When I first heard cellist-composer Jo Quail perform – back in 2013, in a solo support slot – it was immediately clear that she occupied a genre all her own. A kindred spirit, for sure, with other musicians active in the dark folk / neoclassical / what-you-will underground – especially fellow ‘loopers’ (like Matt Howden,…
Tag: review
Czech Centre launches its 29th Made in Prague Festival with ‘Caravan’
The 29th Made in Prague Festival is a celebration of Czech culture and one great film to emerge from this cultural initiative is Caravan, directed by newbie filmmaker, Zuzana Kirchnerová, who has managed to produce a tender and meaningful mother-son story. Single mother, Ester, has a Down Syndrome and autistic son. David is deprived of speech, however he journeys…
Small Treasures – Sarah Beth Briggs, piano
In her latest release, British pianist Sarah Beth Briggs celebrates the notion that “small is beautiful” in a selection of piano miniatures, including two of the greatest sets of miniatures ever written – Robert Schumann’s Waldszenen (Forest Scenes) and Brahms’s 4 Klavierstucke op. 119. These are interspersed with less familiar works by Clara Schumann and…
Through roots: an African Concert Series update (and more)
This is a public service announcement! – an all-purpose post rounding up some recent African Concert Series activity, with a look ahead to some events and releases to come. The latest African Concert Series day at Wigmore Hall took place on 19 July this year. As ever, pianist and curator Rebeca Omordia assembled a remarkable…
Plain song: Coleridge-Taylor, ‘The Atonement’, Three Choirs Festival 2025, Hereford
A highlight of a brief visit to the Three Choirs Festival this year was the opportunity to hear Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s little-known and rarely-performed choral work, ‘The Atonement’. The sense of occasion was twofold: this revival in the glorious setting of Hereford Cathedral was like a homecoming for the cantata, which received its premiere in Hereford…
Latin translations: Julieth Lozano Rolong & João Araújo, ‘Alma: Ibero-American Songs’
This is a thrilling hour in the company of two artists who perform as if this music is flowing through their veins as well as their heritage. ‘Alma’ shines a spotlight on 20th-century repertoire mostly from Latin America, alongside a smaller selection from Spain and Portugal. Although, as the liner notes tell us, some of…
Graphic content: François Berthoud’s posters for Opernhaus Zürich
A real ‘picture post’ from me here. Our recent visit to Opernhaus Zürich coincided with an exhibition of the memorable posters designed for the company by illustrator François Berthoud over the last 13 years. Each poster features an image of a single item linked to the work in question – on some the connection is…
Darkness divisible: ‘L’Orfeo’ and ‘Elias’, Opernhaus Zürich
Our recent Swiss holiday closed with a lightning visit to Opernhaus Zürich, to catch two performances in one day: a matinée of Monteverdi’s ‘L’Orfeo’, followed by a staged version of Mendelssohn’s ‘Elias’ (or ‘Elijah’). Both were rewarding experiences. I had never seen a production of ‘L’Orfeo’ before (a rather important omission, now happily rectified) and…
Self taut: Barbara Hepworth ‘Strings’, Piano Nobile
I managed to see this exquisite exhibition with only a few days to spare: it closes on 2 May. If you are in the right place at the right time – Holland Park, London – I urge you to go if you can. For those of you who cannot get there, here is a brief…
No limit: Barb Jungr and her Trio, ‘Hallelujah on Desolation Row’
While Barb Jungr has interpreted a range of songs by both Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen throughout her career, this marvellous new release is only her second album to bring them together as ‘twindred spirits’ of sorts. The first, ‘Hard Rain’, is an essential, blistering listen, focusing on the politics in the poetry. However, this…
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