Royal Albert Hall
Prom 3, BBC Young Musician at 40 review - multi-layered birthday cakeMonday, 16 July 2018
How do you go about co-ordinating a spectacular like this, the first ever BBC Young Musicians' Prom? With 23 brilliant soloists from clarinettist Michael Collins, not even the winner of the first event 40 years ago, to 16-year-old Lauren Zhang, who... Read more... |
Prom 1, BBCSO, Oramo review – spectacular First Night of the PromsSaturday, 14 July 2018
The First Night of the Proms is always a tricky one to programme, bringing together themes of the season, perhaps a new work and, most importantly, a grand finale. This year’s Prom No. 1 ticked all the boxes, and without feeling like pick-n-mix. It... Read more... |
Pick of the 2018 BBC Proms: women composers first and last, blockbuster BernsteinThursday, 12 July 2018
Let's be honest, this is the least interesting Proms season on paper for years, at least in terms of adventurous repertoire choices, following on the heels of the best in 2017. Yet in statistical terms it's more comprehensive and multi-media-... Read more... |
Ismaili a Go-Go: How the Aga Khan funded a music renaissanceTuesday, 19 June 2018
Many of us recognise that rather striking modernist building in Cromwell Gardens near South Kensington tube, having seen it on the way to the V&A or perhaps a Prom at the Albert Hall but not been sure what it is exactly. I hadn't actually been... Read more... |
Joan Baez, Royal Albert Hall review - diamonds, but no rustWednesday, 30 May 2018
2018 has become a year of farewells as a mighty handful of musicians who have, in their different ways, defined popular music bow out. Among them is Joan Baez, a star on the Harvard Square coffeehouse scene when she made her unannounced debut at the... Read more... |
Gregory Porter, Royal Albert Hall review - impressive first night for the Nat King Cole & Me tourTuesday, 03 April 2018
It was 2011 when Gregory Porter made his first London appearances at Pizza Express in Dean Street. That club has a capacity just over 100, and yet it only seems like yesterday. Last night that same honeyed voice was filling the cavernous 5,272-... Read more... |
Cirque du Soleil - OVO, Royal Albert Hall review - fantastical creatures, heart-in-mouth thrillsThursday, 11 January 2018
For their eighth debut at the Royal Albert Hall, mesmerising French-Canadian performance art company Cirque du Soleil takes the audience on a journey into the world underfoot.As if minfied to the size of Wayne Szalinski's children in the 1989 film... Read more... |
Best of 2017: Classical concertsWednesday, 27 December 2017
Did Simon Rattle's return to the UK as Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra live up to the hype? Mostly, and when it did, the music-making was superbly alive. But it's vital to observe that another orchestra and chief conductor have... Read more... |
Robert Plant, Royal Albert Hall review - the voice remains the sameSaturday, 09 December 2017
“Back in the Sixties, before I was born…” Robert Plant has always been as amusing a raconteur as he is a deft weaver of different musical styles, and last night’s show at the Royal Albert Hall was no exception. In amid the music – which jumped... Read more... |
Jools Holland and José Feliciano, Royal Albert Hall review - giving the audience what they expectSaturday, 25 November 2017
It really is quite something to be admired, the sheer longevity and staying power of the Jools Holland franchise. The TV show Later...With Jools Holland, with the same core team running it, has just celebrated its 25th anniversary and put its 51st... Read more... |
Last Night of the Proms review: Stemme, BBCSO, Oramo - international array, abundant blue and goldSunday, 10 September 2017
The Last Night of the Proms is always a beautifully choreographed event, and this year’s was no exception. The format changes little, but each year a new selection of works is chosen to fill the slots. The BBC Symphony Orchestra, always the backbone... Read more... |
Prom 74: Ax, Vienna Philharmonic, Tilson Thomas review - elegance without passionSaturday, 09 September 2017
The Vienna Philharmonic makes a beautiful sound, no question about that: the question is what to do with it. Michael Tilson Thomas has some ideas, but they are mostly low-key. He is currently touring with the orchestra, and seems to have been chosen... Read more... |
