An interview with violinist Miranda Cuckson who will perform in Anthony Cheung’s the echoing of tenses at New York’s Alice Tully Hall on 16 July
Violinist Miranda Cuckson in conversation with Daniele Sahr
Interviews
All the Seen and Heard Interviews
An interview with Alon Kariv who plays Chopin’s First Piano Concerto at the Cadogan Hall on Sunday 11 May
Pianist Alon Kariv in conversation with Colin Clarke
Israeli pianist Alon Kariv will play Chopin’s First Piano Concerto on Sunday, May 11 at London’s Cadogan Hall with the English Chamber Orchestra (information here). Ahead of that performance I met Alon to discuss all things piano, some previous notable performances and, of course, his relationship with Chopin and that composer’s works.
Raffaello Morales, Farringdon’s Renaissance man talks to Christopher Sallon
Fidelio Café’s Raffaello Morales in conversation with Christopher Sallon
‘It’s an amazing coincidence!’ exclaims Raffaello Morales, the 37- year-old, Italian-born owner, manager, conductor, and musical entrepreneur behind the Fidelio Café. From the small first floor office of his Farringdon premises, he points towards a small house located just across the road dedicated to the nineteenth-century Italian patriot, exile and father of the Risorgimento Giuseppe Mazzini. Morales regards Mazzini as an inspirational figure. Although these two men are separated by more than a century (Mazzini died in 1872 and Morales was born in 1987), there are uncanny coincidences which link them, beyond mere nationality and their connection to ‘Little Italy’, as this area of Clerkenwell is still known.
Rick Perdian in conversation with tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist Julius Drake
Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake discuss Schubert’s Winterreise and their decades-long musical partnership
Ian Bostridge and Julius Drake bring their renowned interpretation of Schubert’s Winterreise to New York’s Kaufmann Concert Hall at 92NY on 5 March 2025. Their North American tour takes them to Montreal, Boston and Baltimore, but only New York audiences will experience their masterful performance of Schubert’s great song cycle.
Ken Ward in conversation with conductor Gerd Schaller
200 years of Bruckner, 35 years of Ebracher Musiksommer: Maestro Gerd Schaller interviewed by Ken Ward
Geoffrey Newman in conversation with conductor Andrew Litton
Conductor Andrew Litton talks to Geoffrey Newman
Born in New York City in 1959, Andrew Litton is currently Music Director of the New York City Ballet Orchestra. Litton shot to international attention in his mid-twenties after winning the BBC/Rupert Foundation International Conducting Competition in 1982 and quickly became Assistant Conductor at the National Symphony of Washington under Rostropovich. He then took on successive Principal Conductor appointments with the Bournemouth Symphony (1988-1994), Dallas Symphony (1994-2006), and the Bergen Philharmonic (2003-2015). He also directed the Minnesota Orchestra’s summer festival from 2003-2017. Litton has now recorded over 140 CDs, primarily on the Virgin, Delos and BIS labels. He is also known for his virtuosity on the piano and his love of jazz and Gershwin. This interview tracks the conductor’s development and his achievements in detail. It took place coincident with his appearance with violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in October 2024 (review here).
Artistic Director Cameron Menzies and baritone Yuriy Yurchuk talk about Northern Ireland Opera
Robert Beattie in conversation with Cameron Menzies, Artistic Director of Northern Ireland Opera, and baritone Yuriy Yurchuk
I have been reviewing Northern Ireland Opera’s productions for some years (links to some of my reviews can be found here). I have been struck both by the very high quality and infinite variety of their productions. They have produced a string of more conventional operatic productions, including La bohème, La traviata and Tosca which have received glowing reviews from the Press. Opera Magazine commented: ‘Northern Ireland Opera’s La traviata suggests that the artistic director Cameron Menzies has at long last realised the region’s ambition to have a grand opera company truly deserving of the name.’
Geoffrey Newman in conversation with conductor Leonard Slatkin
Distinguished American conductor Leonard Slatkin talks to Geoffrey Newman
Leonard Slatkin has been a force in the American classical music scene for almost fifty years and will celebrate his eightieth birthday in 2024. Born into a distinguished musical family and trained at Aspen and Juilliard, Slatkin has been Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony (1979-1996), the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington (1996-2008), the BBC Symphony (2000-2004), the Detroit Symphony (2008-2018) and Orchestre National de Lyon (2011-2017).