Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
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"
Wednesday 31 July 2024 Royal Albert Hall, London ***** Searing Shostakovich, and a Profound Lament from Cassandra Miller BBC Philharmonic. Photo by Andy Paradise Wednesday evening's Prom featured the BBC Philharmonic conducted by their Chief Conductor, John Storgårds. It began with a new work, I cannot love without trembling, a viola concerto written by the …
Continue reading "Prom 16: Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 – BBC Philharmonic – Live Review"
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"
Friday 14 June The Stoller Hall, Manchester ***** A bold and innovative programme of maritime music The nearest beach to Manchester is in Southport, about 35 miles away as the crow flies, or about 45 miles by car. Yet in this landlocked city where the sea has no impact on its citizens' daily lives, it …
Continue reading "Kantos Chamber Choir – Behold the Sea – Live Review"
Sunday 2 June 2024 The Stoller Hall, Manchester ***** A joyous and moving performance of Bach's masterpiece Three hundred years ago, JS Bach took up a post in Leipzig where his St John Passion was first performed on 7 April 1724. On the three hundredth anniversary of the first performance, the BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Chamber …
Continue reading "Yale Schola Cantorum and Juilliard415 – Live Review"
Friday 24 May 2024 Waterside Arts Centre, Sale, Greater Manchester ***** A delightful evening of gorgeous a cappella singing The Apex Singers are a Manchester-based chamber choir of eight voices, founded and directed by Ollie Lambert. Unfortunately, one of the tenors was ill at short notice so last Friday's stunning a cappella performance at Waterside …
Thursday 16 May 2024 Royal Festival Hall, London ***** A premiere by Roderick Williams explores the humanity of Elgar's choral masterpiece The Dream of Gerontius David Hill conducting the Philharmonia. Image credit Andy Paradise Edward Elgar’s choral masterpiece The Dream of Gerontius, with words by Cardinal John Henry Newman, describes the journey of a soul …
Friday 10 May 2024 Bridgewater Hall Manchester ***** A musical art installation brings 'a stillness that moves' to Manchester Manchester Collective first appeared on this Blog in December 2019, a review of a concert at The White Hotel in Salford, a small and (on the evening of the performance) very cold venue. Since then, this …
Continue reading "Manchester Collective: Rothko Chapel – Live Review"
Friday 29 March 2024 Bridgewater Hall Manchester A moving and dramatic interpretation 300 years after the first performance ***** Bach's St John Passion was first performed 300 years ago, on 7 April 1724 at St Nicholas' Church in Leipzig. Bach had moved to Leipzig the year before to take up a post at the Thomaskirche …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic : Bach’s St John Passion (1724) – Live Review"