tue 17/06/2025

David Nice

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Bio
The classical music and opera editor of theartsdesk, David writes, lectures and broadcasts on music. A former music critic for The Guardian and The Sunday Correspondent, he has made regular appearances on BBC Radio 3, not least in the long-running series Building a Library. He has written short studies on Elgar, Richard Strauss, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and the history of opera, and is currently working on the second volume of his Prokofiev biography for Yale University Press. He runs two Zoom lecture series, Opera in Depth on Mondays and a symphonies course on Thursdays.

Articles By David Nice

Prom 31: Dialogues des Carmélites, Glyndebourne, BBC Radio 3 review - full force on air

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Prom 28: Rangwanasha, National Youth Orchestra, Prieto review - playing, and singing, with a swing

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theartsdesk at the Pärnu Music Festival 2023 - small seaside town, biggest roster of top players

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theartsdesk at the Ravenna Festival - invisible cities and possible dreams

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Don Carlo, Royal Opera review - Lise Davidsen soars above routine

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Ligeti Day; Kolesnikov/Tsoy, Aldeburgh Festival review - 14 musicians, 16 premieres and 100 metronomes

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Ariadne auf Naxos, Garsington Opera review - golden thread leads to deep emotion

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Il trovatore, Royal Opera review - heaven and hell

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Happy Days, Landmark Productions, Cork Opera House - to the end of the earth

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Borletti-Buitoni Trust 20th Anniversary Weekend, Bold Tendencies, Wigmore Hall review - dazzling past, present and future

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Dialogues des Carmélites, Glyndebourne review - faith overwhelmed by horror

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theartsdesk in Denmark - celebrating Nielsen in high style

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Princess Ida, OAE, Wilson, QEH review - musical brilliance undermined by textual botch

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Handel for the King, Le Concert Spirituel, Niquet, Wigmore Hall at St James's Spanish Place review - post-coronation celebrations

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Concert Theatre DSCH, Norwegian CO, Oslo Opera House Scene 2 review - Shostakovich choreographed for strings and accordion

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Jerusalem Quartet, Wigmore Hall review - singing to make the heart leap

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