Together, Lise Davidsen and James Baillieu slow down time. Everyone holds their breath….
classical music isn’t difficult. it’s just music.
independent writing about classical music, books, and tv
NEWS, REVIEWs, & LATEST
Concerts, albums, and video reviews. Familiar, unfamiliar, plus stuff fresh out of the packaging.
Review – Alexander Gadjiev at Troldhaugen, Berlin International Festival
A compelling Grieg playlist prepares the ground for Ravel and Messiaen. Mussorgsky’s Pictures needed a bigger room….
Review – Turangalîla Symphony at Bergen International Festival with Esa-Pekka Salonen
a rare glimpse at the cosmos at the moment of creation, destruction, or maybe its 21st birthday….
Review – Peter Grimes (Royal Opera House, 2026)
Rarely has a production left me quite so unsettled — its already bleak ending is made more so when it’s…
Daniel Harding and Elim Chan?
Two US orchestra appointments have raised an eyebrow….
🔒Podcast: Aldeburgh, Snape & Britten’s festival 50 years after his death
Fifty years after Britten’s death, Aldeburgh and Snape still honour the composer’s legacy. But how has the site, the Festival…
Keeping Thoroughly Good, Thoroughly Good
No patron. No institution. Just keeping the lights on with a Ko-Fi tip….
Review – Britten Sinfonia: Britten in America at Norfolk and Norwich Festival 2026
A concert, an anniversary, a building. This was Norwich quietly reasserting its place in the composer’s story….
Review – Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine at Sheffield Chamber Music Festival
How do we react when connection breaks down and our world disintegrates? We likely respond as though the world isn’t…
thoroughly good classical music podcast
Interviews with compositions, musicians and producers about the music they love.
227: Claire Booth – Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast
- 227: Claire Booth
- 226: Huw Watkins
- 225: Gen Z, Gen A, and Forgotten Older People
- 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
opinion
Thoroughly Good thoughts and reflections on the classical music industry.
Daniel Harding and Elim Chan?
Two US orchestra appointments have raised an eyebrow….
Opinion – The numbers don’t build the audience. Trust does.
A recent wide ranging online article about classical music’s digital content ‘turn’ stops short of the detail that actually matters…
RPS Awards 2026: Classical is a sector that knows what it wants
The Royal Philharmonic Society Awards were a stylish affair full of wit, polish and verve. Classical music as self-assured and…
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.
🔒Podcast: Aldeburgh, Snape & Britten’s festival 50 years after his death
Fifty years after Britten’s death, Aldeburgh and Snape still honour the composer’s legacy. But how has the site, the Festival…
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…
Thoroughly Good
Classical Music | TV | Books
Reviews, insights, and opinions about classical music. Supporting the industry with digital content, leadership training, and consultancy.