Tag Archives: Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker: still casting a Christmas spell

Along with chestnuts, turkey and Carols from King’s, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without The Nutcracker. It has become a staple part of the festive season and one of the joys of any performance is in watching the excited reactions of children … Continue reading

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Spectacular Tchaikovsky: Alice Sara Ott fires up an old warhorse

Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov: Philharmonia/Vladimir Ashkenazy **** Royal Festival Hall, 17th November 2016 Warhorse (noun): creaky old classic played by orchestras in their sleep at least once a season. Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor falls into this category. Everyone … Continue reading

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Beloved Friend: Bychkov’s Tchaikovsky series closes with a provocative Pathétique

Tchaikovsky/Rachmaninov: BBCSO/Bychkov *** Barbican, 28th October 2016 In a world where our online arteries are clogged by instant messaging, it’s easy to make connections across the miles. Twitter, Whatsapp, Skype and countless other methods of communication enable friendships to grow … Continue reading

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Prom 55: Fate knocks, Ophelia sings, Mirga triumphs

CBSO/Gražinyte-Tyla **** Royal Albert Hall, 27th August 2016 A pair of auspicious debuts marked the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s Prom: Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla was making her London debut, just a day after her first concert as its new music director; … Continue reading

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Prom 50: Angels and Demons as Vedernikov leads a gripping Prokofiev Third

Prom 50: BBCSO/Vedernikov *** Royal Albert Hall, 23rd August 2016 A belated touch of demonic fire was a welcome ingredient to last night’s Prom. Prokofiev’s Third Symphony, based on themes from his opera The Fiery Angel, received a reading which, … Continue reading

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