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Lawrence Dunn

Lawrence Dunn

Lawrence is commissioning editor at Bachtrack. He is a composer, improviser, pianist and writer. He has taught at Cambridge, Huddersfield and Sheffield universities. He has written music for, among others the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, Slagwerk Den Haag, Philip Thomas, Juliet Fraser, Ilya Gringolts, Plus-Minus, Exaudi, Apartment House and Explore Ensemble.

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Chromatica Orchestra © Monika Jakubowska

New kids on the block: Chromatica Orchestra

By Lawrence Dunn, 18 September 2026

With a remit explicitly aimed at supporting young professionals, Chromatica Orchestra have just appointed their first Principal Conductor. Oliver Cope talks about his plans for London’s newest, youngest orchestra.

Chromatica Orchestra © Monika Jakubowska

New kids on the block: Chromatica Orchestra

By Lawrence Dunn

Pablo Agudo López © Giulia Charbit

Impertinence! Making Baroque music the Latin American way

By Lawrence Dunn, 15 September 2026

In the midst of a devastating year for the country, young Venezuelan violinist Pablo Agudo López talks about finding crucial links between European Baroque music and the traditional music of Latin America.

Pablo Agudo López © Giulia Charbit

Impertinence! Making Baroque music the Latin American way

By Lawrence Dunn

Mothers of Kherson © Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera

Inside out and upside down: Opera world premieres 2026–27

By Lawrence Dunn, 1 September 2026

This season, new operas are depositing characters in limbo between this life and the next – from Lincoln in Missy Mazzoli’s Lincoln in the Bardo, to Bassem Akiki’s supernatural retelling of the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Mothers of Kherson © Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera

Inside out and upside down: Opera world premieres 2026–27

By Lawrence Dunn

Giulio Prandi conducts Coro e Orchestra Ghislieri © Bertrand Pichene

Mongrel sensibilities: Early music in Italy

By Lawrence Dunn, 28 May 2026

Giulio Prandi, conductor of Coro e Orchestra Ghislieri, and violinist and concertmaster Gabriele Pro talk about crossing borders, adopting shared sensibilities, and the challenges facing historically informed musicians in Italy today.

Giulio Prandi conducts Coro e Orchestra Ghislieri © Bertrand Pichene

Mongrel sensibilities: Early music in Italy

By Lawrence Dunn

Allison Cook (Mrs XE) and Rodney Earl Clarke (Mr XE) in Angel’s Bone © Tristram Kenton

Reality television: English National Opera’s Angel’s Bone in Manchester

By Lawrence Dunn, 12 May 2026

Kip Williams and ENO mount an extraordinary new production of Du Yun and Royce Vavrek’s multifaceted opera, with performances of great emotional directness broadcast live on camera.

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Allison Cook (Mrs XE) and Rodney Earl Clarke (Mr XE) in Angel’s Bone © Tristram Kenton

Reality television: ENO’s Angel’s Bone in Manchester

By Lawrence Dunn

Harbourside performance at Festival Kvarner, Opatija © Festival Kvarner

Diversity and recovery: Early music in Croatia

By Lawrence Dunn, 13 May 2026

A group of younger Croatian musicians, including new ensemble Gli Schiavoni, are determined to recover the historical music of Croatia, despite a devastating series of earthquakes and armed conflicts.

Harbourside performance at Festival Kvarner, Opatija © Festival Kvarner

Diversity and recovery: Early music in Croatia

By Lawrence Dunn

Brett Dean, Lotte Betts-Dean and Heather Betts © Roman Job

Kith and kin: Brett Dean and family prepare Of One Blood

By Lawrence Dunn, 1 May 2026

Brett Dean, Heather Betts and Lotte Betts-Dean sit down to discuss their work on Of One Blood, a new opera dramatising the lives of Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Scots – affairs of the family all round.

Brett Dean, Lotte Betts-Dean and Heather Betts © Roman Job

Kith and kin: Brett Dean and family prepare Of One Blood

By Lawrence Dunn

Natalia Olczak records with Cohaere Ensemble © Cohaere Ensemble

Cosmopolitan commonwealths: Natalia Olczak on Early music in Poland

By Lawrence Dunn, 20 March 2026

The young Polish harpsichordist with the Cohaere Ensemble talks about the Early music scene in Poland, her investigations into music of 18th-century Danzig, one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan cities.

