Live, Video: Find classical music concert, opera, ballet and dance reviews | Karen Cargill

Yannick’s debut, Stemme’s farewell: Tristan und Isolde in Philadelphia

By Cameron Kelsall, 01 June 2025

The Philadelphia Orchestra offers a musically and dramatically urgent performance of Wagner’s complete opera, buoyed by world-class soloists.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Philadelphia

02 Jun 2025

Yannick’s debut, Stemme’s farewell: Tristan und Isolde in Philly

By Cameron Kelsall

Loading image...

Symphonic landscapes: Alpesh Chauhan and the CBSO connect Beethoven and Mahler

By Simon Cummings, 06 March 2025

Two very different natural worlds are connected in a compelling performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, featuring Karen Cargill and Brenden Gunnell.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Birmingham

07 Mar 2025

Symphonic landscapes: Chauhan and the CBSO connect Beethoven to Mahler

By Simon Cummings

Loading image...

Boston

Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, more alive than ever in Boston

By Cameron Kelsall, 30 January 2025

The composer's magnum opus, unjustly neglected in English-speaking countries, receives magnificent treatment from Andris Nelsons and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, anchored by David Butt Philip and Christine Goerke.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Boston

31 Jan 2025

Korngold’s Die tote Stadt, more alive than ever in Boston

By Cameron Kelsall

Loading image...

Philosophy trumps passion in Glyndebourne’s musically excellent Tristan und Isolde

By Dominic Lowe, 29 July 2024

Magnificent conducting from Robin Ticciati and fine singers make Glyndebourne's latest revival of Lehnhoff’s production musically rewarding, but cerebral philosophical elevation overpowers the earthy reality of lust and love.

***11

Loading image...

***11

Glyndebourne

31 Jul 2024

Philosophy trumps passion in Glyndebourne’s Tristan

By Dominic Lowe

Loading image...

A choral treat to savour: Verdi’s Requiem at the BBC Proms

By David Karlin, 23 July 2024

An outstanding choral performance by nearly 300 singers of the BBC National Chorus of Wales and the Crouch End Festival Chorus lights up Verdi’s hybrid of opera and devotional music.

*****

Loading image...

*****

London

24 Jul 2024

A choral treat to savour: Verdi’s Requiem at the BBC Proms

By David Karlin

Loading image...

Yannick Nézet-Séguin illuminates Mahler's “Song of the Night”

By Cameron Kelsall, 11 April 2024

Returning to the Philadelphia Orchestra's repertoire after a 15-year absence, Gustav Mahler's Seventh Symphony shares a program with songs by the composer's wife, Alma.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Philadelphia

12 Apr 2024

Yannick Nézet-Séguin illuminates Mahler's “Song of the Night”

By Cameron Kelsall

Loading image...

Boston

A terrifying Bluebeard's Castle and impromptu tribute to Ozawa at the Boston Symphony

By Cameron Kelsall, 09 February 2024

Before the planned program of Bartók and Haydn, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and conductor Karina Canellakis honor Seiji Ozawa with Bach's Air on a G String.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Boston

11 Feb 2024

A terrifying Bluebeard's Castle and impromptu tribute at the BSO

By Cameron Kelsall

Loading image...

Barrie Kosky delivers a devastating Carmélites at Glyndebourne

By Dominic Lowe, 10 June 2023

Brought to life by some sensational singing from a strong cast, Kosky's staging delivers repeated emotional punches.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Glyndebourne

12 Jun 2023

Barrie Kosky delivers a devastating Carmélites at Glyndebourne

By Dominic Lowe

Loading image...

Sir David McVicar's new Trittico a triumph for Scottish Opera

By David Smythe, 11 March 2023

Scottish Opera’s 60th birthday present proves a triumph, with outstanding singing from Karen Cargill, Sunyoung Seo, Viktor Antipenko and Roland Wood.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Glasgow

13 Mar 2023

Sir David McVicar's new Trittico a triumph for Scottish Opera

By David Smythe

Loading image...

Devilishly good: Gardner conducts The Damnation of Faust at the Royal Festival Hall

By Dominic Lowe, 04 February 2023

A poisoned rat, sugary girls and just the small matter of a man's soul. Berlioz's légende dramatique deals minor to the major and in the hands of Edward Gardner and a superb cast, the work truly comes to life and brings the composer's unique flair to the fore.

*****

Loading image...

*****

London

06 Feb 2023

Devilishly good: Gardner conducts The Damnation of Faust

By Dominic Lowe

Loading image...

Gardner and vast LPO forces perform Schoenberg's sprawling Gurrelieder

By Mark Valencia, 24 September 2022

With a powerful but not world-beating team of soloists, Gardner and the LPO tackle Schoenberg's sprawling cantata with aplomb – except for one near-catastrophic misstep.

