wed 24/09/2025

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

Dialogues des Carmélites, Glyndebourne review - faith overwhelmed by horror

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theartsdesk in Denmark - celebrating Nielsen in high style

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Princess Ida, OAE, Wilson, QEH review - musical brilliance undermined by textual botch

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Handel for the King, Le Concert Spirituel, Niquet, Wigmore Hall at St James's Spanish Place review - post-coronation celebrations

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Concert Theatre DSCH, Norwegian CO, Oslo Opera House Scene 2 review - Shostakovich choreographed for strings and accordion

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Jerusalem Quartet, Wigmore Hall review - singing to make the heart leap

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Douglas, Estonian NSO, Elts, Cadogan Hall review - perfect ebb and flow from conductor and pianist

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theartsdesk at the Sheffield Chamber Music Festival - romps and meditations at the highest level

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Wozzeck, Royal Opera review - orchestral and visual beauty salve human misery at its most extreme

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Pavel Kolesnikov, Samson Tsoy, QEH review - piano magicians conduct themselves beautifully

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Ghosts, Abbey Theatre, Dublin review - creating tension from desolation

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Bartlett, National Symphony Orchestra, Weilerstein, National Concert Hall, Dublin review - edgy darkness, blazing light and high camp

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Castalian String Quartet, Wigmore Hall review - late Britten keeps equally demanding company

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LPO, Jurowski, RFH / LSO, BBC Singers, Rattle, Barbican review - spiderwebs, sublimity and a powerful speech

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Blue, English National Opera review - the company’s boldest vindication yet?

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Innocence, Royal Opera review - timely, layered drama with almost incidental music

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