United Kingdom Rossini, The Barber of Seville: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of English National Opera / Roderick Cox (conductor). London Coliseum, 22.2.2024. (CC)
Another Barber of Seville revival proves ENO remains a joy and a gem
Colin Clarke
Higgins’s Horn Concerto and Goldscheider’s technical ease stand out a country mile at Cadogan Hall
United Kingdom Maconchy, Mozart, Higgins, Sibelius: Ben Goldscheider (horn), London Chamber Orchestra / Christopher Warren Green (conductor, except Mozart). Cadogan Hall, London, 7.2.2024. (CC)
The Royal Opera’s Tosca gets a disappointing revival with tired and inadequate principal singers
United Kingdom Puccini, Tosca: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House / Karen Kamensek (conductor). Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 5.2.2024. (CC)
Colin Clarke in conversation with Gavin Higgins and Ben Goldscheider about a new horn concerto
Gavin Higgins’s Horn Concerto’s London premiere: Colin Clarke discusses it with the composer and soloist
It is not every day a new horn concerto is premiered. On Wednesday, February 7 Gavin Higgins‘s concerto receives its London premiere by the London Chamber Orchestra under Christopher Warren-Green, with Ben Goldscheider as soloist. The piece appears in the company of music by Elizabeth Maconchy (Music for Strings), another Horn Concerto (Mozart No.4), and Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony (a report will appear on this site).
In its first revival ENO’s The Handmaid’s Tale remains an impressive piece of theatre
United Kingdom Poul Ruders, The Handmaid’s Tale: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of English National Opera / Joana Carneiro (conductor). London Coliseum, 3.2.2024. (CC)
Anna Prohaska and Phantasm’s stunning Byrd and English Song at Wigmore Hall
United Kingdom Byrd Compared: Byrd and English Song: Anna Prohaska (soprano), Phantasm (Laurence Dreyfus [treble viol/director], Jonathan Manson, Emilia Benjamin [tenor viols], Markku Luolajan-Mikkola [bass viol]). Wigmore Hall, London, 10.01.2024. (CC)
The Met’s 2023 Nabucco cast – and conductor – act as a timely reminder of the work’s stature
United States Verdi, Nabucco: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of the Metropolitan Opera, New York / Daniele Callegari (conductor). Transmitted live (directed by Habib Azar) from the Metropolitan Opera, New York, to London’s Barbican Cinema, 6.1.2024. (CC)
