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”
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Dark Century. LPO. Royal Festival Hall, 27/11/24
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrey Boreyko conductor; Gidon Kremer violin; Alexander Roslavets bass, narrator, London Philharmonic Choir. Schoenberg: A Survivor from Warsaw, Op.46; Weinberg: Violin Concerto in G minor, Op.67; Shostakovich: Symphony No.13 in B flat minor (Babi Yar) for bass, chorus & orchestraThe background, in a sense, to this concert is the book by JeremyContinue reading “Dark Century. LPO. Royal Festival Hall, 27/11/24”
Handel Messiah. Westminster Abbey 26/11/24
Choir of Westminster Abbey, Academy of Ancient Music; Andrew Nethsingha, conductor; Anna Dennis, soprano; Tristram Cooke, countertenor; Simon Wall, tenor; Jonathan Brown, bass. Going to this event was a matter of happenstance. I had hoped to be going to the L’Elisir D’Amore production at ENO but had wrongly written down the date of the showContinue reading “Handel Messiah. Westminster Abbey 26/11/24”
Verdi, Rigoletto. ENO, 21/11/24
Weston Hurt, Rigoletto; Yongzhao Yu, Duke of Mantua; Robyn Allegra Parton, Gilda; William Thomas, Sparafucile; Amy Holyland, Maddalena; David Kempster, Monterone. Richard Farnes, Conductor; Jonathan Miller, Director; Elaine Tyler-Hall, Revival Director; Patrick Robertson and Rosemary Vercoe, Designers; Ian Jackson-French, Revival Lighting Designer; Tommy Shaw, Choreographer This is a very famous – and now elderly –Continue reading “Verdi, Rigoletto. ENO, 21/11/24”
Tim Horton, piano: Sheffield, St Marie’s Cathedral. 8/11/24
Mozart 12 Variations ‘Ah Vous Dirai-Je, Maman’ K265; Schoenberg Drei Klavierstücke Op.11; Haydn Piano Sonata In D Hob.Xvi:42; Brahms Drei Intermezzi Op.117; Beethoven Piano Sonata No.23 Op. 57 ‘Appassionata’ This was a interestingly planned recital aimed at demonstrating links between the 1st and 2nd Viennese Schools via Brahms. It also took in several examples ofContinue reading “Tim Horton, piano: Sheffield, St Marie’s Cathedral. 8/11/24”
BBC Symphony Orchestra: Busoni. Barbican 1/11/24
Grazyna Bacewicz Symphony No 2; Ferrucio Busoni Piano Concerto. BBC Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo conductor; Kirill Gerstein piano; BBC Symphony Chorus (lower voices) This was a great treat – two works I have never heard live before and one which was completely new to me! The Busoni concerto I have listened to a few timesContinue reading “BBC Symphony Orchestra: Busoni. Barbican 1/11/24”
Halle Orchestra, Wong. Bruckner. Bridgewater Hall, 26/10/24
Kahchun Wong conductor, Bruckner Symphony No.9 – four movement version with fourth movement revised by Dr John A Phillips This was an exciting occasion for me. I had grumbled in February that Nathalie Stutzman’s performance of the usual 3 movement Bruckner 9 with the LSO was not using one of the completed versions of theContinue reading “Halle Orchestra, Wong. Bruckner. Bridgewater Hall, 26/10/24”
MITR – Consone Quartet, Mendelssohn. St Matthew’s, Carver St, Sheffield. 26/10/24
Mendelssohn: String Quartet in E flat (1823); Scherzo from Four Pieces Op.81; String Quartet in E minor Op.44 No.2 plus to follow Mendelssohn Roundtable, with Consone Quartet & Laura Tunbridge The blurb of the Consone Quartet’s web site says that they are the ‘first period instrument string quartet to be selected as BBC New GenerationContinue reading “MITR – Consone Quartet, Mendelssohn. St Matthew’s, Carver St, Sheffield. 26/10/24”
Beethoven, Fidelio. ROHCG. 16/10/24
Director, Tobias Kratzer; Designer, Rainer Sellmaier; Lighting designer, Michael Bauer; Video designer, Manuel Braun. Conductor, Alexander Soddy. Cast – Leonore, Jennifer Davis; Florestan, Eric Cutler; Rocco, Peter Rose; Marzelline, Christina Gansch; Jaquino, Michael Gibson; Don Pizarro, Jochen Schmeckenbecher; Don Fernando, Phillip Rhodes I saw this production on BBC TV during lockdown – it had beenContinue reading “Beethoven, Fidelio. ROHCG. 16/10/24”
Halle Orchestra, Wong – Britten and Mahler: Bridgewater Hall, 26/9/24
Britten The Prince of the Pagodas: Suite arranged by Colin Matthews and Kahchun Wong; Mahler Symphony No 1 ‘Titan’; Kahchun Wong conductor, Halle Orchestra Kahchun Wong is Singaporean, aged 38 and has been chief conductor of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the Japan Philharmonic, and now the Halle, as well as being principal guest conductor ofContinue reading “Halle Orchestra, Wong – Britten and Mahler: Bridgewater Hall, 26/9/24”
John's musical journey 