ORA Singers contrast Ancient and Modern at the Perth Festival

ORA Singers

Suzi Digby

By David Smythe, 23 May 2025

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“The ORA Singers are masters of the use of space to enhance their performance”

Reviewed at St John's Kirk, Perth on 22 May 2025

Allegri, Miserere mei, Deus

Victoria, Ave Maria

Simpson, Ave Maria

Perivolaris, An End without End

Palestrina, Assumpta est Maria

Bednall, Assumpta est Maria

Anonymous, Alma redemptoris mater

McDowall, Alma Redemptoris Mater

de Lassus, Timor et tremor

Poulenc, Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence, FP 97: Tristis est anima mea

Brunelli, Sicut Lilium

Barber, Sicut Lilium

MacMillan, Miserere

ORA Singers

Suzi Digby, Conductor

Staatskapelle Dresden’s sonic alchemy at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 2nd June

From the earthy joy of Meistersinger to the sublime textures of Debussy, Daniele Gatti channels the Dresdeners' legendary, layered warmth into an unforgettable evening of pure acoustic luxury.

****1

Ambition meets the Philharmonie: Peltokoski and Kantorow in Paris

Laurence Vittes, 2nd June

Two prodigies, with a surplus of imagination and more interest in the moment than in creating long arcs of music, join the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse in Paris.

****1

Jurowski marks Hans Werner Henze’s centenary at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 31st May

Vladimir Jurowski and the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin deliver a lean, razor-sharp exploration of captivity and survival, balancing Beethoven’s and Brahms’ structural clarity against the devastating, high-fidelity distortion of Henze’s Ninth Symphony.

****1

Kissin, Bell and Isserlis: remembrance and loss at Carnegie Hall

Edward Sava-Segal, 31st May

Solomon Rosowsky, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky form a matinee programme whose deeper connections gradually came into focus.

****1

Mischievous Pan at Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s French May

Christopher Halls, 30th May

French clarinettist Raphaël Sévère unearths beauty in Nielsen’s concerto and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta impress in two settings of Pan’s antics at the French May Festival.

****1

Alsop conducts a substitute Marsalis symphony at Carnegie Hall

David Wolfson, 29th May

The premiere of Wynton Marsalis’ Symphony no. 5 is postponed, substituted by selections from his Jungle Symphony, along with a disappointing Beethoven’s Seventh at Carnegie Hall.

***11

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David Smythe

David the farmer was drawn into music through choirs, orchestras, taking part in and directing 'serious' opera as a student. Passionate about live classical music, particularly chamber opera, unusual pieces and events and giving the next generation the tools to engage with the classical world.