Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Friday 16 October 2026 London Coliseum ★★★★ Superbly sung and staged, the London premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera is visceral and thought-provoking The Cast of ENO's Angel's-Bone London Coliseum © Nirah-Sanghani ‘It’s visceral,’ said a friend who saw the Manchester production of Angel’s Bone in May, before it transferred to the London Coliseum and …
Continue reading "English National Opera – Angel’s Bone – Live Review"
Friday 9 October 2026 RNCM, Manchester A joyful and exhilarating meeting of cultures ★★★★★ Last Friday’s concert by Manchester Collective and the Sidiki Dembélé Ensemble brought together two cultures: British classical music and traditional West African music. Born in Abobo, near Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Sidiki Dembélé is a percussionist and composer. Rakhi Singh, the Collective’s …
Continue reading "Manchester Collective x Sidiki Demb̩l̩: Constellations РLive Review"
Thursday 8 October 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ★★★★★ The Hallé continues its magnificent season with the debut of conductor Nodoka Okisawa in two 20th-century Russian masterpieces The Hallé Orchestra and Pavel Kolesnikov It’s a great time to be living in Manchester, not just because of the consistently lovely weather (!), but also because of …
Continue reading "The Hallé – Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 – Live Review"
Tuesday 29 September 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester The Sixteen bring peace and stillness to the opening concert of the Bridgewater Hall's 30th International Concert Series ★★★★ The Sixteen and conductor Harry Christophers. Credit: Johnny Millar/The Bridgewater Hall Harry Christophers and his chamber choir The Sixteen first performed at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall in February 1998, eighteen …
Continue reading "The Sixteen: Angel of Peace – Live Review"
Saturday 19 September 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ★ ★★ ★ ★ The Orchestra opens its new season with a stunning homage to nature, and a new piece by Gabriella Smith with a strong ecological theme BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, John StorgÃ¥rds, conductor © Chris Payne Saturday evening’s opening concert of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra's new season, …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Sibelius Symphony No. 5 – Live Review"
Tuesday 30 June 2026 Aviva Studios, Manchester ★★★★ The music of four titans of contemporary classical music, including a new piece from Cassie Kinoshi that was remarkable in more ways than one Manchester Collective. Image © Mike Skelton Tuesday evening’s concert by Manchester Collective at Aviva Studios in Manchester was titled ‘Patterns in Repeat’ with …
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Saturday 20 June 2026 Manchester Monastery, Gorton Lane, Manchester ★★★★★ Kantos Chamber Choir celebrates its tenth anniversary in stunning surroundings and an amazing acoustic Kantos, RNCM and the University of Manchester Chamber Choirs, with conductor Ellie Slorach. Image © The AC Product It’s ten years since Claire Shercliff (Company Director) and Ellie Slorach (Creative Director) …
Continue reading "Kantos Chamber Choir – Hope on Earth – Live Review"
★★★★★ Johnson’s book is a deeply personal and human meditation on music and mental health, and the redemptive power of love Stephen Johnson "...As I got out of the taxi Kate fixed me with a look of intense, focussed concern and walked straight up to me: What’s happened?" This moment from Stephen Johnson’s new book, …
Tuesday 26 May 2026 The Royal Festival Hall, London ★★★★★ The Bach Choir’s moving and supremely human interpretation marks the 150th anniversary of their first performance of Bach’s masterpiece The Bach Choir © Marc Gascoigne Tuesday night’s concert marked another significant milestone in The Bach Choir’s 150th anniversary season, which opened late last year with …
Continue reading "The Bach Choir – Bach’s Mass in B Minor – Live Review"
23 May 2026 Exterior of the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg Welcome to the fourth in our series on a tour around some of Europe’s greatest concert venues. This post contains more images than usual, as a major part of a visit to the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg is the hall's architecture and design. The building sits on top …
Continue reading "A Tour of Europe’s Finest Concert Halls – Part IV: The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg"