Preview: Opera Holland Park 2016

While one of the joys of going to see a summer opera at Glyndebourne, Garsington, Grange Park or West Green House is the act of...

Obituary: Peter Maxwell Davies (1934–2016)

“He’s either quite brilliant or mad” Thus said Violet Carson in 1950 of the young Peter Maxwell Davies, following his submission of an early composition...

Interview: David Bruce

On February 25th, Glyndebourne Opera stages the premiere of Nothing, a new opera by David Bruce, the composer of The Firework Maker’s Daughter. It’s based...

Preview: Southbank Centre puts youth and the future at the heart of the 2016/17 season

The Southbank Centre’s Artistic Director, Jude Kelly, declares that “everyone should have access to classical music,” and the centre’s commitment to this is shown by...

Spotlight: All change at The Grange

For lovers of ‘country house opera’ there have been few more eagerly anticipated experiences than that offered by Grange Park Opera: wobbling down that rutted,...

Preview: Glyndebourne Tour 2015

On October 10th, Glyndebourne begins its season of touring operas, with three productions which will be taken from the main house on to Canterbury, Norwich,...

Retrospective: BBC Proms 2015

As this season’s BBC Proms came to a close, it seemed that a retrospective look at them was in order – some thoughts on the...

Preview: Glyndebourne’s new Macbeth comes to Covent Garden

On Wednesday September 9th, as part of ‘Deloitte Ignite,’ the annual festival which begins the Royal Opera Season, a new chamber opera based on Shakespeare’s...

Preview: Handel’s Saul @ Glyndebourne Festival Opera

Barrie Kosky, who is making his Glyndebourne debut with the house’s first production of Handel’s Saul this week, says in the programme that when you...

Q&A: Kate Royal

On July 5th, Glyndebourne will present Fiona Shaw’s award-winning production of Britten’s chamber opera The Rape of Lucretia; when first seen as part of the...

Q&A: Edgaras Montvidas

The Lithuanian tenor Edgaras Montvidas sings Belmonte in Glyndebourne’s new production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, which opens this weekend. He found time to...

Interview: Bruno Ravella

­­­ Next Saturday, June 6th, Garsington Opera at Wormsley unveils its new production of Richard Strauss’ Intermezzo, an eagerly anticipated outing for this too-rarely performed...

Classical Spotlight: Glyndebourne’s General Director goes to the Proms

The appointment of David Pickard as Director of the BBC Proms is a move which is sure to delight and dismay. Delight, because anyone who...

Preview: Opera Holland Park 2015 Season

While Glyndebourne, Garsington, Grange Park and West Green House all offer that peerless summer opera experience, there is one venue in the heart of London...

Preview: BBC Proms 2015

The 2015 season is the 120th anniversary of the world’s largest and longest-running music festival, with 92 concerts over two months. As ever, the programme...

Preview: Royal Opera 2015-16 Season

The Royal Opera’s Music and Opera Directors, and its Chief Executive were full of enthusiasm and not lacking a little touch of pride when they...

Spotlight: Glyndebourne 2015 – getting tickets and making the most of it

Public booking for the 2015 Festival opens just after midnight on Monday March 9th, and there are six productions in the season, beginning on May...

Preview: Royal Opera stages its first-ever production of 20th century masterpiece banne...

On March 10th the Royal Opera House will present Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, arguably one...

Preview: Wigmore Hall’s 2015-16 Season

There’s nothing for it – sometime in early September we shall simply have to climb up into the loft, retrieve the horribly socky sleeping bags...

Preview: Southbank Centre announces its 2015-16 Season

We are constantly being told that Classical Music is dead or dying: from the perspective of those of us who attend many concerts, classical music...