Classical & Opera
Classical review: Barbara Hannigan, LPO, Jurowski, Royal Festival Hall, London
"For us, this is going to be the most demanding programme of the year," said Vladimir Jurowski in his prefatory chat. But the concert
BBCSO/Denève – review
Barbican Hall, London Most music inspired by childhood isn't really for children at all. Poulenc's ballet Les Animaux Mod
Classical review: Budapest Festival Orchestra - Bohemian rhapsody marred by clash of styles
In 2011, Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra played two BBC Proms in one night. The first was a meticulously disciplined programme of Liszt and Mahler, the second a jamboree of party pieces and encores, selected by raffle from a list of...
Wozzeck
Carrie Cracknell's Wootton Bassett Wozzeck is the most assured ENO debut for years, giving us a vision of Berg’s masterpiece that chills to the bone.
La Donna Del Iago
In his biography of Rossini, Richard Osborne says of La donna del lago that it’s “ill-suited to larger houses, however grand the piece can be made to seem scenically.”
Aridadne auf Naxos
News leaked out about Glyndebourne’s season-opener, a new production of Richard Strauss’s delicious confection Ariadne auf Naxos, a few days in advance of the first night, setting up quite an expectation of what was to come.
Nina Stemme: 'I am always questioning myself - could it be better?'
The Swedish soprano is the outstanding Isolde and Br
La Bohème – review
Opera productions are changeable things. Some decline in quality after their opening run, others don't cohere until revival time. Jonathan Miller's English National Opera staging of La Bohème falls into the latter category. It was deemed baffling when...
Classical review: Wozzack, The Helmand years
Three years ago, on a train to Newcastle, I met a young soldier on leave from Helmand.