Monthly Archives: April 2017

Heaven and Earth: Marek Janowksi ascends Bruckner 7 and admires the view

Wagner, Bruckner: LPO/Janowski **** Royal Festival Hall, 26th April 2017 Long climbs often provide the best views. The Adagio second movement of Anton Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony bears the tempo marking Sehr feierlich und sehr langsam… and it is very solemn … Continue reading

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A Scriabin marathon: Peter Donohoe scales the complete piano sonatas

Scriabin: Peter Donohoe **** Milton Court, 23rd April 2017 Pounding the 26 miles from Greenwich Park to The Mall wasn’t the only marathon in London today. At Milton Court, Peter Donohoe ran his own marathon – albeit from the safety of … Continue reading

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“Gloire à DiDonato”: Les Troyens takes Strasbourg by storm

Berlioz: Les Troyens ***** Salle Erasmé, Strasbourg, 17th April 2017 Performances of Berlioz’s epic opera in two parts, Les Troyens, are rare events. Substantially shorter than Wagner’s Ring, it is nonetheless staged far less frequently. Although there was no production … Continue reading

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Rites of Spring: Tcherniakov embraces Rimsky-Korsakov’s hymn to nature at the Bastille

Rimsky-Korsakov: The Snow Maiden **** Opéra Bastille, 15th April 2017 There’s a wonderful painting by Ilya Repin of an aged Leo Tolstoy in peasant clothing. Having renounced his aristocratic lifestyle, the great writer didn’t just adopt peasant dress, but lived … Continue reading

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Rossini’s Thieving Magpie doesn’t quite take flight at La Scala

Rossini: La gazza ladra *** Teatro alla Scala, Milan, 12th April 2017 Everyone knows the overture to La gazza ladra. It’s the one that begins with a pair of snare drums snarling across opposite sides of the orchestra which then … Continue reading

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