LSO
Ravishing and poignant: ENO’s Orphée reviewed
Richard Bratby 23 November 2019 9:00 am
Billy Wilder, asked for his opinion of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical version of his movie Sunset Boulevard, famously replied: ‘Those…
The early death of Lili Boulanger is the most grievous of all among composers
Michael Tanner 20 April 2019 9:00 am
Total immersion weekends can prove tricky. The established masters don’t need them, while lesser-known figures often turn out to be…
Rattle’s recapitulation: LSO/Simon Rattle at Barbican reviewed
Richard Bratby 22 September 2018 9:00 am
A pregnant silence, a peaty belch from the tuba, and the scrape of brass on brass as gears lock into…
A Beggar’s Opera that beggars belief in Edinburgh
Flora Seymour 25 August 2018 9:00 am
Robert Carsen’s new updating of The Beggar’s Opera is a coke-snorting, trash-talking, breakdancing, palm-greasing, skirt-hiking, rule-breaking affair — and every…
Bravura, assurance and generosity: Mark Simpson’s new Cello Concerto reviewed
Richard Bratby 28 April 2018 9:00 am
The opening of Mark Simpson’s new Cello Concerto is pure Hollywood. A fanfare in the low brass, an upwards rush…
Director’s cut
Norman Lebrecht 23 September 2017 9:00 am
Much fuss has been made of the title given to Sir Simon Rattle on arrival at the London Symphony Orchestra.…
Hadyn recreated
Richard Bratby 22 July 2017 9:00 am
‘Rarely, rarely, comest thou, Spirit of Delight!’ wrote Elgar, quoting Shelley, at the top of his Second Symphony. He should…
Powerful and upsetting: Pelléas et Mélisande at the Barbican reviewed
Michael Tanner 16 January 2016 9:00 am
There are some operas, as there are some people, that it is impossible to establish a settled relationship with, and…
Musical maestros and football managers have more in common than you think
Norman Lebrecht 12 December 2015 9:00 am
You don’t have to be a follower of Liverpool Football Club, or football at all, to spot the difference. Two…
Goodbye, Claudio Abbado. You helped us glimpse eternity
Michael Henderson 25 January 2014 9:00 am
Fellini’s credo ‘the visionary is the only true realist’ could also be applied to the life of Claudio Abbado, who…
'I was an arrogant 18-year-old': Daniel Harding on growing up
Michael Henderson 2 November 2013 9:00 am
‘Have a look at this,’ says Daniel Harding, goggle-eyed, between mouthfuls of salmon. The pictures on his smartphone show Claudio…