Author Archives: Mark Pullinger

In Rimsky’s Kitezh, Gergiev eventually weaves some Russian magic

Gergiev/ Mariinsky Orchestra Cadogan Hall, 8th October 2019 Punctuality isn’t exactly Valery Gergiev’s strength. Years of experience teach you never to expect a Mariinsky Orchestra concert to begin on time, but when the audience isn’t even admitted until ten minutes … Continue reading

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Alwyn’s Miss Julie rescued from the operatic desert

Alwyn: Miss Julie Oramo/ BBCSO, Barbican, 3rd october 2019 “Crazy, utterly crazy!” No, not Miss Julie’s outrageous behaviour, dancing and cavorting with the servants on Midsummer’s Eve, but that William Alwyn’s operatic take on August Strindberg’s play could have been … Continue reading

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MacMillan’s Manon remains as irresistible as ever

Manon Royal Ballet, 2nd October 2019 Sir Kenneth MacMillan was the master at full length narrative ballets packed with emotional power, from the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet to the intense psychodrama of Mayerling. His storytelling is seen at its … Continue reading

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Brusque Beethoven from Jonathan Biss at Wigmore Hall

Jonathan Biss Wigmore Hall, 29th September 2019 “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start,” sings Maria in The Sound of Music. It is indeed and Jonathan Biss, launching his Beethoven 250 piano sonata cycle at … Continue reading

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Staring into the abyss: a devastating Pathétique opens the LPO’s season

Jurowski/ London Philharmonic Orchestra Royal Festival Hall, 27th September 2019 From the string sighs of “Désir”, the first of Oliver Knussen’s Scriabin Settings, to the hollow rasp of the double basses’ dying growls in the Pathétique, this was a concert … Continue reading

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