Category Archives: Uncategorized

Director, John Cox; Designer, David Hockney; Conductor, Kerem Hasan; Anne Trulove, Nardus Williams; Tom Rakewell, Frederick Jones; Nick Shadow, Sam Carl; Mother Goose, Fiona Kimm; Baba The Turk, Rosie Aldridge My eyes almost popped out of my head a few months ago when I saw that Glyndebourne were touring their venerable production of the Rake’sContinue reading “Stravinsky – The Rake’s Progress: Glyndebourne Touring Opera, Milton Keynes, 10/11/21”

In between La Traviata at Covent Garden and The Rakes Progress in Milton Keynes I went to a surprisingly enjoyable lunchtime recital at St Olave’s church near Fenchurch St station. This was given by young Colombian coloratura soprano Meliza Metzger. accompanied by Michelle Chow. There were arias by Mozart, Rossini and Donizetti, and two ofContinue reading “Metzger/Chow – St Olave’s Church, Aldgate; 10/11/21”

Director, Richard Eyre, Designer, Bob Crowley; Conductor, Antonello Manacorda; Violetta, Lisette Oropesa; Alfredo, Liparit Avetisyan; Germont, Christian Gerhaher This was the first ‘live’ Traviata I’ve been to since the one at Covent Garden in the 70’s when Ileana Cotrubas was Violetta in a new production, though I did see a film of the current ROHCGContinue reading “Verdi – La Traviata; ROHCG, 9/11/21”

Britten, Ireland and others: settings of poetry by Thomas Hardy; Finzi: Song cycle: Before and After Summer: Roderick Williams, baritone, Christopher Glynn, piano; also for a few songs Gareth Brynmor John, part of the ‘Momentum: Our Future, Now’ initiative I wondered why there was such assiduous queuing going on for this event – people startedContinue reading “Britten, Ireland, Finzi and others: Roderick Williams, Crucible Studio, Sheffield 4/11/21”

Mendelssohn A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Scherzo, Nocturne, Intermezzo, Wedding March; Ryan Wigglesworth Piano Concerto; Schumann Symphony No.2.  Ryan Wigglesworth conductor, Marc-André Hamelin piano, Halle Orchestra This was my first time in Sheffield City Hall for, I think, almost two years……I was struck again by its very dead acoustic; in the space after a loud orchestralContinue reading “Mendelssohn, Wigglesworth, Schumann: Sheffield City Hall, Wigglesworth, Hamelin, Halle – 3/11/21”

Obviously, 92 is a good and very advanced age to get to, and so, in a sense, it wasn’t very surprising to hear that Bernard Haitink had died, on Friday. But it is still sad to see another part of my teenage years of coming to classical music – and always thereafter –passing away, afterContinue reading “RIP, Bernard Haitink”

MARTINŮ  Nonet; VITKAUSKAITÉ Nanga (world premiere); DVOŘÁK  Piano Quintet No.2 in A Op.81: Ensemble 360 This was an enjoyable concert that involved most of the members of what I guess you might call a chamber music collective, Ensemble 360 (declaration of an interest: one of them is a near neighbour of mine). The Martinu workContinue reading “Martinu/Vitkauskaite/Dvorak: Ensemble 360, Crucible Studio, Sheffield – 22/10/21”

Halle Orchestra – Lera Auerbach, Icarus; Walton, Cello Concerto; Copland, Symphony No.3 Gemma New conductor • Laura van der Heijden cello I hadn’t come across the name of Lera Auerbach before. She’s a prolific Russian/American artist, not only a composer but also a conductor, pianist, a published poet and an exhibited visual artist. Her shortContinue reading “Auerbach, Walton, Copland – Halle, New, Bridgewater Hall 21/10/21”

Thomas Ades / composer and conductor; Wayne McGregor/choreography; designs/Tacita Dean;  lighting designer/ Lucy Carter; dramaturg/ Uzma Hameed I am not a balletomane, and I have never been to the ballet at Covent Garden before. My reason for going to this performance was mainly to hear the music for The Dante Project, composed, and, on thisContinue reading “The Dante Project/Ades: Royal Ballet, ROHCG, 16/10/21”

Bach – Mass in B Minor, played by the Feinstein Ensemble with the London Bach Singers: Martin Feinstein , conductor Bach’s B Minor Mass is a piece I have never heard in the concert hall before now….. except, that is, on an occasion when I sung in it (almost 50 years ago). I was recruitedContinue reading “London Bach Singers / Feinstein: Bach Mass in B Minor – Kings Place 15/10/21”