JDCMBMarinAlsop

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Friday, November 2, 2012

Benjamin Grosvenor's Southbank debut

Posted on 1:42 AM by Unknown
As you know, Benjamin Grosvenor, 20, is the darling of every pianophile in Britain and beyond. We were there in force to hear his debut recital at the Southbank's Queen Elizabeth Hall on Wednesday night, which gratifyingly was packed out.

Benjamin Grosvenor as a performer, it has to be said, is the absolute antithesis of everything that most serious piano fans loathe about certain older, more celebrity-conscious performers who pull in the crowds. He has a modest, unspoilt presence on the platform, the informal (red shirt, dark trousers) look of the lad next door and a rather surprised smile when he spots there are people listening to him and clapping, as if he hadn't quite expected it. He's a smallish youth with enormous and beautiful hands that look almost incongruous - as if they've been grafted on from the spirit of Friedman or Moiseiwitsch.

It's his virtuosity, delicacy, sparkle and whirligig whooshes of inspiration that tend to be noticed first, but perhaps something else is even more vital: he is not afraid to play quietly. Instead of projecting every phrase out to the back row, he focuses on intense beauty of tone in the pianissimo range and makes the audience come to him, drawing them in to a type of enhanced listening experience. Scarily few musicians dare to do this today, a few exceptions being Zimerman, Perahia and Anderszewski - good company indeed. He doesn't overpedal: clarity remains uppermost, and in his Bach Fourth Partita, which opened the concert, touches of pedal served just to enhance a resonance or mark the ambience of a rhythm here and there.

In the Bach, too, he homed in on the exact quality that makes its Allemande so mesmerising. This movement is a piece of such beauty that it wouldn't have disgraced the St Matthew Passion; its increasingly florid melody has about it a meditative, stream-of-consciousness quality of improvisation that seems to exist in a state of grace, in every sense. Benjamin caught the precise nuance of its still heart and inner radiance. This takes some doing. It shone beside a fleet Overture and Gigue, a lively, supple Courante, and much elegance in the brief extras with which Bach peppers this most expansive of his keyboard partitas - all of it enhanced by a keen structural intelligence which found the strength of line and harmonic progressions underlying every filigree twist and turn. If I wished he'd played the repeats, it was just because this was music-making of such excellence that it would have been nice to hear it all again.

The Chopin F sharp minor Polonaise and the Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise revealed something more problematic. For some reason, Grosvenor was playing a Yamaha. This powerful piano firm has, of course, developed its instruments considerably in the past 20 years or so, but it is still rare to see one on a London concert platform, and its tone did not prove especially welcome. Benjamin's personal sound, which is intensely beautiful with never a crash or thump, was still there, without a doubt. But I've heard him play quite a number of times before, and I missed something that he usually provides: colour. It is obvious to anyone who follows his progress closely that variety of colour is paramount to him. Yet the Yamaha tone, which tends to the overbright and even the glassy at times, just does not encompass the palette of mellowness and myriad shadings that he's capable of. The Bach worked well enough on it, but the Chopin needed that range. This was slightly frustrating for anyone who's heard Benjamin conjour those colours and therefore wished he would be able to do so on such a vital occasion as this. Presumably he had, in some way, shape or form, chosen the instrument - or maybe he is too modest to make a fuss about it? Please, someone, give the boy the chance to choose a favourite Steinway himself next time?

For the second half, Benjamin kept up the dance theme established first in the Bach with a selection of rare pianophilia delights: a selection of Scriabin's early mazurkas and a heady Russian waltz, eight utterly enchanting waltzes by Granados (which are a treat for any keen pianist to read through - you can find some of them in a recent issue of Pianist magazine), and the whole lot topped off by Schulz-Evler's deliciously dizzy virtuoso transcription of The Blue Danube. The charm of Benjamin's phrasing, his zippy lightness of touch, sprinkled a heart-warming trail of fairydust across the byways of this enchanting and original selection. He provided three encores, too: Godowsky's transcription of the famous Albeniz tango, then Liszt's Gnomenreigen - very fast, these gnomes, enjoying a whirlwind, impish outing as if testing the capabilities of a new pianistic Ferrari - and Benjamin's party-piece, Morton Gould Boogie-Woogie Etude, to close.

Piano aside, it was an evening that nobody will forget in a hurry. As my colleague Michael Church comments in his review for The Independent, "with virtuosity of this calibre, allied to a probing musical intelligence, the sky's the limit."

Meanwhile, it is lovely to see that Benjamin has become an "ambassador" for the superb London Music Masters' Bridge Project, designed to encourage instrumental music tuition in inner-city primary schools. Here's what they said, announcing it the other night:

London Music Masters (LMM) announces the multi-award-winning British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor as its ambassador to champion the cause of music in schools.  The former child prodigy, whorecently became one of the youngest ever winner of two Gramophone Awards and won the ‘Critics Choice Award’ at the Classic Brits, will act as a role model for children on LMM’s Bridge Project in some of London’s most deprived boroughs. Born to a musical family in Southend-on-Sea, Grosvenor is keen to encourage children to learn music at an early age and  for every child to have this opportunity:
'It was a great pleasure to visit Jessop Primary School and to witness the remarkable work being done by LMM there. It was touching to see the enthusiasm the children demonstrated for their instruments and for the learning process, and I hope that as an ambassador for this charity I can help them with their important work.'
LMM Bridge Project
LMM’s Bridge Project was established five years ago to make classical music accessible to all - by providing a sustained programme of high-quality music instrumental tuition in inner-city primary schools.  Working with children from financially disadvantaged and culturally diverse backgrounds, the Bridge Project places music at the heart of the school curriculum from an early age and enables interaction with exceptional musicians.  The Bridge Project’s driving goal is to address the lack of cultural and ethnic diversity among classical music professionals and audiences - making music an instrument of change.
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in Benjamin Grosvenor | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • The New Creativity - a guest post from James Inverne
    I'm away at the Ulverston International Music Festival in the Lake District, doing some nice concerts. More of this soon. Meanwhile, del...
  • True love and piano heaven?
    Fairly perturbed by London reactions to Andras'/Backhaus's Bechstein - the upper register "cold", "colourless" -...
  • Mendelssohn and Jenny Lind: the truth
    In the latest issue of the Journal of the Royal Musical Association (no.138 issue 1, May 2013), a study by Dr George Biddlecombe has been pu...
  • Music writing masterclass: Bernard Levin and the Wexford lemon juice
    You want to learn how to write beautifully, with erudition and elegance, about a performance you have attended? This little number by the gr...
  • What Bach could do with two oboes
    I've just found part of my favourite Bach cantata on Youtube conducted by John Eliot Gardiner, who seems to know exactly what to do with...
  • Saying YES
    "The peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is that it is robbing the human race... of the opportunity of exchanging e...
  • Mozart, Manchester and one amazing man
    Dear Manchester, do you have any idea how lucky you are having Gabor Takacs-Nagy aboard your very own Manchester Camerata ? Probably the g...
  • My first night shift
     I'd never ventured to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's Night Shift series before, having assumed that I'd be a bit ...
  • Friday Historical bonanza of Jelly d'Aranyi
    Yesterday was the 120th birthday of one of my great musical heroines, the violinist Jelly d'Aranyi. And on Youtube, it turns out that an...
  • Fresh from the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in Bamberg
    I've just been in Bamberg for a few days to listen to the finals of the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition . Top prize went to Lahav S...

