Becoming Victoria Wood explores the tension between public warmth and private difficulty in the making of a singular comic voice….
classical music isn’t difficult. it’s just music.
independent writing about classical music, books, and tv
NEWS & Reviews
Concerts, albums, and video reviews. Familiar, unfamiliar, plus stuff fresh out of the packaging.
New Classical Music Chart Published
Ta Da! The first new Classical Music Chart from the Official Charts Company is dominated by a reassuring presence, but…
Review – Songs of Love and War with Academy of Ancient Music
A searching performance of Monteverdi’s Eighth Book revealed the volatile contrast between externalised war and internally suspended love, culminating in…
From authority to visibility: the new Official Classical Chart
Charts don’t so much lead taste as reflect visibility. The new Official Classical Chart makes that shift explicit and further…
Review – Eurovision Classical Concerts
A selective tour of Europe’s radio orchestras — persuasive in parts, over-engineered in others…
Review – Britten Sinfonia and Stevens & Pound at Milton Court
Britten Sinfonia at Milton Court: inventive collaboration, strong musicianship, and a Holst reworking where ideas occasionally outran focus….
thoroughly good classical music podcast
Interviews with compositions, musicians and producers about the music they love.
224: Lizzie Ball – Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast
- 224: Lizzie Ball
- 223: Mezzo Soprano Katie Bray
- 222: Penelope Appleyard
- 221: Revere Arts' Elise Brown and Class Ceiling
- 220: Composer and Sound Artist Ruby Colley
- 219: Writer Carole Hayman
- 218: Vache Baroque's Betty Makharinsky
- 217: Pianist Clare Hammond and Michael Betteridge
- 216: Aida Lahlou
- 215: RLPO CEO Vanessa Reed
opinion
Thoroughly Good thoughts and reflections on the classical music industry.
Humphrey Burton (1931 – 2025)
Reduce classical music’s exposure and you don’t merely rearrange a schedule — you relegate an art form. No television executive…
Class Ceiling: Data, discomfort and barriers
A day-long conference staged by Revere Arts on access in classical music revealed systemic blind spots, uncomfortable truths and the…
Opinion – The Culture Secretary we never got (and the message that missed the mark)
Thangam Debbonaire — the former shadow culture secretary who missed out on her constituency and the chance to the UK…
dispatches
Stories from in and around where music is heard.
New Year’s Day Concert 2026
Monday can wait. New Year needs to be gently ushered in by stylish people in stylish surroundings….
Notes on Listening
After a day immersed in figures and forecasts, stepping into Wigmore Hall feels like surfacing for air. Here, the discipline…
The Wrong Boat to Venice
A trip to Venice to review a festival. Yet, somewhere between the wrong boat, the gondoliers and a memory from…
beyond classical music on thoroughly good
More writing on books, television, and the arts.
New Year’s Day Concert 2026
Monday can wait. New Year needs to be gently ushered in by stylish people in stylish surroundings….
Review – BBC Proms 2025: The Traitors Prom
Brand tie-ins at the Proms can be clumsy, but The Traitors Prom proved how a crossover event can work. Packed…
Review – Series 3 – The Diplomat
A firm Thoroughly Good favourite. Definitely a three series box set to binge. Full of grand performances….
Review – Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue
A stylish, pacey whodunnit from Anthony Horowitz. Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue balances peril and polish with a touch…
Review – ‘Flesh’ – David Szalay
A fast, hard-hitting novel where emotion lands late and quietly, turning detachment into its own kind of intimacy….
Thoroughly Good
Classical Music | TV | Books
Reviews, insights, and opinions about classical music. Supporting the industry with digital content, leadership training, and consultancy.