tue 03/06/2025

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

Iolanthe, English National Opera review - still gorgeous but ever so slightly less funny than before

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Kopatchinskaja, LSO, Pappano, Barbican review - dancing on the volcano

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Skride, National Symphony Orchestra, Matheuz, National Concert Hall, Dublin - musical philosophies soar

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Faust, Irish National Opera review - world-class singing turns the musical-dramatic screw

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Fung, RPO, Schwarz, Cadogan Hall review - high style from new cellist and conductor on the block

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Mad Rush, Carol Williams, RFH review - a rainbow of organ colours

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Peter Grimes, English National Opera review - not quite the pity or the truth

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Pygmalion, Old Vic review - zappy wit and emotional intelligence

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Brahms Piano Sonatas, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Wigmore Hall review - when giants meet

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Denk, Danish String Quartet, Wigmore Hall review - metaphysical strings, the piano as chameleon

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Das Rheingold, Royal Opera - knotty, riveting route to destruction

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Prom 60: Gerstein, Berlin RSO, Jurowski review - a master conductor returns with his German band

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Prom 55: Thibaudet, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Nelsons review - old-style showmanship

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Prom 42: Cho, Philharmonia, Rouvali review - inflation offset by sweet oases

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Prom 38: Audience Choice, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Fischer 2 review - true democracy or tricksy referendum?

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Prom 31: Dialogues des Carmélites, Glyndebourne, BBC Radio 3 review - full force on air

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

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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,...

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

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

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“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...