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Simon Cummings

Simon Cummings

Simon Cummings is a composer, writer and researcher based in the Cotswolds. He composes instrumental and electronic music, exploring aspects of algorithmic composition, and has recently completed a Ph.D. in composition at the Birmingham Conservatoire under the supervision of Richard Causton and Howard Skempton. His musical tastes are ludicrously broad but are focused most on contemporary/avant-garde classical and electronic music. When not composing, he writes regularly about new music; Simon is the author of the contemporary music blog 5:4 (5against4.com), and regularly contributes articles for a variety of books, journals and websites. Follow him on Twitter @5against4.

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Adrian Partington conducts in Tewkesbury Abbey © Michael Whitefoot

Poor acoustics mar Mahler at the Cheltenham Music Festival

By Simon Cummings, 04 July 2026

In Tewkesbury Abbey, reverb muddies a choral-heavy program of Brahms, Bruckner and Mahler from the British Sinfonietta and South Cotswold Big Sing Group.

*1111

Adrian Partington conducts in Tewkesbury Abbey © Michael Whitefoot

Poor acoustics mar Mahler at the Cheltenham Music Festival

By Simon Cummings

Saaremaa Opera Festival at Kuressaare Castle © Foundation Eesti Kontsert

Far from daily life: Saaremaa and Narva Opera Festivals in Estonia

By Simon Cummings, 12 June 2026

Every summer, Saaremaa Opera Festival and Narva Opera Days are held at the extreme west and eastern ends of Estonia – far from everyday life, where things can become uncanny, unpredictable and fantastical.

Saaremaa Opera Festival at Kuressaare Castle © Foundation Eesti Kontsert

Far from daily life: Saaremaa and Narva Opera Festivals

By Simon Cummings

Erkki-Sven Tüür © Kaupo Kikkas

Labyrinths of life: Erkki-Sven Tüür on a sense of place

By Simon Cummings, 27 May 2026

Erkki-Sven Tüür talks about making sanctuary on Hiiumaa, a wild island to Estonia’s west, and his interest in writing concertos, seen “through the eyes of someone who observes the world very closely”.

Erkki-Sven Tüür © Kaupo Kikkas

Labyrinths of life: Erkki-Sven Tüür

By Simon Cummings

Peter Moore and Kazuki Yamada with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

Yamada and the CBSO luxuriate in line at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 15 January 2026

Mahler’s First Symphony is given a fresh take, revelling in melody, by Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO, while Dai Fujikura’s new Trombone Concerto proves an unsatisfactory indulgence.

****1

Peter Moore and Kazuki Yamada with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

Yamada and the CBSO luxuriate in line at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings

Kenneth Woods © Michael Whitefoot

English Symphony Orchestra brings total transparency to Strauss and Mahler

By Simon Cummings, 02 December 2025

Kenneth Woods directs a compelling, revelatory concert featuring chamber versions of Strauss’ Four Last Songs and Mahler’s Ninth Symphony.

****1

Kenneth Woods © Michael Whitefoot

English Symphony Orchestra brings transparency to Strauss and Mahler

By Simon Cummings

Osmo Vänskä conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Jonathan Ferro

Indifference and impatience: Osmo Vänskä ruins Sibelius and Shostakovich in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 19 November 2025

Soprano Helena Juntunen does her best in Sibelius’ songs but finds little support from Osmo Vänskä and the CBSO.

*1111

Osmo Vänskä conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Jonathan Ferro

Osmo Vänskä ruins Sibelius and Shostakovich in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings

Matthew Brook © Laura Bremer

The power of words: Mendelssohn’s Elijah closes the Three Choirs Festival

By Simon Cummings, 02 August 2025

The closing concert of this year’s Three Choirs Festival in Hereford delivers a dramatic account of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, showcasing the power of bass-baritone Matthew Brook.

