Events Reviews Articles Video

Find articles | Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres is a Bristol-based film composer and classical electronic artist. Alexandra's passion in scoring and as a performer lie in the duality between the classical and electronica worlds, moving picture and her love for the piano. Her music has been described by The White Room Magazine as “majestic, at times monumental…the force and vastness of nature”.

Author:Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Put content in English at top

Showing 50 of 107 articles

Prom 62: Chineke! Orchestra's late night with Sheku Kanneh-Mason and Jeanine De Bique

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 30 August 2017

An late evening of shorter works from the Chineke! Orchestra provided a varied and exciting programme from baroque works to a world première.

****1

Prom 62: Chineke! Orchestra's late night

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Prom 44: Michael Gordon's genre-defying Big Space receives fantastic world première

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 17 August 2017

Well known for their genre-busting and boundary-defying music, Bang on the Can delivered a splendid Late Night Prom.

*****

Prom 44: Michael Gordon's genre-defying Big Space

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

PCM4: Edgar Moreau and Il Pomo d'Oro bring Baroque cello to the BBC Proms

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 07 August 2017

In his early twenties, French cellist Edgar Moreau, a rising star in performing Baroque repertoire on the cello, made his Proms debut at Cadogan Hall.

****1

Moreau brings Baroque cello to the BBC Proms

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Triumphant Tchaikovsky from Nikolaj Znaider and the LSO in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 16 December 2016

The conductor and soloist usually have a close relationship, but rarely are they the same person. Nikolaj Znaider demonstrated his musical prowess as both a violin soloist and as conductor commanding the London Symphony Orchestra.

****1

Triumphant Tchaikovsky from Nikolaj Znaider and the LSO

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Memoirs of a Pear-Shaped Life: the essence of Satie

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 01 November 2016

In Memoirs of a Pear-Shaped Life, Erik Satie, the eccentric French Normandy composer, was defined on stage in three different forms, each with a bowler hat, in a music theatre performance of Satie's life.

***11

Memoirs of a Pear-Shaped Life: the essence of Satie

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Labèque sisters captivate with Schubert and Glass

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 28 October 2016

Two interlocking grand pianos, the front with its lid removed, centred the stage of pale pink lights at St George’s. The Labèque sisters, Katia and Marielle perform Ravel, Schubert, Bernstein and Glass.

****1

Labèque sisters captivate with Schubert and Glass

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Birthday Bach from the OAE at St George's, Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 21 October 2016

Laurence Cummings and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment celebrate two anniversaries in a programmed of works by Johann Sebastian Bach and his sons.

****1

Birthday Bach from the OAE at St George's, Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Brodsky Quartet's evening of fantastic Fugues

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 27 September 2016

The fugue made an interesting subject for the Brodsky Quartet’s concert at St Georges. The programme delved into the fugue’s cross over between eras, from Baroque, all the way to early expressionism.

****1

Fantastic fugues from the Brodsky

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Telemann insights from Boothby in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 20 September 2016

Richard Boothby gave a simple and informative evening’s concert of Telemann’s 12 fantasias at St Georges, Bristol.

***11

Telemann insights from Boothby in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Prom 22: Auerbach's UK première of The Infant Minstrel

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 31 July 2016

Prom 22 was a surreal evening of music, centered around the UK première of Auerbach’s The Infant Minstrel and His Peculiar Menagerie.

***11

Prom 22: Auerbach première

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Prom 20: Gardiner masters Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette with the ORR

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 30 July 2016

Prom 20 proved an exhilarating journey, featuring Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette as one of the key works of this year’s BBC Proms' Shakespeare 400 celebrations.

****1

Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette with the ORR

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Prom 11: Wagner and Tippett make an effective pairing

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 23 July 2016

Wagner's Die Walküre and Tippett's A Child of Our Time both attempt to capture the essence of humanity. Despite making for an unusual pairing, the programme was an effective one.

****1

Prom 11: Wagner and Tippett

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Between worlds: sensational Avi Avital, Ksenija Sidorova and Itamar Doari

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 09 July 2016

To see three passionate ambassadors of their instruments performing together made a sensationally satisfying evening at St Georges, Bristol.