Categories

  • 'Bel Canto' (1)
  • 50 Shades of Grey (1)
  • A Tale of Two Cities (1)
  • A Village Romeo and Juliet (1)
  • A Walk Through the End of Time (9)
  • Aarhus (2)
  • ABC (1)
  • Academy of Ancient Music (1)
  • ACE (1)
  • Adam Fischer (2)
  • Adila Fachiri (1)
  • Admiralspalast Theater (1)
  • Alan Walker (1)
  • Alan Yentob (2)
  • Alban Berg (1)
  • Alban Gerhardt (1)
  • Albeniz (1)
  • Aldeburgh Festival (1)
  • Aldeburgh World Orchestra (1)
  • Aleksei Kiseliov (1)
  • Alessandro Corbelli (1)
  • Alex Ross (2)
  • Alexander Goldenweiser (2)
  • Alexei Ratmansky (2)
  • Alexey Koltakov (1)
  • Alfred Brendel (1)
  • Alfred Cortot (2)
  • Alice Goodman (1)
  • Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (2)
  • Alicia's Gift (4)
  • Alina Ibragimova (1)
  • Alisa Weilerstein (1)
  • Alissa Weilerstein (1)
  • Alma Deutscher (1)
  • Alma Mahler (1)
  • Alma Rose (2)
  • Amanda Echalaz (1)
  • Amanda Roocroft (1)
  • Ambroise Thomas (1)
  • American Yiddish Theatre (1)
  • Andras Schiff (13)
  • André Messager (1)
  • Andrea Bocelli (2)
  • Andreas Scholl (1)
  • Andris Nelsons (4)
  • Andrzej Panufnik (1)
  • Andy Murray (1)
  • Angela Gheorghiu (2)
  • Angela Hewitt (3)
  • Angelika Kirchschlager (1)
  • Angelo Villani (5)
  • Anita Lasker Wallfisch (1)
  • Anja Harteros (5)
  • Ann Patchett (1)
  • Anna Caterina Antonacci (2)
  • Anna Meredith (1)
  • Anna Pavlova (1)
  • Anne Sofie von Otter (2)
  • Anne-Sophie Mutter (1)
  • Annunziata Vestri (1)
  • Anoushka Shankar (1)
  • Anthony Dowell (1)
  • Anthony Hewitt (6)
  • Anthony Negus (2)
  • Anthony Wilkinson (4)
  • Anton Bruckner (1)
  • Antonin Dvorak (1)
  • Antonino Siragusa (1)
  • Antonio Stradivari (1)
  • Antony McDonald (1)
  • Apollon Musagete Quartet (1)
  • Ariadne auf Naxos (1)
  • Armory (1)
  • Arthur Grumiaux (1)
  • Arthur Honegger (1)
  • Arthur Rubinstein (1)
  • Artists Against Racism (1)
  • Ashley Wass (1)
  • Audrey Niffenegger (2)
  • Augustin Dumay (2)
  • Bach (8)
  • Bach B Minor Mass (1)
  • Bach Cantata BWV 146 (1)
  • Bach Cantata BWV 8 (1)
  • Bach D minor Keyboard Concerto (1)
  • Bach Marathon (1)
  • Bachtrack (1)
  • Bahrain (1)
  • Baldur Bronnimann (1)
  • BalletBoyz (1)
  • Ballets Russes (1)
  • Bamberg (1)
  • Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (1)
  • Barnabas Kelemen (1)
  • Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (2)
  • Bavarian State Opera (4)
  • Bayreuth Festival (2)
  • BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition (2)
  • BBC Composer of the Week (1)
  • BBC Music Magazine (1)
  • BBC Music Magazine Awards (2)
  • BBC New Generation Artists (2)
  • BBC Performing Arts Fund (1)
  • BBC Philharmonic (2)
  • BBC Piano Season (1)
  • BBC Promenade Concerts (8)
  • BBC Question Time (1)
  • BBC Radio 3 (9)
  • BBC Radio 3 In Tune (1)
  • BBC Symphony Orchestra (1)
  • BBC Young Musician of the Year (2)
  • BBC2 (1)
  • BBC4 (1)
  • Bechstein (2)
  • Beethoven (4)
  • Beethoven 'An die ferne Geliebte' (2)
  • Beethoven 'Appassionata' Sonata (1)
  • Beethoven 'Hammerklavier' Sonata (1)
  • Beethoven 'Moonlight' Sonata (1)
  • Beethoven Symphony No.7 (1)
  • Beethoven Triple Concerto (1)
  • Bela Bartok (2)
  • Ben Johnson (1)
  • Bengt Forsberg (1)
  • Beniamino Gigli (1)
  • Benjamin Baker (1)
  • Benjamin Britten (6)
  • Benjamin Grosvenor (15)
  • Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (1)
  • Berlin (1)
  • Berlin Philharmonic (3)
  • Berlioz (1)
  • Bernard Haitink (2)
  • Bernard Levin (1)
  • Bernd Alois Zimmermann (1)
  • Bernstein (1)
  • Big Noise (1)
  • Bill Cosby (1)
  • Billy Joel (1)
  • Birmingham Royal Ballet (1)
  • Bjork (1)
  • Blackberry Man (1)
  • Bolshoi Ballet (2)
  • Bonnie Greer (2)
  • Boosey and Hawkes (1)
  • Boris the Bear (1)
  • Borletti-Buitoni Trust (1)
  • Bosendorfer (1)
  • Boston Lyric Opera (1)
  • Boulezian (1)
  • Bradley Creswick (2)
  • Brahms (2)
  • Brahms Piano Concerto No.1 (1)
  • Brahms Piano Trio Op.87 (1)
  • Brahms Trio Op.8 (1)
  • Bregenz Festival (1)
  • Brian Newbould (1)
  • Brief Encounter (1)
  • Brigitte Engerer (1)
  • Bristol Old Vic (1)
  • Bristol Proms (1)
  • Britten100 (1)
  • Brno (1)
  • Bruckner (1)
  • Bryan Hymel (2)
  • Bryn Terfel (4)
  • Bucharest (1)
  • Budapest (1)
  • Budapest Festival Orchestra (4)
  • Building A Library (1)
  • Buskaid (1)
  • Buxton Festival (2)
  • Cambridge (1)
  • Camilla Nylund (1)
  • Candide (1)
  • Cape Town (1)
  • Cappella Andrea Barca (1)
  • Carl Orff (1)
  • Carlos Kleiber (1)
  • Carmen (1)
