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Mark Valencia

Mark Valencia

Mark has worked in arts journalism for four decades, both as a writer and as a French-English translator. Nowadays he focuses his energies on reviewing opera and music. Mark also writes for Opera magazine and for Musical America as a correspondent for Europe and the UK.

Auteur:Mark Valencia

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James Rutherford en Hans Sachs des Meistersinger, dans la production du San Francisco Opera (2015) © Cory Weaver | San Francisco Opera

Entretien avec James Rutherford, maître chanteur de Wagner

Par Mark Valencia, 01 novembre 2019

Le baryton-basse James Rutherford nous parle de son rôle de Hans Sachs dans la nouvelle production des Meistersinger von Nürnberg aux Wagner Days de Budapest.

James Rutherford en Hans Sachs des Meistersinger, dans la production du San Francisco Opera (2015) © Cory Weaver | San Francisco Opera

Entretien avec James Rutherford, maître chanteur de Wagner

Par Mark Valencia

Karima El Demerdasch (Dido) © Paul Marc Mitchell

The ears have it: Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas on the Cutty Sark

Par Mark Valencia, 21 mai 2026

Come away fellow sailors, your anchors be weighing! All board the Cutty Sark for a semi-staging of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists.

****1

Karima El Demerdasch (Dido) © Paul Marc Mitchell

The ears have it: Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas on the Cutty Sark

Par Mark Valencia

Julian Bliss, Tess Jackson and Chromatica Orchestra © Monika Jakubowska

Echoes of Albion: Julian Bliss joins Chromatica Orchestra at Wilton’s Music Hall

Par Mark Valencia, 30 avril 2026

An uncluttered evening of English music includes Gerald Finzi’s gorgeous Clarinet Concerto and Britten’s Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge.

***11

Julian Bliss, Tess Jackson and Chromatica Orchestra © Monika Jakubowska

Echoes of Albion: Julian Bliss joins Chromatica at Wilton’s Music Hall

Par Mark Valencia

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment © Pete Woodhead

Immersive OAE submerged at Southbank’s Multitudes festival

Par Mark Valencia, 22 avril 2026

The road to immersion is paved with modish deflections as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment performs 20th-century English string music.

**111

The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment © Pete Woodhead

Immersive OAE submerged at Southbank’s Multitudes festival

Par Mark Valencia

Leoš Janáček (c 1890) © Public domain

Echoes of Youth from the Aurora principals at Kings Place

Par Mark Valencia, 19 mars 2026

Billed under the heading ‘Echoes of Youth’, this Kings Place programme is an attractive ragbag of unlikely bedfellows.

****1

Leoš Janáček (c 1890) © Public domain

Echoes of Youth from the Aurora principals at Kings Place

Par Mark Valencia

Paavo Järvi conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra © Marc Gasgoigne

Paavo Järvi marks his new LPO appointment in Tchaikovsky and Sibelius

Par Mark Valencia, 04 mars 2026

Paavo Järvi demonstrates just why the London Philharmonic Orchestra has chosen him as its next Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor.

*****

Paavo Järvi conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra © Marc Gasgoigne

Paavo Järvi marks his new LPO appointment in Tchaikovsky and Sibelius

Par Mark Valencia

Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the London Symphony Orchestra © LSO | Mark Allan

A curious evening from Noseda, Kopatchinskaja and the London Symphony Orchestra

Par Mark Valencia, 26 février 2026

Good, bad, but never ugly, a curious evening unfolds at the Barbican, inspired at times, ill-judged in places.

***11

Patricia Kopatchinskaja and the London Symphony Orchestra © LSO | Mark Allan

A curious evening from Noseda, Kopatchinskaja and the LSO

Par Mark Valencia

Joshua Bell leads the Academy of St Martin in the Fields © Matthew Johnson

Joshua Bell and the ASMF thrill in Schumann and Brahms

Par Mark Valencia, 20 janvier 2026

At Cadogan Hall, Bell’s account of Robert Schumann’s Spring Symphony is as sunny an interpretation as you’re likely to hear.

****1

Joshua Bell leads the Academy of St Martin in the Fields © Matthew Johnson

Joshua Bell and the ASMF thrill in Schumann and Brahms

Par Mark Valencia

Ermonela Jaho (Violetta) © The Royal Opera 2026 | Pamela Raith

Ermonela Jaho returns in triumph to The Royal Opera’s Traviata

Par Mark Valencia, 08 janvier 2026

Richard Eyre’s 32-year-old production is rarely out of The Royal Opera’s repertoire for more than a few months at a time, but this particular revival proves very special.

