Category: Review
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Beethoven 2 & 3 from Norrington and the OAE at the QEH, and the Beach Boys
Exhilarating Norrington. Epic Beethoven. Brilliant.
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Beethoven 5 and 7 from Andrew Manze and the NDR Philharmonie
Beethoven isn’t my go-to composer. Never has been. There’s nothing wrong per se about the man’s music. There is melody. There’s drama. In his symphonic works especially the textures in his orchestral writing are highly satisfying. The problem is (or maybe it’s not a problem) I admire the creative achievement in the same way I…
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London Chamber Orchestra plays Waley-Cohen, Mozart and Sibelius at Cadogan Hall
Discovering Sibelius 3 for the first time and hearing George Li play Mozart 23 via monitors. A difficult evening what with my hacking cough, but the LCO are really very good.
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Review: Amadeus Chamber Orchestra play Bach Keyboard Concertos
The Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio with their conductor Anna Duczmal-Mróz are a modest but proud bunch with a fierce attention to detail. They play a joint programme with the London Mozart Players in concerts this coming weekend in London and Edinburgh. Their concert on Sunday 17 November in Poznan was an interesting highlight…
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Review: Joby Burgess plays Alex Groves at CLF Art Cafe
Alex Groves continues to show his creative and producer mettle with SOLO which combined with his gentle affability must surely project him and his work higher and higher.
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Review: Lambeth Wind Orchestra and saxophonist Rob Burton play Rhapsodies and Fantasias
A demanding programme of unfamiliar and invigorating works for wind orchestra including a cracking show piece for saxophonist Rob Burton.
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Review: Matthew Whiteside’s ‘Entangled’
This may not be what Matthew wants to hear, but Entangled is the perfect soundtrack for the Halloween newbie.
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Review: Opera Holland Park’s Into the Light
If you don’t reach for a tissue in the first thirteen minutes then you’re a cold-hearted bastard.
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Review: Der Freischütz conducted by Laurence Equilbey featuring Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Johanni van Oostrum, and Chiara Skerath
An inventive thought-provoking production with captivating contributions from Johanni van Oostrum, the Insula Orchestra, and one or two illusionists.
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Review: Alexandra Dariescu and the Moscow Philharmonic play Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 2 and Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet
I was cutting things a little fine arriving in my seat panting and sweating just as the first chord of Tchaikovsky’s Overture to Romeo and Juliet sounded. By its inclusion – 5 minutes longer than the billed duration – my heart rate had reduced and my face and neck had dried off. Conductor Yuri Simonov…