thu 06/11/2025

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

Kozhukhin, LSO, Rattle, Barbican

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East Neuk Festival review - Schubert, brass and nine electric guitars

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theartsdesk at Budapest Wagner Days: Bayreuth on the Danube

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Mitridate, Re di Ponto, Royal Opera review - Crowe and costumes light up pointless revival

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Albert Herring, The Grange Festival review - playing it straight yields classic comedy gold

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Kuusisto, London Chamber Orchestra, Ashkenazy, Cadogan Hall

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theartsdesk at the Istanbul Music Festival: East and West in perfect balance

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Hamlet, Glyndebourne review - integrity if not genius in Brett Dean's score

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Evgeny Kissin: Memoirs and Reflections review - Russian education, European conviction, Jewish heritage

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theartsdesk in Göttingen: Handel for all

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La Rondine, Opera Holland Park

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La Strada, The Other Palace review - Fellini's tragicomedy becomes a noisy romp

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theartsdesk Q&A: Soprano Aida Garifullina

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The Mikado review - Sasha Regan's all-male operetta formula hits a reef

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Kempf, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Simonov, Cadogan Hall

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Chineke! Orchestra, Brighton Festival / Saleem Ashkar, Wigmore Hall

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