
Turnage, Nielsen, and Kidane: bold sounds, sharp messages, and orchestral firepower

Bach’s Markus-Passion from Dunedin Consort: phenomenal, enthralling, and profound

Speak of the North is evocative, immediate, and unmistakably Higgins Full transparency: I’m a big fan of Gavin Higgins’ work. Colourful, energetic, and thoughtful, Higgins has a knack for handling material that meets the need, meets his need, and meets the needs of the audience. In Speak of the North, he’s built on the strengths…

This was the first programme with music by Britten in this year’s Aldeburgh Festival, performed by the Knussen Chamber Orchestra made up of musicians from the Royal Academy of Music and Royal College of Music with guest section leaders including Laura van der Heijde and Scott Dickinson. The premiere of Helen Grime’s song cycle Folk…

Pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu and mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean’s Solitude with Schubert was a powerful meditation that bound audience and performer close in the shared acknowledgement of grief, articulated by the musical language of Schubert’s bittersweet writing. Originating as a response to restrictions of lockdown, Fu’s exploration of Schubert was at first a creative response to…

A beautifully coordinated work, craft and musical ingenuity, easy to admire, with a hint of ambiguity thrown in too.

Imo’s modest retreat with its rich musical legacy—now officially recognised.

Programming details for next year’s Aldeburgh Festival (13th – 29th June 2025) sees a series of commissions that underline the reputations of many British composers whose names form an important part of the UK’s classical music scene.

Profoundly moving and deeply personal. Gweneth Ann Rand and Simon Lepper’s Aldeburgh performance of Messiaen’s Harawi was incredible.

A fast-paced opera complete with revelations and tragic consequences, Weir’s work was a fitting choice for the first day of the 75th Aldeburgh Festival.