by Sara Miller
Last Sunday afternoon, the soprano Yvonne Kenny and her accompanist Iain Burnside transformed the Wigmore Hall into a small haven for the gods. They presented…
by Dominic McHugh
In his second concert with the London Symphony Orchestra, Yuri Temirkanov juxtaposed two youthful works by Mahler and Prokofiev. And the talented Paul Watkins made...
by Dominic McHugh
After the high spirits of last week’s Beethoven cycle with Bernard Haitink, the London Symphony Orchestra under Russian maestro Yuri Temirkanov had a lot to...
by Gareth Webb
This was a very big night for Scottish Opera.For over a year the company has been dark and extremely quiet, presenting no staged productions in...
by Dominic McHugh
The second offering in Opera North’s varied summer season is that epitome of operatic finesse, Mozart’s Figaro.Although not quite matching the musical or scenic standards...
by Dominic McHugh
track listingDVD 1. Acts 1 + 2DVD 2. Act 3 + interviewsThere are a fair few DVDs of La traviata around, but this new release...
by Dominic McHugh
Despite being a product of his maturity – it was written years after his most popular three operas – Puccini’s La rondine (The Swallow) continues...
by Dominic McHugh
After his triumph in last year’s performances of Wagner’s Die Walkre, the King of Opera is back in London and this time he’s sporting a...
by Dominic McHugh
It takes a really great orchestra to play Beethoven’s first and last symphonies with equal conviction in the same programme.Under Bernard Haitink, the London Symphony...
by Sara Miller
The London Symphony Orchestra has innovatively combined with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to present all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas as free...
by Helen Wright
First performed in 1607, Claudio Monteverdi’s masterpiece Orfeo wasn’t quite the first opera written – that honour goes to Peri’s Dafne – but it’s testament...
by Dominic McHugh
Can Haitink’s Beethoven get any better? This was the question on many lips during the interval at the fifth concert in the Amsterdam-born conductor’s complete...
by Dominic McHugh
Bernard Haitink’s Beethoven cycle with the London Symphony Orchestra is already synonymous with music-making of the highest quality.During this fourth concert in the series, however,...
by Yangen Xu
Easter would hardly be Easter without a performance of Handel’s Messiah. And this rendition, given by the Royal Choral Society and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at...
by Yangen Xu
Shostakovichs graduation work, his First Symphony in F minor Op. 10, was written when the composer was at the tender age of 20. The London...
by Yangen Xu
I owe all my readers and the LSO an apology for being late to this concert. Due to major delays on the tube, I had...
by Helen Wright
It’s a long time since I’ve been helpless with laughter at an opera house. I blame the sheep.Actually it happened more than once – and...
