Norn 1: Ingeborg Børch; Norn 2: Mae Heydorn; Norn 3: Jillian Finnamore; Siegfried: Peter Furlong; Brünnhilde: Catharine Woodward; Hagen: Simon Wilding; Gunther: Andrew Mayor; Gutrune: Justine Viani; Alberich: Oliver Gibbs; Woglinde: Jillian Finnamore; Wellgunde: Elizabeth Findon; Flosshilde: Mae Heydorn; Waltraute: Catherine Backhouse; Ben Woodward: Music Director and Conductor; Caroline Staunton: Director; CJ Heaver: Producer ThreeContinue reading “Wagner: Gotterdammerung. Regents Opera, York Hall Bethnal Green: 2/3/25”
Tag Archives: classical-music
Wagner: Siegfried. Regents Opera, York Hall Bethnal Green: 27/2/25
Siegfried: Peter Furlong; Mime: Holden Madagame; Wanderer: Ralf Lukas; Fafner: Craig Lemont Walters; Alberich: Oliver Gibbs; Woodbird: Corinne Hart; Brünnhilde: Catharine Woodward; Erda: Mae Heydorn; Ben Woodward: Music Director and Conductor; Caroline Staunton: Director; CJ Heaver: Producer . Siegfried: Peter Furlong; Mime: Holden Madagame; Wanderer: Ralf Lukas; Fafner: Craig Lemont Walters; Alberich: Oliver Gibbs; Woodbird:Continue reading “Wagner: Siegfried. Regents Opera, York Hall Bethnal Green: 27/2/25”
Turnage: Festen, ROHCG, 24/2/25
Director, Richard Jones; Set designer, Miriam Buether; Costume designer, Nicky Gillibrand; Lighting designer, Lucy Carter; Edward Gardner, conductor. Cast – Christian, Allan Clayton; Michael, Stéphane Degout; Helge, Gerald Finley; Else, Rosie Aldridge; Helena, Natalya Romaniw; Helmut. Thomas Oliemans; Grandma, Susan Bickley; Mette, Philippa Boyle; Gbatokai, Peter Brathwaite; Linda, Marta Fontanals-Simmons; Chef, Aled Hall; Lars, JulianContinue reading “Turnage: Festen, ROHCG, 24/2/25”
Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro, ENO, 17/2/25
Ainārs Rubiķis, Conductor; Joe Hill-Gibbins, Director; Johannes Schütz, Set Designer; Astrid Klein,Costume Designer; Matthew Richardson, Lighting Designer.Cast: Mary Bevan,Susanna; David Ireland, Figaro; Neal Davies, Dr Bartolo; Rebecca Evans, Marcellina; Hanna Hipp, Cherubino; Hubert Francis, Don Basilio / Don Curzio; Nardus Williams, Countess Almaviva; Cody Quattlebaum, Count Almaviva; Trevor Eliot Bowes, Antonio; Ava Dodd, Barbarina ThisContinue reading “Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro, ENO, 17/2/25”
Leonkoro Quartet; Stoller Hall, Manchester, 5/2/25
Haydn String Quartet, Op. 50 No. 5 ‘Dream’; Berg Lyric Suite for String Quartet; Ravel String Quartet Op. 35 This String Quartet was founded in Berlin in 2019 and in 2022 they were awarded first prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet competition. The name means ‘Lionheart’ in Esperanto…….. This was a varied concert.Continue reading “Leonkoro Quartet; Stoller Hall, Manchester, 5/2/25”
Mahler 2, Halle, Wong: Bridgewater Hall, 16/1/25
Kahchun Wong conductor, Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha soprano, Sarah Connolly mezzo-soprano, Hallé Choir, Hallé Youth Choir: Mahler Symphony No.2, ‘Resurrection’ I first heard Mahler 2 live in 1968, with Haitink, and have been to many fine performances since – it’s a work that seems to bring out the best in performers and, really, I can sayContinue reading “Mahler 2, Halle, Wong: Bridgewater Hall, 16/1/25”
Brahms, LSO, Rattle: Barbican, 9/1/25
Boulez, Éclat; George Benjamin, Interludes and Aria from Lessons in Love and Violence (world premiere); Brahms Symphony No 4. London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle conductor; Barbara Hannigan soprano It was nice to be back in a concert hall after 4 weeks with no live music. This was not a very generous concert, time-wise [thoughContinue reading “Brahms, LSO, Rattle: Barbican, 9/1/25”
Messiaen, BBC Philharmonic: Bridgewater Hall, 12/12/24
Messiaen Des canyons aux étoiles…Ludovic Morlot, conductor; Martin Owen, horn; Steven Osborne piano Following on from Tuesday’s performance -of La Rondine, I was reflecting on how relatively few years there are between the writing of, say, Turandot and Messiaen’s ‘From the Canyons to the Stars’…no more than about 50 years. That is well within theContinue reading “Messiaen, BBC Philharmonic: Bridgewater Hall, 12/12/24”
Pfitzner, Palestrina. Wiener Staatsoper, 5/12/24
Pius IV, Günther Groissböck; Giovanni Morone, Michael Nagy; Bernardo Novagerio, Michael Laurenz; Cardinal Christoph Madruscht, Wolfgang Bankl; Carlo Borromeo, Wolfgang Koch; Palestrina, Michael Spyres; Ighino, Kathrin Zukowski; Silla, Patricia Nolz. Conductor, Christian Thielemann; Director, Herbert Wernicke; Design and Lighting, Herbert Wernicke I spent the late morning and early afternoon in a bit of a pilgrimageContinue reading “Pfitzner, Palestrina. Wiener Staatsoper, 5/12/24”
Elizabeth Brauss, piano. Wigmore Hall, 2/12/24
Bach, Capriccio in B flat (Capriccio on the Departure of his Most Beloved Brother) BWV992; Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 26 in E flat Op. 81a ‘Les Adieux’; Schumann, Geistervariationen WoO. 24; Prokofiev, Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat Op. 83 This recital was entitled ‘Farewell‘ to give it a thematic link – a descriptiveContinue reading “Elizabeth Brauss, piano. Wigmore Hall, 2/12/24”
John's musical journey 