Mozart Unwrapped – The Early Piano Concertos: Florian Mitrea (piano); Andrejs Osokins (piano); Soojung Park (piano); Daimon Quartet (Kristine Balanas – violin; Marta Pawlowska – violin; Mihai Cocea – viola; Antonio Novais – cello), Royal Academy of Music at King’s Place, 18.6.2011. (KC)
London
Semi-staged Barbican Idomeneo lives up to expectations
Mozart, Idomeneo, re di Creta, K 366: (Semi-Staged Performance) Balthasar Neumann Ensemble and Choir/Thomas Hengelbrock (conductor) Barbican Hall, London, 11.6.2011 (GD)
The London Sinfonietta at London’s Meltdown Festival
Birtwistle, Maxwell Davies : Leigh Melrose (baritone), London Sinfonietta, Baldur Brönnimann (conductor), Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 16.6.2011 (Gdn)
Routine Tosca lacks lyricism and pathos
Puccini, Tosca : Soloists, chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera. Conductor: Antonio Pappano. Covent Garden, London, 14.6.2011 (JPr)
Inspired Bruckner from Haitink compensates disappointing first half programme change
Mozart, Bruckner : Maria João Pires (piano), London Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink (conductor), Barbican Hall, London, 14.6.2011 (GDn)
Holland Park Opera makes a good job of rather poor Mascagni
Mascagni, L’amico Fritz: Soloists, Chorus of Opera Holland Park, City of London Sinfonia, Stuart Stratford (conductor), 10.6.2011 (GDn)
Thought-provoking viola and piano music at St. John’s
Brahms, Joachim, Schumann, Fribbins and Shostakovich: Eniko Magyar (viola), Diana Brekalo (piano). St John’s Smith Square, London, 10.6. 2011 (CG)
Russian Song from Daniil Shtoda and Larissa Gergieva at the Wigmore Hall
Rimsky-Korsakov, Cui, Rachmaninov, and Tchaikovsky: Daniil Shtoda (tenor), Larissa Gergieva (piano). Wigmore Hall, London, 10.6.2011 (MB)