  • Carmina Burana (1)
  • Carnegie Hall (1)
  • Caroline Dale (1)
  • cartoon (1)
  • CBSO (5)
  • CD Review (3)
  • Cecilia Bartoli (2)
  • CERN (1)
  • Cesaria Evora (1)
  • Chabrier (1)
  • Chamber Domaine (1)
  • Champs Hill Records (1)
  • Charles Dickens (2)
  • Charles Rosen (1)
  • Chausson Concert in D (1)
  • Chetham's Piano Summer School (2)
  • Chetham's School of Music (6)
  • Chilingirian String Quartet (2)
  • Chopin (4)
  • Chopin Barcarolle (2)
  • Chopin Fantasie-Impromptu (1)
  • Chopin Festival (1)
  • Chopin Nocturne Op.55 No.2 (1)
  • Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 (1)
  • Chopin Polonaise-Fantasie (2)
  • Christine Rice (1)
  • Christmas market (1)
  • Christmas TV (1)
  • Christoph Berner (1)
  • Christopher Hogwood (1)
  • Christopher O'Riley (1)
  • Christopher Purves (1)
  • Christopher Wheeldon (4)
  • Cilea (1)
  • Claire Desert (1)
  • Claire Tomalin (1)
  • Clara Haskil (1)
  • Clara Schumann (1)
  • Classic Brits (1)
  • Classic FM (2)
  • Classical Music Magazine (2)
  • Classical Revolution (1)
  • Classical:NEXT (4)
  • Claude Debussy (6)
  • Claudia Muzio (1)
  • Claudio Abbado (3)
  • Claudio Monteverdi (1)
  • Clemency Burton-Hill (1)
  • clibing nachas (1)
  • Clive Brown (1)
  • closures (1)
  • CNN (1)
  • Colourstrings (1)
  • Comedian Harmonists (1)
  • Comic Relief (1)
  • Commedia dell'arte (1)
  • concert clothing (1)
  • Concert Opera League Tables 2011 (1)
  • Costa Concordia (1)
  • Coughing in concert halls (1)
  • crowdfunding (1)
  • Cultural Olympiad (1)
  • Culture Kicks (3)
  • Culturekicks (1)
  • cuts (3)
  • Dad's Army (1)
  • Daisy Evans (1)
  • Dame Ethel Smyth (1)
  • Dame Evelyn Glennie (1)
  • Dame Harriet Walter (6)
  • Dame Myra Hess (7)
  • Damenfußballmannschaft des Bayerischen Staatsorchesters (1)
  • Damon Albarn (1)
  • Dan-Iulian Drutac (1)
  • Dana (1)
  • Daniel Barenboim (15)
  • Daniel Opoku (1)
  • Daniela Mack (1)
  • Daniele Gatti (1)
  • Danielle de Niese (5)
  • Daniil Trifonov (7)
  • Danish String Quartet (1)
  • Dansons la capucine (1)
  • Darcey Bussell (1)
  • Darth Vader (1)
  • Das Wunder der Heliane (1)
  • Dave Brubeck (1)
  • David Angus (1)
  • David Danzmayr (1)
  • David Harsent (1)
  • David Hockney (1)
  • David Lang (1)
  • David Le Page (4)
  • David Mitchell (1)
  • David Oistrakh (1)
  • de-skilling (1)
  • Debbie Wiseman (1)
  • Debussy (1)
  • Decca (3)
  • Degas (1)
  • Delius (2)
  • Denmark (1)
  • Der fliedende Hoellander (1)
  • Der Rosenkavalier (2)
  • Deutsche Grammophon (1)
  • Devon Guthrie (1)
  • Devy Erlih (1)
  • DH Lawrence (1)
  • Diamond Jubilee (2)
  • Diana Damrau (1)
  • Die schöne Müllerin (1)
  • Die Soldaten (1)
  • Die tote Stadt (4)
  • Die Walkure (3)
  • Die Zauberflote (1)
  • Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (1)
  • Dmitry Golovnin (1)
  • Dominic Lawson (1)
  • Don Carlo (2)
  • Don Pasquale (1)
  • Donald McIntyre (1)
  • Donna Leon (1)
  • Dorothy Taubman (1)
  • Draw On Sweet Night (1)
  • Duke Bluebeard's Castle (2)
  • dumbing down (1)
  • Duncan Rock (1)
  • Duparc (1)
  • Eats Shoots and Leaves (1)
  • EBacc (2)
  • Ebenezer Prout (1)
  • Ed Gardner (2)
  • Eddie Duchin (1)
  • Edna Golandsky (1)
  • Edward Gardner (7)
  • Edward Said (1)
  • Edward Watson (4)
  • El Sistema (3)
  • Elena Firsova (1)
  • Elena Urioste (1)
  • Elgar (2)
  • Elliott Carter (2)
  • Emma Bell (3)
  • English Baroque Soloists (1)
  • English National Opera (7)
  • English PEN (1)
  • English Touring Opera (1)
  • ENO (11)
  • Eric Carmen (1)
  • Eric Underwood (1)
  • Erica Worth (1)
  • Ernest Chausson (1)
  • Ernesto Mazzola (1)
  • Errollyn Wallen (4)
  • Esa-Pekka Salonen (4)
  • Eugen Jochum (1)
  • Eugene Onegin (1)
  • Eugene Ysaye (1)
  • Eva-Maria Westbroek (1)
  • Evgeny Mravinsky (1)
  • Fabien Gabel (1)
  • Fabio Armiliato (2)
  • Facebook (1)
  • Fairfield Halls Croydon (2)
  • fairy tales (1)
  • Fantasia (1)
  • Fauré Cello Sonata No.2 (1)
  • Faure Pavane (1)
  • Fawlty Towers (1)
  • Fazil Say (1)
  • Federico Bonelli (1)
  • Federico Colli (2)
  • Felicity Lott (1)
  • Felix Mendelssohn (1)
  • Ferruccio Furlanetto (1)
  • Fiona Shaw (1)
  • Flames of Paris (1)
  • Flight of the Bumble Bee (1)
  • Forbidden Music: The Jewish Composers Banned by the Nazis (1)
  • Formula One (1)
  • Fou Ts'ong (1)
  • Frances Andrade (3)
  • Francesco Piemontesi (1)
  • Franck Prelude Chorale et Fugue (1)
  • Frank Gehry (1)
  • Franz Liszt (3)
  • Franz Waxman (1)
  • Frederick Delius (2)
  • freedom of speech (1)
  • Friar Alessandro Brustenghi (1)