***11

Loading image...

***11

London

26 Sep 2022

Gardner and a vast LPO perform Schoenberg's Gurrelieder

By Mark Valencia

Loading image...

Montreal

Rafael Payare conducts a dynamic Resurrection Symphony in Montreal

By Ian Cochrane, 17 September 2022

Rafael Payare launches the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal's 2022-2023 season on a massive scale with Mahler's Resurrection Symphony.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Montreal

19 Sep 2022

Rafael Payare conducts a dynamic Resurrection Symphony in Montreal

By Ian Cochrane

Loading image...

Edinburgh International Festival closes with a magnificent Dream of Gerontius

By Simon Thompson, 28 August 2022

The festival's final concert marks several endings, including the fulfilment of Sir Andrew Davis' Elgar oratorio cycle with the RSNO.

*****

Loading image...

*****

Edinburgh

28 Aug 2022

Edinburgh International Festival closes with a magnificent Gerontius

By Simon Thompson

Loading image...

Thrilling Mahler 2 from Markus Stenz and the CBSO to close the season

By Rohan Shotton, 22 June 2022

Mahler's Resurrection Symphony is something of a calling card for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, here originally billed as Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla’s final concert as musical director.

****1

Loading image...

****1

Birmingham

24 Jun 2022

Thrilling Mahler 2 from Markus Stenz and the CBSO to close the season

By Rohan Shotton

Loading image...

Visuals and voices mar Philadelphia Orchestra's Missa solemnis

By Cameron Kelsall, 10 April 2022

An admirable but disjointed performance of Beethoven's sacred choral work did not benefit from an extratextual art installation.

**111

Loading image...

**111

Philadelphia

11 Apr 2022

Visuals and voices mar Philadelphia Orchestra's Missa solemnis

By Cameron Kelsall

Sweet immersion: a semi-staged Tristan und Isolde at Glyndebourne

By Dominic Lowe, 13 August 2021

For social distancing reasons, the Festival dispensed with a full staging of Wagner's epic love story, allowing singers and orchestra to share the stage in an able compromise.

****1

****1

Glyndebourne

15 Aug 2021

A semi-staged Tristan und Isolde at Glyndebourne

By Dominic Lowe

Driven by fear, fuelled by love: private and public creative struggles explored in Birmingham

By Simon Cummings, 23 June 2021

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla with the CBSO and mezzo Karen Cargill tease out the contrasting inner and outer emotional tension in music by Weinberg and Mahler.

****1

****1

Birmingham

24 Jun 2021

Driven by fear, fuelled by love: Weinberg and Mahler from the CBSO

By Simon Cummings

Unknown

A labour of love and determination: L’Enfant et les sortilèges

By David Smythe, 16 November 2020

Virtual Opera made real as Ravel's miniature masterpiece is recorded remotely around the world and melded with Leanne Vandenbussche’s picture-book drawings and the London Philharmonic Orchestra's soundtrack to create magic.

****1

****1

Unknown

18 Nov 2020

A labour of love and determination: L’Enfant et les sortilèges

By David Smythe

Karen Cargill and the Scottish Ensemble burst into Songs for Life

By David Smythe, 13 November 2020

Life, death, childhood, community and love are celebrated in Songs for Life by Karen Cargill with the Scottish Ensemble in an exquisitely filmed performance.

*****

*****

Glasgow

15 Nov 2020

Karen Cargill and the Scottish Ensemble burst into Songs for Life

By David Smythe

Mahler’s Light Shines On at the Edinburgh Festival

By David Smythe, 08 August 2020

A reduced RSNO with Thomas Søndergård shows a brave arrangement of the Seventh Symphony in a filmed performance.

****1

****1

Edinburgh

10 Aug 2020

Mahler’s Light Shines On at the Edinburgh Festival

By David Smythe

Alma and Gustav Mahler side by side with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra

By David Smythe, 30 January 2020

Mr and Mrs: The Scottish Chamber Orchestra with Kensho Watanabe explore Alma Mahler’s early songs and Gustav Mahler’s sunny Fourth Symphony with Karen Cargill.

***11

***11

Edinburgh

01 Feb 2020

Alma and Gustav Mahler side by side with the SCO

By David Smythe

Mirga's Mahler: the Symphony of a Thousand in Birmingham

By Mark Valencia, 19 January 2020

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla approached the Eighth with a clear vision of the music’s structure and a plan to free the life that teems beneath its mighty vaults.

****1

****1

Birmingham

20 Jan 2020

Mirga's Mahler: the Symphony of a Thousand in Birmingham

By Mark Valencia

Pappano and the LSO furious in Vaughan Williams' Fourth Symphony

By Chris Garlick, 12 December 2019

Sir Antonio Pappano has taken up the baton in English works by Elgar, Tippett and Vaughan Williams.

