GRAMOPHONE: Rags The Musical – Original London Cast Recording
I have always been unreasonably fond of Charles Strouse and Stephen Schwartz’ Rags and would have given my right arm to have seen the great Teresa Stratas as Rebecca at one of the handful of performances (it…
COMPARING NOTES: Julian Ovenden in Conversation
Actor and singer Julian Ovenden chats to Edward Seckerson about the postponed revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s ‘South Pacific’ in Chichester, performing Sondheim in London and Paris, working for Harvey Weinstein on Scott Frankel and Michael Korie’s…
COMPARING NOTES: John Owen-Jones in Conversation
West End and Broadway star John Owen-Jones chats with Edward Seckerson about his two best-known roles, Jean Valjean in Les Misérables and the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, his vocal process, and his love of…
COMPARING NOTES: Michael Xavier in Conversation
West End and Broadway leading man Michael Xavier discusses starring opposite Glenn Close in Sunset Boulevard in London and New York, his working processes for theatre and film, and his MX Masterclasses for aspiring young performers.… [Read…
GRAMOPHONE Review: Bernstein Mass – Vojtěch Dik, etc., ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra/Russell Davies
It is a truth universally acknowledged that I think this to be a masterpiece – perhaps Bernstein’s most significant, and certainly his most creatively virtuosic, work. But it is also his most challenging stylistically and for a…
GRAMOPHONE: From Where I Sit – April 2020
As some readers may be aware, a significant proportion of my journalism these days is given over to a favourite format – the live public interview. As I write this column an exciting four days beckon during…
GRAMOPHONE Review: Malloy Octet – Original Cast Recording
It will probably come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the weird and wonderful work of Dave Molloy that this so-called ‘Chamber Choir Musical’ is an extraordinary confection. I listened to it on the same day…
GRAMOPHONE Review: ‘Wien’ – Jonas Kaufmann, Rachel Willis-Sørenson, Vienna Philharmonic/Fischer
If you’re watching the calories, stop reading now. This evocative collection of Viennese sweetmeats, of wine, women, song and Sachertorte, does not countenance the notion of abstinence. Kaufmann’s love affair with Vienna – City of Dreams –…
GRAMOPHONE: From Where I Sit – July 2019
A number of years ago, during the run of my erstwhile BBC Radio 3 show Stage and Screen, I took to the stage of the Royal Opera’s Linbury Theatre with the soprano Renée Fleming for an in-depth…
Howard Goodall in conversation with Edward Seckerson
Thursday 3rd October 2019 7.30pm Bishopsgate Institute. Howard Goodall is a musician of many facets – composer, writer and TV presenter. He’s the Emmy, BRIT and BAFTA Award-winning composer of classic TV favourites such as The Vicar…