*****

Ermonela Jaho (Violetta) © The Royal Opera 2026 | Pamela Raith

Ermonela Jaho returns in triumph to The Royal Opera’s Traviata

Par Mark Valencia

Hugh Cutting (Arsace) and Nardus Williams (Partenope) © Lloyd Winters

Cocteau-esque camp: Alden’s Partenope returns to English National Opera

Par Mark Valencia, 20 novembre 2025

Christopher Alden’s Olivier Award-winning production of Handel’s Partenope returns to the Coliseum, but it's the singing that earns the plaudits.

****1

Hugh Cutting (Arsace) and Nardus Williams (Partenope) © Lloyd Winters

Cocteau-esque camp: Alden’s Partenope returns to ENO

Par Mark Valencia

Aušrinė Stundytė (Emilia Marty) and Sean Panikkar (Albert Gregor) © The Royal Opera | Camilla Greenwell

The glory and the grind: The Royal Opera stages its first Makropulos Case

Par Mark Valencia, 04 novembre 2025

Katie Mitchell wheels out her tired old tropes in The Makropulos Case, redeemed by its musical performances.

***11

Aušrinė Stundytė (Emilia Marty) and Sean Panikkar (Albert Gregor) © The Royal Opera | Camilla Greenwell

The Royal Opera stages its first Makropulos Case

Par Mark Valencia

Deepa Johnny (Cinderella) and Charles Rice (Dandini) © Mark Douet

The comedy falls flat in English National Opera's season opening Cinderella

Par Mark Valencia, 27 septembre 2025

Julia Burbach and her designer, Herbert Murauer, are defeated by the wide canyons of the Coliseum stage in their modern-dress Cinderella.

**111

Deepa Johnny (Cinderella) and Charles Rice (Dandini) © Mark Douet

Comedy falls flat in ENO's season opening Cinderella

Par Mark Valencia

Sir Antonio Pappano © LSO | Mark Allan

Galloping demons: Antonio Pappano and the LSO in Shostakovich 10

Par Mark Valencia, 21 septembre 2025

Sir Antonio Pappano the charioteer whips his forces to attack the fleeing Shostakovich in the Tenth Symphony at the Barbican.

*****

Sir Antonio Pappano © LSO | Mark Allan

Galloping demons: Pappano and the LSO in Shostakovich 10

Par Mark Valencia

Amanda Majeski (Katerina Izmailova) © Andy Paradise

ENO, BBC join forces in a musically and emotionally stunning Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Par Mark Valencia, 01 septembre 2025

David Pountney's vernacular translation and Ruth Knight's vivid staging lent a thrilling immediacy to Shostakovich's chilling opera.

*****

Amanda Majeski (Katerina Izmailova) © Andy Paradise

ENO, BBC join forces in stunning Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk

Par Mark Valencia

Miryam Tomè (Angel), Kateřina Kněžíková (Kátya) and Rachael Wilson (Varvara) © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Marc Brenner

An overgrown path to cliché-ville: Glyndebourne revives Michieletto’s Kátya Kabanová

Par Mark Valencia, 03 août 2025

Damiano Michieletto’s production of Janáček’s opera breaks a key tenet of high-concept opera: where it should reveal, it obfuscates.

***11

Miryam Tomè (Angel), Kateřina Kněžíková (Kátya) and Rachael Wilson (Varvara) © Glyndebourne Productions Ltd. Photo: Marc Brenner

Glyndebourne revives Michieletto’s Kátya Kabanová

Par Mark Valencia

Anja Bihlmaier and Sean Shibe with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra © BBC | Mark Allan

Electric! Sean Shibe premieres a new guitar concerto at the BBC Proms

Par Mark Valencia, 22 juillet 2025

After the premiere of Mark Simpson's concerto, Anja Bihlmaier concludes her BBC Philharmonic Prom with a rousing performance of the Symphonie fantastique.

****1

Anja Bihlmaier and Sean Shibe with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra © BBC | Mark Allan

Sean Shibe premieres a new guitar concerto at the BBC Proms

Par Mark Valencia

Jennifer France (Lucia) © Ali Wright

Born to sing Lucia: Jennifer France shines in Opera Holland Park’s new staging

Par Mark Valencia, 18 juillet 2025

Cecilia Stinton’s new production of Lucia di Lammermoor doesn't necessarily make best use of OHP’s performance space, but the singers excel.

