Telemann insights from Boothby in Bristol

By Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres, 22 September 2016

Loading, please wait...

Reviewed at St George's Bristol, Bristol on 20 September 2016

Telemann, 12 fantasias for Violin without Bass TWV 40:14–25

Richard Boothby, Viol

Bach stays wrapped up: The Art of Fugue with Fretwork

Paul Kilbey, 20th February

Bach’s final work The Art of Fugue, left incomplete at his death in 1750, has long been famous for (among other things) not having specified its instrumentation. It’s written in open score – each line of music, or “voice”, is given a distinct printed line, making it hard to guess what instrument Bach actually had in mind to play it.

***11

Energetic Currentzis and Utopia at the Elbphilharmonie

Mengguang Huang, 12th May

From Berg’s crystalline intimacy to Dionysian Mahler, Teodor Currentzis and Utopia defy orchestral tradition with standing musicians, spatial acoustics and an emotional intensity that breathes new life into the concert life.

****1

Korngold and Mahler from Ray Chen, Vasily Petrenko and the RPO

Roy Westbrook, 12th May

Few violin concertos soar from the first bar as Erich Korngold’s does, especially as in Ray Chen's high-wire account at the Royal Albert Hall.

****1

Redemption and musical caffeine: Nelsons conducts Mahler 8 in Vienna

Mark Pullinger, 10th May

Sunday morning Mahler at the Wiener Konzerthaus sees Andris Nelsons concluding his symphony cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic in shattering fashion.

****1

Era-defining string sound in the Liverpool Phil’s Mahler 9

Rohan Shotton, 10th May

Domingo Hindoyan nears his five-year anniversary at the RLPO with Mahler's Ninth Symphony.

****1

Alexander Malofeev conjures sophistication at the Concertgebouw

Clare Varney, 10th May

Sitting low on the piano stool and with his head gently bobbing from side to side, this is music to listen to on repeat.

****1

More reviews...

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres

Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres is a Bristol-based film composer and classical electronic artist. Alexandra's passion in scoring and as a performer lie in the duality between the classical and electronica worlds, moving picture and her love for the piano. Her music has been described by The White Room Magazine as “majestic, at times monumental…the force and vastness of nature”.