Bachtrack top ten: Igor Stravinsky

By Mark Pullinger, 17 June 2021

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“Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal”

Mark Pullinger, 7th April

The Hong Kong-born conductor talks about her entry into music, her love of big Russian repertoire, her “Cinderella moment” winning the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition and her ambition to “go against the grind”.

The magical world of composers’ handwriting

Lawrence Dunn, 17th December

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.

Bryce Dessner in Prague: new landscapes in a living tradition

Thomas May, 11th December

Bryce Dessner enters the Czech Philharmonic’s living tradition with electric guitars, a new cello concerto and a composer’s ear for landscape, history, collaboration and renewal.

Symphonic metamorphoses: Tokyo Philharmonic in 2025

Bachtrack, 15th January

With concerts featuring Myung-whun Chung at the piano, Pinchas Zukerman leading from the podium, and inventive programming from Chief Conductor Andrea Battistoni, the Tokyo Philharmonic’s 2025 season straddles many divides.

Time magician: Jonathan Nott explores The Rite of Spring

Thomas May, 19th December

The English conductor talks about his bond with the storied Swiss orchestra he has helmed since 2017, and how they plan to recreate the danger of Stravinsky’s famous ballet.

Pioneer of abstraction: Bronislava Nijinska’s life becomes a ballet

Fátima Nollén, 26th June

Spanish choreographer Avatâra Ayuso talks candidly about fellow choreographer Bronislava Nijinska, historical misogyny within the dance sector, and what we are doing about it today.

Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.