*****

*****

London

13 Dec 2019

Pappano and the LSO furious in Vaughan Williams' Fourth Symphony

By Chris Garlick

Take me to church: Nézet-Séguin leads Bach's Mass in B minor

By Cameron Kelsall, 06 December 2019

Bach's crowning musical achievement made a disappointing return to the Philadelphia Orchestra repertoire after a 34-year absence.

**111

**111

Philadelphia

06 Dec 2019

Take me to church: Nézet-Séguin leads Bach's Mass in B minor

By Cameron Kelsall

Dundee

RSNO season opens with Vienna’s Golden Age

By David Smythe, 03 October 2019

RSNO Season opens in Dundee on Vienna’s Golden Age, Søndergård conducting a boisterous Don Juan, Karen Cargill singing Berg Seven Early Songs and a sparkling Mahler Symphony no 1.

****1

****1

Dundee

04 Oct 2019

RSNO season opens with Vienna’s Golden Age

By David Smythe

Götterdämmerung: a truly fabulous end to the Edinburgh International Festival’s Ring

By David Smythe, 25 August 2019

The EIF’s cycle comes to a fabulous end with RSNO and Andrew Davis leading a luxury cast, Christine Goerke’s emotionally powerful Brünnhilde a highlight.

****1

****1

Edinburgh

27 Aug 2019

Götterdämmerung: a truly fabulous end to the EIF Ring

By David Smythe

Bold, dramatic colour in Gražinytė-Tyla's CBSO Mahler 2

By Rohan Shotton, 13 June 2019

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.

****1

****1

Birmingham

14 Jun 2019

Bold, dramatic colour in Gražinytė-Tyla's CBSO Mahler 2

By Rohan Shotton

New York City

Faith and anguish: Carmélites at the Met

By Robert Levine, 08 May 2019

An unforgettable evening at the Met as John Dexter's production of Poulenc's masterpiece is revived to close the season.

****1

****1

New York City

09 May 2019

Faith and anguish: Carmélites at the Met

By Robert Levine

The Ultimate Romantic: BBCSSO uncovers Lélio, a Berlioz rarity

By David Smythe, 17 February 2019

BBCSSO’s contributes to Berlioz – The Ultimate Romantic with a swaggering Waverley Overture, Dramatic Death of Cleopatra and an intriguing performance of Lélio, or what happened after Symphonie Fantastique.

****1

****1

Glasgow

18 Feb 2019

The Ultimate Romantic: BBCSSO uncovers Lélio, a Berlioz rarity

By David Smythe

Sublime care and craft: Edward Gardner conducts Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ

By Mark Valencia, 17 December 2018

Berlioz was well served in a performance that rose to heights of inspiring dignity and devotional beauty.

****1

****1

London

18 Dec 2018

Edward Gardner conducts Berlioz: L'Enfance du Christ

By Mark Valencia

Milling’s powerful Hagen drives a dramatic Royal Opera Götterdämmerung

By David Karlin, 01 October 2018

A standout performance from Stephen Milling complements all-round excellence of cast to provide a satisfying end to the Covent Garden Ring.

****1

****1

London

02 Oct 2018

Milling drives a dramatic Royal Opera Götterdämmerung

By David Karlin

Wonderful choral singing makes for a stirring Mahler 8 in Edinburgh

By David Karlin, 26 August 2018

A superb choral performance and some memorable solo moments bring Mahler's "Symphony of a Thousand" to life, even if the sheer energy of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra turns frantic at times.

***11

***11

Edinburgh

27 Aug 2018

Wonderful choral singing in Edinburgh's Mahler 8

By David Karlin

Prom 5: Glyndebourne's baffling Pélleas et Mélisande arrives at the Proms

By Dominic Lowe, 17 July 2018

The annual transfer of a production from Glyndebourne to the Proms this year saw Herheim's baffling production of Debussy's masterpiece.

****1

****1

London

19 Jul 2018

Glyndebourne's baffling Pélleas et Mélisande at the Proms

By Dominic Lowe

Shadows among the organ pipes: an enigmatic Pelléas et Mélisande on location in Glyndebourne

By Mark Pullinger, 30 June 2018

Stefan Herheim's dreamlike production of Debussy's opera sets it squarely in the Sussex manor house that gave birth to Glyndebourne's festival.

***11

***11

Glyndebourne

01 Jul 2018

An enigmatic Pelléas et Mélisande at Glyndebourne

By Mark Pullinger

From Naxos to Carthage: Ancient Classical Tales from Karen Cargill and the Scottish Ensemble

By David Smythe, 20 February 2018

Mezzo soprano Karen Cargill and the Scottish Ensemble guest-led by Matthew Truscott in a programme of music from Purcell to Stravinsky all inspired by tales from Ancient Greece.

