I was a little late to the party in respect of Vladimir Jurowski’s scintillating new recording of the original 1877 version of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake with the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia (Yevgeny Svetlanov’s orchestra) but…
As each instalment of John Wilson’s recorded tribute to his friend and mentor Richard Rodney Bennett is revealed the realisation (to those of us who didn’t already know) that this extraordinarily complete musician could do absolutely anything…
‘You’ve kept those of us who grew up in the same years feeling young; you’ve kept those older than you correctly infuriated, and you’ve been a lighthouse of consistency…We depend on you and love you and trust…
Last month’s comprehensive celebration of Riccardo Chailly (not least his four decades at Decca) has prompted me to reflect on a number of personal encounters and to think again about the very particular qualities that make this…
I honestly can’t remember hearing a performance of this extraordinary symphony which was so plainly in love with its ethos, its originality, its sonority. Ivan Fischer reads ‘the small print’ of the score with such thoroughness that…
We’ve come to expect a clear-sighted brilliance and technical excellence from this series. It’s become something of a benchmark in that respect. The Tenth Symphony arrived like a whirlwind to kick things off and there have been…
In preparation for a public encounter with the astute and ever-enquiring Vladimir Jurowski on the subject of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen my mind goes back to the first time I saw the film of Patrice Chereau’s…
Of all Lerner and Loewe’s Broadway shows – and it’s a small but perfectly formed list – Brigadoon has to be my favourite. My Fair Lady is undoubtedly one of only a handful of musicals that could…
What we have here is the epitome of what we Brits call a ‘Marmite’ experience with elements to love and/or loathe whether or not you buy the concept in the first place. Joyce DiDonato’s fans will, of…
You would surely expect an Italian to tap into the heat and ardour of Tchaikovsky’s fate-fuelled Fourth Symphony – but ‘heavy and unyielding’ is all that I took away from Noseda’s decidedly unremarkable performance. A sternness prevails…