****1

Matthew Brook © Laura Bremer

The power of words: Mendelssohn’s Elijah closes the Three Choirs

By Simon Cummings

Mark Le Brocq and the Philharmonia © Dale Hodgetts

Predictable and polite: Coleridge-Taylor’s bloodless passion at the Three Choirs Festival

By Simon Cummings, 31 July 2025

Though musically flawed, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s choral work The Atonement is given a superb performance at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford Cathedral.

**111

Mark Le Brocq and the Philharmonia © Dale Hodgetts

Coleridge-Taylor’s bloodless passion at the Three Choirs Festival

By Simon Cummings

Ksenija Sidorova © Kaupo Kikkas

Joy, sorrow and accordions: Ksenija Sidorova

By Simon Cummings, 16 May 2025

Accordionist extraordinaire talks about performing a new concerto by Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova, and taking it home to the Sofia Philharmonic.

Ksenija Sidorova © Kaupo Kikkas

Joy, sorrow and accordions: Ksenija Sidorova

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada and Fazıl Say © Jonathan Ferro

Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO deliver an evening of stark contrasts at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 16 April 2025

A concert of French music reveals – and suffers from – contrasting styles, attitudes and coherence in works by Ravel and Poulenc.

***11

Kazuki Yamada and Fazıl Say © Jonathan Ferro

Yamada and the CBSO deliver an evening of stark contrasts

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada conducts the CBSO © Jonathan Ferro

Emotionally-charged modernism: Mahler’s Ninth at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 10 April 2025

Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO give a poignant, haunting performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, foreshadowed by Takemitsu’s miniature Requiem.

*****

Kazuki Yamada conducts the CBSO © Jonathan Ferro

Emotionally-charged modernism: Mahler’s Ninth at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings

Veljo Tormis (1930–2017) © Tõnu Tormis

Igniting the Singing Revolution: the music of Veljo Tormis

By Simon Cummings, 12 March 2025

One of the strongest advocates for traditional Estonian folksong, or regilaul, Veljo Tormis’ unique music is celebrated this year with a worldwide singing contest.

Veljo Tormis (1930–2017) © Tõnu Tormis

Igniting the Singing Revolution: the music of Veljo Tormis

By Simon Cummings

Brendan Gunnell, Alpesh Chauhan and Karen Cargill © Jonathan Ferro

Symphonic landscapes: Alpesh Chauhan and the CBSO connect Beethoven and Mahler

By Simon Cummings, 06 March 2025

Two very different natural worlds are connected in a compelling performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, featuring Karen Cargill and Brenden Gunnell.

****1

Brendan Gunnell, Alpesh Chauhan and Karen Cargill © Jonathan Ferro

Symphonic landscapes: Chauhan and the CBSO connect Beethoven to Mahler

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Jonathan Ferro

From chaos to joy: Haydn’s The Creation in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 26 February 2025

Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO and Chorus weave Baroque and Romantic allusions into Haydn’s Classical masterpiece, in a superb, at times operatic, performance at Symphony Hall.

*****

Kazuki Yamada conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Jonathan Ferro

From chaos to joy: Haydn’s The Creation in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings

Kirill Karabits conducts the CBSO © Jonathan Ferro

Romeo and Juliet without the tragedy? Prokofiev and Lyatoshynsky at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 15 January 2025

Kirill Karabits leads the CBSO in an evening exploring Romeo and Juliet that shies away from real tragedy in favour of having fun.

****1

Kirill Karabits conducts the CBSO © Jonathan Ferro

Romeo and Juliet without the tragedy? Karabits and the CBSO

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

From effortless ease to convoluted struggle: Mozart and Bruckner in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 12 December 2024

The CBSO gives a vivid account of Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony, its structural and emotional convolution laid bare, and an athletic account of Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 26 featuring Martin Helmchen.

*****

Kazuki Yamada conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

Mozart and Bruckner in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings

Eugene Tzikindelean, Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

Walton 2–0 Elgar: triumph and failure for the CBSO at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 04 December 2024

Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO give an aimless, flabby account of Elgar’s Violin Concerto, but a rambunctious reading of Walton is filled with delirious joy.