Natalia Olczak records with Cohaere Ensemble © Cohaere Ensemble

Cosmopolitan commonwealths: Natalia Olczak on Early music in Poland

By Lawrence Dunn

Irini Bilini Moraiti © Sissy Morfi

Medieval survivors: Irini Bilini Moraiti on Early music in Greece

By Lawrence Dunn, 18 March 2026

Medieval music specialists Irini Bilini Moraiti and Dimitris Kountouras talk about their distinctive approaches to Early music in Greece, and the survival of old music through oral traditions.

Irini Bilini Moraiti © Sissy Morfi

Medieval survivors: Irini Bilini Moraiti on Early music in Greece

By Lawrence Dunn

Bridgewater Hall auditorium © Sharyn Bellemakers | The Hallé

Finespun sound: Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall and beyond

By Lawrence Dunn, 10 March 2026

We profile one of the most advanced and best-sounding concert halls in the UK, and take a look further afield at arts and culture across Manchester.

Bridgewater Hall auditorium © Sharyn Bellemakers | The Hallé

Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall and beyond

By Lawrence Dunn

Martijn Dendievel in rehearsal with the Flanders Symphony Orchestra © Michiel Devijver

All in the family: Flanders Symphony’s new chief conductor Martijn Dendievel

By Lawrence Dunn, 15 January 2026

The young Belgian conductor has had a long association with the Flanders Symphony – and this January he takes the chief’s baton from departing Kristiina Poska, who reaffirmed the orchestra’s crisp, classical sound.

Martijn Dendievel in rehearsal with the Flanders Symphony Orchestra © Michiel Devijver

All in the family: Flanders Symphony’s new chief Martijn Dendievel

By Lawrence Dunn

Les Dinos et l’Arche in rehearsal © Charlotte Dekaise

Dinosaurs of the Baroque: discovering Les Dinos et l’Arche

By Lawrence Dunn, 2 January 2026

Thomas Leininger’s Baroque-inspired children’s opera at Geneva’s La Cité Bleue is a unique stylistic departure, which asks the essential question: what happened to the dinosaurs left off Noah’s Ark?

Les Dinos et l’Arche in rehearsal © Charlotte Dekaise

Dinosaurs of the Baroque: discovering Les Dinos et l’Arche

By Lawrence Dunn

Composers’ hands (l-r): Felix Mendelssohn, R Schumann, Clara Schumann, Buxtehude, JS Bach, Beethoven © Bibl. Jagiellońska | Lib. of Congress | Staatsbibl. Berlin | Universitetsbibl. Uppsala | IMSLP

Traces and scratches: the magical world of composers’ handwriting

By Lawrence Dunn, 17 December 2025

From Buxtehude, Bach and Handel, to contemporary composer Liza Lim, we take a tour of the myriad forms of composers’ handwriting and calligraphy – and how music makes itself on the page.

Composers’ hands (l-r): Felix Mendelssohn, R Schumann, Clara Schumann, Buxtehude, JS Bach, Beethoven © Bibl. Jagiellońska | Lib. of Congress | Staatsbibl. Berlin | Universitetsbibl. Uppsala | IMSLP

The magical world of composers’ handwriting

By Lawrence Dunn

Vojtěch Jakl performs on vielle © Cezary Zych

Stylus fantasticus: Vojtěch Jakl on Early music in Czechia

By Lawrence Dunn, 3 November 2025

Taking a broad look at the current state of Early music across Europe, we talk to young artists in several countries – beginning with talented young Czech violinist, Vojtěch Jakl.

Vojtěch Jakl performs on vielle © Cezary Zych

Stylus fantasticus: Vojtěch Jakl on Early music in Czechia

By Lawrence Dunn

Junyan Chen © Frances Marshall

Routes beyond: Junyan Chen on curating Leeds International Chamber Series 2025–26

By Lawrence Dunn, 14 October 2025

Award-winning pianist Junyan Chen talks about curating this year’s Leeds International Chamber Series, making new arrangements of repertoire, and the importance of chamber music for pianists.

Junyan Chen © Frances Marshall

Routes beyond: Junyan Chen on curating Leeds Chamber Series

By Lawrence Dunn

Royal Northern College of Music © Roscoe Rutter

Fresh sounds in Manchester: RNCM’s Inspirational Artists series

By Lawrence Dunn, 9 October 2025

Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music has initiated a new international guest artist series, designed to foreground musicians who have fresh perspectives on performance and curation.