****1

****1

Edinburgh

22 Feb 2018

From Naxos to Carthage: Ancient Classical Tales from Karen Cargill and the Scottish Ensemble

By David Smythe

Ticciati revisits former glories with his SCO team

By Simon Thompson, 11 January 2018

Is there any instrument more bittersweet than the viola? The violin does the acrobatics, the cello is more conventionally beautiful, but the viola sits in the middle of the orchestral palette like no other instrument. Neither high nor low, it’s perfectly placed to embody the contradictory and the conflicted, ideal for a sense of desire denied or of fulfilment deferred.

****1

****1

Edinburgh

11 Jan 2018

Ticciati revisits former glories with his SCO team

By Simon Thompson

Manchester

Juanjo Mena and BBC Philharmonic unlock Mahler's Third

By Hugh Morris, 24 September 2017

Juanjo Mena begins the final year of his stint with the BBC Philharmonic with a warm interpretation of Mahler's Third Symphony.

****1

****1

Manchester

25 Sep 2017

Juanjo Mena and BBC Philharmonic unlock Mahler's Third

By Hugh Morris

Rattle leads the LSO on a thrilling ride into the abyss

By Mark Pullinger, 19 September 2017

The LSO’s pedigree in Berlioz is second to none so La Damnation de Faust acted as the perfect showcase in its “This is Rattle” festival.

****1

****1

London

20 Sep 2017

Rattle leads the LSO on a thrilling ride into the abyss

By Mark Pullinger

Prom 46: Rattle's Gurrelieder an irresistible force to move the hardest of hearts

By Penny Homer, 19 August 2017

A taste of the future with Sir Simon Rattle and the LSO.

****1

****1

London

21 Aug 2017

Gurrelieder: an irresistible force at the Proms

By Penny Homer

Memorable and epic Die Walküre at Edinburgh International Festival

By David Smythe, 06 August 2017

A sensational Die Walküre from Sir Andrew Davis and the RSNO at the Edinburgh Festival that will be talked about for years.

*****

*****

Edinburgh

07 Aug 2017

Memorable and epic Die Walküre at EIF

By David Smythe

New York City

The MET Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen in a revelatory pairing of Schumann and Mahler

By Edward Sava-Segal, 03 June 2017

At Carnegie Hall the MET orchestra proves that, temporarily rudderless, it's still a top ensemble

****1

****1

New York City

06 Jun 2017

The MET Orchestra and Esa-Pekka Salonen in a revelatory pairing of Schumann and Mahler

By Edward Sava-Segal

The Agony and the Ecstasy: Bruckner, Bernard Haitink and the LSO

By Alexander Hall, 28 May 2017

Bernard Haitink and LSO forces explore contrasting aspects of two late works by Bruckner.

****1

****1

London

29 May 2017

The Agony and the Ecstasy: Bruckner, Bernard Haitink and the LSO

By Alexander Hall

What’s behind Bluebeard’s 8th door? Chilling double bill from Scottish Opera

By David Smythe, 01 April 2017

Karen Cargill returns to Scottish Opera as Judith in Bluebeard’s Castle in a double bill with The 8th Door, a new opera from Lliam Paterson and Vanishing Point’s Matthew Lenton.

***11

***11

Glasgow

03 Apr 2017

What’s behind Bluebeard’s 8th door?

By David Smythe

Runnicles bids farewell to BBCSSO with a colossal Gurrelieder at the Edinburgh Festival

By David Smythe, 28 August 2016

Donald Runnicles ends the 2016 Edinburgh Festival with Gurrelieder.

*****

*****

Edinburgh

29 Aug 2016

A colossal Gurrelieder in Edinburgh

By David Smythe

Chicago

Levine makes triumphant Ravinia homecoming with Mahler’s Resurrection

By Sam Jacobson, 23 July 2016

James Levine returned to Ravinia to conduct the Chicago Symphony for the first time since stepping down as music director in 1993 in a monumental performance of Mahler’s Second Symphony – the same piece with which he debuted in 1971.

*****

*****

Chicago

25 Jul 2016

Levine makes triumphant Ravinia homecoming

By Sam Jacobson

Transfigured night: Tristan and Isolde at ENO

By Matthew Rye, 09 June 2016

English National Opera's new Tristan is at its best when responding to Anish Kapoor's stunning stage sculptures.

****1

****1

London

10 Jun 2016

Transfigured night: Tristan and Isolde

By Matthew Rye

Gateshead

Christian Lindberg and Royal Northern Sinfonia go North

By Jane Shuttleworth, 22 October 2015

Being a chamber orchestra doesn't stop Royal Northern Sinfonia and guest conductor-performer Christian Lindberg from tackling Wagner and Sibelius.

***11

***11

Gateshead

23 Oct 2015

Royal Northern Sinfonia goes North

By Jane Shuttleworth