Tag Archives: Berlioz

Blank canvas: Pallid Berlioz from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Berlioz/Mendelssohn: OAE ** Royal Festival Hall, 20th February 2017 Period instruments and historically informed practice have revolutionised the way much classical music has been performed for decades. “The Berlioz Experience”, a weekend masterminded by Roger Norrington here at the Southbank … Continue reading

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

Boxed in: Pelly serves up a grey Béatrice et Bénédict at Glyndebourne

Berlioz: Béatrice et Bénédict *** Glyndebourne, 23rd July 2016 It’s a delicious irony that Shakespeare is celebrated at this most English of opera festivals by a Frenchman directing a French comedy. Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream follows in August, but first … Continue reading

Posted in Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Boxed in: Pelly serves up a grey Béatrice et Bénédict at Glyndebourne

Inspired by Shakespeare: a London gala to celebrate The Bard

Shakespeare400 Gala: LPO/Jurowski *** Royal Festival Hall, 23rd April 2016 “If music be the food of love, play on, give me excess of it.” There was certainly plenty of Shakespeare-inspired music on the bill for the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s celebration … Continue reading

Posted in Concert | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Inspired by Shakespeare: a London gala to celebrate The Bard

A shattering Rite: Sasha Waltz’s Sacre at Sadler’s Wells

Sasha Waltz & Guests **** Sadler’s Wells, 11th November 2015 A century on, The Rite of Spring still has the power to shock. However, it’s frequently Igor Stravinsky’s score – rather than the choreography – which ignites this reaction in … Continue reading

Posted in Ballet | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A bumpy ride: thrills and spills in the LSO’s Sibelius and Berlioz

Sibelius/Berlioz: LSO/Heras-Casado *** Barbican, 28th June 2015 Fire and ice. When the cool, steely tone of Joshua Bell’s ‘Huberman’ Stradivarius met the feverish impetuosity of Pablo Heras-Casado at the helm of the London Symphony Orchestra  for the final leg of … Continue reading

Posted in Concert | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A bumpy ride: thrills and spills in the LSO’s Sibelius and Berlioz