***11

Eugene Tzikindelean, Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

Walton 2–0 Elgar: triumph and failure for the CBSO at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings

Anna Rakitina conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

Romassical? Anna Rakitina and the CBSO rethink familiar works by Smetana and Tchaikovksy

By Simon Cummings, 12 November 2024

Anna Rakitina takes a strikingly Classical approach to classics of Romantic repertoire, yielding significant details and wonders.

****1

Anna Rakitina conducts the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

Anna Rakitina and the CBSO rethink familiar works

By Simon Cummings

Sir Mark Elder and Sir Stephen Hough © Andrew Fox

Sir Mark Elder and the CBSO challenge expectations in Brahms, Janáček and Shostakovich

By Simon Cummings, 16 October 2024

Together with soloist Sir Stephen Hough, the CBSO and Sir Mark Elder reinvent Brahms’ First Piano Concerto, present the complex non-narrative of Janáček The Fiddler's Child and suggest real happiness in Shostakovich’s Sixth Symphony.

****1

Sir Mark Elder and Sir Stephen Hough © Andrew Fox

Sir Mark Elder and the CBSO challenge expectations

By Simon Cummings

Thomas Søndergård conducts the CBSO © Andrew Fox

Music at face value: superficial Søndergård at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 10 October 2024

Thomas Søndergård and the CBSO take a cool, cursory approach to music by Strauss, Thomas Adès and Brahms, resulting in an occasionally powerful but ultimately skin-deep performance.

**111

Thomas Søndergård conducts the CBSO © Andrew Fox

Music at face value: superficial Søndergård at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings

Nikolaj Henriques and the CBSO © Andrew Fox

Light and shade, playfulness and pain: contrasting moods from the CBSO in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 25 September 2024

The CBSO’s matinee, conducted by Fabien Gabel, juxtaposes cheerful Mozart and an unpredictable new concerto from Mark Simpson with a polarised account of Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony.

*****

Nikolaj Henriques and the CBSO © Andrew Fox

Contrasting moods from the CBSO and Fabien Gabel

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada with the CBSO © Hannah Blake-Fathers

The joy of ninths: Kazuki Yamada at the CBSO

By Simon Cummings, 11 September 2024

Kazuki Yamada’s infectious ebullience has rubbed off in a major way on the Birmingham orchestra, and this season they tackle a fleet of big symphonies: Bruckner’s, Mahler’s and Beethoven’s Ninths.

Kazuki Yamada with the CBSO © Hannah Blake-Fathers

The joy of ninths: Kazuki Yamada at the CBSO

By Simon Cummings

Carlo Tenan © Salih Üstündäg

Carlo Tenan delivers a tempestuous, desperate Mozart Requiem in Istanbul

By Simon Cummings, 02 June 2024

The Borusan Istanbul Philharmonic and Hungarian National Choir give a searing account of Mozart’s Requiem, superbly guided by conductor Carlo Tenan.

*****

Carlo Tenan © Salih Üstündäg

Carlo Tenan delivers a tempestuous, desperate Mozart Requiem

By Simon Cummings

Festival Strings Lucerne © Mühenna Kahveci

Festival Strings Lucerne bring sleek clarity and ambient stasis to Beethoven and Honegger

By Simon Cummings, 31 May 2024

Maria João Pires gives a soporific, lacklustre performance of Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, while the Festival Strings Lucerne transform Honegger’s Pastorale d'été into a riveting ambient moodscape and bring pristine clarity to the Pastoral Symphony.

***11

Festival Strings Lucerne © Mühenna Kahveci

Festival Strings Lucerne bring sleek clarity and ambient stasis

By Simon Cummings

Benjamin Appl and Martynas Levickis © Salih Üstündäg

Globetrotting recital brings poignancy, swagger and decadence to the Istanbul Music Festival

By Simon Cummings, 30 May 2024

Baritone Benjamin Appl and accordionist Martynas Levickis tour Europe and the USA in songs and solos demonstrating both the richness and simplicity of 19th- and 20th-century music.

