Schubert
Paul Lewis, Wigmore Hall review - superlative SchubertMonday, 01 May 2023
Paul Lewis secured his reputation as a leading advocate of the Viennese Classical repertoire with two releases of late Schubert sonatas on Harmonia Mundi. That was 20 years ago, but he returned to Schubert in 2022, with a release of earlier sonatas... Read more... |
Classical CDs: Fireworks, floods and unpleasant glimpsesFriday, 31 March 2023
Debussy: Piano Works Volume 2 Dennis Lee (piano) (ICSM Records)I’m a huge fan of Colin Matthews’ idiomatic orchestral transcriptions of Debussy’s Préludes, so much so that it’s been a good few years since I’ve listened to the piano originals.... Read more... |
Classical CDs: Symphonies, suppers and knitting needlesSaturday, 28 January 2023
Roger Norrington: The Complete Erato Recordings (Erato)Richard Osborne’s booklet essay contains some telling words from Sir Roger Norrington, tucked away at the end of the final paragraph: “I don’t mind if a performance is unhistorical; I do... Read more... |
Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber, Wigmore Hall review - muted regret and distant longingWednesday, 30 November 2022
There is no mistaking Christian Gerhaher. His voice is a light, agile baritone, and it is utterly distinctive. He is a very verbal singer, and is as happy delivering his lines in a toneless parlando as he is full voice. But when he does increase the... Read more... |
Pavel Haas Quartet, Edinburgh International Festival 2022 review - a scorching team on top formFriday, 26 August 2022
This is the Pavel Haas Quartet’s second visit to a Scottish festival this summer. They were among the stars of the East Neuk Festival at the start of July, and they were every bit as scorching in this Edinburgh International Festival concert.The... Read more... |
Imogen Cooper, Wigmore Hall review - calm waters run deepMonday, 29 November 2021
On a night when any brooks running past the Wigmore Hall might have frozen almost solid, Imogen Cooper’s recital travelled on sparkling waters of the highest purity across almost a century of pianistic innovation.As well as the streams and fountains... Read more... |
Shakespeare Re-Shaped, Opera Up Close online review - Verdi on the sofaWednesday, 24 March 2021
The screen lights up, the Zoom link connects and there, blinking back at you (30% awkward, 70% enthusiastic) is a familiar face. Is it definitely working? Can you hear me? What do we say now? God, I'm getting old. Even after 12 months of... Read more... |
Steven Osborne 50th Birthday Concert, Wigmore Hall online – perfect symmetriesMonday, 15 March 2021
Some pianists would take the chance of a birthday celebration to pioneer a solitary epic. Not the ever-collegial, unshowy, some would even say visionary Steven Osborne. For this ultimately unforgettable Wigmore Hall concert, he’s devised a programme... Read more... |
David Webb's 'Winter Journey', Wigmore Hall online review - an epic sharedSaturday, 30 January 2021
The bleak isolation and lonely angst felt in Schubert’s Winterreise is only too appropriate for a lockdown January. However, one positive to shine from this gloom is tenor David Webb’s own "Winter Journey". Cycling around his home in London every... Read more... |
Classical CDs: recorders, fishermen, Spanish nightlife and waltzesSaturday, 30 January 2021
Bach: Sonatas for recorder, harpsichord and viola da gamba Michala Petri (recorder), Hille Perl (viola da gamba), Mahan Esfahani (harpsichord) (OUR Recordings)That these sonatas were originally composed by Bach for flute is surely of no... Read more... |
Fatma Said, Joseph Middleton, Wigmore Hall review - song recital heavenTuesday, 08 December 2020
This was the first song recital back at the Wigmore Hall following the second lockdown with a (distanced, 25%) audience. And it was a joy to be back. Great singing. That superb acoustic. A completely rapt audience. And, miraculously, not a single... Read more... |
Christian Gerhaher, Gerold Huber, Wigmore Hall review – revelatory Schubert welcomes audiences backMonday, 14 September 2020
“It’s SO good to be back,” said Catherine Bott, and it would be impossible to disagree with her. She was presenting the livestream of the first concert to be performed in front of an audience at Wigmore Hall since March. The rules as originally in... Read more... |
