Author Archives: Mark Pullinger

Wolfgang finds his groove in Havana: Mozart y Mambo

“Mozart would have been a good Cuban,” Sarah Willis was told on her first visit to Havana, when she spotted a bust of the composer in the historic part of the city. The comment inspired the Berlin Philharmonic horn player … Continue reading

Posted in CD | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Blomstedt parties with Brahms and the Bambergers

Herbert Blomstedt/ Bamberg Symphony Joseph Keilberth Saal, Bamberg, 11th July 2020 “It takes a long time to become young.” Herbert Blomstedt quoted Pablo Picasso in a fascinating Zoom chat with fellow conductor Alan Gilbert back in May. You may be … Continue reading

Posted in Concert | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A double cause for celebration in Paris

Klaus Mäkelä/ Orchestre de Paris Philharmonie de Paris, 9th July 2020 What the English would call “a red letter day”, the French would call “un jour à marquer d’une pierre blanche” – a day to be marked with a white … Continue reading

Posted in Concert | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Sublime Schubert at Rencontres Musicales d’Évian

Quatuor Modigliani, Bertrand Chamayou, Yann Dubost, Gautier Capuçon La Grange au Lac, Évian, 6th July 2020 While UK concert halls remain closed to the public, my armchair travels have carried me far and wide, from the Musikverein to the Metropolitan … Continue reading

Posted in Concert | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Widescreen operatic chiller: Karina Canellakis unlocks the doors to Bluebeard’s Castle

Bartók: Bluebeard’s Castle TivoliVredenburg, 3rd July 2020 There can be little doubt that, along with ballet, fully staged opera will be the last of the arts to return to any sort of normality once this pandemic is over (unless it’s … Continue reading

Posted in Concert, Opera | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment