Classical
The greatest female composer you’ve never heard of
One of the most intriguing piano concertos of the late 19th century is unknown to the public – and no…
Florid flummery: ETO’s Il viaggio a Reims reviewed
Lightning sometimes strikes twice. English Touring Opera hit topical gold last spring when, wholly by coincidence, they found themselves touring…
The coronation music was – mostly – a triumph
Sir Hubert Parry was upgraded from knight bachelor to baronet by King Edward VII in 1902, and my goodness he…
Discover who wrote the catchy music for the coronation of the cannibal Emperor Bokassa
If being asked to write music for the coronation of a king is an honour, then doing it for an…
The last unashamedly happy masterpiece: Haydn’s The Creation, at Ulster Hall, reviewed
Haydn’s The Creation is Paradise Lost without the Lost. True, the words aren’t exactly up there: translated into German by…
An old production that’s aged better than most: Royal Opera’s Turandot reviewed
Since its première in 1984, Andrei Serban’s production of Puccini’s Turandot has been revived 15 times at Covent Garden, not…
If you’re anywhere near Edinburgh, get a ticket: Scottish Opera’s Il trittico reviewed
It does no harm, once in a while, to assume that the creators of an opera actually know what they’re…
Why does everyone hate Max Reger?
The German composer Max Reger, born 150 years ago next week, is mostly remembered today for countless elephantine fugues and…
Dated and wasteful: Rusalka, at the Royal Opera House, reviewed
Careful what you wish for. There can be no definitive way to stage an opera, and it’s the critic’s duty…
The unknown German composer championed by Mahler
I was sceptical when the lady on the bus to Reading town centre told me that her father knew Liszt.…
Still ugly but worth catching for the chorus and orchestra: Royal Opera’s Tannhäuser reviewed
A classical concert programme is like a set menu, and for this palate the most tempting orchestral offering in the…
Stirring and sophisticated: RLPO, Chooi, Hindoyan, at the Philharmonic Hall, reviewed
Daniel Barenboim was supposed to perform with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra earlier this month. His recent health concerns made…
What makes a Christmas song Christmassy?
Temperature records for Los Angeles in the summer of 1945 are patchy, but 90 in the shade seems to have…
If Ravel’s Boléro makes you yawn, you’re not really listening
Only boring people are bored by Ravel’s Boléro. True, the composer – the slyest of wits – left his share…
Hugely entertaining: Royal Opera’s Alcina reviewed
A hotel bellboy, the story goes, discovered George Best in a luxury suite surrounded by scantily clad lovelies and empty…
A total (and often gripping) theatrical experience: Scottish Opera’s Ainadamar reviewed
Do you remember Osvaldo Golijov? Two decades ago he was classical music’s Next Big Thing: a credible postmodernist with a…
A miniature rite of a very English spring: a Vaughan Williams rediscovery in Liverpool
Imagine a folk dance without music. Actually, you don’t have to: poke about on YouTube and you’ll find footage from…
Grey, grey and more grey: Aida, at the Royal Opera House, reviewed
Grey. More grey. So very, very grey. That’s the main visual impression left by Robert Carsen’s new production of Verdi’s…
Why does opera always feel the need apologise for its plots?
Leos Janacek disliked long operas, and the first act of The Makropulos Affair is a masterclass in how to set…
Holds out huge promise for future seasons: If Opera's La Rondine reviewed
One swallow might not make a summer, but it certainly helps rounds the season off. ‘Perhaps, like the swallow, you…
The joy of Franck’s Symphony in D Minor: BBCSO/Gabel, at the Proms, reviewed
In the Rodgers and Hart musical On Your Toes, a Broadway hoofer is forced to work at a community college,…
A classic in the making: Glyndebourne's Poulenc double bill reviewed
One morning in the 20th century, Thérèse wakes up next to her husband and announces that she’s a feminist. Hubby,…
A bleeding, inch-thick hunk of verismo sirloin: Royal Opera's Cav and Pag reviewed
One legacy of lockdown in the classical music world has been the sheer length of the 21-22 season. In a…
An intimate, lucid and unforgettable new James MacMillan work
On Tuesday night I was at the world première of a motet by Sir James MacMillan and I don’t think…
Claude Vivier ought to be a modern classic. Why isn't he?
April is the cruellest month, but May is shaping up quite pleasantly and the daylight streamed in through the east…
