Find articles | David Karlin

Elin Pritchard’s Amelia lights up an evening which is superb musically, easy on the eye and eventually overcomes the shortcomings of Antonio Somma's libretto.

Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic are persuasive in Also sprach Zarathustra, less so in Sibelius. Thomas Dunford soothes with Dowland and Purcell.

With Christoph Koncz, the Orchestre National de Mulhouse punches above its weight to bring to a close a delightful and varied stay at the Festival International de Colmar.

Lucie Horsch shows that her star is fully risen in Vivaldi and Telemann. Grigory Sokolov demonstrates why he has been in the top rank of pianists for many years.

Klaus Mäkelä and the Orchestre de Paris give us an orchestral kaleidoscope, Kosky's pared-down staging allows the emotions of Strauss and Hofmannstahl's work to shine through.

Laurence Cummings and John Caird’s second Garsington exploration of the operas of Monteverdi brims with wonderfully playing and singing in an attractive setting.

In a mismatched pairing of Elgar and Mahler, the London Symphony Orchestra produce immaculate instrumental sound quality, but is that enough?

Leonardo García-Alarcón's exhumation of Bembo's work proves a winner, in a hyper-quirky staging by Netia Jones with Julie Fuchs as the pick of the fine singers.

Music Director Douglas Boyd conducts a performance of exceptional musical quality, and Louisa Muller's uncontroversial but passionate direction makes this Traviata one for the ages.

Ted Huffman brings some interesting ideas to his first Glyndebourne production. Excellent singing is let down by indifferent physical acting.

Crisp and elegant cello and piano playing is more successful in French and early repertoire than in Brahms.

A revelatory orchestral performance and a cast led by Andreas Schager, Christopher Maltman and Elisabeth Strid make this a Siegfried for the record books.

In Bach, Beethoven and Schubert, the Icelandic pianist demonstrates how perfect technique and total control can lead to expressivity.

Excellent vocal acting from Thomas Hampson, Renée Fleming, Xiaomeng Zhang and a magnificent orchestral performance conducted by Kent Nagano can't make Valentina Carrasco's production fully grip.

The Icelandic pianist and Finnish conductor make a superb case for John Adams' latest concerto; the Philharmonia play Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé strongly but don't convince completely.

Never has Brecht and Weill’s satire on the inhumanity of man to man been render with such utter darkness; Simon O’Neill heads up a superb cast.

Kornél Mundruczó brings the characters to life in Janáček’s drama of eternal youth; the brilliance of Dennis Russell Davies and the Orchestre National de Lille come close to overwhelming the proceedings.

Alice Nellis' staging of Purcell's masterpiece is both historically faithful and innovatively modern. With Collegium 1704 providing the early music chops, it's a rare treat.

We sit down with two of the opera world’s leading figures, and masterminds of Brussels’ La Monnaie (De Munt) – how do they balance the competing challenges and thrills of running an opera house?

MacMillan's large scale choral work offers a rich variety of texts and musical ideas, the composer conducts the BBC Symphony with unerring precision.

Andrei Șerban’s 40 year old take on Puccini's tale of the ice princess largely stands the test of time, but Netrebko and Eyvazov are short of their best form. 

An entertaining portrayal of the 1973 “Battle of the Sexes” tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs is marred by ham-fisted amplification.

The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France impress mightily under the baton of their new Principal Guest Conductor. Gidon Kremer disappoints in Weinberg.

Bach’s virtuosic keyboard work is transformed into a uniquely dynamic and expressive showpiece for two guitars at Paris’ Cité de la Musique.

Anneliese Miskimmon's ENO production of Jake Heggie and Terence McNally's tale of crime, repentance, compassion and redemption compels from start to finish.

Thomas Adès and the London Symphony Orchestra make the best possible case for SIbelius' lesser played symphonies, the Fourth and Sixth and Johan Dalene turns on the romanticism in Rautavaara.

The Barcelona concert venue is an architectural marvel, and the only major concert venue in the world founded by a community choir. We lift the lid on how the Palau puts together such a huge, glittering season...

Fusing the Renaissance polyphony of Les Arts Florissants with the contemporary dance of Compagnie Amala Dianor was an ambitious experiment, which displayed great virtues but didn't quite come off.

Oliver Mears' new staging impresses and Jakub Hrůša's first season as Music Director excites interest. But the evening belongs to Anna Netrebko.

Founded in 1945, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year with an ambitious season featuring many returning artists, and an extensive US tour.

The bespoke streaming platform, launched by Opéra national de Paris in 2023, boasts a wealth of fine opera performances – and many standout ballet performances as well.

The German violinist gives us plenty of Czech brio in Dvořák; conductor and orchestra display many good qualities but fail to thrill.

Bachtrack is currently operating under a tsunami of robot traffic. Here’s the story from the inside of what the cyber-criminals are doing and how we’ve been fighting them.

Bancroft and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales provide a Mahler 3 of exceptional clarity and forward momentum, with terrific posthorn solos from Corey Morris and Beth Taylor an outstanding soloist.

Scion of generations of sitar players, Nishat Khan is the perfect person to tell the "greatest love story never told" behind India's most iconic building.

Superb Handelian singing and intense character acting light up Handel’s Semele, staged as a stark, uncompromising indictment of the rich and powerful. 

A fine singing cast gives creditable performances in Johann Stauss II's most famous operetta, but Paul Curran's updating of Act 2 to 1930s Berlin takes the fizz out of the Champagne.

Simon Mayo’s Young Adult novels are turned into an operatic romp which explores the fascination of the elements with excellent music and setting, albeit riddled with plot lacunae.

Simon Higlett’s exquisite sets and costumes give a backdrop to Donizetti’s frothiest of rom-coms.

Bachtrack’s 25,000th review marks 15 years of global classical music and dance coverage. Discover in-depth, professionally edited reviews in multiple languages from 37 countries – and tip your hat to our wonderful editors and reviewers.

Stripped of its original superstar casting, Gounod’s grand opera provides entertainment but fails to cohere. 

Annabel Arden’s production provides joyous comedy, with vocal and orchestral performances of the very finest.

The Uzbek conductor shows that he's a force to be reckoned with, revealing unimaginable amounts of detail in Stravinsky's score. Jan Lisiecki gives a carefully weighted account of Mozart.

From Henry Purcell to George Benjamin, a set of ten operas to demonstrate that English is not just a language for prose and poetry, but also a vibrant language for opera.

The new chief executive of the Stockholm concert hall talks about her own distinctive approach to shepherding a major classical music venue in the 21st century.

Although Karine Deshayes role change from Adalgisa to Norma is a work in progress, Luciano Ganci and Roberto Scandiuzzi shine in a staging charged with mythic symbolism.

Creator Johan Idema talks about the “subtitles for symphonies” app, why Wolfgang was created and how it’s used.

Massenet’s take on Goethe’s blockbuster novella of unrequited love and suicide is handled with great subtlety by Christof Loy and Marc Leroy-Calatayud. Benjamin Bernheim and Marina Viotti lead a starry vocal cast.

Berg's concerto “To the Memory of an Angel” is played with heart-melting beauty; David Afkham and the Orchestre national de Lyon offer pleasant, but unmemorable, Beethoven and Brahms.