****1

Benjamin Appl and Martynas Levickis © Salih Üstündäg

Globetrotting recital brings poignancy and swagger to Istanbul

By Simon Cummings

Fabien Gabel conducts the CBSO © Hannah Fathers

Precision and passion in full swing in music from stage and screen at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 23 May 2024

Fabien Gabel and the CBSO deliver exhilaration and emotion in works by Bernstein and Weill, joined by Colin Currie for Danny Elfman’s generic Percussion Concerto.

****1

Fabien Gabel conducts the CBSO © Hannah Fathers

Precision and passion in music from stage and screen at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings

Ilan Volkov conducts the CBSO © Hannah Blake-Fathers

Audacious and radical: the CBSO explores 20th-century American music at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 27 March 2024

A powerful enthusiasm for ideas links highly contrasting works by Ives, Gershwin, Zappa and George Lewis, in a thrilling evening conducted by Ilan Volkov.

*****

Ilan Volkov conducts the CBSO © Hannah Blake-Fathers

Audacious and radical: the CBSO explores 20th-century American music

By Simon Cummings

Jac van Steen conducts the CBSO Youth Orchestra © Hannah Fathers

A heroic attempt: the CBSO YO tackles Mahler’s Fifth in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 18 February 2024

Jan van Steen and the CBSO Youth Orchestra give a competent, credible account of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, alongside Robert Horstein’s forgettable percussion concerto Juvenalia.

**111

Jac van Steen conducts the CBSO Youth Orchestra © Hannah Fathers

A heroic attempt: the CBSO YO tackles Mahler’s Fifth in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings

Vassily Sinaisky © Hannah Fathers

A vulgar Valentine’s Day offering from Sinaisky and the CBSO

By Simon Cummings, 14 February 2024

Vassily Sinaisky, Natalya Romaniw and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra take a crude, casual approach to music by Tchaikovsky and Beethoven.

**111

Vassily Sinaisky © Hannah Fathers

A vulgar Valentine’s Day offering from the CBSO

By Simon Cummings

Ryan Bancroft rehearses the BBC National Orchestra of Wales © Yusef Bastawy

Playfulness and horror: Beethoven and Shostakovich go head to head in Cardiff

By Simon Cummings, 11 February 2024

Ryan Bancroft and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales give an extraordinary, terrifying account of Shostakovich’s Thirteenth Symphony, preceded by a Classical-Romantic tussle in Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto.

*****

Ryan Bancroft rehearses the BBC National Orchestra of Wales © Yusef Bastawy

Playfulness and horror: Beethoven and Shostakovich in Cardiff

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada conducts the CBSO © Beki Smith

Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO deliver an evening of restless rhapsody

By Simon Cummings, 17 January 2024

Music by Berlioz, Walton and a recent work by Dai Fujikura are each revealed to have restlessness at their cores, leading to highly different forms of energy and lyricism.

****1

Kazuki Yamada conducts the CBSO © Beki Smith

Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO deliver an evening of restless rhapsody

By Simon Cummings

Jeffrey Skidmore © Simon Peter King

More than just a concert: Ex Cathedra perform Rachmaninov’s Vespers

By Simon Cummings, 15 October 2023

Enhanced by bells, Ex Cathedra Jeffrey Skidmore give a low-key but highly dramatic performance of Rachmaninov’s Vespers in Birmingham Town Hall

****1

Jeffrey Skidmore © Simon Peter King

More than just a concert: Ex Cathedra perform Rachmaninov’s Vespers

By Simon Cummings

Boris Giltburg and the CBSO © Hannah Fathers

The stuff of dreams and nightmares: Rachmaninov and Shostakovich in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 28 September 2023

Michael Seal, Boris Giltburg and the CBSO present an evening of glamour and horror, pairing Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the unforgettable anguish of Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 8.

