Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Thursday 27 November 2025 Stoller Hall, Manchester **** Samantha Fernando's new piece Wintering celebrates winter's withdrawal from daily life Wintering with Samantha Fernando © Mike Skelton On an unseasonably warm winter's night, Manchester Collective returned to their home city for the second leg of their Wintering tour. The ensemble's co-artistic director, Jasmin Kent Rodgman, introduced …
Continue reading "Manchester Collective x The Marian Consort: Wintering – Live Review"
Saturday 17 May 2025 Thomas Kirche, Leipzig In 1723, Johann Sebastian Bach left his job as Kapellmeister to Leopold, Prince of Anhalt-Köthen, and travelled with two carriages to Leipzig, where he was appointed Thomaskantor, director of church music. On a Saturday afternoon, just over 300 years later, as a thunderstorm threatened, leading to a downpour of …
Wednesday 30 October 2024 Westminster Cathedral London ***** A moving and passionate performance of Britten's pacifist masterpiece The Bach Choir perform Britten's 'War Requiem' with The Philharmonia Orchestra at Westminster Cathedral, conducted by David Hill. Image © Andy Paradise "My subject is War, and the pity of War.The Poetry is in the pity...All a poet …
Sunday 25 August 2024 7.30 pm The Nave Southwell MinsterAlison Rose (soprano), Susan Bickley (mezzo soprano), Mark Padmore (tenor), Frederick Long (bass-baritone), Festival Voices, Festival Sinfonia, Marcus Farnsworth (conductor) This was a special concert, celebrating ten successful years of the Southwell Music Festival. Before the concert began in a packed Nave, the Dean of Southwell, …
Friday 23 August 2024 Martin Bussey & Anthony Pinching on 'A Brother Abroad' Martin Bussey (composer) and Anthony Pinching (librettist)3.00 pm The Marquee, Palace Gardens Composer and conductor Martin Bussey Prof Anthony Pinching is the Director of Pinner Music Festival and a former clinical immunologist and academic. He wrote the libretto for A Brother Abroad …
Southwell Minster, where most of the events take place Southwell is a market town in the heart of Nottinghamshire, with a grade I listed cathedral, Southwell Minster. For the last ten years, the town has been the home of Southwell Music Festival, founded by the Artistic Director, Marcus Farnsworth. Marcus Farnsworth. Image © Andy Staples …
Continue reading "Southwell Music Festival 2024: Overview of the Tenth Anniversary Festival"
From the album Paths of Exile by Kantos Chamber Choir, conducted by Ellie Slorach An Exile in 9th Century England. The Wanderer is an anonymous Old English poem, written in Anglo Saxon, which is preserved in The Exeter Book, a collection of manuscripts which probably dates back to the late tenth century, along with other poems including The Seafarer. …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track #11: The Wanderer by Tim Benjamin"
From the album Paths of Exile by Kantos Chamber Choir, conducted by Ellie Slorach The cover of Paths of Exile The Seafarer is an Old English poem, written in Anglo Saxon, which is preserved in The Exeter Book, a collection of manuscripts which probably dates back to the late tenth century. The Exeter Book was …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track #10: The Seafarer by Tim Benjamin"