piano
Jonathan Biss, Milton CourtTuesday, 28 March 2017
"Late Style", the theme and title of pianist Jonathan Biss's three-concert miniseries, need not be synonymous with terminal thoughts of death. This recital ranged from introspection (Brahms), radiant simplicity (Schumann) and aphoristic minimalism (... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Alnæs, Granados, Kelly, MompouSaturday, 25 March 2017
Eyvind Alnæs: Piano Concerto & Symphony Håvard Gimse (piano), Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra/Eivind Aadland (Lawo Classics)Eyvind Alnæs’s C Minor Symphony, written in 1897 after his return to Norway from studying in Leipzig, hints at great things,... Read more... |
Buchbinder, Philharmonia, Hrůša, RFHFriday, 24 March 2017
It's a rare concert when nothing need be questioned about the orchestral playing. The usual nagging doubts – about whether any of the London orchestras has a recognisable sound-identity, or whether Rattle's swipe agains the two main London concert... Read more... |
Maurizio Pollini, RFHWednesday, 15 March 2017
Age is finally catching up with Maurizio Pollini. This recital was one of a series to mark the pianist’s 75th birthday, presenting Beethoven piano sonatas, music at the core of his repertoire. His legendary status was justified by these readings,... Read more... |
Bavouzet, Manchester Camerata, Takács-Nagy, RNCM, ManchesterFriday, 03 March 2017
Manchester Camerata give relatively few old-fashioned concerts these days – I mean the sort that are done in purpose-built concert halls, with a conductor, soloist and conventional orchestra strength – because they’re busy crossing boundaries and... Read more... |
Classical CDs Weekly: Beethoven, Rasmussen, Shostakovich, TchaikovskySaturday, 25 February 2017
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Op.110 and Op.111, with music by András Szöllösy and Gyula Csapó Gábor Csalog (piano) (BMC)Two Beethoven sonatas coupled with shorter pieces by a pair of contemporary Hungarian composers makes for an engaging mixture.... Read more... |
Mirjam Mesak, Kristiina Rokashevich, St Bartholomew the GreatThursday, 23 February 2017
Treasure our young continental European musicians in London while you can. Only last week I learned that so many of the overseas students at London's Guildhall School had stories to tell about being questioned in public (usually "are you Polish?"... Read more... |
Grosvenor, BBCPO, Gernon, Bridgewater Hall, ManchesterTuesday, 07 February 2017
Two young guys called Ben graced the BBC Philharmonic platform at the Bridgewater Hall – looking almost like Ant and Dec if you let your imagination wander. Ben Gernon, 27, had just been announced as the orchestra’s new Principal Guest Conductor (... Read more... |
Mitsuko Uchida, Royal Festival HallWednesday, 01 February 2017
Mitsuko Uchida specialises in elegant, if uncontroversial, interpretations of core Austro-German repertoire, yet she’s never predictable, and every performance is full of unexpected insights and welcome surprises. Mozart and Schumann stand at... Read more... |
Elisabeth Leonskaja, Wigmore HallFriday, 27 January 2017
Restlessness in a good sense was the keynote of Elisabeth Leonskaja's latest revelatory recital. At 71, the Russian pianist, now an Austrian citizen, has all the supreme mastery it takes to make the volatility work: perfect weight and balance,... Read more... |
Bavouzet, BBCPO, Collon, Bridgewater Hall, ManchesterMonday, 16 January 2017
Colin Matthews’s arrangements for orchestra of the 24 Debussy Préludes (originally commissioned by the Hallé) have been widely admired. The BBC Philharmonic’s concert, conducted by Nicholas Collon, at the Bridgewater Hall on Friday night began with... Read more... |
Best of 2016: ClassicalWednesday, 28 December 2016
Revelations in the classical year never stop coming. Even the week before Christmas yielded two performances as good as you're going to get: the sheer effervescence and light-flourishing of Lucy Crowe in ecstatic Bach and Mozart with La Nuova Musica... Read more... |
