Dinis Sousa and the OAE present Elgar on period instruments

Dinis Sousa conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Frances Gregory and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

By Mark Pullinger, 05 June 2025

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“transparency in the strings in Nimrod lent this most famous variation a sepia tint”

Reviewed at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 4 June 2025

Elgar, In the South (Alassio) - Concert Overture for orchestra, Op.50

Elgar, Sea Pictures, Op.37

Elgar, Enigma Variations on an Original Theme for Orchestra, Op.36

Elgar, Salut d'Amour (Liebesgruss) for violin and piano, Op.12

Frances Gregory, Mezzo-soprano

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Dinis Sousa, Conductor

Immersive OAE submerged at Southbank’s Multitudes festival

Mark Valencia, 22nd April

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

**111

Mixed Mozart from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Dominic Lowe, 26th February

A Mozart's of symphonies – his last – under conductor Robin Ticciati is capped with a fine Jupiter, but is let down by the performances of its two predecessors.

***11

John Butt and the OAE celebrate Handel's Solomon

Roy Westbrook, 12th October

The Queen of Sheba is clearly in a hurry in this account of Handel's oratorio at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

*****

Enescu Festival immersion: Bach on the street, Klimt in the forest

Peter Quantrill, 11th September

At the George Enescu International Festival, a pair of new shows crossing genres and reinventing the classics, with mostly enlightening results.

****1

Brandstrup Breaking Bach with the OAE at EIF

Kathy Elgin, 20th August

Kim Brandstrup choreographs Bach favourites based on hip hop and street dance. Lie back on the bean bags at Usher Hall and enjoy...

****1

A strong new Figaro opens at Glyndebourne

Dominic Lowe, 29th June

Mariame Clément is a popular director at Glyndebourne, and her new production of Figaro shows her trademark approach to hardhitting comedy.

****1

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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.

An enigma? Dinis Sousa and the OAE present Elgar on period instruments