Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
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 …
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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"
14 May 2026 The exterior of DR Koncerthuset, Copenhagen We approached the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen on foot from the centre of the city, walking past the university towards a campus that houses DR (Danmarks Radio), which, like the BBC, is just over 100 years old. Like the BBC’s northern base at Media City UK, …
Continue reading "A Tour of Europe’s Finest Concert Halls – Part III: DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen"
Thursday 7 May 2026 The Concertgebouw at night It’s said that in London, you are never more than six feet away from a rat. In Amsterdam, you are never more than six feet away from a bicycle. On Thursday evening, a smartly dressed woman, in full dress suit and colourful shawl, carefully parked her bicycle …
Continue reading "A Tour of Europe’s Finest Concert Halls – Part I: The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam"
Saturday 25 April 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ★★★★★ The orchestra continues its superb run of form with Julia Wolfe's vision of the aftermath of 9/11, Bomsori's virtuosic violin-playing in Tchaikovsky, and Berlioz's opium-induced visions Violinist Bomsori with members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra © Chris Payne Like Manchester's two Premier League football teams, its …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto"
Thursday 16 April 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ★★★★★ Intimate Mahler and spectacular Vaughan Williams with the Hallé Choir and Youth Choir on superb form The Hallé Orchestra, Hallé Choir, Hallé Youth Choir, Tarmo Peltokoski (conductor), Silja Aalto (soprano), Huw Montague Rendall (baritone). © Sharyn Bellemakers, The Hallé Last Thursday evening's concert, with The Hallé …
Sunday 22 March 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ★★★★★ Viktoria Mullova shines as the soloist in Brahms' Violin Concerto, and the Hallé soloists excel in Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra Viktoria Mullova with the Hallé © Alex Burns/The Hallé Sunday's concert, repeated from last Thursday, was billed as 'Mullova Plays Brahms.' It's been over 40 years …
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