***11

Jennifer France (Lucia) © Ali Wright

Born to sing Lucia: Jennifer France shines at Opera Holland Park

Par Mark Valencia

Marina Rebeka, Gustavo Dudamel and the London Symphony Orchestra © LSO | Mark Allan

Short Ride in a Fast Machine: Dudamel’s LSO debut proves a mixed bag

Par Mark Valencia, 14 mai 2025

Making his London Symphony Orchestra debut at the Barbican, Gustavo Dudamel’s Ravel fares better than his disappointing Strauss.

**111

Marina Rebeka, Gustavo Dudamel and the London Symphony Orchestra © LSO | Mark Allan

Short Ride in a Fast Machine: Dudamel’s LSO debut proves a mixed bag

Par Mark Valencia

Binny Supin Yang (Queen of the Night) © Craig Fuller

Royal Academy Opera stages a magical Zauberflöte

Par Mark Valencia, 18 mars 2025

A lyrical yet zesty account of Mozart's' adorable score, in a production that is on the nose and off the wall.

****1

Binny Supin Yang (Queen of the Night) © Craig Fuller

Royal Academy Opera stages a magical Zauberflöte

Par Mark Valencia

Renée Fleming and Thomas Guggeis © Courtesy of the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Renée Fleming sings Strauss favorites with Guggeis and the LPO

Par Mark Valencia, 05 mars 2025

Debutant conductor Thomas Guggeis filled out the programme with a creation of his own – a fusion of Tannhäuser, Lohengrin and Meistersinger.

****1

Renée Fleming and Thomas Guggeis © Courtesy of the London Philharmonic Orchestra

Renée Fleming sings Strauss favorites with Guggeis and the LPO

Par Mark Valencia

Riccardo Fassi (Ferrando) and the Royal Opera Chorus © RBO | Camilla Greenwell

Well cast, high-quality singers in The Royal Opera’s Trovatore revival

Par Mark Valencia, 26 février 2025

Giacomo Sagripanti’s live wire dynamics and keenly judged tempo choices keep this revival of Verdi's Il trovatore buoyant at Covent Garden.

***11

Riccardo Fassi (Ferrando) and the Royal Opera Chorus © RBO | Camilla Greenwell

Well cast, high-quality singers in Royal Opera Trovatore revival

Par Mark Valencia

Orla Boylan (Emilia Marty) © Mihaela Bodlovic

From Wales to Scotland, The Makropulos Affair defies the march of time

Par Mark Valencia, 15 février 2025

Orla Boylan’s creation oozes charisma and reeks of entitlement, driven to emotional cruelty by the lassitude of a life too-long lived.

****1

Orla Boylan (Emilia Marty) © Mihaela Bodlovic

The Makropulos Affair defies the march of time

Par Mark Valencia

Gerold Huber and Christian Gerhaher © The Wigmore Hall Trust

Christian Gerhaher and Gerold Huber beguile in Schumann at Wigmore Hall

Par Mark Valencia, 16 décembre 2024

In the first of four Schumann recitals, the regular duo partners treat a packed Wigmore Hall to a glorious evening of Lieder.

*****

Gerold Huber and Christian Gerhaher © The Wigmore Hall Trust

Gerhaher and Huber beguile in Schumann at Wigmore Hall

Par Mark Valencia

David Butt Philip and Roderick Williams © BBC | Mark Allan

Sakari Oramo and spellbinding soloists in a memorable Dream of Gerontius

Par Mark Valencia, 13 décembre 2024

A solo trio of David Butt Philip, Dame Sarah Connolly and Roderick Williams draw on extensive stage experience to inhabit their roles in a naturally assured, vividly communicative fashion.

****1

David Butt Philip and Roderick Williams © BBC | Mark Allan

A memorable Dream of Gerontius from the BBCSO and Sakari Oramo

Par Mark Valencia

Anna-Helena Maclachlan (Hansel) and Binny Supin Yang (Gretel) © Craig Fuller

A dystopian Hansel und Gretel at the RAM

Par Mark Valencia, 20 novembre 2024

Jack Furness serves up an unappetising mess of Humperdinck's delicious masterpiece for Royal Academy Opera.

