Tag Archives: Britten

Sumptuous Strauss from Louise Alder in Wigmore jump-in

Louise Alder & Gary Matthewman **** Wigmore Hall, 22nd July 2017 We anticipated a Ukrainian barihunk singing Tchaikovsky, but ended up with an English rose singing Strauss. “Travel problems” detained Andrei Bondarenko from making his Wigmore Hall recital, his place taken at … Continue reading

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John Copley directs a peach of an Albert Herring for Grange Festival

Britten: Albert Herring **** Grange Festival, 25th June 2017 With a combined age of 161 years, John Copley and Steuart Bedford certainly bring ample experience to Grange Festival’s new production of Britten’s Albert Herring. As a youngster, Copley played the apprentice in Peter Grimes, while his … Continue reading

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A silvery Dream lost among the shadows: Britten at the Aldeburgh Festival

Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream **** Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh Festival, 12th June 2017 Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is an opera swathed in a sensual, yet sinister score, conjured from a tiny ensemble where Oberon’s fairy kingdom is evoked by glistening glockenspiel, … Continue reading

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Belcea Quartet excels in Britten and Shostakovich at Aldeburgh Festival

Britten, Shostakovich, Mozart, Widmann **** Belcea Quartet, Jörg Widmann, Piotr Anderszewski, Snape Maltings Benjamin Britten’s spirit haunts Snape Maltings just as the ghosts of his final opera Death in Venice haunt his Third String Quartet. Resignation and isolation are etched into its … Continue reading

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Enchanted Wood: dream of a Dream at Glyndebourne

Britten: A Midsummer Night’s Dream ***** Glyndebourne, 11th August 2016 “Out of this wood do not desire to go!” Tytania orders Bottom. Glyndebourne’s revival of Peter Hall’s classic production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is eerily enchanting, weaving its spell right … Continue reading

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