*****

Boris Giltburg and the CBSO © Hannah Fathers

The stuff of dreams and nightmares in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada conducts the CBSO © CBSO

Dramatic tragedy and joy at Symphony Hall in music by Shostakovich and Walton

By Simon Cummings, 16 September 2023

The CBSO and Kazuki Yamada, with cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, get their new season up and running with an evening of ebullience, pain and, ultimately, happiness.

****1

Kazuki Yamada conducts the CBSO © CBSO

Dramatic tragedy and joy at Symphony Hall, Birmingham

By Simon Cummings

Kahchun Wong © Ayane Sato

Kahchun Wong on coming to Dresden and the future of classical music

By Simon Cummings, 22 August 2023

The Singaporean conductor is soon to become Principal Guest Conductor at the Dresden Philharmonic. He talks about Mahler and Strauss, world premieres, creating bridges between West and East, and classical music’s future.

Kahchun Wong © Ayane Sato

Kahchun Wong on coming to Dresden and the future of classical music

By Simon Cummings

Adrian Partington, soloists, the Philharmonia and Three Choirs Festival Chorus © James O'Driscoll

Preaching to the converted: Elgar’s The Apostles at the Three Choirs Festival

By Simon Cummings, 29 July 2023

Adrian Partington and the Philharmonia give an impersonal, soporific rendition of Elgar's The Apostles at Gloucester Cathedral.

**111

Adrian Partington, soloists, the Philharmonia and Three Choirs Festival Chorus © James O'Driscoll

Preaching to the converted: The Apostles at the Three Choirs

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

Not all that they seem: Britten and Elgar challenge expectations at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 14 June 2023

Kazuki Yamada and the CBSO demonstrate the mercurial tension in Britten’s Serenade and Elgar’s First Symphony in the season finale.

****1

Kazuki Yamada and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Andrew Fox

Britten and Elgar challenge expectations at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada and Seong-Jin Cho © Hannah Blake-Fathers

Weightless and transparent: the CBSO and Kazuki Yamada amaze in Rachmaninov

By Simon Cummings, 07 June 2023

Under Kazuki Yamada, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra gives one of its finest performances in years, in a concert featuring music by Holst, Beethoven and Rachmaninov.

*****

Kazuki Yamada and Seong-Jin Cho © Hannah Blake-Fathers

Weightless and transparent: the CBSO amazes in Rachmaninov 2

By Simon Cummings

Robert Treviño conducts the CBSO © Hannah Fathers

Obsessed with life, dance and song: Mahler’s Tenth Symphony in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 18 May 2023

Robert Treviño and the CBSO channel the stylistic shifts of Mahler’s Symphony no. 10 to reveal a work volatile and painful, yet bristling with life to the last.

****1

Robert Treviño conducts the CBSO © Hannah Fathers

Obsessed with life, dance and song: Mahler’s Tenth in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings

Jörg Widmann © Marco Borggreve

Flexibility, telepathy and perhaps a miracle: Jörg Widmann and the CBSO

By Simon Cummings, 10 May 2023

Jörg Widmann helms an exhilarating CBSO concert in Birmingham, making Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony sound brand new.

*****

Jörg Widmann © Marco Borggreve

Flexibility, telepathy and perhaps a miracle: Widmann and the CBSO

By Simon Cummings

A beam of light is shot up to the sky in First Breath at Factory International, January 2023 © Tomasz Kozak

The imagination factory: Manchester International Festival 2023

By Simon Cummings, 04 May 2023

Factory International’s Director of Music Jane Beese talks about the contemporary classical music on offer this summer at their biennial event, Manchester International Festival.

A beam of light is shot up to the sky in First Breath at Factory International, January 2023 © Tomasz Kozak

The imagination factory: Manchester International Festival 2023

By Simon Cummings

The power of individual voices: Ex Cathedra’s St Matthew Passion at Birmingham Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 07 April 2023

Bradley Smith, as Evangelist, and a fine cast of soloists drove this Good Friday account of Bach’s St Matthew Passion from Ex Cathedra in Birmingham.

