Category Archives: Uncategorized

Anna Dennis Bellezza (Beauty); Hilary Cronin Piacere (Pleasure); Hilary Summers Disinganno (Disillusion); Jorge Navarro Colorado Tempo (Time). Christian Curnyn Conductor; Jacopo Spirei Director; Anna Bonomelli Designer This is a work I’ve never heard of before, let alone heard. Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (The Triumph of Time and Disillusion), is Handel’s first oratorio,Continue reading “Handel: Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno. BIF, Buxton Opera House, 11/7/21”

J S Bach Partita No. 6 in E minor, BWV 830; Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 (“Moonlight”); D Scarlatti Three keyboard sonatas: sonata in D major Kk430, sonata in E major Kk380, sonata in C major Kk159; Brahms Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24Continue reading “Angela Hewitt, BIF, St John’s Church Buxton, 10/7/24”

Schubert: Piano Sonatas D958, 959, 960 This is the first time I have sat through a live programme of Schubert’s last 3 sonatas. It is quite an exhausting though also a fascinating and rewarding experience…..I felt drained by the end. Paul Lewis seemed as fresh at the end of the concert as at the beginning.Continue reading “Paul Lewis, BIF, St John’s Church Buxton, 6/7/24”

Schubert: Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor, D537; Piano Sonata No. 9 in B, D575[ Piano Sonata No. 18 in G, D894 5 July was of course the day after the General Election polling day and as I had been at the local count all night and didn’t get to bed till 6am IContinue reading “Paul Lewis, Buxton International Festival (BIF), St John’s Church Buxton, 5/7/24”

Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, Pekka Kuusisto director, violin This was described on the South Bank website as ‘showcasing theworks of Shostakovich, DSCH is a musical experience fusing theatre, lightingand visual elements to challenge the traditional concert form’.  Hmmm, I thought, but having heard and enjoyed broadcasts of some of Kuusisto ‘s Proms performances over the lastContinue reading “DSCH,  QEH, 30/6/24”

Conductor Alexander Soddy; Fiordiligi, Golda Schultzr; Dorabella, Samantha Hankey; Ferrando, Daniel Behle; Guglielmo, Andrè Schuen; Don Alfonso, Gerald Finley; Despina, Jennifer France.  Director, Jan Philipp Gloger; Revival Director, Oliver Platt; Set Designer, Ben Baur; Costume Designer, Karin Jud, Lighting Designer, Bernd Purkrabek I was not planning to go to this but then decided to campaignContinue reading “Mozart, Cosi Fan Tutte: ROHCG, 29/6/24”

Britten: Curlew River – A Parable for Church Performance, Op.71. Ian Bostridge tenor, Willard White baritone, Duncan Rook bass-baritone; Marcus Farnsworth., baritone Chorus of Britten Pears Young Artists, Deborah Warner director; Audrey Hyland music director; Christof Heter, designer. This was the first of two performances to mark the 60th birthday of the work, first seenContinue reading “Aldeburgh Festival: Britten, Curlew River. Blythburgh Church, 21/6/24”

Unsuk Chin: Cello Concerto; Bruckner: Symphony No.7 in E . BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra: Alban Gerhardt cello, Ryan Wigglesworth conductor I have never been to the Aldeburgh Festival before – ever – and the last time I went to Snape Maltings was late October 1990 for a chamber music concert. I don’t wear this asContinue reading “Aldeburgh Festival: BBCSO, Wiggleworth – Bruckner, Snape Maltings, 20/6/24”

Director, David Mcvicar; Set Designer, Robert Jones; Costume Designer, Jenny Tiramani; Lighting Designer, Adam Silverman.  Andrea Chénier, Jonas Kaufmann; Maddalena Di Coigny, Sondra Radvanovsky; Carlo Gérard, Amartuvshin Enkhbat; Bersi, Katia Ledoux; The Incredibile, Alexander Kravets; Roucher, Ashley Riches; Contessa Di Coigny, Rosalind Plowright; Pietro Fléville, William Dazeley; The Abbé, Aled Hall Since my posting aboutContinue reading “Giordano, Andrea Chenier – Screening at Sheffield Odeon from ROHCG, 11/6/24”

Mark Wigglesworth. Conductor; Lydia Steier, Director; Momme Hinrichs, Set design and video; Andy Besuch, Costume design; Olaf Freese, Lighting design. Lise Davidsen, Salome; Johan Reuter, Jochanaan; Gerhard Siegel, Herodes; Ekaterina Gubanova, Herodias; Pavol Breslik, Narraboth I have never been to an opera in Paris before, and don’t have a clear idea of how the set-upContinue reading “R. Strauss, Salome  – Opera Bastille, Paris, 25/5/24”