Admitting ignorance builds trust, but only in moderation. What the Joe Tidy pile-on says about expertise, credibility and classical music….
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 – Mark Simpson’s Piano Concerto / Tamara Stefanovich / London Philharmonic Orchestra
Mark Simpson’s Piano Concerto shows you everything he loves. Loud, ambitious, and all at once….
The unexpected reach of the Santa Cruz Symphony Orchestra
The Santa Cruz Symphony’s music director is programming the season, conducting the concerts and, it seems, designing the posters. The…
Review – Chromatica Orchestra with Oliver Cope & Sarang Seohyun Kim
Chromatica’s new principal conductor is a likeable lead with an endearing conducting style. Permission granted to demand more….
Review – NDR PHilharmonie Hannover at Cadogan Hall
The NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover played Brahms 2 at Cadogan Hall like a one-take studio recording: nothing left to chance, yet…
Podcast 242: Gavin Higgins and Mark Simpson introduce Higgins’ new clarinet concerto
Gavin Higgins: It’s a clarinet concerto. It’s just a very big clarinet concerto….
Composer Max Richter secures Ivors Innovation Award 2026
Commercial-savvy Richter’s Ivors Award for ingenuity and impact meets the brief…
George Fenton (1949 – 2026)
A great man with a phenomenal craft for compression and the ability to summon a moment in a moment for…
Review – ‘Nature’s Dance’ (Cameron Biles-Liddell) – BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Cameron Biles-Liddell’s new harp concerto Nature’s Dance: an entertaining and polished affair….
thoroughly good classical music podcast
Interviews with composers, musicians and producers about the music they love.
243: Roderick Williams, Ben Parry & Garth Bardsley – Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast
- 243: Roderick Williams, Ben Parry & Garth Bardsley
- 242: Gavin Higgins & Mark Simpson
- 241: Nigel Short on 25 years of Tenebrae
- 240: Fran Wilson's 'Facing the Music'
- 239: Eleanor Alberga & Thomas Bowes
- 238: Jessica Walker
- 237: Three Choirs 2026 in Gloucester with composer Grace Evangeline-Mason
- 236: Guy Johnston on Britten’s Cello Symphony
- 235: Pianist Beatrice Nicholas
- 234: Laura Bowler and the Cheltenham Music Festival's Composer Academy
Classical Music | TV | Books
Reviews, insights, and opinions about classical music. Supporting the industry with digital content, leadership training, and consultancy.