***11

Anna-Helena Maclachlan (Hansel) and Binny Supin Yang (Gretel) © Craig Fuller

A dystopian Hansel und Gretel at the RAM

Par Mark Valencia

Weston Hurt (Rigoletto) and David Kempster (Monterone) © Tristram Kenton

Jonathan Miller’s Rigoletto, Godfather of opera productions, returns to ENO

Par Mark Valencia, 30 octobre 2024

Jonathan Miller’s game-changing mafioso setting of Rigoletto returns to the Coliseum, vividly conducted by Richard Farnes.

***11

Weston Hurt (Rigoletto) and David Kempster (Monterone) © Tristram Kenton

Jonathan Miller’s Rigoletto, Godfather of opera productions, returns

Par Mark Valencia

Cyrille Dubois © The Wigmore Hall Trust, 2024

The young Fauré given context by Cyrille Dubois and Tristan Raës

Par Mark Valencia, 28 octobre 2024

Cyrille Dubois and Tristan Raës embark on an ambitious survey of Gabriel Fauré's songs at Wigmore Hall.

****1

Cyrille Dubois © The Wigmore Hall Trust, 2024

The young Fauré given context by Cyrille Dubois and Tristan Raës

Par Mark Valencia

Blond Eckbert © Richard Hubert Smith

Theatrically poverty-stricken: Blond Eckbert from English Touring Opera

Par Mark Valencia, 18 octobre 2024

Judith Weir's cryptic folk opera lacks the narrative propulsion necessary to enthral an audience, and without resolution there is no catharsis.

**111

Blond Eckbert © Richard Hubert Smith

Theatrically poverty-stricken: ETO's Blond Eckbert

Par Mark Valencia

Sinéad Campbell-Wallace (Sister Angelica) © Genevieve Girling

Sensitive stagecraft, directorial rage: Suor Angelica... for one night only at ENO

Par Mark Valencia, 27 septembre 2024

Miskimmon's relocation of the action to Ireland is unsparing in its evocation not of some tearjerking melodrama but of an almost documentary reportage on real events.

*****

Sinéad Campbell-Wallace (Sister Angelica) © Genevieve Girling

Sensitive stagecraft and directorial rage: Suor Angelica at ENO

Par Mark Valencia

Julius Drake, Susan Manoff, Véronique Gens and Stéphane Degout © Mark Allan

Wigmore Hall's Fauré Song Gala: a showcase for the composer's mélodies

Par Mark Valencia, 13 septembre 2024

Fauré was the finest of French songwriters. Stéphane Degout and Véronique Gens shine in a full-length evening in a packed Wigmore Hall.

****1

Julius Drake, Susan Manoff, Véronique Gens and Stéphane Degout © Mark Allan

Fauré Song Gala a showcase for the composer's mélodies

Par Mark Valencia

Golda Schultz and Stéphane Denève © BBC | Chris Christodoulou

French music gilded by Golda Schultz and Stéphane Denève at the BBC Proms

Par Mark Valencia, 04 septembre 2024

Stéphane Denève conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in music by Fauré, Boulanger and Ravel.

****1

Golda Schultz and Stéphane Denève © BBC | Chris Christodoulou

French music gilded by Golda Schultz at the BBC Proms

Par Mark Valencia

Víkingur Ólafsson and the Berliner Philharmoniker © BBC | Chris Christodoulou

Petrenko, Ólafsson and the Berliner Philharmoniker dazzle in Schumann and Smetana

Par Mark Valencia, 31 août 2024

A pair of thrilling performances at the BBC Proms, neither of which bear any trace of the routine, that will live long in the memory

*****

Víkingur Ólafsson and the Berliner Philharmoniker © BBC | Chris Christodoulou

Berliner Philharmoniker dazzles in Schumann and Smetana

Par Mark Valencia

Natalya Romaniw © BBC | Chris Christodoulou

Searing War Requiem from Pappano and the LSO at the BBC Proms

Par Mark Valencia, 17 août 2024

The London Symphony Orchestra has a mighty history with Britten’s magnum opus and has this score in their collective DNA.

****1

Natalya Romaniw © BBC | Chris Christodoulou

Searing War Requiem from Pappano and the LSO at the BBC Proms

Par Mark Valencia

Renaud Capuçon © Benjamin Decoin | Universal Music

A triad of trios: Capuçon, Hagen and Levit play Brahms at Wigmore Hall

Par Mark Valencia, 04 mai 2024

Renaud Capuçon brings his customary taste, refinement and intellect to music he has played many times over the years with a variety of partners – here Julia Hagen and Igor Levit.

