In her debut recording, pianist Anastasiya Bazhenova presents a programme that goes beyond a simple chronological survey of keyboard music. From Mendelssohn to Madness is not just about contrasting different historical periods; it is a deep exploration of the human condition and how our inner worlds change when external stability starts to fade.
Through the fire and flood: ‘Siegfried’ and ‘The Turn of the Screw’, Royal Ballet & Opera
From fights to frights at the RBO, as I managed to escape from reality there twice in a week: first to see ‘Siegfried’, the third instalment in Barrie Kosky’s ongoing Ring cycle for the company. While we’re talking very narrow margins, ‘Siegfried’ has tended to be my least favourite of the four Ring operas. I’ve…
Pianist Siqian Li: “Being well-behaved in music is not a compliment.”
Pianist Siqian Li: “Being well-behaved in music is not a compliment.”
Shostakovich’s 7th Symphony – music for war and resistance
This week it was off to the Philharmonie de Paris, a state-of-the-art concert hall in the north-eastern periphery of the French capital. Paris may be my second home, but this was my first visit to this musical institution designed by the architect Jean Nouvel. Opened in 2015, after a six year wait, there was a lot…
24 Preludes for Piano by Nicholas Scott-Burt
Da-Hee Kim piano Premiere recording Listen to the opening measures of the sixth Prelude from Nicholas Scott-Burt’s 24 Preludes for Piano, and you might be forgiven for thinking this is actually by J S Bach, with its combination of rigour and elegance, counterpoint and Baroque flourishes. The ghost of Bach is also present in the…
Tracks of my tears: Fretwork with Ian Bostridge & Elizabeth Kenny, ‘John Dowland’s Lachrimaes’, Milton Court, London
2026 marks the 400th anniversary of John Dowland’s death. Although it’s an appropriately melancholy milestone, one can only rejoice if it prompts more beautiful concerts like this one throughout the year. I confess that I’m frequently wary of the idea that the worth of music, art or literature from the past rests on its ‘relevance’…
De Profundis – Charles Owen, piano
Playing of poetry, intelligence and quiet authority in Charles Owen’s new release De Profundis
Queasy listening: ‘Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny’, English National Opera, London
The city of Mahagonny rose and fell three times in the space of a week in ENO’s recent ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ production. Fortunately, enough people did notice and the entire run sold out – so I am glad to have made it to the closing night. This uncompromising, scathing satire from Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht tells…
The Mist on the Moors – the piano music of Reginald Redman
British pianist Duncan Honeybourne continues in his quest to bring lesser-known and rarely performed British piano music to the fore with his latest release – a collection of pieces by Reginald Redman.
Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte in Coney Island
Cosi Fan Tutte premiered a year before Mozart’s death in 1791. It’s probably one of our most popular operas today, largely due, but not exclusively, to its exquisitely crafted arias, which Mozart produces one after another for his female singers. I attended opening night of Cosi at English National Opera with mixed feelings however. I…
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