Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Thursday 19 March 2026 Victoria Baths, Manchester ★★★★★ This was not just a concert; it was an immersive experience, taking us from dawn to dusk Image © Adam Critchlow Many contemporary artworks and installations describe themselves as 'immersive'; the word is perhaps overused now. A concert in a former swimming pool (yes, actually in the …
Continue reading "Kantos Chamber Choir: Kantos x helios x victoria baths – Live Review"
Jan Vogler © Marco Grob Jan Vogler Jan Vogler travels the world as an internationally acclaimed cello soloist. He was in the UK in February to perform with various orchestras, including a superb performance of Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 with the Hallé in Manchester under the baton of Kahchun Wong. He has been Artistic …
Continue reading "Interview – Jan Vogler, Cellist and Artistic Director of Dresden Music Festival"
Friday 13 March 2026 Lowry, Salford ***** A viscerally powerful production of Britten's masterpiece John Findon as Peter Grimes and Philippa Boyle as Ellen Orford. Credit James Glossop In his programme note for Opera North's performance of Peter Grimes at Lowry in Salford on Friday, Andrew Mellor compares the central character in the opera with …
Continue reading "Opera North – Benjamin Britten – Peter Grimes – Live Review"
Sunday 8 March 2026 Royal Festival Hall, London ***** A dramatic and deeply devotional performance, part concert, part religious ritual The Bach Choir, London Youth Choir, Florilegium and conductor David Hill © Michael Whitefoot The Bach Choir's 150th Anniversary season, which opened last October with a superb performance of Mahler's Eighth Symphony, was marked on Sunday with Bach's St Matthew …
Continue reading "The Bach Choir – Bach’s St Matthew Passion – Live Review"
Friday 27 February 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** Soprano Ailish Tynan steals the show in a superb semi-staging of Mozart's comic opera Lucy Crowe as Fiordiligi, Ailish Tynan as Despina and Taylor Raven as Dorabella © Matthew Johnson Photographer English National Opera is rapidly establishing a foothold in Manchester, with appearances at the Manchester Classical festival last …
Continue reading "English National Opera – Così fan tutte – Live Review"
Thursday 24 February 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** 'A mature work from a highly accomplished composer' - Jonny Greenwood's new violin concerto performed by Daniel Pioro and The Hallé Jonny Greenwood. Photo credit Sharyn Bellemakers/The Hallé Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood has been a classical composer for the last twenty years. His film scores, including There Will …
Continue reading "The Hallé Orchestra with Jonny Greenwood – Live Review"
Saturday 21 February 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** Love is a fragile thing: superb performances of Albarn Berg, Sergey Prokofiev and Cassandra Miller by Lawrence Power and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra Composer Cassandra Miller, Viola Player Lawrence Power and Members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Credit: Chris Payne On The Cure's comeback album Songs of a …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Romeo and Juliet – Live Review"
Thursday 20 February 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester **** Exploring the Cosmos: The Hallé's Stellar Concert The Hallé orchestra, Choir and Youth Choir. Image credit Sharyn Bellemakers/The Hallé On Thursday evening, it was a pleasure to see a full stage (The Hallé orchestra under the baton of Kahchun Wong, on a specially extended stage), full …
Thursday 12 February 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** The Hallé and Kahchun Wong shine in Beethoven's heroic symphony Cellist Jan Vogler with members of The Hallé. Credit: Alex Burns/The Hallé For a second at the start of Thursday evening's Beethoven-themed concert, it felt as if the opening piece was his Coriolan Overture. In fact, …
Continue reading "The Hallé – Beethoven’s Eroica – Live Review"
Saturday 7 February 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester **** French-tinged minimalism, sparkling Ravel and Rachmaninoff's final orchestral statement Elisabeth Brauß and members of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Image © Chris Payne Saturday evening's concert by the BBC Philharmonic was their first under the baton of Adam Hickox. He's the son of Richard Hickox, who died nearly …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances – Live Review"