*****

Between worlds: sensational Avi Avital

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Perfect performance of Holst's Planets in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 11 June 2016

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra presented a space-themed concert in an exciting evening’s programme of many well-known pieces rolled into a couple of hours.

****1

Perfect performance of Holst's Planets in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

WNO's Figaro Gets a Divorce: a memorable night in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 17 March 2016

Elena Langer and David Pountney's new WNO opera Figaro Gets a Divorce did not disappoint. Langer's new refreshing score had flair and imagination in a memorable performance.

****1

WNO's Figaro Gets a Divorce: a memorable night

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Welsh National Opera's Barber of Seville underwhelms

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 15 March 2016

Welsh National Opera's new production of The Barber of Seville disappoints in an uncoordinated performance in Bristol.

**111

WNO's Barber of Seville underwhelms

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Gardiner acts as guide through Mozart's last three symphonies

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 15 January 2016

Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducts the English Baroque Soloists through three Mozart Symphonies in one evening, educating along the way.

****1

Gardiner acts as guide through Mozart's last three symphonies

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

BSO and Isserlis perform moving Shostakovich

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 12 November 2015

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra returned once again to the Colston Hall to perform three very different works. Steven Isserlis headlined the evening with a fantastic rendition of Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto no. 1.

****1

BSO and Isserlis perform moving Shostakovich

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and Michael Barenboim

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 07 October 2015

In the first of two performances of this concert, St. George’s welcomed Michael Barenboim and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, previously known as the Oxford Philomusica.

***11

The Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and Michael Barenboim

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Prom 35: The Story of Swing in the Royal Albert Hall

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 11 August 2015

An informative evening on the history of Swing Music celebrating the 80th anniversary of Swing. British presenter and vocalist Clare Teal led the evening opened by the Guy Barker Big Band and the Winston Rollins Big Band mirroring each other's set up on stage complete with two pianos and two drum kits.

****1

Prom 35: The Story of Swing

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

PCM4 Percussion from Olympus: Dame Evelyn Glennie at the BBC Proms

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 10 August 2015

Aberdeenshire born percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie never fails to impress an audience. To celebrate Glennie's 50th birthday, the BBC Proms Chamber Music series fourth concert was a special concert of four pieces written in the last 20 years.

****1

Percussion from Olympus: Dame Evelyn Glennie

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Rutter conducts Rutter: Colston Hall's Summer Gala Concert

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 20 June 2015

This was, by no doubt, the largest ensemble on stage at Colston Hall this season with five choirs and an orchestra that took over the stage.

***11

Rutter conducts Rutter: Colston Hall's Summer Gala Concert

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia lead Bristol's Sibelius 150 party

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 10 June 2015

The 82-strong Philharmonia Orchestra, under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy, ruled the roost at one of the highlights of Bristol’s 2014-15 classical music season.

****1

Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia lead Bristol's Sibelius 150 party

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

An evening with Julian Lloyd Webber at St George's, Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 11 May 2015

Having recently retired after a herniated disc weakened his bowing arm, Julian Lloyd Webber took to the stage last night at St George’s, Bristol as part of a tour he had created to tribute and reflect upon his performance career as one of the world’s leading cellists.

**111

An evening with Julian Lloyd Webber

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

RAM Lunchtime Concerts: Magnard Ensemble

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 17 February 2015

A short one-hour concert of chamber wind instrument music placed itself neatly tucked away in The Lantern at the Colston Hall as part of the returned Tuesday Lunchtime Concert Series.

**111

RAM Lunchtime Concerts: Magnard Ensemble

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Pulsing applause for Aurora's Reich at St George's

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 12 February 2015

In an evening entitled “Pulse: Steve Reich and his influences”, the Aurora Orchestra set out to give three examples of pieces that influenced American minimalist composer Steve Reich alongside performing two of his pieces.

