A small group of RCS students and alumni in a concert of Bach’s Cello Suite no. 2 (arr viola) and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater on a glorious Midsummer’s evening at Glasgow’s West End Festival.
On the cusp of the Summer Solstice, Sir Simon Rattle, the LSO and suitable orchestral reinforcements celebrate the heritage of folk music and the attractions of rusticity.
Wunderkind Russian piano virtuosi are no novelty in European concert halls. Artistic seriousness and subtle interpretive skill are a harder sell. Daniil Trifonov, a pianist with intelligent and original interpretations that belie a maturity beyond his tender years, closed his season-long residency at the Berlin Philharmonic with a performance of Scriabin's rarely performed piano concerto.
During the “Salce” and “Ave Maria” in Act Four Bezsmertna turned this to magical effect, thinning out and floating her shimmering soprano into gossamer threads.
Bernard Labadie’s orchestration of the Goldberg Variations came to feel strikingly close to the Brandenburgs, which is to suggest a certain achievement on his part. The arrangement was altogether convincing as Bachmusik.
Within the quietude, Pierre Hantaï played beautifully, blues and reds slowly drifting across the waves of wood behind him. It was dramatic yet subtle, occupying the eyes while the mind floated with Bach's variations.
A title role performance full of depth from Terfel and a barnstorming comic interlude from Tomlinson provide some great moments, but much of this Boris fails to rise above the ordinary.
In the role created for Jenny Lind, Lisette Oropesa, in her debut in the theater, shows her magnificent silvery voice, beautiful vibrato and impeccable colorature.
Philip Cobb’s bluesy inflections turned the dear old Barbican Hall into the coolest nightspot in the capital; they might as well have lowered the lights and served cocktails.
From the moment Ehnes trilled the G major Op.96 into existence, he and Armstrong achieved the musical transparency that results from using fortepianos with leather hammers and gut strings, and only with great care and commitment when using modern instruments.
The Amicus Orchestra conducted by Robert Baxter with Tobias Ringborg as violin soloist brought a touch of sunshine to Glasgow’s West End Festival with popular Humperdinck, Bruch and Dvořák.
Müpa's Ring sees all-round musical excellence for a third night in row, which will be remembered more than the various distracting miscues in the staging.
The Met Orchestra’s closing performance of the season saw Yannick Nézet-Séguin lead the ensemble in Mahler’s Rückert-Lieder with Elīna Garanča and an arresting Bruckner's Seventh Symphony.
Handel's oratorio Susanna is often considered to be less than consistently dramatic and this performance in the Halle Handel Festival did little to dispel that view.
There are multiple ways of approaching Bach's Mass in B minor, from the one-to-a-part advocated by Joshua Rifkin to a more conventional large choral approach, and everything in between.
The UK stage debut of Offenbach’s neglected Fantasio reveals a musical sizzler, but directorially it needs a more sympathetic touch than Garsington musters.
Deutsche Oper Berlin presents Verdi’s old-age masterpiece in Kriegenburg’s production, which still fails to convince. A much more satisfying cast seals a successful musical production.
The Kuss Quartet played the full cycle of Beethoven string quartets in five concerts. With the legendary "Paganini set" of four Stradivarius instruments, these turned out to be special days.
The Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra led by Robert Mealy, with soprano Emőke Baráth and dancers Caroline Copeland and Pierre-François Dollé, showcase Rameau's vitality and originality.
Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria is given the Pinchgut treatment, with an abstract staging complementing historically informed music-making under Erin Helyard.
Mahler 2 must be mother’s milk for the CBSO Chorus, though they sang with affecting passion from their soft, seated entry to towering last peroration of the Resurrection hymn.
Perhaps ABT's disclaimer in the program notes should have simply said: "When you watch Le Corsaire, prepare to be both offended and entertained. We hope you'll be more entertained than offended."
Michieletto presents an engaging new production where magic and reality reflect each other through a mirror, and humans are exposed in all their vulnerability.
Deutsche Oper Berlin's revival of Manon Lescaut achieves a rare theatrical success; a witty and visually stunning production combined with thrilling music making in the pit with Sir Simon Rattle leading the orchestra and singers with emotional urgency.
Comic opera can fall flat, but if The Grange Festival's new production of Verdi's final masterpiece is a total delight, with a strong concept and a strong cast. This is country-house opera at its best.