Royal Northern College of Music © Roscoe Rutter

Fresh sounds: RNCM’s Inspirational Artists series

By Lawrence Dunn

Patrizia Bovi performs as Marion with Ensemble Micrologus © Johan Beckers | Laus Polyphoniae

Dramas of imagination: Ensemble Micrologus and Per-Sonat at Laus Polyphoniae

By Lawrence Dunn, 23 August 2025

Adam de la Halle’s Le Jeu de Robin et Marion, one of the earliest extant music dramas, is given riotous performance by Ensemble Micrologus.

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Patrizia Bovi performs as Marion with Ensemble Micrologus © Johan Beckers | Laus Polyphoniae

Dramas of imagination: Ensemble Micrologus and Per-Sonat in Antwerp

By Lawrence Dunn

Huelgas Ensemble at Antwerp Handelsbeurs © Johan Beckers | Laus Polyphoniae

Smearing and sliding: Huelgas Ensemble a revelation at Laus Polyphoniae

By Lawrence Dunn, 22 August 2025

In Antwerp, the Huelgas Ensemble pull off an idiosyncratic and persuasive dive into Léonin, Pérotin and the world of Notre Dame polyphony.

*****

Huelgas Ensemble at Antwerp Handelsbeurs © Johan Beckers | Laus Polyphoniae

Smearing and sliding: Huelgas Ensemble at Laus Polyphoniae

By Lawrence Dunn

Myung-whun Chung conducts the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra © K Miura | Tokyo Philharmonic

Behind the scenes of Japan’s oldest orchestra: the Tokyo Philharmonic

By Lawrence Dunn, 22 August 2025

Ahead of their European tour this autumn with Myung-whun Chung, we discover the history of one of Japan’s most important classical music institutions.

Myung-whun Chung conducts the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra © K Miura | Tokyo Philharmonic

Behind the scenes of Japan’s oldest orchestra: the Tokyo Philharmonic

By Lawrence Dunn

Euan Shields conducting the Hallé © Alex Burns | The Hallé

Making waves at the Hallé: Euan Shields

By Lawrence Dunn, 17 June 2025

Ahead of the 2026 Siemens Hallé International Conductors Competition, we talk to past winner Euan Shields about what entrants can expect, and how to navigate the competition’s twists and turns.

Euan Shields conducting the Hallé © Alex Burns | The Hallé

Making waves at the Hallé: Euan Shields

By Lawrence Dunn

Thomas Adès © Marco Borggreve

Looking for Thomas Adès in the Aquifer

By Lawrence Dunn, 26 March 2025

In residence in Manchester with the Hallé, Thomas Adès talks about recent pieces Aquifer and Wreath, and how bigness and smallness are never exactly quantifiable.

Thomas Adès © Marco Borggreve

Looking for Thomas Adès in the Aquifer

By Lawrence Dunn

Siko Setyanto performs Ocean Cage © Miriam Levi

Sun, fish, pigs and children: Borealis 2025

By Lawrence Dunn, 25 March 2025

This year’s Borealis festival in Bergen presented a mix of at times bizarre new ensemble, theatre and operatic works from Jason Yarde, Okkyung Lee and Bastard Assignments.

Siko Setyanto performs Ocean Cage © Miriam Levi

Sun, fish, pigs and children: Borealis 2025

By Lawrence Dunn

Nicholas McCarthy © courtesy Nicholas McCarthy

Darkness and pathos: Nicholas McCarthy on Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand

By Lawrence Dunn, 7 March 2025

Pianist Nicholas McCarthy, who was born without a right hand, talks about his intimate relationship with one of Ravel’s most enigmatic works.

Nicholas McCarthy © courtesy Nicholas McCarthy

Darkness and pathos: Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand

By Lawrence Dunn

Cristian Sandrin © Yvonne Hartmann

Dances and mountains: Cristian Sandrin takes a new approach to the Goldberg Variations

By Lawrence Dunn, 19 December 2024

Ahead of a performance at London’s Sinfonia Smith Square, pianist Cristian Sandrin talks about commissioning three new variations from composers Farhad Poupel, Louise Drewett and Philip Dutton, and his aim to create a new view of Bach’s music.