****1

Pulsing applause for Aurora's Reich

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Gould and Sidorova's Late Night Classical Café delights

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 30 January 2015

The youthful duo, British Violinist Thomas Gould and Latvian accordionist Ksenija Sidorova took to the stage at the intimate St George’s Concert Hall for a more relaxed ‘Late Night Classical Café’.

****1

Gould and Sidorova's Late Night Classical Café delights

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Paul Lewis: master of Beethoven and Schubert

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 16 December 2014

A select group of musicians provided a modest programme of chamber music at St George’s alongside renowned pianist, Paul Lewis.

***11

Paul Lewis: master of Beethoven and Schubert

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Miloš Karadaglić's Colston Hall debut with Brussels Philharmonic underwhelms

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 27 November 2014

Miloš Karadaglić plays his debut at Colston Hall with Brussels Philharmonic under Michel Tabachnik.

***11

Miloš Karadaglić's Colston Hall debut

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

WNO's Chorus leads Carmen at the Bristol Hippodrome

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 12 November 2014

The Welsh National Opera took to the Hippodrome stage for the Bristol leg of their UK tour ofCarmen. This was a revival of Welsh National Opera’s production in the late 1990s, co-produced with Scottish Opera.

***11

WNO's Chorus leads Carmen at the Bristol Hippodrome

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

The Aurora Orchestra: A dinner table, toothbrushes and hangs

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 13 November 2014

The Aurora orchestra chose one of the most eclectic mixes of music that St George’s has seen in a classic music concert inspired by the home, opening the eyes of Bristol to a strange variety of pieces.

****1

The Aurora Orchestra: A dinner table, toothbrushes and hangs

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Philip Glass Ensemble première provides another sell-out night at Glassfest

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 08 November 2014

The Philip Glass Ensemble came to Colston Hall as the culminating event of Bristol’s Glassfest collaboration between the Colston Hall, St George’s and the Watershed cinema to present the première of Philip Glass Ensemble: Retrospective.

****1

Another sell-out night at Glassfest

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Philip Glass sell-out success for Glassfest solo recital

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 07 November 2014

After a successful visit to Bristol two years ago, Glass returns to St George's for a sell-out solo performance as part of Bristol Glassfest celebrating the American minimalist composer's music.

****1

Philip Glass: Glassfest Solo Recital

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

The Brahms Experience in Bristol with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 08 October 2014

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales crossed the river to England to deliver an evening of the music of Brahms culminating in the giant Symphony no. 1 in C minor, Op. 68.

***11

The Brahms Experience in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

London and Paris 'Baroque Style' with Ars Eloquentiae

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 12 June 2014

After a hugely successful concert at last year’s Clifton International Festival of Music, Ars Eloquentiae took us on a journey back in time to the Baroque stage for “A Tale of Two Cities: London and Paris, Stage and Street” at the Clifton Cathedral.

****1

London and Paris 'Baroque Style' with Ars Eloquentiae

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

The Orgelbüchlein Project at Clifton Cathedral

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 07 June 2014

This second concert of the Clifton International Festival of Music was a sparkling gem amongst concrete presenting no less than three world premières as part of the Orgelbüchlein Project.

****1

The Orgelbüchlein Project at Clifton Cathedral

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

The Michael Nyman Band gives a Maximum Impact Performance

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 28 April 2014

Michael Nyman celebrates his 70th birthday and the 40th anniversary of the Michael Nyman Band with a concert mainly encompassing his film scores at the Colston Hall.

*****

The Michael Nyman Band gives a Maximum Impact Performance

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Psycho Live! thrills and chills at Colston Hall

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 10 April 2014

At the second screening of three, the British Sinfonietta provided a live accompaniment to an Alfred Hitchcock 1960s masterpiece. Psycho Live! was a chance to see the powerful effect of American composer Bernard Herrmann‘s motion picture music played by a real orchestra.

*****

Psycho Live! thrills and chills at Colston Hall

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Exultate Singers celebrate the splendours of Venice

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 29 March 2014

The Exultate choir played alongside His Majesties Sagbutts for an evening of music from St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, some of which hadn't been heard for over 400 years.