  • Friedrich Hollaender (1)
  • Fritz Kreisler (3)
  • Fritz Wunderlich (1)
  • From Paris: A Taste of Impressionism (1)
  • FS Kelly (1)
  • Gabor Takacs-Nagy (2)
  • Gabriel Faure (1)
  • Gabriel Fauré (9)
  • Gabriel Prokofiev (1)
  • Gabriel Yared (1)
  • Gabriela Montero (3)
  • Gad Kadosh (1)
  • Galina Vishnevskaya (1)
  • Gareth Davies (1)
  • Gareth Malone (1)
  • Gaspar Cassado (1)
  • George Benjamin (1)
  • George Meredith (1)
  • George Michael (1)
  • George Osborne (1)
  • Georges Auric (1)
  • Georges Neveux (1)
  • get started in writing (1)
  • GetClassical.org (1)
  • Gideon Klein (1)
  • Gilbert and Sullivan (1)
  • Giselle (1)
  • Giulio Cesare (1)
  • Giuseppe Verdi (4)
  • Gloriana (1)
  • Gluck (2)
  • Glyndebourne (10)
  • Gotterdammerung (1)
  • Gramophone Awards (2)
  • Grand pas de deux (1)
  • Grange Park Opera (1)
  • Grieg Piano Concerto (1)
  • Grigory Ginzburg (2)
  • Grigory Sokolov (2)
  • Guarneri del Gesu (1)
  • Guillaume Tell (1)
  • Gustav Mahler (2)
  • Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition (1)
  • Gustavo Dudamel (5)
  • Guy Paul (2)
  • Gwyneth Jones (1)
  • Handel (2)
  • hang (1)
  • Hannibal Lecter (1)
  • Hans Gál (1)
  • Hans Krasa (1)
  • Hans Werner Henze (2)
  • Hansel und Gretel (1)
  • Harriet Harman (1)
  • Harry Christophers (1)
  • Harvey and the Wallbangers (1)
  • Haydn (1)
  • Hayley Westenra (1)
  • Hejre Kati (1)
  • Helmut Deutsch (2)
  • Henri Dutilleux (1)
  • Henri Oguike (1)
  • Henry Goodman (8)
  • Herbert von Karajan (1)
  • Hitler (2)
  • Houston Grand Opera (1)
  • Hristo Dunev (1)
  • Hubay (1)
  • Hugh Mather (1)
  • Hugo Chavez (1)
  • Human Rights Day (1)
  • Humoresque (1)
  • Hungarian Dances (13)
  • Hungarian State Opera (1)
  • Hungary (1)
  • Huw Watkins (1)
  • I vespri Siciliani (1)
  • Ian Bostridge (1)
  • Ian Rosenblatt (1)
  • Ida Haendel (1)
  • Iestyn Davies (1)
  • Ignaz Friedman (1)
  • Il Volo (1)
  • Ilona Oltuski (1)
  • Ilya Gringolts (1)
  • Imogen Cooper (2)
  • Imperial Film Productions (1)
  • improvisation (1)
  • IMS Prussia Cove (1)
  • In Harmony (2)
  • In Tune (3)
  • Inspiration (1)
  • Institut Francais (1)
  • International Chopin Competition (1)
  • International Opera Awards (1)
  • International Wimbledon Music Festival (7)
  • International Women's Day (2)
  • Ion Mosneaga (1)
  • Isaac Stern (1)
  • Isabelle Faust (1)
  • ISM (4)
  • Isolde Menges (2)
  • It's All About Piano (2)
  • Itamar Golan (1)
  • Ivan Fischer (4)
  • Ivan Putrov (1)
  • Ivan Turgenev (1)
  • Ivan Vasiliev (3)
  • Jackie Evancho (1)
  • Jacques Imbrailo (2)
  • James Inverne (1)
  • James MacMillan (1)
  • Jamie Barton (1)
  • Jan Eschke (1)
  • Jane Birkin (1)
  • Janina Fialkowska (1)
  • Janine Jansen (1)
  • Japan earthquake (2)
  • Jascha Heifetz (2)
  • Jayson Gillham (1)
  • jazz (1)
  • JDCMB Ginger Stripe Awards (2)
  • Jean Francaix (1)
  • Jean Muller (1)
  • Jean Rigby (1)
  • Jean-Yves Thibaudet (1)
  • Jelly d'Aranyi (4)
  • Jenny Lind (1)
  • Jeremy Hunt (1)
  • Jerome Robbins (1)
  • Jessica Ennis (1)
  • Jiayun Sun (1)
  • Joan Crawford (1)
  • Joan Tower (1)
  • Joanna Lumley (1)
  • Joanna MacGregor (2)
  • Joby Talbot (1)
  • Jocelyn Pook (1)
  • Jodi Picoult (1)
  • Johan Kobborg (1)
  • Johann Reiter (1)
  • Johannes Brahms (2)
  • John Adams (4)
  • John Amis (1)
  • John Axelrod (1)
  • John Barbirolli (1)
  • John Berry (2)
  • John Bridcut (2)
  • John Bunyan (1)
  • John Cage (3)
  • John Eliot Gardiner (3)
  • John Foulds (1)
  • John Fulljames (1)
  • John Stuart Mill (1)
  • John Wilbye (1)
  • Johnny Varro (1)
  • Jon Snow (1)
  • Jonas Kaufmann (27)
  • Jonathan Biss (1)
  • Jonathan Harvey (1)
  • Jonathan Kent (1)
  • Jonathan Nott (2)
  • Jose Cura (1)
  • Joseph Calleja (6)
  • Joseph Szigeti (1)
  • Joshua Bell (1)
  • Jossi Wieler (1)
  • Joyce DiDonato (5)
  • Joyce Hatto (1)
  • Juan Diego Florez (3)
  • Jude Kelly (2)
  • Judith Bingham (1)
  • Judith Weir (4)
  • Julia Fischer (1)
  • Julietta (1)
  • Kaija Saariaho (2)
  • Kandinsky (1)
  • Karita Mattila (1)
  • Karol Szymanowski (2)
  • Kasper Holten (1)
  • Katharina Thoma (1)
  • Katherine Jenkins (1)
  • Kathleen Ferrier (1)
  • Kathleen Ferrier Awards (1)
  • Kathryn Page (1)
  • Kati Debretzeni (1)
  • Katie Mitchell (1)
  • Keith Jarrett (1)
  • Keith Warner (1)
  • Ken Russell (2)
  • Kenneth MacMillan (2)
  • Kenneth Woods (1)
  • Kevin O'Hare (1)
  • Kickstart Your Writing (2)
  • King Roger (1)
  • Kirill Kondrashin (1)
  • Kitty Whately (1)
  • KKL (2)
  • Klaus Heymann (1)
  • Korngold (11)
  • Kristine Opolais (1)
  • Krystian Zimerman (6)
  • L'Arlesiana (1)
  • L'Orfeo (1)
  • La Donna del Lago (1)
  • La Traviata (1)
  • La Vestale (1)
  • La voix humaine (1)
  • Lady Valerie Solti (2)
  • Lahav Shani (1)
  • Lance Ryan (1)
  • Lang Lang (6)
  • Lara Melda (1)
  • Large Hadron Collider (1)
  • Last Night of the Proms (4)
  • Latitude Festival (1)
  • Laura Morera (1)
  • Lauren Cuthbertson (2)
  • Laurent Pelly (2)
  • Le comte Ory (1)
  • Le nozze di Figaro (1)
  • Le roi malgre lui (1)
  • Lee Bisset (1)
  • Leeds International Piano Competition (4)
  • Leif Ove Andsnes (2)
  • Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (1)
  • lemon juice (1)
  • Leningrad Philharmonic (1)
  • Leon Botstein (1)
  • Leonard Bernstein (1)
  • Leonard Elschenbroich (1)
  • Leonard Friedman (1)
  • Leonidas Kavakos (1)
  • Leontyne Price (1)
  • Lera Auerbach (1)
  • Les vepres sicilienne (1)
  • Lesley Collier (1)
  • Lesley Garrett (2)
  • Levon Chilingirian (1)
  • Liam Scarlett (2)
  • Lianna Haroutounian (1)
  • Lincinio Refice (1)
  • Lindsey Hilsum (1)
  • Lionel Meunier (1)
  • Lisa della Casa (1)
  • Lise Berthaud (1)
  • Lisztomania (1)
  • Little Angel Theatre (2)
  • Lohengrin (1)
  • London 2012 (2)
  • London 2012 Festival (5)
  • London 2012 Olympic Games (6)
  • London Gay Men's Chorus (1)
  • London Mozart Players (2)
  • London Philharmonic (1)
  • London Symphony Orchestra (1)
  • Longborough Festival Opera (2)
  • Lorca's Songs (1)
  • Louis Schwizgebel (3)
  • Love Abide (1)
  • Loving Miss Hatto (1)
  • LPO (3)
  • LSO (8)
  • Lucerne Easter Festival (3)
  • Lucerne Festival (4)
  • Lucerne Festival Academy (1)
  • Lucerne Piano Festival (2)
  • Luciano Pavarotti (1)
  • Luis Suarez (1)
  • Lutoslawski Piano Concerto (1)
  • Luxor (1)
  • Lyric Opera of Chicago (1)
  • Magdalena Kozena (1)
  • Magritte (1)
  • Mahler Symphony No.4 (1)
  • Malcolm Layfield (3)
  • Malcolm MacDonald (1)
  • Malcolm Sargent (1)
  • Manchester Camerata (1)
  • Manon (1)
  • Manu Delago (1)
  • Margaret Fingerhut (2)
  • Margaret Thatcher (1)
  • Margery Booth (1)
  • Margot Fonteyn (1)
  • Maria Celeng (1)
  • Maria Joao Pires (1)
  • Maria Yudina (1)
  • Mariame Clement (1)
  • Marianela Nunez (2)
  • Mariinsky Ballet (1)
  • Marin Alsop (4)
  • Marina Mahler (1)
  • Marion Cotillard (1)
  • Mariss Jansons (2)
  • Marius Petipa (1)
  • Mariusz Kwiecien (1)
  • Mark Ravenhill (1)
  • Mark Rylance (1)
  • Mark Simpson (1)
  • Martha Argerich (3)
  • Martin Crimp (1)
  • Martin Isepp (1)
  • Martin Roscoe (4)
  • Martinu (1)
  • Martyn Brabbins (1)
  • Matisse (1)
  • Matthew Bourne (3)
  • Maud MacCarthy (1)
  • Maurice Gendron (1)
  • Max Hole (1)
  • Max Raabe (1)
  • Maxim Rysanov (1)
  • Maxim Vengerov (2)
  • Mayerling (1)
  • Medici TV (3)
  • Mei Yi Foo (1)
  • Melly Still (1)
  • Men in Motion (1)
  • Mendelssohn on Mull (1)
  • Mendelssohn Scholarship Foundation (1)
  • Merce Cunningham (1)
  • Messiaen (3)
  • Messiah (2)
  • Metropolitan Opera (1)
  • Meyerbeer (3)
  • Michael Barenboim (2)
  • Michael Berkeley (1)
  • Michael Brewer (2)
  • Michael Gove (2)
  • Michael Grandage (1)
  • Michael Haas (1)
  • Michael Praetorius (1)
  • Michael Seal (1)
  • Michael Tilson Thomas (1)
  • Michel van der Aa (1)
  • Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1)
  • Mihaly Nádor (1)
  • Mikhai (1)
  • Mikhail Agrest (1)
  • Mikhail Rudy (4)
  • Mikhailovsky Ballet (2)
  • Mischa Giancovich (1)
  • Miss Fortune (2)
  • Mitsuko Uchida (3)
  • Monica Mason (2)
  • Monteverdi Choir (1)
  • Mortlake Station (1)
  • Mozart (6)
  • Mstislav Rostropovich (2)
  • Munich (3)
  • Munich Opera Festival (1)
  • Murray McLachlan (1)
  • Murray Perahia (3)
  • music critics (2)
  • music journalism (1)
  • musical discovery (1)
  • musical literacy (1)
  • MusicatMalling (1)
  • Musikverein (2)
  • Mussorgsky (1)
  • My First Opera (1)
  • Myra Hess Day (1)
  • Mythes (1)
  • Nadejda Vlaeva (1)
  • Natalia Osipova (5)
  • Natalya Romaniw (1)
  • Nathalie Paulin (1)
  • Nathan Milstein (1)
  • National Gallery (3)
  • National Lottery (1)
  • National Opera Studio (1)
  • National Youth Choir (1)
  • National Youth Orchestra (2)
  • Naxos Records (1)
  • Nazis (1)
  • Nelson Freire (1)
  • Nelson Mandela (1)
  • Nessun dorma (1)
  • New Adventures (3)
  • New Year's Day concert (2)
  • New York Philharmonic (1)
  • New York Times (1)
  • Nicholas Collon (1)
  • Nicholas Roerich (1)
  • Nick Hillel (1)
  • Nick van Bloss (1)
  • Nicola Benedetti (5)
  • Nigel Kennedy (1)
