Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Saturday 24 January 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** An unforgettable exploration of Bartók's psychodrama Jennifer Johnston as Judith, Christopher Purves as Duke Bluebeard and conductor Anja Bihlmaier. Image © Chris Payne It's unusual for one concert in an orchestra's season to follow on from the next, unless they are part of a programmed series, such …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Bluebeard’s Castle – Live Review"
Saturday 17 January 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester **** A serene Beethoven piano and two unresolved American orchestral classics from Ives and Adams Alim Beisembayev (at the piano), John Storgårds and the BBC Philharmonic. Image credit Chris Payne. Saturday evening's concert by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, under their Chief Conductor, John Storgårds, featured two pieces by …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic – John Adams, Beethoven and Ives – Live Review"
Manchester was the place to be for superb performances in 2025 The Year in Classical Music Sometimes going abroad reminds you how good things are at home. In the spring of 2025, I went to the Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig, featuring world-class performers such as the Gewandhausorchester and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. So it was …
Friday 5 December 2025 RNCM, Manchester ***** The strings of the BBC Philharmonic shine in music by Bartók and Tchaikovsky The Strings of the BBC Philharmonic directed by Zoë Beyers. Image © Chris Payne/BBC Last Friday's concert at the RNCM in Manchester was directed from the violin by the Leader of the BBC Philharmonic, Zoë …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Serenade for Strings – Live Review"
Sunday 30 November 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** Manchester's oldest orchestra become the city/region's newest cultural ambassadors Akiko Suwanai, Kahchun Wong and members of The Hallé. Credit: Alex Burns/The Hallé At the beginning of the second half of Sunday afternoon's concert, Kahchun Wong, Principal Conductor and Artistic Advisor to the Hallé, announced that he and the …
Continue reading "The Hallé – Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto – Live Review"
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 …
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Friday 14 November 2025 RNCM, Manchester ***** A spellbinding and emotional journey through a historical travesty of justice The Pendle Witch trials of 1612 have left a deep scar in our collective memory in the North of England, just as several centuries later, the Moors Murders have left a deep scar in our communal psyche. …
Continue reading "Kantos Chamber Choir – The Witch Trials – Live Review"
Saturday 8 November 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester **** Elena Schwarz conducts nature-themed Debussy and Mahler, with the Manchester premiere of Dani Howard's trombone concerto The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor Elena Schwarz and trombonist Peter Moore. Photo © Chris Payne Saturday's concert at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester was an exploration of the power of nature, …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Mahler’s ‘Titan’ – Symphony No. 1 – Live Review"
Saturday 1 November 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** Exploring Powerful Women in the Music of John Adams, with Astonishing Playing from Violinist Leila Josefowicz Leila Josefowicz and The Hallé © Sharyn Bellemakers Saturday evening’s concert at the Bridgewater Hall was the closing event of a three-day festival celebrating the work of the contemporary American composer …
Continue reading "The Hallé – John Adams Conducts the Chairman Dances – Live Review"
Tuesday 21 October 2025 Lowry Theatre, Salford **** Minimalist Design Meets Comedy and Psychological Realism in ENO's first production in the North The Cast of Albert Herring © Genevieve Girling This was an evening of firsts. Surprisingly, this production is the first time that English National Opera (ENO) has performed Benjamin Britten’s 1947 comic opera, …
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