Classical music
Mahler 2, LPO, Gardner, RFH review - an interpretation of superlative resonance and clarityMonday, 25 September 2023
Epic and intimate, philosophically anguished and rhapsodically transcendent, Mahler’s "Resurrection" Symphony remains one of the most mountainous challenges of the orchestral repertoire. For the opening of the Southbank’s new season Edward Gardner... Read more... |
Mad Rush, Carol Williams, RFH review - a rainbow of organ coloursMonday, 25 September 2023
Big Ben was chiming the quarter-hour as I hit the South Bank side of the river after a not terribly inspiring Remain rally in Parliament Square. What delight, then, to hear the wacky and wonderful Carol Williams playing Vierne’s “Carillon de... Read more... |
The Ossianic Ballads, Edinburgh Quartet, Màiri MacMillan, National Library of Scotland review - good ingredients get lost in the mixMonday, 25 September 2023
To coincide with the National Library of Scotland’s first bi-lingual exhibition Sguel/Story, an exhibition in English and Scottish Gaelic which celebrates stories and storytelling, the library presented a performance of newly reinterpreted Gaelic... Read more... |
First Person: conductor Edward Gardner on some of his questions and obsessions about Mahler's 'Resurrection' SymphonyFriday, 22 September 2023
“If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music.”“What is best in music is not to be found in the notes.”With these two quotations from Mahler, I already feel like putting my pen down. I had... Read more... |
Mahler 9, Hallé, Elder, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - beginning a celebrationFriday, 22 September 2023
For someone who said when he first took the helm at the Hallé that he “didn’t do much Mahler”, Sir Mark Elder has a pretty good track record. He’s conducted all the symphonies except one over 20 or so years at the Bridgewater Hall, and two of them... Read more... |
First Person: 'America's sweetheart organist' Carol Williams on running the musical gamutThursday, 21 September 2023
I have always had a fascination with concert programmes. I did my Doctorate thesis on this subject. I remember vividly as a youngster attending many uninteresting programmes and thinking “there has to be more exciting, exhilarating, interesting... Read more... |
Frang, Bayerisches Staatsorchester, Jurowski, Barbican review - on the summitTuesday, 19 September 2023
These days British orchestras count themselves lucky if they can see, and plan, five years ahead. In Bavaria they do things rather differently. As the ducal court ensemble, and later the house band of the Munich opera, the Bayerisches... Read more... |
First Person: the Bayerisches Staatsorchester's Managing Director Guido Gärtner on its 500th anniversaryTuesday, 19 September 2023
Nine cities in seven countries; all in all, eleven concerts, on top of that, an appearance at home in Munich. Celebrating its 500th anniversary, the Bayerisches Staatsorchester is currently on an extended journey. We have been looking forward with... Read more... |
Brahms Piano Sonatas, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Wigmore Hall review - when giants meetMonday, 18 September 2023
To master even one of Brahms’s three early sonatas is a colossal task for any pianist. To play them all with towering authority in a single concert takes a phenomenon. Elisabeth Leonskaja seems just that more than ever in her late 70s; not only is... Read more... |
Fatma Said, Tim Allhoff, Lafayette Club review - from Fauré to the Middle East and backMonday, 18 September 2023
It’s proving to be an extraordinary year for Cairo-born soprano Fatma Said, one of the most exciting musicians to bridge the gap between the Arab and the Western classical music worlds. This April she made her debut at the Carnegie Hall, while as... Read more... |
Denk, Danish String Quartet, Wigmore Hall review - metaphysical strings, the piano as chameleonSaturday, 16 September 2023
Few pianists manage stylistic perfection in both Mozart and Ligeti, but to Jeremy Denk it seems to come naturally. We should have heard the riveting contrasts in quick first-half succession, but European air traffic control had wasted much of the... Read more... |
Aimard, Concerto Budapest SO, Keller, Cadogan Hall review - lords of the danceSaturday, 16 September 2023
The Zurich International series at Cadogan Hall has turned into a horizon-expanding stage on which to catch those visiting orchestras that don’t always claim top billing in bigger venues. The hall’s welcoming acoustic shows off the sound and style... Read more... |