  • Night Shift (2)
  • Nikolaj Znaider (1)
  • Nimrod Borenstein (1)
  • Nina Stemme (7)
  • Noah Stewart (2)
  • Non ti scordar di me (1)
  • Noriko Ogawa (2)
  • Norman Geras (2)
  • Norman Lebrecht (1)
  • Norman Perryman (3)
  • Normblog (1)
  • O2 Arena (1)
  • OAE (6)
  • Offenbach (1)
  • Olena Tokar (1)
  • Olivier Awards (1)
  • Olivier Messiaen (4)
  • Olympic Games (1)
  • Olympic opening ceremony (1)
  • Ombra di nube (2)
  • Opera News (1)
  • Opera Theater of St Louis (1)
  • Opera Undressed (1)
  • Operalia (2)
  • Orange Tree Theatre (6)
  • Orchestra of the Swan (2)
  • Orpheus Foundation (1)
  • Orpheus Sinfonia (1)
  • Paavo Berglund (1)
  • Paderewski (1)
  • Palast Orchester (1)
  • ParalympicsGB (1)
  • Paris Opera Ballet (1)
  • Parsifal (2)
  • Pascal Devoyon (1)
  • Patrice Chéreau (1)
  • Paul Claudel (1)
  • Paul Daniel (2)
  • Paul Groves (1)
  • Paul Lewis (2)
  • Paul Morley (1)
  • Pavel Haas (1)
  • Penelope Wilton (1)
  • Peter Donohoe (1)
  • Peter Mattei (1)
  • Peter Zinovieff (1)
  • Petrushka (2)
  • Philharmonia Orchestra (3)
  • Philip Glass (1)
  • Philip Pullman (1)
  • Philippe Graffin (3)
  • Philippe Jaroussky (1)
  • Pianist Magazine (4)
  • pianists (1)
  • Piano News (1)
  • Piazzolla (1)
  • Pictures at an Exhibition (1)
  • Pierre Boulez (7)
  • Pierre-Laurent Aimard (1)
  • Piers Lane (3)
  • Piotr Anderszewski (1)
  • Placido Domingo (3)
  • Popstar to Operastar (1)
  • Poulenc (2)
  • Professor John Deathridge (1)
  • Prokofiev (1)
  • Proms (8)
  • Puccini (2)
  • Pumeza Matshikiza (1)
  • Purcell (1)
  • quantum mechanics (1)
  • Quartet for the End of Time (4)
  • Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (2)
  • Queen's Birthday Honours List (1)
  • Rachel Nicholls (2)
  • Rachel Portman (1)
  • Rachmaninov (5)
  • Rachmaninov Sonata No.1 (1)
  • Radiohead (1)
  • Rainer Hersch (2)
  • Ralph Vaughan Williams (2)
  • Raven Girl (2)
  • Ravi Shankar (1)
  • Red Nose Day (1)
  • Remembrance Sunday (1)
  • Renaud Capucon (1)
  • Rene Pape (1)
  • Renee Fleming (1)
  • Rhapsody in Blue (1)
  • Riccardo Chailly (1)
  • Richard Jones (1)
  • Richard Marlow (1)
  • Richard Sisson (1)
  • Richard Strauss (2)
  • Richard Wagner (6)
  • Rigoletto (1)
  • Rites of Spring (3)
  • River Pageant (2)
  • Robert Craft (1)
  • Robert Fisk (1)
  • Robert le Diable (4)
  • Robert Maycock (2)
  • Robert Maycock Memorial Writer's Prize (1)
  • Robert Schumann (2)
  • Roberto Bolle (1)
  • Robin Ticciati (1)
  • Robin Tritschler (1)
  • Roger Daltrey (1)
  • Roger Federer (1)
  • Roger Norrington (1)
  • Roger Wright (1)
  • ROH Linbury Studio (1)
  • Roland Wood (1)
  • Rolando Villazon (5)
  • Romania (1)
  • romanticism (1)
  • Romeo and Juliet (1)
  • Rosa Parks (1)
  • Rosemary Nalden (1)
  • Rosenblatt Recital Series (2)
  • Rossini (2)
  • Roundhouse (1)
  • Roxanna Panufnik (6)
  • Royal Academy of Arts (1)
  • Royal Academy of Music (1)
  • Royal Albert Hall (1)
  • Royal Ballet (9)
  • Royal College of Music (1)
  • Royal Festival Hall (3)
  • Royal Marines (1)
  • Royal Northern College of Music (2)
  • Royal Opera House (26)
  • Royal Philharmonic Society (2)
  • RPS Awards (3)
  • Rusalka (4)
  • Russell Hoban (1)
  • Rustem Hayroudinoff (4)
  • Ryan Wigglesworth (1)
  • Ryszard Bakst (1)
  • Sacha Baron Cohen (1)
  • Sadler's Wells (3)
  • Saint-Saens (3)
  • Sakari Oramo (1)
  • Sally Beamish (1)
  • Sally Matthews (1)
  • Salvatore Licitra (1)
  • Salzburg Festival (2)
  • Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1)
  • Samuel Pisar (1)
  • Sandor Feher (1)
  • Sandor Vegh (1)
  • Sara Mohr-Pietsch (2)
  • Sarah Connolly (5)
  • Sarah Lamb (2)
  • Sarah Lund (1)
  • Sarah Lund sweater (1)
  • Schubert (6)
  • Schubert Winterreise (1)
  • Scottish Opera (1)
  • Sean Shibe (1)
  • Sena Jurinac (2)
  • Serge Gainsbourg (1)
  • Sergei Polunin (6)
  • Sergio Morabito (3)
  • sexism in music (2)
  • Shakespeare (1)
  • Siegfried (1)
  • Silent Opera (1)
  • Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra (1)
  • Simon Hewitt Jones (1)
  • Simon Keenlyside (1)
  • Simon Mulligan (2)
  • Simon Rattle (2)
  • Simon Trpceski (1)
  • Simon's Cat (1)
  • Sinfini (4)
  • Sinfini Music (3)
  • Sins of the Fathers (1)
  • Sir Anthony Hopkins (1)
  • Sir Colin Davis (5)
  • Sir Frederick Ashton (1)
  • Sir Georg Solti (5)
  • Sir Harrison Birtwistle (2)
  • Sir John Tomlinson (4)
  • Sir Mark Elder (1)
  • Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (1)
  • Sir Roger Norrington (1)
  • Sir Simon Rattle (5)
