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Alexander Hall

Alexander Hall

Alexander Hall divides his time between London and Hamburg, where he had a career in academic administration and teaching. He reviews for Bachtrack and Opera Today, and has also reviewed for Classical Source. A connoisseur of the great orchestras of the world, his musical memories stretch back to Karajan/Berlin Phil, Mravinsky/Leningrad Phil, Bernstein/Vienna Phil, and he has seen most of the great conductors from the past, including Böhm, Klemperer, Kubelik, Ormandy and Szell.

Author:Alexander Hall

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Belief is everything: the Czech Philharmonic's resounding Glagolitic Mass at the BBC Proms

By Alexander Hall, 28 August 2024

Jakub Hrůša and his Czech forces give an impressive account of a mass which with its ecclesiastical elements, yet pantheistic spirit and visceral energy points towards a more secular age.

****1

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Czech Philharmonic's resounding Glagolitic Mass at the BBC Proms

By Alexander Hall

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From soft to very loud: the CBSO's superb BBC Prom with Kazuki Yamada

By Alexander Hall, 22 August 2024

A knockout performance of Sir Henry Wood's arrangement of Mussorgsky's most famous composition, coupled with refinement and sophistication elsewhere, show the CBSO at the top of its game.

****1

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Soft to very loud: the CBSO's superb BBC Prom with Yamada

By Alexander Hall

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Musical storytelling from Sol Gabetta, Tianyi Lu and the BBCSO at the Proms

By Alexander Hall, 18 August 2024

Four very pictographic pieces: from early Puccini, through Dukas and Stravinsky to the present-day Spanish composer Francisco Coll. Neatly painted by the performers and with nothing to unduly scare the horses.

***11

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Musical storytelling from Sol Gabetta, Tianyi Lu and the BBCSO

By Alexander Hall

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Alice Coote owns Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder at the BBC Proms

By Alexander Hall, 25 July 2024

Alice Coote imbues every word of Mahler’s deeply affecting song-cycle with expressive intensity. Ryan Wigglesworth and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra struggle to match that achievement in Brahms and Schoenberg.

***11

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Alice Coote owns Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder at the BBC Proms

By Alexander Hall

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Music that eats into you: Schoenberg and Zemlinsky with Ryan Bancroft and BBC NOW at the Proms

By Alexander Hall, 22 July 2024

The Proms are often very clever at recreating musical events from the past. Here, two works originally premiered in 1905 are given a fresh outing by Ryan Bancroft and BBC NOW.

****1

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Music that eats into you: Schoenberg and Zemlinsky at the BBC Proms

By Alexander Hall

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A trio of Russian Romantic composers showcased by Leslie Howard at Wigmore Hall

By Alexander Hall, 16 July 2024

In these three works for piano Borodin, Glazunov and Rubinstein all make use of the bell-like tolling which runs through many Russian Romantic compositions like a leitmotif.

***11

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A trio of Russian Romantic composers showcased by Leslie Howard

By Alexander Hall

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Julia Lezhneva and Ádám Fischer impress in Haydn and Mahler at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 07 July 2024

Sometimes the programme just feels right: a dramatic cantata by Haydn, a “pantomime grotesque” by Bartók and Mahler's Fourth Symphony. Colour and contrasts galore from soloist, conductor and orchestra.

****1

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Julia Lezhneva and Ádám Fischer impress in Haydn and Mahler

By Alexander Hall

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Celebrating 20 years of the RPO at Cadogan Hall with Cristian Măcelaru and Bomsori Kim

By Alexander Hall, 29 June 2024

Expectations are not fulfilled in an uneven performance of Mendelssohn's great fiddle concerto, followed by an unidiomatic view of Sibelius' Fifth Symphony.

**111

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Celebrating 20 years of the RPO at Cadogan Hall

By Alexander Hall

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In tempore belli: Britten's War Requiem at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 16 June 2024

As Teodor Currentzis' time in charge of the SWR Symphony Orchestra draws to a close, he bids farewell in a series of nationwide performances of Britten's memorial to the pity of war.

