Classical Review of the Year 2006

2006 was the year of the big anniversary, as orchestras and opera houses went head to head in celebrating the 250th and 100th birthdays of,...

Francesca Zambello

American opera and theatre director Francesca Zambello’s productions have been seen the world over.From La bohme in the round at the Royal Albert Hall to...

Will Todd

It’s been a busy year for composer Will Todd, his projects including an off-Broadway musical, an opera world premiere at Gateshead and another for Welsh...

Classical and Opera Preview: November-December 2006

The clocks have turned back and winter’s here.But there’s no need to despair: some of London’s best concerts and opera productions might just help you...

Steve Reich

When the musical style known as Minimalism began to take hold in thelate 1960s it would have seemed almost inconceivable that, 40 years on,whole weekends...

Dominique Le Gendre and Yuval Zorn

A special excitement is gathering around the Royal Opera’s next production it’s the world premiere of an opera that has been several years in development.Bird...

Milka Ternina Exhibition

If there is such a thing as the ‘ideal Tosca’, the name that springs to mind is that of Maria Callas. Less familiar to those...

Katie van Kooten

American soprano Katie van Kooten has benefited from her time on the Royal Opera’s Young Artists Programme even more than most.Back in November 2004, only...

Kurt Streit

American tenor Kurt Streit is something of a rarity in the opera world: he is both a specialist in a particular repertoire (Mozart) and a...

BBC Symphony Orchestra: 2006-7 Season Preview

Jiri Belohlavek’s first full season as chief conductor of the BBCSymphony Orchestra shows promise in a series of concerts that reaffirms theensembles commitment to contemporary...

Shostakovich at 100

Monday, 25th September will mark the exact centenary of the birth ofDmitri Shostakovich, who has latterly become one of the most influentialand most performed composers...

Classical Music in Budapest: Summer 2006

This was not the most ideal time to sample musical life in Hungary as the summer holiday period was still not quite over.Nevertheless, there was...

John Tomlinson

The leading Wotan of his generation, Sir John Tomlinson has sung at Bayreuth every year since 1988 and has appeared regularly at the two London...

Dennis O’Neill

Welsh tenor Dennis O’Neill can truly be called one of the operatic all-time greats.Since 1979, he’s appeared in nearly every season at the Royal Opera...

Piotr Beczala

In recent seasons, Piotr Beczala has appeared as the Italian Tenor in Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier and as the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto, both to...

Interview: Rory Macdonald

Since becoming a member of the Royal Opera House’s Young Artists scheme in September 2004, Stirling-born conductor Rory Macdonald has assisted leading conductors Antonio Pappano...

London Concerts and Opera Preview: September-October

After the Proms die down, things are back to normal in London, with the start of new seasons from most companies.The Royal Opera offers an...

Preview: BBC Proms 2006

With 90 concerts and over 120 events, the BBC Proms 2006 are the highpoint of the classical music calendar.Celebrations of the anniversaries of Mozart and...

Preview: BBC Proms 2005

This year the BBC Proms have reached the ‘Nelson’ figure: 111 not out, and showing signs of strengthening each year.This term there are 74 concerts...