Tag: classical
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RSNO/Iwabuchi review – robust Brahms upstaged by frosty Sibelius adventures
Resident RSNO violinist Maya Iwabuchi’s Brahms showed impressive attention to detail without ever grandstanding, but it was a second half of Finnish delights that brought out the best from an in-form Emilia Hoving.
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Samuelsen/SCO review – Vivaldi remix remains Richter’s gorgeous masterpiece
A vivid rendition of Richter’s ingenious tribute to the Four Seasons was the clear highlight of this forward-thinking programme of living composers in Glasgow’s City Halls. Before the interval, self-assured conductor David Brophy sounded most at home animating John Adams’ colourful The Chairman Dances.
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Turandot review – let no one sleep on this ravishing production
Think Puccini’s swan song is just a vessel for opera’s megahit Nessun Dorma? Think again. Scottish Opera’s latest Turandot revival is sumptuous from start to finish, delivering both intimate anguish and knock-your-cotton-socks-off awe in equal measure.
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Imogen Cooper/Lewis/RNS live at the Glasshouse review – a fitting send-off
Returning to the same composer that started her career over five decades ago, Imogen Cooper’s farewell concerto was an uplifting Mozart masterclass. A nuanced 27th Concerto highlighted Cooper’s talent as one of Britain’s finest concert pianists.
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RPO/Petrenko at the Glasshouse review – high octane Shostakovich sets the heart racing
Tom Borrow’s solidly unassuming rendition of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto was a little heavy-handed, but nonetheless a worthy scene-setter for Shostakovich’s whirlwind Tenth Symphony, a timely piece about Stalin’s authoritarian regime that sounded viscerally shocking under Vasily Petrenko’s assured baton.
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Ichiko Aoba live at the Glasshouse review – perfect serenity from the Japanese isles
Ichiko Aoba’s virtuosic guitar playing proved the main draw for a night of deeply beautiful experimental folk pieces from Japan, prefaced by one of the most extraordinary support acts I’ve ever witnessed.
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RNS/Ólafsson live at the Glasshouse review – quite possibly the best pianist in the world right now
Beethoven’s flamboyant Emperor concerto was an odd choice for this master of pianistic introspection, but Ólafsson nonetheless proved his world class status following a typically daring and dynamic first half from Sousa’s Royal Northern Sinfonia.
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RNS/Hewitt live at the Glasshouse review – impeccable Mozart lacks bite
Angela Hewitt’s attention to detail and exquisite technique delivered some stunning moments of clarity in these two Mozart piano concertos, but also felt prosaic in places. A thrilling second half confirmed concertmaster Maria Włoszczowska as an exceptional talent.
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RNS/Kanneh-Mason live at the Glasshouse review – epic Beethoven pushes RNS to the limits
Starry pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason’s Clara Schumann had crystalline clarity plus a stunning cello solo, but it was Dinis Sousa’s vigorous tackling of Beethoven’s most fabled symphony that had RNS operating at their genuinely world class best.
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RNS/Kim live at the Glasshouse review – music fizzing with tension
Playing to a half-capacity Glasshouse, Sunwook Kim’s admirable account of Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto was technically dazzling if lacking in nuance before the RNS found lift off with an invigorating Schumann symphony.
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Manchester Collective live at Star and Shadow review – classical’s shocking cutting edge
Eclectic was the word for this remarkable new project from Manchester Collective’s Rakhi Singh and Alan Keary. Singh’s Bach and Keary’s Reich were each fantastic in their own ways, but it was a chilling closing piece that had audience members either enthralled or clamouring for the exit.
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RNS/Włoszczowska live at Sage Gateshead review – propulsive Bartók steals the show
Maria Włoszczowska’s laidback approach to the combined roles of soloist and conductor gave mixed results, but the splendour of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto remained largely intact. It was Bartók’s lively Divertimento that saw the RNS at their most dynamic and engaging.