****1

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In tempore belli: Britten's War Requiem at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall

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Anne-Sophie Mutter dazzles in John Williams concerto at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 11 June 2024

Fabio Luisi and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra continue their European tour, dropping anchor in Hamburg for Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony and a John Williams concerto written for the star German violinist.

***11

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Mutter dazzles in John Williams concerto at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall

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A game of numbers: Belcea Quartet and Quatuor Ébène play octets by Mendelssohn and Enescu

By Alexander Hall, 28 May 2024

Sometimes you just marvel at the level of musical inspiration and the virtuosic quality of the playing. The two octets by Mendelssohn and Enescu make a very satisfying pairing.

****1

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A game of numbers: Belcea Quartet and Quatuor Ébène play octets

By Alexander Hall

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Unusual Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky from Anna Rakitina and Lise de la Salle

By Alexander Hall, 17 May 2024

Russian-Ukrainian conductor Anna Rakitina doesn't quite land on her debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, while Lise de la Salle uncovers the lighter side of Rachmaninov.

***11

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Unusual Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky from Rakitina and de la Salle

By Alexander Hall

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A dispiriting Mahler 3 from MTT and the LSO

By Alexander Hall, 12 May 2024

Sometimes you just wish that circumstances had been different, fate kinder. Michael Tilson Thomas with the London Symphony Orchestra was not in full control of Mahler's mighty Third Symphony.

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A dispiriting Mahler 3 from MTT and the LSO

By Alexander Hall

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A searing Shostakovich 8 from Jurowski and the Berlin Radio Symphony

By Alexander Hall, 04 May 2024

One of the glories of the German musical landscape are its radio orchestras. Up there with the finest, Vladimir Jurowski’s Berliners impress in Martinů and Shostakovich, while Christian Tetzlaff forays into Suk.

*****

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A searing Shostakovich 8 from Jurowski and the Berlin Radio Symphony

By Alexander Hall

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Excellent orchestral cuisine from Hindoyan and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

By Alexander Hall, 01 May 2024

What an enterprising programme from Domingo Hindoyan, Matthew Gee and the RPO: a sparkling orchestral piece by Suk, an energising trombone concerto by Tomasi and a much-loved symphony by Dvořák.

****1

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Excellent orchestral cuisine from Hindoyan and the RPO

By Alexander Hall

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The music of pain: Maria Ioudenitch, Stanislav Kochanovsky and the Dresden Philharmonic

By Alexander Hall, 15 April 2024

There is something peculiarly Russian about the capacity for suffering as exemplified in the music of Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky. Maria Ioudenitch, Stanislav Kochanovsky and the Dresden Philharmonic are excellent interpreters at Cadogan Hall.

****1

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Maria Ioudenitch, Stanislav Kochanovsky and the Dresden Philharmonic

By Alexander Hall

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Bychkov's uneven Mahler 8 at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 11 April 2024

Doing justice to the vast scale of Mahler's "Symphony of a Thousand" is itself the mightiest of tasks. Semyon Bychkov and his NDR forces only partially succeed.

***11

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Bychkov's uneven Mahler 8 at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall

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Schubert that doesn't sing? Paavo Järvi and Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

By Alexander Hall, 10 April 2024

Veronika Eberle shows why the Brahms violin concerto is one of the mainstays of the repertory, whereas Paavo Järvi doesn't quite tap into the unique voice of Schubert successfully.

***11

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Schubert that doesn't sing? Paavo Järvi and DKam at the Elbphi

By Alexander Hall

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Power and personality: Khatia Buniatishvili, Jun Märkl and the Taiwan Philharmonic

By Alexander Hall, 09 April 2024

Khatia Buniatishvili may divide opinion, but for sheer visceral excitement she's hard to beat. Jun Märkl on tour with the Taiwan Philharmonic at Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie impresses in milder ways.

