fri 29/08/2025

stephen walsh

Bio
Stephen is a former Observer music critic and a regular contributor to The Times, Daily Telegraph, Financial Times, Independent and the BBC. He is the author of a major biography of Stravinsky and other books on Stravinsky, Bartók and Schumann. He holds a chair in music at Cardiff University.

Articles By Stephen Walsh

Káťa Kabanová, Glyndebourne review - emotional concentration in a salle modulable

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theartsdesk at the Three Choirs Festival - Passion in the Cathedral

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Mazeppa, Grange Park Opera review - a gripping reassessment

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Peter Grimes, Welsh National Opera review - febrile energy and rage

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Uproar, Rafferty, Royal Welsh College, Cardiff review - colourful new inventions inspired by Ligeti

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The Marriage of Figaro, Welsh National Opera review - no concessions and no holds barred

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Il trittico, Welsh National Opera review - welcome back (but not a good sign)

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Rigoletto, Welsh National Opera review - back to what they do best

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Il Trittico, Welsh National Opera review - another triumph for a hard-pressed company

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The Merry Widow, Glyndebourne review - fun and frolics in the Embassy

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Così fan tutte, Welsh National Opera review - relevance reduced to irrelevance

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Uproar, Rafferty, Royal Welsh College, Cardiff review - a rare spring in the new music step

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BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Martin, Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff review - a host of horns in the wild woods

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La Traviata, Welsh National Opera review - memorable revival, unforgettable lead

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Ainadamar, Welsh National Opera review - hits hard without breaking ground

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The Pilgrim's Progress, Three Choirs Festival review - revelatory performance by young musicians

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'We are bowled over!' Thank you for your messages... ...
theartsdesk Q&A: Suranne Jones on 'Hostage', p...

If she decided to run for election, Suranne Jones would probably stand a good chance of winning. The Chadderton-born actress and...

Little Trouble Girls review - masterful debut breathes new l...

Taking its title from a Sonic Youth track whose lyrics describe someone who seems good on the outside but is bad inside, this debut...

Young Mothers review - the Dardennes explore teenage motherh...

“Not even an animal would do what she did.” Jessica (Babette Verbeek) is speaking about her biological mother, who abandoned her when she was a...

BBC Proms: The Marriage of Figaro, Glyndebourne Festival rev...

One door closes, and another one opens. A lot. It’s extraordinary what value those two simple additions to the Royal Albert Hall stage lent to...

Fat Ham, RSC, Stratford review - it's Hamlet Jim, but n...

$8.2B. That’s what can happen when you re-imagine ...

King & Conqueror, BBC One review - not many kicks in 106...

In this strangely dreary recreation of 11th century history, it’s not just grim oop north, it’s grim everywhere. King & Conqueror...

Juniper Blood, Donmar Warehouse review - where ideas and ide...

Playwright Mike Bartlett is, like many writers, a chronicler of both contemporary manners and of the state of the nation. In his latest domestic...

Album: The Hives - The Hives Forever, Forever The Hives

The Hives must be one of the most self-assured bands around – but not without good reason. Ever exuberant, all their tunes are short and sweet,...

BBC Proms: Faust, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Nelsons revie...

Does the orchestra that sways together play together? Quite apart from their (reliably gorgeous) sound, the tight-packed strings of the...