  • Sir Thomas Allen (1)
  • Sir Thomas Beecham (1)
  • Sistema Scotland (1)
  • Skyfall (1)
  • Skyline London (1)
  • SOAS (1)
  • Soeur Sourire (1)
  • Sofia Gubaidulina (1)
  • Somerset House (1)
  • Songs of War (1)
  • Sonos (1)
  • Sophie Bevan (3)
  • Soul Mavericks (1)
  • South Africa (1)
  • South West Trains (1)
  • Southbank Centre (2)
  • Souvenirs de Bayreuth (1)
  • Soweto String Quartet (1)
  • Special Offer (1)
  • Spem in Alium (1)
  • Sponsorship (1)
  • Spontini (1)
  • St Barnabas Ealing (1)
  • St James Piccadilly (2)
  • St James Theatre (3)
  • St James Theatre Studio (3)
  • St Mary's Perivale (1)
  • Stabat Mater (1)
  • Stefan Herheim (1)
  • Steinway (1)
  • Steinway Hamburg (1)
  • Stephen Barlow (2)
  • Stephen Hough (1)
  • Steven Isserlis (2)
  • Steven McRae (1)
  • Steven Osborne (1)
  • Steven Stucky (1)
  • Stravinsky (7)
  • Street Child World Cup (1)
  • Stuart Skelton (1)
  • Stuttgart Opera (1)
  • Sunken Garden (1)
  • Susan Boyle (1)
  • Susan Bullock (1)
  • Suzy Klein (1)
  • Svetlana Zakharova (1)
  • Sviatoslav Richter (2)
  • Swan Lake (3)
  • Swan Lake in 3D (2)
  • Symphony Hall Birmingham (5)
  • Tamsin Waley-Cohen (1)
  • Tannhauser (1)
  • Tasmin Little (10)
  • Tchaikovsky (6)
  • Tchaikovsky Competition (1)
  • Team GB (1)
  • TED (1)
  • tenors (1)
  • Terry Gilliam (1)
  • The Anvil Basingstoke (1)
  • The Apprentice (1)
  • The Beatles (1)
  • The Brothers Grimm (1)
  • The Concert (1)
  • The Cunning Little Vixen (1)
  • The Death of Klinghoffer (4)
  • The End of Time (1)
  • The Flying Dutchman (2)
  • The Killing (1)
  • The Knife (2)
  • The Lark Ascending (1)
  • The Magic Flute (2)
  • The Marriage of Figaro (2)
  • The Marx Brothers (1)
  • The Met in HD (1)
  • The Metamorphosis (1)
  • The Minotaur (1)
  • The Nutcracker (5)
  • The Olympianist (2)
  • The Passenger (2)
  • The Perfect American (1)
  • The Pilgrim's Progress (1)
  • The Prince of the Pagodas (1)
  • The Queen (2)
  • The Queen of Spades (1)
  • The Rake's Progress (1)
  • The Rest is Noise (7)
  • The Ring (2)
  • The Rite of Spring (6)
  • The Roundhouse (1)
  • The Royal Ballet (3)
  • The Second Mrs Kong (1)
  • The Silver Violin (2)
  • The Sleeping Beauty (1)
  • The Spectator Arts Blog (4)
  • The Sun (1)
  • The Tales of Hoffmann (1)
  • The Voice (1)
  • The Well-Tempered Clavier (1)
  • Thiago Soares (1)
  • Thomas Hampson (1)
  • Thomas Kemp (1)
  • Tim Walker (fashion photographer) (1)
  • Tim Wilson (1)
  • Timothy West (1)
  • Toby Spence (3)
  • Tom Lehrer (1)
  • Tom Morris (1)
  • Tom Service (1)
  • Tony Fell (1)
  • Tony Pappano (6)
  • Top Ten (2)
  • Tosca (3)
  • Tower Records (1)
  • Trending on Twitter (1)
  • Tribschen (1)
  • Trinity Buoy Wharf (1)
  • Trinity College (1)
  • Trio Jean Paul (1)
  • Trish Clowes (1)
  • Tung-Chieh Chuang (1)
  • Turandot (1)
  • Turner Sims Concert Hall (1)
  • Twitter (1)
  • Two Moors Festival (1)
  • Ulverston International Music Festival (2)
  • Universal (1)
  • Universal Classics (1)
  • University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (1)
  • University ranking (1)
  • Unsuk Chin (1)
  • Valery Gergiev (8)
  • Van Cliburn (1)
  • Vaslav Nijinsky (1)
  • Vassily Petrenko (1)
  • Veda Kaplinsky (1)
  • Venezuela (1)
  • Verdi (3)
  • Victor Borge (1)
  • Victoria Wood (1)
  • Vienna (3)
  • Viktor Ullmann (1)
  • Viktoria Mullova (1)
  • Vilde Frang (2)
  • Violin School (1)
  • Violonista (1)
  • Viv McLean (3)
  • Vivaldi (2)
  • Vivaldi The Four Seasons (1)
  • Vladimir Horowitz (3)
  • Vladimir Jurowski (3)
  • VOCES8 (1)
  • Voice of Russia (3)
  • Wagner (16)
  • Wagner 200 (4)
  • War Requiem (1)
  • Watershed (1)
  • Wayne McGregor (3)
  • Welte-Mignon reproducing piano (1)
  • Wen Zhou Li (1)
  • Werner Gura (1)
  • Werther (1)
  • West-Eastern Divan Orchestra (7)
  • Wexford Opera Festival (3)
  • White Rose Resistance Movement (1)
  • Whitgift School International Music Competition (1)
  • Wigmore Hall (7)
  • Wilhelm Backhaus (1)
  • Will Robin (1)
  • Wimbledon (1)
  • Wimbledon Festival (1)
  • Witold Lutowslawski (4)
  • Wladislaw Spilman (1)
  • women conductors (1)
  • Women of the World Festival (1)
  • Woody Allen (1)
  • World Cup (1)
  • World Requiem (1)
  • Wozzeck (1)
  • WQXR (1)
  • writing workshops (1)
  • Written on Skin (1)
  • Yannick Nezet-Seguin (3)
  • Yehudi Menuhin (3)
  • YES (2)
  • Yoshi Oida (1)
  • Yossi Wieler (1)
  • Young Epilepsy (1)
  • Yuja Wang (4)
  • Zenaida Yanowsky (2)
  • Zhang Zuo (1)
  • Zofia Posmysz (1)
  • Zoi Tsokanou (1)