****1

Renaud Capuçon © Benjamin Decoin | Universal Music

A triad of trios: Capuçon, Hagen and Levit play Brahms at Wigmore Hall

Par Mark Valencia

Kai Rüütel-Pajula, Svetlana Sozdateleva and the LPO © London Philharmonic Orchestra

Vladimir Jurowski completes his slow-burn LPO Ring cycle with Götterdämmerung

Par Mark Valencia, 27 avril 2024

Vladimir Jurowski's six-year Ring with the LPO closes as the cycle began: a gleaming, golden ring with a black hole at its core.

****1

Kai Rüütel-Pajula, Svetlana Sozdateleva and the LPO © London Philharmonic Orchestra

Jurowski completes his slow-burn LPO Ring cycle with Götterdämmerung

Par Mark Valencia

Nadine Sierra (Lucia) and Rachael Lloyd (Alisa) © ROH | Camilla Greenwell

Nadine Sierra leads a musically formidable Lucia di Lammermoor revival at the ROH

Par Mark Valencia, 19 avril 2024

Katie Mitchell's provocative staging is revived to great effect, elevated by glorious music-making led by Nadine Sierra's sensational Lucia.

****1

Nadine Sierra (Lucia) and Rachael Lloyd (Alisa) © ROH | Camilla Greenwell

Nadine Sierra leads a musically formidable Lucia di Lammermoor

Par Mark Valencia

Egor Zhuravskii (Ferrando) and Sophie Bevan (Fiordiligi) © Elliott Franks

Musical performances keep Welsh National Opera's new Così fan tutte afloat

Par Mark Valencia, 06 mars 2024

Max Hoehn takes Così‘s subtitle, La scuola degli amanti (The School for Lovers), and connects it to Monty Python’s sex education sketch in The Meaning of Life. What larks, eh?

***11

Egor Zhuravskii (Ferrando) and Sophie Bevan (Fiordiligi) © Elliott Franks

Musical performances keep WNO's new Così afloat

Par Mark Valencia

Mark Le Brocq (Gustav von Aschenbach) and Antony César (Tadzio) © Johan Persson

Welsh National Opera stages Death in Venice for the first time... and it’s a triumph

Par Mark Valencia, 07 mars 2024

Olivia Fuchs solves the problems of Britten's thorny opera in a brilliant new production that hits the heights, featuring Mark Le Brocq as earthbound scholar, Gustav von Aschenbach.

*****

Mark Le Brocq (Gustav von Aschenbach) and Antony César (Tadzio) © Johan Persson

WNO stages Death in Venice for the first time and it’s a triumph

Par Mark Valencia

Jenny Stafford (Manon) and Aiden Edwards (Lescaut) © Richard Hubert Smith

English Touring Opera opens spring tour with an off-the-wall Manon Lescaut

Par Mark Valencia, 24 février 2024

Jude Christian's indulgent reinvention of Puccini's opera does not serve English Touring Opera well as it embarks on its spring tour.

**111

Jenny Stafford (Manon) and Aiden Edwards (Lescaut) © Richard Hubert Smith

ETO opens spring tour with an off-the-wall Manon Lescaut

Par Mark Valencia

Louise Alder and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra © Andy Paradise

Vasily Petrenko and the RPO thrill in Rachmaninov, Louise Alder triumphs in Strauss

Par Mark Valencia, 08 février 2024

The flourishing partnership between Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra continues to be vital in both senses of the word.

*****

Louise Alder and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra © Andy Paradise

Vasily Petrenko and the RPO thrill, Louise Alder triumphs

Par Mark Valencia

Rosie Aldridge (Witch), Anna Stéphany (Hansel) and Anna Devin (Gretel) © ROH | Tristram Kenton

Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel strikes a sour note at the Royal Opera House

Par Mark Valencia, 16 décembre 2023

A forgettable Hansel and Gretel is the worst offence of Antony McDonald’s leaden staging which returns to Covent Garden.

**111

Rosie Aldridge (Witch), Anna Stéphany (Hansel) and Anna Devin (Gretel) © ROH | Tristram Kenton

Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel strikes a sour note

Par Mark Valencia

Gerald Finley © Marshall Light Studio

Gerald Finley and Julius Drake bring their Night and Day tour to London

Par Mark Valencia, 24 novembre 2023

Heinrich Heine settings by Schumann and Schubert are counter-balanced by Duparc and Cole Porter in a Temple Song recital reflecting on night and day.