***11

Exultate Singers celebrate the splendours of Venice

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Partch UK Premiere creates a Surreal Sunday Experience

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 23 February 2014

In the world of concert music, it is a rare privilege to witness the first ever performance of an instrument in Britain, let alone a whole host that have been specifically created for a piece of music. A stage full of weird and wonderful creations took over the Colston Hall for one of the most surreal concerts I have ever attended.

****1

Partch UK Premiere creates a Surreal Sunday Experience

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra play Berlioz, Liszt and Scriabin in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 07 February 2014

The theme to the evening’s programme at the Colston Hall was “The Power of Love”. Spread over a century, the three works programmed were all romantically driven.

****1

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra gets to the heart of Shostakovich in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 16 January 2014

Never failing to provide an interesting programme, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performed the music of Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich under the baton of the BSO’s Conductor Laureate Andrew Litton.

****1

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow impress at Colston Hall

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 13 December 2013

In a Russian programme of Orthodox Sacred music, folk songs and works by composers from old Russia, Anatoly Grindenko and the Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow took Colston Hall, Bristol into the mesmerizing world of unaccompanied Russian male vocals.

****1

Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Chloë Hanslip with Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 15 November 2013

On walking into the foyer of Colston Hall, I was greeted by the sound of a jazz band playing The Girl from Ipanema. This was not quite what I expected from the Colston Hall’s “Symphony Project”, but nevertheless a tasteful and welcoming opening, that created a cheerful atmosphere.

***11

Chloë Hanslip with Czech National Symphony Orchestra in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Viktoria Mullova and Accademia Bizantina's play Bach concertos in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 17 October 2013

In a rare appearance outside London in the UK, world-renowned Russian violinist Viktoria Mullova, harpsichordist Ottavio Dantone and the Italian ensemble Accademia Bizantina took to the stage at St George’s Bristol to perform four Baroque concertos by J.S. Bach.

***11

Viktoria Mullova and Accademia Bizantina's play Bach concertos in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Guitarist John Williams gets a standing ovation at St George's Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 11 October 2013

On entering St George’s Bristol, we were given a sheet of paper with a biography and the names of a handful of composers – the programme hadn’t been announced beforehand, and was only revealed during the concert by John Williams himself. He introduced each piece with a little context, varying from a piece’s personal relevance, to its historical background.

****1

Guitarist John Williams gets a standing ovation at St George's Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

A Russian evening with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 03 October 2013

It would be hard to count out every single thing that was Russian about this concert. The sounds of 19th-century Russia came to Colston Hall, as part of a big tour of the UK, with three giant Russian works and three encores, by all-Russian performers.The Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio is a big orchestra with around 100 instrumentalists.

****1

A Russian evening with the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

IMS Prussia Cove autumn tour delights at St George's Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 30 September 2013

The second of five concerts in the (deep breath) Autumn 2013 International Music Seminar Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music Tour saw the musicians giving their all for a BBC Radio 3 recording at the acoustically sensitive St George’s Bristol.It’s not often that you see such an age range among musicians taking to the stage.

****1

IMS Prussia Cove autumn tour delights at St George's Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Hough's Dvořák highlights a night with Bristol Classical Players at St George's

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 21 September 2013

The Bristol Classical Players and conductor Tom Gauterin normally focus their concerts around a series of works from a particular era or composer, but this time they did something a little different. We heard the rarely performed Piano Concerto in G minor by Dvořák, sandwiched between Beethoven’s Fidelio overture and his Fifth Symphony.

***11

Hough's Dvořák highlights a night with Bristol Classical Players at St George's

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Prom 60: Glyndebourne's Billy Budd silences the Albert Hall

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 27 August 2013

The silence at the end of the concert said it all. To have plunged the attention of the entire Royal Albert Hall into utter silence for a whole minute after the music has finished was an impressive feat. Such was the audience response to Mark Padmore’s closing walk down the back of the stage, as Captain Vere.

*****

Prom 60: Glyndebourne's Billy Budd silences the Albert Hall

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres