• Boxgrove Choral Festival 2021, concerts and sung services at the 12th century church on the South Downs

    Updated: 2021-08-29 17:01:11
    : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Monday , 30 August 2021 Boxgrove Choral Festival 2021, concerts and sung services at the 12th century church on the South Downs Labels : preview Joseph Wicks and the Beaufort Singers at Boxgrove Priory Church The village of Boxgrove on the South Downs has had a monastic priory there since the early 12th century and the present day parish church is based around the chancel , central tower , transepts and easternmost bay of the nave of the 12th century monastic church , surround by the ruins of the medieval priory The village was also the site of the discovery , in 1993, of Boxgrove Man a female or male Homo heidelbergensis , an extinct relative of modern humans Homo sapiens

  • Rich orchestral textures, vibrant performances, political engagement: Max Richter's Exiles from Baltic Sea Philharmonic & Kristjan Järvi.

    Updated: 2021-08-28 17:51:17
    : , , : . Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Sunday , 29 August 2021 Rich orchestral textures , vibrant performances , political engagement : Max Richter's Exiles from Baltic Sea Philharmonic Kristjan Järvi . Labels : cd review Max Richter Exiles Baltic Sea Philharmonic , Kristjan Järvi Deutsche Grammophon Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 27 August 2021 Star rating : 4.0 Max Richter revels in this exploration of large-scale orchestral textures in tandem with vibrant performances from Järvi and his young orchestra Composer Max Richter s latest disc Exiles on Deutsche Grammophon is a collaboration with the Baltic Sea Philharmonic and conductor Kristjan Järvi Six of Richter's works , some new and some old , all in

  • New historical performance ensemble Figure to launch with Bach's St John Passion

    Updated: 2021-08-26 19:59:23
    : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Friday , 27 August 2021 New historical performance ensemble Figure to launch with Bach's St John Passion Labels : preview A new historical performance ensemble Figure aims to nurture the rising generation of musicians . The company launches on 17 September 2021 with a performance of Bach's St John Passion at the Church of St Bartholomew the Great , with the orchestra led by Gabriella Jones Instrumental Award holder at Cambridge University and singers including Richard Robbins Handel House Artist and CMF Artist as the Evangelist , Tristan Hambleton as Jesus , Rowan Pierce OAE Rising Star Emily Gray , and Hugo . Hymas Figure’s repertoire will range from the Renaissance to the

  • Northern Ireland Opera's The Festival of Voice this weekend

    Updated: 2021-08-26 17:29:18
    : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Friday , 27 August 2021 Northern Ireland Opera's The Festival of Voice this weekend Labels : Northern Ireland preview Northern Ireland Opera's The Festival of Voice returns to Belfast this weekend 27 to 29 August 2021 with three recitals , presented in association with BBC Radio 3, and the annual competition with this year's finalists , nbsp Amy Conneely mezzo-soprano Caroline Behan soprano Cerys MacAllister soprano Ellen Mawhinney soprano Katie Richardson McCrea mezzo-soprano and Matthew Mannion baritone plus the Peter Rankin Piano Intern is Brendan . Kennedy There are three recitals from Ben McAteer baritone Kathryn Rudge mezzo-soprano and Elizabeth Watts soprano each with

  • A complex mix of dance, text and music: William K.z.'s The Growth of Silk at Camden Fringe

    Updated: 2021-08-26 16:51:07
    : , : . Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Friday , 27 August 2021 A complex mix of dance , text and music : William K.z . s The Growth of Silk at Camden Fringe Labels : opera review William K.z . The Growth of Silk Anna Cabre-Verdiell , Helene Mathiesen William K.z . The Growth of Silk Helene Mathiesen , Anna Cabre-Verdiell , dir:Charlotte MacRae Camden Fringe at Upstairs at the Gatehouse Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 26 August 2021 Star rating : 4.0 A new music theatre piece deftly weaves together music , dance , text and more to create a compact yet richly complex contemporary fairy tale A contemporary fairy tale about wishing for something and getting far more than you bargained for , The Growth of Silk is a

  • Strong impact: Handel's Alcina from Ensemble OrQuesta at Grimeborn

    Updated: 2021-08-25 17:12:45
    : : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Thursday , 26 August 2021 Strong impact : Handel's Alcina from Ensemble OrQuesta at Grimeborn Labels : Grimeborn Handel opera review Handel : Alcina John Holland-Avery , Kathleen Nic Dhiarmada , Maya Wheeler-Colwell Ensemble OrQuesta , Grimeborn 2021 Photo Andreas Grieger Handel Alcina Helena May , Laura Fleur , Kathleen Nic Dhiarmada , Maya Wheeler-Colwell , Kieran White , Marcio da Silva , Stephanie Gurga , Ensemble OrQuesta Grimeborn Festival at Arcola Outside Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 25 August 2021 Star rating : 4.0 With Alcina as office diva , this production was firmly in the 21st century , with a strong musical impact and fine , balanced . cast On 25 August

  • City of Derry International Choir Festival 2021

    Updated: 2021-08-24 19:34:45
    : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Wednesday , 25 August 2021 City of Derry International Choir Festival 2021 Labels : Northern Ireland preview First held in 2013, the City of Derry International Choir Festival , artistic director Dónal Doherty , returns to live performances with audiences for this year's festival . nbsp Running from 20 to 24 October 2021 in venues in and around Derry , the festival has been carefully planned to include a synchronised mix of in-person and virtual events throughout the city as part of an immersive programme of live and digital concerts , performances , workshops , podcasts , and other . events The festival is opened with a concert from local choirs and singers plus members of

  • Chineke! Orchestra returns to the BBC Proms with a programme of discovery, four late-Romantic works by composers of African ancestry

    Updated: 2021-08-24 18:20:22
    : , Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Wednesday , 25 August 2021 Chineke Orchestra returns to the BBC Proms with a programme of discovery , four late-Romantic works by composers of African ancestry Labels : BBC concert review Proms Jeneba Kanneh-Mason , Kalena Bovell , Chineke Orchestra BBC Proms Photo BBC Mark Allan Coleridge Taylor , Sowande , Price Jeneba Kanneh-Mason , Chineke Orchestra , Kalena Bovell BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 24 August 2021 Star rating : 4.5 Three composers of African ancestry , three Proms premieres , an evening of engaging discovery from Chineke Chineke Orchestra was back at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday 24 August 2021 for its

  • Passion, Poison, Petrifaction and a Prodigal Son: Pegasus Opera Company's new double bill

    Updated: 2021-08-23 21:44:29
    : , , : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Tuesday , 24 August 2021 Passion , Poison , Petrifaction and a Prodigal Son : Pegasus Opera Company's new double bill Labels : preview Pegasus Opera Company is returning to the stage with another double bill of works featuring composer Philip Hagemann . The company performs a new double bill at the Royal Academy of Music's Susie Sainsbury Theatre from 10 to 12 September 2021. Hagemann's chamber adaptation of Debussy's L'enfant prodigue will be performed alongside Hagemann's comic melodrama Passion , Poison and Petrifaction which is adapted from a play by George Bernard Shaw . nbsp The cast for the performances features the company's artistic director , soprano Alison

  • Baltic Sea Philharmonic: a new disc of music by Max Richter and Nordic Swans concert tour

    Updated: 2021-08-23 18:28:25
    : : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Tuesday , 24 August 2021 Baltic Sea Philharmonic : a new disc of music by Max Richter and Nordic Swans concert tour Labels : preview Baltic Sea Philharmonic This Summer and Autumn , nbsp the Baltic Sea Philharmonic and Kristjan Järvi are really stretching their wings after a long period of lockdown . The orchestra has just released a new disc , Exiles on Deutsche Grammophon of music by Max Richter , and is about to embark on a new concert tour , Nordic . Swans Exiles features Max Richter s new large orchestral versions of chamber music or other smaller pieces , alongside two works written specially for the disc , Exiles which explores the tragedy of the migrant crisis and

  • BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's Autumn season in Glasgow and Edinburgh

    Updated: 2021-08-23 17:11:24
    : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Tuesday , 24 August 2021 BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's Autumn season in Glasgow and Edinburgh Labels : BBCSSO preview Scotland BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra photo BBC The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra's Autumn season sees the orchestra returning to performances with live audiences in Glasgow City Halls and Edinburgh's Usher Hall . The season opens with guest conductor Joana Carneiro in a programme of music by Magnus Lindberg and Sibelius including Lindberg's Violin Concerto with soloist Pekka Kuusisto , in a season which also includes music by Jörg Widmann Einojuhani Rautavara and Unsuk Chin arrangements by François Leleux plus music by Louise Farrenc 1804-1875

  • To the max: supersize polyphony from Armonico Consort for its 20th birthday

    Updated: 2021-08-23 16:11:12
    : : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Tuesday , 24 August 2021 To the max : supersize polyphony from Armonico Consort for its 20th birthday Labels : preview Armonico Consort Christopher Monks Photo Peter Marsh Ashmore Visuals The Armonico Consort is 20 this year and to celebrate artistic director Christopher Monks is taking the ensemble on tour during September and October 2021 with a programme of large-scale Renaissance choral music , performing some of the largest scale pieces of the period . Alongside Thomas Tallis's Spem in Alium Armonico Consort will give rare performances of Heinrich Biber's Missa Salisburgensis for 53 voices and Alessandro Striggio's 60-part Missa sopra Ecco sì Beato Giorno interspersed