****1

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Power and personality: Buniatishvili, Märkl, the Taiwan Philharmonic

By Alexander Hall

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Tearing down the walls of Jericho: Maxim Emelyanychev and the OAE

By Alexander Hall, 03 April 2024

Vibrato-less strings and raw energy from woodwind and brass are not the sounds you would traditionally associate with Glinka, Rachmaninov, Grieg and Sibelius. The OAE invites you to think again.

***11

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Tearing down the walls of Jericho: Maxim Emelyanychev and the OAE

By Alexander Hall

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Vasily Petrenko delivers an Elgar 2 of rare distinction with the RPO

By Alexander Hall, 27 March 2024

Romanticism is the obvious link between Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto and Elgar's Second Symphony in this absorbing evening's entertainment supplied by Denis Kozhukhin, the RPO and its Music Director, Vasily Petrenko.

****1

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Vasily Petrenko delivers an Elgar 2 of rare distinction with the RPO

By Alexander Hall

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Ill-starred love in Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev: Gemma New and the London Philharmonic Orchestra

By Alexander Hall, 22 March 2024

There is a feast of inspiration for composers in the story of Romeo and Juliet, Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev each responding differently. Randall Goosby provides an excellent contrast in Mozart’s musical sunshine.

***11

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Ill-starred love in Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev: Gemma New and the LPO

By Alexander Hall

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Eric Lu plumbs the depths at Wigmore Hall

By Alexander Hall, 10 March 2024

Eric Lu's Schubert is always special: full of the existential elements that make this composer so rewarding. Other pieces by Bach, Handel, Mendelssohn and Prokofiev make up a varied recital.

****1

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Eric Lu plumbs the depths at Wigmore Hall

By Alexander Hall

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Let there be lots of light: Haydn's The Creation with Edward Gardner and the LPO

By Alexander Hall, 02 March 2024

Take a fine orchestra and an equally fine chorus, together with three contrasting soloists, and for content the greatest story ever: all the ingredients to bring alive Haydn's The Creation.

****1

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Let there be lots of light: Haydn's The Creation with the LPO

By Alexander Hall

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Stylish Haydn, flinty Schumann from Shiyeon Sung, Zlatomir Fung and the RPO

By Alexander Hall, 21 February 2024

A young cellist impresses in Haydn's C major concerto, but the same key in Schumann's Second Symphony exposes weaknesses in the conductor's approach.

**111

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Stylish Haydn, flinty Schumann from the RPO

By Alexander Hall

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A searingly powerful Duke Bluebeard's Castle at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 09 February 2024

Alan Gilbert and his NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester partner first Igor Levit, and then Michelle DeYoung and Gerald Finley, in a night of outstanding music-making devoted to the music of Bartók.

*****

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A searingly powerful Duke Bluebeard's Castle at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall

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Disappointing Bartók from Stanislav Kochanovsky and the NDR Radiophilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 08 February 2024

Without bite and grit, Bartók's music loses some of its uniqueness. Kochanovsky and his Hannover players still have some way to go, but Valeriy Sokolov delivers an impassioned Second Violin Concerto.

**111

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Disappointing Bartók from Kochanovsky and the NDR Radiophilharmonie

By Alexander Hall

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Glorious guests at the LSO's feasting-table: Leif Ove Andsnes and Dima Slobodeniouk

By Alexander Hall, 04 February 2024

Musical partnerships do not always work, but they did here in Beethoven's final piano concerto. Dima Slobodeniouk displayed once again his credentials as a compelling interpreter of Sibelius.

****1

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Glorious guests at the LSO's feasting-table: Andsnes and Slobodeniouk

By Alexander Hall

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A crowd-pleasing programme from Bihlmaier, Bartlett and the LPO

By Alexander Hall, 27 January 2024

Overture, concerto, symphony: nothing to scare the horses here, nor in works by three major composers, Wagner, Mozart and Beethoven. Nothing world-shaking either in solid but often one-dimensional performances.

***11

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A crowd-pleasing programme from Bihlmaier, Bartlett and the LPO

By Alexander Hall

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Musical passports issued by Oramo, Frang and the BBC Symphony Orchestra

By Alexander Hall, 20 January 2024

Each of the three pieces by Andrew Norman, Stravinsky and Sibelius had an unlocking principle at its heart. Sakari Oramo, his soloist Vilde Frang and his BBC players proved powerful advocates.