****1

The power of individual voices: Ex Cathedra’s St Matthew Passion

By Simon Cummings

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Kirill Gerstein and the CBSO © Hannah Fathers

All or nothing: Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and the CBSO blow hot and cold in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 15 March 2023

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla’s polarised approach exaggerates music by Weinberg and Prokofiev, while Kirill Gerstein keeps control in a refreshing, elegant performance of Schumann’s Piano Concerto.

**111

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Kirill Gerstein and the CBSO © Hannah Fathers

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and the CBSO blow hot and cold in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings

Isata Kanneh-Mason and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Hannah Blake-Fathers | CBSO

Hiding in plain sight: Ilan Volkov steals the show at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 22 February 2023

A self-effacing, literal approach from conductor Ilan Volkov brings marvellous transparency to works by Sibelius and Prokofiev, while highlighting the flaws in a new work by Freya Waley-Cohen.

****1

Isata Kanneh-Mason and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra © Hannah Blake-Fathers | CBSO

Hiding in plain sight: Ilan Volkov steals the show at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and the RLPO rehearsing in Symphony Hall © Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Szeps-Znaider and the RLPO stun, dazzle and exhilarate at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 06 February 2023

Conductor and soloist Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider oversees a stunningly beautiful account of Bruch’s First Violin Concerto and guides the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra through both glory and violence in Strauss’ Alpine Symphony.

*****

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider and the RLPO rehearsing in Symphony Hall © Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Szeps-Znaider and the RLPO stun, dazzle and exhilarate

By Simon Cummings

© Hannah Fathers

A Tale of Two Symphonies: Larcher and Mahler in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 12 January 2023

Gergely Madaras’ interesting approach to Mahler’s First suffers from sloppy execution while Larcher’s Third succeeds in a vivid evocation from the CBSO of triumph and tragedy.

***11

© Hannah Fathers

A Tale of Two Symphonies: Larcher and Mahler in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings

Ryan Bancroft rehearses the BBC National Orchestra of Wales © BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Wild oscillations in Cardiff unite music by Beethoven, Schumann and Ligeti

By Simon Cummings, 09 December 2022

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales, conductor Ryan Bancroft and violinist Anthony Marwood deliver an evening of rapid gear-shifting, punchy momentum, dancing lyricism and mischief at Hoddinott Hall.

****1

Ryan Bancroft rehearses the BBC National Orchestra of Wales © BBC National Orchestra of Wales

Wild oscillations in Cardiff unite Beethoven, Schumann and Ligeti

By Simon Cummings

Alexandra Lowe © Bertie Watson

Vaughan Williams at 150: an evening of symphonic song with the City of Birmingham Choir

By Simon Cummings, 06 November 2022

The City of Birmingham Choir and CBSO conducted by Adrian Lucas navigate the choppy waters of Vaughan Williams' A Sea Symphony.

***11

Alexandra Lowe © Bertie Watson

Vaughan Williams at 150 with the City of Birmingham Choir

By Simon Cummings

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla © Andrew Fox

Lifelessness, extremes and emotional weight in a conflicted evening at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 06 October 2022

Sheku Kanneh-Mason and the CBSO give a flat rendition of Haydn in an otherwise emotionally-conflicted, moving evening featuring Weinberg, Elgar and Thomas Adès.

***11

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla © Andrew Fox

Lifelessness, extremes and emotional weight in conflicted CBSO evening

By Simon Cummings

Kazuki Yamada © Andrew Fox

Heralding a new era: exuberant Dvořák and mature Mendelssohn at Symphony Hall

By Simon Cummings, 20 September 2022

Nicola Benedetti and the CBSO under Kazuki Yamada bring impressive levels of sensitivity and honesty to Dvořák’s New World Symphony and Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto.

****1

Kazuki Yamada © Andrew Fox

Heralding a new CBSO era: exuberant Dvořák and mature Mendelssohn

By Simon Cummings