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….
‘I had no other tools than to react as an artist.’ – Igor Levit, pianist
MENDELSSOHN – LIEDER OHNE WORTE (SONGS WITHOUT WORDS) IGOR LEVIT piano This new release on CD and streaming from German-Russian pianist Igor Levit is his personal response, in music, to the 7th October 2023 atrocities in Israel and the alarming rise of anti-semitism around the world. ‘I made this recording out of a very, very…
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….
EARTHCYCLE – A Four Seasons for the 21st century
EARTHCYCLE Orchestra of the Swan An innovative and timely project from ever-inventive Orchestra of the Swan (OOTS), Earthcycle finds a compelling way to engage with the threat of climate change, and the human impact on the Earth’s environment and the disruption of its natural rhythms through music inspired by or evoking the natural world,…
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…
Up close with National Opera Studio’s Young Artists
It can be a rocky road for young artists in the opera world. Years of opera training and no guarantee of success. Still – there is help out there. Private patrons and mentors are part of the answer, providing much needed financial support and mentoring for cash-strapped singers. The National Opera Studio, NOS for short,…
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