*****

Gerald Finley © Marshall Light Studio

Gerald Finley and Julius Drake bring Night and Day to London

Par Mark Valencia

Cinderella © Richard Hubert Smith

English Touring Opera put Rossini’s La Cenerentola in a museum

Par Mark Valencia, 28 octobre 2023

Rossini's take on the Cinderella story is bright, buoyant, witty, well sung, if ending on a sour directorial note.

***11

Cinderella © Richard Hubert Smith

English Touring Opera put Rossini's Cenerentola in a museum

Par Mark Valencia

Jessica Cale, Keith Pun, Sandeep Gurrapadi, Zahid Siddiqui, Amy J Payne © Richard Hubert Smith

Vivid Monteverdi: The Coronation of Poppea from English Touring Opera

Par Mark Valencia, 27 octobre 2023

Harmonious images and geometric designs frame an effective staging and well sung performance of Monteverdi's last opera.

****1

Jessica Cale, Keith Pun, Sandeep Gurrapadi, Zahid Siddiqui, Amy J Payne © Richard Hubert Smith

Vivid Monteverdi: The Coronation of Poppea from ETO

Par Mark Valencia

Jaquelina Livieri (Margarita Xirgu) and Hanna Hipp (Lorca) © Johan Persson

Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar revived by Welsh National Opera for its 2023 tour

Par Mark Valencia, 09 septembre 2023

Deborah Colker's production, seen last season at Scottish Opera, moves to the Wales Millennium Centre for an autumn tour.

****1

Jaquelina Livieri (Margarita Xirgu) and Hanna Hipp (Lorca) © Johan Persson

Osvaldo Golijov's Ainadamar revived by WNO for its 2023 tour

Par Mark Valencia

Lionel Lhote and Alice Coote © BBC | Andy Paradise

A triumph against the odds: Les Troyens at the BBC Proms

Par Mark Valencia, 03 septembre 2023

Dinis Sousa doesn't put a foot wrong as the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique and Monteverdi Choir give a performance of startling virtuosity at the end of a European tour.

*****

Lionel Lhote and Alice Coote © BBC | Andy Paradise

A triumph against the odds: Les Troyens at the BBC Proms

Par Mark Valencia

Semyon Bychkov conducts the Paris Opera Orchestra © Mathieu Mengaillou KOMCEBO

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Lurching gear changes mar Bychkov's Dvořák at the Festival Ravel

Par Mark Valencia, 31 août 2023

An all-Dvořák programme given by the Paris Opera Orchestra fails to full satisfy, despite a couple of exciting concert openers.

***11

Semyon Bychkov conducts the Paris Opera Orchestra © Mathieu Mengaillou KOMCEBO

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Lurching gear changes mar Bychkov's Dvořák at the Festival Ravel

Par Mark Valencia

Vilde Frang, Bertrand Chamayou and the Belcea Quartet © Mark Valencia

Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle

A Basque banquet at the Festival Ravel

Par Mark Valencia, 30 août 2023

Vilde Frang and Bertrand Chamayou join the Belcea Quartet for a musical feast including Chausson's sumptuous Concert.

*****

Vilde Frang, Bertrand Chamayou and the Belcea Quartet © Mark Valencia

Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle

A Basque banquet at the Festival Ravel

Par Mark Valencia

Renaud Capuçon and Jean-François Heisser © Mathieu Mengaillou KOMCEBO

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Starry Night: an evening of French violin sonatas at the Festival Ravel

Par Mark Valencia, 29 août 2023

Sonatas by Ravel frame Renaud Capuçon and Jean-François Heisser's recital in the Basque seaside town of Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

***11

Renaud Capuçon and Jean-François Heisser © Mathieu Mengaillou KOMCEBO

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

Starry Night: French violin sonatas at the Festival Ravel

Par Mark Valencia

The Gavin Bryars Ensemble © Britten Pears Arts

Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet: Gavin Bryars’ 80th birthday bash in Snape

Par Mark Valencia, 13 août 2023

The venerable composer celebrates his 80 years with an intense and moving performance by six loyal musicians drawn from his family and friends, with himself on double bass.

****1

The Gavin Bryars Ensemble © Britten Pears Arts

Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet: Gavin Bryars at 80

Par Mark Valencia