As part of their 2024 Spring opera season, English Touring Opera staged The Rake’s Progress by Igor Stravinsky at the Hackney Empire. Conceived later on in Stravinsky’s life, when he was living in America, The Rake’s Progress was his one and only full-length opera. Drawing inspiration from a William Hogarth exhibition he had visited in Chicago, he got writing…
Category: review
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…
Board senseless
For any ArtMuseLondon readers not following the story in the media (social or otherwise), it’s important that we post about latest developments at English National Opera (ENO). Anyone familiar with my articles will know the extent of my admiration for this ensemble, both Chorus and Orchestra. They have continued to give powerful, committed performances across…
English National Opera brings comedy to the fore with The Barber of Seville
Rossini’s Barber of Seville doesn’t often get the attention it deserves. Perhaps because it has often been unfavourably compared to Mozart’s weightier opera, Marriage of Figaro. The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro started life as plays by eighteenth century playwright, Pierre Beaumarchais. Sharing the same main characters, the operas are often confused….
Picture This : ‘It all started with the Fauves’ Ceramicist Suzanne Katkhuda.
If I ask myself the question “what is success to me in terms of my Art” I find it difficult to explain. I suppose I have always been artistic, but I had a strong urge to study ceramics when I had my two children and attended a pottery evening class in London once a week….
Retrospecstive 2023: Adrian Ainsworth’s 25 recordings of the year
At last! The wait is over. Here is my round-up of favourite releases from the previous calendar year. 2023 felt richer than ever and there were so many wonderful records to choose from. As usual, I’ve spared myself the agony of ranking the selections: democracy rules and the list is in alphabetical order, by artist…
Elisabeth Frink : A View from Within
A concise, detailed and sensitively curated new exhibition of work by British sculptor and printmaker Dame Elisabeth Frink (1930-1993) is currently on show at Dorset Museum & Art Gallery in Dorchester. The exhibition focuses on the period when Frink lived in Dorset, working from her home and purpose-built studio at Woolland House near Blandford Forum….
Reinterpreting Brian Eno’s Music for Airports
ENO PIANO Bruce Brubaker, piano “Is it possible to play Music for Airports on the piano?” American pianist, Bruce Brubaker, asked himself this question when thinking about his new album, Eno Piano, a remarkable reinterpretation of Brian Eno’s ambient masterpiece Music for Airports (the album which defined “ambient music”), together with three of Brubaker’s own…
‘Every Tree Speaks To Me’ Peter Ash, conductor of the Odyssey Festival Orchestra, talks about his latest project
American-born conductor and composer, Peter Ash, has always embraced ambitious classical music projects. With the Odyssey Festival Orchestra, an orchestra he founded, he has built up a huge following, presenting classical music in new, exciting ways. Last year, he packed out the Cadogan Hall with Astonish Me – Sergei Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes. Karine Hetherington…
Voice recognition: Carolyn Sampson
As many of you will know, soprano Carolyn Sampson reached her 100th recording as a soloist with the release of ‘but I like to sing…’ in November. She celebrated this achievement online, with a series of short videos explaining some of the background to each recording. Full of relaxed charm – with an extra layer…
ARTMUSELONDON 