Cristian Sandrin © Yvonne Hartmann

Dances and mountains: Cristian Sandrin’s new Goldberg Variations

By Lawrence Dunn

Barbara Hannigan conducts the London Symphony Orchestra © LSO | Mark Allan

Sensuality and modern music: Barbara Hannigan

By Lawrence Dunn, 6 December 2024

Barbara Hannigan talks about her relationship with Boulez, on singing Pli selon pli, and returning to the London Symphony Orchestra to conduct two programmes this season.

Barbara Hannigan conducts the London Symphony Orchestra © LSO | Mark Allan

Sensuality and modern music: Barbara Hannigan

By Lawrence Dunn

Ultima Oslo opens with Fathom at Oslo Town Hall © Nabeeh Samaan

Alternative future sonic worlds: Ultima Oslo 2024

By Lawrence Dunn, 19 September 2024

One of the standout contemporary music festivals anywhere in the world, Ultima Oslo is a model for musical meetings across boundaries, and radical open-mindedness.

Ultima Oslo opens with Fathom at Oslo Town Hall © Nabeeh Samaan

Alternative future sonic worlds: Ultima Oslo

By Lawrence Dunn

The Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ and BIMHUIS © Nico Anselmgeest

Something completely different: the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ

By Lawrence Dunn, 29 May 2024

With an eclectic programming ethos, and some of the finest acoustics in the Netherlands, the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ is about as adaptable as it’s possible for a modern concert hall to be.

The Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ and BIMHUIS © Nico Anselmgeest

Something completely different: the Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ

By Lawrence Dunn

The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra at Vanemuine Concert Hall, Tartu © Rene Jakobson

Oceanic swells, orchestral tangles: Baltic & Estonian Music Days

By Lawrence Dunn, 28 April 2024

The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra presents contemporary works, including three world premieres, by composers from across the Baltics.

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The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra at Vanemuine Concert Hall, Tartu © Rene Jakobson

Oceanic swells, orchestral tangles: Baltic & Estonian Music Days

By Lawrence Dunn

Taavi Kerikmäe (harmonium) and Anna-Liisa Eller (kannel) © Rene Jakobson

Tombs, elegies and ruins: Baltic & Estonian Music Days

By Lawrence Dunn, 27 April 2024

Anna-Liisa Eller and Taavi Kerikmäe present new works for the Estonian kannel and keyboard instruments, alongside arrangements of Baroque music.

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Taavi Kerikmäe (harmonium) and Anna-Liisa Eller (kannel) © Rene Jakobson

Tombs, elegies and ruins: Baltic & Estonian Music Days

By Lawrence Dunn

Jaani Kirik (St John’s Church), Tartu © Rene Jakobson

Solemn rites and fractured chants open Baltic & Estonian Music Days in Tartu

By Lawrence Dunn, 26 April 2024

Tartu, European City of Culture in 2024, hosts the long-established contemporary music festival, bringing together composers and and musicians from across the Baltics.

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Jaani Kirik (St John’s Church), Tartu © Rene Jakobson

Solemn rites and fractured chants open Estonian Music Days in Tartu

By Lawrence Dunn

Premieres in 2024: Ivičević, Bauckholt, Iannotta, Saunders, Thorvaldsdóttir, Streich, Bray, Kendall © I Ripak, M Sturm, A Ackerman, S Sigurdardottir, M Theobald, D Beecroft, E Denny

Deadly playful: eight new works from women composers in 2024

By Lawrence Dunn, 8 March 2024

Kaleidoscopic, surreal, uncanny, crystalline, playful and deadly – we survey eight women composers with new works to be premiered in 2024.

Premieres in 2024: Ivičević, Bauckholt, Iannotta, Saunders, Thorvaldsdóttir, Streich, Bray, Kendall © I Ripak, M Sturm, A Ackerman, S Sigurdardottir, M Theobald, D Beecroft, E Denny

Deadly playful: eight new works from women composers in 2024

By Lawrence Dunn

Composition as learning: Cassandra Miller

By Lawrence Dunn, 7 March 2024

The Canadian composer talks about her working method, her interest in vocality, her guitar concerto for Sean Shibe and the Dunedin Consort, and whether she’s still trying to make audiences cry.

