Anyone with an interest in portraiture will want to see this exhibition – a glorious opportunity to see more than 50 of John Singer Sargent’s paintings gathered in one place. The fashion theme provides a fascinating through-line, a starting point to appreciate the skill and complexity of Sargent’s compositions. But there are multiple layers to…
A reflective, sensitive musical journey with pianist Ashley Wass
BLACK & WHITE Ashley Wass, piano This new release from British pianist Ashley Wass celebrates a significant milestone in his musical life – some 40 years since he first touched the keys of a piano. Black and White, the album and corresponding live concerts, is a reflection of the Wass’s desire to find stillness, focus…
A perfect prelude to spring – Natural Connections: Leon McCawley, piano
It’s a truly delightful recording to which Leon McCawley brings his characteristic tastefulness and clarity. Water really does glitter in his hands, lyrical melodies are deftly sculpted and sensitively phrased, and every single piece on this album is communicated with great care and obvious affection.
Going dark: ‘Duke Bluebeard’s Castle’, English National Opera, London
Just two performances at the Coliseum for this new ‘semi-staged concert performance’ of Bartók’s only opera. A masterpiece in miniature – two main characters, their entwined fates settled in a mere hour – its enigmatic spell both terrifies and enthrals. A horror story on the surface with layers of murky psychodrama underneath: whatever one’s interpretation,…
Composer Dani Howard and her ‘Trombone Concerto’ – a journey in rhythm and brass
ArtMuseLondon’s Karine Hetherington catches up with award-winning composer Dani Howard Growing up in Hong Kong you played piano and the drums. In your large-scale compositions, the percussion certainly stands out. Does the sense of rhythm and energy in your orchestral works come from your early days drumming? Absolutely – I definitely think that this early…
‘Traces’ at the Lighthouse, Poole
Another gem of an exhibition in Dorset, this time at the Lighthouse arts centre in Poole. I first discovered David R Abram‘s extraordinary aerial photographs of ancient sites in Britain through Twitter, serendipitously just before Christmas 2022 when I was trying to find a suitable gift for my husband. David’s book, An Aerial Atlas of…
Into the abyss: ‘The Zone of Interest’
I’m writing this piece, about the film ‘The Zone of Interest’, on the evening of Monday 11 March, 2024. I sketched a few rough notes out last night, then went to bed – waking this morning, of course, to news of the Oscar winners. I like to think this movie received the two awards that…
English Touring Opera stages Stravinsky’s rare Rake’s Progress at the Hackney Empire
As part of their 2024 Spring opera season, English Touring Opera staged Igor Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress at the Hackney Empire. Conceived later on in Stravinski’s life, when he was living in America, The Rake’s Progress was the his one and only full-length opera. Drawing inspiration from a William Hogarth exhibition he had visited in Chicago, he got writing…
Artists in their own right
WOMEN AND THE PIANO: A History in 50 Lives by Susan Tomes Following on from her splendid ‘The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces’, celebrated pianist and writer Susan Tomes now turns her attention to that oft-neglected corner of classical music history – women pianists. Focussing on 50 women pianists – some well-known (Louise Farrenc,…
Spiritual awakening: Leon Bosch & Rebeca Omordia in concert and on disc
The African Concert Series was originally founded and curated by pianist Rebeca Omordia to shine a spotlight on African art music: the diverse work of African composers who, as the series website explains, create “a bridge between Western classical music and African traditional music”. Launched in 2019, the series has had a torrid infancy. After…
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