Alim Beisembayev and Eric Lu, winners of the Leeds International Piano Competition in 2021 and 2018 respectively, have both released new albums. Eric Lu impressed at the 2018 competition with his beautiful tone and the phrase “poet of the piano” is regularly attached to his playing. Elegant lyricism is highly appealing, especially in the music…
Picture This : Photographer Bunshri Chandaria Charts Alzheimer Loss in an Art Book ‘Silent Voice’
“I was your childhood friend. You gave me your daughter.” These are words of my late mother-in-law, Ramaba placed next to a saree image in the artist book, Silent Voice. Ramaba’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis alarmed me. She was the epitome of beauty but a disconnect between her and the world had set in. She was unable to communicate…
The St Albans Museum+Gallery Presents ‘Drawing in the Dark’ – Henry Moore’s miners
Henry Spencer Moore (1898-1986) is probably one of Britain’s most celebrated sculptors of the 20th century. He is best known for his semi-abstract monumental bronze sculptures which have appeared in museums, galleries and parks throughout the world. At Tate Britain Moore has several rooms given over to his sculptural works and many will have seen…
Duncan Honeybourne brilliantly illuminates the piano music of William Baines
The exceptionally gifted British composer William Baines died on 6 November 1922; he was just 23, yet he left behind a remarkably large body of work, which is celebrated in this new release from pianist Duncan Honeybourne, a long-time champion of Baines’ music. Born in Horbury near Wakefield, Yorkshire, William Baines came from a musical…
Retrospecstive 2022: Adrian Ainsworth’s 25 recordings of the year
I enjoyed so many great releases during the last year that merely the act of looking back, replaying some key choices, has taken quite some (pleasurable) time. I hope the 25 I eventually settled on include some new discoveries for you, and that you enjoy them as much as I have. The main list is…
2022: the year culture came in from the cold
At the close of 2021, I wrote an article for this site pondering what 2022 might hold for culture as we emerged blinking into the light after two tough years of lockdowns and restrictions – and virtually no live music, opera, exhibitions, and more…. At the time, the UK was gripped by omicron, a new…
Karine Hetherington’s music highlights in London and Paris and CD Choice for 2022.
In 2022 it was a joy to be back at the Wigmore Hall, King’s Place, English National Opera, Royal Opera and Opera Holland Park. In February, Royal Opera House offered up an imaginative staging of Handel’s oratorio Theodora. Theodora came with a great cast, featuring the fabulous Joyce DiDonato as Irene and new countertenor, Jakub…
‘A Child in Striped Pyjamas’ – John Boyne’s masterpiece in a new opera by Noah Max
John Boyne’s masterpiece The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas still features regularly on international bestseller lists nearly two decades after its publication. Boyne’s story is a symbolic exploration of why the Holocaust is so traumatic: it demonstrates the relentlessly organised barbarity of which humanity is capable. The book has been adapted for cinema, theatre and…
Sparkling Beethoven from Daniel Tong
Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Op. 10 Nos 1-3 Daniel Tong (fortepiano) Resonus RES10307 This sparkling new release from Daniel Tong opens with an explosive ‘Mannheim rocket’, the dramatic first sentence of the Piano Sonata in C minor, Op 10, No. 1, which sets the tone for an uplifting and very enjoyable listening experience. Daniel Tong has…
Handel’s Messiah Comes to the West End With Too Many Trimmings
Handel’s Messiah can always be relied upon to project us into the Christmas holidays. It is astonishing to think that an age-old oratorio, written in 1741, is still being performed in churches and concert halls up and down the country and that its popularity shows no signs of waning. Over the years, I’ve attended many…
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