Bachtrack top ten: Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten

Maggi Hambling's The Scallop on Aldeburgh Beach, inscribed with a Peter Grimes quotation

By Mark Pullinger, 22 November 2023

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“it is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful”

Jessica Duchen, 7th January

The Irish soprano talks about singing Mozart’s Così fan tutte with English National Opera, in London and Manchester – and how the wily Despina is the perfectly subversive character for her.

The art of memory: classical music for mourning

Danny Riley, 28th October

From fulfilling funerary functions, to eulogising friends and fellow artists, or lamenting the waste of war: here are some of the finest examples of music written in mourning.

Bachtrack top ten: Opera in English

David Karlin, 22nd April

From Henry Purcell to George Benjamin, a set of ten operas to demonstrate that English is not just a language for prose and poetry, but also a vibrant language for opera.

Sensuality and modern music: Barbara Hannigan

Lawrence Dunn, 6th December

Barbara Hannigan talks about her relationship with Boulez, on singing Pli selon pli, and returning to the London Symphony Orchestra to conduct two programmes this season.

Inside the mind of Peter Grimes: Issachah Savage

Cameron Kelsall, 10th September

The American tenor talks about taking on Britten’s most archetypical tragic, flawed character, in a new production premiering at Dutch National Opera.

Bachtrack top ten: Shakespeare in music

Mark Pullinger, 22nd April

If music be the food of love... the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon has inspired composers for centuries. Enjoy our top ten playlist featuring works from Felix Mendelssohn to Thomas Adès.

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.