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”
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Auerbach, Walton, Copland – Halle, New, Bridgewater Hall 21/10/21
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”
The Dante Project/Ades: Royal Ballet, ROHCG, 16/10/21
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”
London Bach Singers / Feinstein: Bach Mass in B Minor – Kings Place 15/10/21
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”
Bruch, Widmann, Kurtag, Mozart – LSO St Luke’s: Tamestit, Widmann, Braley
Bruch Eight Pieces for Clarinet, Viola and Piano Nos 2, 4, 5 & 6; Jörg Widmann Fantasie; György Kurtág Hommage à Robert Schumann; Mozart Trio for Clarinet, Viola and Piano in E-flat major, ‘Kegelstatt’: Antoine Tamestit viola; Jörg Widmann clarinet; Frank Braley piano This was a really lovely chamber music concert, at lunchtime in LSOContinue reading “Bruch, Widmann, Kurtag, Mozart – LSO St Luke’s: Tamestit, Widmann, Braley”
Satyagraha / Glass – ENO at the London Coliseum: 14/10/21
Sean Panikkar (M.K. Gandhi), Musa Ngqungwana (Lord Krishna), William Thomas (Parsi Rustomji), Felicity Buckland (Kasturbai), James Cleverton (Mr Kallenbach), Sarah Pring (Mrs Alexander), Ross Ramgobin (Prince Arjuna), Gabriella Cassidy (Miss Schlesen). Conductor: Carolyn Kuan, Director: Phelim McDermott, Revival Director: Peter Relton, Set Designer/Associate Director: Julian Crouch Unwittingly – sort of – I had booked myselfContinue reading “Satyagraha / Glass – ENO at the London Coliseum: 14/10/21”
Mozart – The Magic Flute: ROHCG, 07/10/21
Conductor, Richard Hetherington. Cast – Tamino, Bernard Richter; Pamina, Christina Gansch; Papageno, Peter Kellner; Queen of the Night, Aleksandra Olczyk; Sarastro, Krzysztof Baczyk; Monostatos, Peter Hoare; Papagena, Alexandra Lowe. Director, David McVicar (Revival Director, Daniel Dooner); Designer. John Macfarlane Both Jenufa the previous evening and this performance of the Magic Flute were extremely well attended.Continue reading “Mozart – The Magic Flute: ROHCG, 07/10/21”
Svyatoslav Antipov, piano: Liszt, Chopin&Ravel – St Olave’s, Hart St, London EC3
Mr Antipov graduated from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, BMus (Hons) Performance, in 2017. He has performed widely in the UK since then with local music societies and events. This was a lunch hour concert I caught sight of on the internet, as I was in London for Jenufa and the MagicContinue reading “Svyatoslav Antipov, piano: Liszt, Chopin&Ravel – St Olave’s, Hart St, London EC3”
Janacek – Jenufa: ROHCG 6/10/21
Conductor-Henrik Nánási: cast – Jenufa: Asmik Grigorian; Kostelnicka: Karita Mattila; Laca: Nicky Spence; Števa: Saimir Pirgu. Director: Claus Guth; Set designer, Michael Levine This was exactly the sort of performance and production which should give opera a good name among those who expect from it standards of acting, production and design similar to those you’dContinue reading “Janacek – Jenufa: ROHCG 6/10/21”
Wagner/Gubaidulina/Elgar: Halle / Skride/Elder – Bridgewater Hall, 30/9/21
Sir Mark Elder conductor | Baiba Skride violin: Wagner, Lohengrin: Prelude to Act I; Sofia Gubaidulina, Offertorium; Elgar, Symphony No.1 This time at the Bridgewater Hall the Halle orchestra seemed to have a ‘normal’ full orchestra on stage – 10 cellos. 8 double basses. The Halle made a glorious sound in the Elgar, and theContinue reading “Wagner/Gubaidulina/Elgar: Halle / Skride/Elder – Bridgewater Hall, 30/9/21”
John's musical journey 