****1

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Musical passports issued by Oramo, Frang and the BBCSO

By Alexander Hall

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A rare outing for Prokofiev 4 with Noseda and the London Symphony Orchestra

By Alexander Hall, 10 December 2023

Gianandrea Noseda’s awareness of colour, texture and detail repays dividends in the symphony, whereas Simon Trpčeski’s absence of muscle and full-blooded Romantic sentiment does Brahms no favours in the concerto.

***11

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A rare outing for Prokofiev 4 with Noseda and the LSO

By Alexander Hall

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Tianyi Lu commands attention in Scheherazade with the London Philharmonic

By Alexander Hall, 06 December 2023

Tianyi Lu draws on the individual and collective virtuosity of the LPO to make an impressive debut in Rimsky-Korsakov, while Tom Borrow underplays the imperial qualities of Beethoven's “Emperor” Concerto.

***11

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Tianyi Lu commands attention in Scheherazade with the LPO

By Alexander Hall

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When East meets West: the Symphony Orchestra of India in London Town

By Alexander Hall, 30 November 2023

Visiting orchestras often bring something special with them: here it was a newly commissioned triple concerto for classical Indian instruments. Alpesh Chauhan impresses in Stravinsky, less so in Richard Strauss.

***11

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When East meets West: the Symphony Orchestra of India in London Town

By Alexander Hall

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Chineke! gives world premiere of Joan Armatrading's First Symphony

By Alexander Hall, 24 November 2023

Chineke! Orchestra likes to do things differently and this concert, conducted by Andrew Grams, pairs symphonies by Tchaikovsky and the singer-songwriter-guitarist Armatrading.

***11

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Chineke! gives world premiere of Joan Armatrading's First Symphony

By Alexander Hall

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More Rachmaninov from the fabulous Philadelphians at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 02 November 2023

Yannick Nézet-Séguin and The Philadelphia Orchestra don't quite have the measure of Rachmaninov's dark First Symphony, but Daniil Trifonov once more dazzles in the Paganini Variations.

****1

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More Rachmaninov from the fabulous Philadelphians on tour

By Alexander Hall

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The Philadelphia Orchestra pays homage to Rachmaninov at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 01 November 2023

In the first of two all-Rachmaninov programmes, The Philadelphia Orchestra, its Music Director, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Daniil Trifonov show why together they are some of the hottest property on the planet.

*****

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Philadelphia Orchestra pays homage to Rachmaninov at the Elphi

By Alexander Hall

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Nothing but Haydn: the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment deliver with panache

By Alexander Hall, 25 October 2023

Who needs a conductor? The OAE under the direction of Matthew Truscott reveal the delightful range and character of Haydn, from his symphonic beginnings to the very end.

****1

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Nothing but Haydn: the OAE deliver with panache

By Alexander Hall

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An Adès concerto steals the show: Gerstein, Pappano and the LSO

By Alexander Hall, 12 October 2023

Kirill Gerstein, together with Sir Antonio Pappano and the LSO, delivers a coruscating performance of what is rapidly becoming a 21st-century classic, framed by Bartók and Beethoven.

***11

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An Adès concerto steals the show: Gerstein, Pappano and the LSO

By Alexander Hall

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Pianistic delights in Liszt from Alice Sara Ott with Pappano and the LSO

By Alexander Hall, 04 October 2023

A world premiere from Hannah Kendall, a rarely performed work by Liszt and one of Strauss' glittering tone poems make up Pappano's first concert as the LSO's Chief Conductor Designate.

***11

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Pianistic delights in Liszt from Alice Sara Ott and the LSO

By Alexander Hall

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Prevailing westerly winds for Edward Gardner and the London Philharmonic

By Alexander Hall, 27 September 2023

Not much of a flicker in the needle of the barometer for orchestra and conductor in Brahms, but Johan Dalene charms the ear in a serene outing of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto.

