Classical Reviews
Edinburgh International Festival 2019: Colin Currie Group, BBCSSO, Dausgaard/DiDonato, NYO-USA, PappanoSaturday, 10 August 2019
With Peter Gynt, the National Theatre’s “reboot” of Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, topping the drama bill at the Edinburgh Festival hotfoot from London, it was almost obligatory to find a space somewhere in the music programme for Grieg’s famous incidental music from 1876. But what would you put in the rest of the programme? Read more... |
Prom 30: The Warner Brothers Story, John Wilson Orchestra review – orchestral richesSaturday, 10 August 2019
Wisecracks can be profound. The late André Previn – who spent most of the period from his late teens to his mid-thirties working in film studios – once responded to a critic’s snub that the music of Korngold all sounded like Hollywood with the line: “No, Hollywood music all sounds like Korngold.” Read more... |
theartsdesk at Incontri in Terra di Siena: galloping concertos and Stravinsky by starlightSaturday, 10 August 2019
July in Tuscany and the heat is intense. Oak-forested hills offer tempting shade; pale dust flies from the roads; in the houses curtains are drawn against the ferocious sun and around irrigated gardens the mosquitos are growing plump. Read more... |
Prom 28: BBCNOW, Otaka review - fantastical choral expeditionFriday, 09 August 2019
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales’ second consecutive night at the Proms, accompanied by their associated National Chorus, ventured further out of the classical mainstream than the first. Read more... |
Prom 26: BBCNOW, Stutzmann review – a banquet of fervent favouritesThursday, 08 August 2019
Not every Prom has to push musical boundaries or bust concert conventions. On the face of it, last night’s programme from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (and National Chorus of Wales) stuck to a thoroughly traditional recipe. Two familiar 19th-century orchestral warhorses cantered out for the first half, followed by a beloved choral blockbuster delivered by massive forces who engendered a big, hearty, hall-filling – dare I say Victorian? – sound. Read more... |
Prom 25: Gabetta, BBCSO, Stasevska review – stunning Weinberg debutWednesday, 07 August 2019
This concert from the BBC Symphony Orchestra marked the first performance of composer Mieczysław Weinberg at the Proms, an important milestone in the recent surge of interest of his music. Read more... |
Prom 23: Floristán, BBC Philharmonic, Gernon review - concerto lacks heftTuesday, 06 August 2019
Ben Gernon is only 30 (and looks about ten years younger) but has been Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic since 2017. Read more... |
Prom 20: Kuusisto, BBCSSO, Dausgaard review – Sibelius between folk and artMonday, 05 August 2019
I’m not quite sure that I should review this Prom, since I performed in it. Before anyone summons the white coats, let me clarify. As the encore to a mind-expanding evening, Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto returned to the stage with his band of folk musicians. He asked the audience to hum a sort of drone, and then sing open-mouthed, as they sung and played a traditional song. How did we do? OK, I thought. Read more... |
Edinburgh International Festival 2019: Mahler's 'Resurrection' Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Dudamel - detailed judgment day canvasSunday, 04 August 2019
Since time immemorial the Edinburgh International Festival has started with a juicy choral epic designed to show off the Festival Chorus and the opulent Usher Hall. So this performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony would normally have been billed as the opening concert. Read more... |
Prom 18: Andsnes, Mahnke, Skelton, BBCSO, Gardner review – all passion spentFriday, 02 August 2019
It’s a curiosity of music that a performance can occasionally be better – more persuasive and impressive – than the work itself. Even Britten’s most devoted advocates would find it hard to rank the Piano Concerto among his masterpieces. Read more... |
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