Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Saturday 24 October 2026 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester Superb soloists in Mahler and Mendelssohn, and an evocative orchestral piece by Composer in Residence Cassandra Miller ★★★★★ Sheva Tehoval (soprano), John Storgårds (conductor), BBC Philharmonic Orchestra © Chris Payne “Prithee, nuncle, be contented.’Tis a naughty night to swim in.” The Fool to King Lear on the stormy …
Continue reading "BBC Philharmonic Orchestra – Mahler Symphony No. 4 – Live Review"
Saturday 13 June 2026 The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ★★★★★ From a funeral march to resurrection: superb Mahler in Manchester Gentlemen of City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Chorus © Chris Payne From a funeral march to resurrection: superb Mahler in Manchester Manchester does like Mahler. The Bridgewater Hall was almost full on Saturday evening for a …
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 …
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"
Thursday 9 October 2025 St Paul's Cathedral, London ***** A stunning opening to the Bach Choir’s 150th anniversary season in the most dramatic of settings How do you open the 150th anniversary season of one of Britain’s finest choirs? An announcement from an official at St Paul’s Cathedral welcomed us to the site of Christian …
Friday 22 August 2025 Mahler and the Folksong - songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, and traditional folksongs arr. Gemma Bass The Quire, Southwell Minster This took place in the beautiful and intimate surroundings of the Quire in Southwell Minster. The audience sat in the choir stalls while the musicians performed on the steps to the Chancel. …
Saturday 14 June 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester ***** John Storgårds conducts the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra in a breathtaking performance of Mahler's Third Symphony John Storgårds, Jess Dandy and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Photo: Chris Payne Having just come back from the Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig, with performances by two of the world’s most renowned orchestras …