In a recent and far-reaching exchange with the conductor John Wilson (for an audio podcast to be found on You Tube) the names George Szell and Sir John Barbirolli (celebrated in the July edition) dominated our conversation…

I might have predicted that this of all the Mahler symphonies would chime with Osmo Vänskä’s very particularly gifts as a conductor. The brilliance and clarity of this performance (and recording – BIS technical prowess much in…

This is a performance of such distinction that regardless of one’s personal view of the piece – that is, exactly how objective or subjective you want or need your Mahler to be and whether you favour an…

It’s always interesting getting feedback on reviews published within these pages whether there is agreement or a difference of opinion – these things are so subjective. It’s been a while, though, since a review of mine prompted…

In June I reviewed – none too favourably – an account of Mahler’s tragic and prophetic Sixth Symphony from the Essen Philharmonic Orchestra under their General Music Director Tomáš Netopil which was the third recording in recent…

If there’s one factor above all that sets these performances apart it’s the osmosis between soloist and conductor. There’s a musical and intellectual friction going on here and it has to do with the balance between head…

I love the analogy Richard Rodney Bennett made when describing his multi-faceted career as ‘Different rooms, albeit in the same house’ – adding almost as a throw-away that he might have (unceremoniously) knocked down some of the…