Tag Archives: Mariss Jansons

Jansons and the Vienna Phil trump Neuenfels’ tame Pique Dame in Salzburg

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: Pique Dame *** Salzburg Festival, 10th August 2018 Tomsky taunts the obsessive gambler in Hermann with his Ballad of the Three Cards. The Countess recounts singing for the king in Versailles. But it is arguably the orchestra itself which … Continue reading →

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Russian heart: terrific performances from Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian RSO

Posted on April 12, 2017 by Mark Pullinger

Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov: Bavarian RSO/Jansons ***** Barbican Hall, 11th April 2017 “I have the brain of a Latvian and the heart of a Russian.” Born in Riga, Mariss Jansons has spent much of his life in St Petersburg, initially as … Continue reading →

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Plums and turkeys: a musical voyage around 2016

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Most people I know cannot wait to see the back of 2016. But in the year in which Brexit, Trump and the Grim Reaper were the big winners, I admit to having had a terrific twelve months. A whirl of … Continue reading →

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Caged bird: Tchaikovsky stars in Herheim’s remarkable Pique Dame at Dutch National Opera

Posted on June 10, 2016 by Mark Pullinger

Tchaikovsky: The Queen of Spades ***** Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam, 9th June 2016 “Wept terribly when Hermann gave up the ghost,” wrote Tchaikovsky in his diary. What was it that drove the composer to identify so closely with such an … Continue reading →

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Half measures: Jansons’ Pictures lack light and shade

Posted on January 25, 2010 by Mark Pullinger

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition Mariss Jansons/Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO Live) In galleries nowadays, the visitor can clamp on a pair of headphones and listen to an audio guide while viewing the artwork. Mussorgsky got there first, of course, in … Continue reading →

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