***11

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Prevailing westerly winds for Edward Gardner and the LPO

By Alexander Hall

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From some other world: the LPO's Mahler 2 with Edward Gardner

By Alexander Hall, 23 September 2023

Not with a whimper but a bang! The LPO's new season, with Principal Conductor Edward Gardner in charge, gets off to an impressive start with Mahler's “Resurrection” Symphony.

****1

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From some other world: the LPO's Mahler 2 with Edward Gardner

By Alexander Hall

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Staatsoper Hamburg's new Boris Godunov traverses Russian history

By Alexander Hall, 16 September 2023

Opening the new opera season, Kent Nagano powerfully directs Mussorgsky's great psychodrama about a famous tsar, marred only by Frank Castorf's visually confusing and symbolically overweighted production.

****1

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Staatsoper Hamburg's new Boris Godunov traverses Russian history

By Alexander Hall

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Two Sergeis with Vinnitskaya and Valčuha at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 14 September 2023

Rachmaninov and Prokofiev not only shared a first name. In their individual ways they helped define Russianness too. Anna Vinnitskaya, Juraj Valčuha and the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester are here the exponents.

***11

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Two Sergeis with Vinnitskaya and Valčuha at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall

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A smilingly serene Bruckner 8 from Bychkov and the BBCSO at the Proms

By Alexander Hall, 04 September 2023

Semyon Bychkov guides the BBC Symphony Orchestra, on magisterial form, through the hills and valleys of Bruckner's last completed and longest symphony.

****1

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A smilingly serene Bruckner 8 from Bychkov and the BBCSO at the Proms

By Alexander Hall

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A mixed bag of treats from Anthony Parnther and Chineke! at the BBC Proms

By Alexander Hall, 01 September 2023

No hard hitters or big beasts in this colourful potpourri from the remarkable Chineke! Orchestra, conducted by Anthony Parnther, but a chance to savour both the unknown and the familiar.

****1

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A mixed bag of treats from Chineke! at the BBC Proms

By Alexander Hall

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Rattle says farewell to London with Poulenc and Mahler

By Alexander Hall, 27 August 2023

Sir Simon Rattle ends his tenure as Music Director of the LSO with a cry for liberty and arguably the greatest of all farewell symphonies.

****1

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Rattle says farewell to London with Poulenc and Mahler

By Alexander Hall

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Strong contrasts from Honeck, Grosvenor and the EU Youth Orchestra at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 17 August 2023

No summer hols for the European Union Youth Orchestra as they tour European lands. With Benjamin Grosvenor as soloist and Manfred Honeck at the helm, they take on MacMillan, Prokofiev and Shostakovich in Hamburg's iconic hall.

***11

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Strong contrasts from Honeck and the EUYO at the Elphi

By Alexander Hall

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Blistering Beethoven from Buchbinder, trenchant Järvi Tchaikovsky at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall, 16 August 2023

Sometimes artists surprise, but in a wholly positive way: nothing remotely bland about Buchbinder's approach to Beethoven's C minor concerto and a Tchaikovsky 1 streets ahead of Järvi's recent recording.

*****

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Blistering Buchbinder, trenchant Järvi at the Elbphilharmonie

By Alexander Hall

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A fine partnership in Beethoven between Jan Lisiecki and Elim Chan at the Proms

By Alexander Hall, 25 July 2023

Working with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Elim Chan and her soloist Jan Lisiecki see very much eye-to-eye in Beethoven, with the conductor taking a left-of-field approach in Elgar.

***11

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A fine partnership between Jan Lisiecki and Elim Chan at the Proms

By Alexander Hall

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Bihlmaier and the BBC Philharmonic serve up bowls of folksiness

By Alexander Hall, 17 July 2023

Folk-derived pieces dominate this programme, with Anja Bihlmaier and the BBC Philharmonic traversing Coleridge-Taylor, Brahms and Bartók, and the latest Asian shooting star Bomsori assaying that concerto by Bruch.

***11

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Bihlmaier and the BBC Philharmonic serve up bowls of folksiness

By Alexander Hall