  • Folk ritual and drama: Mozart's Don Giovanni at Nevill Holt Opera rises to the challenge

    Updated: 2021-08-23 02:20:53
    : : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Monday , 23 August 2021 Folk ritual and drama : Mozart's Don Giovanni at Nevill Holt Opera rises to the challenge Labels : Nevill Holt opera review Mozart : Don Giovanni Roman Ackley Nevill Holt Opera(photo Lloyd Winters Mozart Don Giovanni Seán Boylan , Nicholas Crawley , Anna Patalong , Aoife Miskelly , Joshua Owen Mills , Olivia Warburton , Benedict Nelson , dir : Jack Furness , Shadwell:Ensemble , cond : Finnegan Downie Dear Nevill Holt Opera Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 22 August 2021 Star rating : 4.5 A profoundly satisfying production , using disturbing English folk-ritual alongside some vividly theatrical elements Mozart's Don Giovanni is an opera which takes place

  • The opera that Bach never wrote!

    Updated: 2021-08-22 20:34:10
    : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Monday , 23 August 2021 The opera that Bach never wrote Labels : Netherlands preview Jan van Leyden The conventional image of JS Bach is of a devout , serious man with no interest in contemporary opera , yet if you look at his music there is a different picture with many arias having operatic elements , and now recent research is showing that he was an attender at the opera in Hamburg when opportunity . allowed Now , the Dutch touring opera company OPERA2DAY is creating a work which tries to imagine Bach the opera composer . The company's new production , nbsp J.S . Bach The Apocalypse is the opera that Bach never wrote A co-production with the Netherlands Bach Society ,

  • New artistic directors Rosalind Ventris & Joseph Fort announce programme for their first Cowbridge Music Festival

    Updated: 2021-08-22 20:21:59
    : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Monday , 23 August 2021 New artistic directors Rosalind Ventris Joseph Fort announce programme for their first Cowbridge Music Festival Labels : preview Seckou Keita and Catrin Finch Photo Andy Morgan In April this year it was announced that husband and wife team , Rosalind Ventris and Joseph Fort were the new directors of the Cowbridge Music Festival , based at the Welsh town of Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan . And now their first festival programme has been announced . nbsp Running from 1 to 16 October 2021, the festival features nine concerts with each evening event being repeated . nbsp The festival is opened by the Feinstein Ensemble in a programme of Baroque

  • The Hallé launches its Autumn / Winter 2021 season

    Updated: 2021-08-19 17:05:31
    : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Friday , 20 August 2021 The Hallé launches its Autumn Winter 2021 season Labels : Manchester preview The Hallé has launched its Autumn Winter 2021 season with a packed programme at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall , plus a new series of lunchtime chamber concerts at Hallé St Peter’s in Ancoats . Alongside Sir Mark Elder , the Hallé’s roster of conductors includes Delyana Lazarova , Gemma New , Christian Reif , Sofi Jeannin and Ryan Wigglesworth , and featured composers include Thea Musgrave Sofia Gubaidulina Arya Tsytlianok , Samuel Barber , Florence Price Lera Auerbach Ryan Wigglesworth Dorothy Howell , Josef Suk , Hugo Alfven , Christine Hals and Wynton Marsalis Sir Mark

  • Her Ensemble: the UK’s first women and non-binary orchestra makes its concert debut

    Updated: 2021-08-19 16:24:30
    : : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Friday , 20 August 2021 Her Ensemble : the UK’s first women and non-binary orchestra makes its concert debut Labels : preview Her Ensemble Photo Shane Benson In 2019-2020 only 3.6 of the classical music pieces programmed worldwide were written by women . Last year that figure was just 5 the highest percentage recorded to date see my article on the Donne Foundation's recent report while some of the world’s most renowned orchestras only started admitting female musicians as recently as 2003. In response to this and to the perceived rigidity of the classical concert format , nbsp classically trained violinist and arranger Ellie Consta formed Her Ensemble , the UK’s first

  • Chamber music for the King: François Couperin's Concerts royaux from American flautist Stephen Schultz and friends

    Updated: 2021-08-19 15:39:22
    : : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Friday , 20 August 2021 Chamber music for the King : François Couperin's Concerts royaux from American flautist Stephen Schultz and friends Labels : cd review Francois Couperin Concerts Royaux Stephen Schultz , Jory Vinikour , Alexa Haynes-Pilon , Mindy Rosenfeld Music Arts Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 18 August 2021 Star rating : 4.0 American flautist Stephen Schultz brings purity and character of tone to Couperin's Concerts Royaux Early 18th century France seemed to develop a taste for chamber works with some sort of ad libitum scoring , keyboard plus instruments which could be varied or missed out altogether . These perhaps reflect the fluidity of the music making