Composition as learning: Cassandra Miller

By Lawrence Dunn

Shell refinery, Martinez, California © James Daisa

Contests of power and imagination: DNO’s The Shell Trial

By Lawrence Dunn, 9 February 2024

Composer Ellen Reid and co-directors Gable and Romy Roelofsen speak about their new opera, which dramatises a 2021 court case brought by Dutch citizens against the oil company Shell.

Shell refinery, Martinez, California © James Daisa

Contests of power and imagination: DNO’s The Shell Trial

By Lawrence Dunn

Concertgebouw Bruges © Jan Termont & Dirk Van der Borght

Glimpses of the future of classical music at Concertgebouw Bruges

By Lawrence Dunn, 29 November 2023

Rising in a distinctive terracotta above the medieval city of Bruges, the Concertgebouw presents a hugely multifaceted programme – and is driving new initiatives for decarbonisation and sustainability.

Concertgebouw Bruges © Jan Termont & Dirk Van der Borght

Glimpses of future classical music at Concertgebouw Bruges

By Lawrence Dunn

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the BBC Singers © BBC | Mark Allan

Singing at the edge: inside the BBC Singers

By Lawrence Dunn, 4 September 2023

Mezzo-soprano Jessica Gillingwater and tenor Peter Davoren reveal how demanding being a member of the BBC Singers is – and how they approach singing such a wide variety of music.

Sir Simon Rattle conducts the BBC Singers © BBC | Mark Allan

Singing at the edge: inside the BBC Singers

By Lawrence Dunn

Aysinpir | Wikimedia Commons

Sharp drop in A Level Music entrants reflects wider declines in music education

By Lawrence Dunn, 18 August 2023

The numbers of entrants to A Level Music has halved since 2010, reflecting a wider landscape for music and culture across the UK that is increasingly bleak.

Aysinpir | Wikimedia Commons

Sharp drop in A Level Music entrants reflects wider declines

By Lawrence Dunn

Vimbayi Kaziboni and the BBC Philharmonic © Chris Payne

Three new works of wildly varying quality at Manchester International Festival

By Lawrence Dunn, 7 July 2023

Conductor Vimbayi Kaziboni, the BBC Philharmonic and soloists Ralph van Raat and Jess Dandy present three new works, each relating to natural environments.

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Vimbayi Kaziboni and the BBC Philharmonic © Chris Payne

Wildly varying quality at Manchester International Festival

By Lawrence Dunn

Laurence Crane © Alex Tay

Aloofness, sincerety and montage: Esposito Quartet plays Laurence Crane and Caroline Shaw

By Lawrence Dunn, 17 June 2023

The premiere of Laurence Crane’s new string quartet is presented in Dundalk alongside Caroline Shaw and the Esposito Quartet.

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Laurence Crane © Alex Tay

Aloofness, sincerety, montage: Esposito Quartet plays Crane and Shaw

By Lawrence Dunn

Chamber Choir Ireland surround the audience at St Nicholas’ Church, Dundalk © Lawrence Dunn

Loneliness and togetherness: Chamber Choir Ireland in Dundalk

By Lawrence Dunn, 16 June 2023

Chamber Choir Ireland opens Louth Contemporary Music Society’s summer festival, with two major new works from Cassandra Miller and Linda Catlin Smith.

*****

Chamber Choir Ireland surround the audience at St Nicholas’ Church, Dundalk © Lawrence Dunn

Loneliness and togetherness: Chamber Choir Ireland in Dundalk

By Lawrence Dunn

György Ligeti (1923–2006) © Co Broerse

A survivor from Transylvania: the life of György Ligeti

By Lawrence Dunn, 28 May 2023

Ligeti’s early life was deeply eventful and traumatic. Biographer Richard Steinitz describes writing Ligeti’s biography – and the alienated and abstracted imprint it left on his music.

György Ligeti (1923–2006) © Co Broerse

A survivor from Transylvania: the life of György Ligeti

By Lawrence Dunn

György Ligeti (1923–2006) © Co Broerse

With pipes, drums and fiddles: a Ligeti playlist

By Lawrence Dunn, 26 May 2023

Born 100 years ago, the music of Hungarian composer György Ligeti is varied and multiplicitous, displaying a voracious curiosity and a multifaceted imagination.

