Classical music & opera
-
From witches to Weber, and Andriessen to Zimmermann – our pick of this month’s streamed music -
5 out of 5 stars.
Review LSO/Ward review – from fierce dynamism to gorgeous indulgence
5 out of 5 stars.Works by Bacewicz and Schreker bookended Strauss’s Oboe Concerto with Juliana Koch the exemplary soloist
-
Richard Wagner’s four-part opera epic will play at London’s Coliseum over several years -
4 out of 5 stars.
Album of the week Elgar: Violin Concerto; Violin Sonata – sheer beauty and subtle playing
4 out of 5 stars.Simon Rattle takes the concerto back to the 19th century and Renaud Capuçon’s partnership with Stephen Hough for the sonata is a meeting of equals -
The scrapping of ambitious plans for the Centre for Music says much about where the arts stand in austerity-torn Brexit Britain
-
4 out of 5 stars.
BSO/Gardolińska review – a young conductor to be reckoned with
4 out of 5 stars. -
-
4 out of 5 stars.
Violin Sonatas: Montgeroult, Viotti, etc review – invention and beauty from an overlooked composer
4 out of 5 stars.On an intriguing disc of finely-played sonatas, the first ever recording of 18th-century French composer Hélène de Montgeroult’s A minor Sonata is a highlight -
The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin shine in the composer’s first symphony. Plus, ear-bending variations from Clare Hammond -
3 out of 5 stars.
Mahler: Symphonies 1-10 review – a sumptuous Berlin Phil moves from the glib to the sublime
3 out of 5 stars.This mammoth undertaking, of all of Mahler’s symphonies with different conductors over the last decade, brings variable musical results -
John Wilson and his crack Sinfonia of London irradiate works by Britten, Berkeley and Bliss
People
-
She has scored films, played with rappers, starred in a TV comedy, and performed for the dying. As the classical sensation releases three new works, she talks about the shock of playing arenas – and making the leap into opera -
Conductor laments impact on UK musicians’ careers and describes application as ‘absolute necessity’ -
The composer tells Michael Segalov about restful days cooking, walking the dogs and playing Bach on the piano -
Bream helped cement the guitar in the classical tradition with composers including Britten and Arnold writing for him
You may have missed
-
Opera director who came to prize directness and psychological insight over deconstruction and irony -
Beethoven’s 250th anniversary was not the year any of us were expecting, but, as symphony cycles and opera productions were cancelled, his music spoke to us in deeper, more intimate ways. -
The live audiences stopped but the music making didn’t, with some companies rising with imagination and verve to the challenges of 2020, with operas that were drive-in, animated, or simply brand new -
Period group Les Siècles, young composer Clara Ianotta and a new Peter Grimes from Edward Gardner and Stuart Skelton are among our highlights from a year in which the live music might have stopped but the recording industry continued undimmed
Guides
-
Tom Service introduces 50 composers from the contemporary classical music scene -
Expanding the classical canon brings us incredible music and extraordinary stories, not least that of Ethel Smyth, whose compositions and pioneering energy filled England in the interwar years -
Our series ends in Berlin, the classical music lover’s dream destination, with Berg, Busoni, Bowie and Bernstein. -
Tom Service's survey of the 50 symphonies that changed classical music
Most viewed
Review Gweneth Ann Rand/Simon Lepper – authoritative and polished
4 out of 5 stars.