzkoff cello; Aleksandar Madžar piano. Shostakovich, Violin Sonata Op. 134; Tchaikovsky, Piano Trio in A minor Op. 50 As i travelled to London for an evening Wigmore Hall concert, prior to moving on the next day to Paris, I found myself thinking about the dire state of British politics. In frontContinue reading “Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Wigmore Hall 23/2/26”
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Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte. ENO, 19/2/26
Dinis Sousa conductor; Phelim McDermott, director; Tom Pye, designer; Laura Hopkins, costumes; Paule Constable, lighting. Lucy Crowe, Fiordiligi | Taylor Raven, Dorabella | Joshua Blue, Ferrando | Darwin Prakash, Guglielmo | Andrew Foster-Williams, Don Alfonso | Ailish Tynan, Despina plus circus skills ensemble I had heard good things about this production – 19th century NaplesContinue reading “Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte. ENO, 19/2/26”
Thyrsus Trio: St Pancras Church, lunchtime, 19/2/26
Thyrsus Trio, Schubert Trio No. 1 in B-flat major D.898 The thyrsus, a quick check with Wikipedia suggests, is a kind of staff used in rituals “ typically associated with the Greek god Dionysus (and his subsequent Roman equivalent Bacchus) as a symbol of prosperity, fertility, and hedonism.”. It has to be said that StContinue reading “Thyrsus Trio: St Pancras Church, lunchtime, 19/2/26”
Weill/Brecht: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. ENO, 18/2/26
André de Ridder, conductor; Jamie Manton, director; Milla Clarke, designer; DM Wood, lighting designer. Cast: Rosie Aldridge, Leokadja Begbick; Kenneth Kellogg, Trinity Moses; Mark Le Brocq Fatty the Bookkeeper; Richard Trey Smagur, Jimmy MacIntyre; Alex Otterburn, Bank-Account Billy; Elgan Llŷr Thomas, Jack O’Brien; David Shipley, Alaska Wolf Joe; Danielle de Niese, Jenny Smith; Zwakele Tshabalala,Continue reading “Weill/Brecht: Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. ENO, 18/2/26”
Shostakovich/Beethoven: Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall. 12/2/26
Halle Orchestra, Kahchun Wong conductor; Jan Vogler cello. Unsuk Chin, subito con forza; Shostakovich Cello Concerto No.1; Beethoven Symphony No.3, ‘Eroica This was a very absorbing and first-rate concert. I have never heard a live performance of the Shostakovich concerto before. And, actually and oddly, in fact I’ve not heard that many performances of theContinue reading “Shostakovich/Beethoven: Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall. 12/2/26”
Consone Quartet, Music in the Round, Sheffield Crucible – 10/2/26
C Schumann (Arr. Tress) Three Romances; Mozart String Quartet in C ‘Dissonance’; Schubert String Quartet No.13 ‘Rosamunde’ The Corsone Quartet I thought I’d heard before and a bit of digging around my memory and the internet reminded me that I had heard them play some Mendelssohn chamber music in Sheffield about 18 months ago, andContinue reading “Consone Quartet, Music in the Round, Sheffield Crucible – 10/2/26”
Bruckner, RLPO, Hindoyan – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, 6/2/26
Schubert: Overture, Rosamunde; Saint-Saens, Cello Concerto No 1; Bruckner, Symphony no 6. Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductor Domingo Hindoyan; Guy Johnston, cello It must be nearly 10 years since I last heard Bruckner 6 live (in the distinguished hands of Barenboim and the Berlin Staatskapelle, at the RAH Proms), so I was keen to goContinue reading “Bruckner, RLPO, Hindoyan – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, 6/2/26 “
From Versailles to Leipzig via Venice: BBC Philharmonic, RNCM, 30/1/26
Lully Suite from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme; Bach Selections from The Art of Fugue; Vivaldi Concerto for Two Trumpets; Bach Concerto for Oboe and Violin; Rameau Selections from Les Indes Galantes, Naïs, Hippolyte et Aricie, and Dardanus. BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Jonathan Cohen director; Tom Fountain, Gwyn Owen trumpets; Jennifer Galloway oboe; Zoë Beyers violin I don’tContinue reading “From Versailles to Leipzig via Venice: BBC Philharmonic, RNCM, 30/1/26”
Bartok, BBC Philharmonic, Bihlmaier, Bridgewater Hall, 24/1/26
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Anja Bihlmaier conductor’ Jennifer Johnston – Judith; Christopher Purves -Bluebeard. Boulanger D’un soir triste; Kodály Dances of Galánta; Bartók Bluebeard’s Castle This was a very enjoyable concert, and well programmed too. The Boulanger piece seemed to have thematic and harmonic links with the Bartok piece at times, and shared a similarly gloomyContinue reading “Bartok, BBC Philharmonic, Bihlmaier, Bridgewater Hall, 24/1/26”
The Makropoulos Case, Janacek – concert performance, LSO/Rattle, Barbican 15/1/26,
London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle conductor; Marlis Petersen Emilia Marty; Aleš Briscein Albert Gregor; Jan Martiník Dr Kolenatý; Peter Hoare Vitek; Svatopluk Sem Baron Jaroslav Prus It’s a strange piece of programming to have this concert performance (the 2nd of two) happening only two months after the ROHCG production of the same work. However……thisContinue reading “The Makropoulos Case, Janacek – concert performance, LSO/Rattle, Barbican 15/1/26,”
John's musical journey 