György Ligeti (1923–2006) © Co Broerse

With pipes, drums and fiddles: a Ligeti playlist

By Lawrence Dunn

Passport photo of Johanna Beyer in 1935 © US Passport Service | Public Domain

Against the status quo: the music of Johanna Beyer

By Lawrence Dunn, 14 April 2023

A pioneering composer of music for electronic instruments in the 1930s, Johanna Beyer also wrote singular chamber and large ensemble music. A portrait concert will be presented at LAC Lugano in May.

Passport photo of Johanna Beyer in 1935 © US Passport Service | Public Domain

Against the status quo: the music of Johanna Beyer

By Lawrence Dunn

Nicolò Foron, winner of the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition 2023 © Mark Allan | LSO

Pressure and intoxication: the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition

By Lawrence Dunn, 31 March 2023

Twenty talented young conductors descend on London to participate in the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition 2023, one of the most prestigious in the world.

Nicolò Foron, winner of the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition 2023 © Mark Allan | LSO

Pressure and intoxication: the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition

By Lawrence Dunn

BBC Singers, conducted by Alexander L’Estrange © BBC | Mark Allan

BBC announces closure of BBC Singers, redundancies at orchestras

By Lawrence Dunn, 9 March 2023

The BBC’s announcement of its decision to shutter the BBC Singers, and to aim for 20% redundancies in its English orchestras, has attracted criticism.

BBC Singers, conducted by Alexander L’Estrange © BBC | Mark Allan

BBC announces closure of BBC Singers, redundancies at orchestras

By Lawrence Dunn

Cassandra Miller and Silvia Tarozzi © Nadia Nadalini

Eight women composers to watch this year

By Lawrence Dunn, 8 March 2023

A playlist presenting a multiplicity of musics from eight women composers from around the world, with premieres in 2023.

Cassandra Miller and Silvia Tarozzi © Nadia Nadalini

Eight women composers to watch

By Lawrence Dunn

Animal Farm in rehearsal © Milagro Elstak

Breaking the cage from the inside: Dutch National Opera’s Animal Farm

By Lawrence Dunn, 17 February 2023

A new opera based on Orwell’s Animal Farm will shortly open at Dutch National Opera. Director Damiano Michieletto, librettist Ian Burton and composer Alexander Raskatov speak about this ambitious and fervent new project.

Animal Farm in rehearsal © Milagro Elstak

Breaking the cage from the inside: Dutch National Opera’s Animal Farm

By Lawrence Dunn

Deborah Weiss performing Calliope Rag in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations © Charles Tandy

Everyday life as a ballerina: an interview with Deborah Weiss

By Lawrence Dunn, 10 February 2023

Bachtrack’s new Dance Editor has had a remarkable career as a dancer, working with everyone from Rudolf Nureyev, to Margot Fonteyn, to Alicia Markova.

Deborah Weiss performing Calliope Rag in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations © Charles Tandy

Everyday life as a ballerina: an interview with Deborah Weiss

By Lawrence Dunn

Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss with the Dresdner Philharmonie in Tár © Focus Features

Tár shines a light on orchestral life in Germany

By Lawrence Dunn, 30 January 2023

Cate Blanchett’s imperious performance has attracted praise and controversy. Yet in Germany, a woman chief conductor of Lydia Tár’s status seems distant.

Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss with the Dresdner Philharmonie in Tár © Focus Features

Tár shines a light on orchestral life in Germany

By Lawrence Dunn

Arvo Pärt © Birgit Püve

Arvo Pärt: music for humanity

By Lawrence Dunn, 6 January 2023

In our statistics for 2022, Arvo Pärt is the most performed living composer. What might account for the enduring appeal of this highly personal and spiritual music?

Arvo Pärt © Birgit Püve

Arvo Pärt: music for humanity

By Lawrence Dunn

Kyiv-based artist Aleksandra Ekster’s The Music Lesson, c.1925 © Public Domain | National Gallery of Australia

The Dawn Has Risen: a playlist of Ukrainian music

By Lawrence Dunn, 24 November 2022

The tragedy of the invasion of Ukraine has rejuvenated interest in Ukrainian music for many across Europe. This playlist glances the surface of a musical culture that runs incredibly deep.

Kyiv-based artist Aleksandra Ekster’s The Music Lesson, c.1925 © Public Domain | National Gallery of Australia

The Dawn Has Risen: a playlist of Ukrainian music

By Lawrence Dunn