Having studied foreign languages and literature at King’s College, Cambridge and the École Normale Supérieure de Lyon, Jack is currently teaching English and French in a small but lovely village in deepest Catalonia, where he is one of two tenors in the local choir. A double bassist and erstwhile clarinettist, his musical interests range from the symphonies of Shostakovich to the Catalan Nova Canço.
After a shaky start with Metamorphosen, the Oslo Philharmonic embodies the evening's theme of transformation by ending on a stonker of a Petruskha, via the perenially fabulous Lise Davidsen.
The storm prevailed under Stefan Solyom – perhaps inevitable with Shostakovich – but quieter moments in the Strauss were beautifully handled by Lise Davidsen.
Music by the unhappy couple precedes a bombastic rendition of Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass by the Oslo Philharmonic orchestra and choir under Jukka-Pekka Saraste.
As part of Oslo's Ultima festival, wind bands Sjøforsvarets musikkorps and Det Norske Blåseensemble dazzle with a programme of works by contemporary Norwegian composers.
The Oslo Philharmonic's winds and brass are no match for Vasily Petrenko and a sea of strings in a cacophonous blast through Beethoven's Symphonies 5 and 6.
At a time of love and literature in fairest Barcelona, the scene was laid at the Liceu for interpretations by Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Berlioz and Bernstein of Shakespeare's timeless tale.
A solidly brazen night from the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under Valery Gergiev that ultimately lacked sincerity and depth thanks to its quick-fire delivery.
Seamless playing and magical moments from the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya in a youthful programme meant that a slight lack of flair and grit felt even more amiss.
