BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgårds conductor, Simone Lamsma violin. Rautavaara, Cantus Arcticus; Sibelius, Violin Concerto; Nielsen, Symphony No. 5 This was an absorbing concert and one I enjoyed very much. It also had quite a full and very appreciative audience. The BBC Philharmonic sounded glorious – really at the top of their game, and thisContinue reading “Nielsen, Storgårds: BBC Philharmonic, Bridgewater Hall, 16/5/26”
Tag Archives: classical-music
Bach, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, South Bank Centre 9/5/26
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier Book 2, BWV.870-893 It is a bit of a shock to the system – auditory, mental, emotional – to sit down and listen to two and a quarter-ish hours of Bach piano music, 48 separate pieces, which are without any sort of narrative or clear structure (unlike theContinue reading “Bach, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, South Bank Centre 9/5/26”
Tchaikovsky, Halle Orchestra, Elder – Bridgewater Hall, 7/5/26
Halle Orchestra, Sir Mark Elder conductor. Kostas Smoriginas baritone. Hallé Choir, Matthew Hamilton, choral director. Stravinsky Song of the Nightingale; Rachmaninov Spring; Glinka, Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture; Tchaikovsky Symphony No.2 This was a nicely designed programme featuring a couple of rarely heard works (and unknown to me) and a popular symphony (which, despite that popularity, I don’t think I’ve everContinue reading “Tchaikovsky, Halle Orchestra, Elder – Bridgewater Hall, 7/5/26”
Bartholomew LaFollette & Friends, Conway Hall, London. 26/4/26
Bartholomew LaFollette, ‘cello; Hyeyoon Park, violin; Caroline Palmer, piano. Nadia Boulanger; Three Pieces for cello & piano; Rachmaninoff, Cello Sonata in G minor Op.19; Schubert, Piano Trio in E flat D929 I’ve never been to the Conway Hall before. According to its website it is “a hub for ethical thought and dialogue since it openedContinue reading “Bartholomew LaFollette & Friends, Conway Hall, London. 26/4/26”
‘Hidden Gems’ of French Baroque Music, Ensemble Molière, Wigmore Hall, 26/4/26
François Collin de Blamont, Diane et Endymion, overture; Sébastien de Brossard, Sonate en Trio in E minor SdB. 220; Michel Corrette Sonata in B flat Op. 20 No. 4 ‘Les délices de la solitude; Louis-Gabriel Guillemain, Sonata in A minor Op. 17 No. 6; François Couperin, La sultane; Jean-François Dandrieu, Sonata in G minor Op.Continue reading “‘Hidden Gems’ of French Baroque Music, Ensemble Molière, Wigmore Hall, 26/4/26”
Wozzeck, Berg: LPO, Gardner, Royal Festival Hall, 25/4/26
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Edward Gardner conductor; Stéphane Degout, Wozzeck; Annette Dasch, Marie; Peter Hoare, Captain; Brindley Sherrat, Doctor; Christopher Ventris, Drum Major; Eirik Grøtvedt, Andres; Kitty Whately, Margret; Adrian Thompson, The Fool. London Voices Comments come to mind about London buses…. but I booked this a year ago, long before I knew about the ViennaContinue reading “Wozzeck, Berg: LPO, Gardner, Royal Festival Hall, 25/4/26”
Vaughan Williams, Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall 16/4/26
Tarmo Peltokoski conductor; Silja Aalto soprano; Huw Montague Rendall baritone; Hallé Choir Matthew Hamilton, choral director, Hallé Youth Choir Stuart Overington, director. Mahler, Rückert-Lieder; Vaughan Williams Symphony No.1, ‘A Sea Symphony’ This was a somewhat odd piece of programming on the face of it – though obviously the Rückert-Lieder are broadly contemporary with the SeaContinue reading “Vaughan Williams, Halle Orchestra, Bridgewater Hall 16/4/26”
Vinci, Alessandro Nell ‘Indie: Theater an der Wien, 10/4/26
Orkiestra Historyczna, Arnold Schönberg Chor. Conductor, Martyna Pastuszka. Director, Max Emanuel Cencic. Alessandro: Maayan Licht; Cleofide: Bruno de Sá; Poro: Dennis Orellana; Erissena: Jake Arditti; Gandarte: Stefan Sbonnik; Timagene: Nicholas Tamagna Quite apart from the wish to see this production, I was also very interested to see the Theater an der Wien itself – thisContinue reading “Vinci, Alessandro Nell ‘Indie: Theater an der Wien, 10/4/26”
Berg, Wozzeck: Wiener Staatsoper, 9/4/26
Wozzeck, Johannes Martin Kränzle; Drum Major, Dmitry Golovnin; Captain, Jörg Schneider; Doctor, Dmitry Belosselskiy; Marie, Marlis Petersen. Conductor, Franz Welser-Möst; Director, Simon Stone; Designer, Bob Cousins; Costumes, Alice Babidge; Lighting, James Farncombe I spent an interesting morning at the Central Cemetery visiting musical graves – found after a bit of an effort on my partContinue reading “Berg, Wozzeck: Wiener Staatsoper, 9/4/26”
Roderick Williams song recital, Wigmore Hall, 6/4/26
Songs from Schubert, Die schöne Müllerin D795 plus Butterworth, Loveliest of trees; Trimble, Green Rain; Vaughan Williams, The vagabond; Boyle, A Song of Enchantment; Finzi, Overlooking the River; Vaughan Williams, The Water Mill; Clarke, Down by the salley gardens; Head, Tewkesbury Road; Vaughan Williams, Silent Noon; Quilter, Brown is my love; Finzi, He abjures love; Continue reading “Roderick Williams song recital, Wigmore Hall, 6/4/26”
John's musical journey 