  • Baroque and Contemporary, plus a focus on Brian Elias: this year's Music@Malling

    Updated: 2021-08-18 16:48:22
    : , : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Thursday , 19 August 2021 Baroque and Contemporary , plus a focus on Brian Elias : this year's Music Malling Labels : preview Resident ensemble Chamber Domaine performing at a previous Music Malling The music of Brian Elias threads its way through this year's Music Malling . The fifteen concerts in this year's festival in the Kent town , which runs from 24 September to 3 October 2021, will feature the premiere of Elias' Capriccio for Bassoon and Strings performed by resident ensemble Chamber Domaine , conducted by the festival's artistic director Thomas Kemp , with soloist Adam Mackenzie principal bassoon at Opera North whilst pianist Daniel Grimwood plays Elias' Five

  • Technicolour dreams: Anita Rachvelishvili's Élégie on Sony Classical

    Updated: 2021-08-18 15:39:36
    : : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Thursday , 19 August 2021 Technicolour dreams : Anita Rachvelishvili's Élégie on Sony Classical Labels : cd review Élégie Tchaikovsky , Rachmaninov , Otar Taktakishvili , Tosti , Duparc , Falla Anita Rachvelishvili , Vincenzo Scalera Sony Records Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 17 August 2021 Star rating : 3.5 The Georgian mezzo-soprano brings rich tones and a full-blooded approach to a programme of Russian , Georgian , Italian , French and Spanish song , yet one not without subtlety . too The Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili is known for her dramatic roles in Italian opera her appearances at Covent Garden have included Azucena in Verdi's Il trovatore Santuzza in

  • Celebrating 10 years of the Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival

    Updated: 2021-08-17 20:28:31
    : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Wednesday , 18 August 2021 Celebrating 10 years of the Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival Labels : preview Guy Johnston and friends performing in the Marble Hall of Hatfield House Photo courtesy of Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival Hatfield House Chamber Music Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with five days of music-making in and around Hatfield House from 29 September to 3 October 2021. The festival includes two celebratory commissions for artistic director , cellist Guy Johnston , a cello sonata from Joseph Phibbs to be premiered at the opening concert with pianist Tom Poster and a solo cello suite by Matthew Kaner Other contemporary works in the

  • High Energy: an evening of firsts from the Manchester Collective and Mahan Esfahani at the BBC Proms

    Updated: 2021-08-17 18:06:06
    : : Pages Home About Us Contact Us Record Reviews Interviews Twitter : RobertHugill Opera and Concert Reviews Facebook Wednesday , 18 August 2021 High Energy : an evening of firsts from the Manchester Collective and Mahan Esfahani at the BBC Proms Labels : BBC concert review Proms The Manchester Collective in rehearsal at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms Photo c o Manchester Collective Gorecki , Finnis , Eastman , Tabakova , Horovitz Mahan Esfahani , Manchester Collective BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall Reviewed by Robert Hugill on 17 August 2021 Star rating : 5.0 Five proms premieres spanning 50 years a torrent of energy and imagination in the Manchester Collective's proms debut The Manchester Collective directed from the violin by Rakhi Singh made its BBC Proms debut at the

  • HBD!Project - May your June be Proud

    Updated: 2021-07-03 11:32:00
    : The Collaborative Piano Blog The piano in ensemble . The piano in real . life Pages Home About This Blog About Chris Foley Register for Lessons Contact Me Saturday , July 03, 2021 HBD Project May your June be Proud This recording project needed a lot of practice for some very difficult rep , but was a lot of fun to record and play . HBD Project's May June compilation of composers features a huge cast of singers , none of whom I rehearsed with before recording the tracks , although let's just say Natalya and I entered into negotiations regarding the tempo for the Wagner Ride of the Valkyries . nbsp Production credits go to Natalya Gennadi and Catherin Carew for putting together the project , as well as Bruno Roy for video and sound editing . nbsp Here's a complete track listing with a

  • Email Subscriptions via Feedburner Will Be No Longer Available in July 2021

    Updated: 2021-07-02 10:40:00
    : The Collaborative Piano Blog The piano in ensemble . The piano in real . life Pages Home About This Blog About Chris Foley Register for Lessons Contact Me Friday , July 02, 2021 Email Subscriptions via Feedburner Will Be No Longer Available in July 2021 This is a message for Collaborative Piano Blog readers who signed up for the original email subscription via Feedburner before 2019. As of July 2021, Google will be sunsetting this service and it will no longer be available . nbsp If you would still like to receive Collaborative Piano Blog updates via email , I recommend that you sign up for my newsletter which comes out most Fridays . Each week I give updates on what I’m up to and link to the latest articles by myself and others that you might find useful . nbsp Have a great weekend

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