Category: Classical Music
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Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the LPO at the Royal Festival Hall review ****
London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Choir, Thierry Fischer, Neville Creed, Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin), William Davies (treble) Royal Festival Hall, 24th March 2018 Igor Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms Violin Concerto in D Credo, Ave Maria, Pater Noster Leonard Bernstein Chichester Psalms I have banged on before about the virtues of Moldovan-Austrian-Swiss,…
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From the House of the Dead at the Royal Opera House review ****
From the House of the Dead Royal Opera House, 22nd March 2018 Now this is it what opera is all about. Not just some portly punters, (though a couple of the chaps here were carrying as much timber as me), parking themselves mid-stage and belting out their arias. No here…
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Carducci Quartet at St John’s Smith Square review ****
The Carducci Quartet St John’s Smith Square, 23rd March 2018 This was the second time I had heard the Carduccis perform the first five Philip Glass string quartets, following their performance at Kings Place as part of the marvellous Minimalism Unwrapped year long festival in 2015. They are, along…
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SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart at Cadogan Hall review ****
SWR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, Sir Roger Norrington, Francesco Piemontesi (piano) Cadogan Hall, 16th March 2018 Ludwig van Beethoven The Creatures of Prometheus Overture, Op 43 Piano Concerto No 3 in C minor, Op 37 Symphony No 3 in E flat major “Eroica”, Op 55 I guess the fashion for all…
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the ENO review *****
A Midsummer Night’s Dream English National Opera, 4th March 2018 Out of a long list of wildly inappropriate events that I dragged BD along to when she was younger perhaps provocateur Christopher Alden’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in this very house was the most egregious. Not because the…
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Satyagraha at English National Opera review ***
Satyagraha English National Opera, 27th February 2018 Finally I have got to see all three of Philip Glass’s seminal operas, Einstein on the Beach (the science-y one), Akhnaten (the religious one) and now this Satyagraha (the political one). Einstein on the Beach was a recreation of the original Robert Wilson…
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SCO Winds at Wigmore Hall review ****
Scottish Chamber Orchestra Wind Soloists Wigmore Hall, 12th February 2018 Beethoven – Sextet in E flat, Op 71 Poulenc – Sonata for clarinet and bassoon Beethoven – Octet in E flat, Op 103 A rare opportunity for completists to hear performances of Beethoven’s Sextet and Octet written for wind instruments.…
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Stravinsky from the LPO at the Royal Festival Hall review ****
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Jurowski, Alexander Ghindin (piano) Royal Festival Hall, 7th February 2018 Igor Stravinsky – Scherzo fantastique, Op 3 Igor Stravinsky – Funeral Song, Op 5 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op 30 Igor Stravinsky – The Firebird (original version) My favourite concert of…
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Nicola Benedetti and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment at the Royal Festival Hall
The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Marin Alsop, Nicola Benedetti Royal Festival Hall, 4th February 2018 Beethoven Symphony No 4 in B flat Beethoven – Violin Concerto in D major “Stardom” in the classical music world is a curious thing. To get there ideally you need to be a…
At Home He Feels Like A Tourist 