mon 02/06/2025

David Nice

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Bio
The classical music and opera editor of theartsdesk, David writes, lectures and broadcasts on music. A former music critic for The Guardian and The Sunday Correspondent, he has made regular appearances on BBC Radio 3, not least in the long-running series Building a Library. He has written short studies on Elgar, Richard Strauss, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and the history of opera, and is currently working on the second volume of his Prokofiev biography for Yale University Press. He runs two Zoom lecture series, Opera in Depth on Mondays and a symphonies course on Thursdays.

Articles By David Nice

La Straniera, Chelsea Opera Group, Barlow, Cadogan Hall review - diva power saves minor Bellini

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The Queen of Spades, Garsington Opera review - sonorous gliding over a heart of darkness

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Il Trittico, Opéra de Paris review - reordered Puccini works for a phenomenal singing actor

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Batiashvili, LSO, Pappano, Barbican review - French and Polish narcotics

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Parsifal, Glyndebourne review - the music flies up, the drama remains below

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Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Wigmore Hall review - too big a splash in complete Ravel

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Karim Said, Leighton House review - adventures from Byrd to Schoenberg

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Giulio Cesare, The English Concert, Bicket, Barbican review - 10s across the board in perfect Handel

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Einkvan, Det Norske Teatret, The Coronet Theatre review - alienation times six

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The Excursions of Mr Brouček, LSO, Rattle, Barbican review - sensuousness, fire and comedy in perfect balance

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Pimpinone, Royal Opera in the Linbury Theatre review - farce with a sting in its tail

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Die Walküre, Royal Opera review - total music drama

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Mahler 8, LPO, Gardner, RFH review - lights on high

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Philharmonia, Alsop, RFH / Levit, Abramović, QEH review - misalliance and magical marathon

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Ben and Imo, Orange Tree Theatre review - vibrant, strongly acted fiction about Britten and Imogen Holst

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MacMillan St John Passion, Boylan, National Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Hill, NCH Dublin review - flares around a fine Christ

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It all started on 09/09/09. That memorable date, September 9 2009, marked the debut of theartsdesk.com.

It followed some...

La Straniera, Chelsea Opera Group, Barlow, Cadogan Hall revi...

Chelsea Opera Group has made its own luck in winning the devotion of two great bel canto exponents: Nelly Miricioiu between 1998 and 2010...

Dept. Q, Netflix review - Danish crime thriller finds a new...

Netflix’s new detective-noir is a somewhat cosmopolitan beast. It’s written and directed by an American, Scott Frank, derived from a novel, ...

The Queen of Spades, Garsington Opera review - sonorous glid...

Recent events have prompted the assertion – understandable in Ukraine – that the idea of the Russian soul is a nationalist myth. This production...

Blu-ray: Eclipse

What constitutes a “lost classic”? I guess we can’t say it’s an oxymoron, since we readily accept the concept of “instant classic”? Either way,...

The Ballad of Wallis Island review - the healing power of th...

I think The Ballad of Wallis Island is the best...

Music Reissues Weekly: Pete Shelley - Homosapien, XL-1

Pete Shelley’s departure from Buzzcocks felt abrupt. When he left the...

The Salt Path review - the transformative power of nature

“I can’t move my arms or legs, but apart from that I’m good to go.” Moth (Jason Isaacs) has to be pulled out of the tent in his sleeping bag by...

Elephant, Menier Chocolate Factory review - subtle, humorous...

This charmingly eloquent semi-autobiographical show – which first played at the Bush Theatre in 2022 – tells the story of a girl whose...