Nov
2011
Articles from 25th Nov 2011
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Richard Tognetti has many strings to his bow
Nov 25 2011 | Music
The director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra is keen to expand its repertoire far beyond the purely classical realm, writes Christopher Morley. Read
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Review: Brandenburg Concertos - CBSO, at Symphony Hall, Birmingham
Nov 25 2011 | Music
An immensely stylish all-Bach concert played to a packed matinee audience, playing four of the Brandenburg Concertos and showcasing co-principal cellist Ulrich Heinen in the first Suite for Solo Cello Read
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Review: The Capucon Brothers, at Birmingham Town Hall
Nov 25 2011 | Music
This French performance of Beethoven’s Archduke piano trio managed to be suitably aristocratic while demonstrating the qualities of liberty, equality and fraternity. The violinist Renaud Capuçon, his cellist brother Gautier and pianist Frank Braley demonstrated the give-and-take – an instinctive knowledge of who ought to be first amongst equals at any given time – that is the foundation of the best chamber music groups. Read
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Review: Ex Cathedra, at Birmingham Town Hall
Nov 25 2011 | Music
Rather like the film of the book, this ‘concert of the album’ featured material from Ex Cathedra’s recently released 2-CD tribute to Alec Roth. For a contemporary composer to receive such acclaim must be extremely rewarding. Read
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Review: Birmingham Bach Choir, at The Oratory, Birmingham
Nov 25 2011 | Music
Over a cracking programme, the Birmingham Bach Choir displayed a wealth of qualities and gave a performance of which they should be truly proud. The static, a capella textures of John Tavener’s Mother of God, and two works by American composer Eric Whitacre, placed big demands on breath-control and tuning. But the group met these superbly. Whitacre’s ethereal Lux Aurumque shimmered in all the right places, but second on the bill did feel a tad early for this luminous show-stopper. Read
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Review: Chandos Symphony Orchestra, at Forum Theatre Malvern
Nov 25 2011 | Music
Over the years the Malvern-based Chandos Symphony Orchestra has notched up a portfolio of tremendous triumphs, achieved over a rehearsal regime of only two weekends (including the concert one). Read
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Review: The Barber Of Seville, Welsh National Opera, at Birmingham Hippodrome
Nov 25 2011 | Music
Far from creaking after 25 years, Welsh National Opera’s production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville is in fact one of the most joyous operatic shows I have ever witnessed. Read
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Review: Katya Kabanova, Welsh National Opera, at Birmingham Hippodrome
Nov 25 2011 | Music
All superlatives can be aired for this staggering achievement of Jánaèek’s opera Katya Kabanova. Katie Mitchell’s evocative 1950’s style production has been in the WNO’s repertoire since 2001, currently supported by the Friends of WNO. Sung in confident, original Czech (helpfully with discreet surtitles), this is a story of passions and inevitable tragedy. Read
