Mental disintegration demands energy which this event didn’t always have. But when it counted – as in Peter Maxwell-Davies 8…
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.
Wigmore Hall Live on Apple Classical
Wigmore Hall Live is on Apple Classical. Yay….
Podcast: 229 Franco Fagioli
Time with the most playful of interviewees, Franco Fagioli, recorded in Versailles in March 2026. Fagioli appears with Orchestra de…
Podcast: Christophe Rousset on Lully, Mozart, and playing with rules
Christophe Rousset is a harpsichordist, conductor, and founder of Les Talens Lyriques. In this conversation, recorded in Paris, he talks…
News – The Ivors goes big(ger): same(ish) room, different crowd
In years gone by, The Ivors Classicals had an ebullience that felt earned — a room full of people who…
Review – Lise Davidsen and James Baillieu at Bergen International Festival 2026
Together, Lise Davidsen and James Baillieu slow down time. Everyone holds their breath….
Review – Alexander Gadjiev at Troldhaugen, Bergen 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…
thoroughly good classical music podcast
Interviews with compositions, musicians and producers about the music they love.
290: Franco Fagioli – Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast
- 290: Franco Fagioli
- 289: Christophe Rousset on Lully, Mozart, and playing with rules
- 228: Aldeburgh & Snape 50 years after Britten's death
- 227: Claire Booth
- 226: Huw Watkins
- 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
opinion
Thoroughly Good thoughts and reflections on the classical music industry.
Wigmore Hall Live on Apple Classical
Wigmore Hall Live is on Apple Classical. Yay….
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…
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…
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Reviews, insights, and opinions about classical music. Supporting the industry with digital content, leadership training, and consultancy.