Blog Archive

  • ►  2013 (186)
    • ►  September (6)
    • ►  August (7)
    • ►  July (20)
    • ►  June (21)
    • ►  May (23)
    • ►  April (29)
    • ►  March (29)
    • ►  February (23)
    • ►  January (28)
  • ▼  2012 (242)
    • ►  December (24)
    • ▼  November (29)
      • True love and piano heaven?
      • OK, reviews...
      • Time to get tough on Blackberry Man
      • A revelation from Murray Perahia
      • The rest is a lot of noise
      • On fire at the Lucerne Piano Festival
      • Brendel, Lewis and a lorralorra mountains
      • Provocation on the podium
      • Watch Marion Cotillard as Joan of Arc, complete, here
      • Encore un prix pour Benjamin Grosvenor
      • Is Daniel Barenboim the only person who can fix th...
      • Watch Angelo Villani's comeback concert right here
      • A moment in the sun
      • HUNGARIAN DANCES goes Romanian
      • Who is this Petrushka anyway?
      • Follow the Messiaen with the score
      • Countdown to my play...
      • "He believed that you can say anything through dance"
      • Vaughan Williams for Remembrance Sunday
      • Gabriela Montero plays the Grieg Concerto - aged 11
      • Mozart, Manchester and one amazing man
      • Aces ahoy at Wimbledon
      • RIP Elliott Carter (1908 - 2012)
      • Progress for the Pilgrim
      • Faure plays Faure
      • Urgent: read, sign and help keep Britain's arts alive
      • How I put the story of music in a Nazi POW camp on...
      • Benjamin Grosvenor's Southbank debut
      • Welcome to Wexford
    • ►  October (15)
    • ►  September (31)
    • ►  August (13)
    • ►  July (19)
    • ►  June (17)
    • ►  May (19)
    • ►  April (17)
    • ►  March (18)
    • ►  February (21)
    • ►  January (19)
  • ►  2011 (72)
    • ►  December (20)
    • ►  November (20)
    • ►  October (16)
    • ►  September (16)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile