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”
Tag Archives: classical-music
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”
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”
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,”
Handel, Messiah (extracts). Palau de la Música, Barcelona. 11/1/26
Irene Mas, soprano; Daniel Folqué, alto; Roger Padullés, tenor; Josep-Ramon Olivé, baritone; Cor de Cambra de Granollers; Vespres d’Arnadí; Xavier Puig, conductor The principal purpose of my visit to Barcelona was to hear Lise Davidsen singing the role of Isolde for the first time, but I am also taking in this concert of Messiah extracts andContinue reading “Handel, Messiah (extracts). Palau de la Música, Barcelona. 11/1/26”
Thalassa Piano Trio, Regent Hall, 9/1/26
Thalassa Piano Trio. Beethoven, Piano Trio Op 70, no 2; Babajamian, Piano Trio in F# minor As often has been the case over the past few years, I have found myself planning to be at a Wigmore Hall recital – because there’s always something interesting happening there – the night before setting off on theContinue reading “Thalassa Piano Trio, Regent Hall, 9/1/26”
Live concert and opera highlights I have been to in 2025
It’s been another extraordinary year for high quality classical music performances I’ve attended. These are my top ten performance highlights, in no particular order: 1. Mahler Symphony No 2: Wong, Halle, Bridgewater Hall 2. R.Strauss, Arabella: Runnicles, Deutsche Oper Berlin 3. Wagner, Die Walkure: Pappano,. ROHCG 4. R.Strauss, Die Liebe der Danae: Bayern Staatsoper, Schager/Bystrom/MaltmanContinue reading “Live concert and opera highlights I have been to in 2025”
John's musical journey 