Two months from now, on 4 December 2026, the world will be commemorating the 50th anniversary of the death of Benjamin Britten. The Wigmore Hall, which saw so many premieres…
Category: Recitals/Concerts
Britten’s War Requiem Given a Searing Intensity from Edward Gardner at the Royal Festival Hall
Among the composers of the last hundred years for whom writing a Requiem has been a significant ambition there stands one name whose work has been considered a masterpiece –…
I Fagiolini Creates a Stunning Feast for the Senses in Monteverdi’s Vespers at King’s Place
Coinciding with the release of I Fagiolini’s latest Monteverdi CD this September, it made perfect sense for the specialist ensemble, along with the English Cornett and Sackbut Ensemble, to present…
PROMS 2026: Strauss’s ‘Four Last Songs’
My final prom of the 2026 season is officially labelled “Strauss’s Four Last Songs” – that piece the clear intended draw – but held so, so much more, not least my…
PROMS 2026: To Hell With You—Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust at the Proms
As his Grande Messe des Morts (Requiem) in Pappano’s LSO performance proved conclusively (August 15), there are fewer if any better spaces to hold Berlioz’s monumental imagination than London’s Royal Albert Hall. …
PROMS 2026: The Met Orchestra Plays Strauss
Despite being married to an American I clearly don’t get to the United States often enough – this was my first encounter with The Metropolitan Orchestra of New York for…
PROMS 2026: The Met Orchestra and Mahler
When Alma and Gustav Mahler arrived in New York just before the Christmas of 1907, they were installed in a lavishly appointed suite at the Hotel Majestic, with views overlooking…
PROMS 2026: Orchestra and Soloists Create a Collective Magic for Mahler’s Das Lied von Der Erde
Compositional stimulus comes in many forms, and for this concert given by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra under its principal guest conductor Anja Bihlmaier, impetus derived from an early form of…
PROMS 2026: The Glyndebourne Prom, Richard Strauss’ Ariadne
This was a semi-staged version of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos; Laurent Pelly is the director at Glyndebourne, and, while I enjoyed his Donizetti La fille du régiment, seen at Covent Garden,…
Last And Certainly Not Least: Angela Yam and Korin Thomas-Smith in the Wolf Trap Opera Salon Series
If their mainstage operas are the larger jewels in Wolf Trap Opera’s crown, it can be said that their Salon Series recitals are the smaller gems, but no less critical…