Category: Review
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Review – Gounod’s Faust at Opéra Royal, Versailles
Strong voices and competent performances carried a production that appeared not to question the tradition it so readily relied upon.
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Review – Franco Fagioli sings ‘The Last Castrato’ with Orchestra de L’Opera Royale and Stefan Plewniak
A hurried event in which the vocalist led proceedings, the orchestra responded, and director followed with one too many theatrical flourishes.
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Review – Insula Orchestra, Accentus & Monteverdi Choir perform Bach’s B Minor Mass
Equilbey’s first public encounter with Bach was brought to life with care and precision.
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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 defiant. There’s still work to be done, and a timely message for some to keep checking their spam folder.
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Edinburgh International Festival 2026: there’s more to this creative risk than meets the eye
The 2026 Edinburgh International Festival programme is bold, substantial, and confident. And it poses a big uncomfortable question.
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News – Classical Music Magazine to shut down
Mark Allen Group – the publishing house behind many of the UK’s trade and consumer publications in the classical music, opera and music education world – announced today that Classical Music Magazine is shutting down after publication of its Spring 2026 edition.
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An International Piano Competition. In Hastings.
Rachmaninov played in Hastings twice. What the Hastings International Piano Competition does that legacy is a more complicated question.
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Review – Ronnie Scott’s Classical All Stars, Upstairs at Ronnie Scott’s
Ronnie Scott’s Classical All Stars: classical music stripped of its safety net. Deliciously so.
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Review – Pekka Kuusisto and Sam Amidon play Willows at King’s Place
Opportunities to hear Pekka Kuusisto at close range are rare. In the comparatively small auditorium of Kings Place, the qualities that make him such a compelling presence — candour, quick intelligence, and an eagerness to connect — made this a must-attend.
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Review – Owen Wingrave (Britten) – Guildhall School of Music and Drama
GSMD’s staging of Britten’s Owen Wingrave shifts the opera from pacifist tract to generational fable, led by a persuasive central performance from Sonny Fielding.